Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

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Brussels, Belgium, Jun 21, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In an era where mindfulness apps dominate smartphones and meditation studios populate urban corners, a new groundbreaking international study suggests that the ancient Catholic prayer practice of praying the rosary may offer comparable mental health benefits to Eastern-inspired meditation techniques.

The research, published in the Journal of Religion and Health, also challenges assumptions made about traditional practices like the rosary, revealing surprising insights about who is actually praying the rosary in 2025.

Researchers from Italy, Poland, and Spain surveyed 361 practicing Catholics to assess the impact of praying the rosary on well-being and mental health. They found that participants who prayed the rosary reported higher levels of well-being, increased empathy, and significantly lower levels of religious struggle or spiritual anxiety — which research has shown can be benefits of other meditation techniques.

Researchers also found that 62.2% of participants held graduate or master’s degrees, challenging an assumption they say some may hold that traditional Catholic devotions appeal mainly to the less educated. 

“We were struck by how this traditional practice transcends educational and generational boundaries,” said lead researcher Father Lluis Oviedo from the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome.

Oviedo told CNA that the study originated out of a frustration that a lot of research had been devoted to the benefits of practicing mindfulness and other meditation techniques, but practically nothing has been published about the rosary, despite it clearly being a form of meditation too.

“Our team tried to explore whether we could find similar benefits in this Catholic prayer to those attributed to more fashionable forms of meditation,” he said. “I was convinced that we would find positive results as I knew from personal experience and the testimonies of others what this prayer meant and what they experienced during it.”

Challenging stereotypes 

The research revealed cultural variations across the three countries studied.

Poland showed the highest engagement, with participants scoring 3.70 on rosary practice frequency (compared with 3.38 in Italy and 3.35 in Spain). This aligns with Poland’s reputation as one of Europe’s most religiously observant nations where Catholic traditions remain deeply woven into the social fabric despite decades of communist suppression. 

Italy, despite hosting the Vatican, showed more moderate engagement levels. Italian participants reported the highest empathy scores (4.31), suggesting that the practice’s benefits extend beyond personal spirituality to enhanced social connection — a finding that resonates with Italy’s communal culture. 

Spain presented an intriguing paradox: lower rosary practice frequency but strong well-being outcomes among those who do pray it regularly. This may reflect Spain’s complex relationship with Catholicism, where traditional practices persist alongside rapid secularization. 

The mental health connection 

Perhaps the study’s most striking finding is how praying the rosary functions as a mental health intervention. 

Participants consistently reported that the practice provided “spiritual peace, calm, and confidence” (26.3%), helped with “coping with problems” (10.2%), and offered “protection against evil” (8.6%). 

One participant said: “Praying the rosary saved my life. After my husband’s death, I couldn’t cope with the pain and emptiness. Every day, I reached for the rosary and it gave me the strength to survive these difficult moments. Without it, I don’t know how I would have managed.”

The research also showed that praying the rosary correlated positively with reduced depression and increased optimism about the future. These effects rival those reported in studies of mindfulness meditation yet come without the sometimes hefty price tags of meditation retreats or app subscriptions.

Why it matters 

The study’s implications extend far beyond Catholic communities. As mental health crises escalate globally — with particular severity in the U.S. and Europe — the research suggests society may be overlooking accessible, culturally rooted resources for psychological well-being.

In the U.S., where the wellness industry generates billions annually, the findings raise questions about the commodification of spiritual practices. Why pay for expensive meditation classes when a traditional practice offers similar benefits? The study also challenges assumptions some have that Eastern non-Christian practices are superior to Western spiritual traditions.

For Germany, where both Catholic and Protestant traditions have shaped the culture but face declining influence, the research offers a potential bridge between secular mental health approaches and traditional spiritualities. German Catholics might find validation in maintaining practices often dismissed as outdated.

The implications for Poland are particularly significant. As the country navigates tensions between its deeply Catholic identity and European Union secularization pressures, the study provides empirical support for the mental health value of traditional practices — potentially influencing both health care policy and cultural debates. 

In Italy, where Catholicism remains culturally significant despite declining Mass attendance, the findings suggest that traditional practices like the rosary might serve as accessible mental health resources, particularly for older populations who may be less comfortable with secular therapy. 

Breaking down barriers 

The researchers noted a striking bias in academic literature: PubMed contains 30,060 entries for “mindfulness” but only 13 for “rosary prayer.” This disparity reflects broader cultural prejudices that often dismiss Western devotions as more primitive. 

“From a purely cultural phenomenological point of view, mindfulness is in, glamorous, fashionable and interesting, while the rosary is out, outdated, boring and uninteresting,” the researchers observed. Yet their data suggests this perception is more about cultural fashion than empirical reality. 

The study’s network analysis revealed that religiosity impacts well-being both directly and through two key pathways: increasing empathy and reducing religious struggle. The repetitive nature of the rosary — similar to mantra meditation — appears to create a meditative state that calms anxiety and promotes emotional regulation.

Interestingly, the practice wasn’t associated with social isolation or narrow-mindedness, as stereotypes might suggest. Instead, higher levels of rosary prayer correlated with increased empathy, suggesting it enhances rather than diminishes social connection.

“One thing is certain, there is a divide within the Catholic Church, and within other churches, between those who pray and adopt a devotional stance, and those who interpret their Christian faith in terms of social awareness and involvement,” Oviedo said. “It is time to overcome this kind of binary model and adopt a style that combines devotion and empathy towards others. A divorce between the two makes the Christian message and the salvation we offer in Christ less credible and effective.”

The power of repetitive prayer 

As societies grapple with mental health epidemics, spiritual emptiness, and the limitations of purely pharmaceutical approaches to psychological well-being, the research suggests benefits from a more inclusive view of contemplative practices. The rosary’s accessibility — requiring only beads and some time — makes it particularly relevant for economically disadvantaged populations who can’t afford therapy or meditation classes. 

The study does not advocate for religious conversion or suggest that the rosary is superior to other practices. Rather, it argues for recognizing the diverse ways humans cope with suffering and find meaning. 

One researcher concluded: “We count on a broader palette of spiritual or religious expressions with similar positive effects, and so, we can avoid some almost spiritual monopolies and one-sided expressions in the usual counseling and caring interventions.”

Longer-term impact

Oviedo said it is too early to evaluate the reception of this study. 

“I was quite surprised that there was media interest in this topic, as it has been neglected in many settings, even within Catholic circles,” he said. “The worst aspect is the theological indifference or even hostility towards such devotional practices, which are considered alien to standard theology. The problem runs deeper, relating to a theology that is unable to connect with believers in how they live and express their faith.”

Oviedo said Catholics need to develop a “lived theology” — or a “theology from below.”

“This theological approach requires us to pay more attention to how believers feel, how they experience their faith, and how they sense salvation in action,” he said. “Indeed, many studies on religion, health, well-being, and flourishing are published every year, but almost no theologians pay any attention to them, even though they reveal the positive effects of religious faith and intense religious practice, or how to recognize salvation as something real. The rosary is a good example of this and suggests a different approach to theology if we really want to make the Christian message more credible.”

The outside of Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Chicago White Sox baseball team plays. / Credit: Spirit Juice Studios

CNA Staff, Jun 21, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

From popping a wheelie in front of Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home to sitting in “the pope’s chair” at a favorite local pizzeria, filmmaker Rob Kaczmark appeared to be enjoying every stop along a tour of Pope Leo’s childhood stomping grounds in a new short film released by Spirit Juice, a Catholic production company.

The film, which Kaczmark called “a tribute to a South Side kid who made it all the way to the Vatican,” is now available on YouTube.

“I’m still in awe of the fact that Pope Leo is from here. He’s one of us,” Kaczmark says in the film. “No matter where you’re from, God can use you. You just have to be open to his call.” 

The filmmaker, who is CEO and president of Spirit Juice, grew up minutes from the pope’s hometown of Dolton, Illinois. In the film, he drives to several key locations — from Pope Leo’s time in Chicago, including his childhood parish, St. Mary of the Assumption, and Guaranteed Rate Field, where the Chicago White Sox baseball team plays and where the pope famously attended a World Series game in 2005.

Kaczmark not only shares local historical details about the sites but also personal stories about how these same places played a role in the pope’s younger years. At Aurelio’s, the pope’s favorite local pizzeria, which also recently unveiled its “pope-a-roni” pizza, Kaczmark tells viewers that it was in this pizzeria that he told his parents that he and his wife were expecting their first child.

Another stop on the tour was St. Rita of Cascia High School, where Pope Leo taught math and physics. Kaczmark told CNA in an interview that he had several friends who went there and he himself spent a lot of time at this high school in the 1990s as a DJ at school dances. 

When Kaczmark first heard the news that the new pope was from Chicago, he said “it didn’t fully register.”

“It’s just like a really weird feeling when you see this person come out that you know is going to be such an important figure in your life, but you have no idea who they are,” he said. 

It wasn’t until a couple days later, after leaving Mass, that Kaczmark fully processed that the pope was from his hometown, and after that realization he knew he needed to do something to honor this other “South Sider.”

He shared that now walking around the streets of Chicago “there’s definitely a buzz, I think, around the city for Pope Leo.”

Kaczmark also recently attended the “Chicago Celebrates Pope Leo XIV” event held on June 14 at Rate Field, where the pope addressed those in attendance via a video message. 

He and his team arrived early to get video footage of the atmosphere outside the park before the event started and recalled those gathered being “so jazzed to be there … people were singing and dancing.”

Seeing the buzz that the newly elected pope has caused in his hometown, Kaczmark said he believes that “Chicago has the opportunity to be transformed because Pope Leo is from here” as well as “an opportunity for the United States.”

Kaczmark said he hopes this papacy will help the Church “lead in a way that doesn’t feel like there’s a political agenda attached to it but is leading people towards Christ in a very authentic way.”

Watch the South Side Chicago tour of Pope Leo’s childhood spots below.

The British Parliament building in London. / Credit: Marinesea/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 20, 2025 / 17:21 pm (CNA).

British lawmakers in the House of Commons passed a bill on Friday legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill patients in England and Wales in spite of warnings from Catholic bishops.

To become law, the bill still needs to pass in the second chamber of Parliament, the unelected House of Lords. The Lords can amend legislation, but because the bill has the support of the Commons, it is likely to pass.

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said he was “shocked and disappointed” by the bill’s passage in the House of Commons.

“Allowing the medical profession to help patients end their lives will change the culture of health care and cause legitimate fears amongst those with disabilities or who are especially vulnerable in other ways,” Sherrington said in a statement.

The House of Commons passed the assisted suicide proposal 315 to 291 — by just 23 votes — on June 20. The vote was the second time lawmakers approved of assisted suicide, following an initial vote last November.

If the bill passes the House of Lords, England will join several other jurisdictions that permit assisted suicide, including several European countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Spain as well as Canada, New Zealand, and 11 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

The legislation currently requires patients to be over the age of 18, have received a terminal illness diagnosis of no more than six months, and to self-administer the lethal drug.

The decision would need to be approved by two doctors and a panel made up of a social worker, a senior legal figure such as a former judge, and a psychiatrist.

But Sherrington noted that care and compassion go hand in hand.

“The vocation to care is at the heart of the lives of so many people who look after their loved ones and is the sign of a truly compassionate society,” he said. 

While proponents of assisted suicide say that it is a way to alleviate suffering, Sherrington said the bishops believe that there is a better option — improving end-of-life care. 

“Improving the quality and availability of palliative care offers the best pathway to reducing suffering at the end of life,” Sherrington said. “We will continue to advocate for this, and we ask the Catholic community to support those who work tirelessly to care for the dying in our hospices, hospitals, and care homes.”

The vote comes days after lawmakers took steps to decriminalize the killing of unborn children in England and Wales, a move the local bishops also decried as dangerous for women and unborn children.

But Sherrington said the Church will continue “working tirelessly to protect the dignity of every life.”

“The Catholic Church believes in promoting a culture of life and compassionate care,” Sherrington noted.

Before the bill passed in the House of Commons, Sherrington and Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, said that if the End of Life Bill passes, Catholic hospices and care homes may have no choice but to shut down.

Sherrington voiced concerns that because of the lack of “explicit protections,” Catholic hospices “may be required to cooperate with assisted suicide.”

“If this were to happen, the future of many Catholic institutions could be under threat,” he reiterated.

Sherrington asked the Catholic community “to continue to pray for members of Parliament whilst they consider this legislation and to pray that the government will act to promote and protect life from conception until natural death.”

“This is not the end of the parliamentary process, and we should not lose hope,” Sherrington said.

Sister Maria Zhang made her perpetual vows as an Augustinian Recollect on May 13, 2025. / Credit: Diocese of Salamanca

Madrid, Spain, Jun 20, 2025 / 10:29 am (CNA).

Sister Maria Zhang Yue Chun made her perpetual vows on May 13 at the convent of the Augustinian Recollects in Vitigudino, Salamanca province, Spain. Her prioress, Sister Berta, said she is “an example” for her community.

Born in Shangqiu, Henan province, China, Maria lived without any connection to Catholicism. She was married and took care of her five children. During a serious illness, however, the support provided to her by a community of active Augustinian Recollects opened her eyes to the faith.

On July 1, 2007, she was baptized along with her four daughters. Her husband and son followed in her footsteps at Christmas that year. The following year, Maria was widowed. One by one, her daughters joined a community of Augustinian nuns who have had a presence in the Asian country since 1931. This past April 25, her only son was ordained an Augustinian priest.

Ever since her husband’s death, Maria felt a strong calling to live her faith more radically as a contemplative nun. However, in China, the Augustinian nuns do not have a community of this nature.

Thus, in 2015, Maria left her native country ready to fulfill the vocation to which she was being called. She was especially helped in this endeavor by one of her daughters, who is also part of an Augustinian community in Spain.

But it wasn’t easy. Despite her family background full of considerable and evident spiritual merits, various communities turned her down, primarily due to her age (56 at the time) and because she didn’t know Spanish.

However, with the support of a Chinese priest and making use of an electronic translator, she arrived at the Vitigudino convent. The prioress, Sister Berta Feijó, recounted to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, what that first contact was like when she was allowed to experience religious life within the convent.

“Little by little, she learned the essentials for our contemplative life and adapted,” Sister Berta said. “What we observed in her is that she was always smiling and happy.”

The prioress, originally from Peru, said Sister Maria “is an example for the community of a dedicated life, of recollection, of a sisterhood also because she is eager to serve,” especially the older sisters of the convent, all of whom are in their 90s.

The community currently consists of 16 sisters from four different continents: Five are Spanish, seven are from Tanzania, and the rest are from Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela, and China.

Despite the obvious language difficulties, Sister Berta recalled that Sister Maria was determined: “She never flinched, she never seemed sad, nor did she ever complain about anything, always happy to this day.” So much so that the first thing she learned to say in Spanish was that “she’s happy.”

Maria took the white veil for novices in 2017 and three years later made her temporary vows in a ceremony accompanied by one of her daughters, Sister Maria Sun Shen, who sang to the Virgin in her native language at the end of the Mass.

This past May 13, after publicly expressing her total devotion and invoking the saints with the litany, Sister Maria prostrated herself on the floor as a sign of humility while two sisters covered her with rose petals.

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

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, England (left), and Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA; SimeonMarcel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 19, 2025 / 13:32 pm (CNA).

Two prominent archbishops in England have said that if the End of Life Bill set for a final vote in Parliament on Friday passes, Catholic hospices and care homes may have no choice but to shut down.

In a statement about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill about to face its Third Reading on Friday in British Parliament, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, and Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, who oversees life issues, said: “We call attention to the fact that the future of many care homes and hospices will be put in grave doubt if the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill becomes law.”

Nichols and Sherrington also addressed the protection amendments to the bill that have been rejected.

“Our Parliament has now rejected amendments that would have allowed such institutions not to be involved in assisted suicide,” they said. “Minister Stephen Kinnock, MP [member of Parliament]; Kim Leadbeater, MP; as well as other MPs indicated that the rights that this bill will give to individuals to seek assisted suicide, and to employees to participate in an assisted suicide, are likely to trump the mission and values of institutions such as hospices and care homes.”

They continued: “In other words, a right to assisted suicide given to individuals is highly likely to become a duty on care homes and hospices to facilitate it. We fear that this bill will thereby seriously affect the provision of social care and palliative care across the country.”

“The insufficient protections provided by the bill, along with the tone of the discussion surrounding the amendment and comments from its sponsors, indicate a strong possibility that Catholic hospices and care homes may be compelled to participate in assisted suicide if the bill is approved.”

Nichols, who has been an outspoken opponent of the Assisted Suicide Bill, and Sherrington said in their statement: “Institutions whose mission has always been to provide compassionate care in sickness or old age, and to provide such care until the end of life, may have no choice, in the face of these demands, but to withdraw from the provision of such care.” 

The statement also addressed the damage this bill may do to the relationship that Catholic care facilities have with their local communities.  “The widespread support which hospices attract from local communities will also be undermined by these demands which, in many cases, will require these institutions to act contrary to their traditional and principled foundations,” they said.

The archbishops urged the defeat of the bill. “This tragedy can only be avoided by the defeat of this bill on Friday,” they said.

Representatives of Catholic care facilities have voiced their concerns in evidence provided to Parliament legislators.

St. Gemma’s is a hospice in Leeds, England, and during the committee stage of the bill told MPs: “If compliance with assisted dying provision becomes a condition for NHS [National Health Service] funding, institutions like St. Gemma’s may have no alternative but to cease operations entirely.”

In October 2024, St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London, warned that “as a Catholic hospice, our position is that assisted dying plays no part in our specialist palliative care practice and is not consistent with our ethos or values.”

Athletes pray before a match organized by the Caritas Cup in Rome, Saturday, June 14, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News

Rome Newsroom, Jun 19, 2025 / 10:36 am (CNA).

Among the many events held across Rome to celebrate the Jubilee of Sport was a June 14 game organized by the Caritas Cup, a tournament founded five years ago by four Scottish high school students to help young Catholics grow in faith through sport.

The goal is not just to score in football, or soccer as it is commonly called in the U.S.

“It’s to bring young people back to the Church and give them an avenue to stay in the Church,” Adam Costello, co-founder of the Caritas Cup, told CNA. “As soon as we finish secondary school in Scotland, people kind of leave. It’s the last sort of chance they’ve got to stay, and I think the Caritas Cup is an avenue for that.”

The Caritas Cup was founded by four young men — Costello, Bailey Gallagher, Daniel Timoney, and Aiden Paterson — who wanted to inspire their peers through faith and sport.

In dioceses and schools across Scotland, the cup organizes local tournaments that bring together young people from Catholic schools and parishes.

Timoney emphasized their grassroots approach: “We are trying to get young people involved in the Church, and especially in Scotland, in the community. Football and sports — especially football and netball — is sort of the way to do that.”

From local fields to global impact

Inspired by the values and mission of Caritas — the Catholic Church’s global charity network — the Caritas Cup was founded to put faith into action through sport and service.

Since the beginning, the team has been working closely with the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) to help support different projects on the local and international level.

“SCIAF is ever-present in the schools in Scotland,” Timoney said. “It’s just such a big household name for Catholics across Scotland. So, we got in touch with them, and [we were able to support] a lot of their projects.”

Beyond bringing together young Catholics to play soccer and netball tournaments in their diocese, the Caritas Cup also raises funds for projects around the world.

“Every year we pick a central fund for a Caritas project,” Costello said. “Previously it’s been to provide water to provide food sanitation to multiple different countries. And this year it’s for the Holy Land appeal and to provide emergency aid to the relief there.”

The name “Caritas Cup” was intentionally chosen to reflect the mission of Caritas Internationalis, and the tournament itself is shaped by that same spirit of faith expressed through concrete acts of charity and community.

“The way that they describe it is very beautiful,” said Rebecca Rathbone, officer for promoting youth leadership at Caritas Internationalis.

The organizers are “putting their faith into action and using something that is fun as a way to raise awareness about the important work that SCIAF does,” she said. 

Rathborne emphasized that she believes it is “another real plus of including young people.”

“The work that Caritas does is serious,” Rathbone said, “... but it doesn’t mean that we can’t approach it with a joyful spirit.”

“The challenges that the world is facing change every day and change quickly,” she said, “and something that young people are particularly good at is thinking creatively and being energetic and being hopeful and reminding us that we can work in new ways to address the challenges of today and meet people’s needs today.”

Growing in human and Christian virtues

Before the June 14 match in Rome, the players gathered to pray at the Pontifical Scots College.

The event highlighted how sport teaches important Christian values like teamwork, discipline, respect, and perseverance — and how it offers a way to grow together, in both friendship and faith. 

In his homily for the jubilee’s closing Mass on the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity on June 15, Pope Leo XIV emphasized that sport can “help us encounter the Triune God, because it challenges us to relate to others and with others,” both outwardly and inwardly.

“Sport, especially team sports, teaches the value of cooperating, working together, and sharing,” Pope Leo said. “These, as we said, are at the very heart of God’s own life. Sport can thus become an important means of reconciliation and encounter.”

Pope Leo stressed that sport “also teaches us how to lose” and so opens our hearts to hope.

The pontiff recalled the “straightforward and luminous life” of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, who taught us that “just as no one is born a champion, no one is born a saint” and that “it is daily training in love that brings us closer to final victory.”

Costello emphasized that soccer is a perfect metaphor for the spiritual life in that regard: “We have failures in sport but also failures in faith [and at] times we need to get back up again.”

Building a supportive community

“There are people here that, myself included, had fallen away from the Church,” Timoney said at the recent match in Rome.

“But this has brought us back into it,” he said. “We’ll go to Mass and it’s just fantastic doing it together.”

Costello also noted what he believes is “the beauty” of the Caritas Cup: “You’re not on your own. And it’s the same for faith. There are always people there. And we want to be those people, for anyone to come to.”

From the way the event of the day unfolds — with prayer, teamwork, and a shared spirit of joy — it’s clear that the goal is not merely to play.

“I think what’s important for us is that we’re not trying to make faith cool,” Costello said. “We just want to show people that it’s not something to be embarrassed about.”

“So, this is a way for young men and young women to show their faith,” he said. “Playing football, playing netball is not ‘what we want.’ All we want is people actively involved in the Church, actively involved in Caritas. In the end it’s much bigger than just the game of football.”

The British Parliament building in London. / Credit: Marinesea/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 18:46 pm (CNA).

British lawmakers have voted to decriminalize abortions in England and Wales in a move that pro-life advocates and medical professionals say could endanger women and unborn children. 

The House of Commons — the publicly-elected house of Parliament of the United Kingdom — approved on June 17 an amendment to change the law so that it would no longer be illegal for women to abort their unborn children for any reason, up to birth.  

Abortions in England and Wales are currently legal for up to 24 weeks of pregnancy with the approval of two doctors and in some other cases after 24 weeks. 

Labor member of Parliament (MP) Tonia Antoniazzi, who introduced the amendment, argued it was cruel to prosecute a woman for killing her unborn child and cited police investigations of more than 100 women for suspected illegal abortions.

In one case Antoniazzi cited, a mother of three who was eight months pregnant killed her unborn child and was then sentenced to about two years in prison. Antoniazzi said of the current law: “This is not justice, it is cruelty and it has got to end.”

The amendment was opposed by pro-life advocates and medical professionals. In a June 17 letter, more than 1,000 medical professionals urged the members of Parliament to oppose the abortion amendment.

In the letter, the medical professionals noted that the amendment would make abortions “possible up to birth for any reason including abortions for sex-selective purposes.” 

Antoniazzi’s amendment would, they said, “remove any legal deterrent against women administering their own abortions late in pregnancy.” 

The letter also encouraged the MPs to reinstate in-person check-ins for chemical abortions — a measure that was defeated on Tuesday.

Right to Life United Kingdom expressed concern that Antoniazzi’s amendment could endanger women “because of the risks involved with self-administered late-term abortions.”

In the June 17 press release, the pro-life group noted the high risk of late-term abortions and abortion pills, maintaining that the amendment “would enable abortion providers to cover up the disastrous consequences of the pills by post scheme.” 

The group also noted the high cost of lives lost related to the prospective abortion of viable unborn children. The amendment, they said, could lead to “an increased number of viable babies’ lives being ended well beyond the 24-week abortion time limit and beyond the point at which they would be able to survive outside the womb.” 

The decriminalization amendment, which was part of a broader crime bill, passed 379-137. The House of Commons will need to pass the crime bill before it goes to the House of Lords — the second chamber of the U.K. Parliament — where it could be delayed but not blocked.

The top bishop for life issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, said the bishops were “deeply alarmed” by the passage of the amendment. 

“This decision significantly reduces the protection of unborn lives and will result in grave harm for pregnant women,” Sherrington said in a June 17 statement. 

Sherrington voiced concern that the change “will result in women being more alone, vulnerable, and isolated.”

“Abortion is often chosen because of the personal challenges that a woman faces as well as the lack of proper suitable guidance and support,” he said. 

The change in the law will make women “even more vulnerable to manipulation, coerced and forced abortions,” he said.

“This legal change will also discourage medical consultation and make the use of abortion pills for dangerous late-term, at-home abortions more likely,” he added. 

But the Church, the archbishop said, “keeps working tirelessly to protect the dignity of every life.”

“We will not abandon pregnant women and their unborn children in their most vulnerable moment,” Sherrington said. 

“Let us continue to pray and commend the lives of these women, children, their families, and all who support them to the maternal intercession of Our Lady, Mother of God,” he concluded.

This story was updated on June 18, 2025, at 11:28 a.m. ET with the statement from Archbishop Sherrington.

Renowned exorcist Father Gabriele Amorth. / Credit: Angela Musolesi (CC BY-SA 4.0)

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 11:54 am (CNA).

Father Marcello Lanza of the International Association of Exorcists (IAE) recently honored Father Gabriele Amorth on the 100th anniversary of Amorth’s birth as “the most famous exorcist of the 20th century.”

“Don Amorth was the most famous exorcist of the 20th century because, with his great love for the ‘poorest of the poor,’ he was not afraid of attracting negative preconceptions by communicating to the entire world the suffering that many believers were experiencing due to extraordinary diabolical phenomena,” Lanza wrote in an article published this month on the IAE website.

The Italian priest, who knew the late exorcist, emphasized that “one of his main warnings was to point out the presence of Satan behind the seemingly harmless phenomenon of magic.”

Amorth, who was born on May 1, 1925, “exposed the work of Satan behind the illicit activities of magicians, the hidden danger behind spiritualist seances, the spread of Satanism and black masses, but above all, he reestablished the thorny question of evil in theology.”

Why was he so outspoken?

Lanza explained that “from analyzing his writings, his interviews, but above all from having met him, it is clear that he was motivated by love for humanity. Furthermore, his writing apostolate, dedicated to demonology and practice of exorcism, was based solely on the profound charity he felt toward Satan’s victims, both baptized and unbaptized.”

“The psychological aspects of his strong and stable personality helped him not to be afraid to speak about Satan everywhere, from the pulpit to television. But what made him famous was his mystical life, through which he reminded the world that those being exorcised needed the love of the Church.”

In Lanza’s opinion, “the power of [Amorth’s] priestly service was experienced when he helped those exorcised to free themselves from many cursed objects expelled during the liturgical action of the exorcisms, restoring them to peace and serenity.”

This is what Amorth did, the exorcist continued, “reminding even more the theologians who denied the existence of Satan and his extraordinary action that this experience belongs to the exorcist liturgical magisterium.”

“In Father Amorth’s spiritual experience, the mystical life is in authentic conformity to Christ, which involves,” as Amorth explained in “The Sign of the Exorcist” (2013), “a choice that entails a great spiritual battle. Because by choosing Christ, the devil is unleashed,” Lanza emphasized.

After noting that “the mystical life and the fight against Satan are inseparable,” as the late Pope Francis recalled on various occasions throughout his pontificate, Lanza thanked Amorth “for having reminded the Church and theologians that the mystery of redemption is, above all, liberation from Satan, the enemy of God and humanity, constantly acting against man because he is envious of man.”

Who was Gabriele Amorth?

Amorth, born May 1, 1925, in Modena, Italy, was an exorcist for the Diocese of Rome.

In 1937, at just 12 years of age, he discovered his vocation to the priesthood thanks to his active participation in parish Catholic Action and the San Vincenzo Association.

In 1942, he traveled to Rome to meet with the Passionist order, which he wished to join because he felt drawn to community life. However, the Passionists did not have a room for him, so he was accommodated by the Society of St. Paul, the congregation in which he would be ordained a priest in 1954.

He worked in the Spiritual Assistance Office of the Vicariate of Rome and as a chaplain in Regina Caeli prison. He was responsible for the formation of young aspirants and religious of the Society of St. Paul.

In 1986, he was appointed chief exorcist of the Diocese of Rome by Cardinal Ugo Poletti. In 1990, he founded the International Association of Exorcists and was president until his retirement at the age of 75.

Amorth said he performed tens of thousands of exorcisms. He was known for his practical approach and for reaffirming the existence of the devil and demons. He warned about the consequences of Ouija boards, astrology, and other occult practices.

Amorth was the author of several books, including “An Exorcist Tells His Story,” “An Exorcist: More Stories,” and “Exorcism and Psychiatry.” He also frequently contributed to television and radio programs and was consulted by the Vatican on matters related to exorcism.

Amorth died on Sept. 16, 2016, in Rome at the age of 91. Following the release of the trailer for the film “The Pope’s Exorcist,” supposedly based on Amorth’s life, Father José Antonio Fortea, an expert in demonology, explained that the production is an exaggeration of reality and is a distortion of the power of the devil.

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

St. Anthony of Padua, by El Greco (c. 1580). / Credit: Public domain

Padua, Italy, Jun 13, 2025 / 12:32 pm (CNA).

The widespread popularity of St. Anthony of Padua, whose feast is celebrated in the Catholic Church on June 13, can be traced to his efforts of reaching out as a neighbor to all peoples, according to the rector of the basilica where the saint’s body rests.

“The devotion to the Saint of the Peoples is truly universal perhaps because he himself desired to consider all the world his as his home,” Father Oliviero Svanera, rector of the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, Italy, told CNA.

“He was Portuguese by birth, he went to Morocco to spread the faith, he landed in Sicily by shipwreck, then he went back up the Italian peninsula all the way to Assisi and joined the friars of St. Francis, who sent him all the way to France.”

Once St. Athony returned to Italy he was appointed provincial superior and served in Padua, where he died in 1231.

“It is told that he would speak one language made of a thousand accents but which was understandable to all,” Svanera said. “As such, he was a neighbor to all: to the poor, to people in difficulty, to the sick. In this, his being ‘brother of all,’ is perhaps his universality, something that renders him a friend of all the peoples of the world, beyond nationality, culture, and even religions, given that St. Anthony is respected even by those who do not profess the Catholic faith.”

St. Anthony was born as Fernando Martins in Lisbon around 1195, and when he was 15 he entered the Abbey of St. Vincent with the Canons Regular of St. Augustine and was ordained a priest.

In 1220 he was deeply moved when he encountered the relics of five Franciscan missionaries who had been martyred in Morocco. He was allowed to leave the Augustinians to join the Order of Friars Minor, where he took the name Anthony. He worked as a preacher and laid the foundations of Franciscan theology.

He was canonized in 1232, only a year after his death, by Gregory IX, who had heard him preach and called him the “Ark of the Testament.”

It was also in 1232 that construction of the basilica that houses St. Anthony’s body was begun. It was finished at the beginning of the 14th century.

Svanera explaned the famous “Tredicina” that takes place before St. Anthony’s feast day.

“The word ‘Tredicina’ [refers to] the 13 days of meditation and spiritual preparation for the solemnity of the saint — that is, from May 31 to June 13. Every day those devoted to St. Anthony invoke the intercession of the saint through a particular prayer ... to entrust themselves to the mercy of God the Father. These are the days in which the basilica becomes the goal of pilgrims, both individuals and those organized in groups, and our sanctuary becomes truly universal, as in these days of veneration and prayer there are tens of thousands of pilgrims who come here from every country of the world.”

The priest also explained the story behind another popular tradition related to the famous saint called the “Bread of St. Anthony.”

“The birth of this tradition of charity has its roots in one of the ‘miracles’ of the saint, that of Tommasino, a baby of 20 months who drowned in a washtub,” Svanera said. “The desperate mother invoked the help of the saint and vowed that if she would obtain this grace, she would give to the poor the child’s weight in bread. And the little one returned miraculously to life.”

This gave rise, he said, to two Antonian works faithful to the spirit of St. Anthony: the Bread Work of the Poor (“l’Opera Pane dei Poveri”) — an organization in Padua that works to bring bread and other necessities to people in difficulty; and also Caritas Sant’Antonio, which supports many development projects in dozens of countries around the world.

Svanera also highlighted the key lessons of St. Anthony’s life.

“St. Anthony’s preaching was always capable of provoking the hearts of everyone,” he said. “And this too is thanks to his exemplary life and his humility, which he learned from Most Holy Mary, to whom he was profoundly devoted.”

He continued: “St. Anthony proclaimed the Gospel which conquers the temptation of power, the temptation of pride, the temptation ... of worldliness ... Through his love, St. Anthony knew to stoop for the other (refugee, migrant, unemployed, alone, sick, imprisoned, marginalized, poor) and to take care of him. We will thus be effective Christians of a Church which goes forth if, like St. Anthony, we manage to go forth from ourselves to preach Christ crucified, following him with a style of humility, of true humility, a humility full of love.”

This story was first published on June 13, 2017, and was updated on June 13, 2025.

French president Emmanuel Macron. / Credit: Frederic Legrand COMEO/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 12, 2025 / 17:08 pm (CNA).

French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal knife attack at a middle school sparked debate about the psychological effects of social media on children.

“I am banning social media for children under 15,” Macron wrote in a social media post on June 10. “Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it.”

Macron’s announcement directly followed the stabbing attack, which took place on June 10 when a 14-year-old student stabbed a 31-year-old teaching assistant during a routine bag search outside the school in Nogent, France. 

The French president condemned the “senseless wave of violence,” writing in another post after the attack: “The nation is in mourning and the government is mobilized to reduce crime.” 

France Education Minister Élisabeth Borne described the suspect as a “young man from a family where both parents work, who does not present any particular difficulties.” She further noted shock among fellow students, as the student “was very integrated in the middle school,” according to a report from France24, which noted a recent 15% jump in reports of bladed weapons in schools and a “general rise in youth crime.” 

The victim was a mother to a young boy and had been working at the school since September. 

European Union joins debate: Which countries support a ban? 

In addition to France, Spain and Greece have also signaled a desire to enact similar child-protection policies in their respective countries, according to EuroNews. However, the European Union signaled on Wednesday that it would not seek to enact an EU-wide age verification for social media, despite calls from Macron to do so as soon as possible. 

“Let’s be clear ... [a] wide social media ban is not what the European Commission is doing. It’s not where we are heading to. Why? Because this is the prerogative of our member states,” commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said Wednesday.

Macron has said France “cannot wait” for the EU to reach a solution and that he plans to implement the ban regardless, according to a Politico report. 

In Australia, lawmakers sent shockwaves around the world when they passed the first-ever law banning children under the age of 16 from social media platforms in January. The Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024, which was ushered hastily through the Australian Parliament and passed in late November, is set to take effect Dec. 10. 

The plan has drawn both praise and criticism from various quarters of the world as commentators of various backgrounds and ideologies — including many Catholics — try to assess the suitability of such a ban and whether, in practice, it will actually work

At the time the legislation was passed, Archbishop Peter Comensoli of Melbourne, who leads Australia’s largest archdiocese, told CNA that the Church in Australia is actively engaged in advocating and proactively helping parents to protect their children online, including from the potential negative effects of social media and smartphone use.

“Parents share with me that it can be hard to protect their children from the potential harms of social media when they feel they’d be denying them something their peers are all using,” Comensoli told CNA. 

U.S. attitude toward social media bans

Social media bans for minors are starting to pick up across the United States including in Florida, which signed a bill last year barring children under the age of 14 from joining social media platforms. Texas is poised to enact a similar ban for anyone under the age of 18. 

While legislation in Florida has passed, it has yet to be enacted as a federal judge recently barred state officials from enforcing the law while legal challenges against it continue, according to AP news reports. 

Last year, a group of 42 state attorneys called for the U.S. surgeon general to add a health warning to algorithm-driven social media sites, citing the potential psychological harm that such sites can have on children and teenagers.

“As state attorneys general, we sometimes disagree about important issues, but all of us share an abiding concern for the safety of the kids in our jurisdictions — and algorithm-driven social media platforms threaten that safety,” the coalition of attorneys general wrote in a Sept. 9 letter to congressional leaders.