Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presides over a celebratory liturgy at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the occasion of the World Day of Eastern Christians on May 25, 2025. / Credit: L’Œuvre d’Orient

ACI MENA, May 27, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).

To mark the World Day of Eastern Christians, held every year on the sixth Sunday of Easter and organized by the association L’Œuvre d’Orient, Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, presided over the Divine Liturgy in the Chaldean rite at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Sunday, May 25.

The celebration brought together bishops and faithful from various backgrounds. According to Vatican News, the World Day of Eastern Christians is for prayer, encounter, and communion between Eastern and Latin Christians.

This year’s liturgy was distinguished by the blessing of eight icons painted by both French and Middle Eastern artists depicting the first saints from the early centuries of Christianity. 

These icons were anointed with chrism and will be placed on Wednesday in the newly dedicated St. George Chapel — a space within the cathedral set aside for Eastern Christians.

In his opening remarks, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris described icons in the Eastern tradition as “true windows into eternity, a faithful witness to the faith of the entire Church. They are not mere pictures but an entryway into God’s holiness. To pray before them is a profound spiritual act.” 

Ulrich expressed his hope that many Eastern Christians would come to St. George Chapel to pray, noting that the diocese had decided to consecrate it upon the cathedral’s reopening.

Expressing his deep admiration for the cathedral’s restoration, Sako said that the East “formed the roots of Christianity, while the West, through its missionaries, became its beating heart.”

He added: “The dedication of this chapel for Eastern Christians is of great significance, as it reveals the Church’s universality and unity. It is a source of pride for us. We are deeply grateful to the Church in France, which stood with us during the horrors we endured under ISIS.”

Speaking to ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Syrian artist Neemat Badwi explained that the eight icons portray early Eastern saints according to the Churches and regions they are associated with. These include Andrew of Constantinople, James of Jerusalem, Mark of Alexandria, Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, Thomas of India, Addai and Mari of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Iraq, Frumentius of Ethiopia, and Ignatius of Antioch. It was the icon of Ignatius that L’Œuvre d’Orient commissioned Badwi to create.

Badwi mentioned that he did not copy the icon from an earlier model but created an entirely new design. The work took him nearly three months to complete. He delivered the icons last month after arriving in Paris from Aleppo, accompanied by his brother, artist Bashir Badwi. Both were in the city to attend the conference titled “In Flesh and Gold” at the Louvre’s Michelangelo Gallery, which focused on the art and restoration of sacred icons.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

The Lecceto hermitage near Siena, Italy. / Credit: LigaDue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Stampa, May 27, 2025 / 12:18 pm (CNA).

The Augustinian nuns of Lecceto are a small community living in a hermitage 10 kilometers (a little more than six miles) from the city of Siena in Italy. The hermitage bears witness to an ancient and rich history that began in the 12th century and originates with the Augustinian order. 

Today, several Augustinian nuns live here, praying, working, and studying — a contemplative life that mirrors that of the new Pope Leo XIV, who knows the nuns of Lecceto well and has visited them on several occasions in their beautiful setting among the olive trees and vineyards of Tuscany. 

ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, asked Sister Sara Maria to share the activities of the nuns at the monastery and the nuns’ relationship with Pope Leo XIV.

ACI Stampa: As an Augustinian community, how did you receive the news of Cardinal Robert Prevost becoming the new pope?

Sister Sara Maria: Augustine always lived and professed a deep love for the Church, the “true mother of the faithful.” As daughters of Augustine and thus deeply devoted daughters of the Church, we followed the days of the congregations and then the start of the conclave with great prayerful participation. 

That ecclesial participation also included a human sentiment connected to the presence in the conclave of our beloved brother, Father Robert Prevost, whom we esteemed as someone who could be elected. Knowing his human and spiritual depth ... we feared for him, and when the cardinal protodeacon began to proclaim the name, the mere “R” of “Robertum” was enough to fill us with both joy and trepidation — joy for the Church, which had a new pope in such a short time, showing the world the power of the Spirit in the grace of unity; joy for an Augustinian pope who once again would bring to the world the charism of communion and unity of St. Augustine. Trepidation for the burden placed on our brother, as he himself said the next day to the cardinals: “You have called me to carry that cross and to be blessed with that mission.”

Do you know him personally? We understand he has visited you a few times. Could you tell us about those moments?

We have known Father Robert since the years when he was prior general of the Order of St. Augustine and, due to his institutional role, he visited our community multiple times, presiding over important celebrations, elective chapters, and helping us through some difficult points in our journey. 

Every time we had the joy of welcoming him among us, we appreciated his fraternal presence, his warmth and capacity for listening, the simplicity of his manner, and the clarity with which he could express himself: a person capable of guiding and making decisions, starting from a real openness to others and to their situations.

What are your activities in the monastery? What do the Augustinian nuns do?

The Augustinian nuns, just like the Poor Clares for the Franciscans, or the Carmelites, or the Dominican and Servite nuns, are the contemplative branch of their respective mendicant orders. This means that ours is a cloistered life centered on prayer. But, as Augustinians, the life we lead is marked entirely by a yearning for communion: “Cor unum et anima una in Deum” — “One heart and one soul in God,” as St. Augustine loved to repeat.

We live a very simple daily life made up of prayer, work, and study (“Rise, seek, sigh, yearn with ardor, knock on the closed door. If we feel no desire, if we have no longing, if we do not know how to sigh, we will end up throwing pearls before anyone, and find only worthless pearls ourselves” — In Ev. Io. tr. 18,7), in communion and openness to anyone who knocks at our door.

Our main activity — after prayer — is the welcoming of men and women who are in search of God’s peace, who ask for a time of rest and the sharing of the experience of faith. 

What are your hopes for the new pope? Do you expect to hear from him or get in touch?

For Pope Leo we pray, asking for an abundance of the Spirit’s gifts and peace of heart for the heavy task he has undertaken. We know his balance and his humility, and we wish him to walk serenely along the path he has set for himself: to be a servant of the faith and the joy of the people of God who have been entrusted to him. 

In recent days we have sent him congratulatory messages, and we were also blessed with an audience granted to some Augustinian men and women: It was a great gift to be able to greet him, to receive his blessing ... and to witness firsthand his deep, abiding serenity.

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

Casamari Abbey in Italy. / Credit: D. Ermacora

Rome, Italy, May 26, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Casamari Abbey in Italy is a gem of Cistercian-Gothic art, whose stones have been imbued with the prayers of monks over the centuries. Here, the monks have dedicated their lives to the vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity, and also developed and preserved a special tradition: therapeutic remedies, both in the form of medicines and liquors.

The Casamari pharmacy, still in operation after two centuries, remains a powerful symbol of the connection between monastic life and the science of plants, all for the greater glory of God.

The monastery of Casamari was built in the 11th century on the foundations of a temple dedicated to Ceres, the Greek goddess of the earth, fertility, and harvests — in other words, of life itself. Over a thousand years of Christian witness have filled the stones of this temple, and even today, the atmosphere within its walls inspires a deep sense of serenity and contemplation.

The monastic complex is located in the territory of Veroli along the provincial road that connects the city of Frosinone to Sora in the Lazio region south of Rome. When construction began in 1035, the area was surrounded by untouched forests — an ideal setting for praise to God to rise in the “love of silence,” as prescribed by the Rule of St. Benedict.

It was, in fact, a small group of Benedictine monks who laid the first stones of what would, over the centuries, become the majestic religious monument standing today. Just over a century later, around 1140, Cistercian monks settled there. They belonged to the monastic order founded by Robert of Molesme in 1098, with the aim of returning to a stricter observance of the Benedictine Rule.

The observance of silence was thus joined by the need to embody a culture of sobriety, even in architectural and decorative expression. Within the abbey, the spaces are deliberately bare — devoid of ornaments, frescoes, or furnishings — so as not to be distracted by ephemeral beauty but rather to foster divine contemplation. 

“One seems to clearly perceive the aura of silence that has marked this place for centuries,” a visitor in the cloister remarked. 

Lines of worshippers and tourists pass through the abbey throughout the day, maintaining a certain spirit of reverence. A well-known center and place of pilgrimage, the Casamari complex attracts between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors annually and has a wide influence, notably through its college and high school. 

Casamari still holds one of the oldest examples of Cistercian-Gothic art in Italy.

A unique monastery pharmacy 

Within the complex, still managed today by Cistercian monks, there is another unique feature: a pharmacy that has been open for 200 years, furnished with vintage pieces dating back to the mid-20th century. 

The shop, marked by a sign depicting two intertwined serpents — the symbol of pharmacists in Italy — is a legacy of the centuries-old monastic tradition of preparing herbal remedies and therapeutic potions.

“In the past, it was normal for abbeys to have a pharmacy,” noted Cistercian monk Alberto Coratti in an interview with CNA. “Throughout the history of monastic life, there have been scientific geniuses — in herbal medicine, in astronomy… many tools and scientific discoveries were born in monasteries.”

The Casamari pharmacy has remained the last functioning pharmacy within a monastery in Italy. Originally, it was managed by the monks, dedicated to preparing remedies using medicinal herbs. Today, the activity carried out is the typical dispensing of medicines upon medical prescription, just like any other pharmacy.

But Coratti does not make the pharmacy the defining feature of the place: “Our primary specialty is prayer,” he repeated tirelessly. In the community of about 20 monks, the septuagenarian serves as the “Cellerario,” who, according to the Rule of St. Benedict, is responsible for the cells and the house — equivalent to a steward. 

In addition to the pharmacy, Casamari has maintained its long-standing tradition of liqueurs. Studying the properties of the many medicinal herbs offered by the region, the community developed a workshop for producing liqueurs, creams, soaps, and various other products like honey and jams. 

The famous “Tintura Imperiale” is the highlight of the monks’ production. This 90-proof liqueur made from anise and other herbs has been appreciated for more than two centuries for its therapeutic properties and distinctive flavor. Some use it as a digestive, others as a toothache anesthetic. In any case, the recipe remains a secret.

From his office, piled high with files, Coratti manages, among other things, the monastery’s agricultural enterprise, producing olive oil, wine, and cereals. 

“A businessman would start his day at 8 a.m., but I start mine at 5 a.m. to have time to pray,” he replied, acknowledging the risk “that too many commitments and worries can divert one from prayer.” But he says around 6:30 p.m., “I shut everything down and we talk about it again tomorrow morning.” 

After more than 50 years of religious life, Coratti, who took his vows at the age of 24, still cherishes this motto, which he printed on the cards for his 25th anniversary of priesthood: “I asked the Lord for one thing, the only thing I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (Ps 26:4).

Pope Leo XIV prays at St. Mary Major, May 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

ACI Prensa Staff, May 25, 2025 / 14:19 pm (CNA).

Following the Mass where he took possession of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome, Pope Leo XIV proceeded to the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where the Virgin Mary is venerated under the title “Salus Populi Romani” (“Health of the Roman People”).

The Holy Father arrived at the basilica shortly after 7 p.m. local time. Upon entering, he blessed the faithful gathered inside with a brief sprinkling of holy water.

He then entered the chapel that houses the Marian icon, traditionally attributed to St. Luke, and, kneeling, prayed for a few minutes before placing a bouquet of flowers at the feet of the Blessed Mother’s image.

After the singing of the “Magnificat” — the Gospel canticle spoken by the Virgin Mary after the announcement of the archangel Gabriel — Pope Leo XIV offered a prayer to the Mother of God, recalling that she is “all pure, all venerable, the finest offering humanity can present to God.”

“You guide the Church’s boat to a harbor of peace, steering away from dangers and overcoming storms,” he prayed, asking Mary to watch over “this city, comfort those who come to it without shelter or protection, and extend your care over the whole world.”

“Source of joy for all, make me worthy of rejoicing with you,” he added.

Afterward, he visited the tomb of Pope Francis and paused there to pray.

From the basilica’s balcony, the pope thanked the faithful gathered outside: “Thank you for being here, thank you for standing in front of this basilica this evening, as we celebrate, united as members of the Diocese of Rome, the presence of its new bishop.”

“I’m very happy to meet you here and I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

This, he noted, “is a beautiful opportunity to renew our devotion to Mary, ‘Salus Populi Romani,’ who has accompanied the people of Rome so many times in their need.”

“Let us ask God through the intercession of his mother to bless all of you, your families, your loved ones, and to help us all walk together in the Church,” he said.

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

Pope Leo XIV sits in the cathedral of Rome, the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, a symbol of his authority as bishop of Rome, on May 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News/Vatican Pool

Rome, Italy, May 25, 2025 / 13:17 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV delivered his first homily as bishop of Rome at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of his cathedra (throne) on Sunday.

The pontiff said ecclesial communion is built “on our knees, through prayer and constant commitment to conversion” as he invoked the example of the first Christians, who faced the challenges of proclaiming the Gospel to a pagan world.

Reflecting on the episode from the Acts of the Apostles, where the early Christians debated about whether Gentile converts had to follow the law of Moses, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that “this was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening.”

He referenced the Council of Jerusalem, the first great council of the early Church, in which “a dialogue was opened” that led to a fitting decision: “Recognizing the difficulties of the new converts, they agreed not to impose excessive burdens on them but rather to insist only on what was essential.”

“In this way,” he added, “what might have seemed a problem became for everyone an opportunity for reflection and growth.” 

“The most important part of the entire event,” he emphasized, “was listening to God’s voice, which made everything else possible.” This, he said, is how communion is truly built. 

“For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out ‘Abba! Father!’ and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters,” he continued. 

The day’s Gospel reading reinforced this point. “It assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, ‘teaching’ us and ‘reminding’ us of all that Jesus said,” the pope affirmed. 

“The more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel — allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous — the more capable we are of proclaiming its message,” he added. 

For this reason, he stressed that, throughout the process — as in the Council of Jerusalem — “the most important listening” is that of listening to God’s voice. 

Addressing the cardinals of the Roman Curia, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and laity of the Diocese of Rome, the pope continued: “I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand, and decide things together, as St. Augustine would say, ‘as a Christian with you and a bishop for you.’” 

“I would also ask you to support me in prayer and charity,” he said, “mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: ‘All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him. Yet we glory in him, from whom all the effectiveness of our work is derived.’” 

He recalled Blessed John Paul I, who, “with the joyful and serene face that had already earned him the nickname of ‘the Smiling Pope,’” took possession of the chair of the bishop of Rome in September 1978. 

“I too express my affection for you and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you ‘the little I have and am,’ entrusting it to the intercession of Sts. Peter and Paul and of all those other brothers and sisters of ours whose holiness has illuminated the history of this Church and the streets of this city,” he said. 

The pope also affirmed the legacy of the Church of Rome as “heir to a great history, grounded in the witness of Peter, Paul, and countless martyrs,” and emphasized her unique mission: “to be ‘Omnium Ecclesiarum Mater,’ mother of all the Churches.” 

The Basilica of St. John Lateran bears the honorary title of “mother and head of all the Churches in the city of Rome and the whole world.” Taking this as a metaphor, the pope recalled that his predecessor Pope Francis invited the faithful to reflect on the “maternal dimension” of the Church and on its defining characteristics. 

Among these are “tenderness, self-sacrifice, and the capacity to listen,” traits that, the pope said, “enable her not only to assist others but often to anticipate their needs and expectations before they are even expressed.” 

“We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors, and, first of all, in myself,” he added. 

He praised the “challenging process of listening that the Diocese of Rome has undertaken in these years,” structured around various levels of listening — “to the world around us to respond to its challenges and listening within our communities to understand needs and to propose sage and prophetic initiatives of evangelization and charity.” 

Although he acknowledged that this is “a challenging, ongoing journey meant to embrace a very rich and complex reality,” he said it is worthy of the Church’s history — one that has often shown its ability to “think big,” giving itself fully to courageous projects and even taking risks in the face of new and complex scenarios. 

He specifically highlighted the extensive work being done by the entire Diocese of Rome for the jubilee year, welcoming and caring for pilgrims and launching many other initiatives. 

“These have made the city of Rome appear to visitors, some of whom have traveled from far away, as a wide, open and welcoming home, and above all as a place of deep faith,” he concluded. 

A gesture of communion

During the liturgy, the Holy Father received the pledge of fidelity from a representative group of the people of God in Rome in the Rite of Obedience. This symbolic expression of communion was not led by cardinals or members of the Curia but by people from the diocese: an auxiliary bishop, a canon, a parish priest, a parochial vicar, a deacon, religious men and women, a family, an educator, a catechist, and two young people. 

Among the participants were Cardinal Vicar Baldassare Reina, Auxiliary Bishop Renato Tarantelli, and other clergy and laypeople, including Brother Luis Martín Rodríguez, Sister Rebecca Nazzaro, and two young people, Mirko Venditti and Teresa Martellotta. Each of them represented a vital dimension of the Roman Church now recognizing its new bishop as their shepherd. 

Before arriving at the basilica — the first great Christian building erected in Rome after Emperor Constantine legalized religious freedom in A.D. 313 — the pope met with the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. At the foot of the staircase of the Capitoline Hill, where the main entrance to the historic Palazzo Senatorio (city hall) stands, the mayor paid homage to him as the new bishop of Rome.

Pope Leo XIV greets the mayor of Rome at the foot of the Capitoline Steps before taking possession of St. John Lateran as bishop of Rome, May 25, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome, Italy, May 25, 2025 / 12:21 pm (CNA).

“Today I can say that through you and with you, I am Roman.” With these words, Pope Leo XIV addressed the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, who greeted him just minutes before he made his way to the Basilica of St. John Lateran to take possession of the chair of the bishop of Rome. 

The armored Volkswagen SUV transporting the pope departed from the Vatican around 4 p.m. local time and headed for the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of Rome, where he was scheduled to be installed as Bishop of Rome after celebrating Mass at 5 p.m. 

Before arriving at the basilica — the first major Christian house of worship built in Rome after Emperor Constantine legalized religious freedom in A.D. 313 — the official vehicle stopped at Piazza dell’Aracoeli at the foot of the Capitoline Hill steps, where the main entrance to the Palazzo Senatorio, the seat of Rome’s municipal government, is located. There, Gualtieri welcomed the pope.

“Shortly after the election,” Leo XIV recalled, “I told the brothers and sisters gathered in St. Peter’s Square that I am with them, a Christian and for them, a bishop; today, in a special way, I can say that through you and with you, I am Roman,” he said, drawing a great ovation from those present. 

Before various civil and military officials, Pope Leo XIV emphasized the spiritual and social dimensions of his episcopal mission: “As I officially begin my ministry as shepherd of this diocese, I feel the serious yet passionate responsibility to serve all its members, with the faith of the people of God and the common good of society foremost in my heart.” 

He also stressed his commitment to collaboration with local administrative institutions: “We are collaborators, each within our own institutional sphere.” 

Pope Leo XIV spoke of the historic mission of the Catholic Church in the Italian capital and highlighted how, for two millennia, the Church has lived out its apostolic mission in Rome “by proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and committing itself to charity.” 

“Educating the young, helping those who suffer, caring for the marginalized, and nurturing the arts are expressions of our commitment to human dignity — one we must uphold at all times, especially toward the little ones, the weak, and the poor,” he added. 

Speaking about the Jubilee of Hope inaugurated by his predecessor Pope Francis, Pope Leo voiced his gratitude for “the commitment of the city administration, for which I express my heartfelt thanks.” 

Finally, before giving the apostolic blessing to those present, Pope Leo XIV shared his hope that Rome — “unparalleled in the richness of its historical and artistic heritage” — may always also be distinguished by “those values of humanity and civilization that draw their life force from the Gospel.” 

Walking together toward a more just, sustainable city

Before Pope Leo spoke, the mayor thanked him for renewing the tradition of the meeting at Piazza dell’Aracoeli, saying the gesture was yet another sign of the Holy Father’s “affection” for the Italian capital. Gualtieri described it as “a reaffirmation of the deep bond between Rome and the universal dimension of the Church.” 

The last pope to take part in this greeting was Paul VI, who met with the then-Mayor Glauco Della Porta. In 1978, the gesture was meant to be repeated, but John Paul I died a month after his election and never made the official visit to Rome’s city hall. 

Gualtieri emphasized that this bond has nourished the city for centuries with “culture, ethical values, and shared responsibility, especially in building peace — the highest calling of Rome.” He expressed gratitude for Pope Leo XIV’s first words calling for an end to war across the world. 

Gualtieri also highlighted the Jubilee of Hope as an opportunity to transform the city and said Rome was especially preparing to welcome thousands of young people for the upcoming Youth Jubilee. Rome, he said, is committed to “being a more just, sustainable, and inclusive city, with special attention to the peripheries and the most vulnerable.” 

Acknowledging “the value of collaboration with the Church,” particularly with local parish projects aimed at dignifying the lives of all citizens, including migrants and the poor, the mayor expressed his hope for the city and the pope to work together for “a new politics, new relationships between peoples, and a more humane social model.” 

Finally, Gualtieri declared: “We are happy that Rome is now your city” and assured the pope that the capital will be “a loyal ally in your pastoral mission.” 

The nave of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Nov. 29, 2024. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Paris, France, May 25, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The 16th annual Vigil for Life was held in the newly restored Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the evening of May 21 as the French Parliament continues to debate legislation that would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Organized by the bishops of the Île-de-France region, the vigil has taken place annually since 2009. The 2025 edition, which gathered approximately 2,000 faithful, centered on the theme “Builders of Love, Let Us Live in Hope!”

The 2024 edition, also marked by the national conversation on end-of-life issues, carried the theme “When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong” (2 Cor 12:10).

This year’s gathering featured a series of testimonies from individuals with diverse personal and professional backgrounds, offering reflections on the ethical and human dimensions of end-of-life care and the responsibilities society bears toward the most vulnerable. 

The French Church hierarchy has expressed deep concern over the legislative developments, describing them as a potential “anthropological rupture” that threatens the inherent dignity of human life, from conception to natural death.

The bill on end-of-life, currently under parliamentary review, introduces the concept of “assistance in dying,” a term meant to encompass both euthanasia — where a third party directly administers the lethal substance — and assisted suicide, in which the patient takes the final act.  

Adults suffering from a serious, incurable condition causing physical or psychological suffering deemed unbearable would be eligible, subject to medical evaluation. A formal vote on the bill is scheduled for May 27.

Meanwhile, members of Parliament also approved on May 24 the creation of a new offense for hindering access to assisted dying. Such an offense would criminalize any attempt to prevent either the act itself or access to information about it. The provision was modeled on the existing offense of obstructing access to abortion in the country.

Critics of the bill, including Catholic leaders and bioethicists, argue that the vague terminology — particularly surrounding the assessment of “unbearable suffering” — poses serious risks to the value placed on life. They warn that the law could pave the way toward the normalization of assisted death as a standard response to illness or vulnerability.

“If adopted on May 27, this text, among the most permissive in the world, would threaten the most fragile and call into question the respect due to all human life,” the French Bishops’ Conference warned in a statement published last week.

Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours, the vice president of the bishops’ conference, described the proposal as a “distortion of fraternity” and called for support for palliative care as the ethical and humane alternative.

During the vigil in Notre-Dame, Auxiliary Bishop Emmanuel Tois of Paris also urged Catholics not only to pray but also to take concrete action: “There are many ways and places where Christians can become more engaged,” he said, encouraging the faithful to write to their lawmakers and engage in dialogue with those around them. 

In his homily, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris denounced the “illusion” of a “soft, chosen death.” 

“It is by twisting the meaning of words that we want people to accept this perspective,” he continued. “To call natural death that which results from the voluntary act that provokes it.” 

“Calling the gesture that kills or the word that leads to it fraternal help. Invoke a right to die when death is an inescapable fact. … To add an offense of obstruction to this right to die; while for decades and still today we have been multiplying driving regulations to avoid fatal accidents on the road, or to protect our brothers and sisters from desperate and suicidal gestures.” 

During the celebration, prayer intentions were placed before the altar, and the liturgy included readings and hymns reflecting the Church’s commitment to defending life. The Eucharistic Prayer for Special Circumstances provided a spiritual focus.  

“Open our eyes to all distress, inspire us with the right word and deed to support our neighbor in sorrow or trial; grant us to serve him with a sincere heart according to the example and words of Christ himself,” the prayer says. 

“Make your Church a place of truth and freedom, of justice and peace, so that all humanity may be reborn to hope.

null / Credit: AC Wimmer/EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, May 24, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Father Cristian Meriggi, an exorcist priest of the Archdiocese of Florence, Italy, shared the five spiritual weapons he uses and recommends to combat the devil and his influence.

Meriggi, an exorcist for almost 20 years and a priest for 27, shared his recommendations on the website of the International Association of Exorcists (IAE), to which he has belonged since 2006.

In his text, the priest thanked his mentor, Father Mario Boretti; Father Francesco Bamonte, vice president of the IAE; and Father Gabriele Amorth, a famous exorcist of the Diocese of Rome and co-founder of the IAE. Amorth, who died in 2016, performed tens of thousands of exorcisms during his lifetime.

“I remember the advice Don Gabriele gave me before we said goodbye: ‘Remember, Don Cristian, that we are good for nothing!’” the Italian priest recounted.

Meriggi also thanked Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 96, who “practiced the ministry of exorcist even before the atheist communist regime of Albania arrested him on Christmas Eve 1963. Today he also exercises his beautiful ministry in Tuscany.”

1. Adoration and Communion

Meriggi, whose guide and teacher in exorcisms was Boretti, recalled something the late priest told him: “Without Communion, one cannot be healed.”

Thus, the 55-year-old priest emphasized that “an intense sacramental life, a love for the Eucharistic Christ is crucial because the Eucharist is the true path to healing and liberation. Adoration and Communion!”

2. Confession

The exorcist also emphasized that it is very important to “live with steadfastness the sacrament of confession. Through it, we find God’s mercy, which not only confirms the forgiveness of our sins but also, with his grace, penetrates deeply into the darkest areas of the soul where our sins have their roots.”

3. An intense life of charity

Another important spiritual weapon in the fight against the devil is “to live, as St. Paul says, as far as it depends on us, at peace with all. An intense life of charity where we think not only of our own needs but also of those of others, praying and working for their good, seeking and giving forgiveness.”

“Live everything, every moment of our life, as a gift, aware that everything works for the good of those who love God, even the most difficult moments,” the exorcist exhorted.

4. Devotion to the Virgin Mary and the rosary

Meriggi also emphasized that it is essential “to nurture a faithful and loving devotion to the Virgin Mary. Let us make the prayer of the Church our own: in addition to holy Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours, also the holy rosary. And then there is devotion to the saints and the blessed souls in purgatory.”

5. Use of sacramentals

“In addition to the sacramental life, the use of sacramentals is of great benefit. They are like medicines that, together with the sacraments, help us bring God’s grace into every area of ​​our lives,” the Italian priest noted.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacramentals “are sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments. They signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, which are obtained through the intercession of the Church.” 

Sacramentals can include crucifixes, holy water, medals, and blessed salt, among others.

Finally, Meriggi emphasized that “the entire life of the Church is medicinal; it is a path of liberation, healing, and consolation, leading to resurrection in Christ, to living our days in love and peace, to ward off or expel from our lives the enemy and his influence.”

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

Irish high cross at the Rock of Cashel in County Tipperary, Ireland. / Credit: Marie-Lise Van Wassenhove via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

CNA Staff, May 23, 2025 / 15:03 pm (CNA).

The Dublin-based Iona Institute for Religion and Society has released a comprehensive report that highlights significant shifts in religious attitudes and practices in Ireland.

Updating findings from a similar 2011 survey, Amárach Research conducted the latest study and commissioned it in two stages — a survey of 1,000 adults in February followed by a second survey in March.

A striking finding challenges the narrative of declining religiosity among younger adults.

Among 18- to 24-year-olds (Generation Z), 17% identify as religious, compared with just 5% of 25- to 34-year-olds (millennials). Additionally, 54% of Gen Z describe themselves as religious and/or spiritual, compared with 46% of millennials. This group is also more engaged with spiritual content: 18- to 24-year-olds are more likely to read religious or spiritual books, watch related content, and follow spiritual influencers on social media, including platforms like “FaithTok,” than their slightly older counterparts.

David Quinn, CEO of the Iona Institute, told CNA he thinks “young people are seeing that secularism is coming up short. It has no answers to life’s great questions and nothing to say about meaning and purpose. People will always crave these things. Religion provides them.”

Quinn said the survey’s findings are consistent with a recently published report titled “The Quiet Revival.” Commissioned by the U.K.-based Bible Society, the report finds that religiosity is up among 18- to 24-year-olds in Britain as well, with particular growth in the Roman Catholic and Pentecostal churches.

The Iona survey finds that regular Mass-goers, who make up 16% of respondents, have the most favorable view of the Church, while the 22% who do not identify as Catholic — roughly aligning with Census 2022 data — express the most negative sentiments. “Cultural Catholics,” the 62% of respondents who say they identify as Catholic but rarely attend Mass, fall in between. 

The survey highlights divided public sentiment toward religious figures, with attitudes toward priests and nuns split evenly: 33% view them positively, 33% negatively, and the rest remain neutral. 

Respondents overestimate the number of child sexual abusers among the clergy by nearly 4 to 1, on average, though this number is lower than it was in the 2011 survey. 

While 50% of respondents say they hold a positive view of Christianity and only 20% hold a negative view, the Catholic Church as an institution fares less favorably. Only 27% have a favorable view of the Church, while 40% view it unfavorably, likely influenced by the legacy of clerical abuse scandals. However, 45% agree that Catholic teachings remain beneficial to society, with 32% disagreeing, suggesting that the Church’s moral and theological teachings resonate more deeply than the institution itself.

Notably, 25% of respondents say they would be happy if the Catholic Church vanished from Irish society, though 51% disagree.

“In a way it is not surprising that public attitudes towards the Catholic Church are so divided and that there is considerable negativity, especially in view of all the scandals which are still fresh in the public mind,” Breda O’Brien, a spokesperson for the Iona Institute, said in a press release.

However, she continued: “It’s good to see that many people are less negative about the teachings of the Catholic Church than they are towards the institution.”

Quinn told CNA that he sees this as an opportunity.

“The Church needs to talk less about itself and much more about its teachings and do its best to put those teachings into practice. This is what will attract people,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV prays in front of the famous icon at the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, on Saturday, May 10, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, May 22, 2025 / 13:12 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV, the first pope to come from the Order of St. Augustine (OSA), made a visit very early in his pontificate to the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, near Rome. It houses a famous image of the Virgin Mary that according to tradition appeared there under miraculous circumstances.

Known by the title “Our Lady of Good Counsel” or “Mother of Good Counsel,” the small image of the Virgin Mary housed in the church at Genazzano has been held dear by the Augustinians for centuries. The Midwest Augustinians, which Pope Leo led as prior provincial before his election, oversee the Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel.

During his May 10 visit to the church, Leo spoke of the Virgin Mary’s protection and the importance of devotion to her. He prayed at the altar and before the Marian image there, and also prayed a prayer to the Mother of Good Counsel with the assembly.

“As the mother never abandons her children, you must also be faithful to the Mother,” Pope Leo said.

Who is Our Lady of Good Counsel?

The title of “Good Counsel” given to Mary is a recognition of Christ’s mother as a source of heavenly wisdom and guidance.

​​According to tradition, on April 25, 1467, the feast of St. Mark, a mysterious cloud descended on an ancient fifth-century deteriorated church in Genazzano, which had previously been dedicated to Our Lady of Good Counsel and was being renovated by the Augustinians, having been entrusted to that order in 1356.

When the cloud disappeared, a fragile image of the Blessed Virgin and Child was found on a thin sheet of plaster. The painting, about 18 inches square, is said to have hung in midair, suspended without support.

It was widely believed that the image — said to date to the time of the apostles — had been miraculously transported to Italy from a church in Albania’s capital city, Scutari, just before its invasion by the Ottomans that same year. As the Midwest Augustinians tell it, however, scientific tests done in the 1950s gave evidence that the small image was probably painted sometime between 1417 and 1431 for the church and was painted over before later being uncovered when a poor widow gave all she had to fund the renovation of the church. 

Regardless of how it arrived, in the months following the appearance of the image, a local priest acting as a notary recorded over 160 miracles, including physical healings, answered prayers, and dramatic conversions.

Much of the church of Our Lady of Good Counsel was destroyed during World War II, but the image remained intact and in place. Today it is housed in a small chapel that forms the heart of the church. 

As described by EWTN Vatican, the Virgin Mary is depicted wearing a blue mantle — symbolizing humanity — while the child Jesus wears a red robe, signifying his divinity. Mary’s face reflects the classical artistic tradition, while the child displays features of the Byzantine style, symbolizing a union between East and West. Above them arches a rainbow, the biblical sign of peace.

Over the years, a large number of popes — including saintly popes — have visited the church in Genazzano seeking Mary’s guidance and wisdom, and have promoted devotion to Our Lady under this title. 

Pope Urban VII (1521–1590) prayed for the end of a plague in Rome; Pope Pius IX sought the Virgin’s intercession before the First Vatican Council, which began in 1869.  

Leo XIII, Leo XIV’s spiritual predecessor and a devotee to Our Lady of Good Counsel, added the invocation “Mater boni concili, ora pronobis” (“Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us”) to the Litany of Loreto in 1903. Leo XIII also approved the white scapular of Our Lady of Good Counsel and entrusted it to the Augustinians.

In more recent times, St. John XXIII came to the shrine to, in similar fashion to Pius IX, seek guidance for the Second Vatican Council. St. John Paul II endorsed the devotion during an April 22, 1993, visit to the church, and soon afterward consecrated Albania to Our Lady of Good Counsel. Pope Benedict XVI had an image of the icon placed in the Vatican Gardens in 2009. 

Many pilgrims visit the church in Genazzano and take part in the annual spring celebration, observed on April 25. Elsewhere in the world, the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel is celebrated on April 26.

How can you increase your devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel?

— Prayer to Mary, our Lady of Good Counsel on CNA’s website

— Litany to Our Lady of Good Counsel on EWTN’s website

— Icon available at EWTN Religious Catalogue