Catholic News

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290064&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 19, 2025 / 16:23 pm (CNA).

Bishop Michael T. Martin of the Diocese of Charlotte issued a Mass dispensation for any person who fears he or she may be subject to deportation and called for a day of prayer and fasting for migrants as immigration enforcement ramps up throughout North Carolina.

The bishop published the statement on Nov. 18 telling those "who are afraid to come to church" out of fear they could be deported "are not obligated to attend Mass." These conditions, he said, are "circumstances beyond your control."

Martin said the Church has always taught that the normal Sunday Mass obligation does not apply when a person cannot attend due to situations he or she does not control.

"I encourage you to take consolation in Jesus' refrain when the disciples were in the boat being swamped by stormy seas: 'Do not be afraid!' (Mt 14:27)," Martin added. "Your brothers and sisters are praying with you, and on your behalf, to God who desires our citizenship together in heaven and longs to see us live in harmony with each other on earth."

The diocesan statement comes after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched Operation Charlotte's Web late last week, which escalated immigration enforcement in North Carolina.

Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, said in a statement that the operation was launched to "ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed" and said "Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors."

DHS announced more than 130 arrests from the operation as of Nov. 17. A DHS spokesperson said the operation is "removing the worst of the worst." The department published the names of 11 detainees, which it alleged included known gang members and people charged with assault, larceny, intoxicated driving, and other crimes.

President Donald Trump's administration eliminated guidelines that previously treated churches as "sensitive locations" for immigration enforcement in January.

Nate Madden, principal deputy assistant secretary for communications at DHS, told CNA on Nov. 17 that "when we are pursuing the worst of the worst" who have criminal histories, some suspects "run to places where they think they will be able to evade law enforcement or where they think that law enforcement will be afraid to pursue them because of the appearance."

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to CNA in July that enforcement in houses of worship would be "extremely rare" and "our officers use discretion." She said officers still need approval from a secondary supervisor before taking action at a church.

Nov. 21: Day of prayer and fasting for migrants

In the diocesan statement, Martin asked his diocese to observe a day of prayer and fasting on Friday, Nov. 21, in solidarity with migrants around the world.

The bishop asked people to contact loved ones at risk of deportation to "assure them of our love and care for them" and asked Catholics to contact lawmakers in both parties to encourage them to pass immigration reform that adheres to the common good.

He also asked people not to vilify federal agents.

"While I have no words to practically address the fear and uncertainty that many are feeling with the increased presence of federal immigration officials in the Charlotte metro area, I want to call upon all Catholics and people of goodwill to give witness to the message of Jesus," Martin said.

"Our faith teaches us to come to the aid of the poor, marginalized, and most vulnerable," the bishop continued. "'For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me' (Mt 25:35)."

Martin is currently in Rome and said yesterday that he planned to meet with Pope Leo XIV today and ask him to pray for the people of the diocese and migrants, "especially during this challenging time."

"Please be assured that we will get through this together, if we focus our attention on the only one, Jesus Christ, who can save us all," Martin said.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a special message on Nov. 12 at its Fall Plenary Assembly that affirmed: "We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people." More than 95% of bishops approved the message, with 216 voting in favor, just five voting against, and three abstaining.

Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 18 urged Americans to listen to the message from the nation's bishops.

"When people are living good lives, and many of them for 10, 15, 20 years, to treat them in a way that is extremely disrespectful, to say the least — and there's been some violence, unfortunately — I think that the bishops have been very clear in what they said," Leo said.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290063&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Los Angeles, California, Nov 19, 2025 / 16:53 pm (CNA).

"The Shroud of Turin: An Immersive Experience," a $5 million, 10,000-square-foot museum on the chancery campus of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California, opened to visitors Wednesday.  

The museum is presented by Papaian Studios in partnership with the Diocese of Orange and Othonia Inc., an international team of specialists dedicated to exploring and sharing the mystery of the Shroud of Turin.

The 90-minute experience introduces visitors to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, with a special focus on the Shroud of Turin, which many believe to be the burial cloth of Christ.

Inspired by the advanced technology incorporated in "Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience" and the "Immersive King Tut," the museum features 360-degree projection-room theaters as well as shroud replicas, interactive kiosks, a life-sized corpus, and a variety of artwork.  

Jason Pearson of FiveHive Studios, which offers AI special effects and animation services, is a Catholic convert who worked with Othonia, a team of shroud specialists, to design the museum.  Among his movie credits is Mel Gibson's 2004 "The Passion of the Christ." He has long had an interest in the shroud and has been a volunteer guide at the Shroud Center of Southern California located at the Santiago Retreat Center, also in the Diocese of Orange.

"Using technology on display like that of the Van Gogh or King Tut exhibits, we're doing things that have never been done before," Pearson told CNA. "Whether it be Jesus walking on water or through the streets of Jerusalem, or in the tomb at the moment of the Resurrection, we make use of sound and projections so that the visitor feels like he's going back into a time machine and experiencing these things himself."

The museum is designed for everyone, Pearson continued, even those who have no religious background at all. 

Located on the second floor of the campus' Richard H. Pickup Cultural Center, the museum has three theater rooms. Using surround sound and images, including on the floor, the first room introduces the visitor to the person of Jesus Christ through presentation of 12 stories from his life, but each one is selected to show Christ's connection to the supernatural (e.g. the Transfiguration). The next introduces the visitor to the shroud itself, including proof of its authenticity and what it tells us about the sufferings of Christ. The third is devoted to the Resurrection leading the viewer to ponder a pointed question: Who do you believe the man on the shroud is?

The third theater exits into the museum area, which includes displays of reproductions of items that were part of the passion of Christ, including a flagellum (whip), the crown of thorns and nails, as well as a reproduction of what the tomb of Christ might have looked like.

Other exhibits include an AI presentation of Secondo Pia (1855–1941) who, while photographing the shroud in 1898, discovered that its negative image offered a clearer image of the man on the shroud with a detail in his face that could not been seen by the naked eye. Another traces the history of the iconography of Christ, demonstrating how accurate, when comparing it to the shroud image, many of the icons were. And, one compares the Sudarium of Oviedo, or the facial cloth that covered Christ's face after his death, to the image on the shroud.

Pearson hopes that the museum will be a prototype for additional shroud museums in different regions of the country. Inquiries have been made about establishing shroud museums from places as far away as Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

One portion of the museum is dedicated to the science of the shroud, and two kiosks allow visitors to ask questions of a digital Father Robert Spitzer, who has extensively researched the shroud over the past 20 years. Spitzer, who has an office at Christ Cathedral, noted that he was pleased with the museum's opening. "It gets the pedagogy right, it's biblically accurate, and they tell me the visual imagery is amazing." (Spitzer has gone blind in recent years.)

He continued: "And while we welcome anyone, we especially hope many young people will come to learn about the shroud and lead many to come to know more deeply the person of Jesus Christ."

Nora Creech is on the leadership team of Othonia and helped develop content for the museum. "We want people to come with an open mind, explore, and ask questions. We want them to ask, 'Who is the man of the shroud?'" she said.

One special target group of the museum, Creech said, is younger people, "many of whom have not been brought up with knowledge of who Jesus is. That is why we seek first to introduce people to Jesus so that they will become interested in his burial shroud."

Pearson agreed and related the story of two young women who visited the Shroud Center and began weeping, asking: "Why hasn't anyone told us about him?"

But while the shroud is important in showing us what Jesus suffered, Creech continued, we also need the Church and the Scriptures "to learn why he suffered."

Orange Auxiliary Bishop Timothy Freyer, who played a key role in bringing the museum to Christ Cathedral, noted that his favorite feature was the reproduction of the crown of thorns, which, contrary to most artistic renditions, was actually shaped like a helmet or cap. He continued: "I've been impressed with the entire exhibition. It is very engaging, and I believe it will be an important tool in helping visitors come to know Christ better."

Also among those excited to see the opening of the museum was Gus Accetta, a physician who has devoted much of his free time to studying the shroud. In 1996, he founded the Shroud Center in Huntington Beach, since relocated to the Santiago Retreat Center and welcoming 25,000 visitors annually.

"It's a wonderful exhibit," he said. It not only looks at the shroud but the whole life of Christ, of which the shroud is just a part."

The Shroud of Turin experience will be on display at Christ Cathedral at least through 2030. The museum is located on Christ Cathedral campus, 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove, California, a few miles away from Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention Center. For more information, visit the website www.theshroudexperience.com.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290062&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 19, 2025 / 17:48 pm (CNA).

Longtime immigrant rights advocate Sister JoAnn Persch died on Nov. 14 at age 91.

Two weeks before her death, Persch attempted to bring Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Illinois, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility where for decades the Sisters of Mercy ministered to migrants and refugees. Officials denied her entry.

Persch and Sister Pat Murphy were founding members of the Su Casa Catholic Worker House in Chicago, serving refugees from Central America who were survivors of war, torture, and political persecution. From 1997 until 2002, the pair ministered at Casa Notre Dame in Chicago, a shelter for women fleeing domestic violence or recovering from addiction.

Beginning in January 2007, the two sisters attended prayer vigils every Friday morning outside the Broadview ICE facility where they encountered migrants scheduled for deportation and followed Murphy's advice that "prayer is powerful, but you also have to put your body on the line."

Through perseverance, Persch said she gained entry to the ICE facility during those years despite initial repeated refusals from government officials.

"Our motto is peacefully, respectfully, but never take no for an answer, so we kept working with ICE," Persch said Nov. 1. "Finally, we got inside."

'It was so traumatic'

Persch said eventually she was allowed to ride the buses to the airport with detainees after working with ICE. The sisters took down names of detainees and their families' phone numbers.

"Then we'd spend the morning at home calling the families," Persch said.

"We always worked with the families," Persch said. "It was so traumatic. But then we were finally able to go in, helping families, meeting those being deported, listening to them, talking, praying."

"We had a good relationship with ICE. We'd talk to each other," Persch said.

U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, said: "These nuns were often the last to see these immigrants before they embarked on their life-changing journeys. Sister JoAnn's passing is the end of a life of kindness and caring. But it is more. It is a reminder and a challenge to each of us to welcome the stranger and choose kindness over hate and fear."

Because of relentless advocacy on behalf of migrants and refugees, including lobbying for a law to provide spiritual care for migrants in state detention facilities, the two sisters were affectionately nicknamed "Rabble" and "Rouser" by friends and fellow advocates.

In 2018, U.S. Capitol Police arrested the pair during the Catholic Day of Action for Action for Dreamers in Washington, D.C., a nonviolent civil disobedience protest in support of immigrants.

Persch's advocacy also won media attention such as from comedian and political commentator Samantha Bee on her television show, "Full Frontal."

Looking for housing

In 2022, the two nuns cofounded Catherine's Caring Cause in response to a request to help a family seeking asylum, a mother from Sierra Leone with five children, to resettle in the Chicago area. Catherine's Caring Cause, named in honor of Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Sisters of Mercy, assists refugee families in finding shelter and providing basic necessities.

On Nov. 1, Persch said the organization had found homes for 15 families living in cars and they were looking for housing for a 16th.

Persch entered the Sisters of Mercy in Des Plaines, Illinois, 73 years ago. A native of Milwaukee, she earned a bachelor's degree in home economics from St. Xavier College (now University) in Chicago and a master's in religious education from Loyola University. Persch professed her perpetual vows on Aug. 16, 1958.

Sister Susan Sanders, president of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, said: "How will it be when we will miss JoAnn's clear voice — quiet, insistent, regular, and respectful — about the new and daily injustices being perpetrated on already-suffering people? How will it be when we will miss her incisive questions, like those she posed to prison guards about why it would be unsafe to offer the Eucharist to imprisoned immigrants?"

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290061&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Long Island, New York, Nov 19, 2025 / 18:38 pm (CNA).

A coalition of Catholic faith leaders filed suit Nov. 19 to seek access to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, where clergy have been denied entry to distribute Communion.

The complaint alleged that ICE's refusal to allow clergy to pray with detainees or offer Communion violates the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act. Catholic spiritual leaders attempted to bring Communion to detainees at the ICE facility Nov. 1 after making formal requests to the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, and officials denied entry.

"Despite the long history of religious access to the Broadview detention center established through the persistence and perseverance of the late Sister JoAnn Persch, RSM, and Sister Pat Murphy, RSM, recent months have brought shifting, contradictory, and often opaque communication from DHS and ICE officials. Faced with this lack of honesty and transparency, we were left with no choice but to file this lawsuit," said Michael N. Okinczyc-Cruz, executive director of the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, in a statement.  

Asked Nov. 17 whether it would take a judge's order to get Communion to detainees at the Broadview facility, Nate Madden, DHS principal deputy assistant secretary for communications, told CNA: "I will not engage in hypotheticals about Broadview's policies." He suggested faith leaders contact ICE for entry. 

"What we say is that all religious leaders and religious people who want to come and take pastoral care, and they want to take Communion or Bible studies or anything like that, to come into our detention facilities, they can reach out to ICE," Madden said. 

Federal court continues review of ICE facility

In another case, a Chicago-based federal judge postponed a hearing scheduled for Nov. 19 to assess whether ICE had improved living conditions for migrants detained at the suburban Broadview facility.

As reports of the number of people held at the facility sharply dropped this month, Judge Robert W. Gettleman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said he would conduct a hearing on conditions at the facility in December.

Earlier this month, Gettleman issued a temporary restraining order directing DHS and ICE to improve living conditions at Broadview. Detainees alleged they were being held for several days in squalid conditions, with clogged, overflowing toilets, poor-quality food, inadequate sleeping arrangements, and a lack of access to basic hygiene supplies. On Nov. 5, Gettleman — appointed to the bench in 1994 by President Bill Clinton — ordered that all detainees be provided with soap, towels, toilet paper, oral hygiene products (including toothbrushes and toothpaste), and menstrual products.

His Nov. 5 order further specified: "Defendants shall provide each detainee with at least three full meals per day that meet the U.S. recommended dietary allowance … Defendants shall provide each detainee with a bottle of potable water with each meal and bottled water upon request free of charge." The court also directed that paperwork provided to detainees "should include an accompanying Spanish translation."

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin responded to the lawsuit by noting that Broadview is technically a "field office," not a "detention facility." She said religious organizations are welcome to provide services to detainees in ICE detention facilities.

Class action status

In a significant development for the plaintiffs, Gettleman this week granted the detainees' request to proceed as a class action. The decision could allow the named plaintiffs to represent not only themselves but also potentially hundreds of current and future migrants processed at Broadview.

On Nov. 13, the ACLU of Illinois — one of the legal groups representing the detainees alongside the MacArthur Justice Center and the Chicago office of Eimer Stahl — said they had completed an inspection of the Broadview facility.

"We are grateful that the court gave us an opportunity to inspect the Broadview facility," the group said. "We remain committed to ensuring that any detainees at Broadview are treated with dignity, have access to counsel, and are provided due process."

Religious accommodations not addressed

Gettleman did not address detainee complaints concerning a lack of religious accommodations at Broadview, including the ability to receive holy Communion. The lawsuit alleges that detainees have been unconstitutionally denied access to clergy and faith leaders "who have provided religious services at Broadview for years but are now denied the ability to provide pastoral care under defendants' command."

"For many years, faith leaders and members of the clergy … provided pastoral care to individuals detained inside Broadview," the detainees' lawyers told the court. "Now, no one is allowed inside Broadview. Faith leaders seeking to provide religious services are blocked from providing Communion and spiritual support to detainees, even from outside."

Catholic leaders in Chicago attempted to minister to detainees at Broadview on Nov. 1. Auxiliary Bishop José María García-Maldonado and others were not admitted, despite requesting access weeks in advance and attempting to follow DHS guidelines.

Pope Leo XIV said earlier this month that the spiritual needs of migrants in detention must be taken seriously by government authorities. "I would certainly invite the authorities to allow pastoral workers to attend to the needs of those people," he said. "Many times, they've been separated from their families for a good amount of time. No one knows what's happening, but their own spiritual needs should be attended to."

U.S. bishops likewise issued a special message Nov. 12 calling for the human dignity of migrants to be respected.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290047&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 16:26 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV said "stronger climate actions will create stronger and fairer economic systems" in a video message to the local Churches of the Global South gathered at the Amazonian Museum in Belém, Brazil, for the United Nations climate conference (COP30).

The Holy Father greeted the representatives of bishops' conferences from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia on Nov. 17, joining "the prophetic voice of my brother cardinals who have taken part in COP30, telling the world with words and gestures that the Amazon region remains a living symbol of creation with an urgent need for care."

COP30, which Belém is hosting, brings together a diverse group of leaders and scientists from around the world in an event that, according to the United Nations, aims to "discuss the priority measures needed to address climate change."

Church hierarchy in attendance include cardinals Felipe Neri Ferrão, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences; Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; and Jaime Spengler, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops' Council.

Leo XIV told the Catholic leaders that "you have chosen hope and action over despair, building a global community that works together."

"This has delivered progress, but not enough. Hope and determination must be renewed, not only in words and aspirations but also in concrete actions," he said.

The pope warned that "the creation is crying out in floods, droughts, storms, and relentless heat. One in three people lives in great vulnerability because of these climate changes. To them, climate change is not a distant threat, and to ignore these people is to deny our shared humanity."

"There is still time to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5°C (2.7° F), but the window is closing. As stewards of God's creation, we are called to act swiftly, with faith and prophecy, to protect the gift he entrusted to us," he said.

The Holy Father then referred to the Paris Agreement, among whose 195 signatories is the Holy See, noting that "it has driven real progress and remains our strongest tool for protecting people and the planet."

"But we must be honest: It is not the agreement that is failing," the pope continued. "We are failing in our response. What is failing is the political will of some. True leadership means service and support at a scale that will truly make a difference."

Leo XIV affirmed that "strong climate actions and policies both are an investment in a more just and stable world."

The pontiff noted that "we walk alongside scientists, leaders, and pastors of every nation and creed. We are guardians of creation, not rivals for its spoils. Let us send a clear global signal together: nations standing in unwavering solidarity behind the Paris Agreement and behind climate cooperation."

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290046&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 18:26 pm (CNA).

In an audience with members of the diplomatic service at the papal missions, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that they have been chosen to "become a presence everywhere of the whole Church and, in particular, of the pastoral solicitude of the pope, who presides over it in charity."

Within the context of the Jubilee of Hope, the Holy Father recalled that the holy year is "a providential opportunity to rediscover and deepen the beauty of our vocation, that is, our common call to holiness, which commits us each day to be witnesses of Christ, the living hope for the world."

Reflecting on the missionaries' service of "carrying the redeeming word of the Gospel to the ends of the earth," the pope pointed out that the great missionaries remind us that inculturation is not a superficial matter, "because it springs from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve."

"Your unique service is arduous and therefore requires a heart burning for God and open to all people; it demands study and skill, self-denial and courage; it grows in trust in Jesus and in docility to the Church, which is expressed through obedience to superiors," he said. 

Given the diversity of cultures and places where the papal representatives work, the pope invited them to bear witness "as priests in love with Christ and dedicated to building up his body." He also encouraged them to be "a reflection of the affection and closeness that the pope has" for every ecclesial community.

In particular, he focused his attention on those living in contexts of hardship, conflict, and poverty, where moments of discouragement are common: "Precisely in these efforts, remember that the Church sustains you in prayer: Therefore, strengthen your priestly identity by drawing strength from the sacraments, from fraternal communion, and from constant docility to the Holy Spirit," he counseled them.

He encouraged them to be mindful of their daily actions and to avoid isolation. 

"The great missionaries remind us, in fact, that inculturation is not a folkloric [superficial] attitude, because it is born from the desire to dedicate oneself to the land and the people we serve," he explained.

He also urged them to "confirm" their motivation by listening to the Holy Spirit and to nurture prayer: "May the light of the tabernacle dispel shadows and anxieties, illuminating the path you are traveling."

"Holding fast to this miracle of grace, be pilgrims of hope precisely where people lack justice and peace," he added.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290029&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Vatican City, Nov 18, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Nov. 18 is celebrated in the Catholic Church as the feast day of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul. Here are three things to know about the historical, architectural, and spiritual significance of these two papal basilicas:

1. Historical significance of the Nov. 18 feast day 

In the fourth century, the world's first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine, commissioned the construction of two separate basilicas over the burial sites of St. Peter and St. Paul to enable the public veneration of the two great apostles, martyrs, and evangelizers of Rome.

After Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire following the Edict of Milan issued by Constantine in 313, construction of the first Basilica of St. Peter began in 319 and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester on Nov. 18, 326. Historical records indicate that Sylvester consecrated the first basilica built by Constantine dedicated to the apostle St. Paul on Nov. 19 around the year 330.

The masses of pilgrims who came to pray at the tombs of the "Prince of the Apostles" and the "Apostle to the Gentiles" required constant repairs, renovations, and expansion of the two basilicas built by Constantine.

In 1506, Pope Julius II ordered the demolition of the original basilica dedicated to St. Peter to construct the second Basilica of St. Peter, which still stands today. Pope Urban VIII solemnly consecrated the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter 120 years later on Nov. 18, 1626.

Over the centuries the basilica dedicated to St. Paul underwent several renovations and two major reconstructions. The current Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls is the third basilica built above the apostle's burial site. In 1854 — after the great fire of 1823 and over 30 years of construction work — Pius IX consecrated the newly-built basilica and fixed Nov. 18 as its commemoration date.

2. Architectural significance of the two basilicas 

With histories that span nearly two millennia, both the Basilica of St. Peter and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls bear the marks of changing architectural designs dating back from the Paleo-Christian period to the present day.

The world-famous 16th-century Basilica of St. Peter, visited by millions of tourists and pilgrims yearly, took more than 100 years to construct and was heavily influenced by Western artistic styles of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Designed by the Italian architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the 94-foot-tall bronze canopy, known as the baldacchino, is a Baroque masterpiece that towers above the central altar and stands directly above the tomb of St. Peter. To highlight the primacy of Peter among the apostles, the baldacchino features sculptures of cherubs holding the papal tiara as well as the "keys to the kingdom of heaven," which Jesus entrusted to St. Peter and his successors. Bernini also designed the keyhole shape of St. Peter's Square.

Throughout its history, the Roman basilica dedicated to St. Paul was a testimony to the Catholic Church's ancient past. Before the 1823 fire, the basilica housed artworks and historical artifacts from the Paleo-Christian, Byzantine, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Reconstructed to be identical to the basilica destroyed by fire, the art and architecture of St. Paul Outside the Walls has taken its inspiration from different architectural styles dating back from the 11th century to contemporary designs of the 21st century.

The Holy Door of this major basilica was designed by Enrico Manfrini in preparation for the 2000 Jubilee Year. Inside this door stands the Byzantine door, created in 1070, depicting scenes of the life of Christ and the first Christians.

3. Spiritual significance of the two basilicas 

The burial sites of the two patron saints of Rome remain significant places of pilgrimage for Christians.

St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul Outside the Walls, two of the four papal basilicas of Rome, are visited by millions of tourists for their historical, architectural, and artistic importance. For Christian pilgrims, the two major basilicas hold a greater spiritual significance that links their faith in Jesus and his Church to two of its most faithful apostles who led the way for Christians throughout the ages through their teachings and witness.

On the June 29, 2024, solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis invited all of the Catholic faithful to imitate their example and "open the doors" of the Church during the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. 

"The jubilee will be a time of grace, during which we will open the Holy Door so that everyone may cross the threshold of that 'living sanctuary' who is Jesus," the Holy Father said in his homily.

The Holy Door in the Basilica of St. Peter opened on Christmas Eve 2024 to usher in the jubilee year and the Holy Door of St. Paul Outside the Walls opened on Jan. 5, 2025. The former wil close on Jan. 6, 2026, and the latter will close on Dec. 28, 2025.

This story was first published on Nov. 18, 2024, and has been updated.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290028&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

ACI Prensa Staff, Nov 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Chiclayo is celebrating following the inauguration and blessing of an imposing statue of the pope, located in a central roundabout in the city. The statue now welcomes visitors to the northern Peruvian city where Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, served as bishop and apostolic administrator from 2014 to 2023.

The 16-foot white statue, standing atop a 6-foot pedestal, weighs half a ton and is made of fiberglass and resin. The statue was created by artist Juan Carlos Ñañake of Piura, Peru, who collaborated with six other artists over a three-month period.

"It has been an artistic and spiritual challenge. We wanted Pope Leo XIV to reflect serenity and approachability. His smile will welcome all who come to Chiclayo," said the artist, according to the Andina news agency.

"This work symbolizes the gratitude of the people of Lambayeque to the Holy Father for his message of love, hope, and unity," highlighted Félix Mío Sánchez, regional manager of foreign trade and tourism for the Peruvian government. The provincial municipality of Chiclayo also participated in the unveiling of the monumental sculpture.

The statue will be part of the Pope Leo tourist route.

The bishop of Chiclayo, Edinson Farfán, emphasized that "by blessing this sculpture, we renew our commitment to walk together: Church, state, institutions, and citizens under God's gaze, to continue serving Pope Leo XIV with humility and generosity."

"Our bishop emeritus is the pope of communion; may his example inspire our public and community actions, and may his witness remind us that governing and serving is also an act of love," he added.

Jorge Pérez, governor of the Lambayeque region, highlighted that the image is also an act of thanksgiving "to one of our brothers, a Peruvian at heart, a Peruvian who walked with us and I am sure walks with us today through his prayers for the well-being of our people."

Pope Leo XIV obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015 and this year updated his information to obtain a new Peruvian ID. 

The Augustinian friar spent more than 20 years in Peru, serving in Chulucanas and Trujillo, and eventually as the bishop of Chiclayo.

The mayor of Chiclayo, Janet Cubas Carranza, also thanked Pope Leo XIV "for having put Chiclayo on the world map."

The unveiling of the statue last week included the traditional northern marinera dance, a performance by Donnie Yaipén, who played his song "La Cumbia del Papa," a fireworks display, and the inaugural lighting of the sculpture of the first American and Peruvian pope.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290015&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

CNA Staff, Nov 17, 2025 / 16:11 pm (CNA).

When Jessica Williams became pregnant with another man's child while she and her husband were separated, her husband pressured her to abort the child.

As soon as she took the first abortion pill, mifepristone, she regretted it. 

"As a nurse, the reality of what I had done had hit me hard," said Williams, who was nine weeks pregnant at the time. "Here I was working to save lives and about to take one of my own child's lives." 

But as a nurse, Williams knew that in spite of the pill cutting off the progesterone supply to her child, the baby might still be alive. She hadn't yet taken the second pill, misoprostol, which would expel the child from her body.  

When she found a pregnancy center, First Choice Pregnancy Services in Las Vegas, staff immediately brought her in for an ultrasound.

"They provided a free ultrasound, and that moment changed everything," she said. 

Her baby was still alive.

First Choice helped her through the abortion pill reversal process, a practice to reverse the effects of mifepristone soon after the woman takes the first abortion pill. 

Now, her daughter is a "healthy" and "thriving" 3-year-old, Williams said when she shared her story at a Nov. 17 online press conference.

Williams is one of many women who have received help from pregnancy resource centers. 

Pregnancy centers across the U.S. "provided over $452 million in total medical care, support and education services, and material goods in 2024," according to a Nov. 17 report by the Charlotte Lozier Institute. 

Pregnancy centers saw a total of 1 million new patients last year, "which is the equivalent of each center serving a new client every day in 2024," Karen Czarnecki, the head of Charlotte Lozier Institute, said during the press conference. 

During the press conference, Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called pregnancy centers the "beating heart" of pro-life movement.  

Pregnancy centers, Dannenfelser said, "are going to the roots of the problem" by providing support for mothers across the board, whether they are struggling with addiction, domestic abuse, homelessness, completing school, or any other challenge. 

Report debunks false claims about pregnancy centers 

Dannenfelser noted there are some claims "often unchecked in the media" that call pregnancy centers "fake clinics" or say they "don't have licensed medical staff."

"This is flat-out false," Dannenfelser said. "Eight in 10 centers are providing free or low-cost medical services, staffed by over 10,000 medical professionals." 

More than 80% of these centers provide ultrasound services, according to the report. Many of the centers also provide STD and STI testing and treatment, as well as abortion pill reversal, like in Williams' experience. 

The report also found a 98% satisfaction rate among their clients — something Williams attested to.

"They greeted me gently and were nonjudgmental," Williams said of the staff and volunteers at the pregnancy clinic she went to. "They provided a safe, calm space for me, emotionally, spiritually."

"They gave me information and education without pushing me in any direction," she continued. "They simply supported me in whatever path I chose."

More than three years later, Williams still keeps up with the women at the clinic.

"I'm meeting with these ladies every month still," Williams said. "They're just a phone call, a text away, anything I need. I mean, we're just almost becoming a family now." 

Pregnancy centers also provide material, educational, and emotional support. For instance, 92% of centers offer material items to women in need. On average, each pregnancy center distributed six-packs of diapers and five baby outfits every day, according to the report. 

First Choice "provided diapers, material support, emotional and spiritual support groups, parenting resources, community connections, and just so much practical help in general," Williams said. "It was a level of compassion that carried me through my entire pregnancy." 

Offering material support is a growing effort in the pro-life movement. At pregnancy centers, material support has grown by more than 300% from 2019 to 2024.

Many pregnancy centers also offer a variety of other resources, including childbirth classes, breastfeeding consultations, and outreach to victims of human trafficking. 

"Even right now, they're doing a monthly get-together — we get to network with other mamas," Williams said. "We're [able] to access any resources."  

The majority of pregnancy centers also help support women who are recovering from abortions.

Williams said the women at the clinic "understood the pressure and fear" she was under to abort. Even after the reversal, her husband drove her to an abortion clinic when she was 16 weeks pregnant "to finish the job," she said. 

"The clinic was on the same exact street [where] I saved my baby," she said. "I couldn't do it and demanded he take me home. I now know that the strategic location has also saved many other babies." 

"They created a safe place for me to heal and feel supported," she said of the clinic.

Full Article

http://www.myspiritfm.com/News?blogid=8838&view=post&articleid=290014&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0

Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nov 17, 2025 / 16:58 pm (CNA).

The secretary of the Bangladesh Catholic Bishops' Conference has criticized the death sentence given to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as unilateral and politically motivated, reaffirming the Church's opposition to capital punishment.

Bishop Ponen Paul Kubi, CSC, of the Mymensingh Diocese, told CNA that the verdict handed down Nov. 17 by Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal was "one-sided" and that "the accused had no lawyer and that the current government used political power to give this verdict."

"The Catholic Church has never supported the death penalty," Kubi said. "I think that even if Sheikh Hasina committed a crime, she should be punished in a way that is remedial."

Describing the verdict as an abuse of power, Kubi added: "If we judge in a hurry and give a verdict as we wish, we are no longer living in civilization, we have gone back to the primitive era."

The Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal found Hasina, 78, guilty of crimes against humanity related to the deadly crackdown on student-led protests in July and August 2024. The court sentenced both Hasina and her former home minister, Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, to death in absentia. Former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun was sentenced to five years in prison after turning state witness.

The 453-page verdict, broadcast live on state television beginning around 12:30 p.m. local time Monday, found Hasina guilty on three of five charges, including ordering the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons against protesters, and failing to prevent mass killings.

Background to the uprising

In July 2024, student protests against job quotas escalated into a mass uprising that forced Hasina to flee to India on Aug. 5. A United Nations investigation team reported that at least 1,400 people were killed, though Bangladeshi activists believe the number exceeds 2,000.

Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing the country. In a statement released through her Awami League party on Facebook, she called the verdicts "distasteful, biased, and politically motivated," claiming they were made by "a rigged tribunal established and presided over by an unelected government with no democratic mandate."

Divided public reaction

The verdict prompted sharply divided reactions across Bangladesh. While the banned Awami League held protest marches in several parts of the country, ordinary people held joy marches in most areas, including Dhaka, where sweets were distributed.

"We will be completely happy only when Sheikh Hasina comes to the country and is hanged," Tarif Hasan, a Dhaka University student who participated in the celebration march, told CNA.

Professor Asif Nazrul, law adviser to the interim government, described the death sentence as "the greatest achievement in establishing justice" and called it "another victory day for the July Uprising."

A public hearing on the case is scheduled to take place, and the interim government has formally requested India's cooperation in extraditing Hasina to face the tribunal. National elections in Bangladesh are expected to be held in February.

Full Article