Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

Young people raise their voices from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere on Aug. 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 16:49 pm (CNA).

“We’re not tourists in spiritual things. We are pilgrims [searching for] meaning. We come with backpacks full of doubts, wounds, songs, and hope. And with a certainty in our hearts: Christ is alive. And he calls us.”

Thus begins the “Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe,” the heart of the “Rome ’25-Way of St. James ’27-Jerusalem ’33” project, which aims to “restore the soul” of the Old Continent and invites Christians to encounter the Lord through pilgrimage, healing, and evangelization.

This initiative, which began to take shape two years ago with the support of the Bishops’ Subcommission for Youth and Children of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, as well as the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and the Church in Jerusalem, invites young Christians across the continent to open up a new pathway to faith and hope in view of the Jubilee of the Redemption, which will be celebrated in 2033.

The initiative is also supported by the Holy See and Pope Leo XIV, to whom it was presented after a general audience at the Vatican on June 25.

The key moment for the project took place on the morning of Friday, Aug. 1, amid the Jubilee of Youth. Many young people gathered at St. Mary’s Basilica in Trastevere to give voice to a generation that wants to create a new Europe with Christ at its center.

“This manifesto is an act of faith and a call to hope. It is the voice of a [generation of] youth who do not want to remain on the sidelines, who don’t have to clamor, ‘We want more [material things],’ we want Christ at the center... The revolution has begun; the Spirit is blowing,” said Fernando Moscardó, who served as one of the youth spokespersons for the project during the presentation in Rome in July.

On that occasion, Monsignor Marco Gnavi, parish priest at St. Mary’s Basilica in Trastevere and host of the Aug. 1 event, said he was “surprised by the enthusiasm of young people,” especially in a time of “painful changes.”

The document has been published on the project’s official website, and all those “who feel part of it” are encouraged to sign it.

In addition, all information, updates, and progress on the initiative will be shared through social media under the handle @J2R2033 (Journey to Redemption 2033).

At the Aug. 1 event, attended by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, several young people of various nationalities read the manifesto aloud.

Fisichella also dedicated time to praying for peace in the world, especially for Ukraine and the conflict in the Holy Land. Among those present were young people from Palestine and Israel.

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

Sculpture of St. Ignatius of Loyola inside of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vasilii L/Shutterstock

National Catholic Register, Jul 31, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

When Ignatius of Loyola found himself bedridden with a shattered leg, all of his big dreams and plans disappeared. Arrogant, stubborn, and hot-tempered, Ignatius was a soldier to his core, and he excelled on the battlefield.

Until now, his life as a soldier of Spain had stretched before him: simple, straightforward, and glorious. But this time, a flying cannonball had torn one of his legs to shreds. His glorious military career was over. Ignatius was at a dead end.

This was only the first of many dead ends, but they were ultimately part and parcel of the making of a saint.

Sometimes it’s easy to imagine that the saints’ paths to holiness were uncomplicated, that whatever they may have suffered from sickness or temptation, they at least knew clearly what God’s will was for them. But for nearly 20 years after his conversion, Ignatius had very little idea what he was doing. He dealt with failure, disappointment, sickness, and severe spiritual darkness. His journey gives us a battle plan for navigating our own dead ends.

A sudden end can be a new beginning

Many know the basic story of Ignatius’ famous sickbed conversion: Bored and restless, he asked for novels of romance and chivalry, but he was given the “Lives of Christ and the Saints.” That soldierly fervor that had previously fed on knights errant and battles glorious found new energy in the selfless zeal of the saints. Ignatius unconditionally offered his life to Christ. What had initially seemed like the end of all his dreams suddenly became the door to a totally new life.

Inspired by the fervor of the saints, Ignatius immediately began an intense regimen of prayer, sacrifice, and poverty. But his prayer was plagued by scruples and depression. Ignatius was so tormented that he was tempted to take his life, according to New Advent/Catholic Encyclopedia.

Although overwhelmed by this darkness, Ignatius clung to the knowledge that any tendency to anxiety and despair was not from God. No doubt the knowledge offered little comfort at first, but Ignatius was slowly granted relief. By perseverance in prayer and total trust in the loving goodness of God, he had walked through what must have been the darkest nights of his life and come out the other end.

Great holiness is forged in daily sacrifice

Ignatius never lost his love for prayer and sacrifice, and the insights he gained in contemplation became his famous “Spiritual Exercises.” The Jesuit order began as a group of university friends whom he gathered together to pray these “spiritual exercises.”

Through prayer, sacrifice, and patient suffering, Ignatius had formed his own soul in virtue, and through his spiritual insights, he was able to lead many of the brightest young minds in Europe to a life dedicated to the Church.

Our talents are gifts from God

From the beginning, Ignatius had longed to be a missionary. He was a natural leader and a soldier, with all the dynamism, conviction, courage, and stamina necessary for the difficult missionary life. He dreamed of converting the Turks in the Holy Land. But this plan failed when he was denied entry to Jerusalem by the Franciscans charged with watching over the Christians there, according to Warren Carroll’s “The Cleaving of Christendom.”

Disappointed, Ignatius went back to Spain to preach and teach in his native land, but he was arrested by the Inquisition, who feared that an uneducated teacher might inadvertently spread heresy.

Yet his missionary fire was not quenched. And the Church desperately needed missionaries — just not in the way that Ignatius had imagined. Europe was reeling in the chaos of the Protestant Reformation. The people needed clear teaching and ardent examples of holiness to bring them back to the Church.

Ignatius had no education. He was hardly the man to found an order of teachers, and he certainly had no grand dreams of confronting the problems of Christendom. But he saw at least that if he was to be an effective missionary in the current culture, he must be well educated, and he certainly had the zeal and stubbornness necessary to take on the daunting task. So for the next 11 years, he went to school, beginning in grammar school with schoolboys and proceeding to the study of philosophy and theology in Spain and France’s best universities.

It was during his years in university that the “Society of Jesus” was formed. These men were attracted to Ignatius’ zeal and holiness, and they came to him for advice and encouragement. He gathered them together, and soon a brotherhood was born. The friends were ordained priests and offered themselves in humble service to the pope.

The Jesuits were sent on missions to teach and preach throughout Europe and in the new missionary lands in the Far East. Ignatius, however, was left alone in Rome to manage the business of the order. But he had always possessed a talent for leadership, and he instructed, encouraged, and organized from afar.

Within a few years, the Jesuits were in demand everywhere. Ignatius had wanted to be a missionary in foreign lands, but he allowed the Lord to lead him back to his native Spain, to the arduous task of education, and to ultimately use his talents of conviction and charisma to become one of the leaders of the Catholic Reformation in Europe.

A patron saint for difficult times

St. Ignatius is a great patron for people facing difficult times. Whether making hard choices, recovering from unexpected events, going through physical sickness or spiritual darkness, Ignatius of Loyola faced similar situations.

During the period of his life when he should have been settling into a steady career, earning money and honor, and preparing for comfortable retirement, Ignatius was reassessing his entire worldview. Not only did he do an about-face when he converted from soldier of Spain to soldier of Christ, but he then confronted many tribulations of sickness, persecution, doubt, and failure. Ignatius gave his life totally to Christ, but this did not mean his vocation was clear.

In the end, it was through prayer, sacrifice, and study that Ignatius became the saintly founder of the Jesuit order. Without any expectation of greatness, Ignatius dedicated himself to doing for the Lord what he did best. He formed his own soul in virtue, and with his inborn passion and flair for leadership, he began gathering and leading his friends in the same life of holiness. Almost by accident (and yet of course, by no accident at all), the group found themselves with a mission to serve the Church at a time when the Church desperately needed them.

Little did Ignatius know on that long-ago day when his leg was shot out from beneath him that, in the same year, the Church’s four-year attempt to reconcile with Martin Luther had come to a climax. Unable to persuade Luther to recant his heresy, the Church formally excommunicated him. The spiritual battle for Europe had begun.

At this moment in history, God needed a missionary and reformer with the courage, zeal, and practical experience to confront the confusion and chaos of Europe and to bring the faith into newly discovered lands. He chose Ignatius of Loyola.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA's sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, speaks with “EWTN News Nightly” on March 4, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”/Screenshot

CNA Newsroom, Jul 30, 2025 / 09:45 am (CNA).

Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau in Bavaria delivered a spirited defense of American Bishop Robert Barron while sharply condemning what he called “beige Catholicism” in Germany on Sunday. 

The defense came as Barron received the Josef Pieper Prize in Münster on July 27 amid fierce protests from Catholic groups and political organizations.

Critics accused the American prelate of promoting “exclusionary identity politics” and cooperating with networks that “ideologically support autocratic political forces,” reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

Protesters — including the local Green Party, a diocesan lay association, and the Catholic youth organization BDKJ — staged a public vigil Sunday, citing concerns over Barron’s alleged support for U.S. President Donald Trump and anti-LGBTQ+ positions.

The Catholic-Theological Faculty at the University of Münster added its concerns, expressing “bewilderment” at the award choice.

Oster tackled the protests in his laudatio.

“When I hear how some voices in our country try to reflexively defame [Barron] as right-wing or as a supporter of Trump, such a categorization, which usually happens very quickly, tells us much more about the person making the judgment and often enough about the Church system and its media processes in our country than about the person being judged,” Oster said.

The bishop offered a broader critique of contemporary Catholicism in Germany, which he suggested has risked abandoning magisterial teaching in favor of cultural accommodation. 

He described a phenomenon where “many in our Church have largely left behind binding doctrinal positions” on fundamental anthropological questions and sacramental theology.

Oster warned particularly against what Barron terms “beige Catholicism.” The Bavarian prelate described this as “a phenomenon in which the prevailing culture dominates the faith and adapts it to itself” without faith transforming culture in return.

This, he said, results in “a mostly well-financed Catholicism of appeasement” in Germany, which “has essentially lost its spiritual power and attraction.”

Oster said that much of the German criticism stemmed from discomfort with authentic evangelization. “New evangelization has no easy standing in our specifically German form of church,” he observed.

“Many find it annoying or suspicious. But because ‘new evangelization’ is at the heart of Bishop Barron’s faithful commitment, it seems almost inevitable to his critics that he must somehow come from the right-wing corner.”

Oster predicted a future reckoning: “In the foreseeable future, many more people will ask themselves: How can it be that Bishop Barron has such a reach in our country and has long been one of the beacons of hope for renewal among many young people in our country? How can that be, even though he is so loyal to the magisterium?”

The Josef Pieper Foundation noted Barron’s “unmistakable affinity for Pieper’s philosophy of religion” and his work to restore “an insight-supported access to the unabridged Catholic confession of faith” in contemporary missionary situations.

Barron, who has over 6 million followers across social media platforms and has received nine honorary doctorates, is the founder of the Word on Fire ministry, which reaches millions globally through digital evangelization efforts. 

His signature exhortation is to not “dumb down the faith.”

The Josef Pieper Prize honors the legacy of the German Catholic philosopher (1904–1997), who was renowned for his accessible writings on Thomistic philosophy and his insights into leisure, contemplation, and the relationship between faith and reason.

Father Charles-Michel de l’Épée founded the National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris in 1760. / Credit: Public domain

CNA Staff, Jul 30, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Sign language is currently one of the most popular families of languages in the world, with National Geographic estimating more than 300 forms of sign language used by more than 70 million people worldwide.

Yet most people, and even most users of sign language, may be unaware of the notable role that Catholics played in the earliest years of modern sign language, including the founding of the world’s first free school for deaf people.

That school, the National Institute for Deaf Youth of Paris, was founded in 1760 by Father Charles-Michel de l’Épée. The institute says on its website that the priest was inspired to develop a system of sign language after meeting two deaf twins. He would go on to launch a small school on the rue des Moulins in Paris that would in time become the national institution. 

Jordan Eickman, a professor of Deaf studies at California State University, Northridge, told CNA the Catholic contribution to Deaf history and Deaf education is “significant.”

“Catholic priests and nuns founded or ran several of the earliest schools and later on, others founded around the world,” he said. “Some taught using sign language, others taught using the oral method.”

With a life of “relative ease” due to a generous inheritance, l’Épée did not seek compensation for his efforts. He organized “public exercises” for his students, generating a considerable amount of interest in Deaf education. 

Though sign languages had existed in various forms for centuries, l’Épée’s contribution to Deaf history is notable for his development of what he called a “universal language” by “constructing natural signs into a method.”

In the decades after the priest’s death in 1789, the institute expanded, being led by l’Épée’s fellow priest Father Roch-Ambroise Cucurron Sicard. The revolutionary National Assembly would go on to recognize l’Épée as a “benefactor of humanity.” 

Though the Church can boast of a notable history in early Deaf education, Eickman said Catholic leaders can still do more to make the faith accessible to those who are deaf.

The Church “can increase its accessibility to Deaf people worldwide by providing direct access through local sign languages,” he said. 

This will “prevent language deprivation within Deaf education and provide Deaf people access to religious knowledge and ministry.”

At the parish level this is “best done through a Deaf priest fluent in the local signed language,” the professor said. 

“Protestant denominations have a far higher number of Deaf priests and lay leaders compared to the Catholic Church and any other religion,” he noted. “Increasing the number of Deaf priests is one way to provide accessibility and more effective ministry.”

Some leaders have already taken steps to shore up gaps in that ministry. In Maryland earlier this year, for instance, hundreds of Deaf Catholics gathered for the first-ever Eucharistic Congress for the Catholic Deaf community. The event was organized by Father Mike Depcik, one of just a few Deaf priests in the world. 

In Washington, D.C., meanwhile, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception has begun offering specialized guided tours for deaf and blind visitors, giving immersive and sensory experiences to make the sacred site more accessible.

Writing in 1776 and reflecting on the apparent rise in deaf children throughout France, l’Épée said that number appeared to be growing “because until [the present day], children who were born deprived of the faculties of hearing and speaking were kept away from the world, because their intrusion had always been very difficult and somewhat impossible.”

Though being deaf was for centuries considered “only a dreadful situation” and a “misfortune without remedy,” l’Épée attributed such beliefs to “prejudice.” 

“This is not a question of [folly],” the priest wrote; rather, “it is a matter of doing everything we can to make ourselves useful to [those who are deaf] of today and tomorrow.”

Pope Leo XIV greets a group of catechumens from France during an audience on July 29, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 29, 2025 / 14:59 pm (CNA).

Speaking to a group of catechumens from France, Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday explained that baptism “gives us life” to renounce a “culture of death,” which is so prevalent in today’s society.

During the July 29 meeting at the Vatican with the catechumens, chaplains, and catechists of France, which also included the bishop of Nice, Jean-Philippe Nault, the Holy Father emphasized that baptism “makes us full members of the great family of God.”

He added that this sacrament “introduces us into communion with Christ and gives us life,” committing those who receive it “to renounce a culture of death,” which he said includes “indifference, contempt for others, drug use, the pursuit of an easy life, sexuality turned into entertainment and the objectification of the human person, injustice, etc.”

“Baptism makes us witnesses of Christ,” the pontiff emphasized, pointing to a “very powerful” sign of the sacrament: The priest or deacon presents to the godparents the candle lit from the paschal candle. “It is the light of Christ, dead and risen, that we commit to keeping alive, nourishing this light by listening to the word of God and by regular participation in the Eucharist.”

Pope Leo XIV noted that to live happily and in peace, “we are called to place our hope in Jesus Christ.” After stating that the baptized are “the salt of the earth and the world,” he emphasized that the Church also needs their “beautiful witness of faith to grow further and be close to every person in need.”

“The catechumenate,” Pope Leo XIV continued, “is a journey of faith that does not end with baptism but continues throughout life, with moments of joy and moments of difficulty.”

‘It’s essential to experience God in prayer and in the sacraments’

He also urged the catechumens to bear witness to Christ and become missionary disciples: “Don’t limit yourselves to theoretical knowledge, but live your faith in a concrete way, experiencing God’s love in your daily lives. The journey of faith can be long and sometimes difficult, but don’t be discouraged, because God is always present to sustain you.”

“It’s essential to experience God in prayer, in the practice of the sacraments — especially in rediscovering the sacrament of reconciliation — and in community life, in order to grow in faith and love,” he noted.

At the end of his address, Pope Leo XIV encouraged those who will soon be regenerated as children of God to “remain connected to the Lord Jesus.” 

“We are not born Christians; we become Christians when we are touched by the grace of God,” he said.

This “touch” is expressed “through our thoughtful choice and our personal journey. Without these true demands, we will bear the label of Christian, but we will be Christians out of convenience, habit, or comfort,” he explained.

Instead, “we become authentic Christians when we allow ourselves to be personally touched in our daily lives by the Word and witness of Jesus,” he said.

“In the midst of your tribulations, moments of loneliness and spiritual dryness, of misunderstandings, of weariness, may your hearts be established in him who is ‘the way, the truth, and the life,’ the source of all peace, joy, and love,” the pope concluded.

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

Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris, which arsonists set fire to the day after an electrical fire damaged the church. / Credit: Julien Jean Zayatz/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:54 pm (CNA).

Notre Dame des Champs, an iconic Catholic church in the Parisian neighborhood of Montparnasse, was targeted in an arson attack just 24 hours after an accidental fire broke out in its choir loft. 

The cause of the first fire, which broke out on the morning of July 23, has been attributed to a failed electrical circuit that resulted in the destruction of the church’s sound system and choir organ, according to a Le Figaro report. 

The next day, in a side chapel dedicated to St. Joseph, vandals set fire to wood panels. A recently renovated canvas located above the wood panels sustained significant damage. A statue of St. Joseph fell and broke while firefighters put out the flames, according to a report from the Tablet, which said there have been “50 fires or attempted arson cases” in French churches in the past year, compared with 38 in 2023. 

No one was reported injured in either incident. 

“This second fire caused even more damage,” Father Camille Millour, the pastor, wrote in a July 25 statement on the parish website following the second incident, which occurred on the afternoon of July 24. Millour noted that an investigation is ongoing and thanked first responders for their efforts.

The pastor noted that he had jointly filed a joint police complaint with the City of Paris and that the archbishop of Paris had expressed his support for the parish community amid the ordeal. 

“For reasons of the investigation and rehabilitation of the building, our church will remain closed for an indefinite period,” Millour stated.

Jean-Pierre Lecoq, mayor of the sixth arrondissement in Paris, where the church is located, expressed concern that the church suffered two fires in 48 hours, writing in a post on X: “Second fire in less than 24 hours at Notre-Dame-des-Champs church! The investigation will determine the causes, as the occurrence of these two incidents in such a short time raises legitimate questions. In any case, the building must be secured urgently.”

In a post the morning after the first fire, but before the second, the mayor noted that he had requested an audit of the electrical networks and security system due to the failure of the fire alarm system.

Millour stated that in wake of the fire, the campaign to replace the church’s lights are now “essential,” not only for aesthetic purposes but also safety amid electrical concerns. The church had been planning to install new lights ahead of its 150th anniversary next year.

Warsaw, Poland Archbishop Adrian Galbas. / Credit: SILESIA FLESZ TVS, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 28, 2025 / 15:50 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Warsaw, Poland, has asked the Vatican to laicize a priest accused of murdering a homeless man. The prelate said he was “devastated” by the news of the murder.

“Due to the gravity of the crime and the great public outrage, the metropolitan of Warsaw, Archbishop Adrian Galbas, immediately requests the Holy See to impose the highest penalty provided for in canon law for a cleric: dismissal from the priesthood,” reads a July 26 statement from the Archdiocese of Warsaw.

The text indicates that the request is based on the provisions of sections 1 and 3 of Canon 1397 of the Code of Canon Law, which stipulate that if a cleric commits homicide or kidnapping, “he must be dismissed from the clerical state.”

According to the news site of the German Bishops’ Conference, the accused priest has already been arrested by Polish police and has confessed to the crime.

After noting that this is “the highest possible sanction in relation to the clerical status,” the Archdiocese of Warsaw stated that the Church will cooperate with the authorities “to clarify all the circumstances of this crime and awaits a just and appropriate punishment imposed by the state court.”

The archdiocese also stated that as of July 25, Father Miroslaw M., the priest accused of murder and identified as such under Polish privacy laws, has been replaced as pastor of the parish in the village of Przypki.

Prosecutor’s office explains events

According to the Associated Press, the prosecutor’s office charged the priest with “murder with particular cruelty” following the death of a 68-year-old homeless man. The priest faces a sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

The priest and the victim, Anatol Cz., were in a car the night of Thursday, July 24, when they argued, according to Aneta Góźdź, a spokeswoman for the Radom District Prosecutor’s Office. The argument stemmed from an agreement in which the priest had agreed to provide assistance to the man.

In the midst of the argument, the priest allegedly hit the victim in the head with an axe and then set him on fire. “The autopsy showed that the victim suffered burns covering 80% of his body and head injuries caused by a sharp-edged heavy object,” Góźdź said.

‘The blood of our murdered brother cries out to God’

“Today I have no words of comfort for you, much less an explanation or justification. I am devastated by the news that one of my priests brutally murdered a poor, homeless man. I have no answer to any question that begins with ‘why?’”, the archbishop of Warsaw said in a July 25 statement.

“I ask all the priests of the Archdiocese of Warsaw to begin their personal penance and prayer of atonement today. Next Sunday, let us do this together, after every Mass throughout the archdiocese,” the prelate added.

“The blood of our murdered brother cries out to God. Let us beg God for forgiveness and let us beg for the forgiveness of others. I myself beg for this.”

After requesting prayers for the victim and his loved ones and reiterating that the archdiocese will cooperate with authorities to clarify what happened, the Polish prelate said that as the local archbishop, he feels “morally responsible for everything that happens in this Church — both good and the bad. Including this terrible crime. I apologize.”

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

View of Eremo delle Carceri, Assisi, Italy, July 2025. / Credit: Emma Silvestri

Assisi, Italy, Jul 27, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Everyone knows the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, the burial place of the founder of the Franciscan order, as well as the basilica housing the Portiuncula. But few know the Eremo delle Carceri, a hermitage hidden in the mountains, surrounded by trees — a place of silence where the “Poverello” himself withdrew to pray.

In every season, an unending crowd throngs the majestic entrances of the Upper and Lower Basilicas in Assisi in the Umbrian region of Italy. Thousands of tourists tread the cobblestones of the medieval town with its pale stone façades. Meanwhile, just five kilometers (3.1 miles) from the center, high above the town, the atmosphere is entirely different: Here, silence and solitude reign. This is what Francis and his companions sought in the early 13th century.

At the end of a winding climb, on the slopes of Mount Subasio at an altitude of about 800 meters (about 2,625 feet), the first Franciscan friar erected a small hermitage nestled in the greenery. In this sacred place, there are still no car horns, no souvenir vendors, no restaurants — only birdsong welcoming the souls who come to pray.

In the 15th century, St. Bernardino of Siena carved out a convent on what had been Francis’ retreat from the world’s noise. Thus, the original refuge created by Francis grew room by room, becoming a multilevel monastery — yet still marked by rusticity and austerity.

In the entrance cloister, pilgrims can see the “Well of Francis,” which marks the spot where water is said to have sprung forth following a miracle of Francis. They can then step into a small room that served as the monks’ refectory, with its simple long table and unadorned wooden benches. Continuing along the path, visitors encounter the same simplicity in the tiny choir, where barely 10 people can fit into the narrow wooden stalls.

A bed of stones 

In this hermitage, whose windows open onto the forest, everything points to humility. The doorways and openings are so small that one must bow to enter, to make oneself small. The path continues through narrow stairways carved into the rock, forming a labyrinth dotted with skylights, descending deeper into the mountain until it reaches the Cave of St. Francis (grotta di San Francesco), the heart of the convent.

Here, the founder of the Franciscans would retreat, spending his nights alone in meditation with God. Behind a wooden railing, one can lean over and see his unusual “bed” — no sheets, no frame, not even a mattress. The “Poverello” of Assisi lay on the hard, gray stone, a further sign of the renunciation and mortification he embraced.

Next to the saint’s cave is a tiny oratory where the friars of the early community prayed. Francis was not the only one seeking a life of sacrifice. Above the convent, in the forest, you can still find the caves of other brothers, such as Ruffino and Leo.

The oak that heard Francis 

Though nature has changed over the past 800 years and countless seasons have passed, there remains in the shade of the convent on the mountainside a tree from the time of St. Francis. This oak, authenticated as medieval, now bears a trunk twisted by centuries, yet its bark still bears silent witness to the preaching of Italy’s patron saint to the birds, as the legend goes.

Near this centuries-old tree, three statues commemorate St. Francis’ special love for nature. One shows the saint lying on his back, hands behind his head, gazing at the stars — an attitude that reflects his famous “Canticle of the Creatures,” in which Francis sang: “Praised be you, my Lord, for our sister the moon and the stars. In the heavens you have formed them, bright, precious, and beautiful!”

Just a few steps away, two early Franciscan friars, Leo and Juniper, are depicted. Leo, the elder, traces the Big and Little Dipper on the ground, measuring their distance between thumb and forefinger to calculate the position of the North Star. The young Juniper points to the same star with wonder. 

The duo symbolizes the harmony between faith and reason, and the North Star — “a sure guide to finding the right direction” — symbolizes the Gospel, “which unfailingly guides those who follow it,” a sign at the monastery explains.

Pilgrims light candles at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Jul 26, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Antonia Raco, a 67-year-old Italian woman long affected by an incurable neurodegenerative illness, was officially introduced to the press on July 25 in Lourdes, where her healing was recognized as the 72nd miracle attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary since the apparitions of 1858.  

Diagnosed in 2006 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — a progressive and fatal condition — Raco experienced a recovery that defied medical explanation.

First announced by the Sanctuary of Lourdes on April 16, the recognition marked the culmination of 16 years of medical, canonical, and pastoral inquiry. Raco, a mother and active parishioner from Basilicata in southern Italy, had been living with the disease for several years when she traveled to Lourdes in 2009.

“I had wanted to go to Lourdes since I was a child,” she recalled. That wish came true that summer, when she and her husband, Antonio, traveled to the shrine with the Italian pilgrimage association Unitalsi.

The experience, however, was not exactly as she had once imagined: She arrived in a wheelchair, already struggling to breathe and swallow.

On the second day, sanctuary volunteers brought her to the baths. “We prayed together. That’s when I heard a beautiful young female voice say three times: ‘Don’t be afraid!’” she recounted during the press conference in Lourdes, held in the presence of religious and medical authorities.  

Raco wore the white veil and uniform of the Hospitallers of Lourdes — the volunteer caregivers she now joins each year, assisting the sick with the same compassion once shown to her.  

“At that moment, I burst into tears and prayed for the intentions I had brought with me.” 

She described a sudden, sharp pain in her legs during immersion, as though “they were taken away from me.” She did not disclose what had happened to anyone during her stay and returned home in a wheelchair.

It was there, in her living room with her husband, that she again heard the same voice urging her, “Tell him! Call him!” Obeying the voice, she called out to her husband, who had just stepped into the kitchen. “Something has happened,” she told him.

In that moment, she stood unaided for the first time in years. Overcome with emotion, the couple embraced, crying together as they realized she was cured.

Though overjoyed, Raco was initially unsure of how to speak about her experience. She eventually confided in a parish priest in her diocese of Tursi-Lagonegro in Basilicata, who urged her to undergo medical evaluation.

Soon after, the local archbishop who had accompanied the pilgrimage that year, Francesco Nolè, visited her and, after hearing her story, told her: “Antonietta, the Lord has entered your home and given you a gift — but it is not for you alone. It is for all of us.” 

The road to recognition took more than a decade of thorough medical evaluation and expert review. “There is no cure for ALS,” noted Professor Vincenzo Silani, a leading neurologist involved in the investigation. He was among those who confirmed both the diagnosis and the inexplicability of Raco’s recovery. “Patients are doomed to get a little worse every day.” 

Dr. Alessandro de Franciscis, the permanent doctor at the Lourdes Sanctuary, reminded the audience that the Church considers a healing miraculous only if it is sudden, complete, lasting, medically inexplicable, and not attributable to treatment or gradual recovery.

These criteria, which continue to guide the Church’s discernment today, were first established by Cardinal Prospero Lambertini, later Pope Benedict XIV.

Debate within the International Medical Committee of Lourdes (CMIL) was initially inconclusive when the case was first presented in 2019. But a new international consensus on the diagnosis of ALS, published in 2020, provided the framework for reassessment. In 2023, Silani reevaluated Raco in Milan and confirmed the definitive cure. 

Finally, in November 2024, a secret vote was held among 21 members of the International Medical Committee of Lourdes: 17 voted in favor of an unexplained, complete, and lasting cure — meeting the two-thirds majority required by Church criteria. 

Following the positive medical vote, the case was referred to the current bishop of Raco’s home diocese, Vincenzo Carmine Orofino, who formally recognized the miracle on April 16 of this year.

Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes, who participated in the scientific process without voting, praised the rigor and transparency of the medical discussions. “What impressed me most,” he said, “was the freedom of the experts. They are not there to defend a cause but to seek the truth.”

He also reminded the participants that miracles never impose faith. “Even the Resurrection did not force anyone to believe,” he said. “A miracle is a sign — a gift to be received in the light of faith.” 

Closing the press briefing, the rector of the sanctuary, Father Michel Daubanes, expressed deep emotion and gratitude as he recalled the honor of announcing the miracle during the 6 p.m. rosary on Holy Thursday, April 17, just minutes before it was proclaimed at the cathedral of Tursi-Lagonegro.

“We often say: ‘If I saw a miracle, I would believe.’ But the truth is: If I believe, I can see miracles,” he reflected. “This healing is not just a story from the past. It is a living testimony that continues to bear fruit.”

Priests participate in Holy Thursday Mass in Wrocław Cathedral in Wrocław, Poland, on March 28, 2024. / Credit: FotoDax/Shutterstock

Budapest, Hungary, Jul 25, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Poland stands out as the undisputed leader in religious vocations in Europe in 2025, with 206 new ordained priests, the highest number on the continent. This recent data from the Polish Catholic Information Agency KAI, reported by the Catholic Herald, shows that while much of Europe grapples with declining ordination figures, Poland’s numbers remain robust, reflecting a deep-rooted commitment to religious life.  

This is particularly evident in the Diocese of Tarnów, which leads the country with 13 new priests scheduled for ordination this year.  

In contrast to much of Europe, where the number of new priests has fallen below replacement levels — leading dioceses to increasingly rely on clergy from Africa and Asia — Poland’s continued leadership in ordinations seems to underscore the resilience of its Catholic identity and religious practices. Such resilience is especially significant given that Poland, like other European nations, faces the pressures of secularization, changing family structures, and a declining birth rate.

The number of diocesan ordinations in Poland has declined slightly, with 141 new diocesan priests in 2025 compared with 153 in 2024, but the picture has remained relatively stable in recent years.

Poland’s strength in fostering vocations can be traced to several key factors that distinguish it from much of Europe.

Foremost among these is the nation’s deeply ingrained Catholic identity, which continues to shape the lives of many Polish citizens. According to the 2021 census, nearly 71.4% of the population identify as Roman Catholic. Though this marks a noticeable decline from the 88% who identified as Catholic a decade earlier, Poland still boasts one of the highest church attendance rates in Europe — 29.5% in 2022 — a vital element in sustaining vocations to the priesthood.

The Diocese of Tarnów, located in southern Poland, remains one of the most religious and traditional areas of the country. The diocese is located in a region that was once the Austrian province of Galicia, Marcin Rzegocki, managing director of the Auxilium Foundation of the Diocese of Tarnów, told CNA.

“Due to various historical factors, this region remains one of Poland’s most religious and traditional areas today. In fact, the religious life in this part of Poland is often characterized as heavily clerical in nature,” he said. This long-standing popular devotion has allowed Tarnów to remain a fertile ground for priestly vocations. 

Throughout the 20th century, the diocese enjoyed an abundance of priestly vocations, so much so that it became a source of vocations not only for Polish dioceses but also for dioceses in Western Europe, the U.S., and mission territories.

“Historically, Galicia was also a major source of economic emigration to Western Europe and the Americas,” Rzegocki said. “Even today, priests and nuns from this region can be found serving around the world.” Despite changes in family structures as well as demographic and societal shifts, Tarnów’s religious culture continues to foster a steady stream of vocations.

A central historical figure in the development of Tarnów’s vocational culture was Archbishop Leon Wałęga, who served as the bishop of Tarnów from 1901 to 1931. Wałęga played a crucial role in fostering priestly vocations, particularly through his devotion to Our Lady of Tuchów, an important Marian sanctuary in the diocese.

Wałęga worked alongside the Redemptorist Fathers from Tuchów to promote devotion to the miraculous image of Our Lady. In 1904, he crowned the image — covered by a silver sheet dress — marking the beginning of a deep connection between the diocese and the intercession of the Virgin Mary for priestly vocations.

The coronation ceremony in October 1904, attended by around 130,000 faithful and 200 priests, became a defining moment for the diocese. Wałęga’s act of entrusting the diocese’s vocations to the care of Our Lady of Tuchów marked a profound spiritual commitment that continued to shape the diocese for years to come.

And this tradition has extended beyond Poland’s borders. For over a century, bishops, priests, seminarians, and laypeople alike have made the pilgrimage from many different countries to seek guidance in their discernment and pray for vocations. 

Reflecting on the future of vocations in Poland in an interview with KAI, Bishop Andrzej Przybylski, delegate of the Polish Episcopal Conference for Vocations and president of the National Council for Vocational Pastoral Care, acknowledged both the opportunities and the challenges that lie ahead.

“In Poland, we are still observing a time when the number of vocations is stable, although still very low compared to the most fruitful years,” he said. “We have had a period of significant vocational growth, and we believe that this should continue. The question is how to welcome those who are now discovering this path and decide to walk it.” 

Przybylski emphasized the importance of creating environments for young people to discern their vocations. “We want to accompany vocations. We believe that God calls people how he wants, who he wants, and according to his plans,” he said. “We, however, want to create a vocational culture, to encourage many young people to discover their vocation.”