Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

St. Mary Cathedral in Hamburg, Germany. / Credit: John Samuel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Deutsch, Jun 24, 2025 / 10:31 am (CNA).

The Archdiocese of Hamburg in Germany has drawn sharp criticism from former Catholic school students and others following the unveiling of a controversial 33-page sexuality education framework that critics say breaks with Catholic teaching on gender and sexual orientation.

The document, titled “Male, Female, Diverse: Framework for Sexual Education at Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Hamburg,” is scheduled for implementation across all 15 Catholic school locations in Hamburg beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Document demands acceptance

Vicar General Father Sascha-Philipp Geißler, SAC, said during the presentation that the document would not introduce new theology but advocate for “a relationship-ethically based view of love, partnership, marriage, family, and sexuality” while promoting “acceptance of diversity regarding sexual orientations and gender identity.”

The new framework explicitly states that “recognition of different identities and sexual orientations will be actively promoted.”

Under “gender diversity,” the concept encompasses not only traditional male and female identities but also “trans identity, intersexuality, or nonbinary identity.”

Students in upper secondary school will learn about “legal regulations regarding the personal status ‘diverse’ as well as transition.”

As to why these changes are being pushed, Christopher Haep, head of the archdiocese’s education department, said that “perspectives and value systems have changed in recent decades — and therefore we must also be able to provide contemporary answers to children and young people’s questions.”

The controversial German Synodal Way has also promoted gender theory: Delegates in 2023 overwhelmingly voted for a change in Church practices based on transgender ideology.

Alumni articulate ardent opposition

Former students of the Catholic Sophie-Barat-Schule mounted immediate resistance to the proposal, addressing an open letter to responsible officials shortly after the framework’s announcement. The alumni argued that the concept stands “in considerable contradiction to the binding sexual teaching of the Catholic Church.”

Their criticism particularly targets the framework’s demand for “acceptance — not just tolerance — of all sexual orientations and family constellations,” which they argue fundamentally contradicts the Church’s teaching that marriage between a man and a woman represents the only legitimate form of lived sexuality.

The critics also expressed concern about passages describing early childhood sexual experiences, calling such characterizations “highly offensive.”

The Hamburg document contrasts with recent Vatican pronouncements on the topic. Pope Francis repeatedly condemned gender ideology, calling it “the ugliest danger” of our time in March 2024.

Gender ideology, which seeks to blur differences between men and women through movements such as transgenderism, “makes everything the same,” the pontiff said.

In April 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued Dignitas Infinita, which condemned gender theory and emphasized that attempts to “obscure reference to the ineliminable sexual difference between man and woman are to be rejected.”

The document stressed that human life, in all its aspects, is a gift from God and should be accepted with gratitude.

In February, the Vatican’s doctrine chief delivered a pointed critique of gender ideology at a theological conference in Germany.

This story was based on a report published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Thousands took to the streets in Cork, Ireland, on Sunday June 22, 2025, to participate in the city’s 99th consecutive annual Eucharistic procession in Ireland’s second-largest city. / Credit: Brian Lougheed

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 23, 2025 / 16:12 pm (CNA).

Thousands of the faithful took to the streets of Cork, Ireland, on Sunday to participate in the city’s 99th consecutive annual Eucharistic procession in Ireland’s second-largest city.

The procession was led by the Butter Exchange Band and Bishop Fintan Gavin, bishop of Cork and Ross, beginning from the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Anne, with the final prayer and Benediction taking place at the National Monument on Grand Parade on a specially constructed platform.

“What a blessing it is to gather here at the heart of our city in faith, in prayer, and in hope, in the presence of one another. This procession was born from a longing for unity after division, for peace after civil conflict. It was a public act of faith,” Gavin said to all those gathered. 

“As we stand here on the threshold of the 100th year, let us be the generation that not only keeps the tradition but rekindles the fire of faith in our time. The procession we’ve just made through the streets is a living testimony to something the world needs to know more than ever: That God has not abandoned us. That in the Eucharist, we are not alone.”

Explaining the background to the procession, Father Marius O’Reilly, one of the priests of the Cork Cathedral Family of Parishes, told CNA: “The idea of taking the procession through the streets of Cork emerged in the years after the War of Independence and the Civil War in a bid to heal division. That first procession in the Cork city streets took place on June 6, 1926, where tens of thousands of people participated.”

The Irish Civil War raged between June 1922 and May 1923, following Ireland’s War of Independence from Britain. It was marked by savage brutality against both pro and anti-treaty factions, as families, parishes, and entire communities became bitterly divided by wounds that lingered for decades. 

Individuals and groups from across the city and county were part of the celebration including Catholic Girl Guides, The Guides and Scouts Europe, Youth 2000, Parish Eucharistic groups throughout the diocese, children preparing to make their first holy Communion, and the Indian Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Brazilian, African, Polish, Croatian, Ukrainian, and Brazilian communities.

Gavin thanked the people of Cork who turned out in the thousands. 

“We are most grateful for such a huge turnout. I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked in the background to make today what it was. A busy year ahead as we now prepare for the centenary next year!”

Among the attendees was Dr. Jim Clair from Cork, who told CNA: “I have been going to the Cork Eucharistic procession over the last 40 years. I find it an incredibly moving and uplifting experience. It is great to see it starting to grow over the last few years.”

Helen Gillen, also from the city, said: “It reminds me of that line from the hymn ‘Faith of Our Fathers’ LIVING still… Corpus Christi is the body and blood of Jesus still living, still breathing, still supporting and sustaining us. Our faith has been passed down through generations. We carry our faith and share it on to future generations. We unite in walking with our Savior through our streets of Cork city in his honor.”

The most notable innovation in this year’s procession was the decision to move the final prayer and Benediction back out onto the streets to a specially constructed platform at the National Monument on Grand Parade to accommodate the large numbers that couldn’t be accommodated in the cathedral.

In Knock, Ireland, on Sunday June 22, 2025, Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh urged the people of Ireland to “feel inspired and courageous” by the renewed consecration to the Sacred Heart. / Credit: Sean Flynn/Irish Catholic Bishops Conference

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 23, 2025 / 12:36 pm (CNA).

Ireland was reconsecrated to the Sacred Heart on Sunday in the town of Knock on the feast of Corpus Christi. Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh, who presided at the events, urged the people of Ireland to “feel inspired and courageous” by the renewed consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“Do not be afraid — today’s consecration will give you a new heart — a heart of love that can in turn give fresh heart to our troubled world.”

Ahead of the consecration, Martin received an apostolic blessing from Pope Leo XIV, a “pledge of joy and peace” for all who were present.

The archbishop told the faithful in Knock Basilica not to be surprised if they felt a call to go out and confront those “weighty evils that are pressing on the Church of God throughout the world” and “the many dangers encompassing and threatening ourselves near home.”

Ireland was previously consecrated to the Sacred Heart on Passion Sunday in 1873, and for decades afterward, the people of Ireland held a particular devotion to it with the image of the Sacred Heart, commonplace in virtually every Irish home.

Martin spoke to the desire to reconsecrate the country and its people now. 

“We are living in a time of great need for God — for faith, for hope, and for love. Our age presents many challenges to our faith, to our families, and indeed to the deepest core of our humanity. But as a pilgrim people filled with great love and hope in this jubilee year of graces, while recalling the the promises of the Sacred Heart made known 350 years ago to St. Margaret Mary, we have chosen to renew the consecration of our country to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus as its secure refuge from all dangers — visible and invisible.”

“Today we desire to consecrate to the most Sacred Heart: ourselves, our home, our family, our parish, and Ireland our country. We ask the Sacred Heart to have mercy on our suffering world in which he chose to dwell as one of us, to pour out the treasures of his light and love so that, as our late Pope Francis put it, the world may regain the most important and most necessary thing of all — its heart.”

Pointing to the consecration over 150 years ago, Martin said in his homily: “There are many weighty evils, my dear people, pressing on the Church of God throughout the world, and there are many dangers encompassing and threatening ourselves near home. The spirit of irreligion and infidelity is growing strong every day.”

He added: “These words are not mine. They are in fact taken from the pastoral letter of the Irish bishops sent on Passion Sunday 1873 to announce their intention to consecrate Ireland to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sadly, in many ways the bishops’ words relate to the circumstances of today.”

The archbishop continued: “With God’s help today’s consecration will motivate us to radiate the light of faith, hope, and love, especially to the poor, the suffering, and those who are most in need. It will set us on fire with the Holy Spirit, it will lift up our hearts, and give us like St. Thérèse “a thirst for souls.”

On display at the consecration Mass were four pilgrim Sacred Heart statues blessed by Pope Francis at the Vatican symbolizing Ireland’s historic four provinces. Ahead of the consecration, the pilgrim statues were brought to parishes throughout Ireland, accompanied by Father Shane Gallagher, Father John Mockler, Dom Basil Mary McCabe, and Father Shane Sullivan.

Prior to the Mass of consecration, Father Richard Gibbons, rector and parish priest of Knock Shrine, welcomed the relics of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Claude la Colombière, and Blessed Mary of the Divine Heart to the basilica where they were venerated by the congregation.

One of the keynote speakers at the reconsecration event, Jesuit Father Bernard McGuckian, explained to CNA the historical context for the consecration and Ireland’s devotion to the Sacred Heart.

“The date of consecration at Knock is exactly 350 years since Our Lord spoke to St. Margaret Mary in 1675. In 1873, what happened in Ireland was the people all assembled in their parishes, and the consecration was done parish by parish on Passion Sunday, March 30. It was a unique activity. Ireland had been terribly affected by the penal laws and decimated by famine. One of the promises to Margaret Mary was that those who put up a picture of the Sacred Heart in their homes would be blessed. In Ireland for decades practically every Catholic home would have had a Sacred Heart picture,” he said.

McGuckian detailed the incredible efforts in promoting the devotion in the 19th and early 20th century, in particular by Jesuit Father James Cullen, who as director of the Apostleship of Prayer inspired the countrywide devotion to the Sacred Heart, founded the Irish Messenger of the Sacred Heart and established the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

null / Credit: Sasapin Kanka|Shutterstock

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 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.