Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Maltese priest Fabio Attard was elected rector major of the Salesians for the next six years. / Credit: Courtesy of Salesian Family

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 26, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).

Maltese priest Fabio Attard was elected as the new rector major of the Salesian congregation during its general chapter in Turin, Italy, becoming the 11th successor of St. John Bosco.

The new superior general of the order founded in 1859 succeeds Spanish Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, who became prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in January.

According to the Salesians, the new rector major did not participate in the Salesian chapter meeting, so he was informed of his election by telephone, at which point he was asked for his required acceptance.

“His words were heard in the hall and, moved to tears, he thanked the brothers for their trust and especially for their trust in God in taking on this new task,” the Salesians said in a statement.

This is the first time that the new rector major is not among the members of the general chapter, “so the profession of faith upon accepting the office and the greeting from the chapter members and the mother general of the Salesians Daughters of Mary Help of Christians will take place throughout the day, when the new rector major can make it to Turin.”

Attard will now have six years to lead the Salesian family, which will begin with the work remaining at the general chapter, which will last until April 12.

The priest’s election came two days after his 66th birthday. Born in Gozo, Malta, he made his profession as a Salesian in September 1980 in Dublin, Ireland, where he completed his novitiate.

Both his diaconal and priestly ordinations took place in Rome in 1986 and 1987, respectively. After leading several Salesian apostolates in Malta, he founded the Institute for Pastoral Formation of the Archdiocese of Malta in 2005.

With a licentiate in moral theology from the Alphonsianum in Rome, Attard participated in the general chapter held in 2008 as delegate for the Irish province and was entrusted with youth ministry until April 2020, when Artime asked him to create a continuing formation project for Salesians in Europe.

Since 2018, he has been a consultant to the Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life, a position he continues to hold today.

This week, the other members of the general council will be elected: the vicar of the rector major, the four sector councilors (formation, youth ministry, social communications, and missions), the treasurer, and the nine regional councilors for each of the regions into which the congregation is divided.

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

Pope Francis greets His Royal Highness Prince Charles of Wales at the canonization of St. John Henry Newman at the Vatican on Oct. 13, 2019. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Mar 25, 2025 / 18:35 pm (CNA).

King Charles and Queen Camilla postponed their visit to the Vatican at the advice of Pope Francis’ doctors, who say the Holy Father needs more rest time following his recent illness. 

The royal couple was set to visit the Vatican in early April to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee but announced the postponement of their visit on Tuesday due to Pope Francis’ health. Their audience with Pope Francis, now canceled, would have been on April 8. 

The postponement was mutual, according to a March 25 statement from Buckingham Palace.

“The king and queen’s state visit to the Holy See has been postponed by mutual agreement, as medical advice has now suggested that Pope Francis would benefit from an extended period of rest and recuperation,” read a post on X by the royal family.

The royal family also shared their good wishes for Pope Francis’ recovery.  

“Their majesties send the pope their best wishes for his convalescence and look forward to visiting him in the Holy See once he has recovered,” the statement continued.

Pope Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. More than a month later, he was discharged from the hospital, making his first public appearance in 38 days this past Sunday. 

The initial visit, according to the palace, was designed to “mark a significant step forward in relations between the Catholic Church and Church of England.”

The visit would have included an ecumenical service in the Sistine Chapel focused on the theme “Care for Creation.”

As part of the visit, King Charles was also set to visit the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, “with which English kings had a particular link until the Reformation,” according to the palace press release.

King Charles would have also met with a reception of British seminarians, while Queen Camilla had been set to meet with Catholic religious sisters from the International Union of Superiors General, which highlights girls’ education, health care access, and prevention of human trafficking. 

The royal couple will go ahead with the other components of their April state visit to Italy.

null / Credit: Tomsickova Tatyana/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Mar 25, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In the context of the Day of the Unborn Child, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, Archbishop Enrique Benavent Vidal of Valencia, Spain, issued a call to defend human life from conception to natural death and in all situations.

The Annunciation commemorates the Virgin Mary’s consent to the conception of the Son of God in her womb.

In this context, the prelate published a pastoral letter titled “Defending Life Is Sowing Hope” in which he noted that Christians are called “to be sowers of hope, fighting for life and the dignity of all people.”

Benavent invited the faithful to take advantage of the 2025 Jubilee to “sow hope in the hearts of the sick,” the young, migrants, exiles, the elderly, the poor, and families “who are afraid to welcome new life.”

The archbishop noted that “in our world there are many people who, humanly speaking, have no reason to live with hope.”

He said “these are those whose dignity is not respected and whose rights are violated: the victims of any attack on their lives,” those who have been physically harmed; “the victims of deportations, those living in inhumane living conditions, those subjected to arbitrary detention, those subjected to prostitution.”

Others affected include “the poor who are victims of the selfishness and injustices of our economic system, those who suffer the consequences of wars, those who suffer the consequences of gender ideology, victims of sexual abuse, women who suffer violence, etc.”

The archbishop pointed out that we can only “credibly proclaim the Christian hope in eternal life if we defend the dignity of human life for all people,” at all times and in all situations.

“It‘s not Christian,” he noted, “to defend life at its beginning or end and to justify, provoke, or ignore the tragedies experienced by those whose dignity is not respected. Nor does it correspond to a Christian vision of life to consider abortion and euthanasia as a right and justify them in society.”

The archbishop of Valencia called for the creation of “social conditions and a legislative framework that promote birth and create the conditions for people to face the end of this life with dignity, so that no one is tempted to desire death.”

“A society and a culture that lead people to view the beginning and end of life as a threat sows despair. Only a world that values, promotes, and defends human life and its dignity at all times and in all situations, from conception to its natural end, can live in hope,” he emphasized.

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

A group of members of Regnum Christi. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Regnum Christi

Madrid, Spain, Mar 24, 2025 / 10:45 am (CNA).

The confirmation, more than 15 years ago, of the sexual abuse of minors committed by the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, Marcial Maciel, marked a turning point for priests, consecrated men and women, and laypeople in the Regnum Christi movement. The revelation of these painful events led to a period of discernment and renewal that for many became a path of hope.

In 1998, nine victims filed formal charges against Maciel at the Vatican, but he denied the allegations. In 2004, the investigation was resumed, and the Holy See ordered him to withdraw from active ministry, although he was never expelled from the congregation. After his death in 2008, the Legionaries of Christ publicly apologized, confirming Maciel’s double life, which also included fathering at least four children with various women.

According to a 2019 report by Regnum Christi, at least 175 minors between the ages of 11 and 16 were victims of abuse by 33 priests of the congregation, including at least 60 cases attributed to Maciel.

After what happened, many consecrated women embarked on new paths, rediscovering their vocation to marriage or other charisms within the Church. Others, however, chose to stay and begin anew, embracing with hope a process of renewal that, after years of work, continues to bear fruit in the life and mission of the movement. In 2005, Regnum Christi had 540 consecrated women, and in 2024 it had 484.

A process to heal the ‘deep father wound’

Mary Patt Pirie, originally from the United States, is studying moral theology in Rome and is the director general of studies for consecrated women. In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, she reflected on her spiritual journey and acknowledged that, although at times it was “despite herself,” she was able to confirm that the Lord had called her to follow him in Regnum Christi.

“He wasn’t showing me a different path: Following his voice, I came here, and here he asked me to give my life,” she shared.

“I realized that this renewal would likely last several decades, given the depth of the necessary reform and the difficulty of reaching agreement among so many, in a group that has experienced a deep father wound due to the life of our founder,” she explained.

Now, she affirmed with hope that they have “moved in the right direction,” although she doesn’t rule out difficulties in the future: “This is part of the realism of what we have experienced. The Lord is with us and today he tells us ‘courage; continue making my kingdom present in the world.’”

Called to participate in the renewal

Renée Pomarico from the United States trained in institutional communications and spiritual direction and is director of communications for consecrated women. After discernment, she felt God calling her to belong exclusively to him through the movement and after the apostolic visitation ordered by the Vatican, she said she received “an invitation from God to collaborate in the process of renewal.”

In March 2009, the then-secretary of state of the Vatican, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, announced to the apostolate’s director general, Father Álvaro Corcuera, that he would undertake an apostolic visitation to the Legionaries of Christ. Following the work of a team of five prelates, it was concluded in 2010 that Maciel’s conduct had caused “serious consequences for the life and structure of the Legion, such as to require a process of profound reevaluation.”

After the apostolic visitation, Pope Benedict XVI deemed it necessary to undertake a new revision of the constitutions and entrusted this task to the papal delegate, Cardinal Velasio de Paolis.

It was the archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, one of the apostolic visitors, who gave Pomarico the confidence to continue. She said she was thus able to ascertain that she was not investing her energies “in a work destined to fail” and perceived that God was inviting her to collaborate on the “path of renewal,” for which she is grateful today.

For Canadian Glory Darbellay, current director of the formation center for consecrated women in Madrid, the Lord encouraged her “to keep moving forward in the face of difficulties,” so the call “always remained.” For her, this process of renewal is a path guided by the Holy Spirit: “We have had many challenges, of forgiving one another and making room in hope for a new perspective,” she said in a statement to ACI Prensa.

Greater recognition and presence in the academic world

One of the most significant institutional changes in recent years has been the growing recognition of consecrated women, collateral victims of an internal culture marked by the double life led by the founder.

“The change has been very radical,” Spanish consecrated woman Marta Rodríguez, a professor at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, told ACI Prensa.

Rodríguez, who is also the academic director of the course on gender, sex, and education at Francisco de Vitoria University, pointed out that Maciel “talked a lot about excellent formation, but in practice, the time and resources dedicated to the formation of consecrated women were insufficient and this resulted in very superficial formation.”

However, she emphasized that in the last 15 years there has been great progress, going from having only three or four consecrated women holding doctorates to about 20 or 25 today.

“A lot has been invested in serious formation, and this has allowed our mission to unfold,” she said. Previously, with little education, their work was limited to the formation of girls, “a beautiful vocation,” but there was no opportunity to serve in universities or in more cultural settings.

For Pirie, although human and spiritual formation “has been appreciated by the people whom we served at almost every moment in our history,” she said the formation process is more demanding today.

Along these lines, she emphasized that consecrated women themselves have rediscovered the value of ongoing formation: “The vast majority of initiatives proposing personal formation paths come from consecrated women themselves, who perceive a need to be better formed in some area or sense that it is time to reinvent themselves and undertake formation for new areas of service,” she noted.

This formation, according to Pirie, “better positions consecrated women to be in the world, in the way our vocation was originally intended,” noting that the formation they received has allowed some to serve in ecclesiastical structures such as dicasteries, parishes, and dioceses.

“In all cases, the formation we receive and seek better enables us to ‘give a reason for our hope’ [1 Pt 3:15] and to share the love of Christ with people, regardless of their situation and stage of their lives,” Pirie commented.

Darbellay noted that the formation of young consecrated women “is very different from the past” and emphasized that the Catholic Church “is strongly promoting these changes.”

“I am seeing the fruits of this in the human and spiritual maturity of the consecrated women who are making their final vows,” she observed.

Greater autonomy and freedom

Although Rodríguez assured that she was always happy, she lamented that in the past, they didn’t decide anything and that decisions were imposed without discussion.

“Before, we would receive a letter and we went from one apostolate [to another] without any prior formation. The idea was to be highly available and for you to be useful for everything. Everything in our lives was regulated,” she recalled. Now, however, she assured that decisions are made through dialogue, which is “totally new.”

Another key change is the transformation in the exercise of authority. She explained that before, it was an “enormous and invasive” authority that controlled every aspect of their lives, from what they wore to with whom they spent their free time.

“All decisions about their lives were left to the [women] directors; you didn’t choose anything,” she said. She said she believes this erroneous conception of authority led to infantilization, with “sickening details” and “chronic stress,” eliminating autonomy and originality.

“There were no reciprocal relationships,” she concluded.

Challenges in Regnum Christi

Rodríguez emphasized that a major challenge for the movement is financial support and autonomy, which they have enjoyed since 2018 following one of the directives issued by the Holy See that stipulated that part of the apostolate’s assets be transferred to the name of the consecrated women. 

“There are many consecrated women who have never worked, who have never paid into a retirement fund. How are we going to support them as they grow older?” she asked.

She also noted the challenge of reaching a certain maturity, since, she pointed out, “we have lived a childlike life; we weren’t responsible for our own lives, we didn’t make our own decisions, and that’s the system’s fault.”

Regarding the fight against abuse, since the beginning of the process of change, Regnum Christi has developed specific protocols adapted to each country in which it carries out its pastoral work and established a universal code of conduct for consecrated women, which follows clear procedures for investigating any report of abuse.

The movement announced on March 11 that it will review its abuse prevention policies in Spain following five allegations of sexual abuse against Maciel’s former secretary, Legionary priest Marcelino de Andrés Núñez, who worked at the Highlands El Encinar school in Madrid.

The Legion of Christ also publishes an annual report on the website 0abuse, which reports on the steps taken by the congregation to care for victims of abuse and develop safe environments.

The future of Regnum Christi

At the beginning of February, the Vatican definitively approved the statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation. The consecrated women agree that the new collegial approach to governance and a shared spirituality and mission, as well as unity in diversity, are some of the most notable changes.

“With the request for definitive approval, Regnum Christi wishes to tell the Church that we believe these statutes sufficiently safeguard the charism the Lord has entrusted to us and that, at least for now, we can continue to journey, serve, and carry out our mission with these statutes as our guide. I say ‘for now’ because only the Holy Spirit is the master of charisms, and a document written in human words will never capture the full richness of this gift,” Pirie explained.

For Pomarico, the Vatican’s decision represents “a confirmation of the action of God, who has been present and manifested his grace throughout this entire journey or process.”

Darbellay, for her part, said that she is already seeing “the budding forth of new life that come from living out our statutes and a new enthusiasm for the common mission we share.”

Both Pirie and Darbellay look to the future with hope and say they see “sound initiatives and proposals” highlighting “vocations ministry in a universal sense, the focus on strengthening marriages and families, and forming communities of apostles.”

Pirie’s “dreams” for the future of the movement are clear: “Greater participation and promotion of professional networks, a greater presence in the academic world, a truly comprehensive pastoral ministry, centered on the family and accessible to more people.”

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

A scene from St. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer's trip to Jaltepec, Mexico, in June 1970. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei/Flickr

Madrid, Spain, Mar 24, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

On March 28, the centennial of the priestly ordination of St. Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, will be celebrated with liturgical and academic events in Zaragoza, Spain, and in Rome.

The Spanish saint was ordained a priest in Zaragoza in the chapel of the current St. Charles Borromeo seminary.

Escrivá entered the seminary in September 1920, transferring from the seminary in Logroño. In addition to studying theology at the Pontifical University of Zaragoza, he also studied law at the state university.

The newly ordained priest celebrated his first Mass on March 30, 1925, the Monday of Holy Week, in the chapel of Our Lady of the Pillar Cathedral. The new priest offered the Mass for the repose of the soul of his father, José Escrivá, who had died in November 1924.

Various activities have been planned in Zaragoza to mark the anniversary. On March 27, an academic event will be held with the participation of the archbishop of Zaragoza, Carlos Escribano; priest and historian José Luis González Gullón; the prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik; and the prelate of Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz.

In the afternoon, a Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Pillar Basilica to be followed by a prayer vigil for priestly vocations at St. Charles Borromeo Royal Seminary.

The following day, a solemn Mass will be celebrated in St. Charles Borromeo Church, and Ocáriz will hold various meetings with priests, families, and young people.

On Sunday, March 30, at the town of Perdiguera where the founder of Opus Dei served as parish priest, his first apostolic assignments after his ordination will be commemorated.

To celebrate the centennial, a commemorative holy card has been designed, available in 13 languages, with a photo of the saint during his years as a seminarian, requesting his intercession so that “holy and abundant vocations” may come to the seminaries.

In Rome, the auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in the St. Apollinare Basilica on March 28. In the afternoon, Luis Cano, a member of the St. Josemaría Escrivá Historical Institute, will give a lecture for priests.

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

Auxiliary Bishop Nicholas Hudson with the lord mayor of Westminster, Robert Rigby, at Westminster Cathedral on Thursday, March 20, 2025. / Credit: Westminster City Council

London, England, Mar 22, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic lord mayor of Westminster, London, received a papal knighthood this week, with the leader expressing belief in a “return of pride” in the United Kingdom for Catholics.

Councilor Robert Rigby was formally awarded the knighthood — the highest honor a lay Catholic can be given by the Holy See — on March 20. 

Rigby, 63, has spoken openly about his Catholic faith since being elected lord mayor in May 2024, referring frequently to his Benedictine education at Ampleforth College, Yorkshire, and framing his role as lord mayor as an opportunity to serve the poor and those in need in Westminster.

With the papal designation Rigby will now carry the title of knight of St. Gregory, an honor created in 1831 that recognizes service in public life and to the Church.

“I am a proud Catholic. The investiture at Westminster was a tremendous event and I was moved to see so many people there,” Rigby told CNA.

The papal honor came as more than 500 adults from his home diocese of Westminster were preparing to enter the Catholic Church at Easter. Rigby described it as an important sign. 

“My sense is that we are seeing a return of that pride in our faith across the U.K.,” he said. “Just look at the fact that 500 people are joining the Church in Westminster alone this year. That upward trend is being seen elsewhere in the country.”

In the neighboring Archdiocese of Southwark, around 450 people are similarly preparing to be received into the Catholic Church at Easter. 

During the 60-minute investiture and Mass at Westminster Cathedral, Rigby wore the traditional knight of St. Gregory uniform of dark green tailcoat and trousers trimmed with silver embroidery, a cocked hat, and dress sword with white gloves. 

In attendance were a mixture of leaders from the worlds of politics, charity, and business. The celebrant was Bishop Nicholas Hudson, auxiliary bishop for the Diocese of Westminster.

Rigby described the event as “an unexpected honor and one that took me entirely by surprise.”

The lord mayor has placed his Catholic faith at the center of his public role. “Talking about faith — especially if you are in public life — has sometimes been seen as a bit of a risky activity in the U.K.,” he told CNA. “But when I meet groups from different communities across Westminster, it’s clear to me many embrace the idea of faith informing their everyday life.”

Rigby has visited numerous Catholic projects in his time as lord mayor. He has helped serve meals at the Central London Catholic Churches Homeless lunch service run from Farm Street Church and the Companions Café, run by the Companions of the Order of Malta at St. James’ Catholic Church in Spanish Place.

“I made it clear at the start of my mayoral year that I wanted to talk about faith and what Catholicism means to me,” he told CNA. “I have also had the chance to see how it inspires Catholics in Westminster doing amazing things like running cafés for the homeless or the Cardinal Hume Center, which takes in teens who have drifted from home.” 

Part of Rigby’s mission was to reinstate a civic service for Westminster City Council at the Catholic Westminster Cathedral. While an annual civic service for the lord mayor is held at the Anglican Church’s Westminster Abbey every year, the parallel Catholic event had not been held at Westminster Cathedral since 2004. 

The newly reinstated service, which took place on March 16, drew more than 500 worshippers to Westminster Cathedral. 

Westminster archbishop Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who attended the reinstated Catholic civic service, praised Rigby’s contributions. 

“I am very pleased that the lord mayor of Westminster has asked for the tradition of a civic service at Westminster Cathedral to be restored,” he said. “May God bless his dedicated efforts and the population of the city of Westminster.”

Reflecting on his knighthood, Rigby again referred to speaking publicly about his Catholic faith. 

“This award really is a crowning accolade for me as a public and private person,” he said. “When I became lord mayor, I wanted to talk publicly about my faith. It has been my privilege to meet some remarkable Catholics who demonstrate their faith in action in a range of ways.”

Volunteers pray at a vigil at an abortion clinic in Ealing, West London, the site of the first “buffer zone” in the U.K. They are restricted by law from being closer than 500 meters (about 1,600 feet) to the clinic, more than the 150 meters (500 feet) imposed by the nationwide law in October 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of 40 Days for Life International

London, England, Mar 22, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Across the United Kingdom this Lent, vigils outside abortion clinics have continued despite government attempts to stop their work of prayer for the unborn and offering of support to women with a crisis pregnancy.

A total of 11 vigils in 10 cities across the United Kingdom are going ahead throughout Lent through the 40 Days for Life campaign, a similar number to what have taken place annually since the first U.K. vigil was held in 2009. This year they stretch from Glasgow in Scotland to Bournemouth on the southern coast of England.

Volunteers for the campaign now agree to stay outside the minimum 150-meter (almost 500-foot) “buffer zone” that now surrounds all U.K. abortion centers. Within these areas, “influencing” people who attend the clinics has been illegal since Oct. 31, 2024.

There have been a number of high-profile cases where pro-life activists acting on their own initiative have stood silently praying within a buffer zone and have been arrested or prosecuted.

Although these measures have reduced the number of volunteers at some vigils this Lent — and the increased distance of the vigils from the clinics has decreased the number of women offered support — they have also increased the resolve of some volunteers.

“The more we are attacked and the more challenges we face, the more motivated I am to engage in pro-life work,” said Sarah Bignell, who leads the 40 Days for Life campaign in Ealing, West London.

As the vigils take place, retired scientist Livia Tossici-Bolt awaits a verdict from Poole Magistrates Court for allegedly breaching a buffer zone in Bournemouth. She stood quietly and held a sign that read “Here to talk, if you want,” which led to several “consensual conversations.” She was issued a fine for these actions but refused to pay, leading to the court case.

This is the same court where health care worker and veteran Adam Smith-Connor was convicted last year for silent prayers — a case raised by U.S. Vice President JD Vance in February at the Munich Security Conference as an example of restrictions on freedom in Europe.

One of the vigil leaders is Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, a longtime pro-life activist in the U.K. She has been arrested twice for merely standing silently within a “buffer zone,” although she received a 13,000 pounds (approximately $17,000) compensation payment for wrongful arrest. Videos of her interactions with police on these occasions have gone viral on social media.

As a leader for the 40 Days for Life vigil in Birmingham in the Midlands, she stays outside the buffer zones.

“We haven’t had any reaction from the authorities and have had a smooth start to the campaign here in Birmingham,” Vaughan-Spruce told CNA. “Our kickoff event went really well with a fantastic turnout — the hall was packed full and standing room only, which was very encouraging.” She said local priests, seminarians, and Christian volunteers from different denominations have joined in the vigils this year.

Vaughan-Spruce said women are responding to signs offering help, and volunteers have even seen cars drive up to the clinic, turn around, and drive away again.

In Ealing, where the first “buffer zone” was imposed around a Marie Stopes clinic in 2018, volunteer numbers have fallen, which is blamed on COVID and then the mistaken belief that the vigils are now illegal.

“The frankly ridiculous ban on prayer and an offer of help hinders us, in that we are so far away from the abortion centers we obviously meet less women and therefore can offer less help,” said Clare McCullough, the director of U.K. pregnancy support charity the Good Counsel Network, which supports the two vigils in London. “However, God is at work during 40 Days for Life especially, because of all the prayer and fasting around the world, and we still see women choosing life.”

When those at the vigils do get the opportunity to talk with women, they find that the women are often unaware what support is available to help them raise a child. The Ealing vigil helped a woman who believed her asylum claim would be rejected unless she had an abortion. McCullough said her organization offers financial support, help with child care, and “lots of moral support.”

Far from being discouraged by government pressure, volunteers describe being encouraged by evidence that their prayers influence the women to choose life.

For example, one woman approached a volunteer and said she had felt a strong urge to reject abortion when inside the clinic after a friend sent her a picture of an unborn baby.

“God is working through our prayers when we couldn’t be there,” Bignell said. “Many women chose to accept help offered at the vigils, even 500 meters up the road.”

Leaders are upbeat and hopeful that their work to prevent abortions will succeed in the long run. 

“The more crazy the law gets, the more media coverage we get,” said Robert Colquhoun, who leads the 40 Days for Life international campaigns. “This has impacted the consciences of millions of people ... we have stories of people who have changed their minds.”

“Living in this Orwellian craziness … we just keep calm and carry on. At some point there will be change.”

Buffer zones are not the only means by which authorities are putting pressure on pro-life activists in the U.K. In February, nursing student Sara Spencer was removed from her midwifery training course in Scotland for merely expressing pro-life views online. 

“The level of attacks we get seem like a disproportionate response, compared to our vigils — we are just a small group of volunteers with rosary beads and leaflets offering help,” Bignell said. “And yet we have had the media, abortion providers, and Parliament enacting laws against us. This is why it is apparent this is a spiritual battle that we are involved in.”

In 2022 there were 251,377 abortions in England and Wales according to official statistics, a sharp increase compared with the previous year. The upcoming release of 2023 numbers is expected to be higher.

Dr. Jérôme Lejeune (1926-1994). / Credit: Fondation Jérôme Lejeune via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

CNA Staff, Mar 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

On World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, people around the world raise awareness and promote the rights and well-being of people with Down syndrome.

The date, “3/21” symbolizes the triplication of the 21st chromosome — the genetic cause of Down syndrome, which was discovered by Dr. Jérôme Lejeune, a Catholic doctor on his way to sainthood.

In 2021, Lejeune, who was born in 1926 and died in 1994, was declared venerable for his heroic virtue, including his advocacy for people with Down syndrome and his defense of unborn children.

Aude Dugast, a philosopher by training who is postulator for the cause for Lejeune’s canonization and author of “Jérôme Lejeune: A Man of Science and Conscience,” described Lejeune as “an apostle of the gospel of life.”

“Jérôme Lejeune was a man of great science and great faith who used his immense intelligence in the service of his patients,” Dugast told CNA. “Not to make money, to get more power, but with humility he used his intelligence to serve the most humble, the children, his patients.”

Dugast told CNA she was “impressed by the sanctity of his intelligence.”

“His intelligence was magnetized by the truth, and this, united to his deep love, unconditional love, for his patients gave him the strength to always testify in their favor,” Dugast said. “He was not afraid — nothing and nobody could make him deviate.”

‘An apostle of the gospel of life’

Lejeune is called the “father of modern genetics” for his discovery of the genetic, chromosomal cause of Down syndrome in 1958. The discovery was a “genetic revolution” in a time where chromosomal diseases were virtually unknown, Dugast explained.

People with Down syndrome can present a variety of different conditions including growth delays, varying levels of intellectual impairment, and a variety of physical abnormalities. Down syndrome, also known as “trisomy 21,” was not understood for centuries, and those with it were often marginalized well into the 19th century and still are today. 

Lejeune spent his life researching ways to help people with Down syndrome and advocating for his patients. Life expectancy for people with Down syndrome increased from 10 to 60 years thanks in part to his research and advocacy.

“He demonstrated an unconditional love for his ‘little patients’ with Down syndrome and all the patients with any mental disability,” Dugast said. “He had an unconditional love with no criteria of age or illness. ‘Every patient is my brother,’ he liked to repeat, and seeing in each of them the suffering face of Christ, he gave his life to try to cure them. He was a servant of life.”  

Lejeune received many awards throughout his life for his scientific achievements, including the Kennedy award, which he received from President John F. Kennedy, as well as the Allan Memorial Award — the highest award in genetics. He received honorary doctorates from four universities and had an international position with the World Health Organization. 

“As a great scientist, he showed the deep harmony between faith and science. This is one aspect of his holiness that inspires many scientists today,” Dugast reflected. “He saw God everywhere, in his research, in his life.” 

“He was a witness to the beauty of creation and the existence of the Creator,” she continued. “Jerome Lejeune’s intelligence was magnetized by truth. And he always used his intelligence for the good of man and only for the good of man.” 

The physician was a staunch advocate for life, condemning the abortions of individuals identified in the womb as having Down syndrome. He advocated against prenatal testing. Lejeune even testified in a legal case in the U.S. arguing that embryos have a right to life — the first time that argument was made in legal history.

Ten years after his discovery of the extra chromosome on pair 21, Lejeune discovered that it was being used for prenatal screening of children with Down syndrome.

“It was a terrible shock, a heartbreak for him,” Dugast said. “He then decided to work even harder to find the treatment that would free them from the threat of abortion as soon as possible. And he decided to publicly defend them all over the world in scientific congresses.”

Lejeune testified against abortion in front of many parliaments including in Canada, Australia, and countries in Europe, and in many courts in the U.S. as well as in the media.

But after speaking out about his pro-life views, Lejeune became ostracized in the scientific community in France. He lost his research funding in the country and was even refused academic appointments. 

“He served life and truth, in spite of the attacks he was subjected to, in spite of the risks to his career — and he lost a lot: He lost the Nobel Prize, his research credits, his team in his laboratory in Paris,” Dugast said. “But he continued to defend the rights of disabled children by reminding [everyone of] their right to life.”

“Everything was unified, harmonized in him: His intelligence adhered to the truth, his heart loved unconditionally, and this inner unity gave him great strength, great freedom,” Dugast continued. “This is how he was able to become the heroic defender of the unborn without fear of breaking his career.”  

Lejeune would gain recognition in the Catholic world after Pope John Paul II appointed him to lead the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The pope later appointed Lejeune to be the founding president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Lejeune ardently drafted the bylaws and the oath of the Servants of Life, but just 33 days after the appointment, he died of lung cancer on Easter Sunday 1994.  

The path to sainthood

“On the very day of his death, a petition of 50 people asked the Vatican to open his canonization process,” Dugast said. “His reputation for sanctity is important in the United States, Latin America, and Europe and continues to grow.” 

In 2007, Lejeune’s cause for canonization in the Catholic Church was officially opened. In 2021, Pope Francis advanced the cause for canonization after declaring Lejeune “venerable” within the Catholic Church and approving the decree that Lejeune was “heroically” virtuous. 

Lejeune could be beatified if a miracle is found to have been worked through his intercession. 

Dugast said she has seen support for Lejeune from all over the world, while the biography she wrote about him has been published in many languages. 

“Requests for prayers and relics of Jérôme Lejeune are pouring in from all over the world! From Australia to the United States, via Canada, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, the Philippines, Africa, India, New Zealand and, of course, Europe, families are praying with perseverance. This surge of faith and hope unites us in the communion of saints,” she said.

“He is a fantastic example for our world who pretends to be very intelligent but which is, so often, very far from the truth,” Dugast continued. “He shows us the star that we must follow.”

Lejeune’s legacy continues today through the foundations created in his name by his family and colleagues soon after his death. 

The Institut Jérôme Lejeune in Paris “welcomes 12,000 patients for medical follow-up, from the beginning to the end of life, with a very competent team of specialized doctors,” Dugast said, noting that it is “probably the largest consultation center for patients with a mental handicap of genetic origin in the world.” 

The Fondation Jérôme Lejeune in Paris, another organization carrying on Lejeune’s work, conducts clinical and fundamental research programs on Down syndrome and other chromosomal diseases. The French foundation has opened other offices in the U.S., Spain, and Argentina.  

On the 31st anniversary of Lejeune’s death, April 3, the Association of Friends of Professor Lejeune will hold a Mass for life at Notre-Dame in Paris at 6 p.m., which will be celebrated by Monsignor Denis Dupont-Fauville, canon emeritus of Notre-Dame and canon of Saint-Pierre, according to Dugast.

A detail from “Joseph with the Child and the Flowering Rod” by Alonso Miguel de Tovar (1678–1752). / Credit: Public domain

Rome Newsroom, Mar 19, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The proclamation of the Year of St. Joseph by Pope Francis in December 2020 coincided with the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the universal Church by Blessed Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1870.

“Jesus Christ Our Lord ... whom countless kings and prophets had desired to see, Joseph not only saw but conversed with, and embraced in paternal affection, and kissed. He most diligently reared him whom the faithful were to receive as the bread that came down from heaven whereby they might obtain eternal life,” the 1870 proclamation Quemadmodum Deus stated.

Blessed Pius IX’s successor, Pope Leo XIII, went on to dedicate an encyclical letter to devotion to St. Joseph — Quamquam Pluries.

“Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was,” Leo XIII wrote in the encyclical published in 1889.

“Now the divine house which Joseph ruled with the authority of a father contained within its limits the scarce-born Church,” he added.

Leo XIII presented St. Joseph as a model at a time when the world and the Church were wrestling with the challenges posed by modernity. A few years later, the pope went on to publish Rerum Novarum, an encyclical on capital and labor that outlined principles to ensure the dignity of laborers.

In the past 150 years, nearly every pope has taken steps to further devotion to St. Joseph in the Church and to use the humble father and carpenter as a witness for the modern world. 

“If you want to be close to Christ, I repeat to you ‘Ite ad Ioseph’: Go to Joseph!” said Venerable Pius XII in 1955 as he instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to be celebrated on May 1.

The new feast was intentionally placed on the calendar to counter communist May Day rallies. But this was not the first time the Church had presented St. Joseph’s example as an alternative path toward workers’ dignity.

In 1889, the International Socialist Conference instituted May 1 as a holiday for labor in remembrance of Chicago’s “Haymarket affair” labor protests. In that same year, Leo XIII warned the poor against the false promises of “seditious men,” calling them to turn instead to St. Joseph, with a reminder that mother Church “each day takes an increasing compassion on their lot.”

According to the pontiff, the witness of St. Joseph’s life taught the rich “what are the goods most to be desired,” while workers could claim St. Joseph’s recourse as their “special right, and his example is for their particular imitation.”

“It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the laborer is not only not dishonoring but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled,” wrote Leo XIII in Quamquam Pluries.

In 1920, Benedict XV prayerfully offered St. Joseph as the “special guide” and “heavenly patron” of laborers “to keep them immune from the contagion of socialism, the bitter enemy of Christian principles.”

And, in the 1937 encyclical on atheistic communism Divini Redemptoris, Pius XI placed “the vast campaign of the Church against world communism under the standard of St. Joseph, her mighty protector.”

“He belongs to the working class, and he bore the burdens of poverty for himself and the Holy Family, whose tender and vigilant head he was. To him was entrusted the Divine Child when Herod loosed his assassins against him,” Pope XI continued. “He won for himself the title of ‘The Just,’ serving thus as a living model of that Christian justice which should reign in social life.”

Yet, despite the 20th-century Church’s emphasis on St. Joseph the Worker, Joseph’s life was not defined solely by his work but also by his vocation to fatherhood.

“For St. Joseph, life with Jesus was a continuous discovery of his own vocation as a father,” wrote St. John Paul II in his 2004 book “Rise, Let Us Be on Our Way.”

He continued: “Jesus himself, as a man, experienced the fatherhood of God through the father-son relationship with St. Joseph. This filial encounter with Joseph then fed into Our Lord’s revelation of the paternal name of God. What a profound mystery!”

St. John Paul II saw firsthand communist attempts to weaken the family unit and undermine parental authority in Poland. He said that he looked to St. Joseph’s fatherhood as a model for his own priestly fatherhood.

In 1989 — 100 years after Leo XIII’s encyclical — St. John Paul II wrote Redemptoris Custos, an apostolic exhortation on the person and mission of St. Joseph in the life of Christ and of the Church. 

In his 2020 announcement of the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis released a letter, Patris Corde, explaining that he wanted to share some “personal reflections” on the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

“My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic,” he said, noting that many people had made hidden sacrifices during the crisis in order to protect others.

“Each of us can discover in Joseph — the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet, and hidden presence — an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble,” he wrote.

“St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”

Pope Leo XIII also asked that the following prayer to St. Joseph be said at the end of the rosary in his encyclical on St. Joseph:

“To thee, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and having implored the help of thy thrice holy spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg thee also to take us under thy protection. By that charity wherewith thou wert united to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray that thou wilt look down with gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by his blood, and wilt succor us in our need by thy power and strength.

“Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the child Jesus from the peril of his life, so now defend God’s holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, following thine example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in heaven. Amen.”

This article was first published Dec. 9, 2020, and has been updated.

At dawn on March 17, 2025, a group of Christians gather around St. Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Lord’s Prayer 100 times for peace and unity. / Credit: Siobhán Brennan

Belfast, Northern Ireland, Mar 17, 2025 / 13:40 pm (CNA).

Inspired by St. Patrick’s “Confessions,” in which the patron of Ireland states “I arose as many as 100 times at night to pray,” a group of Christians gathered at dawn on March 17 around St. Patrick’s grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Our Father 100 times for peace and unity.

It was the third year in a row that friends and strangers from all walks of life joined together in prayer to honor St. Patrick’s legacy.

Event organizer Siobhán Brennan told CNA that parts of the Lorica of St. Patrick — a prayer also known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate — were recited in chorus between each set of 10 Our Fathers. 

“The words of the Lorica are ancient and St. Patrick’s own; they serve as a strong and powerful protection against evil, a protection which is greatly needed today,” Brennan said. “Jesus promises us in Matthew 18:20 for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. The Lord and his holy presence among this group of dedicated Christians is indeed palpable.”

The offering of 100 Our Fathers formed the backbone of this prayer initiative, but the inclusion of Scripture, hymns, and the lorica gave it a distinctive Celtic flavor. 

“This is our way of paying fitting tribute to the great St. Patrick, to all the Irish missionaries, and to all the faithful throughout the world who form part of his Patrician legacy on this feast day,” Brennan said.

“Standing shoulder to shoulder with fellow believers, in the darkness of a crisp, early, Irish spring morning while reverently repeating the Lord’s Prayer in harmony with nature is a profoundly moving, spiritual experience,” she added.

It has also become a tradition during this event to sing “Light the Fire: St. Patrick’s Song” by Irish singer Dana at the beginning of the prayer gathering. 

The morning prayers were held against the backdrop of Down Cathedral overlooking St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church. The organizers said they hope other groups from across the world will join in this simple offering of prayer in the future.

“We have been joined spiritually from other parts of Ireland and Albuquerque in New Mexico,” Brennan said. “It is inspiring; our hearts are filled with new hope and the possibility that, someday soon, we will all be fully united in Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”