Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

A damaged bus and vehicles after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 13, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo/Volodymyr Hordiienko

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week:

Palm Sunday bombing in Ukraine claims 34 victims, including 15 children 

Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on the morning of Palm Sunday, claiming at least 34 victims, including 15 children, as many were preparing to attend liturgies to mark the beginning of Holy Week.

More than 100 others were also injured in the attack, according to a Vatican News report. “There’s nothing left but to turn to the Lord to defend us, because it seems that no other force is capable of protecting peace and life,” the apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, told Vatican News Service.

Catholic college in India fights back against allegations of conversion, discrimination 

St. Dominic Savio College in Lucknow, the capital city of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is fighting back against allegations that it discriminated against Hindu students and violated the state’s anti-conversion laws, according to UCA News. 

A group of Hindu activists staged a protest in front of the school on Tuesday, claiming the institution had “detained some students on the campus with an ulterior motive to convert them” and prevented Hindu students from wearing religious symbols.

In a statement, the school called the allegations “misleading and disturbing,” clarifying that the decision to detain certain students “was based purely on academic performance.” It further noted that two of the students detained were Christian, three were Muslim, and two were Hindu. “This clearly contradicts the totally false narrative being spread,” the college added. 

Abuse report reveals 43 offenders since 1945 in German diocese 

A study on sexual abuse in the Diocese of Würzburg in Germany published on Tuesday revealed 43 offenders, or 51 people total, who have committed abuse within the diocese since 1945, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported. 

According to the 800-page study prepared by lawyer Hendrik Schneider, the 51 offenders found to be active between 1945 and 2019 were found to have committed at least 449 acts of abuse. The study also found that the acts of these perpetrators came to be known by the diocese on average 25.7 years after the fact. The acts of only 12 perpetrators became known within one year. Bishop Franz Jung described the sex abuse crisis as a “permanent wound” for the Church and a “perversion of the liberating message of the Gospel” by its clergy. 

Islamist Fulani herdsmen slaughter 40 Nigerian Christian farmers on Palm Sunday

In a brutal massacre on Palm Sunday, Islamist Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region shot and killed at least 40 Christians. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack and directed security agencies to investigate and identify those responsible. “Enough is enough,” he wrote.

The attack was carried out in the farming community of Zike, located in Bassa, Plateau state, according to a CBN report. The Islamist attackers also looted and burned down several Christian homes, many of which still had people inside. A resident of Zike, Andy Yakubu, told CBN that the total number of deaths could exceed 50.

Catholics in Egypt join pope’s global ‘24 Hours for the Lord’ initiative

For the first time, Egyptian Catholics joined Pope Francis’ global initiative “24 Hours for the Lord,” organizing a full day of Eucharistic adoration and confession from April 15-16 as part of the Church’s jubilee celebrations, according to CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA. 

Held at the Basilica of Heliopolis in Cairo, the event featured continuous prayer, reflection, and music, with participation from various church groups, choirs, and clergy, all united in fostering reconciliation and hope. Simultaneous prayer events were also held in monasteries, parishes, and lay communities across Egypt. Designed as a spiritual encounter, the event was also meant to encourage unity with the universal Church and saw strong participation.

Grave desecration of Christian man in Mauritania sparks outcry

An incident in Mauritania has drawn widespread condemnation after the grave of a Christian man, identified as Suleiman, was exhumed and his body dragged through the streets by locals in the city of Sélibabi, ACI MENA reported. 

The Mauritanian government swiftly responded by dismissing the regional governor and several local security officials. It also launched a formal investigation, calling on top defense and interior officials to uncover the full details. Conflicting reports emerged about Suleiman’s faith, with some sources claiming he had converted to Christianity while others noted an imam had approved his burial due to lack of clear evidence of apostasy. Western embassies have since urged Mauritanian authorities to take accountability and uphold human rights.

Youth project bridges Syria and Italy

A cultural and humanitarian initiative has brought together young members of the Chaldean St. Joseph Scout Group in Aleppo and the Italian secular association Life Paths in a cross-border project called “Yalla Aleppo–Italy.”

Syrian youth handcrafted and decorated 1,200 traditional laurel soaps, each accompanied by a heartfelt message and artwork, before sending them to Italy as gifts for children, ACI MENA reported. The initiative was launched to foster solidarity and creativity, especially among young people in postwar Syria, and all proceeds are invested in furthering humanitarian efforts in the region.

According to Stephen de Silva, St. Albans Cathedral’s longest-serving guide of more than 45 years, religious brothers who lived in the cathedral’s abbey in the 14th century invented the original hot cross bun for both charitable and catechetical reasons. / Credit: Photo courtesy of St. Alban's Cathedral

Rome Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Good Friday more than 660 years ago, the hot cross bun became part of English culture as well as Catholic history.

The origins of the beloved baked treat traditionally made with currants, spices, flour, and eggs is closely linked to a cathedral dedicated to St. Alban, England’s first saint and martyr.

Located north of London in England’s Hertfordshire county, St. Albans Cathedral stands where the fourth-century protomartyr was executed and buried around A.D. 300. His 1,700-year-old shrine, housed within the cathedral, is believed to be the oldest continuous site of Christian pilgrimage in Great Britain.

According to Stephen de Silva, St. Albans Cathedral’s longest-serving guide of more than 45 years, religious brothers who lived in the cathedral’s abbey in the 14th century invented the original hot cross bun for both charitable and catechetical reasons. The bun was originally called the “Alban bun.”

Oral and written historical accounts suggest Brother Thomas Rodcliffe first baked and distributed the special spiced buns to the poor on Good Friday in 1361 to mark the close of the liturgical season of Lent and the beginning of Easter.

Deliberately baked with the “sign of the cross” to associate it “with Good Friday and Jesus’ death,” de Silva said the popularity of the medieval buns evolved from a local Catholic custom to a British baking tradition that even spread to other countries.

The fact that the hot cross bun has become a recognizable symbol of English culture and a staple of British bakeries all year round is particularly impressive considering its 664-year-old history.

Under the English Reformation, ruling monarchs tried to stamp out Catholic religious practice in the country, including the baking and selling of the spiced medieval buns “seen as a practice from the Catholic traditional past,” de Silva said.

Soon after King Henry VIII cut ties with the Roman Catholic Church and enforced the 1534 Act of Supremacy to declare himself the head of the Church of England, he proceeded with the dissolution of monasteries between 1536 and 1541.

“The dissolution of the monasteries had a huge impact on food for the poor both in St. Albans and elsewhere,” de Silva told CNA. “In the medieval era, St. Albans Abbey owned much of the surrounding land and properties.”

“In 1539, the Abbey lands, including the mill, were seized by Henry VIII, parceled up, and either sold or gifted away,” he said. “The king gave Redbournbury Mill and its income to his daughter, later Queen Elizabeth I.”

Protestant Queen Elizabeth I followed in her father’s footsteps and continued the widespread persecution of Catholics, specifically targeting the Lenten bun that was being baked more frequently and in more places around England.

“There was a Religion Act of 1592 which was enacted to control the behavior and public worship of Catholics,” de Silva told CNA. “We do know that in her reign, there was an attempt to reign in the baking and the selling of these spice buns.”

In the spirit of the times, de Silva said the London clerk of markets issued the edict that allowed the spiced buns — “which would possibly be seen as a practice from the Catholic traditional past” — only to be sold at burials, Christmas, or on Good Friday.

In spite of government-imposed restrictions, local bakers helped carry on the tradition of the hot cross buns. In 1851, nearly 500 years after the story of the Lenten buns was passed down through oral history, the first documented account was written by a baker who said he wanted to follow the Good Friday tradition of Rodcliffe.

As the buns’ popularity continued to rise, an 1862 Herts Advertiser newspaper article tried to highlight the bread’s religious significance.

“The time-honored custom has therefore been observed over the centuries and will undoubtedly continue into posterity, bearing with it the religious remembrance it is intended to convey,” the local newspaper reported.

“Bread is always a food staple, and a special bread associated with Good Friday just has that extra meaning,” de Silva told CNA.

Florida State University students wait for news amid an active shooter incident at the school’s campus in Tallahassee, Florida, Thursday, April 17, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo/Kate Payne

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 15:31 pm (CNA).

Catholic students at Florida State University have been praying and assisting their fellow Seminoles amid a deadly mass shooting at the campus on Thursday, a ministry leader there told CNA. 

As of early Thursday evening two people had died and multiple people had been injured after the shooting on the Tallahassee campus. Officials said the shooter was taken into custody after the incident. The shooting reportedly took place in or near the campus student union.

Sam Nunnally, the Catholic campus ministry director at the university, told CNA via email that the ministry’s parish and facilities “are directly across the street from the FSU student union. So we could hear gunshots as the incident occurred.”

“Many of the students in that area came running up the hill towards the church and remained in lockdown here for the duration of the event,” Nunnally said. 

Campus ministry staff have been serving the students food and drink while waiting for the campus to be declared safe, he said. 

“Many of our Catholic students have been in prayer, saying rosaries, and helping serve the other students that arrived at our facilities,” he said.

In a 2:50 p.m. tweet on Thursday, the university told community members to “continue to shelter in place.”

“Law enforcement is actively clearing rooms on the main campus,” the school said. “Continue to shelter in place until law enforcement contacts you.”

Referring to the ongoing prayer and service at the Catholic facility, Nunnally said that, as director of the Catholic ministry, “it brings me great joy, even in the midst of sorrow, to see our Catholic students living out their faith real-time in the midst of such a dire situation.” 

“We hope that Catholics everywhere will say a prayer for Florida State, the Co-cathedral of St. Thomas More, and Catholic Noles,” he said. 

In a statement on Thursday afternoon, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee said the diocesan community was “heartbroken over what has occurred” at the school.

“The shooting happened just a few hundred yards from our Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, which has been a haven of ministerial outreach to FSU students over several decades,” the diocese noted.

“We pray for the eternal repose of the individuals who have tragically lost their lives,” the statement continued. “We ask the Lord to provide peace and healing for all those affected in this horrific situation.”

This story was updated April 17, 2025, at 5 p.m. with a statement from the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee and with new information on the shooting at FSU.

The National Catholic Education Association report highlights that 18% of students in U.S. Catholic schools use school choice programs, up by nearly 5% from last year.   / Credit: RasyidArt/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 15:05 pm (CNA).

The National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) this week released the annual report for Catholic school data, which among other things indicated that school choice is on the rise.  

In the 2024-2025 school year, there were 1.6 million Catholic school students and more than 150,000 professional staff members, with a student to teacher ratio of about 11 to 1. Nearly 40% of Catholic schools had a waiting list.

This school year, 63 Catholic schools closed while 24 new Catholic schools opened. This is a slight increase in both closures and openings from last year but marks a continued break from the early 2000s trend, which averaged 130 Catholic school closures per year. 

Of the 5,852 Catholic schools in the United States, 31% use parental school choice programs. 

Sister Dale McDonald, a sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and NCEA vice president of public policy, said that in states with “robust” school choice programs, “we have seen enrollment increases.”

The report highlighted that 18% of students use school choice programs, which is up by nearly 5% from last year.

In Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, and Oklahoma, more than half of Catholic school students used school choice programs, Sister Dale noted. In Florida and Ohio, it’s more than 80%. 

“We firmly believe that parents, as primary educators of their children, have a right to choose what they see as the best option for the child and that choice should not be conditioned solely on zip code or annual salary,” Sister Dale told CNA.

Sister Dale noted that school choice programs “enable a more diverse population to attend our schools,” which “enhances our mission of promoting faith and scholarship in a Christian community.” 

Three-quarters of Catholic schools serve students with a diagnosed disability and 9% of Catholic school students have a diagnosed disability — a percentage that has grown slightly but steadily in recent years.  

In addition, about 15% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch and 7% of students receive Title I services, a federal program designed to help struggling students in impoverished areas. 

At Catholic schools, 60% of students are white, nearly 15% are Hispanic, nearly 8% are Black, and about 4% are Asian.  

About 1 in 5 students attending Catholic schools are not Catholic, according to the report. 

“Serving all students who want a Catholic education regardless of their religious affiliation has a long tradition within our mission, particularly serving the poor and marginalized,” Sister Dale said. 

For instance, one historic Catholic school in a largely Protestant neighborhood in Cleveland has an all-Black, non-Catholic student body. 

Recently released data revealed that Catholic schools surpassed public schools in reading and math testing scores, according to the Nation’s Report Card.

Sister Dale noted that these test scores consistently “have demonstrated that Catholic school students outperform their public school counterparts.”

For Sister Dale, this reflects “our commitment to educating the whole student, preparing him or her for leading a moral life and contributing to the common good.”

The association is currently advocating for the passage of the Educational Choice for Children Act, a proposed $10 billion nationwide school choice program.

Sister Dale said supporting school choice programs is all about “what is best for the child.”

NCEA President and CEO Steven F. Cheeseman noted that these data and trends “help tell the national story of Catholic education.”  

“Our hope is that this data will empower our communities with clarity and purpose and inspire the continued growth of Catholic education for generations to come,” Cheeseman said in a statement shared with CNA.

“Together, we continue to shine the light of Christ through the lives we form every day.”

Stained0glass window of Blessed Carlo Acutis at St. Aldhelm’s in Malmesbury, England. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Thomas Kulandaisamy/Catholic Herald

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:34 pm (CNA).

Blessed Carlo Acutis, the gaming teenager who had a deep love for Christ in the Eucharist, is about to become the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint. Acutis will be canonized during the Church’s Jubilee for Teenagers on April 27 in St. Peter’s Square.

Catholics can participate in the novena to Acutis starting on April 18 and ending on April 27, the date of his canonization. The novena consists of an opening prayer, daily meditations, and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes, which are meant to thank God for the graces bestowed upon Acutis during the 15 years of his earthly life.

The opening prayer is:

Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for all the grace and favors with which you enriched the soul of Blessed Carlo Acutis during his 15 years on Earth. Through the merits of this angel of youth, grant me the grace that I earnestly seek: (ask for the grace that you seek).

Day 1: “Not me but God”

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who made your life a continual renunciation and setting aside of unimportant things, give me the grace to seek heavenly things and despise that which is transient. Amen.

(Pray five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes.)

Day 2: “Always to be united with Jesus — that is my life’s program.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have lived in the heart of Jesus, give me the grace to apply Jesus’ plan of love to everything. Amen.

(Pray five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes.)

Day 3: “Continuously ask your guardian angel for help. Your guardian angel has to become your best friend.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who saw the company of holy angels while you were already in this world, give me the grace to live righteously, as my guardian angel desires. Amen.

Day 4: “Our soul is like a hot-air balloon... If by chance there is a mortal sin, the soul falls to the ground. Confession is like the fire underneath the balloon enabling the soul to rise again… It is important to go to confession often.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have lived this sacrament of reconciliation so well, give me the grace constantly to seek confession and the grace of a deep contrition. Amen.

Day 5: “Sadness is looking at ourselves; happiness is looking toward God.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have never looked away from your great love, Jesus, give me the grace also to live with this happiness in this world. Amen.

Day 6: “The only thing we have to ask God for, in prayer, is the desire to be holy.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have always asked God for what is essential, give me the grace of a deep desire for heaven. Amen.

Day 7: “The Virgin Mary is the only woman in my life.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who loved the Virgin Mary above all women, give me the grace to respond to her kind and good love. Amen.

Day 8: “The Eucharist is my highway to heaven.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, you who have always looked for your hidden Jesus in the tabernacle, give me the grace of a deep fervor for the Eucharist. Amen.

Day 9: “I am happy to die because I have lived my life without wasting a minute on those things that do not please God.” 

Blessed Carlo Acutis, give me that grace of graces — perseverance to the end and a saintly death. Amen. 

End each day with the following prayer:

Almighty God, father of mercy, we thank you for raising Blessed Carlo Acutis to the glory of the altars in the upcoming Jubilee of Teenagers, so that through him you may be even more glorified. He lived your will in all things. Through his merit, give me the grace that I so ardently desire. Amen.

The novena can also be found on EWTN Travel Jubilee app, which can be downloaded for free on the Apple Store and Google Play store.

Priests gather at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. / Credit: Photo by Josh Applegate, in partnership with the National Eucharistic Congress

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).

More than 400 men will be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year, and on average they began to consider becoming a priest at just 16 years old, according to an annual CARA survey.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) released its 2025 national survey of seminarians who are scheduled for ordination this year. Out of the 405 ordinands asked to respond, 309 participated in the survey from Jan. 10 to March 20.

The report is created in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations and CARA to examine information on the men entering the priesthood in the U.S. each year.

The research found more than 80% of respondents are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparchy, and on average they will be ordained into one they have lived in for 17 years before they entered the seminary. 

On average, ordinands first started to consider becoming a priest at 16 years old, but 35% said they began to think about entering the priesthood in elementary school between the ages of 6 and 13. The survey found the graduating seminarians will be ordained at an average age of 34.

The study showed the ordinands’ families and upbringings played pivotal roles in their paths to the priesthood.

The majority of ordinands reported both of their parents were Catholic when they were children and 95% said they were raised by their biological parents “during the most formative part of their childhood.”

Nine in 10 responding ordinands (92%) were baptized Catholic as infants. Of those who entered the Church later in life, they converted at an average age of 22.

Half of responding ordinands said they participated in a parish youth group before entering the seminary and 35% said they participated in Catholic campus ministry. About 23% said they  participated in Knights of Columbus or Knights of Peter Claver. The study also found that 21% of ordinates were involved in Boy Scouts in their youth.

The majority of the respondents (73%) served as altar servers. About 46% served as lectors, 34% distributed holy Communion as extraordinary ministers, and 32% taught as catechists. 

Many ordinands were inspired to become a priest by someone in their life. Thirty-one percent reported having, or previously having had, a relative who is a priest or religious who encouraged their entrance to the seminary. 

While 89% reported being encouraged to consider the priesthood by someone in their life, 43% said they felt discouraged by one or more persons when deciding to enter the seminary. The report found that most often that person was a friend or family member. 

In accordance with past years, the most popular region in which men chose to study for the priesthood was in the Midwest, with 37% in seminaries there. Out of the other seminarians, 29% chose to attend a seminary in the South, 16% in the Northeast, and 13% in the West. Only 5% chose to study at a seminary abroad. 

In regard to prayer, Eucharistic adoration remained the most popular form of prayer among the seminarians with 78% of respondents reporting they participated in adoration on a regular basis before entering the seminary. The other most common forms of prayer were the rosary, a form of Bible study, and participation in lectio divina. 

Education was also a contributing factor in the respondents’ decision to enter priesthood.

The report stated between 36% and 46% of ordinands attended a Catholic school for grades K-12 and/or at the college level.

The study also found more than 15% were home-schooled at some point in their lives. Out of all ordinates, 58% participated in a religious education program in their parish for an average of six years.

Respondents reported receiving higher education and carrying out full-time work prior to entering the seminary.

More than half (63%) said they completed an undergraduate degree or a graduate degree before becoming a seminarian. The most common fields the men studied were philosophy, engineering, business, science, and math. 

The majority (66%) also reported having some form of full-time work experience prior to entering the seminary, including 6% who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

About one-quarter of responding ordinands were originally from a foreign country. Out of the 26% born abroad, the majority were originally from Mexico, Vietnam, and the Philippines.

The research found that the majority of responding ordinands were white (69%); 12% were Hispanic/Latino; 12% were Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native Hawaiian; and 6% were Black.

The University of Notre Dame. / Credit: Grindstone Media Group/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 13:32 pm (CNA).

A Wednesday report by an education watchdog organization identified 20 Catholic colleges and universities that had “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) programs. 

Defending Education, a national grassroots group combating “indoctrination in classrooms,” identified more than 350 active DEI offices or programs at nearly 250 higher education institutions. 

The report also identified more than 20 additional colleges that rather than closing the offices simply “rebranded” their DEI offices using phrases such as “belonging” or “inclusive excellence.” 

Of the 20 Catholic universities identified, several were high-profile institutions, including the historic Jesuit Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and University of Notre Dame in Indiana as well as Villanova University in Pennsylvania and Fordham University in New York. 

The list also identified St. Mary’s College in Indiana, a historically all-girls Catholic college that came under fire after the administration said it would accept men who identify as “transgender.” The college reversed the policy shortly after. 

Publicly-funded colleges have come under fire in recent months amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on DEI programs. In his first month in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders targeting governmental DEI programs as well as “radical indoctrination” in K-12 education. 

At least seven universities now face federal funding cuts from the Trump administration, including Columbia University, Harvard University, and Brown University, all of which had their federal funding paused allegedly due in large part to the administrations’ handling of rising antisemitism on college campuses. 

In an April 11 letter to Harvard, top federal officials urged the university to implement various reforms in order to maintain its taxpayer funding. These reforms include ending DEI programs, reinstituting merit-based hiring and admissions, including viewpoint diversity in hirings, and taking steps to prevent antisemitism. 

Paul Runko, director of strategic initiatives for Defending Education, urged Catholic institutions with DEI programs to “reexamine these programs and take the lead in ending race discrimination once and for all.” 

“Catholics deserve to know whether the colleges they support and entrust with their children’s formation are upholding authentic Catholic values — or embracing divisive DEI initiatives that may violate federal civil rights laws,” Runko told CNA.  

The report identified Catholic colleges and universities across the U.S. for having institution-wide DEI offices or programs.

On the East Coast, universities identified by the report included College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, Loyola University Maryland, Misericordia University in Pennsylvania, Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, St. Peter’s University in New Jersey, St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania, and St. John’s University in New York. 

Several Catholic universities located in the midwest were also identified, including DePaul University in Chicago, Dominican University in Illinois, Loyola University Chicago, St. Catherine University in Minnesota, and University of St. Thomas in Minnesota.

On the West Coast, Gonzaga University in Washington state, Loyola Marymount University in California, and St. Mary’s College of California appeared in the report.

Runko, himself a Catholic, maintained that DEI goes against the Catholic faith.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion puts discriminatory race ideology over individual dignity, which runs contrary to both the Catholic faith and the law,” Runko said.

One opponent of DEI in education, Christopher Rufo — senior fellow and director of the initiative on critical race theory at the Manhattan Institute — said in a post on X on Tuesday that “DEI is a violation of the Civil Rights Act.”

“Any publicly funded institution that continues to practice DEI should face a federal investigation, consent decree, termination of funds, and loss of nonprofit status,” Rufo said.

The Mystery of the Brotherhood of San Benito processes through the surroundings of the cathedral of Seville on Holy Tuesday, April 15, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Joaquín Carmona

Seville, Spain, Apr 17, 2025 / 13:01 pm (CNA).

The Holy Week processions in the Andalusian capital are one of Spain’s most iconic traditions. Every year, members of the confraternities or brotherhoods prepare fervently to be part of this eagerly awaited event, a genuine manifestation of popular piety.

Confraternities and brotherhoods are religious associations that organize the processions and carry the floats on their shoulders.

Renowned worldwide, their images file through the city during Holy Week to the accompaniment of “saetas” (devotional songs) and marching bands. And it only takes a second, that fleeting instant when the gaze of the Virgin or the crucified Christ meets yours, to understand the mystery of our faith.

Following the Holy Week processions in Seville is no easy task. Each step, with their route to the imposing cathedral, turns the map of the city’s historic center into a sort of timed puzzle.

The faithful and tourists navigate the labyrinthine, decorated streets to experience firsthand the spectacle where art and the purest popular devotion converge. As José María Pemán, a native of Cádiz, aptly wrote, during Holy Week, Seville “prays with art.”

Turning to the sound of drums or the canopy, enveloped in incense, swaying to the rhythm of the bell ringers are like small flashes of light that illuminate the soul and invite, in a special way, to reflect on the sacrifice the Son of God made to redeem us.

The crowd raises its gaze as it throngs with heavy hearts and silent tears to the procession, with great respect for the Nazarenes (penitents) who, with their candles, precede the float borne up by a team of men.

The little ones look for their parents among the penitents carrying the cross, while they listen in the distance to the float foreman’s instructions, capturing in their minds the first memories of the best of inheritances.

Every gesture, every float, every instruction is carefully planned, with an almost artisanal precision, just as the golden threads are intertwined in the Virgin’s cloak.

It is a precision that is only threatened by the rain, the only impediment the floats encounter on their route.

The pageantry unfolds with the saeta (devotional song) dedicated to the Virgin of Peace as her image passes through Plaza de España (Spain Square) on Palm Sunday, the swaying of the San Gonzalo confraternity’s float in the Triana neighborhood, the mystery portrayed by the Confraternity of Bitterness in front of the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the solemnity of Jesus of the Passion on Holy Thursday, and the gestures of reverence toward the Virgin of Hope of Macarena during the “Madrugá” (the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday).

Each image has its own story and evokes in those fortunate enough to witness it the vivid memory of the passion of Christ, who no longer walks alone.

The wonder is shared and is felt by both the members of the brotherhoods who have grown up under the protection of these images and the tourists who stumble upon them by chance.

Seville, with its brotherhoods, Nazarenes, and saetas, makes the drama of Calvary come alive every Holy Week, as if each procession shouted to the world that Christ is not alone — and neither is his mother.

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

null / Credit: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 11:59 am (CNA).

A U.S. district judge this week permanently blocked the federal government from requiring some Catholic employers to accommodate abortions and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for their employees. 

North Dakota District Judge Daniel Traynor said in the Tuesday order that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would be “permanently enjoined” from forcing the Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck to abide by the Biden-era federal rule. 

The EEOC had originally announced the revision to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in April 2024. The rule change expanded the scope of accommodations that employers must make for “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions” to also include workers’ decisions about “having or choosing not to have an abortion” as well as treatments like IVF, both of which the Catholic Church forbids. 

The Catholic benefits group and the Bismarck Diocese had filed suit against the directive last June. Traynor had issued a preliminary injunction against the rule in September.

In his ruling this week Traynor made the block permanent. The EEOC rule, he said, “violates [the] sincerely held religious beliefs” of the Catholic plaintiffs and runs afoul of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. 

Dave Uebbing, a spokesman for the Catholic Benefits Association, told CNA on Thursday that the ruling applies to all of the 91 dioceses with which the group does business. The benefits group offers human resources support and guidance for Catholic employers.

Uebbing noted that the order further covers “not only our members but also our future members. If people join in the future, it will cover them.”

The order was further “unprecedented,” Uebbing noted, because it also applies to “people who do business with our members.”

“In particular, that comes into play when dealing with health plans,” he said. “Let’s say you have your health plan, but you have a third-party administrator that runs it — under the ruling, they’re not obliged to follow these federal laws and regulations that are discriminatory toward Catholics.”

The decision comes as a similar lawsuit brought by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) plays out in federal court. 

The USCCB filed the lawsuit last May alongside the Catholic University of America (CUA) and several dioceses. The plaintiffs in that suit are represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. In June 2024 a district court blocked the government from enforcing the rule against the USCCB while the lawsuit continues.

Ryan Colby, a spokesman for Becket, told CNA on Thursday that the bishops’ lawsuit is “still ongoing and we’re awaiting a final judgment from the court that would provide permanent protection to USCCB, CUA, and the dioceses.”

This week’s court order “is a promising step forward, but more protection is necessary,” he said.

The U.S. bishops said last year that the EEOC rule was “indefensible.” 

Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, Bishop Kevin Rhoades said at the time that though the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) was “a pro-life law that protects the security and physical health of pregnant mothers and their preborn children,” the EEOC directive “twist[ed] the law in a way that violates the consciences of pro-life employers by making them facilitate abortions.”

In comments opposing the rule before it was finalized, the bishops argued that abortion “is neither pregnancy nor childbirth.”

“And it is not ‘related’ to pregnancy or childbirth as those terms are used in the PWFA because it intentionally ends pregnancy and prevents childbirth,” they said.

Marchers hold pro-life signs at the Missouri March for Life in St. Louis on Saturday, April 12, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Coalition Life

CNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 11:28 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Hundreds join St. Louis March for Life

On Saturday an estimated 700 pro-lifers marched on the Gateway Arch for the eighth annual St. Louis March for Life run by Coalition Life. 

Before marching through the streets of downtown St. Louis to the 630-foot-tall stainless steel monument, various pro-life leaders and politicians gave speeches encouraging Missourians to fight for life. 

Heavy on the minds of speakers was last November’s vote to enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution, an amendment that led to the reversal of many of the state’s pro-life laws.  

Reagan Barklage, the national field director of Students for Life, encouraged people to carry on “after suffering such a big blow” last November.

“Let this be the motivation to undo what has tragically happened,” Barklage said.

Speakers also included Lt. Gov. Dave Wasinger; Rev. Andy Becker, manager of family ministry for the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod; Mary Varni, the director of the Respect Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis; and Tim Jones, the former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives.

“Together, we proclaimed the importance of defending the sanctity of life and standing for justice in our society, remembering that every person is made in the image of God, our creator,” Coalition Life said in a statement.

Nebraska lawmakers debate over respectful treatment of aborted human remains

Nebraska lawmakers spent more than three hours on Monday debating whether the remains of aborted babies should be treated with dignity.

The debate took place over a bill that would require clinics to bury or cremate the remains of aborted children. That measure is currently under consideration in the Legislature. 

Proposed by state Sen. Ben Hansen, the bill would require health care facilities “to respect the dignity of aborted unborn children and dispose of their remains.” The bill wouldn’t require clinics to give notice to mothers about the method of disposition. It would not cover human remains from chemical abortions.

At least 15 other states have similar laws protecting the remains of unborn children who die by abortion.

Hansen this week argued that aborted human remains “are human bodies, and as such, they deserve to be treated with human respect,” according to local media.

Hansen noted that in cases of miscarriages, the remains are “treated humanely and securely for public health reasons,” but for abortions, “our current statute makes an exception.”

An opponent of the bill, state Sen. Ashlei Spivey, maintained that the measure was “about shaming and stigmatizing care” and “removing patients’ control.”

“No matter what you personally believe about abortion, proposing this type of requirement without the patient having a say is wrong and insulting,” Spivey claimed. 

Spivey previously filed a motion to postpone the bill indefinitely, but it failed.

Texas House approves additional $70 million to support life-affirming pregnancy centers 

The Texas Legislature is considering increasing the state fund supporting life-affirming crisis pregnancy centers by $70 million over the next two years. 

The Republican-led state House voted last week to set aside $210 million to a state fund known as the Thriving Families program to promote childbirth and fund pregnancy centers. 

If agreed upon by the state Senate and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, the spending plan would entail a $70 million increase for life-affirming pregnancy support over the next two years coming from the state’s Medicaid budget.

Proponents such as state Rep. Tom Oliverson maintain that the program helps provide much-needed support for pregnant women and their children, while opponents like state Rep. Donna Howard argue that the funds should be spent on direct health care or to address maternal mortality. 

Texas state law protects the lives of all unborn children from abortion except in cases where the mother’s life is at risk.