Ss. Cyril and Methodius Ukrainian Catholic Church

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Changes to this year’s pilgrimage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Restrictions on traditional pilgrimages worldwide

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eyes turned to Rome

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Carroll is optimistic for the future.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sister Angela Musolesi served as an assistant to renowned exorcist priest Gabriel Amorth for 28 years. / Credit: Nicolás de Cárdenas/ACI Prensa

Madrid, Spain, Jun 4, 2025 / 10:47 am (CNA).

Sister Angela Musolesi was born in the small Italian town of Budrio on Dec. 8, 1954, the centennial year of the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

A Franciscan nun, Sister Angela collaborated for 28 years with the renowned Italian priest and exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth. To expand the legacy of Amorth, who died on Sept. 16, 2016, in Rome at the age of 91, she founded the Children of Light association.

San Pablo Publishing has just published Sister Angela’s Spanish-langauge book “You Are My Ruin,” a volume that explains the causes of demonic possession and offers effective tools for confronting the actions of the devil.

Sister Angela does this with particular reference to the family, a field in which Our Lady of Fátima prophesied that the devil’s final battle against God and humanity will be fought.

Just a short distance from the statue of the fallen angel in Madrid’s Retiro Park, Sister Angela spoke with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, about her latest work.

ACI Prensa: When the devil tells you “You are my ruin,” is it a desperate voice from the devil or a temptation to boost your ego?

Sister Angela: No, it’s a fear the devil has of me … he fears me, just as he feared Father Gabriele Amorth.

How is it that the devil is afraid of a human being?

Because we have Jesus within us, we have the resurrection of Jesus within us. [The devil] knows this well, and sometimes he has told us: “We know that you have already defeated us.” We speak in the name of Jesus, so we have already defeated all the demons, although perhaps we are a little afraid at times. I am not.

But you and Father Amorth are the Navy Seals (the elite force of the United States Navy) in the confrontation with the devil. How do we, as ordinary Catholics, make the devil fear us?

With the action of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bothers the devil a lot. It is the spirit of the risen Jesus. Sometimes, when I have prayed over someone, invoking the Holy Spirit, the devil has cried out: “You are hurting me, you are hurting me.” Only with the Holy Spirit. The more we have the Holy Spirit within us, the more we have the courage of Jesus. As St. Paul says in the Second Letter to Timothy: “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of courage, of strength, of wisdom, of light.”

Your book aims to better understand the enemy. Why is this goal important?

To understand his actions, how he works in the world and within us, in our minds. Because he primarily tries to attack the intellectual faculties and, through that, the heart. From the mind, from the head, through the brain, he confuses us.

The most widespread action in the world is that of Lucifer, who is the spirit of mental confusion, of the darkening of intelligence, of the inability to make decisions, and then also of madness, suicide, and death. This is what happens to young people who no longer have Jesus as a point of reference.

You began your apostolate in prisons. Does the devil move well behind bars?

He moves well in society. Certainly, prisoners, convicts, are the ones who suffer the most. But I can tell you that when I was in prison for 10 years, I would go and bring them Jesus. I would invoke the Holy Spirit, offer prayers of deliverance and healing, and the next time the prisoners would ask me: Sister, are you still saying that prayer?

You also have a great heart for ecumenism.

Absolutely, yes.

Are the different Christian groups more similar in how we conceive of the devil than in other doctrinal matters? Is this a point of unity that favors communion?

Yes, absolutely. Also because, for example, our evangelical brothers and Protestants in general have a great devotion to the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit, as we have said, is what bothers the devil the most, because it is the spirit of Jesus. This is a common point. Even the final part of the Lord’s Prayer — “deliver us from evil.” When the devil manifests himself, and that is repeated several times, it makes him scream.

The most difficult thing is to get the devil to manifest himself, to make himself visible through a person who has a demonic action. But the most widespread action in the world is the ordinary action of the devil: mental confusion. It makes people believe he doesn’t exist, it makes them believe he doesn’t create problems.

The teaching that Father Gabriele Amorth has already spread is important because it says: Look, the devil is at work in the world. We must speak more about him, and everyone must apply Jesus’ words: “Whoever believes in me must — not can, must — command the devil, heal the sick, and raise the dead.”

So any of us, a layperson, a nun, or a normal priest, must command the devil and not be afraid. This teaching is sometimes disputed in the Catholic Church because there are priests who say no, that a normal priest, a normal nun, or a layperson cannot do that.

But Jesus was clear. Jesus said: “Whoever believes in me must not be afraid of the devil,” and he must do these things. This is the novelty of Father Gabriel Amorth’s teaching, which we are continuing. I say we because I founded the Children of Light during his lifetime, and we are continuing his teachings.

Tell us something special about the book that invites people to pick it up. What’s new about this book?

More than an explanation of the devil, it’s about how to free oneself from the devil, how to free marriages. It explains very well how to recognize the action of the devil in marriages that are about to break up. It explains what a person, a layperson, a wife can do for her husband if he has difficulties with fidelity, or what a mother can do for her children. This is very important; the book is important for this reason. It is the practical application of how to free oneself from the action of the devil.

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

Bern, Switzerland. / Credit: SCStock/Shutterstock

Stockholm, Sweden, Jun 3, 2025 / 10:16 am (CNA).

In a landmark decision, the Swiss Catholic Women’s Federation (SKF) — the largest denominational women’s organization in the country with 100,000 members — has voted to remove the word “Catholic” from its name. The group will now operate as the Women’s Federation Switzerland, accompanied by the tagline “Surprisingly Different Catholic.”

Originally founded a century ago, the organization was established to preserve Catholic life in families, communities, and the state. It was also established as an alternative to the predominantly Protestant Swiss Federation of Women’s Associations.

As reported by CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, the name change is driven by concerns regarding the public image of the term “Catholic.”

“As a Catholic umbrella organization, we consciously and repeatedly adopt positions different from those of the official Church,” Simone Curau-Aepli, the federation’s president, said of the change.

One concrete example of this is the SKF’s stance on homosexuality. Since 2001, the SKF board has advocated opening civil and ecclesiastical marriages to same-sex couples.

Manuela Winteler, head of the Bazenheid Women’s Community, maintained that “to save the ‘catholic’ in its original sense and the goals and values of the federation,” the word “Catholic” must disappear from the name.

She referred to the etymological meaning of “catholic,” which comes from Greek and means “all-embracing, total, universal.” This, she explained, signifies that the Church was “sent to all people,” not just to “members of the Roman Catholic denomination.”

The reasoning behind the name change drew criticism from Catholic organizations. Both the Cooperation Council of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference (SBK) and the Roman Catholic Central Conference (RKZ) expressed regret about the requested name change. It remains to be seen whether the move will also have financial consequences. The SBK receives around 7% of its funding from the RKZ.

The move by the SKF raises questions about whether similar decisions to “rebrand” will be made by Catholic women’s organizations in neighboring Germany and Austria. However, an analysis of current discussions suggests that the major Catholic women’s associations in both countries intend to maintain their religious name despite undergoing reflection processes.

German associations currently reject name change

The two largest Catholic womens’ organizations in Germany have ruled out renaming themselves in the manner of the Swiss. With approximately 265,000 members, the Catholic Women’s Community of Germany (Katholische Frauengemeinschaft Deutschlands, KFD) and with about 145,000 members, the Catholic German Women’s League (Katholischer Deutscher Frauenbund, KDFB), currently see no reason to remove “Catholic” from their names.

Agnes Wuckelt, deputy federal chairwoman of the KFD, stated that removing the “K” from the association’s name is not an issue at the federal level. Despite similar experiences to the SKF, the KFD is “proactively addressing” this by advocating strongly for women’s issues within the Catholic Church, she said.

The KDFB, however, described the name change of the Swiss women as an “understandable strategic decision,” without announcing any plans to rename their organization.

Instead, both associations instead are focusing on redefining what “Catholic” should mean in their context.

The KFD has expressed this intention for several years with the concept of “differently Catholic.” Birgit Kainz, KDFB regional chairwoman, explained: “We in the KDFB call ourselves ‘Catholic’ but understand ourselves not just as a Roman Catholic but as a Christian association.”

Austrian situation remains unchanged

With around 170,000 members, the Catholic Women’s Movement of Austria (Katholische Frauenbewegung Österreichs, KFB) has not yet made any efforts to change its confessional designation. Unlike the German associations, there are no documented public discussions about a possible name change. 

The Austrian KFB is organized as a lay Church organization within the framework of Catholic Action, making it structurally more closely tied to Church hierarchies than its German sister organizations. This organizational integration may explain why discussions about abandoning “Catholic” in the name have not yet taken place publicly.

Karol Nawrocki, presidential candidate of the Law and Justice Party (PiS), speaks to supporters following the Polish presidential runoff election on June 1, 2025. / Credit: Marek Antoni Iwaczuk/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 2, 2025 / 14:49 pm (CNA).

In a tightly contested runoff election, nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki won Poland’s presidency with 50.89% of the vote, narrowly defeating Warsaw mayor Rafał Trzaskowski’s 49.11%, according to final results announced Monday. 

Nawrocki, a 42-year-old historian and former amateur boxer, ran on a platform emphasizing traditional Catholic values and cultural and political conservatism. He has vowed to maintain close ties between the Polish government and the Catholic Church, saying he views faith as a cornerstone of national culture. 

During the campaign, Nawrocki made headlines by publicly shredding a copy of “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” signaling his staunch opposition to progressive social policies. He has pledged to veto any legislation liberalizing Poland’s strict abortion laws or introducing same-sex civil unions, citing the Catholic Church’s teachings on sexual ethics and the need to protect traditional family structures. 

“Poland’s strength lies in its faith and family values,” Nawrocki declared at a campaign rally, framing his presidency as a defense against secular influences.

His conservative stance contrasts sharply with Trzaskowski, who campaigned on progressive reforms, including abortion law liberalization, support for LGBTQ+ civil partnerships, and deeper European integration.

Nawrocki is expected to use his presidential veto to block Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s pro-European Union, reformist legislative efforts. 

The Polish presidency, while largely ceremonial, wields significant influence through its veto power, which requires a 60% parliamentary majority to override — a threshold Tusk’s coalition lacks. This dynamic echoes the tenure of outgoing President Andrzej Duda, a PiS (Law and Justice Party) ally who consistently thwarted Tusk’s attempts to reverse PiS-era judicial reforms.

Poland’s president is elected to a five-year term through a two-round voting system, with a runoff between the top two candidates if no one secures a majority in the first round. Presidents may serve up to two terms. Duda’s second term ends on Aug. 6, when president-elect Nawrocki will be sworn in to office.

The election, the closest in Poland’s post-communist history, underscores the country’s deepening political divide. Early exit polls had predicted a Trzaskowski win, while the actual results ended up reversing those projections. Exit polls also showed that younger voters leaned toward Nawrocki in the runoff.

Nawrocki’s win has broader implications for Poland’s role in Europe. His opposition to strengthening EU ties and Ukraine’s NATO membership sets him apart from Trzaskowski’s pro-EU platform.

Nawrocki has expressed strong opposition to illegal immigration, advocating for policies that prioritize Polish citizens and reject EU-driven migration frameworks.

“My Poland is a Poland without illegal migrants,” he said during his campaign.

Conservative European leaders celebrated the result, with Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán calling it a “fantastic victory” and France’s Marine Le Pen, deputy of the French National Assembly, praising it as a rejection of the “Brussels oligarchy.” 

Nawrocki attended the National Day of Prayer at the White House last month, posing for photos with President Donald Trump, who supported Nawrocki’s presidential bid.

At a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) meeting in Poland last week, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also strongly endorsed Nawrocki.

“I met with Karol, and let me be clear: He must be Poland’s next president. Are we on the same page?” Noem declared.

“You need to choose the right leader,” she continued. “You can be the ones to steer Europe back toward conservative values.”

In the morning, the Holy Blood is venerated in St. Salvator Cathedral during a Eucharistic celebration, with archbishop of Tehran Cardinal Dominique Mathieu concelebrating. Then during the procession, he carries the reliquary for part of the route on May 29, 2025. / Credit: Thomas P. Reiter

Bruges, Belgium, May 31, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Over 45,000 people, including visitors from the Americas, lined the streets and walked in procession Thursday for the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges, Belgium, which has taken place annually on Ascension Day since May 3, 1304.

The procession depicts how a relic of the Holy Blood of Christ was brought to the West Flemish city following the Crusades.

Organized by the “Edele Confrèrie van het Heilig Bloed” (“Noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood”), this year’s procession featured approximately 1,800 participants who reenacted 53 biblical and historical sacred scenes. 

The procession moves through the entire medieval city center, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.

The most prominent participant this year, alongside Bruges Bishop Lode Aerts, was Cardinal Dominique Mathieu, a Belgian religious cleric whom Pope Francis appointed as archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan in 2021 and admitted to the College of Cardinals as a cardinal priest in December 2024. 

Mathieu speaks six languages, including Arabic, and belongs to the Franciscan Minorite order. He was born in the Belgian province of Luxembourg but grew up in Damme, near Bruges. 

In 2009, UNESCO added the Holy Blood Procession to its “List of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.” This World Heritage recognition came 700 years after Pope Clement V officially sanctioned the veneration of the Holy Blood relic in Bruges through the papal bull Licet Is in 1310. 

According to tradition, Thierry of Alsace, count of Flanders, brought several drops of Christ’s blood from Jerusalem during a crusade in 1150. The relic has since been preserved in the Holy Blood Chapel in Bruges and serves as a daily attraction for tourists and pilgrims from around the world. 

Bruges, the capital city of West Flanders in northwest Belgium known for its port, canals, medieval buildings, and cobblestone streets, is widely known to international audiences through the 2008 film “In Bruges” starring Irish actor Colin Farrell.

Just a mention of Lough Derg summons tales of sleep deprivation, discomfort, and hunger, but it’s a deeply spiritual place of renewal and hope, from which faithful pilgrims often emerge reborn through the rituals of self-purification. / Credit: Lough Derg

Dublin, Ireland, May 31, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

This weekend, the Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage season will open in Ireland and the first cohort of 2025 pilgrims will disembark on a small island called St. Patrick’s Purgatory located on Lough Derg, a remote inland lake in County Donegal, after a short 10-minute boat journey. 

Lough Derg is renowned among the faithful for its physically grueling but spiritually uplifting three-day pilgrimage. 

Just the mention of Lough Derg in Ireland summons tales of sleep deprivation, discomfort, and hunger, but it’s a deeply spiritual place of renewal and hope from which faithful pilgrims often emerge reborn through the rituals of self-purification. 

The site dates back at least to the 1100s when Henry of Saltrey, a Benedictine monk, wrote of the exploits of a Knight Owain who visited St. Patrick’s Purgatory. It is said to have influenced the first book of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” and is alluded to by Hamlet.

Once dubbed the “Ironman of Pilgrimages,” Lough Derg is approached with stoicism by those who embark on it: with trepidation, careful selection of suitable clothing, and a necessary dose of black humor. Many who make the three-day pilgrimage feel compelled to repeat it, citing the searing and visceral self-examination and reflection brought about by intense prayer, atonement, fasting, and physical mortification of going barefoot. They say that upon completion there follows a unique spiritual and prayerful renewal. Pilgrims are drawn there for many reasons: to give thanks or do penance, or out of grief, love, curiosity, tradition, or duty. But faith is always at the fore. 

Although the pilgrimage season is during the summer, it is more often characterized by cold, wet Irish weather exacerbated by lack of sleep, fasting, and blisters.

What’s the draw?

So what is it that attracts pilgrims every year, so many of them repeat visitors? 

Dr. Lee Casey from Derry has been a frequent pilgrim, sometimes going twice in the same year. His parents did made the pilgrimage on their honeymoon. Lee hopes to return this year after recovering from a bout of serious illness that literally took him off his feet. He told CNA: “It is the only place on earth that you get the spiritual fix that you get from Lough Derg.”

Pilgrims remain on the island for two nights, arriving around noon on the first day and departing the morning of the third day. Fasting begins at midnight prior to arrival and lasts until midnight on the third day, when the person has returned home. One Lough Derg meal a day is permitted: black tea, coffee, dry toast, oatcakes.

Upon setting foot on the island, pilgrims divest themselves of food and drink as well as phones and other electronic devices. Footwear is removed for the duration of the stay; rugged bare rocks thenceforth are a constant presence under bare feet.

Station prayers

Station prayers repeated on penitential prayer beds of bare stone leave a lasting impact on pilgrims, on their knees and feet. These prayer beds that form the central part of the prayer program are remnants of the old beehive “prayer” cells used by ninth-century monks. 

The station prayers can be described as “body” prayers where the emphasis is on kneeling and walking while reciting basic prayers like the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Creed. Nine station prayers are completed over the three days, and each takes about an hour to complete. Pilgrims say that after a while it becomes meditative.

The Vigil

The Vigil lasting 24 hours on the first night is the heart of the experience as pilgrims journey together in watchful prayer staying alert despite the intense desire to sleep. 

Liturgies celebrated include the Eucharist, the sacrament of reconciliation, and the Way of the Cross. There is time for reflection.

“Lough Derg is a great place to bring burdens and leave them behind and often it is the unexpected that surprises us — a thought emerges, a new idea, a different way of looking at something,” Monsignor La Flynn, prior of Lough Derg pilgrimage site, told CNA. “Or perhaps, the gift of this time away from everything provides an opportunity to be at peace, to empty the mind, and to listen to the whisper of our God,” he said.

He added: “The ebb and flow of the pilgrimage — the strenuous pilgrimage exercise coupled with times of peaceful reflection — are about opening us to receptivity, about finding a new honesty and humility that we can take with us into our daily lives.

Returning pilgrims

Aidan Gallagher lives in Newry, County Down. A frequent visitor to Lough Derg for years, he told CNA he plans to be there this year. “Yes, I intend going this year, please God. Why? It’s a powerful reset. Each time I go, it reminds me of how much we have in the world, but how little we actually need.”

“It’s also good opportunity to say thanks, for what I’ve been given, and what I have not. It’s a very powerful place, just the atmosphere and spirit there, with the wind, rain, waves, scenery, the fasting and prayer, and especially the people you meet. You can meet God there too and while it’s a tough pilgrimage, it definitely does the soul good.”

Casey agrees the isolation adds to the experience. “It’s just a fantastic place, the stillness, the quietness, and the beauty of it is just unique.”

Gallagher added: “It’s also a powerful place to remember loved ones — alive or passed on. I often think of the millions of people over 1,500 years who came here before me, who smoothed out the rough stones for me. All those people praying with their heart for loved ones, wives and children, brothers and sisters, for peace, justice, and I often think, where are they now? And for me the answer is obvious.”

Tracy Harkin is a busy mother of eight children who plans to make the pilgrimage this year as well. “It’s been a few years since I’ve been there,” she said. “It’s difficult, but a spiritually powerful pilgrimage like no other. Prayers are always answered.”

Seosamh Ó Gallachóir has completed the Lough Derg pilgrimage for as many years as he can remember. During COVID-19, when the island was closed, he replicated the strenuous pilgrimage exercises at his home in County Tyrone. He draws a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment from making the Lough Derg pilgrimage. 

Ó Gallachóir makes the simple pilgrim rations sound like a gourmet feast. “The lure of the Lough Derg soup [is enough] to stave off the hunger pangs. The recipe is well known and simple: hot water with a hint of salt and pepper. The death and resurrection cycle of this three-day pilgrimage lends itself to a feeling of great euphoria when completed.” 

Prepping for the experience

When asked what to bring to the holy island — and what not to bring — the intrepid pilgrims offered advice both temporal and spiritual. 

Drawing on more than 40 visits, Gallachóir’s advice is simple: “Bring a spare set of warm clothes, hat, waterproof coat, and leggings, and don’t forget your rosary beads.”

And what not to bring? “Mobile phones, radios, or any electronic devices. No food allowed or bottled drinks and no personal musical instruments allowed,” he said.

Gallagher agreed with his fellow pilgrims on what to pack, adding that pilgrims should leave “impatience” at home. “When the pilgrimage at Lough Derg is over you leave behind your sins, bad opinions about yourself, any mental burdens. The priest says you can leave all these behind you on the island when you leave.”

Harkin’s pilgrimage survival kit includes insect repellent and leaves behind “all those books you think you will read. You will be too busy praying and too tired to read when the praying is done.”

“Leave behind your vanity bag, you just won’t care enough! Leave behind all your worries and cares. You will be too hungry, cold, and exhausted to think of anything other than finally getting into a warm bed on that second night.”

“Don’t forget your sense of humor, it will get you through those three days,” she said. 

For the 2025 Jubilee Year, visitors to all three of Ireland’s main shrines — Lough Derg, Croagh Patrick, and Knock Shrine — can get a unique pilgrim passport stamped.

An attendee prays the rosary during a demonstration called by the association “La Marche pour la vie” against abortion and euthanasia in Versailles, southwest of Paris, on March 4, 2024. / Credit: GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images

Paris, France, May 31, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The French National Assembly has approved a controversial bill legalizing “assistance in dying,” a move that the country’s Catholic bishops describe as a grave threat to the dignity of life and the social fabric of the nation.

The amended version of the law was passed on May 27 with 305 votes in favor and 199 against. While the palliative care provisions received broad support, the article establishing a legal right to assisted suicide and euthanasia has drawn significant criticism from Church leaders, bioethicists, and a wide range of civil society voices.

In a statement released shortly after the vote, the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF) expressed its “deep concern” over the adoption of a so-called “right to assistance in dying.” While welcoming the Assembly’s support for improved palliative care, the CEF reaffirmed its opposition to the legal institutionalization of euthanasia.

The bishops reiterated arguments they had made in a May 19 statement issued ahead of the vote: “This text, among the most permissive in the world, would threaten the most fragile and call into question the respect due to all human life.” They vowed to continue engaging in the legislative process, which now enters the Senate phase and will return to the Assembly for a second reading later this year.

The CEF emphasized its commitment to contributing “all useful elements to enlighten discernment” on what it called an “infinitely grave, complex, and even intimidating” issue. As the bill now proceeds to the Senate, where debate is expected to begin in late September or early October, the bishops intend to remain fully engaged in the public and legislative discourse.

Drawing on the daily experience of more than 800 hospital chaplains, 1,500 volunteers, 5,000 home and nursing home visitors, and countless priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and laypeople involved in pastoral care across France, the bishops insisted that the Church has both the authority and the responsibility to speak on behalf of the dying.

Bishop Pierre-Antoine Bozo of Limoges, in an interview with RCF radio following the vote, addressed concerns about the new legal offense of hindering access to assisted dying, which some fear could restrict the Church’s mission of accompanying the sick and dying.  

The bishop expressed a calm stance, urging Catholics to remain “very free” in their commitment to support the suffering: “Their desire must be to accompany, out of love, charity, care, and fraternity, all those who suffer, without having to ask themselves whether they might be repressed by the offense of obstruction.” 

French Catholic leaders have spared no effort to make their voice heard since the bill was first introduced in 2022. In addition to their own institutional initiatives, the Church has taken part in broader public debate through the Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), co-signing a joint declaration that warned that the “terminology chosen — ‘assistance in dying’ — masks the true nature of the act: the voluntary administration of a lethal substance.”  

Just days after dedicating their annual prayer vigil for life at Notre-Dame Cathedral to the end of life issue on May 21, the bishops of the Île-de-France region sharpened their message further, issuing an open letter on May 26 — the eve of the parliamentary vote — to the deputies and senators of their dioceses.  

They cautioned, in particular, against a dangerous distortion of language, arguing that the proposed law risks redefining care as the act of causing death. The 11 bishops denounced what they see as “contradictions, counter-truths, and false pretenses of humanism” underlying the text.

“How can we call ‘natural’ a death that is deliberately induced?” they wrote. “How can we speak of a ‘right to die’ when death is already inevitable?” The bishops also questioned the long-term implications of the law’s framing, suggesting it opens the door to future extensions to minors or elderly people with cognitive disorders such as dementia.

The Church has continued to build alliances with health care professionals, legal scholars, and ethicists who have spoken out publicly in recent years against what they view as a rupture in the French model of care and more broadly of the Christian civilization. “The death given,” the bishops reiterated, “is not, and cannot be, a form of care.”

While the path toward implementation is still unfolding — the government aims for enactment by 2027 — the bishops emphasized that an alternative already exists in the Claeys-Leonetti law of 2016, which allows for deep and continuous sedation without actively inducing death.

The Church has long argued that this legislation offers a humane balance between pain management and respect for life. The bishops also lamented that more than 20% of French departments still lack access to palliative care services, calling instead for serious national investment in this field.

The Paderborn Cathedral in Germany / Credit: By A.Savin / Wikimedia Free Art License

Frankfurt, Germany, May 29, 2025 / 10:48 am (CNA).

A German archdiocese has distanced itself from the controversial performance “Westfalen Side Story” in Paderborn Cathedral and told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, that it had no prior knowledge of the specific content of the performance. 

The Archdiocese of Paderborn in Western Germany expressed regret that the staging had “hurt religious feelings,” and has since initiated internal reviews.

The controversial performance by the ensemble Bodytalk on May 15 triggered a wave of outrage and led to a petition with more than 20,000 signatories. Under the title “Against the Desecration of Paderborn Cathedral: For the Protection of Our Sacred Sites,” the faithful call for a clear response from the Church.

The high-profile event was attended by Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister President Hendrik Wüst, CNA Deutsch reported. 

The performance was intended to be part of official celebrations marking the 1,250th anniversary of Westphalia. It featured a woman and a half-naked man wielding scythes followed by a second shirtless man who entered with a bowl full of plucked chickens wrapped in diapers. 

The performers made the dead animals “walk” by their hands through the altar area while they sang “Fleisch ist Fleisch” (“Meat is meat”) to the tune of the 1984 pop song “Live is Life” by Austrian band Opus. 

The official statement further noted that the cathedral had “frequently been the site of high-level cultural events in the past.”

Regarding the controversial performance, the archdiocese stated: “The specific content and design of this program segment was not known in advance to those responsible either on the organizers’ side or at the venue.” Looking ahead, the archdiocese announced: “We take the reactions to the performance very seriously and have already begun reviewing our internal procedures.”

At the same time, the statement expressed “explicit regret that the performance hurt religious feelings.”  

The archdiocese further emphasized that such an effect was "never intended at any point” and also “does not reflect our expectations for this place with its special religious, historical, and cultural significance.” 

The petition hosted on the platform CitizenGo is addressed to Paderborn’s Archbishop Udo Bentz. The signatories call not only for a public apology but also for an “act of penance and reparation with a reconsecration of the cathedral in Paderborn, which was desecrated by this performance.”

The collected signatures will be submitted not only to the archbishop but also to the apostolic nuncio in Germany, Archbishop Nikola Eterović.

The petition states: “Catholic churches are sacred spaces, built for worship and oriented toward the veneration of God. The use of our churches should always point to God’s presence and lead to adoration.”