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Madrid, Spain, Feb 26, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Observatory for Religious Freedom and Conscience (OLRC, by its Spanish acronym) is calling on Spain's Ministry of the Interior to strengthen security at the country's cathedrals after a threat against the sacred structures was issued by the Islamic terrorist group Daesh (ISIS).

According to a recent report by Memri, a publication specializing in Islamist terrorism, a poster with the label "Let's slaughter" is being disseminated online in which a terrorist armed with a knife and an image of a Spanish cathedral can be seen.

According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, the poster is accompanied by the incitement to "make the next news yourself and show your anger at what is happening to Muslims. Follow in the footsteps of your brothers who preceded you and sowed fear in the hearts of unbelievers."

These threats come as major events are being held in some Spanish cathedrals, for example in Madrid and Seville, to pray for the health of Pope Francis, where a large number of faithful are expected to attend.

In response to the threats, the OLRC has launched a petition to ask the minister of the interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to increase security in the nation's cathedrals.

The petition states that "jihadism is asking its 'lone wolves' to attack our churches. The security of Catholics is in danger. Have we forgotten that two years ago a jihadist murdered sacristan Diego Valencia in Algeciras and injured a priest?"

The organization, which advises the Spanish government's Monitoring Commission for the Action Plan to Combat Hate Crimes, recalled that last New Year's Eve "two jihadist minors planned to attack the basilica in Elche" and that in January threats were made against the Palencia cathedral via Telegram.

The president of the OLRC, María García, pointed out in a statement that "the safety of believers is in danger. We cannot ignore the threats of Daesh. We know what they are capable of, and we are seeing it these days in Europe."

García also recalled that last year "a record number of arrests for jihadism in Spain were made."

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

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CNA Staff, Feb 25, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to a Tennessee law restricting drag performances when children are present.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied the petition to hear an appeal on the ruling, which was filed by an LGBTQ+ theater company in December 2024 after a circuit court ruled against the group. 

The Friends of George's theater company had challenged Tennessee's Adult Entertainment Act (AEA) in 2023 soon after the law limiting "adult-oriented" performances in public was passed. 

The AEA prevented "adult cabaret" performances on public property and anywhere that children might see them. The law defines adult cabaret as "adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors" and that include "topless dancers, go-go dancers, exotic dancers, strippers, male or female impersonators, or similar entertainers."

The theater group had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the law from taking effect in their county, maintaining that the law was unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker temporarily blocked the law in March 2023, but a federal appeals court later reversed the decision and dismissed the lawsuit. 

The Friends of George's theater company had argued that Tennessee's law would go against the First Amendment right to freedom of speech by restricting its drag performances. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the company did not have legal standing to sue because its performances did not break Tennessee law.

Dissenting judge Andre Mathis argued in a 25-page dissent to the July 18, 2024, decision that the law was an "unconstitutional content-based restriction on speech." 

But proponents of legislation argue that freedom of speech does not apply to sexually explicit performances in front of children.

Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti lauded the decision in a post on X, calling it a "big win for Tennessee."

"Free speech is a sacred American value, but the First Amendment does not require Tennessee to allow sexually explicit performances in front of children," Skrmetti said. 

Tennessee Sen. Jack Johnson welcomed the Supreme Court decision in a post on Facebook.  

"I'm proud that the United States Supreme Court has upheld yet another Tennessee law protecting our children," Johnson said. "SB 3 ensures that Tennessee children are not exposed to sexually explicit entertainment."

While the First Amendment protects the right to free speech, long-standing legal precedent affirms that it does not protect obscenity.

Several states have taken steps to limit adult performances in front of minors in recent years. For instance, Montana established restrictions on drag performances and drag reading events in public schools and libraries in May 2023, though enforcement of the law was blocked by a federal judge.

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Vancouver, Canada, Feb 25, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Richard W. Smith of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, has been appointed by Pope Francis as the next archbishop of Vancouver, succeeding Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, whose retirement has been accepted by the Holy Father.

Smith, 65, has led the Archdiocese of Edmonton since 2007 and has served in dioceses across Canada.

Miller reached the age of 75 in 2021 and submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law. However, he was asked to remain in office until a successor was named. The Vatican announced this morning that Smith will be the next shepherd of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, with Miller continuing as apostolic administrator until the new archbishop is installed as the 12th archbishop of Vancouver, likely in May.

In a statement, Smith said: "I am grateful to His Holiness for the confidence placed in me to assume this new mission and ask for the assistance of your prayers."

Miller welcomed the appointment with "gratitude to the Holy Father and great satisfaction," assuring Smith of his prayers and fraternal support.

"Vancouver has been given a shepherd of extraordinary gifts and vast experience. We warmly welcome Archbishop Smith, who is already familiar with the challenges facing us here — evangelization, passing on the faith to young people, Indigenous reconciliation, vocations to the priesthood, to name just a few."

Despite the archdiocese waiting nearly four years for the announcement, Miller said, "it has proved well worth the wait." He expressed appreciation for the pope's discernment in making the appointment over an extended period and for allowing it to be announced even as he deals with serious illness.

As Pope Francis continues to receive treatment at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Miller called for continued prayers.

"We have been very close to the Holy Father in recent days, praying fervently for him throughout the archdiocese. The appointment of a new archbishop brings the pope and his ministry as successor of Peter even nearer to our hearts and minds," he said.

Miller noted that after moving to Vancouver, Smith will have served "A Mari Usque Ad Mare" ("From Sea to Sea"), Canada's official motto.

Smith has served as archbishop of Edmonton for 17 years and has been a priest for nearly 38 years.

Born in Halifax, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987, for the Archdiocese of Halifax. He later pursued further studies in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, earning a licentiate in 1993 and a doctorate in 1998. In Halifax, he served as chaplain to the deaf community from 1986 to 1991, held the office of vicar general, and was responsible for pastoral ministry to French-speaking Catholics.

He was a professor of theology at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ontario, before being appointed bishop of Pembroke, Ontario, in 2002.

In 2007, he was named archbishop of Edmonton. During his time there, Smith took on several national leadership roles, including president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, spiritual adviser to the Catholic Women's League of Canada, and board member of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute. He is currently a member of the Canadian Catholic Indigenous Council and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA).

In 2022, he was the general coordinator for Pope Francis' pilgrimage of healing and reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous peoples.

Miller became archbishop of Vancouver in January 2009, succeeding the late Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, after serving as coadjutor archbishop since 2007. Before his appointment to Vancouver, he was secretary at the Congregation for Catholic Education in Rome.

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 12:15 pm (CNA).

Renowned Korean War military chaplain and Kansas native Emil Joseph Kapaun was declared "venerable" by Pope Francis on Tuesday.

The Holy Father on Monday met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State, at Gemelli Hospital where the pope is currently undergoing medical treatment to approve decrees from the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints for six men and one woman currently on the path to sainthood.

Kapaun is one of five servants of God who will be proclaimed venerable by the Catholic Church. The others are Italian layman Salvo D'Acquisto; Miquel Maura i Montaner, a 19th-century Spanish priest; Italian priest Didaco Bessi; and Kunegunda Siwiec, a Polish laywoman who died in 1955.

The Holy Father approved Kapaun and D'Acquisto based on their "offering of life." In 2017, the pope introduced the "offering of life" category to the causes of the saints, which recognizes those who have persevered to closely follow the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and serve others "voluntarily and freely" until death.

Kapaun was born in Pilson, Kansas, on April 20, 1916, and ordained a priest for the Diocese of Wichita on June 9, 1940, after completing theological studies at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.

After serving as a pastor for his home parish and as an auxiliary chaplain at the Army airbase in Herington, Kansas, Kapaun discerned a call to minister to military personnel. In 1944, he was granted permission by Bishop Christian Winkelmann to become a U.S. Army chaplain.

Outside of the U.S., Kapaun was assigned to posts in Burma and India in the final years of World War II and in Korea following the outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950. There he brought the sacraments to troops, tended to the injured, and prayed with soldiers in the foxholes. At times he celebrated Mass on the battlefield using the hood of a jeep as a makeshift altar.

During the Battle of Unsan, Kapaun was captured along with other soldiers and taken to a Chinese-run prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea. While there, he regularly stole food for his fellow prisoners and tended to their spiritual needs despite a prohibition on prayer.

After being taken to what prisoners called the "death house," Kapaun died on May 23, 1951, after months of malnutrition and pneumonia. Before his death, Kapaun was recognized for both his holiness and bravery while in active service.

In March 2021, after 70 years, the skeletal remains of Kapaun were identified among 866 other unknown Korean soldiers buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu. These remains were handed to American forces in 1954 by North Korea. Kapaun's funeral Mass was held on Sept. 29, 2021, at Wichita's Hartman Arena, where more than 5,000 people came together to remember him.

Pope Francis on Tuesday also approved the canonizations of two laymen: Venezuela's Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros and Italy's Blessed Bartolo Longo. The Holy Father has called for a consistory to prepare for the upcoming canonizations.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 12:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has named two secretaries-general to serve under Sister Raffaella Petrini, FSE, in the Governorate of the Vatican City State, giving the Vatican's first woman president "the power to dispose and confer... specific competencies or particular tasks" on the appointees.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Francis had appointed Archbishop Emilio Nappa and layman Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi to serve as joint secretaries-general of the governing body of the Vatican City State.

The nomination follows the pope's appointment of Franciscan Sister Petrini as president of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and president of the Governorate of Vatican City State on Feb. 15, after she served as secretary-general of the governorate for just over three years.

Petrini, who will assume her new roles on March 1, is the first woman and non-cardinal to hold the positions — making her one of the highest-ranking women ever in the Vatican.

In Tuesday's announcement, the Vatican said Pope Francis had also granted Petrini "the power to dispose and confer, appropriately, on the aforementioned secretaries-general, specific competencies or particular tasks," appearing to give her a carte blanche to choose the responsibilities of her now two righthand men.

According to Vatican law, the secretary-general assists the president in her functions and acts as her substitute in the case of absence or impediment. It is a five-year term. During a sede vacante, the period following the death or resignation of a pope until the election of a successor, the secretary-general "shall take care of the ordinary government of the office, and, following the provisions in force for the sede vacante, shall take care of its current affairs."

The Vatican has said Pope Francis continues to carry out some light work duties while under hospital treatment for multiple respiratory infections, including double pneumonia. Though visits are extremely limited, the Vatican said on Tuesday that the pontiff had received Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and his No. 2, Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, in his hospital room on Feb. 24, his 11th day of hospitalization.

The first of the two new secretaries-general, Nappa has been president of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 2022 as well as adjunct secretary of the Dicastery for Evangelization in the section for the First Evangelization and New Particular Churches.

The 52-year-old from Naples, Italy, has a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and worked for a time in the general affairs section of the Vatican Secretariat of State.

The second appointment, Puglisi-Alibrandi, has over a decade of experience in the governorate, most recently serving as vice secretary-general since 2021. The 58-year-old lawyer was previously head of the juridical office of the governorate.

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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 25, 2025 / 14:05 pm (CNA).

Vice President JD Vance will speak at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast (NCPB) held on Friday, Feb. 28, in Washington, D.C., the organization has announced.

"I am honored to be able to address the 20th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast and represent the Trump administration's support for people of faith across the United States," Vance said in a statement.

Vance spoke about returning to the NCPB as vice president. "Last year, I was moved to witness the joyful devotion of over a thousand Catholics praying for the future and success of our country," he said.

"Thanks to their faithful prayers, President Trump's leadership has restored the hopes and dreams of the American people and our great nation is on the path to peace and prosperity once more," Vance said.

NCPB Chairman Mark Randall stated: "We are thrilled to welcome fellow Catholic JD Vance back, now as vice president, for our 20th annual gathering of fellowship and prayer. His presence is a sign of hope and openness to Catholic values and all the good that they bring to our entire nation."  

This year's keynote speaker is Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. Among the other political figures who will attend the event is New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, who will be honored with the NCPB's Christifideles Laici Award. 

The award is given out yearly by the NCPB to a layperson who demonstrates service and "good works" to the Church, according to the organization. It was created to acknowledge those following St. John Paul II's call to "spread the Gospel in ways that are new in ardor, methods, and expression." 

Smith, who is a devout Catholic dedicating his time on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs to advocate for those suffering religious persecution and human trafficking, will be the sixth recipient of the award.

The NCPB events will begin Thursday evening and guest speakers will give remarks on Friday, Feb. 28, starting at 7 a.m. ET. EWTN will cover the event live and report on its presenters. 

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CNA Staff, Feb 25, 2025 / 14:35 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that condemned Oklahoma death row prisoner Richard Glossip be given a new trial amid concerns that he may have been wrongfully convicted of arranging an assassination nearly three decades ago.

In a 5-3 decision, the nation's highest court said prosecutors had "violated [their] constitutional obligation to correct false testimony" in the trial that led to Glossip's murder conviction in 1998. 

Glossip was convicted that year for allegedly ordering Justin Sneed to murder the owner of a hotel Glossip himself managed. The owner was found bludgeoned to death with a baseball bat. Sneed, who worked as a handyman at the hotel, confessed to killing the man and alleged that Glossip had ordered the hit; Sneed himself is currently serving a life sentence. 

Sneed's testimony was the decisive factor in convicting Glossip. But prosecutors failed to disclose at trial that Sneed suffered from a psychiatric disorder and was prescribed lithium; they also allowed Sneed to falsely testify at trial that he had never seen a psychiatrist. 

"Because Sneed's testimony was the only direct evidence of Glossip's guilt, the jury's assessment of Sneed's credibility was material and necessarily determinative," the Supreme Court said this week. 

"Correcting Sneed's lie would have undermined his credibility and revealed his willingness to lie under oath," the court noted.

A "new trial is the appropriate remedy" for the violation, the ruling directed. 

The state of Oklahoma had backed Glossip in his efforts to secure a new trial. Oklahoma Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond has admitted that the state had erred in sentencing Glossip to death. 

The state asked the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals to overturn Glossip's conviction and grant him a new trial. That court in April 2023 refused to do so, however, and ordered Glossip's execution to proceed. Drummond at the time called that decision "remarkable and remarkably flawed."

On Tuesday, Drummond's office said in a statement that "a great injustice has been swept away."

"Our justice system is greatly diminished when an individual is convicted without a fair trial," Drummond said.

"I am pleased the high court has validated my grave concerns with how this prosecution was handled, and I am thankful we now have a fresh opportunity to see that justice is done."

Glossip has also received support from prominent Catholics. Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City last year told CNA that the Supreme Court's agreement to review Glossip's case "offers hope in furthering the cause toward one day abolishing the death penalty."

On Tuesday Coakley said via a media release that "prayers for an end to capital punishment received a boost" with the court's ruling.

The ruling "[cast] new light on [Glossip's] case from 2004 and hopefully on this inhumane method of punishment," the archbishop said. 

There is "reason for optimism that this case could shift momentum toward abolishing capital punishment in our state, which holds the highest execution rate per capita in the U.S.," the prelate added.

Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy, the executive director of Catholic Mobilizing Network, similarly said in 2023 that Glossip "should not be put to death … not ever."

"No state should have the power to take the lives of its citizens," she said at the time. "As we see in Mr. Glossip's case, the system is too broken, too cruel, too disrespecting of human dignity."

In a statement on Tuesday, Murphy said the decision was "a welcome and celebratory moment in Mr. Glossip's case."

The case "has captured the nation's attention because it shines a spotlight on so much of the brokenness in our death penalty system," she argued.

"It is my prayer that Mr. Glossip's opportunity for a new trial will enable the state of Oklahoma to prioritize a vision of justice that is rooted in healing, wholeness, and repair — rather than vengeance and retribution," she said.

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Vatican City, Feb 25, 2025 / 10:55 am (CNA).

In his message for Lent 2025, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of living one's life as a constant journey of conversion, choosing to walk in peace and hope aside one's fellow humans.

"May the hope that does not disappoint, the central message of the jubilee, be the focus of our Lenten journey toward the victory of Easter," the pope said in the message, released Tuesday. 

He also quoted St. Paul's exclamation in the first letter to the Corinthians: "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 

Though Francis is in Gemelli Hospital to receive treatment for multiple respiratory infections, his Lenten message is dated Feb. 6, well ahead of his hospitalization on Feb. 14. 

The season of Lent will begin on Ash Wednesday, March 5. The Vatican said the pope continues to carry out some work duties with the help of his secretaries while in the hospital.

In his message, the pontiff wrote that this Lent is an opportunity to consider three areas where one may be in greater need of conversion: journeying with others, being synodal, and having hope.

"A first call to conversion," he said, "comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact. Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity?"

On the virtue of hope, Pope Francis quoted the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which calls hope the "sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." 

"Thanks to God's love in Jesus Christ, we are sustained in the hope that does not disappoint," the pope said, adding that hope "moves the Church to pray for 'everyone to be saved' (1 Tm 2:4) and to look forward to her being united with Christ, her bridegroom, in the glory of heaven."

He recalled a prayer of St. Teresa of Ávila, to "hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one."

Francis said a good Lenten exercise and examination of conscience would be to compare one's life to a migrant or foreigner, "to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father."

He also encouraged Catholics to be more synodal by journeying with others while avoiding self-absorption, exclusion, oppressing and excluding others, or being envious and hypocritical.

"Let us all walk in the same direction, tending toward the same goal, attentive to one another in love and patience," he urged.

Pope Francis said the call to hope and trust in God and in eternal life is also an important aspect of Lenten conversion. Some questions to ponder include: "Am I convinced that the Lord forgives my sins? Or do I act as if I can save myself? Do I long for salvation and call upon God's help to attain it? Do I concretely experience the hope that enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded?"

"This Lent, God is asking us to examine whether in our lives, in our families, in the places where we work and spend our time, we are capable of walking together with others, listening to them, resisting the temptation to become self-absorbed and to think only of our own needs," he said.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 07:34 am (CNA).

Pope Francis' condition remains serious but has shown "slight improvement" as he continues treatment on his 11th day in Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican said Feb. 24. The pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

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Vatican City, Feb 24, 2025 / 16:05 pm (CNA).

Monday, Feb. 24, marked three years of Ukrainian resistance against the Russian invasion. According to U.N. data, more than 12,600 civilians have died in the conflict, including more than 2,400 children. In addition, more than 10% of the country's housing stock has been damaged or destroyed, causing more than 2 million families to be displaced.

In this context, the apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, emphasized that, despite the pain and devastation, hope remains the only refuge for those suffering from the war.

"Pope Francis has proclaimed the Jubilee Year of Hope, and in such a horrible war, there is nothing left but hope. Military chaplains tell us that soldiers are grateful for any message of hope, because it is the only thing they have left," Kulbokas said in an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner.

Speaking at the apostolic nunciature in Kyiv, the representative of the Holy See in Ukraine described a country marked by suffering. "This weekend, on the occasion of the third anniversary of the war, we have many visits and events. For us, however, it's not a special date, because every day is a day of war," he said.

The normalization of the conflict has led Ukrainians to adapt psychologically to the violence. "I remember the first weeks of 2022, when the bishops spoke dramatically, not knowing whether they would live to see the next day. Now we have more psychological peace to live with, although the war is more intense and dramatic than at the beginning," he explained.

However, everyday life remains shocking. "I no longer remember the last night without a drone attack. Missile strikes are more sporadic, but drone attacks occur daily," he lamented.

One of the aspects that most worries the apostolic nuncio is the situation of the prisoners of war and civilian detainees held by Russia. "Thousands of prisoners are suffering under inhumane conditions," he decried.

The nuncio recalled, for example, the testimony of Ludmila, a 60-year-old woman who spent almost three years in a Russian prison. "For weeks she was tortured without being allowed to sleep, to the point of not being able to distinguish truth from lies. She ended up signing documents without knowing what she was doing," he related.

The lack of mechanisms for releasing civilians held in prison further aggravates the crisis. "For the military there is a system of exchange, but for civilians there is not. Their situation is much more desperate," he noted.

Vatican diplomacy has played a fundamental role in the humanitarian field. For example, in tandem with the international initiative "Bring Kids Back UA," the Holy See has managed, in a discreet way, to bring back several dozen children deported by the Russian occupation forces.

In these three years of war, Kulbokas said, Pope Francis has managed to establish a kind of mechanism to negotiate the return to Ukraine of many children deported to Russia by the occupation forces.

The president of the Italian bishops' conference, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Pope Francis' envoy working for peace in Ukraine, has played a fundamental role in this mission, the nuncio told ACI Prensa.

Zuppi "maintains contact with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities to address the issue of deported children and prisoners. The process is slow, since it sometimes takes months to obtain information about the minors," Kulbokas explained.

However, with the detained civilians, efforts come up against a fundamental obstacle: "Russia considers many of them Russian citizens, which makes it difficult to apply international structures for their release. The only way is persuasion, dialogue with the Russian authorities to demonstrate that these people are civilians and must be released."

The role of the international community and the future of the war

Kulbokas unequivocally criticized the ineffectiveness of the international community in finding a solution to the conflict. "There are no international structures capable of resolving the war. At the beginning, Europe may have thought that this conflict was not its problem, but when wars are not taken seriously, the conflict grows. If wars are not stopped at the outset, it's too late later on."

Despite the bitterness of the conflict, the apostolic nuncio maintains hope for a diplomatic solution. "In order for the conditions to be met that would put serious negotiations on the table, it's necessary that there not be not just one or two global actors to decide. Peace in Ukraine must be a matter for the entire international community," he indicated.

Meanwhile, Ukraine faces growing uncertainty about the support of the United States, the country that has supported it the most in recent years. The Trump administration recently ramped up its rhetoric against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

However, the Vatican diplomat avoided entering into polemics over statements by Trump. "The Catholic faithful in Ukraine feel that they cannot trust politicians, because they say one thing one day and another the next. What they expect from the Church is a clear moral position: That aggression is not justified and that life is defended," he affirmed.

Kulbokas emphasized that the mission of the Church is another: "The important thing is to proclaim the Gospel, which is life, peace, respect, and justice."

Despite the uncertainty and pain, the Vatican diplomat reiterated that international mediation is the only solution. "If we leave it to the great powers alone to decide, the solution will not be just. The only hope is for the international community to unite to put an end to this and other wars," he concluded.

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

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