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New 2027 guidelines by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will ban key federal abortion funding while favoring fertility education and natural family planning.

The April 3 "2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity" for Title X, the federal family planning grant program, bans funds from being used "in programs where abortion is a method of family planning."

The move came days after the Trump administration released the fifth and final year of grant funding to Planned Parenthood under Title X, a decision that garnered criticism throughout the pro-life movement. The White House cited legal challenges for the controversial decision to continue the funding.

"The administration has issued the fifth and final year of Title X grants that were locked in place during the Biden presidency," the White House told EWTN News in a statement. "The administration faced significant legal challenges in stopping any of these dollars from going out."

Previous Republican administrations, including that of Trump's first term, also banned abortion funding via Title X. What makes this year's criteria unique is that it encourages fertility education in place of contraception.

The notice highlighted "fertility-awareness-based methods" or "natural family planning," a method encouraged by the Catholic Church that involves tracking a woman's biological markers to determine when ovulation occurs.

The administration also teased a new pro-family grant that will be announced soon.

"HHS will soon be releasing a new Title X funding opportunity for the next five-year funding cycle that prioritizes life and promotes the pro-family agenda," the White House statement read.

The notice also promoted "body literacy" on fertility-related conditions, such as "education on menstrual cycle physiology, hormonal health, male and female fertility awareness, and early indicators of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid dysfunction, metabolic disorders, and other conditions that often first emerge in adolescence."

An estimated 1 in 10 women have endometriosis; 1 in 8 women develop a thyroid disorder; and roughly 1 in 10 have PCOS — all conditions that can negatively affect fertility and overall health.

"For example, endometriosis often goes undiagnosed for years because symptoms such as severe menstrual pain or irregular bleeding are frequently normalized or minimized," the HHS notice read.

"Body literacy counseling helps patients recognize that these experiences are not 'normal' features" but instead "potential indicators of an underlying condition, prompting earlier discussion with providers, timely diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and improved long-term reproductive and overall health outcomes," the notice continued.

The 2027 plan is not prioritizing contraception funding; instead the government said that contraception is part of an overreliance on "pharmaceutical and surgical treatments."

The health department noted that fewer women than in previous years are using contraception (54% of reproductive-age women) and that "the most common reason women reported discontinuing use related to dissatisfaction was side effects." For instance, hormonal contraception can cause depression in some patients, among other negative side effects.

"This approach has failed to adequately address the root causes of the nation's chronic disease burden, resulting in ongoing health challenges that affect fertility, pregnancy outcomes, and long-term health outcomes," the notice read.

HHS said it will focus instead on "underlying behavioral and lifestyle factors of health — such as nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress management, and environmental factors."

The White House told EWTN News that "the administration remains committed to realigning the Title X program with the president's pro-life and pro-family agenda going forward."

Michael New, an assistant professor of practice at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America as well as a Charlotte Lozier Institute senior associate scholar, called the decrease in Planned Parenthood funding "a win for the pro-life movement," though with a caveat.

"Cutting funding to Planned Parenthood may not have a large impact on the incidence of abortion in the short term due the increasing prevalence of telehealth abortions," New said.

The professor also noted that "defunding contraception programs and supporting natural family planning is a win for pro-lifers."

"Since the Title X program started in 1970, the federal government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars, into promoting contraception," New said. "This money has been poorly spent. Many places that distribute contraception also perform abortions, so some of this money indirectly funds abortion."

"Many Catholics do not want their tax dollars spent on programs, such as contraception programs, they find morally objectionable," New continued. "Even though many Americans support contraceptive use, pro-life Catholics would like the government to stay out of the issue: no funding, no mandates, no distribution. As such, defunding contraception programs has been a longtime policy goal for many pro-life Catholics."

"??Natural family planning, when done correctly, has a strong track record of success," New said. "However, it has been marginalized in many secular public health circles. The fact that HHS is promoting natural family planning will give NFP more visibility and credibility."

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This Easter, France recorded more than 20,000 adult and adolescent baptisms, a 20% increase compared with the previous year.

A new report published by the French Bishops' Conference presents the latest statistical data from Easter 2026, during which approximately 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults embraced the Catholic faith.

The report indicates that the majority of converts are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, closely followed by the 26-to-40 age group. Women constitute the largest segment, accounting for approximately 62% of the total.

In general, the new catechumens have no prior religious tradition, driven primarily by difficult life experiences, a profound search for meaning, or spiritual encounters that left a lasting mark on their lives, according to the report.

The ecclesiastical provinces with the highest number of baptisms were Paris, with 3,184, followed by Marseille with 1,437 and Lyon with 1,200. The report highlights a notable increase in the military diocese, headquartered in the French capital, particularly during the military pilgrimage to Lourdes.

The 'magnitude of the thirst for God'

Olivier de Germay, archbishop of Lyon and the official responsible for the catechumenate in the country, reflected on this new reality, one that "never ceases to surprise and challenge us."

Although society has long been aware of the world's failure to provide answers to "the deep aspirations of the human being," the French prelate expressed his surprise at the "rapidity and magnitude of the thirst for God manifesting itself today."

This phenomenon opens up a new horizon and presents a "major challenge" for the Church, he said, which must offer appropriate guidance for initiation into the Christian life.

For De Germay, the situation also calls upon the "seasoned veterans of the Christian life," who are invited "to once again become aware of how God can break into [a person's life] and transform it."

Among some new initiatives to address the increasing numbers, the regional council launched by the eight dioceses of the Île-de-France region stands out. Titled "Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church in Our Dioceses," the council will run until May 2027. After gathering feedback from Catholics, including the newly baptized, the council aims to develop an appropriate response to the growing number of converts and to establish common guidelines at the provincial level.

The provincial council is encouraging the other dioceses outside the Île-de-France region to launch other initiatives focused on specific proposals to increase the participation of the newly baptized in the liturgy.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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Archbishop Paul Coakley on April 7 condemned a threat from President Donald Trump that promised the annihilation of the "whole civilization" of Iran if the country fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by the end of the day.

"The threat of destroying a whole civilization and the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally justified," Coakley, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in an April 7 statement. "I call on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost."

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The prelate's statement comes in response to a post from Trump on social media earlier on April 7 in which the president claimed that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" if Iranian leadership fails to strike a deal on Hormuz by the 8 p.m. ET cutoff.

"I don't want that to happen, but it probably will," Trump said. "We will find out tonight, one of the most important moments in the long and complex history of the world."

Trump's latest threat follows a strongly worded post from the president on Easter Sunday in which he stated that April 7 will be "Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran," an apparent intimation that the U.S. would strike at critical Iranian infrastructure if the strait was not reopened.

In his response to the posts, which did not quote Trump directly, Coakley noted that "after his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples in Jerusalem, and his first words were 'Peace be with you.'"

The archbishop cited Pope Leo XIV's calls for peace and invited the faithful to join the Holy Father in his prayer vigil for peace on April 11.

"I make a special plea to my brother bishops, the priests, the laity, and all people yearning for true peace to join the Holy Father's Vigil for Peace, whether virtually, or in parishes, chapels, or before the Lord present in the quiet of their hearts to join with our Holy Father as we pray for peace in our world," Coakley said.

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As the Artemis II mission begins its return from deep into space — now over halfway through its historic journey — the mission is marking a new chapter in human exploration.

Operated by NASA, the crewed flight has captured global attention not only for its technical ambition but also for its human moments. Among them, a moving message sent back to Earth in celebration of Easter and honoring the late wife of a crew member offered a reminder that even amid the vast silence of space, themes of hope, renewal, and faith continue to resonate across the cosmos.

On April 4, a CBS News reporter asked mission pilot Victor Glover if he had a message to share ahead of Easter. The astronaut — who took his Bible into space — shared a powerful reflection on the beauty of creation.

"As we are so far from Earth and look back at, you know, the beauty of creation — I think for me, one of the really important personal perspectives that I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing," Glover said. "And when I read the Bible and I look at all of the amazing things that were done for us … you have this amazing place, this spaceship."

He added: "You guys are talking to us because we're in a spaceship really far from Earth, but you're on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we're doing is special, but we're the same distance from you. And I'm trying to tell you — just trust me — you are special."

Referencing the Earth, the astronaut said: "In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together."

"I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we've gotta get through this together."

On April 6, Glover also reminded those on Earth about the greatest commandment Christ left us — to love God with all your heart and to love your neighbor.

Moments before the crew lost communication with Earth as the spacecraft went behind the moon, Glover said: "As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and farthest point from Earth, as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos, I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that's love."

"Christ said, in response to what was the greatest command, that it was to love God with all you are," he added. "And he also, being a great teacher, said the second is equal to it. And that is to love your neighbor as yourself."

Glover has been very open about his Christian faith. Ahead of the Artemis II launch, he shared that Jesus is the answer to the world's problems, saying: "We need Jesus — whether here on Earth or orbiting the moon."

In another heartfelt moment, Artemis mission specialist Jeremy Hansen shared a message proposing possible names for two unnamed craters on the moon's surface. The first name was "Integrity" — to honor the name of their spacecraft — and the second was "Carroll" — to honor the late wife of Artemis commander Reid Wiseman.

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He called the proposal of naming a crater Carroll "especially meaningful for this crew."

"A number of years ago we started this journey, in our close-knit astronaut family, and we lost a loved one," he shared.

Hansen explained that at certain points in the moon's transit around Earth it can be visible from Earth.

"It's a bright spot on the moon and we would like to call it Carroll," he said, choking on tears.

Carroll Taylor Wiseman died of cancer in 2020 at the age of 46.

The Artemis crew is scheduled to make their return to Earth by splashing into the Pacific ocean on April 10.

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Pope Leo XIV renewed his forceful appeal for an end to war and urged an embrace of dialogue, distinguishing himself as a singular global voice calling for restraint and moral accountability amid bellicose statements from U.S. leadership.

The first U.S.-born pope called on U.S. citizens to plead with elected officials to work for peace in remarks to the press April 7 and called threats to destroy Iran's civilization unacceptable. Earlier in the day, President Donald Trump promised on social media the annihilation of the "whole civilization" of Iran if the country fails to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The pope said "attacks on civilian infrastructure [are] against international law but that it's also a sign of hatred, division, and destruction that human beings are capable of, and that we all want to work for peace. People want peace. I would invite citizens of all the countries involved to speak with political leaders, authorities, congressmen, to ask them, tell them to work for peace."

He also said, speaking in Italian: "Today, as we all know, there was also this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this truly is not acceptable. Let us begin with dialogue. We should resolve problems without reaching this point, yet here we are. We must pray a great deal. I would like to invite everyone to pray, but also to look for ways to communicate, perhaps with members of Congress and with the authorities, to say that we do not want war, we want peace. We are a people who love peace, and there is a great need for peace in the world."

"I would simply say what I said in the urbi orbi message, to reject war, which many people have said is an unjust war, which is continuing to escalate and is not resolving anything," the pope said. "We have a worldwide economic crisis, energy crisis, situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world."

The pope spoke to the press outside the papal villa of Castel Gandolfo before returning to Rome after a daylong stay there. He made his appeal in Italian and English and did not take reporters' questions.

"Let's come back to the table, let's talk, let's look for solutions in a peaceful way, and let's remember especially the innocent," the pope said. "Children, the elderly, the sick, so many people have already become victims of this continued warfare."

Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly rejected rhetoric invoking God to justify loss of life. "Brothers and sisters, this is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Leo said on Palm Sunday.

On April 7, Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, underscored the pope's repeated calls for peace and urged Trump to avoid war with Iran.

Carrying hope

Pope Leo XIV in his Easter homily called for peace throughout the world, urging Christians to carry the hope of the Resurrection into a world wounded by war, violence, and injustice.

Leo used his first Easter urbi et orbi message April 5 to make a forceful appeal for an end to war and a renewed embrace of dialogue. He will lead a prayer vigil for peace on April 11 at St. Peter's Basilica.

The pope has repeatedly condemned war, saying it is a moral failure rooted in abuse of power and domination rather than dialogue. He urged those "who have weapons to lay them down" and those with power "to choose peace — not peace imposed by force, but through dialogue."

In the Easter message, the pope warned that the world is sliding into a "globalization of indifference" toward the suffering and deaths caused by war.

Valentina Di Donato contributed to this story.

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LAHORE, Pakistan — A Capuchin Franciscan friar has been installed as archbishop of Lahore, assuming leadership of Pakistan's largest Catholic diocese after a turbulent period marked by the removal of his predecessor.

Archbishop Khalid Rehmat, OFM Cap, 57, was installed as head of the Archdiocese of Lahore on March 28 in a ceremony that acknowledged a period of "particular difficulties and challenges" following the removal of Archbishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, in August 2024 — an unprecedented development in the country's Catholic history.

During the liturgy, Vicar General Father Asif Sardar read the Urdu translation of the papal bull, which referenced the trials faced by Pakistan's largest Catholic diocese, home to an estimated 577,000 faithful.

"We devote all our energies to the governance of the ship of the Church, which for different reasons is sometimes assailed by waves, requiring the guidance of both ourselves and the devoted pastors appointed by us. For this reason, we have turned our attention to the metropolitan see of Lahore," he said, quoting Pope Leo XIV.

The remarks were widely interpreted as an indirect reference to Shaw, who was appointed apostolic vicar of Quetta and installed at St. Mary's Catholic Church on March 24. Prior to that, he had been residing at the Franciscan Friars Minor house in Karachi while on what Church authorities described as a sabbatical.

Allegations against Shaw

Shaw has faced multiple allegations in recent years, including claims of financial mismanagement and misconduct involving Church funds and properties, circulated in media reports and on social media.

In 2017, he drew criticism for allowing a political address by Maryam Nawaz, now chief minister of Punjab, at Sacred Heart Cathedral during an election campaign.

Further controversy emerged in 2021 when a Christian activist shared on social media photographs and documents alleging irregular land transactions linked to Shaw. He declined to comment on the claims when contacted by EWTN News.

In 2022, additional allegations regarding personal conduct surfaced from a suspended priest, though archdiocesan officials dismissed them as unfounded.

Several Catholics, including a former Caritas Pakistan official, had previously submitted complaints to the Vatican concerning alleged abuse of authority and financial impropriety.

'Things seem to have settled down'

Archbishop Benny Mario Travas of Karachi, who served as apostolic administrator of Lahore during the transition, drew light laughter from the congregation when he remarked that "things seem to have settled down," noting a decline in complaints reaching the apostolic nunciature.

Archbishop Germano Penemote, the apostolic nuncio to Pakistan, thanked Travas for his stewardship during what he described as a turbulent period.

"The Church in Lahore is invited to experience this moment as a true resurrection — to emerge from chaos into new life, stepping out from the shadows into the radiant light of the risen Lord," he said, addressing the faithful on the eve of Palm Sunday.

Catholic lay leaders say the path forward will require structural and cultural renewal.

Shahid Rehmat, executive director of the Youth Development Foundation, emphasized the need for greater accountability and transparency within Church leadership.

"The internet has changed the world. Young people are no longer dependent on, nor can they be controlled by, Church leaders," he told EWTN News, urging authorities to make public the findings of any inquiry into Shaw's tenure.

"Transparency will help restore trust among the faithful and strengthen the credibility of the new leadership. Christian activists — many formed within Church institutions — have often been labeled disloyal. Recognizing their role could support the Church's mission for justice and peace," he added.

Rehmat, a former diocesan coordinator of Catholic Youth Ministry of the Lahore Archdiocese, also expressed cautious optimism about the new archbishop's leadership.

"He is well known in Quetta and has the potential to make the Church more accessible and outward-looking, while strengthening its struggling commissions," he said.

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Father Thomas Petri, OP, a Dominican theologian, reflected on Pope Leo XIV's call for peace in the Holy Father's first Easter message to the faithful and warned against showing "indifference" toward violence.

"During his urbi et orbi message [on Easter], he mentioned the globalization of indifference, the indifference that we have, even good Christians and good Catholics have to violence," Petri told anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 6 interview on "EWTN News Nightly."

"We've been desensitized to it," he said. "But if Christ has shown us anything, it is that power, the all-powerful God, wins the battle against sin and death not by violence or defeating it in some grand gesture of war against evil. Rather, he abandons himself, he gives himself in service, he dies for it, and then he rises for it without losing an ounce of his dignity, an ounce of his power."

In his Easter message to the faithful, Leo reflected on the resurrection of Christ, saying Easter is "the victory of life over death, of light over darkness, of love over hatred."

He said: "The power with which Christ rose is entirely nonviolent" and compared it to "a human heart, which, wounded by an offense, rejects the instinct for revenge and, filled with compassion, prays for the one who has committed the offense."

Leo called the Resurrection "the beginning of a new humanity" and "the entrance into the true promised land, where justice, freedom, and peace reign, where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father who is love, life, and light."

"We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent," the pope said. "Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people. Indifferent to the repercussions of hatred and division that conflicts sow. Indifferent to the economic and social consequences they produce, which we all feel."

Petri said during the interview that the Holy Father "challenged us to live in that sort of same grace, not to be disturbed by the problems of the world, but at the same time not to be indifferent to them, that we can coexist in peace and serenity and at the same time still be troubled and upset and concerned about what we see, not only in our own sinfulness and in our own lives, but in the Church and in the world."

Pope urges laying weapons down

Petri also discussed Leo's direct call for peace on Easter, in which the Holy Father said: "Let those who have weapons lay them down" and "let those who have the power to unleash wars choose peace; not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue!"

In the interview, Petri said: "It might be easy to dismiss" Leo's call for peace, because "popes always call for peace," but he warned against downplaying the Holy Father's role to simply being "a moral figure" and "a great teacher."

"He is, in fact, we believe, the vicar of Christ on Earth," Petri said. "And the teachings of the Church, the teachings of Jesus Christ himself, in fact, argue and maintain that peace and nonviolence is ultimately the way to everlasting peace."

"Only in the grace of Jesus Christ will we find justice, peace, and forgiveness and love all coexisting and living in one reality," Petri said. "And so this vigil for peace is certainly important and certainly it's significant that the pope has called for it, but it's also a real pleading, not simply that people will lay down arms and be peaceful with each other, although it is that, but that God himself will give peace to the world that is so desperately in need of it."

Leo's call for peace comes as President Donald Trump said he plans to escalate the conflict in Iran. The president said in a Truth Social post on Easter that April 7 "will be Power Plant Day and Bridge Day" while using profanities to demand Iran open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump doubled down on April 7, threatening that "a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" in a separate Truth Social post.

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An insurer for the Archdiocese of Baltimore has offered to contribute $100 million to a settlement for abuse victims there, the latest development in the archdiocese's yearslong bankruptcy proceedings related to Church sexual abuse.

Court documents obtained by EWTN News show that the Hartford Insurance Group proposed the nine-figure payment in an April 3 filing in U.S. bankruptcy court.

The archdiocese originally filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 amid the threat of a wave of clerical abuse lawsuits. The filing was made ahead of the Maryland Child Victims Act taking effect in October of that year. That law ended the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits for negligence in relation to child sexual abuse.

The archdiocese did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2024 the archdiocese sued multiple insurers over what it claimed was a failure to pay abuse claims for which the insurers were contractually obligated.

Also in 2024, the archdiocese said it would close more than half of the parishes in its titular city, reducing 61 parishes to 23 in response to a plummeting population there.

Archbishop William Lori said the plan would allow the remaining Catholic churches to "focus on mission and ministry, as opposed to leaking roofs, crumbling walls, and failing electrical and plumbing systems."

Insurance is often a "huge component" of clerical abuse payouts, though dioceses and archdioceses have several means by which they can fund settlements.

Dioceses will very often turn to local parishes to pay into settlement funds, usually stipulating certain percentages of cash reserves that parishes must contribute.

Property sales and contributions from affiliate organizations such as cemeteries often help to bolster a settlement fund as well.

Marie Reilly, a professor of law at Penn State University and an expert in bankruptcy litigation, including Catholic diocesan bankruptcy proceedings, told EWTN News in 2025 that starting in the 1990s, insurance companies mostly changed how they cover sexual abuse.

"Up until about the mid-'90s, a general liability policy used to include coverages for employee liability," she said. "It would cover sex abuse claims against the diocese stemming from an employee's abuse."

"After 1996, insurance policies issued under new revised standards just don't provide that coverage anymore," she said.

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Catholics recognize Easter — when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after sacrificing his life for all of humanity — as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But, as it turns out, they can continue saying "Happy Easter" into May or, in some years, into June.

Easter lasts for a total of 50 days, from Easter Sunday until the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Christ.

This year, 2026, Easter was on April 5 and runs until Pentecost Sunday, May 24.

Easter explained

Catholics observe Easter in different stages.

Easter Sunday is the greatest Sunday of the year, and it marks the start of the "Easter octave," or the eight days that stretch from the first to the second Sunday of Easter (also now known as Divine Mercy Sunday). The Church celebrates each of these eight days as solemnities of the Lord — a direct extension of Easter Sunday.

The entire Easter season lasts 50 days and includes the solemnity of the Ascension of Christ, which falls on the 40th day of Easter, which this year is celebrated on either Thursday, May 14, or Sunday, May 17, depending on where you live, and ends with Pentecost, which is derived from the Greek word "pentecoste," meaning "50th."

"The 50 days from the Sunday of the Resurrection to Pentecost Sunday are celebrated in joy and exultation as one feast day, indeed as one 'great Sunday,'" according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. "These are the days above all others in which the 'Alleluia' is sung."

The USCCB calls Easter "the most important of all liturgical times."

"It celebrates Jesus' victory of sin and death and salvation for mankind," the U.S. bishops say. "It is God's greatest act of love to redeem mankind."

In the traditional Roman rite

In the traditional form of the Roman rite, Easter is known properly as Paschaltide, which includes three parts: the season of Easter, Ascensiontide, and the octave of Pentecost. It thus lasts one week longer than the Easter season in the calendar of the missal of St. Paul VI.

The season of Easter begins with the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday and runs through the afternoon of the vigil of the Ascension.

Ascensiontide begins the evening before the Ascension, with first vespers of the feast, and ends the afternoon of the vigil of Pentecost — marking the first novena.

The octave of Pentecost is an extension of the feast of Pentecost, beginning with the vigil Mass of Pentecost and ending the afternoon of the following Saturday, which this year falls on May 30.

This story was first published April 21, 2022, and has been updated.

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A loving Catholic family at home in Ireland provided the foundations and values that led Venerable Father Edward Flanagan to establish Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, according to experts on his life in Ireland.

Flanagan, who was born and raised in the small village of Ballymoe, Ireland, before emigrating to the United States, was declared venerable on March 23 by Pope Leo XIV.

Fidelma and Alan Croghan of the Father Flanagan Group in Ballymoe provided insight into the Irish priest's formative years to EWTN News. "He was the fourth-youngest of 11 children. His father was a herdsman looking after an absentee landlord's livestock on the estate. They lived in a cottage here at Leabeg," Fidelma said.

"From birth Father Flanagan's life was bathed in the warm embrace of a loving family. On the night he was born, they didn't think that he would survive because he was quite ill. He was a very sickly person all of his life in terms of bad lung health. The story goes that his grandparents also lived in the house with them. So the grandfather took the tiny newborn baby and put the baby skin to skin, against his own heart for the night, and Eddie survived."

Fidelma shared that from the moment of his birth, Flanagan "knew love and the loving bond of a family; he had a very happy upbringing. Their home was full of music and happiness, neighbors came in and they played music and danced on the stone flagstones of the kitchen floor before a big open fire."

She added: "He worked with his dad as a shepherd boy tending to the sheep. He was into prayer and reading from a young age, and he wrote about going out on the land with his rosary beads and reading Dickens."

Following primary education at the nearby Drumatemple National School, Flanagan attended the Diocesan College of the Immaculate Conception, Summerhill College, Sligo, to complete his secondary education and prepare for life as a priest.

Alan Croghan said he has no doubt that the future priest's upbringing and the family values he espoused throughout his life were formed by his origins and his upbringing in Ireland.

"Our purpose in Ireland here is to educate people and tell them about this man, going on to America to do what he did in Boys Town. He took what he learned here in Ballymoe, how a family should be run," he said.

Bishop Kevin Doran of Achonry and of Elphin told EWTN News: "Father Flanagan's life and virtue have much to say to us today, in a wealthy country where so many children are forced to live with homelessness, and in a world in which we still find it so easy to define people as 'hostile aliens.'"

Boys Town families and descendants often visit Ballymoe and the Father Flanagan Visitor Centre to see the famous priest's hometown. Fidelma Croghan said: "We had a woman come two or three years ago, and she knelt on the floor of the house, and she cried, and cried, and cried, and said, 'Only Father Flanagan saved my father; I wouldn't be here.' Another visitor told me: 'I would have been dead as a young man, or would have spent my life in jail, only for Boys Town.'"

If Flanagan's experiences growing up in Ireland shaped his compassionate approach to the social issues he encountered in Nebraska, his experiences there dealing with troubled boys and young men subsequently influenced his reactions during a return trip to Ireland in 1946, when he visited the country's reform schools.

He was profoundly troubled at the desperately poor conditions and treatment they encountered. Speaking about the schools in Cork, he told the audience: "You are the people who permit your children and the children of your communities to go into these institutions of punishment. You can do something about it." He described his country's penal institutions as "a disgrace to the nation."

Flanagan had received letters from Ireland drawing attention to the brutal regimes in these schools and wanted to see for himself how bad conditions really were.

In response to his prophetic warnings, the Irish government minister for justice at the time, Gerald Boland, told the Dáil (Irish legislative chamber) "that he was 'not disposed to take any notice of what Monsignor Flanagan said while he was in this country, because his statements were so exaggerated that I did not think people would attach any importance to them.'"

The schools Flanagan visited included Artane and Letterfrack, institutions that became notorious after the truth of the abuses inflicted on students there eventually emerged.

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