Catholic News

U.S. bishops urged Congress to reauthorize the Religious Worker Visa Program, protect refugee services and unaccompanied children, and reject expanded enforcement and detention measures, warning that mass-deportation policies would undermine due process and separate families.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sent a list of immigration-related requests to lawmakers June 1 as they are set to vote on fiscal 2027 appropriations.

In a letter sent to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria, Texas, wrote on behalf of the USCCB asking the committee to consider "additional priorities" in connection "to human life and dignity."

"The well-being of immigrants, refugees, unaccompanied noncitizen children, victims of trafficking, and other populations, as well as our immigration system in general, is of deep concern to the Catholic Church," wrote Cahill, chair of the bishops' Committee on Migration.

"Our perspectives on these matters are grounded in Scripture and Catholic teaching, including our belief in the inherent and inviolable dignity of every person," he said.

The letter was sent to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington; Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma; and Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Connecticut.

The bishops urged that funding continue for the Refugee and Entrant Assistance (REA) programs administered through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, as the programs are needed to assist refugees, victims of human trafficking, and other migrant groups.

They asked for "robust" appropriations for the Wage and Hour Division and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs to support victims of trafficking, and funding for International Humanitarian Assistance and Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance.

While acknowledging the government's right to enforce immigration laws, the bishops reiterated their opposition to expanded enforcement and detention measures, and asked for "more humane" alternatives.

The letter warned that mass deportation threatens due process, family unity, and discriminatory practice and asked Congress to ensure that people in detention facilities have access to religious and pastoral services.

Bishops' requests

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is operating without fully enacted fiscal 2026 funding, and instead has been funded through continuing resolutions after a 76-day shutdown that ended April 30. The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve $118.4 billion in fiscal 2027 DHS spending, which is a $6.6 billion increase over the continuing resolution levels.

The bishops asked the committee to consider permanently reauthorizing the Religious Worker Visa Program, "to avoid the uncertainty and disruption" that its expiration creates for religious organizations, their workers, and communities they serve.

The bishops also reiterated their request for Congress to take up and pass H.R. 2672/S. 1298, named by sponsors as "the Religious Workforce Protection Act." The legislation would let DHS keep certain religious workers in the U.S. beyond the five-year limit on R-1 visas while their green card or immigrant visa applications are still pending.

The bishops urged Congress to support agencies that help "promote trust" in the immigration system that "have been weakened" or "ceased operating entirely," including the DHS Office of Inspector General and the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman.

Concerned about "nationality-based restrictions on legal immigration pathways," the bishops asked that the State Department and DHS be required to report the status of all nationality-based restrictions.

Bishops urged lawmakers to fund the Legal Orientation Program, support the immigration court system, and oversee functions related to immigration enforcement in their consideration of the fiscal 2027 Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill. U.S. House consideration is next for CJS appropriations; the House Appropriations Committee approved the legislation May 13.

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The Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD) launched its "Christians for Capitalism" project on June 2, seeking to bring together Christians of various traditions who support free-market capitalism.

"There was concern among a number of Christians in D.C. in the field of economics that there was no ongoing institutional voice in Washington, D.C., for pro-free market Christians, and there are obviously many Christians in D.C. who are pro-free market," IRD President Mark Tooley told EWTN News.

"There was a vacuum here being filled by other voices and other perspectives that are critical of — if not hostile to — the free-market perspective," he said.

Tooley, who is Methodist, said IRD is "not tied to any particular Christian tradition" and includes both Protestants and Catholics, noting "Catholics were among our founders." He said IRD has been ecumenical from the start, with a focus on Christianity in the U.S., democracy, and human rights.

The IRD was founded in 1981, and most of its early board members were Protestant but also included one Catholic, the philosopher Michael Novak. Another early board member, Father Richard John Neuhaus, was Lutheran at the time but converted to Catholicism in 1990 and was ordained to the priesthood.

Tooley said the plan for the project is to hold events, publish articles, and host a semester-long fellowship for young people who align with their vision. He said he expects Novak's writings to be prominently featured in the reading materials for the fellowship, which would likely meet twice per month this fall.

The launch event

The IRD kicked off the initiative with an early evening event on June 2 at its headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks north of the White House. A few dozen people gathered for the occasion, which included drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and an hourlong presentation by two Christian scholars discussing the intersection of Christianity and economic thought.

Erik Matson, a Gibbons fellow in economics at The Catholic University of America, and Jordan J. Ballor, executive director of The Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy at the First Liberty Institute — both of whom are Protestant — delivered the presentation on their book: "A History of Christian Political Economy."

The book delves into economic thought in the Bible, among the early Church fathers, from medieval theologians, in the writings of later Protestant reformers and Catholic thinkers, and from contemporary scholars.

Jordan said during the presentation that theological perspectives are "not in the mainstream of what is taught in economics" but said "we might be missing something" when we fail to include theological perspectives in economic discourse.

Although much of the older writings do not touch on the subject in the form of an economic treatise, Matson explained in his presentation that Christians were "wrestling with political and economic issues" of the time and commenting on questions about wealth, poverty, and access to resources.

Matson identified two "broad competing perspectives" among the thinkers. One, he called "a limited good perspective" and the other, "a mutual benefits perspective."

He said the first views material wealth as essentially "fixed," in the sense that any transaction is "zero sum," or "the gain of one is the loss of another." The second views wealth as something that can increase into the future, in the sense that "the good of one need not come at the cost of the good of many" and that transactions can be "wealth generative" rather than just being shifts in resources.

According to Matson, "you can find both of these perspectives" over the course of the last two millennia within all Christian faith traditions. He pointed to St. John Chrysostom as falling more into the "limited good perspective" of economic thought and St. Thomas Aquinas as being more closely aligned with the "mutual benefits perspective," for example.

Matson told EWTN News after the presentation "there's no real discernible difference across denominations," saying the research found representatives of both perspectives in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox thought.

He said Pope Leo XIII, who authored Rerum Novarum in 1891 and set the foundation of Catholic social teaching, is more "in line with [the] mutual benefits" understanding of economics. He said the pontiff understood the importance of property but also saw "a role for the government [and] for voluntary associations [and] trade associations."

The book also touches on more direct contributions Christian thinkers made to economics, such as the the School of Salamanca, which was a Catholic Scholastic movement that developed the quantity theory of money and dealt with questions such as pricing and usury.

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Catholic universities should reflect "authenticity as true disciples of Christ" as they guide students' desire for knowledge into a passion for the truth, Pope Leo XIV told university presidents from the United States on Wednesday.

"As young men and women come to your colleges and universities looking to study a specific degree, oftentimes motivated by future job perspectives, yours is the noble task of guiding that desire for knowledge so that they may also 'learn to seek and love the truth, to reflect on the meaning of life, and to recognize the dignity of every person,'" the pope said June 3, quoting from his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, published in May.

Instilling a love for the truth "is not an easy feat," he continued. "As you are well aware, seeking the truth requires not only learning and mentorship but also great effort. Unless Catholic education instills in students a true passion for the truth — and not only intellectual truth, but the truth that is Christ himself (cf. John 14:6) — we can hardly expect people to be willing to put forth the effort required to recognize truth and adapt one's life accordingly."

Leo addressed presidents, senior administrators, and faculty leaders from Catholic institutions of higher education belonging to the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities.

During the Rome Seminar, June 1–5, university leaders are meeting with senior Vatican officials and others to reflect on the opportunities and challenges faced by higher education today.

In his speech, the pope acknowledged the challenge of "the increasing fragmentation of knowledge."

"While it is easy to find people who are experts in a particular field of study, many of these individuals 'struggle to find direction in their lives, partly due to an inability to connect information with deeper knowledge or maintain a sense of purpose,'" he said, quoting from Magnifica Humanitas.

Specialized experts "often lack a global vision of reality that is capable of uniting not only the various fields of knowledge but also the multiple aspects of life and the inner longings of the human heart," he said.

He invited Catholic educational institutions to be a "living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction," as Leo wrote in his 2025 apostolic letter Drawing New Maps of Hope.

"Your authenticity as true disciples of Christ," he said, "will certainly assist you in transmitting the living Gospel in such a way that those entrusted to you can truly encounter the Lord and discover in the Catholic faith the unifying vision that truth alone can provide."

On the challenges of technological advances, the pope reflected on the prolific use of artificial intelligence, making it "increasingly difficult to evaluate the work of students, requiring educators to adapt their methods creatively to ensure the integral human formation of those in their care."

"We must be willing to invest generously in the education of future generations," he said. "It is crucial that young men and women learn to engage positively with new technologies, while at the same time truly developing their God-given skills and capacities to reason, to think critically and commit knowledge to memory, thus preparing them to shape responsibly the world to come."

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Catholic schools in Miami will receive $15 million in security funding from the state government after successful petitioning by Florida's Catholic bishops, the Archdiocese of Miami has announced.

The archdiocese said the eight-figure security package was part of the newly approved state budget, which was passed by legislators in Tallahassee on May 29. The funding came about after "months of advocacy and budget negotiations," the archdiocese said.

"We prioritize the safety of our students in a day and age that has seen more anti-Catholic violence and generally more violence against schools," archdiocesan schools Superintendent Jim Rigg said in the announcement.

The archdiocese said that a "broader statewide reimbursement program" for Catholic school security failed to pass the Legislature.

Rigg said in the archdiocesan announcement that schools have been using money to fund security measures "that could otherwise go toward textbooks, technology, and teacher salaries."

"In some cases, schools are collecting special security fees from parents," he said.

Catholic schools have increased security amid shooting fears

Numerous Catholic and other Christian schools around the country have lately adopted enhanced security measures, particularly after the August 2025 shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

That shooting came after Catholic bishops in Minnesota had petitioned state lawmakers to provide security funding for nonpublic schools; the state government had failed to grant those requests.

Some schools have opted to hire security guards, while others have considered the possibility of allowing teachers to be armed while on campus.

Still others have turned to technology to increase student safety. Trinity Catholic School in Fort Smith, Arkansas, recently adopted an AI-bolstered security system that can spot school shooters and quickly alert law enforcement ahead of a potential mass shooting.

A Catholic school in Ohio has also deployed that system on its own campus.

After the Minneapolis shooting, Jason Adkins, the executive director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, told "EWTN News In Depth" that school security is "a basic public safety issue that should be available to all students, irrespective of where they go to school."

"Looking at school safety programs, nonprofit security grants, all these things — we have to take an all-of-the-above approach to looking at public policy solutions that limit gun violence in our communities," he said.

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During the Jubilee of Youth, held in Rome from July 28 to Aug. 3, 2025, unforgettable scenes filled the Eternal City: young pilgrims singing hymns with guitars, praying quietly near the fountains, and recording videos to share their faith on social media.

Among the thousands of young people who passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica was Ignacio Gonzálvez, a 15-year-old Spaniard. But during the pilgrimage, he began to experience intense chest pain. He was rushed to Bambino Gesù Hospital, where doctors diagnosed him with lymphoblastic lymphoma and a large mass in his chest.

His family traveled to Rome with heavy hearts. The first 12 days were critical: Ignacio's heart was exhausted, and at any moment he could suffer cardiac arrest. Twenty-four hours after doctors removed his life support, a serious complication arose — an injury to the femoral artery and a blood clot.

"They were the most difficult months of my life and at the same time the most beautiful, because it was the moment when I came closest to God while being on the cross," Ignacio, now recovered, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

Ignacio was able to personally share the news of his recovery with Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday, May 12, at the entrance to the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo.

"I gave him the good news that I had been cured and that I was waiting for him in Madrid, since I was returning to Spain just a few days after that meeting," he said, joyful at the prospect of the pope's upcoming visit to Spain.

Throughout the ordeal, the Holy Father remained close to Ignacio's family, whose lives changed completely after the diagnosis.

A few days after Ignacio was admitted to the hospital, Pope Leo XIV arrived unexpectedly in his hospital room, where Ignacio's parents were praying tirelessly at his bedside. Ignacio was sedated and intubated at the time and was not aware of the visit. Even so, the pope wanted to be close to him and his family in what would become the first of three meetings between them.

The pope remained with the family for about half an hour before visiting other patients in the oncology ward. He prayed the Hail Mary and the Our Father with them, gave each person his blessing, and spoke about the Gospel, eternal life, and the will of God.

"We are made for heaven," he told them.

Ignacio spent nine months in the hospital. During that time, he came close to death twice.

The pope's closeness became a source of consolation for the family. It helped them breathe, look toward heaven, and entrust themselves to God. When Pope Leo XIV learned that Ignacio had been discharged, he made room in his schedule to receive the family at the Vatican.

Ignacio went there April 29 with his parents, Pedro Pablo and Carmen Gloria; his sister, Adela; and a family friend.

During the meeting, the pope asked about Ignacio's medical situation. Shortly afterward, he went into another room with the young man for a private conversation. Ignacio himself had asked for that moment of intimacy, and the pope immediately agreed.

Throughout this path of suffering, the family said they felt sustained by prayer and by the many people who hoped for Ignacio's recovery: young people praying with the pope, the Neocatechumenal communities to which the family belongs, convents, relatives, friends, believers, and nonbelievers alike.

"Faith helped me live this illness in a different way, for example by offering my sufferings for something or for someone," Ignacio said. "Praying with my mother and father when I was in the hospital also helped me a lot — not only in prayer but also in not feeling alone, because I knew many people were praying for me."

Ignacio said he experienced God's love every day.

"I felt God close — more than close — in every detail and in every gift that I know came from him, and he also gave me the strength to fight this illness," he said. "I was able to see him in myself and also in my mother."

Almost a year has passed since the nightmare of Ignacio's hospitalization and the pope's first visit. Today, that chapter is behind him. The present is healing; the future is a reunion with the pope.

That reunion will take place during Pope Leo XIV's upcoming apostolic visit to Spain. In Madrid, the Holy Father is expected to meet with the most vulnerable and with young people, celebrate Mass, encounter the local Church, and venerate Our Lady of Almudena.

And once again, he will meet Ignacio.

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.

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A historic Catholic university in New York City has filed a federal lawsuit against state officials amid a dispute over collective bargaining with faculty unions.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. district court on June 1, alleges that the New York State Public Employment Relations Board is infringing on its "fundamental constitutional right" to religious liberty by presumptively exercising jurisdiction over the school's union bargaining policy.

In February the school announced that it would no longer recognize two unions on campus, the St. John's University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors and the Faculty Association. Both had been formed in 1970.

A school spokesman said the decision would "allow [the school] the flexibility required to innovate while continuing to support our faculty and, most importantly, deliver on our promise to our students."

The unions subsequently filed a complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board, alleging that the school's decision, along with changes to faculty employment terms, violated the New York State Employment Relations Act.

In its June 1 filing, the school said the First Amendment and extensive court precedent prohibits the state board from what the university described as "excessive government entanglement with religion."

The lawsuit alleges that the union's request would require the school to share its decision-making authority with both union leaders and the state government, even on issues that are "essential to its mission."

Oversight from the state board would "[prevent] St. John's from exercising its First Amendment right to freely govern itself in accordance with its Catholic and Vincentian mission and faith," the suit says.

The state labor board did not immediately respond to a request for comment from EWTN News regarding the federal lawsuit.

Earlier this year the school received criticism from some community members for its decision to withdraw from union bargaining.

Sophia Bell, the president of the St. John's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, called the decision "a disastrous mistake."

"[School president Father Brian Shanley] is violating New York state law and ignoring decades of St. John's institutional practice and centuries of Catholic social teaching around respect for labor and workers," Bell told EWTN News.

The school was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Queens, New York.

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"With nothing to do, nowhere to go, no schooling, no commerce," Gaza is "a very still quiet and dark place," said Michael La Civita, director of communications at the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA).

CNEWA is working with numerous Church entities in Gaza, as it is in a "permanent state of waiting," La Civita told "EWTN News Nightly" on June 2.

Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 to give pastoral and humanitarian support to northeast Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and India. CNEWA has a worldwide network of people committed to helping those most in need, regardless of where they are.

As the conflict in Gaza continues, there are "upwards of 2 million people, most of whom are displaced," and "their homes have been destroyed," La Civita said.

There is "severe malnutrition and concerns for the health and well-being of children, expecting mothers, [and] the elderly living in extremely trying circumstances," he said.

In Gaza, there is "no school, no shelter," and "very little … access to food," he said. "We're concerned about, of course, things like hepatitis A and other diseases that are associated with the lack of sanitation, water, clean water, potable water, as well as healthcare."

There have also been recent reports of child exploitation and child marriages in Gaza, but CNEWA is "not dealing so much with child marriages thus far because we have not been confronted with that with our partners," La Civita said.

It "is not a particular issue that we've yet had to confront," La Civita siad. But "the situation there economically is pretty horrific. I can imagine all sorts of nefarious things happening, such as that."

"We're dealing with situations as they see them, he said.

"Much of what we do is … psychosocial work for children and the elderly and vulnerable populations, their parents, their families," he said. CNEWA also offers "medical care for mothers and expecting mothers."

Pope's call for assistance

CNEWA continues to aid the population as Pope Leo XIV continues to renew his appeal for humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

While speaking to journalists outside Castel Gandolfo on May 26, the Holy Father called on the international community to assist the people of Gaza, insisting that human rights must be respected "for everyone."

"I would also like to renew this not only as an invitation, but truly as an appeal," he said. The Holy Father urged "all authorities to assist and accompany the people of Gaza, and to help begin reconstruction."

Pope Leo noted that, "unfortunately, the people of Gaza are still not receiving humanitarian aid."

"The people are truly suffering," and they "continue to suffer greatly," Pope Leo said.

To answer the Church's call, CNEWA works "with the local Church communities," including "the Latin Church of the Holy Family and the Greek Orthodox Parish of St. Porphyrius, as well as Christian organizations like the International organization International Orthodox charities as well as Caritas," La Civita said.

How the faithful can help

In order to help, Catholics and other Christians can "first of all, pray," La Civita said. "Because prayer ... works miracles, and we need miracles."

"Second, we need a willingness for there to be peace. We need a willingness on all sides to want to establish some sense of stability for the people that live there," he said.

There is a need for "access [to] vehicles as promised," La Civita added. "What is needed to deliver aid is upwards of 600 trucks a day. We're lucky if we get 400 a week carrying supplies."

"So if you're only getting 400 trucks a week and what you need are more than 600 a day to feed a malnourished population, to provide them with medicines and water and food — you have a difficult, difficult situation."

"I can't imagine stability returning or any sense of normality returning until you have access to materials, access to healthcare, access to food and water."

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On June 2, the 377th anniversary of the first apparition of the Divine Child of the Eucharistic Miracle of Eten in Chiclayo province, northern Peru, the group Eucharistic Miracle Peru 1649 renewed its invitation to focus on the Eucharist and to live it with greater faith and unity.

The miracle dates back to 1649 in the old town of Santa Magdalena de Ciudad Eten, when on the eve of the solemnity of Corpus Christi, "the Divine Child appeared on a consecrated host" during Mass. Months later, on July 22 of that same year, there was a new apparition of the Divine Child on the feast day of St. Mary Magdalene. It then disappeared, and in its place there were "three intertwined hearts symbolizing the Most Holy Trinity."

These events, recorded by ecclesiastical authorities of the time, have been preserved in historical documents that are currently housed in San Francisco Convent in Lima and in the National Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain.

'A gift from God for living in communion'

In observance of the occasion, the group Eucharistic Miracle Peru 1649 noted that its mission is simple yet profound: to draw more people closer to a love for the Eucharist.

They also recalled the words of the then-bishop of Chiclayo, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, who was one of the driving forces behind the recognition of the miracle by the Vatican.

During a celebration in Eten, he stated: "This beautiful gift, that great gift which God, the source of all life and of all that is good... this gift that God has bestowed here, in this place, with you and for you, is given precisely to experience this joy of being united in the communion of the Church with the Child of the Miracle."

In 2019, Prevost presented Pope Francis with a document regarding the history of the Miracle of Eten, which compiled "20,000 testimonies of faith," and that same year he stated: "This miracle is approved on the basis of a continuous tradition in the city of Eten."

Faith lived in daily life

Beyond the commemorative events, the celebration was also marked by new stories of faith.

One of them is that of Gabriel Crosby Sánchez. His mother, Arabella, recounted with emotion how, from a very young age, she placed him under the protection of the Child of the Miracle and took him every Saturday to the so-called "Masses of Promise."

Over time, that practice bore fruit: Today, Gabriel serves as an acolyte at St. John Vianney Parish in the Magdalena del Mar district of metro Lima.

For his family and the community, his story is a simple but strong sign that the faith is passed on at home, in everyday life, and that when lived with perseverance it can transform lives.

A devotion that continues its journey

On this anniversary, the group Eucharistic Miracle Peru 1649 expressed special gratitude for the warm welcome extended by the community of Magdalena del Mar, where the image of the Divine Child of the Miracle was recently received.

The group also renewed its invitation to the faithful to join the spiritual pilgrimage currently traveling through various regions of the country — including central Lima, Comas, Lurín, and Bellavista as a preparation for the expected visit of the Holy Father.

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, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pope Leo's first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calls for keeping the dignity of the human person, created in God's image, at the center of any discernment about emerging technologies.

Coakley spoke at a virtual panel June 2 held by Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.

The dialogue explored what the encyclical is asking, how technological changes can enhance humanity's relationship with God, and also what aspects of human creation technologies can never replace.

The group also addressed the Church's important role in the matter and why it must use its voice to speak about the emerging technologies.

Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, moderated the conversation with numerous panelists including Irish Bishop Paul Tighe, secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education and a leading Vatican expert on AI.

The discussion also welcomed Meghan Sullivan, founding director of Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good; Emilce Cuda, Argentinian theologian and secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America at the Holy See; and Daniel Daly, founding executive director of the Center for Theology and Ethics in Catholic Health.

"When dealing with something new and complex" as the faithful read the encyclical, Coakley reminded them to focus on "the main thing."

Magnifica Humanitas is being "proposed and discussed as an encyclical on artificial intelligence," Coakley said. "But I think the main thing is the need to keep the human person, made of the image and likeness of God, at the center of our discernment about these new technologies."

"So it's, not really, fundamentally … about the technologies. I think it's really about anthropology — having an adequate anthropology to really address the challenges that are being proposed by these developing and emerging technologies," he said.

Why the Church's voice on AI matters

In the encyclical, Coakley said, "it's significant that prior to beginning his reflections on AI, the Holy Father first answers a foundational question, which is 'Why does the Church have the ability to speak at all?'"

"In doing so, he affirms that it is central to the Church's mission to walk alongside humanity … and be responsive to the contemporary challenges that men and women in every age, and certainly today, are facing," Coakley said.

Pope Leo "connects with what all of us, whether we are believers or unbelievers alike, at our very core understand and know instinctively to be true, and that is that the human person possesses an ontological and infinite dignity and therefore must be at the center of all of our deliberations" about AI, Coakley said.

"That's the center and heart of it," Coakley said.

"I think people are concerned about what's happening now and what they envision or fear might happen in the future," he said.

Pope Leo is "bringing in this essential lens to the conversation, which has the ability, I think, to activate … the consciences of all — all who create, all who regulate, all who use or all who are impacted by artificial intelligence," he said.

The Church's voice on the matter goes back to "Vatican II, where the Church realized we shared our destiny with other people," Tighe said.

"We journeyed together on this world. We can't be exempt from the struggles of our fellow brothers and sisters. We live together," he said.

Since AI is "going to impact so much what it is to be human, how we live our lives" and "impact the destiny of so many of our brothers and sisters and of ourselves, we cannot but take it seriously," Tighe said.

The Church also has a voice when it comes to how AI affects jobs, as "Pope Leo has been deeply inspired by the first encyclical to ever come out in the Catholic social tradition, Rerum Novarum," which addresses "What does it mean to think that our work is part of our human dignity?" Sullivan said.

"The Church has an incredible teaching on this," she said.

The Church says "work is an essential part of our dignity, because work is nothing more and nothing less than our ability and call to serve the common good. And so we do not want to live in a society where AI has replaced work in that sense," she said. 

The Church also must help guide the conversation as technologies impact health care.

"Jesus invites his followers to proclaim the kingdom by healing the sick. So Catholic healthcare has to be a sign that God loves all persons, especially those who are poor, sick, disabled, suffering, rejected," Daly said.

"So this culture of encounter and accompaniment needs to be animated by Christ and is sacrosanct in Catholic healthcare," Daly said.

Healthcare professionals "must remain the norm," he said. "AI can augment the care that humans provide but must not replace them."

Artificial intelligences "can't care for patients, they can't do the works of mercy. They can't express empathy, as Leo writes. They cannot witness the healing ministry of Jesus."

Daly did note that AI may have benefits in healthcare despite its inability to replace human beings' care.

AI "could allow marginalized communities to access expert-level care in areas like radiology," he said. "AI translation services may help patients who speak languages other than the dominant language in the area to communicate and have their concerns be listened to."

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At the Wednesday general audience at the Vatican on June 3, Pope Leo XIV called Catholics to be open to an "encounter with God by rediscovering the signs and symbols of the sacred liturgy."

"We need to let ourselves be educated by the rites of the liturgy, tending to the beauty of our celebrations with a delicate hand and without arbitrariness," Leo said to the faithful.

Liturgy as rite, sign, and symbol

Leo's remarks were part of his catechesis on the liturgy, focusing on the Second Vatican Council's document Sacrosanctum Concilium. In his remarks, the pope explained the council's teaching about participation in the liturgy through its signs and symbols.

"In the liturgy, we are invited to participate — body, mind, and heart — and enter into a dimension inhabited by the Holy Spirit. In order to enter into this dimension, the liturgy is woven with signs and symbols that have a performative and transformative dimension," Leo said.

He also called on Catholics to recall the meaning of the various gestures associated with the liturgy, such as the sign of peace and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament. He explained that these symbols and signs are not arbitrary gestures, but are important for helping Catholics experience "the presence of God through Jesus Christ."

"The rites of the Christian liturgy are not an outward covering of the sacramental mystery or a set of arbitrary ceremonies," Leo said. "Rather, they are the ecclesial mediation through which the divine gift reaches us. Through the sacred rite, we are thus formed in listening to the Word of God, in thanksgiving and adoration, in fraternal sharing, and in ecclesial communion."

Encouragement for Catholics to join Corpus Christi processions

In an appeal at the end of the general audience, Leo invited Catholics to bear public witness to the mystery of the Eucharist during the upcoming eucharistic processions for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi.

"The processions with the Blessed Sacrament that take place in the streets of many towns are an expression of popular eucharistic piety; in this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful manifestation of public witness to the faith," Leo said.

He also gave a special greeting to priests serving in the Middle East amid continuing armed conflicts in the region.

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