Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

The Cathedral Church of St. Barnabas in Nottingham, England, U.K. / Credit: Kevin George/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Apr 8, 2025 / 14:56 pm (CNA).

A new study from the United Kingdom has found that among members of Gen Z in the U.K., Catholics now outnumber Anglicans 2 to 1 — part of a pattern observed across all age groups whereby participation in Catholicism has risen in recent years while Anglicanism has declined. 

A report from the Bible Society, a U.K. charity that translates and distributes the Bible worldwide, found that the practice of Christianity in general is growing in the U.K. after decades of decline, driven by a growing participation of young adults, and young men in particular. 

The study, based on YouGov surveys commissioned by the Bible Society, also concluded that many young people are seeking community and belief in God, and that in an age of poor mental health, distraction, and fragmentation wrought by social media, many are interested in prayer and in the Bible. 

“The results of this thorough and robust study demonstrate that over the space of only six years, there has been a significant growth in the numbers of people going to church; Christians are practicing their religion more intentionally; more young people are finding faith; more people are reading the Bible,” the report’s introduction reads. 

According to the report, the youngest group studied is now the second most likely group in the U.K. to attend church, with 16% of 18- to 24-year-olds saying they are monthly churchgoers compared with 19% of those over age 65. 

In addition, over a fifth of men aged 18 to 24 (21%) now say they are attending church monthly, higher than their female peers at 12%. 

Among those 18- to-24-year-olds, only 20% of churchgoers identify as Anglican, down from 30% in 2018, compared with 41% identifying as Catholic and 18% as Pentecostal.

Among the populations studied, 18- to-24-year-olds were the most likely to say they believe there is “definitely a God/gods or higher power,” at 33%, and also the most likely to pray regularly, with 23% saying they pray at least daily compared with 17% of the rest of the population, and a total of 37% saying they pray at least monthly compared with 30% of the rest of the population.

However, the report also found that the highest rates of Bible reading are within Baptist, independent evangelical, new churches, and Pentecostal expressions, all of which reported weekly Bible reading at around 90%. The lowest weekly Bible reading rates are among Anglicans and Catholics, at 61% and 56% respectively. 

The report’s authors, painting a hopeful picture for the future, concluded that Gen Z is more spiritually engaged than most other living generations, and that this openness presents a significant opportunity for outreach and engagement. 

The report also emphasized the positive impacts of churchgoing for individual and community well-being, noting that churchgoers report higher life satisfaction, a greater feeling of community connection, and lower rates of depression and anxiety. They are also more likely to be socially engaged and charitable. 

The Bible Society’s recent study comes following reports earlier this year that Mass attendance levels in the U.K., though not yet near pre-pandemic levels, are rising. 

Stephen Bullivant, director of the Benedict XVI Centre for Religion and Society at St. Mary’s University in Twickenham, London, told CNA in February he is “tentatively hopeful that this trend for modest (re)growth will continue in subsequent years.”

He pointed to a 2024 article he wrote for the Tablet in which he noted that while Mass attendance in the U.K. has significantly decreased over the past several decades — leading to projections of a near-extinction of Catholicism — such dire projections seem unlikely due to signs of growth in some areas of U.K. Catholic life. 

That said, Mass attendance stood at roughly 829,000 across England, Wales, and Scotland on a “typical Sunday” in 2019, Bullivant wrote, meaning attendance still has a long way to climb before it reaches pre-pandemic levels, if ever. 

In addition, a late 2024 study showed that the sexual abuse crisis deeply affected Catholics in Britain, with a third of Mass-goers saying they have reduced their Mass attendance because of concerns about the child sexual abuse crisis.

In his article, however, Bullivant pointed to signs of renewed vigor and new growth in some areas in the Church in the U.K., such as anecdotal reports of increased attendance at Easter services and relatively large numbers of adult converts, thriving university chaplaincies, and vibrant diasporic and immigrant communities, suggesting that while secularization has deeply impacted the Church, it is unlikely to result in complete disappearance. 

“To put it frankly, rumors of the Church’s death — albeit four decades hence — have been very greatly exaggerated,” Bullivant wrote. 

“There’s a big difference between ‘not dying out’ and ‘bursting with new life,’ however,” he noted. “British Catholicism might be the former, but that needn’t mean it’s anything close to the latter.”

A fishing boat returns to Bridlington Harbor after a day at sea on Jan. 31, 2025, in Bridlington, England. Bridlington is the leading shellfish port in Europe. / Credit: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Apr 7, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A major U.K.-based Catholic seafarers ministry is calling on regulatory authorities to push for better labor conditions for workers in the seafood and fishing industries. 

Stella Maris, a support ministry for sea workers that boasts “the largest ship-visiting network in the world,” said in a statement to CNA that seafood certification programs “must adopt a stronger commitment to human rights due diligence” to ensure “labor protections,” “fair pay, safe working conditions,” and other measures to protect workers on the sea. 

Tim Hill, the organization’s CEO and national director, shared Stella Maris’ position paper with CNA in which the group called on “seafood certification bodies, governments, and industry leaders to take immediate and positive action” to secure those goals.

The industry should “work together to create a seafood industry that respects human dignity and ethical practices,” the group said. 

‘Every seafarer deserves fair working conditions’

Stella Maris originated in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1920. Originally named Apostleship of the Sea, the organization offers “practical and pastoral support, information, and a friend in times of need” to those who work on the water. 

In 2012, then-Pope Benedict XVI hailed the group’s “affectionate attention to those who cannot receive ordinary pastoral care.”

The Holy Father at the time addressed fishermen “who seek decent and safe working conditions, safeguarding the dignity of your families, the protection of the environment, and the defense of every person’s dignity,” assuring those workers of “the Church’s closeness,” including through the sea ministry. 

Though it has long offered religious ministry to seaworkers, Stella Maris has also advocated for improved labor conditions. Last year it called on the British government to take action to protect fishermen amid reports of modern-day slavery and human trafficking among shippers. 

In its recent call for improved labor conditions, the group pointed to the U.N.’s International Labor Organization Convention 188, which set forth a list of protections for fishing workers, including wage requirements and occupational safety. 

Many fishing nations “have yet to ratify” the document, Stella Maris said, “leaving fishers vulnerable to exploitation, forced labor, and unsafe conditions.”

The group said it advocates the ratification of those labor standards as well as other measures such as crackdowns on illegal fishing, labor trafficking, excessive working hours, and stolen wages. 

Also important, the group said, is access to Wi-Fi internet on fishing boats.

“Many fishers often spend long periods at sea in isolation, making it hard for them to contact the outside world, impacting their mental health and ability to report abuse,” Stella Maris said. Wi-Fi access can serve to help fishers “report problems and learn about their rights.”

Praising the ministry for its spiritual and material support of fishing workers, Pope Francis in 2022 urged Stella Maris to continue “drawing attention to the issues which deprive many within the maritime community of their God-given human dignity.”

Stella Maris, meanwhile, in its paper called for “effective oversight mechanisms” for certification programs as well as “greater transparency, accountability, and collaboration with civil society” on the part of seafood leaders.

Unions and welfare groups “should be at the center” of the certification process, they argued, to “verify working conditions on boats and in processing places.” Violators, meanwhile, should be required to implement plans to address labor issues.

The group said it would continue working “to create a seafood industry that upholds human dignity, justice, and ethical responsibility.”

A liturgical procession outside the Freiburg Cathedral on Nov. 17, 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Freiburg, Germany

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 5, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week:

German diocese allows use of ‘gender star’ symbol in messaging for certain ministries

The Catholic Archdiocese of Freiburg has announced that it will allow use of the “gender star” in certain ministry contexts such as youth programs as well as university outreach and adult programs focused on gender identity, CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, reported Wednesday.

The archdiocese has framed its decision to allow use of the symbol in these instances as “differentiated target group communication.”

Use of the symbol — an asterisk placed in a German word ahead of masculine or feminine endings as a way to symbolize the inclusion of individuals who identify as “nonbinary” — is still prohibited from most official documents. 

Lebanon’s Zahle Marks 200th anniversary of Eucharistic miracle 

The Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol is preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of a revered Eucharistic miracle credited with saving the city from destruction, ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, reported this week. 

Archbishop Ibrahim Mikhael Ibrahim chaired a press conference, organized by Father Charbel Ouba, to announce the preparations. 

The festivities, dubbed the “Feast of Feasts,” promise significant ecclesiastical participation, including the Synod of Bishops of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church, and are expected to draw high-level officials and faithful from across the region.

Violent attack mars Akitu New Year celebrations in Iraq 

A knife attack interrupted the Akitu New Year procession in Dohuk, Iraq, injuring a young man and an elderly woman, ACI MENA reported Tuesday. 

Ninos Odisho of the Assyrian Democratic Movement reported the assailant’s arrest after he disrupted the event by invoking the Islamic State, prompting immediate intervention by the procession’s youth organizers. 

The Akitu festival, a historic celebration for Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs, annually attracts tens of thousands to celebrate one of humanity’s oldest recorded holidays.

Cameroon bishops urge authorities to provide ‘electoral security’ for October polls

The National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon is urging Cameroonian government authorities to address any electoral insecurities in the Central African nation prior to its elections in October, ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, reported. 

In the pastoral letter, the Cameroonian bishops expressed concern over numerous pockets of resistance from armed militias that they say could jeopardize the climate of peace needed to carry out elections smoothly.

“Every human life is sacred and must be protected. It is everyone’s duty to ensure that the sanctity of human life is preserved before, during, and after the upcoming elections,” the bishops stated, adding: “We call on the competent authorities of the Republic to use their powers to prevent electoral insecurity and ensure a favorable environment, free from fear and intimidation.”

2 churches in the Philippines granted ‘spiritual bond of affinity’ with Italian basilicas

The Diocesan Shrine and Parish of St. Augustine in Baliwag Bulacan has been granted the “spiritual bond of affinity” with the Baslica di San Pietro in Ciel D’Oro, the burial place of St. Augustine. 

The special bond was granted in light of “the centuries-old veneration of the saint and the strong devotion and piety of the faithful in Baliwag,” according to a local news report. 

The diocesan Shrine and Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Malabon City has also been granted a spiritual affinity with the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, as announced by Cardinal Pablo Virgillio David late last month. 

Caritas Zambia fights for justice in child sex abuse cases

The Zambian arm of the Catholic aid organization Caritas International is urging the Zambian government to establish fast-track courts specifically designated to expedite the trial of child sex abuse cases, which are reportedly on the rise in the South African nation. 

Caritas Zambia Executive Director Father Gabriel Mapuanga issued the call to action in a March 26 statement in which he emphasized that the time to act is now in order to “collectively work to create an environment that ensures every child’s right to grow and thrive safely, protected by the dull force of our laws and moral duty.”

He further called for the courts to enforce strict penalties, such as life imprisonment with hard labor for perpetrators of child sex abuse with no option of bail or bond. 

Bishops in Rwanda, Burundi appeal for normalcy amid rising tension in DRC 

Catholic bishops in Rwanda and Burundi are calling for the border between the two countries to be reopened despite fears that intense fighting in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could spill over into their respective territories, ACI Africa reported. 

The crisis between Rwanda and Burundi is linked to the crisis in eastern DRC, where large parts of the provinces of North and South Kivu have fallen under the control of the Rwandan-backed M23 guerrilla movement. Burundi closed its border in January. 

The bishops issued a plea to their governments after their plenary assembly at the start of this month to restore normalcy between the two countries, saying in a statement that “the closure of borders hinders economic growth, social cohesion, and cultural exchange.” 

The Valley of the Fallen. / Credit: Matej Kastelic/Shutterstock

Madrid, Spain, Apr 5, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The spokesman for the Spanish Bishops’ Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Francisco César García Magán, stated Friday that the 492-foot cross at the Valley of the Fallen, the world’s tallest, will remain standing as part of the Spanish government’s “resignification” of the site.

The Valley of the Fallen, inaugurated in 1959, is a huge complex built after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and is located about 30 miles from Madrid. It consists of a basilica situated underground in an excavated space in the mountain, a monumental cross, a Benedictine monastery, a school, and a Stations of the Cross. Between 33,000 and 50,000 Spaniards from both sides of the conflict are interred there.

During a press conference following the CEE’s plenary assembly, García, the auxiliary bishop of Toledo, acknowledged that the initial intention declared by the Spanish government included “the deconsecration of the basilica and the departure of the Benedictines,” which was conveyed to the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, during President Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Pope Francis on Oct. 11, 2024.

García added that the issue of “the destruction of the cross that overlooks the monumental complex” — the tallest cross in the world — was on the table, “although it was not strictly a proposal from the government.”

In a second meeting held in February between the government and the Holy See, attended by the minister of the presidency, Félix Bolaños, several red lines conveyed by the bishops were reportedly agreed upon: maintaining Catholic worship in the Pontifical Basilica of the Holy Cross, ensuring the presence of the Benedictine community, and respecting “the religious elements located outside the basilica,” including the cross.

The accord, García pointed out, must be formally spelled out “in an agreement that has not been finalized,” despite the fact that the government has already initiated the procedures to carry out the project.

The spokesperson also noted that the CEE does not know the timetable for implementing the changes or what the “resignification” of the rest of the site will entail.

Spain’s Ministry of Housing has issued an order to go ahead with an agreement “between the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, and the Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen Foundation” to reconfigure the site. However, the Christian Lawyers Foundation has filed for an immediate injunction to halt the process.

The ministerial department has confirmed to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, some details of the international competition for ideas for the resignification project, which, it affirms, “has the endorsement of the Vatican,” apparently confirmed by the inclusion of a representative of the Catholic Church on the competition jury.

According to the government department, the resignification project “will offer a new, critical, and informed perspective on the history of our country” that will transform the space into “a place for educational, cultural, and democratic use.”

The project envisions the construction of an “interpretive center or museum” located on the esplanade in front of the papal basilica in addition to projects ranging from that site into “the interior of the basilica” that, in its view, “would complete the resignification process with an inclusive, respectful narrative in line with democratic values.”

Proposals and bids will be accepted for six months, and a final decision on the project is expected to take place before the end of 2026. The government plans to spend 26 million euros (over $28 million) on the project.

‘Total and unanimous’ support for Cardinal Cobo

García also explained that the matter had been discussed during the plenary session: “The bishops had been informed and, of course, there had been total and unanimous endorsement, without a single dissenting voice,” of the work carried out thus far by Cardinal José Cobo, appointed as mediator.

The bishops’ spokesman also confirmed that talks have been held to address this matter between the CEE; the former apostolic nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza; the Benedictine community that resides on the grounds of the memorial; and Cobo, the archbishop of Madrid.

Bishops urged to defend ‘inviolable character’ of basilica

In recent days several related demonstrations of varying size have taken place following the leak of conversations between the Holy See and the government at the same time the CEE was holding its plenary assembly.

The latest took place Thursday in front of CEE headquarters, called by the Association in Defense of the Valley of the Fallen. During the demonstration, the bishops were urged “not to remain silent or complicit in the face of the government’s demands.”

Furthermore, the association pointed out in a statement that as a church, the basilica has an “inviolable character” in accordance with the agreements signed by the Holy See and Spain in 1979: “What is being proposed there is a desecration and, therefore, the only thing to be done is to exercise the authority that has been conferred upon them to defend the integrity of the Valley of the Fallen as a sacred place, as a place of peace and reconciliation among all Spaniards.”

The association also maintains that “any government action within the basilica — construction works, exhumations, inspections, events, etc. — requires the authorization or at least the consent of the competent ecclesiastical authority, usually the abbot or the local ordinary, in accordance with the terms of canon law.”

The CEE spokesperson, referring to the various protests that have taken place in recent days, stated that the conference respects the right to demonstrate and added that they were attended by “a very mixed group” of people with different “ecclesial and extra-ecclesial affiliations.” 

He noted that there were some who spoke with the bishops, some prayed, and some “shouted, insulted,” even with a “somewhat violent attitude” and engaged in “calumny and defamation.”

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

Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool, England. / Credit: Chowells/Wikimedia (CC BY 2.5)

CNA Newsroom, Apr 5, 2025 / 07:36 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has appointed Bishop John Sherrington as the new archbishop of Liverpool.

Sherrington replaces Archbishop Malcolm Patrick McMahon, OP, who submitted his resignation after serving the archdiocese since 2014.

The Holy See Press Office announced the appointment on Saturday, April 5. Sherrington, who has served as an auxiliary bishop of Westminster and titular bishop of Hilta since 2011, will be installed as the 10th archbishop of Liverpool during a ceremony at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King on May 27.

In a statement following the announcement, Sherrington expressed gratitude for the appointment.

“I thank Pope Francis for his trust in me on my appointment as archbishop of Liverpool, which I accept with humility and joy,” he said. “We pray for our Holy Father at this time of sickness as he recuperates and prepares for Holy Week and Easter.”

Sherrington, 67, was born in Leicester in 1958 and holds a master’s degree in mathematics from Queen’s College, Cambridge. After working briefly in management consultancy, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Nottingham in 1987. He later earned a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

His experience includes serving as a professor of moral theology at All Hallows College in Dublin and at St. John’s Seminary in Wonersh as well as parish ministry in Nottingham and Derby. Within the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, he has served as a member of the Department for Social Justice, responsible for life issues since 2014.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, welcomed the appointment, noting that Pope Francis has continued his work despite recent health concerns.

“Those who have been following reports on the health of the Holy Father and keeping him in their prayers will know that he has continued his work, including the appointment of bishops,” he said.

Nichols also commented on Sherrington’s departure from his role in Westminster.

“In Westminster we know his gifts, dedication, and utter generosity only too well. We will miss him greatly,” he added.

McMahon, who has led the Liverpool Archdiocese for the past decade, expressed gratitude for his successor’s appointment.

“We are receiving a new archbishop with considerable gifts, talents, and skills, but most of all we are receiving a man of deep prayer who loves the Lord Jesus and who loves his Church,” he said.

The Archdiocese of Liverpool, which covers the city itself and surrounding areas, including Wigan, St. Helens, Southport, and the Isle of Man, is one of the largest Catholic dioceses in England.

The archbishop-elect acknowledged the rich heritage of the archdiocese, stating: “I look forward to serving as shepherd of the historic and faith-filled Church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, which is rich in its heritage of the English martyrs, Irish immigration, and now looks to the future.”

Livia Tossici-Bolt speaks to the media after being found guilty of two charges of breaching the Public Spaces Protection Order at Poole Magistrates’ Court on April 4, 2025, in Poole, England. / Credit: Peter Nicholls/Getty Images

London, England, Apr 4, 2025 / 12:23 pm (CNA).

A 64-year-old woman was convicted Friday of standing near an abortion clinic in southern England and holding a sign saying “Here to talk, if you want.”

The case provides further evidence of an erosion of freedom of expression in the United Kingdom, which has recently become a diplomatic issue with the United States.

During the 2024 incident that was brought before the court, Livia Tossici-Bolt was standing silently holding the sign and having “consensual conversations” with people passing by, according to her legal team. However, she was within what is called a “buffer zone,” which criminalizes the “influencing” of people within 150 meters (about 500 feet) of an abortion clinic in the U.K.

Earlier this week, an office of the U.S. State Department said it is “concerned about freedom of expression” in the U.K. and that it is monitoring Tossici-Bolt’s case. In February, U.S. Vice President JD Vance publicly expressed concern about a similar verdict, the criminal prosecution of Adam Smith-Connor for merely standing outside an abortion clinic bowing his head in silent prayer.

On April 4 the Poole Magistrates’ Court on the south coast of England found Tossici-Bolt guilty, issued a “conditional discharge,” and ordered her to pay prosecution costs of £20,000 (about $26,000).

ADF International, the advocacy group that has acted for both defendants, said in a statement: “Despite finding as a fact that ‘the sign made no reference to pregnancy, abortion, or religious matters,’ and hearing evidence from one council officer that ‘he did not witness her intimidating or harassing any individual,’ District Judge [Orla] Austin ruled that council officers had a reasonable belief that Tossici-Bolt was in violation of the Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO).”

It added that the person issuing the fine had included in his assessment of whether Tossici-Bolt was breaching the buffer zone an awareness of her “pro-life views” and the sign she was holding. 

“This is a dark day for Great Britain,” Tossici-Bolt said. “I was not protesting and did not harass or obstruct anyone. All I did was offer consensual conversation in a public place, as is my basic right, and yet the court found me guilty. Freedom of expression is in a state of crisis in the U.K.”

She added that she will “consider all legal options” and vowed to continue “fighting for free speech.” 

While awaiting the verdict, Tossici-Bolt has continued pro-life work and participated in vigils for the 40 Days for Life campaign, which has gone ahead during Lent, although situated outside the buffer zones in order to comply with the law.

The incidents took place in localized “buffer zones” imposed using PSPOs, which were originally introduced to prevent antisocial behavior. The zones were later introduced to abortion clinics nationwide on Oct. 31, 2024.

However, the scope in U.K. law is unclear. When pro-life activist Isabel Vaughan-Spruce was arrested for standing silently in mental prayer within a buffer zone, in videoed interactions that went viral on social media, she was later given a payout for wrongful arrest.

“As many parliamentarians pointed out before the introduction of Section 9 of the Public Order Act, a prohibition on ‘influencing’ within the buffer zones is an impermissibly unclear requirement,” said Jeremiah Igunnubole, a barrister and legal counsel for ADF International, speaking before Friday’s verdict. “The rule of law requires clarity, predictability, and foreseeability so that citizens understand which activities are likely to incur criminal liability.” 

“We saw in the case of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce that silent prayer was not considered by Birmingham Magistrates’ Court to constitute an offense. Yet in Adam Smith-Connor’s case, Poole Magistrates’ Court found him guilty for precisely the same conduct — a verdict he will be appealing with our support in July,” Igunnubole continued. “Criminal law should not depend on your postcode. More importantly, it should not depend on what beliefs you hold, no matter how controversial those beliefs are considered to be by the authorities.”

Tossici-Bolt on ‘surreal situation’

In a statement Tossici-Bolt issued to CNA before the Friday verdict, she said: “The whole situation feels surreal. I have never before been prosecuted or stood trial and I would have never expected to be put before the courts for standing peacefully in a public space and offering a consensual conversation.”

“I firmly believe that in a free and democratic society, nobody should be criminalized for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, which is protected in both domestic and international law,” she added. “The whole situation feels bizarrely Orwellian, but I am at peace and trusting God with the verdict.” 

“On the day with which my prosecution is related, I did not engage in any pro-life activity. I merely offered a consensual conversation to anyone that wanted to have a chat with me. Many did,” she continued.

“It was a lovely example of society at its best — there were many people I spoke with who felt very lonely and who needed to know there was somebody who cares for them. An offer to speak, in a free society, should never be redefined as constituting harassment or intimidation,” Tossici-Bolt concluded.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline has been elected president of the French bishops’ conference, succeeding Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort as the Catholic Church in France continues responding to revelations of sexual abuse. / Credit: Laurent Coust/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

CNA Newsroom, Apr 3, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline has been elected president of the French bishops’ conference, succeeding Archbishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort as the Catholic Church in France continues responding to revelations of sexual abuse.

The 66-year-old archbishop of Marseille was elected on April 2 during the bishops’ spring plenary assembly in Lourdes.

Aveline will officially assume leadership of the conference on July 1 alongside newly elected vice presidents Archbishop Vincent Jordy of Tours and Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise.

Aveline, who was born in Algeria and has served as a priest in Marseille for over 40 years, is known for his close relationship with Pope Francis.

The pope created him a cardinal in August 2022 and briefly visited Marseille in September 2023.

According to French media, Aveline is the most recognized French cardinal in Rome.

Aveline succeeds Moulins-Beaufort, who served as conference president since 2019 and led the French Church through one of its most challenging periods. During his tenure, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE) released its landmark 2021 report estimating that approximately 330,000 minors had been victims of sexual abuse in Church settings since 1950.

The outgoing president guided the bishops’ response to this crisis, which included implementing numerous reforms and establishing support systems for survivors. 

In December 2022, the French bishops established a new legal structure to deal with crimes and offenses committed by clerics and laity within the Church, including sexual abuse of adults.

In an interview published in Le Pèlerin last week, Moulins-Beaufort acknowledged the ongoing work needed to address abuse.

Aveline, who has advocated for dialogue between religions and cultures and promoted welcoming migrants — key priorities of Pope Francis’ pontificate — now faces the challenge of continuing this critical work while addressing other pressing issues facing the French Church.

His term as president of the French bishops’ conference is set for three years, with the possibility of a single renewal.

A philosopher of science and technology, Father Ricardo Mejía Fernández is an expert in transhumanism. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Ricardo Mejía Fernández

Madrid, Spain, Apr 3, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

In his new book “Integral Transhumanism,” Spanish priest Ricardo Mejía Fernández examines the transhumanist movement as “a technological extension of traditional humanism.”

According to the definition of the Transhumanist Association, transhumanism “is a cultural and intellectual movement that affirms the possibility and necessity of improving the human condition, based on the use of reason applied within an ethical framework sustained by human rights and the ideals of the Enlightenment and humanism.” 

In the book’s prologue, the archbishop of Burgos, Mario Iceta, emphasizes that Mejía approaches the general transhumanist proposal from “a de-ideologized view of reality,” like the child in Hans Christian Andersen’s story who unabashedly declares that the emperor has no clothes.

The prelate summarizes the basis of Mejía’s thesis by stating that “technology is a human way of loving, and love is the human way of using technology.”

As a philosopher of science and technology, the 37-year-old Mejía has been gaining international standing, including his election in 2021 as a member of the International Society for Science and Religion at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Mejía did not hesitate to define the majority transhumanist proposal as a “dangerous scam.” At the same time, he was quick to point out that “a technical intervention, simply because it is not natural, is not enough for us to disqualify it as immoral.”

Mejía advocates an approach consistent with the Church’s teachings, a “critical technophilia,” to address the issue, since “technology is already present in the plan of creation.”

ACI Prensa: Is there a bad transhumanism and a good transhumanism?

Father Ricardo Mejía Fernández: Transhumanism in its majority form (transitive and even substitutional), to the extent that it seeks to improve the person solely through biotechnology by altering their specific limits, is completely contrary to an ethics of the person.

My proposal is a forceful critique of transhumanism as it is known today, which lacks a minimally acceptable anthropological, metaphysical, and ethical foundation.

However, even these transhumanists seek to fulfill an infinite desire for fulfillment, what centuries ago was called, as was so often commented on by St. Thomas Aquinas, the “desiderium naturale videndi Deum” (“the natural desire to see God”).

Their error lies in how they propose that this innermost human desire will be fulfilled: not with a reality commensurate with this utterly deep desire but with the provisional devices, techniques, and interventions of the technosciences.

To provide this answer is to defraud humankind because they conceive of the person simply as a complex material mechanism, to which a singular mental capacity is added, the fruit of this mechanism.

The place once occupied by religion will now be taken by the technosciences. Can this transhumanism and its posthumanist extreme be critically reviewed, recognizing its elements of truth? This is what I have done in my work.

You use the concept of “integral transhumanism.“ What does the “integral improvement“ that it proposes consist of in various fields, biologically, socially, or spiritually?

The various transhumanisms have so far been developing their thought without acknowledging their partiality, with a clear danger to the human person: making him dependent on a presumed salvation exclusively through the augmentation of our most hardware-like aspects, which new anthropo-technologies will grant them sooner rather than later.

They also alienate human beings with the future promises that are yet to be revealed thanks to these disciplines. Fortunately, transhumanism is not a closed and monolithic movement, which allows me to reformulate it.

The term “integral transhumanism“ means, on the one hand, a technological expansion of traditional humanism as well as the recognition that the person can be also and not only through advances in new technologies assisted, strengthened, and expanded, without detriment to the human community or the ecosystem, in all that does not endanger its essence, dignity, and centrality.

This is not a “do-goodism,“ since integral improvement must depend on integral moral goodness — that is, improvement, among those found in the technosciences, must depend on integral ethical personalism.

It’s highly questionable, and that’s why I’m inspired by Jacques Maritain’s integral humanism without incurring in his virtualism, a good of the individual completely separate from the good of his community and the planet.

Is transhumanism possible without eugenics, discarding the weak, or the denaturalization of the human being?

Eugenics understood as the elimination of unwanted human life is an aberration, which Pope Francis criticizes as the “throwaway culture,“ but not so the technical strengthening of personal life without undermining or suppressing it. The latter is not condemned by the magisterium of the Church.

Inspired by a silenced early stage of the English scientist Francis Galton, I call this [by analogy] a viticulture of both care and the improvement of the person in relation to the community and the environment. One cannot improve without caring.

Likewise, a technical intervention, simply because it is not natural, is not enough for us to disqualify it as immoral: Is it immoral to wear glasses, an artificial addition to the body to correct vision? Or a pacemaker? Obviously not.

The majority of transhumanists my integral transhumanism opposes understand technology from an unbridled instrumental perspective: If it is technically possible, it is technically feasible to modify not only certain aspects of humankind but the very essence of humankind.

I believe it is metaphysically impossible to modify this essence, although today multiple genetic edits can be made that radically modify our bodies. This does raise concerns in bioethics and other fields, without thus abandoning a hopeful view of its treatment from a comprehensive ethical perspective.

This is emphasized by Archbishop Mario Iceta of Burgos in his extraordinary prologue to my work.

If a hopeful perspective on the transhumanist proposal is possible, what positive elements do you see?

No matter how much we insist on an uneducated humanism regarding the technosciences applied to humankind, these will likely continue to grow. Biotechnology is a specialty increasingly present in universities and is studied by a growing number of our young students, many of them Catholic.

How can we attempt to articulate an ethical discourse about the person, ignoring that today and in the future, our bodies and minds will increasingly be subject to intervention with these technosciences?

Integral transhumanism, far from a technophobia that ultimately grants these technosciences a free pass by failing to address their problems head-on or ignoring them, seeks to incorporate them into a critical approach that responds to ethical demands.

The position most compatible with the Church’s magisterium would be a critical technophilia that can incorporate those interventions of science and technology that allow for and strengthen a more developed human life in growing measures, even expanding it in aspects that our species has not yet reached through evolution, without this implying the suppression of the human person, particularly in an embryonic or dependent stage, or subordinating it to technological determinism.

What should we fear from the most widespread transhumanist proposal, which seems to be an amendment to the mystery of creation?

The majority of transhumanism is, as I’ve pointed out, a dangerous scam. I say it’s dangerous because it doesn’t rely solely on a vague promise but rather proposes that, until the definitive transhuman or posthuman arrives, technological interventions can and should be carried out on human beings, transcending genetic and personal barriers.

According to them, nothing can be more normative, or hold a higher place, than techno-scientific experimentation itself. Thus, we are promised the possibility of being more than human in an uncertain future, and in the meantime, we are invited to do anything with our bodies in an unrestrained experimentalism.

In my work, I assert that this transhumanism deforms humankind (human beings conduct experiments based on deliberation that concerns morality, even if they don’t know it) and deforms technology, since the only way to exercise this ability is by opposing it to humankind itself.

I call this a “Molochan“ deformation, in reference to the demon Moloch, who demanded that the purest human life [babies] be sacrificed to him so that he could offer greater prerogatives in the future.

But technology is already present in the plan of creation, precisely at the moment when God asks Adam and Eve, according to the beautiful story of Genesis, to care for and serve in the Garden of Eden without damaging it or its caretakers. Caring is key to the creation of technical humanity, since technology is meant to be an ally for the integral good of humankind in relation to our fellow human beings and the Earth.

Is there a relationship between the drive for this transhumanism and the secularization of the West?

This is what I argue in a chapter of my book. The majority of transhumanism is a consequence of secularization, although for some members of this movement, it presents itself with clear overtones of secularist religion.

In my opinion, it is an ultra-secularist proposal in the realm of technoscience, born directly from the most unbridled exclusionary humanism of modernity: a humanism that excludes God, neighbor, and care for our common home.

In my work, I criticize the worst of the modernisms from which this movement springs, as well as the understanding of humanism only as that which defends the despotic man. That’s why I so much like the neologism “transhumanism,“ such that I understand the prefix “trans“ not as abandoning our essence (this is metaphysically impossible), but rather as overcoming this modernist and exclusivist bias of a mistaken understanding of the self-deifying individual who can do whatever he pleases, no matter the cost.

I think, as a philosopher of science and technology, as a priest, that we must boldly critique the ultra-secularism that many transhumanists draw upon to try to improve humanity by turning their backs on God, in that neo-Gnosticism and neo-Pelagianism they unwittingly champion.

Integral transhumanism, on the other hand, cannot obstruct the innermost desire of [Homo] Sapiens, his specific religiosity, with techno-scientific fixes that are always revisable and perfectible. Improving humanity is a broader and grander undertaking.

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

Polonia Castellanos, founder of the Spanish Association of Christian Lawyers. / Credit: Women World Platform, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Puebla, Mexico, Apr 2, 2025 / 17:46 pm (CNA).

Attacks against Christians, especially Catholics, are on the rise in both Europe and Latin America, according to various reports from specialized organizations.

During 2023, the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe documented 2,444 anti-Christian hate crimes in 35 European countries. This figure includes 232 personal attacks ranging from harassment and threats to physical violence. Nearly half the attacks occurred in France.

The disturbing trend was also noted in the 2023 Report on Religious Freedom published by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

The executive summary of the latter research report warns of “a considerable increase in incidents perpetrated by individuals or groups advocating for certain ideological views that are intolerant of the religious beliefs of others.”

“The attacks have largely focused on members of religious communities (i.e., Catholics and evangelicals) and have generally been committed by members of pro-abortion and pro-feminist groups, as well as by groups that promote gender ideology,” the summary adds.

“In Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Haiti, and Mexico, incidents (in several cases, crimes) have been reported, including attacks on religious persons, acts of vandalism, desecration, or offenses against religious sentiments,” the document states.

Polonia Castellanos, president of Christian Lawyers, a foundation founded in Spain that has opened a chapter in Mexico, said: “When Catholics and Christians in general are attacked and humiliated, nothing happens, but if it were done to another group, the consequences would be immediate.”

“I think the reason is partly our fault,” she lamented, because Catholics “have allowed ourselves to be humiliated and insulted without doing anything, and that’s why we’ve reached these extremes that are beginning to be dangerous.”

She is not alone in her views. Along with her, other Catholic leaders from Latin America and Europe interviewed by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, warn of growing complacency in the face of attacks against Christians in countries that were once staunch defenders of the faith.

A recent, global example of an offense against Christians was the parody of the Last Supper presented during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Other cases in Latin America include the canceled art exhibition “The Coming of the Lord” in Mexico, which featured sexualized religious symbols, and the play “María Maricón” in Peru, which, according to the official synopsis, “explores the conflict between religion and gender through the deconstruction of various Catholic virgins and saints.” 

‘Unreported or normalized’ attacks

For Uriel Esqueda, campaign manager for the Mexican platform Actívate (Get Active), “the attacks against Christians and people who practice a religion are growing larger and more noticeable every day. I think it’s a form of persecution, and the attacks are unfortunately unreported or normalized to a certain extent. So it’s a very serious situation.”

“Unfortunately, both religious leaders and individuals are not accustomed to the culture of speaking out regarding the violations of their human right to religious freedom, and I think that’s part of the problem,” he noted, warning that currently “there is greater intolerance against Catholic groups compared with other types of religious groups.”

For example, although the Mexico Constitution “recognizes and protects the human right to religious freedom,” as well as international treaties, “unfortunately, no one knows how to report [violations] or how to enforce this human right,” he lamented.

Esqueda said Actívate will launch a campaign so that “Christianophobia can be reported and that authorities know what to do about these types of issues, and that people who carry out or practice Christianophobia can receive some type of sanction.”

Attempts to eliminate the presence of Catholicism in Mexico

Marcial Padilla, director of ConParticipación (Awareness and Participation), a Mexican organization dedicated to promoting human dignity, lamented that “historically, there has been a desire on the part of political and ideological groups to reeducate society to eliminate the presence of Catholicism, whether in education, customs, art, or any trace of laws inspired by the principles of the Christian faith.”

He explained that secularism is “expressed as tolerance of mockery of the faith but intolerance toward expressions of faith. Put another way: In the name of freedom of expression, the Catholic faith can be ridiculed, but in the name of the secular nature of the state, it cannot be freely expressed or celebrated in community.” 

In Mexico, national symbols are protected, but religious symbols are not

“In Mexico, you can desecrate religious images or churches, but not the flag or national symbols, because that is clearly penalized,” noted Father Hugo Valdemar, a Mexican priest who headed the communications office of the Archdiocese of Mexico City for 15 years when it was led by Cardinal Norberto Rivera.

“The question is: Why are national symbols out of bounds but religious symbols can be mocked and ridiculed without any criminal consequences?” Padilla questioned.

In the country, he lamented, “a Jacobin [anti-religious] mentality persists against the Catholic Church.”

There are remnants of the past that culturally have not been overcome, he said, referring to the tensions between the state and the Catholic Church in Mexico that date back to the mid-19th century and reached their peak in the 1920s, during the fierce government persecution of Catholics that sparked the Cristero War.

For Valdemar, it’s important for Catholics to “firmly defend their faith and their values, but without falling into provocations that make us appear fanatic or intolerant. And also with great prudence, because often these expressions of hatred for the faith would go unnoticed if they weren’t provoked in order to gain publicity.”

“Sometimes, some supposed works of art are so mediocre that no one would notice them if it weren’t for the scandal that publicizes them,” he noted.

Social media important to ensure attacks are not silenced

For Father Juan Manuel Góngora of the Diocese of Almería in Spain, who has more than 82,600 followers on X, “we are living in adverse times, and an example of this is the growing number of Eucharistic desecrations in various parishes and anti-Christian violence.”

“The social engineering we have been suffering for decades has gradually increased [tolerance of offenses]. And since the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party came to power in 2018 and [prime minister] Pedro Sánchez took office, a series of laws that are completely harmful to the Catholic faith and anthropology are being implemented, such as the application of laws on historical memory, abortion, and euthanasia.”

Furthermore, Góngora criticized “the attempt by the government and its parliamentary partners to eliminate the crime against religious sentiments, protected by Article 16 of the Spanish Constitution and included in the penal code (Articles 522-526).”

The Spanish priest emphasized that these laws “are generally serving to ensure that these attacks and power strategies are not silenced and hidden. Meanwhile, the vast majority of the media, fueled by institutional advertising and along with a constellation of associations affiliated with the progressive left, are necessary collaborators in implanting narratives and stories along secularist and anti-Christian lines.”

Europe is ‘forgetting its identity’

Castellanos said she believes the current situation of religious freedom in Spain and the rest of Europe is “very worrying and dangerous; attacks against Christians are increasing not only in number but also in intensity.”

“Europe, which was built on Christian roots, is forgetting its identity and persecuting Christians and imposing anti-Christian ideologies,” she said.

Referring to the proposal to eliminate crimes against religious sentiments, the president of Christian Lawyers warned that this would “exponentially multiply crimes against Christians.”

“What’s even more alarming is that many crimes are committed by public officials. So what we see is that not only is the crime not prosecuted (because we already know that in Spain the law is not equal for everyone), but we are paying with our taxes for people or individuals who dedicate themselves to insulting us, when they should be the first to respect all citizens,” she said.

Castellanos specified that legislation should “guarantee respect. The freedom of expression of some does not involve insults or humiliation; they are two very different things.”

“Despite everything, we must be aware of our victory (although action will be necessary). Spain is the land of Mary, and I am sure that all the struggle in defense of life (from conception to its natural end), the family, and religious freedom will bear fruit very soon,” she stated.

The results depend on Catholics

Alberto González Cáceres, president of the St. Thomas More Center for Legal Studies in Peru, lamented that the defense of religious freedom seems “not relevant to the vast majority of the population, because religion has become an almost secondary cultural manifestation, except when people are living in dire straits, as in the case of Nicaragua, or when there are calamities. I say this with great sadness.”

“Now, for people who truly practice their faith, it’s overwhelming to realize that there is strong media censorship against all forms of religious practice, just as there is social stigmatization against anything orthodox,” he noted.

In this context, Catholics, he said, can respond in “two concrete ways”: “The first is by praying a lot, and the second is by educating themselves in the catechism and Catholic doctrine.”

Regarding the authorities’ actions regarding religious offenses, González said he believes that “absolutely nothing can be expected. The results will depend on actions taken by Catholics themselves.”

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 of the Archdiocese of Westminster. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 2, 2025 / 14:02 pm (CNA).

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales is urging U.K. Catholics to contact their members of Parliament (MPs) and express their opposition to an assisted suicide bill making its way through the legislative process. 

“Every MP, and government, has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation reaching the statute book,” Cardinal Vincent Nichols wrote in an April 1 pastoral letter. “So I appeal to you: Even if you have written before, please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner.”

Members of Parliament voted in favor of advancing the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on Nov. 29, 2024, in a 330-275 vote after the bill’s five-hour second reading debate in the House of Commons. The last time members voted on the issue, in 2015, the bill was voted down at the second reading and progressed no further. 

The bill is set to have its third reading on April 25. 

“This will be a crucial moment and I, together with all the bishops of England and Wales, am writing to ask your support in urging your MP to vote against the bill at that time,” Nichols said.

The bishop stressed that MPs have not taken enough time to deliberate over the bill before voting and that the committee charged with its review is overwhelmingly composed of its supporters. The bill’s flawed process, he said, leaves numerous questions unanswered, including whether proper safeguards would be able to ward off human rights violations as well as protect conscientious objectors and the vulnerable from coercion. 

“In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue,” he stated, adding that he believed it to be a “sad reflection on Parliament’s priorities that the House of Commons spent far more time debating the ban on fox hunting than it is spending debating bringing in assisted suicide.” 

Nichols concluded his letter asserting that instead of pushing for the legalization of assisted suicide, “what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives,” a resource that is currently in “short supply and underfunded.”

“No one should be dispatched as a burden to others,” he wrote. “Instead, a good society would prioritize care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.”

Recent reports have said the controversial assisted suicide bill’s passage could be delayed another four years amid a growing climate of concern about the viability of the practice.