Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Bishop Wilhelm Krautwaschl, the bishop of Graz-Seckau in Austria, expressed being “stunned and shaken” following a deadly shooting at a school in Graz on June 10, 2025. / Credit: Screenshot / YouTube / Katholische Kirche Steiermark

CNA Deutsch, Jun 11, 2025 / 13:01 pm (CNA).

The bishop of Graz-Seckau in Austria, Wilhelm Krautwaschl, expressed being “stunned and shaken” following a deadly shooting at a school in Graz that claimed 10 lives. 

On Tuesday, a 21-year-old former student of the Bundes-Oberstufenrealgymnasium Dreischützengasse killed nine students and a teacher before taking his own life.

“This horrific act at a school in Graz leaves us stunned and shaken,” said Krautwaschl, speaking on behalf of himself and Auxiliary Bishop Johannes Freitag.

“Our deepest sympathy goes out to the students, the teaching staff, and the families. We accompany all of them with our prayers and are here to support everyone affected to the best of our ability. At the same time, we thank all those who are offering help.”

Austrian broadcaster ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) reported: “According to the authorities, nine young people between the ages of 15 and 17 and one teacher are among the dead. Eleven injured people are being treated in hospitals.”

During his general audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV prayed for the victims of the mass shooting. 

“I want to assure you of my prayers for the victims of the tragedy at the school in Graz,” the pope said. “I am close to the families, the teachers, and the classmates. May the Lord welcome these children into his peace.”

The motive of the attacker — who had left the school without graduating — remains unknown. 

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, retired archbishop of Vienna, said on X: “Beyond all the shock, grief, and anxiety, there is one big question: ‘Why?’” adding that “we will probably never find a satisfactory answer.”

Regarding the police operation, ORF reported that “special units were alerted immediately after the first emergency calls came in around 10 a.m. The building was subsequently evacuated. Students were guided, together with teaching staff, to a secure meeting point.”

Bishop Georg Bätzing, chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, expressed his “sincere condolences” and “deep sympathy” in a statement on X. 

“There are no adequate words for such a senseless and cruel act. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, with all who had to witness this act of violence, and with the chaplains and emergency responders on the ground.”

“May God’s support bring strength, comfort, and hope to all those affected,” Bätzing continued. “We include in our prayers all those impacted by this act of violence.”

This story was based on a report published by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. Last update on June 11 with more details and the final number of victims.

null / Credit: Korawat photo shoot/Shutterstock

Rome, Italy, Jun 11, 2025 / 10:46 am (CNA).

The head of a sex abuse survivors’ group in Italy expressed his doubts that a recent report on safeguarding efforts published by the Italian bishops’ conference presents a complete picture of the scale of the abuse crisis in the local Church.

Francesco Zanardi, a survivor and founder of Rete L’Abuso, told CNA that the conference (known by the Italian acronym CEI) has only published “partial reports every year or every two years” since 2020, which makes it hard to make an accurate assessment.

“It’s difficult to make a comparison because we don’t know which cases they are talking about or which geographical area in Italy they are talking about when they give these numbers,” he said. “It’s a bit like if there’s a hole in the middle of the road and instead of repairing the hole, you’re just there counting how many people fall into that hole, but you don’t fix it.”

“Let’s just say this report says nothing,” he added.

Titled “Protect, Prevent, Train: Third Survey on the Territorial Network for the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Adults,” the nearly 100-page report, published May 28, highlighted current and developing safeguarding practices within the Italian Church between 2023 and 2024.

Among them is the establishment of listening centers for clerical abuse victims in the country. According to the report, there are currently 103 centers serving 130 Italian dioceses.

In a statement released the same day, Archbishop Giuseppe Baturi of Cagliari, secretary-general of the CEI, said the report was part of a path of transparency meant “to overcome the cultural and operational resistances still present.”

“We are called to do our part, with full awareness and responsibility,” especially in promoting “institutional hubs at the local level, as well as a deeper cultural awareness, in particular within universities.”

While the report noted “significant progress in training and awareness,” it noted an increase in abuse cases, the majority of which were committed within a “parish setting.” An estimated 115 (64 male and 51 female) past and current victims reported their abuse between 2023 and 2024. Comparatively, in 2022, 54 victims reported abuse, while 89 victims reported being abused in 2020.

The abuses were committed by “67 alleged perpetrators,” including “44 clergy members, 15 religious, and eight laypersons,” the report stated.

Chiara Griffini, president of the CEI’s Office for the Protection of Minors, said the increase in cases was “concerning because, as we have always said, even a single case, for what the Church is and represents, will always be too many.”

“There are 69 reported cases, 37 of which are current — which tells us that there is clearly an ongoing phenomenon — and 32 are from the past,” she said in an interview with CNA on June 11. “So, looking at these 32 from the past, I think that the prevention work we have put in place is, in some way, sowing some seeds.”

Griffini added that making those reported abuses public was a sign that the bishops’ conference is aiming for transparency and that “the path we have undertaken is certainly an important one and there is no turning back.”

“Child protection must be an integral part of the Church’s mission,” she said.

However, Zanardi told CNA that although the report states the number of victims who have come forward in the past year, it doesn’t state what the Church has done to assist them.

“It says there are 115 victims. Fine. Have you compensated them? Have you given them psychological assistance? Nothing is known about this,” he said.

Griffini told CNA that while the task of the listening centers is to collect reported abuses and to inform ecclesiastical authorities about those cases, compensation to victims “concerns a procedural phase and therefore does not fall within the scope” of the centers.

She also noted that the report highlights the various means of support offered to victims and their families by the listening centers, including “psychotherapeutic support, spiritual support, and other forms that have not been detailed but which represent a form of support and closeness that the listening center offers to victims.”

Among the other concerns Zanardi expressed were that Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Milan, president of the CEI, did not keep his word that the reports would examine cases from 2000 onward.

At a 2022 press conference, Zuppi announced the publishing of the annual reports and said it would only analyze cases dating back to 2000 and no further because “judging something from 80 years ago by today’s criteria, something that was was judged by other criteria at the time, creates difficulties of evaluation.” 

However, the first report released in November 2022 only published information on cases from 2020. 

On its website, Rete L’Abuso compiled its own list of abuse cases in Italy dating back to 2000. Zanardi said that based on the data and files they have collected from victims, “we count 1,035 pedophile priests who have abused 4,267 victims. That is a real figure.” 

During the press conference two years ago, Zuppi publicly offered to meet with Zanardi and told him: “If you have a case, tell us.” 

The head of Rete L’Abuso told CNA that he met with Zuppi on several occasions and had brought the cases his network had collected.  

“I brought them, but then he never wanted to take them,” he said. “Now, they [the Italian bishops’ conference] have declared that they will not take data from associations or anyone else but only data that arrives at their help desks.”

For this reason, he added, the current report most likely contains incomplete data since not all victims, especially those “who no longer believe in the Church,” would report their abuse to a diocesan listening center.

However, Griffini clarified that the annual survey is meant as a “monitoring and accountability tool” for the safeguarding policies adopted by the CEI in 2019.

“Therefore, the surveys start from 2020 precisely because their purpose is to monitor whether the system that was created, both to generate safe ecclesial environments and to intercept alleged abuses, is working,” she said.

Griffini also told CNA that a “pilot study” dealing with “verified cases of abuse against minors in the 20-year period between 2001 and 2021” is still in progress and expected to be published “in the first months of 2026.”

She added that the study is being compiled by “two third-party and completely independent bodies”: the Center for Victimology and Security at the University of Bologna and the Istituto degli Innocenti (Institute of the Innocents) based in Florence.

“Researchers will deliver the data to a commission appointed by the bishops’ conference, which will carry out interpretations at the ecclesial level, and the study will be published in its entirety, just as they have reported it,” she explained.

Zanardi expressed doubts that the Italian Church could be trusted to monitor itself and said he had filed a request with Italian prosecutors to conduct an independent investigation, like those conducted in Spain and France. However, he noted, it was doubtful such an inquiry would happen because of the relationship between church and state.

“Let’s say that Italy is a very distinct country, where in fact they are letting the Church do everything, but the state doesn’t interfere,” he said. “It doesn’t meddle, as they say, like the Mafia.”

Griffini argued that the pilot study “is an independent investigation because the two bodies are clearly not of an ecclesial nature; they are academic bodies that have received a mandate, just as other independent commissions had mandates, and they will respond according to scientific criteria.”

Once completed, she said, the 2026 study will develop further research “that can truly shed more light on this phenomenon to help us, in the present day, to make non-repetition possible and, at the same time, find what may be the best practices for justice and reparation.”

The city of Birmingham in the United Kingdom is the site of the WeBelieve festival from July 25–28, 2025. / Credit: Alexey Fedorenko/Shutterstock

London, England, Jun 11, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

A new Catholic festival in England hopes to bring many different expressions of the Church together under one banner from July 25–28. The breadth of the festival, called WeBelieve, is unique in a country where conferences are often focused on a particular movement or expression of Catholicism.

“There was a sense that we needed an annual festival that we could run on a regular basis, that could create momentum to bring the Church together,” said Monsignor John Armitage, the master of the Guild of Our Lady of Ransom, a group that supports evangelization in England and the driver of the new initiative. 

Speakers for the event include Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark; Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla, daughter of St. Gianna Beretta Molla; Lord Maurice Glasman, who will discuss Catholic social teaching; Dominican Father Toby Lees; Bishop Habila Daboh of the Diocese of Zaria in Nigeria; and convert from Anglicanism Monsignor Michael Nazir-Ali. They will join overnight campers and visitors in Birmingham in the center of England at the historic site of St. Mary’s College, Oscott. 

Liturgies during the festival will be enhanced by different musical styles, from modern worship to the Renaissance polyphony and Gregorian chant of the Southwell Consort, the Latin Mass Society’s mixed-voice choir in London. The Roman rites represented will include the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM), Ukrainian, and Syro-Malabar.

“A festival of Catholic life that would show to the Church and to those who are enquiring, ‘This is the Catholic Church, this is what we do, this is who we are,’” Armitage said. “One very wise person said that the thing about festivals is that they shape cultures. We are looking to help the Church understand itself, not doctrinally, because that is settled, but in terms of the culture we are living in.”

Among young adults there is a strong interest in traditional expressions of the Catholic faith such as the TLM but also more “charismatic” movements such as Youth 2000, which meets at Ampleforth each year and typically has a modern worship music style. 

All will have a place at the new festival. Central to WeBelieve, Armitage said, is to celebrate and include all. 

“Catholic — that’s what it means,” he said. “We’re not traditional, we’re not conservative, we’re not liberal. They’re political terms. We’re Catholic, which means it’s universal. It’s based on the doctrine of the Church; it’s Catholic.

“We’re having a festival, a celebration of the Catholic faith in all its different expressions, of how we live it out. We wanted it to be Catholic so that everyone could come and be part of it and feel there was something here that could speak to them. They may also find other aspects of the Church they’ve never seen before.” 

The festival has already sold 600 tickets but has the capacity for up to 3,000 people, including day visitors, Armitage said.

More than 100 Catholic organizations have signed up to participate already. The hope is that this will be the first of an annual gathering that will move to different regions.

“If possible we want to make this part of the Catholic story of this country,” Armitage said.

The organizers of the festival see deep significance in this being the first year, as it is one of celebration. Not only is it a year of jubilee in the Catholic Church but it’s also the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed and the 175th anniversary of the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England and Wales.

What wasn’t known two years ago when the idea for the festival was first discussed was the extraordinary increase in conversions and interest in Catholicism, especially in young adults, seen in England, France, and elsewhere this year.

The previously dominant Christian tradition, the Church of England, has numerous festivals and ministries aimed at young people but recently published research by the Bible Society that reports that among young adults or Generation Z — which is now second to the elderly as the second most likely age group to attend church — that twice as many attend Catholic churches as Anglican.

This is perhaps the opposite of what might be expected as the Church of England over the past century has moved to approve contraception, stay quiet on the legalization of abortion, lower restrictions on those who are divorced, install female vicars and then bishops, and offer blessings to homosexual couples.

While these changes may be viewed by some as more palatable to younger people, the resurgence of faith in young adults seems to be toward more traditional expressions of Christianity.

“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,” Armitage said. “If a Christian community doesn’t live the truth in its fullness… many churches that go down that path are struggling. The [Catholic] Church teaches the truth, and that’s why so many people feel that they can find true freedom.”

He continued: “That’s why it’s important that we talk about not the identity — not ‘this group or that group’ or ‘this program or that program’ — it’s about Jesus Christ, full stop. If we stick to that, everything is going to be fine.”

Young people hold crosses as they arrive for Mass during the traditional Pentecostal pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, in Sonchamp, near Paris, on June 8, 2025. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).

The 43rd annual Paris-Chartres pilgrimage concluded on Monday with a solemn high Mass at Chartres Cathedral, marking the end of a record-breaking three-day journey that drew 19,000 participants — the largest attendance in the event’s four-decade history. 

The three-day trek from Paris to Chartres represents a demanding challenge — one both physical and spiritual — that continues to attract growing numbers of young Catholics seeking deeper spiritual experiences. 

Organized by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, the pilgrimage began on Saturday, June 7, at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris and concluded at the Gothic cathedral, which houses the sacred relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.  

Bishop Philippe Christory of Chartres delivered the homily at the closing Mass, celebrated by Abbé Jean de Massia, FSSP, the pilgrimage’s general chaplain. 

Christory reportedly told the pilgrims before Mass: “We know that Pope Leo prays for every pilgrim to live a personal encounter with Christ.”

Registration for this year’s pilgrimage closed within five days of opening, necessitating a waiting list of 2,000 additional participants. The average age of pilgrims was 20 years old, reflecting a broader trend among young Catholics who are gravitating toward traditional liturgy. 

“The enthusiasm sparked by all the pilgrimage opportunities in France — especially those for young people — is a joy for the Church and a sign of its vitality,” the French Bishops’ Conference stated. 

The event’s growth in recent years has been remarkable, increasing from 16,000 participants in 2023 to 18,000 in 2024 and now to 19,000 in 2025.  

Philippe Darantière, president of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, indicated that organizers are already planning structural changes for 2026 to accommodate even greater numbers. 

The pilgrimage maintained its traditional character, with more than 300 Latin Masses celebrated throughout the three days. Participants walked approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) through the French countryside, praying the rosary and camping overnight at designated sites. More than 1,000 volunteers and 120 executives from Notre-Dame de Chrétienté supported the pilgrims during their journey.

The closing ceremony coincided with Chartres Cathedral’s millennium jubilee celebration, allowing pilgrims to pass through the Holy Doors and venerate the relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.  

The Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association also consecrated itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, marking the 350th anniversary of Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. 

Cardinal Anders Arborelius of Stockholm at the consistory in St. Peter’s Basilica on June 28, 2017. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Stockholm, Sweden, Jun 9, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The conclave that elected Pope Leo XIV was first and foremost a unifying experience, despite the frantic pace and intrigue, said Swedish Cardinal Anders Arborelius.

“The conclave was a wonderful experience of unity in the Church and openness to the voice of the Spirit,” Arborelius told CNA on June 5. “It was also very well organized.”

However, one of the primary challenges for the cardinals at the conclave was getting to know one another, especially those from faraway countries.

During the general congregations prior to the conclave, when cardinals discussed the challenges that the Church and the new pope would face, Arborelius told the New York Times that the “cardinals don’t know each other so well” and that he himself felt “lost all the time.”

The cardinal explained to CNA that the College of Cardinals got “an overview of the universal Church but not so much guidance for electing a pope.”

“It was interesting to meet all the cardinals and listen to them but also a bit tiring to listen for hours,” he said.

Nevertheless, despite constant media speculation, the surprise election of then-Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 266th successor to St. Peter was welcomed by the Swedish cardinal who, as a member of the Dicastery for Bishops, knew him well.

“It was really an experience of God’s grace to see a cardinal who suddenly became the vicar of Christ, and I could feel that he was the right person, chosen by God,” the cardinal told CNA.  

He also said he was “struck” by Pope Leo’s “humility and simplicity” when addressing the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square after his election, which he said was “a sign of the Holy Spirit and his guidance.”

Within the first month of his pontificate, Pope Leo set about visiting officials from the Vatican dicasteries and offices. For Arborelius, the many meetings show that “he is a person eager to establish dialogue on so many levels.”

“I am very grateful for Pope Leo, and it is extraordinary that he has been able to achieve so much in a short period,” the cardinal said.

His election, he added, “means that we enter a new chapter in the history of the Church and we have to be open to divine providence and how Pope Leo will guide us to holiness in a secular and divided world that badly needs the Gospel.”

Arborelius said that, although he would appreciate a papal visit from Pope Leo XIV, he hopes that the new pope will be able to visit Catholics in the neighboring countries of Scandinavia.  

“I am sure he will visit many countries. Maybe it is now time for the other northern countries to have a papal visit!” he said.

Over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally on June 8, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of All Ireland Rosary Rally

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 9, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

This past weekend, over 10,000 pilgrims joined together at the national Marian shrine in Knock, Ireland, to mark the 40th anniversary of the All Ireland Rosary Rally.

Since the rally began in 1985, it has attracted increasingly larger crowds. This year’s rally included a youth conference and a prayer vigil in the basilica to welcome the feast of Pentecost. Hundreds of rally-goers joined together to create a huge human rosary outside. On Sunday morning, attendees climbed Croagh Patrick holy mountain where Mass was celebrated at noon at the summit. 

“We are inspired in our efforts by the rallies of Father Patrick Peyton, a [County] Mayo native who inspired millions around the globe,” event organizer Father Marius O’Reilly told CNA. “We aim to spread Father Peyton’s timeless message that a world at prayer is a world at peace.”

He added: “In today’s climate of conflict, people increasingly recognize the importance of this simple yet powerful message.”

Monsignor Steve Rossetti, an exorcist and priest from Syracuse, New York, was in Ireland for the rally and echoed O’Reilly’s message, warning the thousands of faithful gathered in Knock that the battle against evil and the forces of darkness in our world has never been clearer.

“I believe that the holy gathering at Knock will be a powerful force for good in Ireland and indeed the entire world,” he said.

Stressing how prayer can help us to overcome evil in the world, he added: “God is by nature merciful; God cannot not be merciful; even hell is a mercy.”

Rosetti went on to explain: “We see this in an exorcism. When we simply sprinkle a little holy water or hold up a crucifix, the demons scream in agony. Could you imagine the incredible torment it would be for demons or the unclean damned to be thrust into the direct all-presence of our infinite holy God? The radiance of God’s holiness would be beyond suffering for them. Hell is the only place they can exist, and they have willingly chosen it.”

In his homily during a Mass of healing at the rally, Bishop Donal McKeown of Derry highlighted the rosary as a transformative tool for profound spiritual renewal and missionary engagement in the modern world. He reflected on the challenges of contemporary life.

“We live in a frenetic age. Speed is of the essence. Attention spans are increasingly brief. Listening is in short supply.” He urged the faithful to embrace the rosary as an antidote to this cultural haste, describing it as “rooted in the wisdom of the ages that can free us to be, like Mary, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.”

Christine O’Hara, a teacher from County Cork, shared her experience at the rally with CNA.

“I attended the rosary rally the past two years with a group of students from Coláiste Chríost Rí,” she explained. “Students felt the presence of Christ at holy Mass in the basilica and in the Apparition Chapel. All the students got confession. The atmosphere was amazing. It was wonderful to see thousands of people in Knock.”

O’Reilly reflected on the success of the rally. “There is a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the world, and we believe this event and events like it can help people as they join together in solidarity and prayer and ultimately in hope,” he said.

Three teen brothers from Ireland have turned their admiration for Blessed Carlo Acutis into a movie called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Flynn family

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 9, 2025 / 12:22 pm (CNA).

Three teen brothers from Ireland have turned their admiration for Blessed Carlo Acutis into a Lego movie about the life of the soon-to-be canonized teenage Italian Catholic who died from leukemia at the age of 15.

The short film called “Lego Movie — The Incredible Life of Carlo Acutis” is now available on YouTube under the name Fiontar Floinn.

Brothers Louis, Iosaf, and Oliver Flynn, ages 16, 14, and 18, from Kilcornan in County Limerick, Ireland, have been making Lego movies since 2015 when they got their hands on an iPad mini. Youngest brother Iosaf’s job is to build the sets and narrate, while Louis and Oliver plan, animate, and do the filming.

Ten years into their efforts, they have now created a movie made with Lego about Blessed Carlo Acutis that dovetails perfectly with the interests and appeal of the young Italian blessed, whose canonization date was delayed because of the death of Pope Francis.

The Flynns told CNA that they found in Acutis a young person whose life and interests resonated deeply with their own.

“We were really inspired by him,” Louis said. “I mean, it’s kind of unprecedented, obviously, that he’s going to be made a saint. He was very unique in the sense that he was very relatable to us.”

In the process of making the movie, which was time-consuming, detailed, and at times frustrating, Louis said he felt the presence of Acutis helping them overcome problems and deal with frustrations.

“Just even with this video, we were having technical problems with it, and we just asked Carlo for his intervention, and I did definitely see a difference when we asked him anything. I can just see things with better clarity,” Louis said.

The release of the short Lego movie is timely as the the rescheduling of Acutis’ canonization is being discussed in Rome. 

Louis said he now has a clear and positive commitment to his own Catholic faith. “Definitely, over the last year, I have made a commitment to go to Mass every single day as a bare minimum. I don’t have to have that much discipline to do it, but it means one personal prayer to God every day, which is great, a real blessing.”

The brothers’ previous Lego movies included one on Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as one on St. Patrick. They learned from that production how to make their sets more advanced and detailed. 

But Louis said it was a challenge to write the Carlo Acutis script because the Italian teen is so well known and his life has been heavily documented.

“You have a lot of creative license with St. Patrick, which isn’t there with Carlos, because everything is so much more recent,” he said. “So that was, that was a bit more, that was a bit of a challenge, but we just really wanted to share with fellow young people his message and just his way of life.”

Louis explained to CNA the level of detail involved in creating such a movie with Legos.

“Yeah, it generally starts completely off our own minds. We don’t have any screen involved until we actually start filming. So that would involve piecing together the story on each individual movement, for a shot, and that we break that down into figuring out how many Lego sets we’d need to make, or which characters to include.”

Each individual movement for each character or element in a scene has to be moved, shot, and moved again, a time-consuming and laborious process. The creative production process over their short filmmaking career has been one of discernment and learning, Louis said. 

“We have a clear picture of what we are going to produce. And what you’re going to see on screen before we do any actual physical work, and then we start building the sets, and over time, it’s got much more advanced, the techniques for building sets. But the end product is more impressive,” he said.

His personal admiration for Acutis is clear: “I just think he is very inspiring. His faith, his age, the fact he had an interest in kind of spreading good news stories via technology.”

Louis said he drew strength from Acutis as the brothers tackled the project. “You know, nowadays, so much of technology is not being put to good use by people, and Carlo just knew exactly what it was made for by God and all the good it could get.”

Lois McLatchie Miller and Chris Elston were arrested by Belgian police June 5, 2025, while advocating for child protection from transgender medical treatments. / Credit: ADF International

CNA Staff, Jun 7, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Police in Brussels arrested pro-life activist Lois McLatchie Miller and child protection advocate Chris Elston on Wednesday for peacefully displaying signs that advocated for the protection of children against transgender medical treatments.

The incident occurred when Miller, a Scottish senior legal communications officer with ADF International, and Elston, a Canadian pro-child activist known as “Billboard Chris,” were surrounded by an angry mob as they held signs that read “Children are never born in the wrong body” and “Children cannot consent to puberty blockers.”

The pair were in the EU capital engaging members of the European Parliament about the dangers of puberty blockers for children.

Belgian police arrested the duo amid the nonviolent demonstration. Officers took them to separate police stations, where they were ordered to remove their clothes and subjected to searches.

They were released after several hours in custody with no charges filed, though police informed them that their signs would be destroyed.

Elston said police initially told them they needed a permit and were later told they would be charged with “disturbing the peace.”

“I just can’t believe that we live in a world where we were the bad guys in this situation,” Miller said in a video posted to social media after her release.

Speaking of the police, she said: “They saw that we were the minority, that we were being attacked … Instead of standing up for our rights … they took us away and let the mob go free.”

On June 6, Miller’s husband and fellow pro-life advocate Calum Miller told “EWTN News Nightly” that Europe needs to “wake up” and that Americans have a “profound role” in helping Europeans preserve their basic freedoms. 

He also called for the sanction of politicians and authorities involved in the assault on free speech in Europe.

Paul Coleman, the executive director of ADF International, condemned the arrests, stating: “The Belgian authorities not only failed to uphold the fundamental right to speak freely, they turned the power of the state against those who were peacefully exercising their rights at the behest of a mob.” 

Coleman described the incident as a disturbing display of authoritarianism in the heart of Europe, emphasizing that ADF International is exploring all legal options to defend free speech rights in Belgium. 

“We are grateful our colleague has been safely released, but we are deeply concerned by her treatment at the hands of the police in Brussels,” he added.

After his release, Elston said activists “are not going to stop” talking about the dangers of puberty blockers for children. “We are going to keep having these conversations.” 

The arrests come amid tensions over free expression in Belgium. Just a year ago, a Brussels mayor attempted to shut down the National Conservatism Conference, citing ideological disagreements with its speakers. 

ADF International intervened with emergency legal action that allowed the event to take place. The organization is vowing to challenge the recent arrests as well.

“We will not stand by while peaceful citizens are criminalized for speaking out on vital issues — especially when it’s the safety and well-being of children at stake,” Coleman said.

Eighteen thousand pilgrims make their way to Chartres through the French fields at sunrise during the 2024 Paris to Chartres pilgrimage. / Credit: Notre-Dame de Chrétienté

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Over 19,000 young Catholics will walk from Paris to Chartres this weekend in what has become France’s largest traditional pilgrimage — but this year’s journey unfolds under unprecedented Vatican scrutiny.

Organized by the French Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association, the three-day walking journey — set to take place this year from June 7–9 from the French capital to the ancient cathedral — attracts thousands of pilgrims every year, many of them drawn by the Latin Mass.

While the pilgrimage saw a record turnout of around 18,000 participants in 2024 (up from 16,000 in 2023), this year’s registration filled up in just five days, with over 19,000 pilgrims signing up, a “record level of participation,” according to organizers.

The average age of pilgrims this year is 20 years old, according to the latest numbers. 

“The enthusiasm sparked by all the pilgrimage opportunities in France — especially those for young people — is a joy for the Church and a sign of its vitality,” the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) told Aleteia earlier this month.

Summoning those drawn by tradition, the pilgrimage helps pilgrims “to grow in faith and hope” by “bringing them back to basic fundamentals: prayer, the Eucharist, and penance” and to “encourage them to live out Christianity in their daily lives,” Notre-Dame de Chrétienté told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, last year. 

Changes to this year’s pilgrimage

The surge of young pilgrims and the rapid closure of registrations signal for many a vibrant faith among youth drawn to the Traditional Latin Mass, which is celebrated along the pilgrimage.

At the same time, the pilgrimage has been under heightened scrutiny since the publication of Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditiones Custodes that restricts and regulates the use of the Traditional Latin Mass, placing its celebration under the strict oversight of local bishops and the Holy See.

In December 2024, the French Catholic daily La Croix first reported that the pilgrimage was under Vatican review, as the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments believed that it was not adhering to current regulations for celebrating Mass as set out in the papal decree.

At the beginning of last month, Bishop Philippe Christory of Chartres asked that the organizers of the pilgrimage allow priests who wish to do so to celebrate Mass in the current rite within his diocese, even though the pilgrimage has traditionally maintained exclusive use of the old Mass.

In addition, “all priests have to celebrate the sacrament of penance according to the ritual reformed by the council,” according to a decree issued in the name of the Bishops’ Conference of France in consultation with the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

“It is not up to the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association to limit the form of the rite within the territory of a diocese,” the bishop of Chartres told the French Press, citing Pope Benedict XVI in his letter to bishops accompanying the publication of Summorum Pontificum.

“[I]n order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness,” the late pope wrote at the time. 

Restrictions on traditional pilgrimages worldwide

While it has not seen any further major modifications, the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté pilgrimage would not be the first “traditionalist” pilgrimage to face restrictions imposed by Rome. 

Since 2023, the annual Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage in Rome was denied permission to celebrate Holy Mass in the Tridentine rite in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In July 2024, the Vatican prohibited the celebration of the Latin Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, which customarily takes place at the conclusion of the annual Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad pilgrimage — a Spanish reproduction of the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage.

Despite rumors that the Vatican might prohibit the closing Mass, as happened in Spain, the final Mass in Chartres, which will mark the cathedral’s millennium jubilee, remains confirmed.

This year, the solemn high Mass will be celebrated by the general chaplain of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, Abbé Jean de Massia, FSSP. Christory will deliver the homily.

At the beginning of the closing Mass, Notre-Dame de Chrétienté will consecrate itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial. The pilgrims will be able to pass through the Holy Doors of the cathedral opened for its celebration and venerate the relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.

In addition, Bishop Athanasius Schneider will celebrate the solemn high Mass on Pentecost Sunday along the road to Chartres. Further, 327 Latin masses are scheduled to take place in tents and fields throughout the pilgrimage. 

Eyes turned to Rome

Looking ahead, Christory has emphasized that any final decision rests with Rome, with the prelate stating that “if anyone is to decide anything, it is the pope.”

With the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, recently drawing attention for its proposed norms regarding the Latin liturgy, many eyes have turned to Rome, awaiting a clearer sense of where Pope Leo XIV stands on the future of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).

Many have taken note of Leo XIV’s constant calls for unity and the sense of openness to tradition and liturgical pluralism — at least toward other Catholic rites — that he conveys. 

“It would be a lie to say that we don’t have expectations for this new pontificate,” Philippe Darantière, president of the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association, said at the press conference presenting the 2025 edition of the Chartres pilgrimage on May 12.

Easter Vigil in Dublin, Ireland. / Credit: Archdiocese of Dublin

Dublin, Ireland, Jun 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Thirty-year-old Mahon McCann was baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass in his parish of Rathfarnham in Dublin this year. He was one of 70 adults baptized into the Catholic faith that evening in the Dublin Archdiocese, the largest number of adult baptisms recorded there. 

The recent upturn in the number of people being received into the Catholic faith in Ireland can be partly explained by young adults who are seeking and searching, people who are looking for a home, somewhere they can be accompanied and grow in faith, according to Patricia Carroll, director of the office for mission and ministry in the archdiocese.

“The new Irish are coming from other countries. Then the others are Irish,” Carroll told CNA. “A lot of parents here decided that they wouldn’t bring their children through the sacraments. So that generation is starting to come to the fore, seeking and searching, looking for something.”

Carroll highlighted one development she considers integral and essential. “In our diocese, our youth and pastoral teams have focused a lot on training catechists. That means places are growing where you can come to get your catechesis.” 

In Dublin in May, 52 laypeople received certificates as catechists. The archdiocese offers a dedicated course in catechetics for those who feel called to the ministry of catechist, including people already doing some parish catechesis and members of parish sacramental teams.

Auxiliary Bishop Donal Roche of Dublin speaking at the Presentation of the Diocesan Certificate in Catechesis Our Lady of Victories Church in Ballymun said: “We are making great progress in the task of opening the hearts and minds of those who have come to the door of the Church to look in, not sure who or what they will encounter inside.”

Speaking at the 800th anniversary of the canonization of Laurence O’Toole in France in May, Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell directly referenced the phenomenon of faith resurgence happening in Ireland. 

”Beneath the surface in Dublin, another story emerges, albeit faintly,” the archbishop said. “Small numbers of young adults are discovering their faith and gathering to celebrate it. Dublin had the largest group ever seeking adult baptism during this Jubilee of Hope. Most of these people are young adults who have come to Ireland, and it is among the new Irish that renewal is most evident.”

McCann is one example of that. “I was raised as an atheist, not just with no religion but in opposition to religion,” he said. “In the sense that there was no God; Christianity was a lie. Catholicism was a lie. It was kind of something we would get past or get over. I never went to Mass and would have gone to a few funerals. I had no real experience with Catholicism or any institutional religion at all.”

When McCann was growing up in Dublin, the percentage of people answering “none” to the question of their religious denomination was in the single digits; now it has ballooned to about 25%.

Carroll told CNA that there is a noticeable increase among adults seeking baptism.

“Since Easter, I get two or three calls per week from young persons who want to become Catholic and wonder what they are to do,” she said. “So what we do is direct them to parishes where there are catechists so that they can accompany them.”

“That is a kind of spin-off of two years now of catechist training,” she continued. “Diocesan catechism in our RCIA [Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, now called OCIA in the U.S.] is becoming more alive and more intentional. So I think those are all factors explaining why the numbers have gone up.”

Carroll is optimistic for the future.

“I expect the numbers to continue to go up because I think in the city of Dublin itself, there are a lot of what I would call ‘seeking and searching’ young people, and they’re looking for a home, they’re looking for somewhere they can be accompanied and grow in faith. So that’s a very hopeful kind of story, really, for us, and it counteracts that story of the Church is dying. The Church is not dying. The Church is not going to go back to the way that it was. And that would be regressive anyway. There is a new Church emerging.”

Carroll outlined the typical journey these new Catholics take when it comes to joining the Church. 

“It’s a process of accompaniment,” she said. “First of all, there’s a whole period of inquiry. And that’s not about filling in a form; that’s about that spiritual search moment. Depending on the person, that can be a long, extended period, or shorter. After that, they are then into the catechumenate. They need to more intentionally be accompanied, to understand the sacramental life, the Church, and the creed. Those were two big things, and once they’ve done that, they’re ready for the Easter Vigil.”

There are many positive stories elsewhere. In the Diocese of Dromore, Tyrell Scarborough recently underwent the journey of seeking faith, culminating in his baptism.

“Many of my friends throughout my life have been Catholic, and I’ve always been curious about Catholicism. Everyone, except for myself, was Catholic, and I was like, I just felt like the odd one out every single time I would go to events.”

He told CNA: “I thought would it hurt for me to also, like, look into delving into this, this religion I’ve always felt a close association with. So I was like, right, why not at least look and see what this journey would be like, or would it be like for me to become that?”

“I was just recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They call it the lonely disease because it is, like, not working anymore. I needed a sense of community again, and the Church has provided it for me,” he shared.

In Dublin, McCann’s faith journey continues: “Obviously, I’ve never done any of this stuff before, so I’m working off the kind of five stones or five pillars: trying to go to Mass every week, prayer, a bit of fasting, you know, reading Scripture, and also just trying to meet other people who are on a similar journey, getting a sense of community, and then, you know, giving back in any way I can.”