Vatican finances, the balance sheets of the IOR and of the St. Peter's Obligation
There is an intrinsic relationship between the budgets of the Oblates of St. Peter's and the Institute for works of Religion.
Andrea Gagliarducci-July 12, 2024-Reading time: 4minutes
There is a close relationship between the annual declaration of the St. Peter's obolus and the balance sheet of the Istituto delle Opere di Religione, the so-called "Vatican bank". Because the Obolo is destined to the charity of the Pope, but this charity is also expressed in the support of the structure of the Roman Curia, an immense "missionary budget" that has expenses, but not so many incomes, and that must continue to pay salaries. And because the IOR, for some time now, has been making a voluntary contribution of its profits precisely to the Pope, and these profits serve to lighten the budget of the Holy See.
For years the IOR has not had the same benefits as in the past, so that the portion allocated to the Pope has decreased over the years. The same situation applies to the Obolo, whose income has decreased over the years, and which has also had to face this decrease in the IOR's support. So much so that in 2022 it had to double its income with a general divestment of assets.
That is why the two budgets, published last month, are somehow connected. After all, the Vatican finances have always been connected, and everything contributes to helping the Pope's mission.
But let's look at the two budgets in more detail.
The St. Peter's Oblong
Last June 29, the St. Peter's Oblates presented their annual balance sheet. Revenues were 52 million, but expenses amounted to 103.4 million, of which 90 million were for the apostolic mission of the Holy Father. Included in the mission are the expenses of the Curia, which amount to 370.4 million. The Obolo thus contributes 24% to the budget of the Curia.
Only 13 million went to charitable works, to which, however, must be added donations from Pope Francis through other dicasteries of the Holy See totaling 32 million, 8 of which were financed directly through the obolo.
In summary, between the Obolus Fund and the funds of the dicasteries financed in part by the Obolus, the Pope's charity financed 236 projects, for a total of 45 million. However, the balance deserves some observations.
Is this the true use of the St. Peter's Obligation, which is often associated with the Pope's charity? Yes, because the very purpose of the Obligation is to support the mission of the Church, and it was defined in modern terms in 1870, after the Holy See lost the Papal States and had no more income to run the machine.
That said, it is interesting that the budget of the Obolus can also be deducted from the budget of the Curia. Of the 370.4 million of budgeted funds, 38.9% is earmarked for local Churches in difficulty and in specific contexts of evangelization, amounting to 144.2 million.
Funds earmarked for worship and evangelization amount to 48.4 million, or 13.1%.
Dissemination of the message, that is, the entire Vatican communication sector, represents 12.1% of the budget, with a total of 44.8 million.
37 million (10.9% of the budget) was allocated to support the apostolic nunciatures, while 31.9 million (8.6% of the total) went to the service of charity - precisely the money donated by Pope Francis through the dicasteries -, 20.3 million to the organization of ecclesial life, 17.4 million to the historical heritage, 10.2 million to academic institutions, 6.8 million to human development, 4.2 million to Education, Science and Culture and 5.2 million to Life and Family.
Income, as mentioned above, amounted to 52 million euros, 48.4 million of which were donations. Last year there were fewer donations (43.5 million euros), but income, thanks to the sale of real estate, amounted to 107 million euros. Interestingly, there are 3.6 million euros of income from financial returns.
As for donations, 31.2 million came from direct collection by dioceses, 21 million from private donors, 13.9 million from foundations and 1.2 million from religious orders.
The countries that donate the most are the United States (13.6 million), Italy (3.1 million), Brazil (1.9 million), Germany and South Korea (1.3 million), France (1.6 million), Mexico and Ireland (0.9 million), Czech Republic and Spain (0.8 million).
IOR balance sheet
The IOR 13 million to the Holy See, compared to a net profit of 30.6 million euros.
The profits represent a significant improvement over the €29.6 million in 2022. However, it is necessary to compare the figures: they range from the 86.6 million profit declared in 2012 - which quadrupled the previous year's earnings - to 66.9 million in the 2013 report, 69.3 million in the 2014 report, 16.1 million in the 2015 report, 33 million in the 2016 report and 31.9 million in the 2017 report, to 17.5 million in 2018.
The 2019 report, meanwhile, quantifies profits at 38 million, also attributed to the favorable market.
In 2020, the year of the COVID crisis, the profit was slightly lower at 36.4 million.
But in the first post-pandemic year, a 2021 still unaffected by the war in Ukraine, it returned to a negative trend, with a profit of only €18.1 million, and only in 2022 did it return to the €30 million barrier.
The IOR 2023 report speaks of 107 employees and 12,361 customers, but also of an increase in customer deposits: +4% to €5.4 billion. The number of clients continues to fall (they were 12,759 in 2022, even 14,519 in 2021), but this time the number of employees also decreases: they were 117 in 2022, they are 107 in 2023.
Thus, the negative trend of clients continues, which should give us pause for thought, bearing in mind that the screening of accounts deemed not compatible with the IOR's mission ended some time ago.
Now, the IOR is also called upon to participate in the reform of Vatican finances desired by Pope Francis.
Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, president of the Council of Superintendence, highlights in his management letter the numerous accolades the IOR has received for its work in favor of transparency over the past decade, and announces: "The Institute, under the supervision of the Authority for Supervision and Financial Information (ASIF), is therefore ready to play its part in the process of centralizing all Vatican assets, in accordance with the Holy Father's instructions and taking into account the latest regulatory developments.
The IOR team is eager to collaborate with all Vatican dicasteries, with the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA) and to work with the Investment Committee to further develop the ethical principles of FCI (Faith Consistent Investment) in accordance with the Church's social doctrine. It is crucial that the Vatican be seen as a point of reference."
"Chile has become a mission land". A bishop's reflections on Catholicism in Chile.
The seminaries of Chile are reduced in practice to three and there are less than 100 seminarians, many of them foreigners. The bishop of San Bernardo, Bishop Juan Ignacio González Errázuriz, calls to face the growing context of secularization with more evangelization, self-criticism and missionary impulse.
August 2, 2025-Reading time: 7minutes
The first figures of the last census in Chile have been released and everyone is looking for those that interest them the most. In our case, the data on religiosity. The first thing to note is that the data refer to people over 15 years of age. That is to say, those under 15 years of age do not count in the statistics and it is to them that we dedicate the most time of formation and they are the future Catholics. There are also many young people in Protestant evangelism. The data is important and distorts the reality a little.
Essential results of the 2024 census
Of the population over 15 years of age, 74.2 % report professing some religion or creed. 25.8 % have no religion or creed, which is a notable increase from 8.3 % in 2002. Catholics are 54 % of the population, down from 76.9 % in 1992. Evangelicals or Protestants are 16.3 % in 2024, up 13.2 % from 1992 and 15.1 % in 2002. In 1930, almost 98 % of the population identified themselves as Catholic; this proportion has been gradually decreasing over the decades Protestantism, on the other hand, went from minimum levels (1.5 % in 1930) to 16 % and has remained at these figures in recent decades. Belief in a personal God has declined from 93 % in 2007 to about 70 % in 2022.
The 2024 census confirms that approximately three out of every four Chileans over the age of 15 have a religion, discarding the idea of a generalized "irreligiousness". What is observed is a growing preference for new spiritualities, a diversification of faiths and a greater distrust of traditional forms of religious institutionality. There is a notable gender gap: among those who claim to have religion, 54.5 % are women and 45.5 % are men. The regions with the highest religiosity are Maule (81.7 %), Ñuble (80.1 %) and O'Higgins (79.4 %), all figures that exceed the national average.
Some general conclusions
A well-known fact is evident. The Catholic faith continues to be the majority, although in decline. The Evangelical or Protestant faith remains in the known margins. The other religions (Jews, Muslims, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc.) have very minor percentages. But it should be noted that there is a very large increase in the number of those who have no religion. It is possible that the figures are not always very accurate, because we know that a census is a very difficult task and does not reach the entire population. But, in general, the figures are a true indication. And from them we can draw some initial conclusions. A census is always a challenge in its figures and an impulse towards new goals.
It is evident that our population has become secularized.Benedict XVI He described it as a process in which God is "increasingly expelled from our societyand the history of man's relationship with God remains "...".locked in an increasingly remote past". He also affirmed that "all too often it has erased the link between temporal realities and their Creator," going so far as to neglect the safeguarding of the transcendent dignity of the human being and respect for life itself. A sign of this is the infinity of laws that trample on the dignity of persons, especially those that refer to respect for life. In our case, abortion on three grounds and then the attempt of free abortion and euthanasia are clear proof of this, as well as the attempts, still in the making, of surrogate motherhood.
Possible causes, among many.
We could try to discover causes that explain this process. One of them is the replacement of God by earthly goods, today abundant and easy. Another is the replacement of the salvation that comes from Jesus Christ by the self-referentiality of man, as Francis said, who constitutes himself as the center of himself. In its latest escalation, this is represented in all gender thinking, which seeks to erase nature and recreate it as it pleases. Perhaps even in AI there is something to explain the figures. But a self-examination of how the religious confessions, and especially the Catholic Church, have approached this process, its errors and successes, is also necessary.
The effect of sexual abuse by the clergy, which in Chile has had a very strong impact on the adherence to the Catholic faith and has created a very high degree of distrust, must be considered in all its reality. It should also be mentioned that the politicization of the life of the Church - especially in the decades from the 60's to the 90's - distracted or reduced the process of evangelization, causing a break in the transmission of the faith in the family and in the school. The abrupt and systematic fall in priestly and religious vocations and marriages has also had an effect on census figures.
A commitment to bring God out of ordinary life
It cannot be overlooked that there is also "radical secularism", which imposes - with means and perseverance - a vision of the world and of humanity without reference to transcendence, invading all aspects of daily life and developing a mentality in which God is effectively absent, totally or partially, from human life and conscience. The whole process of secularization of the laws on marriage, beginning with the disregard of religious marriage, up to the last stage, changing the very definition and arriving at "marriage" between persons of the same sex, has distorted the essential concept of family and the transmission of human and evangelical values in it.
This secularization is not only an external threat to believers, but has been manifesting itself "for some time now in the heart of the Church itself," Benedict says, profoundly distorting the Christian faith from within and, consequently, the lifestyle and daily behavior of believers.
One could conclude that secularism in America has reduced religious belief to a "lowest common denominator," where faith becomes a passive acceptance that certain things are true, but does not require adherence and is for others. Faith loses practical relevance to everyday life. This leads to a growing separation between faith and life, living as if God does not exist. This situation is aggravated by an individualistic and relativistic approach to faith, where each person believes he or she has the right to choose and select, maintaining external social ties, but without an integral and interior conversion to the law of Christ.
The contrast with other realities
It is interesting to note that our process of secularization contrasts, for example,
the rapid growth in the number of African Catholics in two centuries is an exceptional achievement by any standards. Globally, Catholic populations are projected to increase significantly between 2004 and 2050: by 146% in Africa, 63% in Asia and 42% in Latin America and the Caribbean. In contrast, the Catholic population is expected to decrease in Europe and North America. North and South America recorded more than 666.2 million Catholics in 2022, with an increase of more than 5.9 million Catholics. From this it can be deduced that our country represents a picture of regression of religious beliefs that is worrisome. We have proven this time and again with the immigrant populations coming from Venezuela and Colombia and other South American countries, whose religiosity and adherence to a religious faith is much higher than ours and in this sense they are a great contribution to the evangelization of the country.
A call to purification and fidelity
But positive elements also emerge from this secularization. Despite the challenges, Benedict XVI also saw in secularization a possible "profound liberation of the Church from forms of worldliness," which Francis also strongly denounced, and which leads to her "purification and interior reform." In these processes, the Church "puts aside her worldly wealth and embraces again completely her worldly poverty", which allows her to share the destiny of the tribe of Levi in the Old Testament, who had no land of their own and took God Himself as their portion. In this way, the Church's missionary activity regains credibility.
Mission land
Chile has become a mission land; it is a territory or socio-cultural context where Christ and his Gospel are little known, or where Christian communities are not mature enough to incarnate the faith in their own environment and proclaim it to other groups. This cannot become, as Francis warned, a pessimism that leads us to stop trusting in the spiritual means to bring the Gospel to those who seek God, but rather a spur to do so with greater depth and confidence that adherence to the Christian faith is a work of the Holy Spirit, not of our strategies, often taken from worldly processes, but which do not always include divine grace. An expression of this reality is the number of foreign priests who come on mission to our country to make up for the deficit of our own religious and priestly vocations. The seminaries of Chile are reduced in practice to three and there are less than 100 seminarians in them, many of them foreigners. The same can be said of religious life, both masculine and feminine, but much more aggravated.
What paths should we follow?
The secularization of Chilean society should lead us to reaffirm the truth of Christian revelation, promoting harmony between faith and reason, and a healthy understanding of freedom as liberation from sin for an authentic and full life, in coherence with the Gospel. To preach the Gospel in an integral way as an attractive and true response, both intellectually and practically, to real human problems. To continue to seek dialogue with society and culture and with the cultural movements of the time, especially on important issues such as those related to life and in a more proper sphere to continue - slowly but surely - evangelization and a catechesis that speaks to the hearts of young people who, despite exposure to messages contrary to the Gospel, continue to thirst for authenticity, goodness and truth, reaffirming the just autonomy of the secular order that cannot be divorced from God the Creator and his plan of salvation for all people.
In the current Pastoral Guidelines, the Episcopal Conference has summarized these paths with four main lines of pastoral action: 1) Encourage and strengthen evangelizing processes based on the centrality of Jesus Christ. 2) To foster more evangelical relationships and more synodal structures in our way of being Church. 3) To live our prophetic mission in the midst of the world in dialogue with the culture and going out to meet the poor and the young. 4) Continue to promote in our Church a culture of care and good treatment.
A good symptom of having lived the vacations intensely is the desire to return to everyday life in September. But this happens if we take advantage of the summer to enrich ourselves.
We are accustomed to imagine Jesus happy while we are doing our duty and, perhaps, while we are resting we find it more difficult. We lack imagination. It would be nice, these days, to learn to rest with the Lord, who offers physical and spiritual relief to those who are tired and burdened.
In summer we throw away the routine, the one that, during the year we try to fulfill well and also the one that, one gray and cold day made us feel chained. Vacation is to feel an inner peace from where I hear that I don't need to have all the answers.
Time to get rich
If I had to keep one idea of what vacations are for me, it would be enriching myself by doing "other things". During the year I do a lot of "cab driving" because I have to take my three children to extracurricular activities, Michele plays soccer, Marina does artistic gymnastics and Monica does modern dance. At the end of the year, I feel a certain relief.
If it were not for the vacations I would go crazy. People need to rest, change their environment, do new things, see other places.
Doing activities without looking at the hands of the clock: reading a new book, rereading another one I have already read, the sea, a friend, an ice cream, an improvised plan, going to a museum or to the movies, playing with my children. Paying attention to what you hear, we all know that hearing is not the same as listening. I can hear without listening. If I take time to listen to others starting with my husband, children and relatives, and also take time to think, I will not have wasted my time.
A good sign that I have lived them intensely is that, in September, I feel like going back to everyday life and my life seems wonderful. I feel that I am very lucky and that I am privileged in life because I have people who love me.
Justice orders the eviction of the former schismatic nuns of Belorado monastery
The court decision has ruled in favor of the ecclesiastical authority and ordered the former schismatic nuns to pay the legal costs of the judicial process.
The Court of Briviesca has issued a sentence that fully upholds the lawsuit filed by the Pontifical Commissioner and orders the eviction of the schismatic ex-nuns from the monastery of Belorado. The resolution, notified on July 31 to the parties involved, recognizes the legitimate authority of the Commissary as Major Superior, administrator and legal representative of the monastery, and declares that the former nuns must leave the property immediately.
In its ruling, sentence 80/2025 declares "the eviction of the defendant to be admissible" and sentences the former nuns to "vacate and leave the property free and clear and at the disposal of the plaintiff, with a warning of eviction if they do not do so voluntarily".
The recent trial
The trial took place last July 29, after the suspension of two previous hearings. In it, the representation of the Pontifical Commissioner defended that the nuns who remained faithful to the Church constitute the only legitimate monastic community, and that the Commissioner, appointed by the Holy See, is their superior recognized both by the canon law and by the Spanish civil order. For their part, the former nuns exercised their right to defense, although their arguments were not supported by the court.
The judgment is clear in stating that the defendants "have not demonstrated, as was their responsibility, that they have any title that justifies and legitimizes the use of the property against its owner", while the Pontifical Commissioner provided registry and cadastral evidence to support his position.
The creation of a civil association
The ruling also refers to sentence 329/2025 of the High Court of Justice of Madrid, which rejected the registration of the new civil associations created by the former nuns after their break with the Church. That ruling upheld the legality of the administrative decisions that rejected the attempt to transform the monastery into an independent civil entity.
In addition, the court qualifies as invalid the so-called "conventual chapter" held by the former nuns on May 18, 2024, in which they declared the transformation of the monastery into a civil association. According to the judge, said meeting lacked "power, legitimacy and representation to convene and meet as such a conventual chapter", and its agreements are "null and void and cannot justify the right to continue occupying the Monastery".
The ruling also clarifies that religious freedom is recognized to individuals, not to legal entities, thus rejecting the argument of the former nuns who sought to continue occupying the building under that right.
The Office of the Pontifical Commissioner has expressed that this judicial decision fully supports the action of the Holy See in this case, and that the diocese will continue to act with "prudence, firmness and spirit of communion" in the recovery of the monastic complex.
The Jubilee invites young people to rise from spiritual and existential lethargy, reminding them that Jesus Christ is the answer to their worries and sufferings.
August 1, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
Hundreds of thousands of young people from all over the world will gather in Rome this weekend for the Jubilee. But what reason can young people have to rejoice in a world in crisis, which is experiencing a world war in stages and which offers them no opportunities for the future?
Jesus Christ, who is the one who has actually summoned them through Peter, has the answer. In fact, Jesus Christ is the answer to the young people's lack of hope and, in the Gospel, he encourages them not to be afraid.
He demonstrates this in his encounter, for example, with the rich young man, a formal boy, we would say today, who had obeyed his parents, who fulfilled his religious obligations to the letter, who helped others and who even had the desire to want to be more perfect and therefore approached Jesus to ask him what good thing he had to do to obtain eternal life.
No matter how many prejudices there are against youth, the truth is that many young people are very good people, like the boy Jesus met. They study, they work, they help at home and their friends, they volunteer, they are committed to the care of creation, some (sadly, the fewest) practice their faith and are united to the Church through their parishes, schools, confraternities, associations and movements... They are good people. My applause for all of them. But, returning to Luke's Gospel, Jesus is not satisfied with all these merits because he wants the best for the boy. That is why he tells him: "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, give the money to the poor -then you will have treasure in heaven- and then come and follow me". The reading says that, "when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was very rich".
The Gospel wants to explain to us that it is not a matter of "doing good things", because "one is good", but that authentic happiness, "eternal life", is given by the fact of following the One who is Good with everything we have, putting him in first place and renouncing, therefore, the goods of this world. In this case, the young man was rich, but Jesus speaks for everyone and each one of us has our "treasure". For some it will be money, for others affections, for others their image, their career or their intelligence. Jesus cannot be an ornament in the lives of young people, but the foundation on which to build their human and Christian vocation. For this reason, no matter how much Jubilee they win, many will return sad and will even leave the Church, like the one Luke told us, because they cannot give themselves completely.
Jesus is also the answer to many young people today who live in the death of depression, anxiety, addictions, the emptiness of dehumanizing ideologies or the meaninglessness that in many cases ends in suicide. Faced with the death of being, because the materialistic world has robbed us of our soul, Jesus is capable of restoring life as he did with that young man, the son of the widow of Nain. Jesus met him when he was being taken to be buried. He touched the coffin (which made him impure according to the Mosaic law) and said "Young man, I say to you, arise!". And indeed, "the dead man sat up and began to speak".
Jesus is not disgusted by the sin of young people, no matter how many colors they have, and he is ready to pull them out of that pit. Knowing oneself to be loved to the extreme by a love capable of getting dirty is fundamental for the mental and spiritual health of our young people (take note pastors). The imperative that Jesus uses to resurrect the boy speaks to us of the importance of the figure of the guide-accompanier: parents, catechists, educators, priests... A young person today does not need people who falsely applaud him (they already give him applause in Tiktok), but who push him upwards, who awaken him from the lethargy of death that has paralyzed him, even if it means making him uncomfortable. All of us older people remember some figure in our youth who helped us, making us come out of our inert passivity with a "get up!". No matter how dark the horizon of life may seem, the Gospel invites us to take the leap into the void, to trust in God.
But following Jesus seems a titanic undertaking: to renounce everything that binds us, like the rich young man; to awaken from the death of the being that incapacitates us, like the young son of the widow... Isn't being a saint a vocation only for gifted young people? The Gospel denies it in the narrative of the encounter with another young man; this time, with the boy who presented to the apostles the five loaves of bread and two fish that he had carried in his knapsack. It is not necessary to have extraordinary powers, but to place what little we have at the Lord's disposal. He will be in charge of performing the miracle, He will enable the young man to do what he does not believe possible: to feed five thousand men and their families with that little food and have twelve baskets left over. He wants them for great things.
In the face of war, in the face of the injustices of our world, in the face of the lack of opportunities, Jesus invites young people to roll up their sleeves, to put their gifts - big or small - at the service of the common good, working for peace, building their own future with simplicity, contributing to society and to the Church, and always knowing that, even if it seems that there are no solutions, history is in God's hands.
This is exactly what happened to another young woman who appears in the Gospel and who understood, very early on, the illogical logic of God placing his gifts at the service of the world. May many of the pilgrims of hope participating in this Jubilee of the Youth, on their return from the Jubilee, be able to sing jubilantly, like Mary: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon the lowliness of his handmaid. From now on all generations will congratulate me, for the Mighty One has done great deeds in me".
Journalist. Graduate in Communication Sciences and Bachelor in Religious Sciences. He works in the Diocesan Delegation of Media in Malaga. His numerous "threads" on Twitter about faith and daily life have a great popularity.
Leo XIV names St. John Henry Newman Doctor of the Church
Newman becomes the 38th Doctor of the Church, following the recent appointments of St. Hildegard of Bingen (2012), St. Gregory of Narek (2015) and St. Irenaeus (2022).
In a decision of great significance for the universal Church, Pope Leo XIV has officially approved the conferral of the title of Doctor of the Church on St. John Henry Newman, the eminent British theologian, philosopher and cardinal. The decision was communicated on the morning of July 31 following a private audience between the Holy Father and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. The recognition follows the favorable opinion of the Plenary Session of Cardinals and Bishops of the aforementioned dicastery,
St. John Henry Newman, born in London on February 21, 1801 and died in Edgbaston on August 11, 1890, was initially an Anglican pastor before his conversion to Catholicism in 1845. Founder of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in England, he was created a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII in 1879. His spiritual and intellectual legacy has profoundly influenced the modern Church, especially on issues such as conscience, doctrinal development and the relationship between faith and reason.
With this proclamation, Newman becomes the 38th Doctor of the Church, joining a select group of saints whose teachings have been recognized as particularly enlightening for the Catholic faith throughout the ages. The official proclamation ceremony will be announced in the coming days.
Newman Profile
Two years ago, Spanish theologian Juan Luis Lorda published a text in Omnes on the figure of Newman and his influence. According to Lorda, "the most important thing about Newman is that he is a convert", not only because of his passage from Anglicanism to Catholicism in 1845, but also because his whole life was a "life of constant conversion, in search of the truth that is God". From his childhood, the theologian explains, Newman felt guided by the light of that truth, which led him to "pray, to serve the Lord, to be celibate, to be an Anglican minister" and to undertake a profound spiritual and intellectual renewal in Oxford.
Although today, out of ecumenical sensitivity, it is preferred to speak of "reaching full communion", Lorda insists that his spiritual journey retains all the strength of an authentic conversion, in the style of the great saints of the Christian tradition.
Newman's theological greatness lies in the fact that "his reflection is so markedly linked to his life," which gives it a singular value and an authenticity that is difficult to match. His ideas on faith, conscience, the relationship between faith and reason, doctrinal development and the role of the Church in history are not mere academic speculations, but the mature fruit of a personal journey in which study was always "a form of search for truth".
For Lorda, his most emblematic work is the Apology pro vita suawritten to defend his intellectual and spiritual honesty upon his conversion to Catholicism. "His spiritual itinerary, magnificently narrated, has an extraordinary value for all the themes that have to do with faith, conscience and the credibility of the Church," he affirms. He does not hesitate to situate it "in the wake of the Confessions of St. Augustine", for its depth and its power to challenge.
In Omnes we have published numerous articles on Newman's thought, including:
Networks and the gospel: an assessment of the digital missionary phenomenon
The recent celebration of the Jubilee of digital evangelizers is a good occasion to assess the scope of this phenomenon, with its lights and shadows.
July 31, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
In the last five years, the phenomenon of the so-called "digital missionaries" or Catholic influencers has grown enormously. At first, I confess, I approached this world with a certain mixture of enthusiasm, amazement and suspicion. The term "influencer" is not exactly the most attractive when one thinks of something as sacred as the transmission of the faith. However, over the last two years I have had the opportunity to deal closely with about twenty of them and my experience has been quite positive, to the point that I believe that a true evangelizing paradigm may be in the making.
Positives
The first thing that struck me about many of these digital evangelizers was their spiritual depth. They are not just people who start talking about God simply because they have a certain charisma or network skills. I have seen in them a sincere desire for the interior life, for personal contact with Jesus Christ, for prayer and the sacraments. They know that you cannot give what you do not have, and that is why their priority is not the microphone, but the tabernacle.
Secondly, I have perceived in them a great responsibility to improve their formation. Those who publicly explain the truths of faith -often to thousands of people- know that they cannot improvise. That is why they form themselves, allow themselves to be accompanied, ask questions, read, contrast. This desire to learn and transmit faithfully is a very encouraging characteristic. One of the aspects that helps them to be very aware of this point is that every time they launch an unclear or wrong message, they receive a lot of comments correcting them quickly. This certainly helps them to be aware of their own shortcomings.
A third point that has impressed me is the lack of obsession with metrics. In a world that measures success in "likes" and followers, many of them have learned to look at it differently: evangelization is not about going viral, but about reaching hearts. What is important is not quantity, but spiritual fruitfulness. For this reason, they often prefer a profound comment to a hundred fleeting "likes".
I have also been edified by their desire for community. Although they work from their homes or studios, and many do not belong to a concrete ecclesial structure, I have seen in them a strong will to make Church, to collaborate, to support one another, not to act as snipers but as members of a body. There is a real communion among them, not only in style but also in spirit. In this sense they are bridge-builders and help enormously to calm rather polarized environments.
Risks
Another bright spot is their awareness of the dangers of their medium. Although they work with digital tools, they are very insistent on not falling into the trap of virtual evasion, something they are very aware of since they are the first ones to spend many hours on networks. They often warn their followers about the risks of living glued to a screen. They invite them to pray, to go to Mass, to take care of their real relationships, to go out into the physical world. They are, in many cases, voices from within the system warning against its excesses.
This does not detract, of course, from the risks involved. The larger the audience, the greater the damage can be if the message is erroneous or the life is incoherent. That is why accompaniment, humility and spiritual vigilance are so important. Not everyone who has a following is an apostle, nor is everything that sounds Catholic the true gospel.
But with its lights and shadows, this new generation of evangelizers seems to be inaugurating a way of connecting with many people in an attractive way. Evangelization, which for centuries was mainly in the hands of religious orders and which, in more recent times, has gained new momentum thanks to numerous lay institutions and active parishes, is now expanding strongly in the digital environment. Through social networks, many people - without ceasing to belong to a spiritual family - take the Gospel beyond the traditional circuits, reaching new audiences and contexts. And they do it with creativity, audacity and, many times, with a fidelity that moves.
The future of evangelization does not depend exclusively on them, but undoubtedly for many people it depends on them. They will never replace the richness of the parish, the life group or the personal encounter, but they can be the gateway to all that. As Pope Francis said, we must not be afraid to enter the peripheries. And today, many of those peripheries are on the other side of the screen. That there are those who dare to bring Christ there, with truth and love, is a reason for hope.
R. Palomino: "The judicialization of all problems leads to a narrative of winners and losers".
A conference in Oxford addresses the tensions between secularization and identity religiosity, the unequal protection of religious freedom and the structural differences with the U.S. model.
On July 23 and 24, a conference on religious freedom and polarization was held at the University of Oxford, with a special focus on legal issues. One of the speakers was Professor Rafael Palomino, Professor of Law at the Complutense University of Madrid. We spoke with him about some of the issues addressed during the meeting.
In your speech you address the judicialization of conflicts over religious freedom and polarization in Europe. What main causes do you identify in the growing transfer of these debates to the judicial sphere?
- There are fewer and fewer non-state instances shared by all that have a recognized authority to resolve social conflicts. This means that we transfer all our conflicts (from family conflicts to major moral issues) to the courts of justice.
Moreover, social claims and personal aspirations of all kinds are transformed or translated into fundamental rights; and since the protection of these so-called rights is the responsibility of the courts of justice, there is also a judicialization of conflicts.
And this puts democracy at risk?
- This is so. Among other things, the risk is that judicialization inevitably leads to a narrative of winners and losers: there is no negotiation, there is no dialogue, some win and others lose, some are welcomed with open arms by the State, others are repudiated. Civil society is divided and democracy is instrumentalized.
Religious polarization is often linked to secularization. Is there a consensus among experts as to whether secularization is being replaced by a new type of public or identity religiosity?
- There is no agreement on this point. Some experts argue that the instrumentalization of religion by populist parties may even accelerate secularization. But national processes are very different from each other. For example, in Italy, the Catholic religion has played an important role in the construction of a cohesive civil religion, regardless of what populisms have or have not advocated.
In France, populism has been pointed out against Islam, but not in favor of Christianity, but in defense of republican secularism. In the Netherlands, there is no religious identity assumption on the part of political actors. Perhaps Poland and Hungary are the countries that have incorporated religious identity into political action.
Have examples been discussed of how European governments have managed in a balanced way (or not) the relationship between religious freedom and public health, for example during the pandemic?
- This continues to be a topic of interest to experts, despite the fact that some years have passed. There are two elements that have been particularly criticized in relation to the situation of religious freedom during the pandemic. First, the lack of legal sensitivity to proportionately limit fundamental rights, especially religious freedom, in situations where public health is compromised.
Second, the discrimination of religion with respect to other social activities that are considered "essential": there is a kind of somatic bias or prejudice according to which the State understands that supermarkets, coffee shops, hairdressing salons or tattoo studios are essential activities, while activities in places of worship are not: after all, it is argued, you can pray anywhere....
With respect to the United States, what structural differences have been highlighted between the U.S. and European models in terms of the role of religion in the public space and the management of ideological conflict?
- In general, it seems that in the United States, in relation to Europe, social polarization has become much more acute, especially since the Obama presidencies, so that the two major parties, Republican and Democrat, completely absorb all other identities and positions on all possible issues: immigration, religious practice, gender ideology, identity politics, health care, etc. This seems to make understanding and dialogue difficult, both at the social and institutional level. In Europe, however, we have not reached such a marked situation.
Do you have an assessment of the report "The Next Wave: The next wave: how religious extremism is regaining power."by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
- In some of the Seminar sessions, this report was commented on because it was in line with the content of the topics discussed. Apart from the specific content of the report, I think that there is nothing special about the fact that different groups, foundations or countries (also secularists, secularists, promoters of reproductive rights, etc., which are not the subject of the report) support or finance activities in other countries or on other continents to further their cause. This report is probably also the result of this type of financing or promotion.
There is good anger and bad anger. Our Lord showed good anger in the Temple when, in the face of so much buying and selling, in the face of the corruption of his Father's house, he drove out all the sellers. But an example of bad anger, or certainly of resentment, is seen in today's Gospel, when a brother complains to Jesus that his other brother does not give him part of the inheritance. One notices the irritation in the speaker.
Jesus' response is curious: "Man, who has constituted me judge or arbiter among you?". So, if Jesus is not the judge of the living and the dead (cf. Matthew 25:31), the one to whom the Father entrusted all judgment (cf. John 5:22), who could be? But Christ speaks here as head and founder of the Church, as the one who leads us to eternal life, and in these functions his role is not that of arbiter of succession disputes. And this goes to the heart of the matter.
"And he said to them, 'Take heed, beware of all covetousness. For even if a man has plenty, his life does not depend on his possessions.'". And then he gives a parable about a man who precisely thought he did, who thought he could rest in his wealth. He didn't know that he would die that night and, as Jesus says , "Whose will what you have prepared be?". Christ then points out that "so is he who hoards for himself and is not rich before God.". The key lesson here is that we should aim for eternal treasures - life with God and the saints - and not for wealth on earth.
It is not worth getting angry over questions of propriety. If we are going to get angry about anything, with righteous indignation, we should get angry at seeing God insulted and religion corrupted. We should get angry, with righteous indignation leading to action, at seeing the poor exploited and abused. The rich man in the parable heaped his own destruction. By fighting against all forms of greed and seeking to live detached from worldly goods and generously concerned for those in need, we are storing up for ourselves, and for others, an abundance of divine mercy and blessings.
Pope Leo XIV has already had two great meetings with the first young people who have arrived in Rome to participate in the Jubilee week that will culminate with the vigil at Tor Vergata, in the style of WYD.
Yesterday, July 29, he took a long ride in the popemobile, waving to the more than 120,000 visitors who filled St. Peter's Square all the way to Castel Sant'Angelo. The Pope appeared at the end of a Mass presided over by Archbishop Rino Fisichella in St. Peter's Square as part of a week-long series of celebrations welcoming the Jubilee of Youth.
"Jesus tells us that you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world," Pope Leo said in English. "And today, your voices, your enthusiasm, your cheers, which are all for Jesus Christ, will be heard to the ends of the earth," he said in Spanish amid huge cheers.
"Today begins a journey, the Jubilee of Hope, and the world needs messages of hope. You are this message and you must continue to give hope to all," he said. "Let us walk together with our faith in Jesus Christ," he said in Italian. "And our cries must also be for peace in the world." "Let us all say it: we want peace in the world!" he shouted, as the crowd responded, "We want peace in the world."
Wednesday Catechesis
On Wednesday morning, July 30, Pope Leo XIV focused his weekly catechesis on the healing of the deaf mute narrated in the Gospel of Mark (Mk 7:32-37). With this episode, he concludes his journey through the public life of Jesus, "made up of encounters, parables and healings".
The Pontiff explained that this Gospel scene also reflects the state of today's world, marked by a profound malaise: "Our world is permeated by a climate of violence and hatred that mortifies human dignity," he said. He also pointed out that we live in a society sick with "a 'bulimia' of connections in social networks," where overexposure and emotional turmoil cause many to opt for isolation or inner silence.
From the behavior of Jesus in this story - who takes the man aside, touches him tenderly and says "Open up!" (Ephpheta) - the Pope developed a pastoral and spiritual reading: "It is as if Jesus is saying to him: 'Open yourself to this world that frightens you! Open yourself to the relationships that have disappointed you! Open yourself to the life you have given up facing!'"
The Holy Father emphasized that this healing not only restores the word to man, but does so "normally", which insinuates that the previous silence was perhaps the fruit of feeling misunderstood or inadequate: "We all experience that we are misunderstood and that we do not feel understood", he recalled. In this sense, he invited everyone to ask God to heal our words: "to avoid hurting others with our words" and to communicate "with honesty and prudence".
The Pope also insisted that authentic faith requires a path of following: "To truly know Jesus you have to walk a path, you have to be with Him and also go through His Passion... There are no shortcuts to becoming disciples of Jesus."
Finally, he concluded with a prayer for all those wounded by the misuse of the word and for the mission of the Church as a guide to Christ: "Let us pray for the Church, that she may never fail in her task of bringing people to Jesus, so that they may hear his Word, be healed by it and become, in turn, bearers of his proclamation of salvation."
It is natural to raise the question of which souls are saved, but it is good to leave in the mystery of God what God has willed to leave in the mystery of his wisdom and mercy.
July 30, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Fr. Antonio Spadaro has announced that he will publish a book entitled "From Francis to Leo XIV", in which he will collect statements made by Pope Leo XIV when he was still a cardinal.
In this work, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost recalls a conversation with Pope Francis, in which the late Roman Pontiff expressed his "wish-opinion" that Judas had been saved. Pope Francis then showed him a photo of a carving, found in a Gothic cathedral in France, in which was seen an image of Judas, after having taken his life, and Jesus next to him, holding the body of Judas in his arms.
Pope Francis added: "There is nothing dogmatic in this, what could it mean? There is no need to go into the whole question of heaven and hell; yes, they do exist, but is it possible to think that God's mercy can reach even the worst of sinners?"
Eternal salvation! The big question! Everyone already saved? Hell empty?
What the Lord has willed to leave in mystery, let us leave in mystery. Let us not go beyond what has been revealed to us. There is a tremendous expression of Jesus referring to Judas: "The Son of Man will go away, just as it is written of Him, but woe to him who betrays Him! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born. It is I, Rabbi," said Judas, "who would betray Him. And he said to him, 'You said so'" (Mt 26:24).
It has also been revealed to us that Jesus prayed on the Cross for those who had led him to torture and death: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34).
Finally, so as not to go on any longer: let us leave in the mystery of God what God has willed to leave in the mystery of his wisdom and mercy.
Leo XIV calls digital missionaries to be builders of peace and human networks
Pope Leo XIV encouraged digital missionaries to revolutionize the Internet with peace, truth and love, building networks that heal and connect hearts.
OSV / Omnes-July 30, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
Dedicating a Jubilee to Catholic influencers and content creators feels "historic" as the Vatican shows growing support for digital missionaries and their influence. One thing that was mentioned a lot in a series of talks held at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome on July 28 was the reminder that behind all these online efforts are real people.
More than 1,000 people from more than 70 countries attended. Inés San Martín said that what impressed her most was the beauty of "seeing influencers greet each other. There was no competition or comparisons, just people excited to meet each other for the first time in person. He said he's heard people say to each other, "I've been watching you. I've learned from you. You've evangelized me. Can I hug you?" And that's been really amazing."
Michael Lofton, host of the Reason & Theology podcast, told CNS that he was impressed by the encouragement that digital influencers should not be motivated by personal gain. "We need to speak the truth even if we don't get subscribers, even if we don't get likes," he said. "This is something Jesus did, and sometimes he lost disciples, right? It cost him dearly. But we still need to do it."
"We have to ask ourselves: does this have an impact? Is it constructive? Is it truthful? No, is it going to get me more followers?" he said.
Katie Prejean McGrady, author, podcaster, and radio host on The Catholic Channel of Sirius XM, told CNS that his "digital mission manual" is guided by Blessed Carlo Acutis, who encouraged people to be the original person God created, not photocopies. "If you are yourself, if you are an authentic witness to the beauty, truth and goodness of our Gospel, and you do that by sharing it to your family, talking about your children, talking about what matters most to you" and about your daily life, he said, then "people are drawn to that. They want to talk to you about it."
McGrady said it is "great that the church recognizes that this is a group of people doing something real and a real ministry in the world" by hosting a dedicated Jubilee.
The message of Leo XIV
In a meeting with digital missionaries and Catholic influencers, Pope Leo XIV launched a profound call to renew the Church's mission in digital environments. With a message imbued with cultural responsibility and an evangelical outlook, the Pontiff placed the proclamation of peace at the heart of Christian witness: "Dear brothers and sisters, we began with this greeting: Peace be with you. And how much we need peace in our time, torn by enmity and wars. And how much the greeting of the Risen Lord calls us today to witness: 'Peace be with you' (Jn 20:19). Peace be with us all. In our hearts and in our actions.
From this premise, he defined the essential role of the Church: "This is the mission of the Church: to announce peace to the world. The peace that comes from the Lord, who conquered death, who brings us God's forgiveness, who gives us the life of the Father, who shows us the way of Love".
And that same task, he said, now falls to those who live their faith also in the digital realm: "It is the mission that the Church entrusts today also to you, who are here in Rome for your Jubilee, who have come to renew the commitment to nourish with Christian hope the social networks and digital environments."
Announcing the Good News
The Pope stressed that peace must be announced in every possible space: "Peace needs to be sought, announced, shared everywhere; both in the dramatic scenes of war and in the empty hearts of those who have lost the meaning of existence and the taste for interiority, the taste for spiritual life".
With a clear missionary dimension, he invited us to go out to meet the world: "And today, perhaps more than ever, we need missionary disciples who bring the gift of the Risen One to the world; who give voice to the hope that the living Jesus gives us, to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:3-8); who reach out wherever there is a heart that hopes, a heart that seeks, a heart that needs. Yes, to the ends of the earth, to the existential ends where there is no hope".
Followers are not everything
The Holy Father also posed a second great challenge: "Always seek the 'suffering flesh of Christ' in every brother and sister we meet on the Internet. Acknowledging that we live in a new culture "profoundly characterized and shaped by technology," the Pope stressed that it is up to each of us "to ensure that this culture remains human."
He insisted that "our mission, your mission, is to nurture a culture of Christian humanism, and to do it together. This is the beauty of the 'network' for all of us."
Aware of the impact of artificial intelligence and technological changes, the Pope warned, "Today we find ourselves in a culture in which the technological dimension is present in almost everything, especially now that the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence will mark a new era in the lives of individuals and society as a whole." And he raised the need for discernment and authenticity: "This is a challenge we must face: to reflect on the authenticity of our witness, on our ability to listen and speak, and on our ability to understand and be understood."
Network repair
In the most creative and pastoral part of his message, Leo XIV proposed to young people to "repair the nets", taking up the symbolic gesture of the first apostles: "Jesus called his first apostles while they were repairing their fishing nets (cf. Mt 4:21-22). He asks this of us too, indeed, he asks us today to build other nets: nets of relationships, nets of love, nets of free exchange, in which friendship is authentic and deep".
And he powerfully described the kind of networks we need to build: "Networks where we can repair what has been broken, where we can remedy loneliness, regardless of the number of followers - the followers - but experiencing in every encounter the infinite greatness of Love. Networks that open space to the other, more than to themselves, where no 'filter bubble' can extinguish the voice of the weakest. Networks that liberate, networks that save. Networks that make us rediscover the beauty of looking into each other's eyes. Networks of truth. In this way, each story of shared good will be the knot of a unique and immense network: the network of networks, the network of God".
Finally, the Pope encouraged all digital missionaries to overcome the logic of isolation and superficiality: "Be agents of communion, capable of breaking the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and self-centeredness. Focus on Christ, to overcome the logic of the world, of fake news and frivolity, with the beauty and light of truth (cf. Jn 8:31-32)".
Art, faith and beauty conclude at the Observatory of the Invisible at El Escorial
From July 21 to 26, the fifth edition of the Observatory of the Invisible at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a forum that brought together more than 150 artists from different disciplines around a unique proposal: to merge artistic creation, spirituality and Christian inspiration.
For six intense days, participants and teachers lived together in an environment of silence, dialogue and contemplative reflection. Under the motto "O flame of living love," the initiative focused on fire as a symbol of the Holy Spirit and the ultimate goal of spiritual, philosophical and aesthetic research.
Ten practical workshops were offered in painting, music, poetry, theater, sculpture, photography, curatorship and printmaking. Each one integrated technique and contemplation: for example, Rosell Meseguer recovered cyanotype and analog photography techniques; Raúl Marcos and El Primo de Saint Tropez carried out performances inspired by the mystical paths of St. John of the Cross; and Ignacio Yepes tackled the Cantigas of Alfonso X, raising questions about faith through music.
The event featured key moments such as a master class by painter Antonio López on the connection between fire, art, truth and goodness, and the long-awaited dialogue between Archbishop Luis Argüello and the performer Niño de Elche on transcendence, faith and aesthetics, also open to the heterodox and spiritually searching public.
Christian inspiration: the search for truth, goodness and beauty
The Observatory starts from a firmly Christian base, advocating that artistic creation is a vehicle for making the invisible visible, responding to the human mystery and cultivating beauty. Javier Viver, director of the project, summarized the approach: "Traditionally art... allows us to see all that is invisible, to give answers to the great unknowns of the human being.". For artists such as Miguel Coronado and José Castiella, faith becomes a productive force: "my art connects with the transcendent through Beauty." or as part of the process of returning to the divine from the everyday.
The Observatory culminated with a public concert of the Cantigas de Alfonso X interpreted by the workshop of Ignacio Yepes, followed by a solemn mass in the Basilica of the Monastery presided over by the auxiliary bishop of Madrid, Vicente Martín. The evening artistic evenings concluded in an atmosphere of gratitude and recollection.
The Observatory of the Invisible 2025 has been an artistic experience of spiritual depth, consolidating the founding philosophy of the meeting: art as a sacred language, beauty as a bridge to the transcendent, and fire as a metaphor of the creative spirit. Beyond the performative act, the participants, believers and non-believers, approached profound questions: What is the invisible, how is beauty articulated with truth and goodness? High values that art, when made conscious, can help us to contemplate and inhabit.
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
In an event of great ecumenical significance, Metropolitan Antonij, head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Relations, met in the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV. This is the first official meeting between the pontiff and a high representative of the Russian Orthodox Church since the beginning of his pontificate.
Antonij, envoy of Patriarch Kirill, discussed with the Pope various issues of common interest, highlighting the dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics, as well as the shared challenges in conflict contexts such as the Middle East and, in particular, Ukraine.
According to a statement released by the Moscow Patriarchate, the metropolitan expressed to the Pope his Church's concern over what he described as a "persecution" against the Moscow-linked Orthodox Church on Ukrainian territory.
Despite being the first meeting with Leo XIV, Antonij is no stranger to the Vatican sphere. In recent years, he has been one of the most visible interlocutors between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Holy See, especially in times marked by political and religious tensions.
This meeting reinforces the efforts of both Churches to maintain open channels of dialogue in the midst of an increasingly complex international context.
Now you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
Overcoming limits allows us to grow and discover our true greatness as people. To live beyond our mental, emotional and volitional powers is to step out of the fishbowl into the freedom of the sea.
July 29, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Space is important. But not infinite. Space has its limits. When you put fish in a fish tank, their life is conditioned by space. This conditioning is strong. Depending on the size of the fish tank, the fish can reproduce more or less, they can even eat each other, they can also stop growing physically... Space is important, but it has its limits. The same thing happens with time. And the fact is that limits make us smaller, they prevent us from growing.
There is in our time a contempt for limits. In man there are limits. And man grows if he overcomes them. There are metal limits (the thought object), natural limits (there are too many examples), psychological limits (fear, to say one), spiritual limits (sin), etc. All these limits dwarf us. Living in thought is not living. Living in fear is not living if those fears are not overcome. To live in sin is to live in lies, in slavery to evil.
Therefore, it is very convenient to abandon the limits because then we would not live in fishbowls but in the sea, we would fly like eagles and not like poultry, we would go outside instead of settling in the cave of security. Abandoning limits means: first detecting them, and then deciding whether we want to live within those limits or abandon them to get to know other dimensions that go beyond the limit, which implies a risk.
Within the limits -which in the end make us better if we overcome them- there is one that is especially difficult to abandon: the mental limit. What is more, its non-overcoming has meant that philosophy as such has not grown, but has stagnated within the limits. And we already know what happens when one lives in the pond: only those who feed on the rotten survive in it.
In thinking the limit occurs when one thinks that thinking is the most decisive thing, as happens with idealism, psychologism, etc.; the limits of the will occur when one wants to think that the will is the key to everything, like voluntarism, and all the anti-Hegelian philosophies like those of Nietzsche, Shopenhauer, Sartre...; the sentimental limits that occur when one puts the key to man in feeling, as could happen with hedonism, narcissism, etc.., reduce the being of man to what they feel, and the one who lives in these limits decides to be what he wants to be from the feeling.
For some years now, special emphasis has been placed on the character of the person, as if it were the most decisive thing... However, character is what remains of the person, the last thing... and precisely because it is the last thing, it cannot be the most decisive thing.
It seems that the decisive factor has been placed in the faculties, in the human powers: thinking, willing and feeling. In my opinion, the key cannot be in something that is not in action. The key to what we are cannot be in what we can be, but rather, we will have to rediscover what we are, in order, as Pindar said, to become what we want to be, but starting from what we are: people.
Evidently, thinking, will and feelings play a fundamental role in the life of every person. However, thinking, will and feeling are faculties, powers... Yes, the most important powers of man, but after all, powers... and as such, they need something to actualize them. And that which actualizes them is indeed decisive.
We have lived for a long time in the fishbowl of potentialities, we have lived, and continue to live, in the limits that dwarf us. We have lived in dark caves, narrow fishbowls. We have given a lot of importance to the potential, to what the self can do or not do, think or not, build or destroy, feel or not... But... where is the majesty of man? Man is much more than his faculties, his works, his fears and his limits.
The truth of man makes man free. Free from what? From limits. But that would be to live like God, who alone is unlimited, someone might tell me. And so it is. It is our greatness or majesty to live like God... That is what we were created for.
The authorAlberto Sánchez León
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
Opus Dei denounces manipulation in a case in Argentina
The religious institution issued a statement denouncing the media and decontextualized use of a criminal investigation in Argentina, and warns about the lack of legal grounds to involve its prelate.
María José Atienza / Javier García Herrería-July 28, 2025-Reading time: 5minutes
– Supernatural Opus Dei's International Communications Office has issued a statement in which he harshly criticizes what he considers a "serious manipulation for media purposes" of an ongoing judicial investigation in Argentina. The communiqué responds to recent statements by the plaintiff's lawyer, who requested that the prelate be summoned to testify in the case. Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz.
According to the text released, the prelature considers that this petition lacks both factual and legal grounds, and frames it as a misleading strategy that seeks to distort the true objective of a criminal case: "to investigate crimes and seek justice", and not to pursue - as they claim - economic objectives camouflaged as criminal complaints.
The request for the investigation of Fazio and Ocáriz has been presented only by the accusing party to the prosecutor's office and does not constitute a formal accusation. To date, the intervening judge has not summoned to testify any of the persons mentioned by the prosecutor -including three vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, Monsignor Mariano Fazio and now the prelate Fernando Ocáriz- nor has he issued indictments. Nor is there an oral trial in progress.
Case development
The Opus Dei refers to the fact that the conflict began as a claim for pension contributions (equivalent to the contribution to Social Security in Spain) of a group of women who were members of the prelature. Subsequently, it passed to the civil court as a claim for damages, and ended in August 2024 with a criminal complaint for human trafficking.
The organization argues that this accusation represents a "complete decontextualization" of the lifestyle and vocation of the auxiliary numerarieswho, according to the Prelature, freely choose their path.
The communiqué denounces the instrumentalization of the Argentine penal system to amplify media and public pressure. In this sense, it underlines that the same resource has already been used to try to link other authorities of the organization, such as Monsignor Mariano Fazio, auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei and who was, for a time, regional vicar of the prelature in Argentina.
The case has been in the press for five years and in the Argentine courts for three years, where it is currently in the preparatory criminal investigation phase. To date, the intervening judge has not summoned any of the persons mentioned by the plaintiff's attorney to testify. In summary, the current situation is that a judge is investigating the accusations to see if he will either instruct a trial or dismiss the accusations.
The fact that the prosecuting attorney has been changing over time the object of the accusation and increasingly tries to implicate more and more Opus Dei authorities, is seen by the institution as a way to put pressure through public opinion.
The Prelature has expressed its desire to collaborate with justice and its confidence that the truth will prevail, calling for the preservation of the institutional seriousness of the judicial system and the principle of the presumption of innocence.
Some ideas to understand the context
The case known as that of the "43 former auxiliary numeraries", referring to the number of alleged victims, has been reduced in the judicial process to only one woman, who filed a complaint in September 2024. This complaint is the one that is being investigated since then, following the way of proceeding of the Argentinean justice system, very different from other legal systems such as the American or European ones.
Of those 43 former members of Opus Dei referred to at the beginning, some have resolved their petitions through dialogue and agreement with the Prelature, through the Listening Office. Only one of the cases has had to go through the courts.
During this time Opus Dei has issued several communiqués on the case over the past five years. Along with this, the following have been released numerous data such as the places where these women lived, working conditions, etc. Likewise, representatives of the institution met, on several occasions, with the plaintiff lawyer, who at all times had refused to provide information about the alleged victims.
Timeline
September 2020: The lawyer representing the women raises a claim for not providing social coverage to the 43 women who were members of the prelature, but does not provide individualized information that would allow us to know the particular situation of each one of them.
April 2021The lawyer took the case to the media, adding new criticisms, some of which were false and taken out of context, according to the prelature.
November 2021The regional vicar of Argentina meets with the lawyer, but still does not provide information on each particular case, making it impossible to give an adequate response to each person.
June 2022The prelature created a Listening and Study Commission in view of the lack of judicial presentations by the alleged victims and the frustration of the channels of dialogue through the women's lawyer.
September 2022: Auxiliary Numeraries from around the world publish an open letter calling for respect for their vocation.
December 2022The Healing and Resolution Office was created: based on the healing experience of the listening process for the people who attended, the regional vicar decided to set up a permanent commission open to people who belonged to Opus Dei and who wanted to come forward to resolve a specific question or talk about their experiences in the institution. Through these initiatives, it has been possible to resolve the complaints of some women who are no longer part of the group. Some of them have stated that they only wanted to resolve a pension issue and that they were used without their consent to make serious accusations that they do not share.
March 2024Opus Dei has established for all countries where Opus Dei is present a protocol for dealing with institutional complaints, which includes the creation of Healing and Resolution Offices in the circumscriptions where it is considered appropriate. This type of Office has been created in several countries, for example, in Spain.
September 2024After the prosecutor's office presented its opinion, the information was published in the press and the prosecutor's office included in its institutional newsletter that it had conducted an investigation and had forwarded it to the corresponding judge. There it was clear that the claim had been initiated with incongruent pension contributions and for labor issues, eventually transferable to a claim for damages, had strangely turned into a criminal investigation for "human trafficking" and "labor exploitation". Opus Dei categorically rejected these allegations. At the same time, it maintained its willingness to collaborate with the justice system and to listen with an empathetic attitude and openness to all persons who come forward with a complaint or to share a negative experience.
July 2025Mariano Fazio, former regional vicar of Argentina, currently auxiliary vicar of the Prelature, residing in Rome. A few days later, the plaintiff's lawyer reported in a radio interview that he had asked to include Bishop Fernando Ocariz, a prelate of Opus Dei, in the investigation. Opus Dei maintains that this is a serious manipulation of the judicial system for media purposes in order to put pressure on an economic labor claim, through maneuvers lacking any factual and legal basis.
The authorMaría José Atienza / Javier García Herrería
Jihadist attack leaves at least 35 dead at Catholic church in Congo
An attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (FDA) against a Catholic church in Komanda (DR Congo) left at least 35 dead, mostly young people gathered for a vigil. It is the most serious massacre after months of relative calm in the region.
A brutal attack by Islamist rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (FDA) left at least 35 people dead and several seriously wounded on Sunday in the town of Komanda, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, local sources confirmed. The massacre ended several months of relative calm in the region, historically plagued by jihadist violence.
The events occurred during a prayer vigil at the Blessed Anuarita Catholic parish, where numerous faithful, mostly young people, had gathered on Saturday evening in preparation for the celebration of confirmations scheduled for Sunday. During the night, members of the FDA broke into the church and opened fire on those present.
"We have at least 31 members of the Eucharistic Crusade dead, with six seriously wounded... some young people were kidnapped; we have no news of them," declared Father Aime Lokana Dhego, pastor of the attacked church, visibly affected by the tragedy.
Origins of the FDA
The FDA, an armed group originally formed by Ugandan rebels and which since 2019 has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, has intensified its activity in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu. Although this weekend's attack was the deadliest recently recorded, the Komanda region and neighboring Mambasa have been suffering from raids and attacks by this group for more than two years.
The Congolese armed forces, in coordination with the Ugandan army, have been maintaining for months a joint operation to contain the jihadist threat in the area, without yet succeeding in completely eradicating its operational capacity.
This attack has generated consternation both locally and internationally, and has reignited the debate about the effectiveness of security measures in vulnerable areas of the country, especially around religious communities.
Condolences of the Holy Father
In a communiqué sent by Cardinal Parolin, Leo XIV received with dismay and deep sorrow the news of the attack perpetrated against the parish of Komanda, in the province of Ituri. The Pope "joined in the mourning of the families and the Christian community gravely affected, expressing his closeness to them and assuring them of his prayers. This tragedy invites us to work even more for the integral human development of the affected population of this region. His Holiness implores God that the blood of these martyrs may be a seed of peace, reconciliation, fraternity and love for all the Congolese people", added the message sent by the Vatican Secretariat of State.
In an emotional day marked by faith and hope, Pope Leo XIV today greeted tens of thousands of young pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for the Jubilee of Youth. In a message delivered in several languages, the Pontiff encouraged those present to live this experience as a personal encounter with Christ.
"I hope that this will be an opportunity for each of you to encounter Christ and be strengthened by Him in your faith and in your commitment to follow Him with integrity of life," the Pope said from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace.
World Day of Grandparents: "Do not leave them alone".
In his address, the Holy Father also recalled that this day coincides with the celebration of the fifth World Day of Grandparents and Older Personswhose motto is: "Blessed are those who have not lost hope.". "Let us not leave them alone, but forge with them a bond of love and prayer," the Pope urged, stressing the value of the elderly as "witnesses of hope, capable of showing the way to new generations."
Reflection on the Lord's Prayer
Before praying the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV offered a profound meditation on the Gospel of the day, focusing on the Our Father (Lk 11:1-13). He recalled that this prayer unites all Christians and reveals the love of the heavenly Father. "The Lord always listens to us when we pray to him," he said, evoking the image of the father who rises in the middle of the night to help, or the friend who never closes his door, as symbols of God's unconditional love.
In addition, he stressed that prayer not only manifests divine filiation, but also implies a concrete commitment: "You cannot pray to God as 'Father' and then be hard and insensitive to others. It is important to allow oneself to be transformed by his goodness, by his patience, by his mercy," he said, quoting the Fathers of the Church.
An invitation to trusting prayer and fraternal love
This Sunday's liturgy, the Pope stressed, invites us to live with the same disposition and tenderness with which God loves us. He concluded by invoking the intercession of the Virgin Mary so that all the faithful may respond to the call to love like the heavenly Father: "Let us ask Mary that we may know how to manifest the sweetness of the Father's face".
With these words, Pope Leo XIV sealed a day of profound spirituality, which united different generations under the sign of hope, prayer and Christian fraternity.
Gates, Soros and UN foundations accuse Christian-inspired institutions of religious extremism
The report The Next Wavefunded by progressive foundations, accuses Christian organizations of "religious extremism" for defending traditional values such as life and family. However, it presents a biased view, equating legitimate dissent with threats to democracy, without evidence of violence or extremist coordination.
July 27, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
"The Next Wave", "The next wave: how religious extremism is regaining power." is a report by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rightsan association of Euro-parliamentarians and European parliamentarians, funded by the Bill Gates Foundation, George Soros' Open Society and the United Nations Population Fund.
The aim of the report is to denounce organizations that allegedly promote "religious extremism" in Europe, accusing religious actors - mainly Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox Christians - of seeking access to power through political strategies of "institutional capture" to erode abortion rights, sexual rights, gender equality and democracy itself.
Surprisingly, the report was presented on June 26, 2025 at the European Parliament, at an event co-organized by individual MEPs from the European People's Party (first group in the European Parliament, with 26%), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (second group in the European Parliament, with 19%), Renew Europe (association of centrist parties, third group in the European Parliament, with 11%), and the Greens/European Free Alliance (sixth group with 7%).
Extremist movements?
The report purports to expose an alleged resurgence in Europe of Christian "religious extremist" movements, claiming that they have received more than $1.18 billion between 2019 and 2023 from various sources with the coordinated goal of undermining the aforementioned rights and even democracy. However, the report reveals itself to be a radically biased document, lacking clear definitions and motivated by a progressive, globalist ideological agenda.
Because defending with words alone, without promoting hatred and violence, traditional Christian values - such as the protection of life from conception, the natural family and education based on ethical principles - can never be qualified as "religious extremism".
"The Next Wave" equates legitimate conservative positions with anti-democratic threats, using pejorative terms such as "anti-rights" or "anti-gender" groups to stigmatize those who promote ethical alternatives, such as natural family planning or sexual abstinence, without evidence of actual violence or coercion. Even Church NGOs are disparagingly labeled as ChONGOs.
The funding he points out received from European (73%), Russian (18%) and American (9%) sources, come from different programs that support pro-family and pro-life initiatives, and respond to demographic and ethical concerns, not to any coordinated extremist religious plot. Various institutions, universities and associations are unfairly labeled as "Religious Extremists," when in fact they defend traditional Christian values without promoting hatred or violence, engaging in legitimate democratic debates.
Spanish institutions
In Spain, the report mentions these:
San Pablo CEU University Foundation: For supporting pro-life events and manifestos such as 'Yes to Life', defending traditional Catholic teachings, without extremism or violence, rewarding conservative figures for their ethical contributions.
University of Navarra (UNAV), of Opus Dei, for promoting family planning with natural methods, and for its ethical formation based on Christian humanism. The UNAV defends traditional Christian values - protection of life, family and ethical education - without extremism. It participates in and promotes democratic debates and has never resorted to threats or promoted violence.
Francisco de Vitoria University (UFV), of the Legionaries of Christ, for also being active in pro-life actions. The UFV defends traditional Catholic values without ever promoting hatred or violence.
CitizenGO: Petition platform that promotes Christian family values.
Fortius Foundation: Involved in pro-family networks, seen as supportive of Christian values. No evidence of radicalism.
Institute for Legal Culture Ordo Iuris (Spanish branch): Defends Christian principles legally. Its opposition to progressive agendas is a legitimate debate, not pseudo-Catholic or extremist.
Jérôme Lejeune Foundation (Spanish branch): Focused on ethical research and anti-abortion. Labeled as extremist, but defends human life based on science and Christian faith, not fanaticism.
Publicly funded Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs): They offer compassionate pregnancy support. They are aligned with Christian values of helpfulness, not as extremist or violent "anti-gender services".
Asociación Red Política por los Valores (PNfV Spain): Transnational platform that donates to conservatives; seen as a network of Christian values. But not extremist.
Foundation for the Improvement of Life, Culture and Society. Supports social improvements based on ethical principles.
Fundación Disenso: VOX think tank. It promotes conservative debate, not violent extremist actions. The report accuses the aforementioned organizations and universities of promoting "disinformation" in networks, but it is the document itself that seriously misinforms by equating pro-life positions with "threats to democracy," without evidence of unified coordination or violence.
Criticism of the report
"The Next Wave" is open to criticism for its lack of nuance, (1) for encouraging misinformation by labeling as "extremist" what is mere ideological dissent; (2) for failing to recognize the right to defend Christian principles without stigmatization; (3) for not accepting the right to promote genuine dialogue rather than polarization; and (3) for its hypocrisy about funding - the report itself has been funded by donors such as the Gates Foundation or the Open Society, which promote progressive globalist agendas, and which did receive serious accusations of "institutional capture."
The fundamental premise of the report is that defending traditional Christian values, rooted in biblical teachings on life, family and morality, is tantamount to religious extremism. Extremism typically involves violence, enforced intolerance or rejection of democratic dialogue, elements absent in the organizations highlighted. Various Christian analysts and media see the report as a desperate anti-establishment attempt to silence legitimate debates on issues such as abortion, gender ideology and parental rights.
Even pro-family policies in Hungary are presented as a threat, ignoring that they respond to the real demographic crisis, not to any violent anti-democratic fanaticism. The stated purpose of the report is to map a "new wave" of Christian religious extremism "claiming power," analyzing its funding and strategies between 2019-2023, categorizing organizations as lobbying, media, foundations, services, think tanks and litigants.
The report exaggerates and twists the funding to imply a well-orchestrated and coordinated extremist religious conspiracy. Critically, this narrative ignores that the funding agencies are not coordinated and their goal is to promote traditional Christian values-such as promoting the nuclear family or objecting to abortion-values that are not extremist, but expressions of religious freedom and conscience.
Terms such as "anti-gender" are used to label reasonable opposition to subjective gender self-identification laws or gender fluidity education for children, which parents and conservatives see as ideological impositions, not inalienable rights.
Conclusion
"The Next Wave" falsely warns about Christian religious extremism, but this criticism reveals its ideological bias, by its lack of definitions and hypocrisy. Defending traditional Christian values is not extremism, but an exercise of freedom. The report encourages polarization by labeling dissent as a threat. There is an urgent need for a balanced approach that respects pluralism and promotes dialogue, recognizing that pro-life and pro-family positions enrich democracy and society.
"Love is stronger than death": a testimony of hope in the aftermath of suicide
Javier's testimony is a powerful reminder of human resilience, the strength of faith and the imperative need to address suicide with compassion, understanding and a collective commitment to prevention.
In a new episode of the podcast Blanket and FaithIn this episode, communicator Bárbara Bustamante tackles a more delicate and often silenced topic: suicide. Through the testimony of Javier Díaz Vega, son of a woman who took her own life 16 years ago, the episode offers an honest look at pain, guilt, silence and hope, in the light of the Catholic faith.
"I didn't have to be my mother's psychologist...I had to be her son," says Javier, who traces his experience of grief from the heart and from grace. With sensitivity and depth, the podcast invites listeners to reflect on the love that remains, the mercy of God and the importance of accompanying with truth and tenderness those who suffer this type of loss.
The episode also refers to the book Between the bridge and the river (New Eve), written by Xavier himself, and gathers the teachings of the Catechism on suicide, recalling that "God's mercy can reach the person who has taken his own life, by ways known only to Him" (cf. CCC 2283).
The fruits of a courageous testimony
Javier explains that he has witnessed many fruits in these almost 5 years and three editions that Nueva Eva has published with the book: "people who, having gone through a trance similar to mine, have been comforted by reading in other people the pain and hope, or as the Good Friday hymn says, the health born from the wound. This shared consolation makes more sense when not only because of the taboo of suicide, but because of the silence in the face of the suicide floor, which causes loneliness and a deeper fear of misunderstanding. Every person who has approached me through social networks and face-to-face meetings to thank me is a precious fruit and a thanksgiving to God".
The stories of hope he has witnessed help Javier to continue sharing his message. Although "faith helps, we should not propose it as an automatism or as a magic tool that makes us well. We believe in a God who suffers for us and also with us," he adds.
"I remember a meeting in which, talking about suicide bereavement, I had in the front row a woman who was strongly moved, who at the end asked if the bereavement lasted long, that in her environment she was already in a bit of a hurry to be with the same thing every little while. Maybe she will need some other help, but in our suffering, we must seek God, let ourselves be found by Him, not simply to stop suffering, that will be His will, but for such suffering to make sense. For in the Cross of Christ there is room for every suffering embraced by Him".
Hope after suicide
Javier is a psychologist and publicly shares his profound experience with his mother's suicide, offering a hopeful perspective. Javier's experience led him to capture his experiences and learnings in a book, which he describes as "a love letter to my mother." "My mother committed suicide in December 2009. And that was a shock," says Javier, describing the devastating impact of the news. This opening sentence sets the tone for his story, which seeks to destigmatize suicide and offer comfort to those who have experienced it firsthand.
Throughout his grieving process, Javier found a fundamental pillar in his faith. "I always say that faith saved me," he says, noting how his spirituality gave him the strength to face one of the most difficult trials of his life. His testimony is a reminder that, even in the darkest moments, there are sources of comfort and support.
Suicide and catechism
The road to recovery has not been easy. Javier emphasizes that "guilt should not be confused with responsibility," he clarifies, a vital distinction in helping survivors process their feelings without falling into self-condemnation. His message underscores belief in the power of love and mercy. "Love is stronger than death," Javier declares, a phrase that encapsulates the essence of his hope. In his reflection, he also incorporates the perspective of faith, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "God can give a person occasion to repent." This insight offers a light of hope and understanding, suggesting that divine mercy embraces even the most tragic circumstances.
At a key point in the conversation Javier delves into the perspective of the Catholic Church, quoting a powerful phrase from the CatechismGod, by ways known only to himself, can give a person the opportunity to repent. This quote underscores a fundamental message of hope and mercy. The Church's teaching, while considering suicide a gravely sinful act, also emphasizes the importance of understanding the mitigating factors, such as serious psychological disturbances, anguish or grave fear of hardship, which can significantly diminish a person's moral responsibility. This approach highlights the profound mercy of God, inviting compassionate reflection on the complexity of these tragedies and faith in the infinite goodness of God.
With unwavering conviction, Javier insists on the importance of open conversation: "We must talk about suicide in order to prevent it." His call to action is clear and direct, advocating a dialogue that breaks the silence and encourages help-seeking. Finally, he offers a fundamental piece of advice for those who wish to support someone in bereavement: "The most important thing is to accompany, to be, to listen."
Film producer María Luisa Gutiérrez argues that there can be a healthy industry, but this requires blockbuster films and others that are riskier options.
July 26, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Film producer María Luisa Gutiérrez became the talk of the town a few months ago for her viral speech in the Goya of 2025after receiving the award for best film for "The infiltrator". In it he spoke about freedom of expression when he said: "... let's remember that democracy is based on freedom of expression. And freedom of expression is based on everyone thinking what they think, and that, even if I am at odds with what you think, I respect you and you have the right to say what you think".
But he also made it a reference for the film industry when he said: "I want to share my little piece of Goya with my partner Santiago Segura, because our company makes films, family comedies that bring in a lot of box office and thanks to them we can make risky films like this one. In a healthy industry you need both cinemas. One cannot live without the other. I also want to share it with my fellow independent producers, those who make risky bets on films that may not have a box office return. Because culture not only has to have a box-office return, but then travel around the world as Spain's brand".
In line with these statements, it is understood that there can be a quality industry, where different genres coexist, where a free and hopeful cinema is shown.
On the one hand, family movies
Undoubtedly, in the pre and post pandemic, within the family cinema has highlighted the successful saga of "Padre no hay más que uno", which began in 2019 and in its fifth installment has reached theaters in the month of June. On this occasion, the humor has as a common thread the contrast between the "empty nest" syndrome, which has been common, and the "full nest" syndrome that Javi -the main character- lives, because in his case nobody leaves home.
In the middle of the cascade of success of this series of films, "A todo tren destino Asturias" 1 and 2 were born, another triumph of this type of cinema, which has also been well received. In both cases the key to success lies in its director and main actor Santiago Segura, who has always known how to make the audience laugh. Making films that are to the viewer's liking, arousing interest and humor like no one else, with films like Torrente or with this genre that is for all audiences. How does he achieve this? This creative is able to x-ray and scan the soul of many people who have lived with him on a daily basis, focusing on a lot of details that he then captures in the cinema giving play to actors and newcomers.
This cinema is compatible with the production of other types of riskier films, as his partner María Luisa García said.
Risky bets in Spanish cinema
Not only "La Infiltrada" stands out in the Spanish creative industry. Lourdes Esqueda, contributor to the film podcast "El antepenúltimo mohicano", says that there is a new way of making films with risky bets that seem not to be under the influence of politicization and "topicazo". It is a cinema made by low-budget independent production companies, which do not try to impose a discourse. It is a cinema of exploration, which makes us think.
The vast majority of the representatives are women. She gives as an example the cinema of director Celia Rico with films such as "La buena letra" (2025).
She also talks about Pilar Palomero, an Aragonese director who has directed films such as "Las niñas" (2020)., where an infant girl spends her adolescence in a nun's school. And she sees the great difference between what she learns at school and what she learns in society. She discovers what it means that her mother is unmarried to the harsh judgment of society. The film's backdrop is groundbreaking, suggesting that the key to success in life is to be who you are, someone authentic.
Or "La maternal" (2022), where this director narrates the pregnancy of another teenager in the Maternal, a residence where pregnant teenagers, victims of rape and violence, are taken in. It speaks of the social judgment of women. In "Los destellos" (2024)Palomero deals with a very different subject. Ramón's isolation in his room due to his illness. This situation awakens his daughter's interest in him, which she in turn transfers to her mother, so that she can visit her ex-husband. Although at that moment they are two real strangers to each other, they manage to overcome their mutual resentments and prejudices, and awaken interest in each other.
All these films are samples of the "flashes" of a new quality cinema that comes out of the mold, where social realities are shown with a different perspective, more optimistic and more hopeful, giving a way out to each of the complex situations that arise.
Catholic migrants "must be recognized and appreciated as a true divine blessing".
Pope Leo's message, centered on the theme "Emigrants, missionaries of hope"was published at the Vatican on July 25, the feast of St. James the Apostle.
OSV / Omnes-July 25, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
By Carol Glatz (CNS)
With their courage and tenacity in the pursuit of happiness, migrants and refugees are "messengers of hope," said Pope Leo XIV.
"Their courage and tenacity bear heroic witness to a faith that sees beyond what our eyes can see and gives them the strength to defy death on the various contemporary migratory routes," the Pope wrote in his message for the celebration of the World Migrants Day and Refugee from October 4 to 5, which will coincide with the Jubilee of Migrants.
Migrants and refugees also remind the Catholic Church that she too is on a journey and that true citizenship is in heaven, he wrote. "Every time the Church gives in to the temptation of sedentarization and ceases to be civitas peregrineThe Pope wrote, quoting the founder of his religious order, St. Augustine, "God's people, on their way to their heavenly homeland, cease to be in the world and become of the world.
Seeking the common good
"The current global context is sadly marked by wars, violence, injustice and extreme weather phenomena, forcing millions of people to leave their countries of origin in search of refuge elsewhere," his message states.
"The widespread tendency to look after the interests of limited communities poses a serious threat to responsibility sharing, multilateral cooperation, the pursuit of the common good and global solidarity for the benefit of the entire human family," he says.
"The prospect of a renewed arms race and the development of new armaments, including nuclear weapons, the failure to take into account the harmful effects of the current climate crisis and the impact of profound economic inequalities make the challenges of the present and the future ever more demanding," the Pope wrote.
"In the face of terrifying scenarios and the possibility of global devastation," he wrote, more people must yearn for a future of peace and respect for the dignity of all. "This future is essential to God's plan for humanity and the rest of creation."
God has placed the desire for happiness in the heart of every human being, he wrote. In fact, "the search for happiness and the prospect of finding it beyond one's place of origin is undoubtedly one of the main motivations for the movement of people today."
"Many migrants, refugees and displaced persons are privileged witnesses of hope," he wrote. "Indeed, they demonstrate it daily by their resilience and trust in God, facing adversity as they seek a future in which they envision that integral human development and happiness are possible."
"In a world darkened by war and injustice, even when all seems lost, migrants and refugees are messengers of hope," he wrote.
"In a special way, Catholic migrants and refugees can become missionaries of hope in the countries that welcome them," Pope Leo wrote. "With their spiritual enthusiasm and vitality, they can help revitalize ecclesial communities that have become rigid and burdened, where spiritual desertification is advancing at an alarming rate."
The presence of Catholic migrants and refugees "must be recognized and appreciated as a true divine blessing," he wrote. Citing the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, he reminded the faithful not to neglect hospitality towards strangers, since, "by it, some unknowingly entertained angels."
The Cathedral of Santiago: twelve centuries of history, art and pilgrimages
The history of Compostela is as rich as it is ancient. Since the bishop of Iria Flavia Teodomiro, observed the luminaries that would indicate the place of the remains of the Apostle Santiago, twelve hundred years have passed of characters, events, ceremonies and remodeling that have shaped the cathedral we know today.
– Supernatural Compostela Historywritten in the first half of the 12th century by order of Archbishop Gelmirez, describes the discovery of the tomb of the apostle St. James as follows: "Men of great authority... reported how they had seen many times at night burning luminaries in the forest... and also that an angel had appeared there frequently... he himself went to the place and saw with his own eyes the luminaries... he hastily entered the aforementioned grove and ... he found in the midst of weeds and bushes a small house that contained in its interior a marble tomb... he went... to see King Alfonso the Chaste... and notified him exactly what had happened... the king... came... and restoring the church in honor of such a great Apostle, changed the place of residence of the bishop of Iria for this one that they call Compostela...". This event, which would have taken place between 820 and 830, in the time of Bishop Teodomiro of Iria Flavia, marks the beginning of a history that is now 1,200 years old and has been marked by characters, events, ceremonies, remodeling, etc. that have been shaping the building destined to house and worship the remains of the apostle Santiago el Mayor.
The first basilicas
The Jacobean tradition narrates the miraculous journey of the remains of St. James the Greater, after his martyrdom in Jerusalem, to the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the diocese of Iria Flavia, where, taking advantage of a pre-existing Roman mausoleum, they were buried by his disciples Theodore and Athanasius. The burial place, on Mount Libredon, was forgotten until it was discovered in the 9th century, giving rise to the Jacobean phenomenon.
When King Alfonso II learned of the discovery of the remains of Santiago, he ordered a temple to be built on the site to house the tomb. It would be a simple construction, with a single nave, conditioned, at its head, by the dimensions and location of the aforementioned Roman mausoleum that sheltered it. Few archaeological remains have been recovered from this first temple of Santiago in the surroundings of the apostolic tomb and, undoubtedly, among them, the most outstanding is the tombstone of Bishop Teodomiro, who died, as stated in his inscription, in the year 847 and which was found in archaeological excavations carried out in 1955.
The temple of Alfonso II soon became too small to accommodate the pilgrims who began to arrive. To this was added a clear interest, on the part of the Asturian monarchy, to consolidate in this place a point of reference for Christianity, to which they endowed with privileges and gifts; so that, by order of Alfonso III began the construction of a new church to receive the relics of Santiago, which would be consecrated in the year 899. Again, although it followed the postulates of the Asturian pre-Romanesque, the pre-existing mausoleum would condition the dimensions of the central nave, of great amplitude, as opposed to the unusually narrow of the two lateral ones. The wide western portico of the church was also noteworthy, and in the archaeological excavations carried out in the central years of the 20th century, its access was discovered, together with other architectural elements.
In 997, the church of Santiago was destroyed by the Muslim army under the orders of Almanzor, who, however, according to the chronicles, respected the sepulcher. Immediately, the temple was rebuilt under the impulse of Bermudo II and the bishop San Pedro de Mezonzo, incorporating new stylistic influences, so that, in the early years of the tenth century, the temple was again operational and so it would remain until the progress in the construction of the new Romanesque cathedral, would end up burying it under its foundations in the year 1112.
The beginning of the Romanesque cathedral
The boom in pilgrimages to Compostela throughout the tenth and eleventh centuries, together with the strong support received from the Church and the Monarchy, led to the construction of a cathedral, whose works began around the year 1075, once the problems of space with the neighboring community of Antealtares, which then took care of the care and attention of the cult and the tomb, by its eastern end, had been solved. The so-called Codex Calixtinuswritten during the time of Archbishop Gelmirez by the Scriptorium compostelano, states that ".the master stonemasons who began to build the cathedral of Santiago were called Don Bernardo el Viejo, an admirable master, and Roberto, with about fifty other stonemasons who worked there assiduously".This is something that recent research seems to confirm, although with different nuances.
An inscription in the Chapel of the Savior and two capitals located at its entrance attest that the construction of the cathedral began in this place in the time of King Alfonso VI and Bishop Diego Peláez. This first stage of construction lasted until 1088, during which the central sections of the ambulatory and its respective chapels were built, developing, mainly in its capitals, of French influence, a complete iconographic program conceived by the prelate himself.
From 1088 onwards there was, at least, a certain slowdown in the work caused by the confrontation between the king and the bishop, which led to his imprisonment and subsequent exile. The workshop that began the construction of the cathedral would end up dissolving and, around 1094, with the help of a new master, Esteban, the construction rhythm was recovered from a new artistic perspective, varying the proportions of the initial project and continuing with the works in the rest of the chapels of the ambulatory.
This second phase would last until 1101, when the appointment of Diego Gelmirez as the new bishop of Compostela was to initiate a decisive phase for the cathedral. At the same time that Gelmirez began his project, Master Esteban moved to Pamplona to direct the construction works of his cathedral.
The cathedral of Archbishop Gelmirez
After having been trained in the cathedral itself and having had responsibilities in the administration of the diocese, in the year 1101, Diego Gelmirez was consecrated bishop of Compostela, thus initiating a crucial period in the history of the cathedral and the city, all this, following the iter marked by this prelate, who had a solid formation and important personal relationships, among which were members of the dynasty of Burgundy and the powerful Order of Cluny. Thanks to all this, Gelmirez conceived an ambitious project to turn the cathedral into a second Rome, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and under the protection of the apostle St. James the Greater, whose remains were venerated under the altar of this new cathedral.
First, Gelmirez obtained from the King the privilege of minting coins, which would allow him to have the economic resources to undertake his project, which then focused on the transept, its historiated facades and a new altar of Santiago, actions for which he had a series of foreign masters who not only brought new models and influences here, but developed and adapted them in such a way that Compostela became an avant-garde artistic center of reference in its time.
Such was Gelmirez's involvement in the project that the Compostela HistoryThe chronicle of his episcopate, which he himself had written, even mentions him as a sapiens architectusIn 1105, the new altar was consecrated over the apostolic sepulcher, for which the old mausoleum, which had been respected until then, was modified; and in 1112, the old basilica of Alfonso III, which until then had coexisted with the construction of the cathedral, was completely suppressed.
A skilled politician and manager, his episcopate meant a complete transformation in the organization of the church of Santiago de Compostela, creating a new chapter of canons regular who were to take care of the cult of Santiago; among them, in the manner of Rome, with a college of seven cardinals, one of whom was exclusively in charge of the liturgical care of the pilgrims.
By the hand of Pope Calixtus II, the Cluniac Guido of Burgundy, brother of the former Count of Galicia, Raymond of Burgundy, Gelmirez reached the rank of Archbishop and Compostela, the metropolitan see in 1120, thus consolidating the importance of the cathedral and promoting a period of splendor in the pilgrimages to Santiago.
In order to know what this Gelmirian cathedral was like, we have the detailed description of it in Book V of the Liber Sancti Iacobithe Codex Calixtinuswhich, by way of summary, points out that "In this church, finally, there is no crack or defect; it is admirably built, it is large, spacious, clear, of convenient size, proportionate in width, length and height, of admirable and ineffable workmanship, and it is doubly built, like a royal palace. Whoever goes up through the aisles of the triforium, even if he goes up sad, is encouraged and happy to see the splendid beauty of this temple.".
After completing the transept and its monumental façades, in which a complete unitary iconographic program centered on the history of mankind was developed in its marble and granite reliefs, -made by a series of great masters now renowned with their main works-, and facing, among other things, two revolts of the people of Santiago against its prelate, which caused significant damage to a cathedral still under construction; and to face, among other things, two revolts of the people of Santiago against their prelate, which caused significant damage to a cathedral still under construction, the works continued during the episcopate of Gelmirez until his death in 1140.
From that moment on, there is a certain lacuna about the state of the works of the cathedral of Santiago towards its western end, where, in addition, they encountered the problem posed by the steep slope of the terrain. For this reason, and due to the lack of archaeological remains to prove their existence, there are reasonable doubts about whether, during the episcopate of Gelmirez, the construction works of the cathedral were completed. Codex Calixtinus when it states that "part is completely finished and part is yet to be finished.".
Maestro Mateo's project
As has been pointed out, it is more than likely that, although in a very advanced state, the works would not have been finished at the death of Diego Gelmirez and, after him, there was a period in which various prelates succeeded one another and King Alfonso VII was immersed in other matters, so that there was no one to lead the continuation of the project. This situation was resolved a few decades later, under the reign of Ferdinand II, who would give the necessary impetus to the completion of the construction of the Romanesque cathedral, which would also become a temple of reference for the kingdom and a burial place for kings and their families. All this would be possible thanks to an essential figure in the history of the cathedral and the art of Galicia: Master Mateo.
There is no certain information about the origin and provenance of this Master Mateo, as he is mentioned in the document of 1168 by which Fernando II granted him a generous pension for life for the direction of the works of the Church of Santiago. From then until 1211, when the solemn ceremony of consecration of the temple took place, with the attendance of King Alfonso IX, Mateo led a complete project that, in addition to involving the completion of the works begun around 1075, entailed a conceptual reform of the cathedral building in view of its consecration and the ceremonial uses it was to have from then on; A project that would also mark the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style, incorporating a new artistic sensibility and interesting innovations resulting from his knowledge of the most avant-garde art of his time.
Completion of the work
First, Master Mateo undertook the completion of the last sections of the main nave of the cathedral, respecting its architectural organization but incorporating new decorative elements; then he carried out the western enclosure of the temple, which probably had not been done within the Gelmirian project, with an innovative solution that allowed to save the unevenness of the terrain with a novel crypt that supports a narthex open to the exterior by a façade that led to a terrace and, crowning the whole, a tribune. This unique sacred space, three levels high, contained a unitary iconographic program of apocalyptic and salvific content, which has its climax in the triple interior arcade of the narthex, today known as the Portico of Glory, one of the greatest works of universal art.
In addition to the Portico de la Gloria, which has reached our days mutilated and altered by various interventions carried out throughout history, Master Mateo also conceived a monumental choir of polychrome stone that occupied the first sections of the central nave and served to order the life and liturgy of the chapter of the renovated chapter of Santiago de Compostela; He reformed part of the facades of the transept to provide the interior of the cathedral with greater illumination, since light played an important symbolic and, at the same time, functional role; and he was in charge of creating a reference element for the pilgrim inside the cathedral, palliating the absence of direct visual contact with the apostolic sepulcher and the relics of Santiago, with the placement of a seated image of the Apostle that, although much reformed, has reached our days as the Santiago of the Embrace. In addition, the workshop under the orders of Master Mateo also configured, in the current chapel of Santa Catalina, located at the north end of the transept, the Royal Pantheon, where the kings Fernando II and Alfonso IX were buried, as well as other members of their families, such as Queen Berenguela or Raymond of Burgundy.
On April 21, 1211, the solemn consecration of the temple took place, as evidenced by the polychrome and gilded granite crosses that run along the naves of the cathedral, recalling the figure of Archbishop Pedro Muñiz. However, the completion of Master Mateo's project did not mean the conclusion of the works in the cathedral, a constant throughout the centuries. The workshops influenced by Mateo continued to work on new projects until the end of the Middle Ages, such as the remodeling of the Palace of Gelmirez, promoted by Archbishop Juan Arias, or the unfinished new Gothic chancel that was buried under the staircase of the current Plaza de la Quintana; and, above all, the new cloister, begun in the time of the aforementioned archbishop, located at the southern end of the cathedral and which was to have associated with it a series of chapels that were to play a leading role in the artistic activity of the cathedral in the following centuries.
A new dress for Santiago's house
Precisely, the structural problems that, due to the characteristics of the terrain, always gave the south flank of the cathedral, made necessary the construction of a new cloister over the medieval one, thus giving entrance to the Renaissance style, promoted by the archbishops of the Fonseca family.
However, the Modern Age was marked in the case of the cathedral by the Baroque, a style that was to provide the complex with new vestments. The 17th century began with the demolition of the stone choir and the construction of a monumental staircase on the western façade, which had already been partially remodeled a century earlier. It should be remembered that Master Mateo had conceived the monumental polychrome stone choir that occupied the first sections of the central nave.
But it would be in the second half of that century, under the guidance of Canon José Vega y Verdugo, when the great modernization of the cathedral would begin; on the exterior, with the new façade of the Quintana or the remodeling of the Clock Tower; and on the interior, with a new main chapel, designed for the greater glory of the Apostle Santiago, as a true Jacobean apotheosis. Once again, the union of the ecclesiastical hierarchy and the Hispanic monarchy will be decisive, as has always happened in the great transformations of the cathedral; and the great artist of the time, the Compostelan Domingo de Andrade.
This great baroque remodeling would be completed, in the 18th century, with important interventions, among them, the new western façade, in which Fernando de Casas was going to dress in baroque the medieval mattean structure and that of the Azabachería, which in the middle of this century was going to replace the old façade of the Paradise. Inside, the so-called Palacios Capitulares will be renovated and the construction of the Communion Chapel will be completed in the space that, until then, was occupied by the chapel of Archbishop Lope de Mendoza.
The revival of the Jacobean phenomenon
After the splendor of the Baroque centuries, the 19th century was a period of crisis in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela and in the pilgrimages to the Church of Santiago. This was influenced by various political, social and economic causes that also affected the whole city. However, in the last decades of the century, it was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. The discovery of Santiago by foreign travelers, who included in their chronicles the artistic treasures that were preserved here, such as the Portico de la Gloria, almost forgotten since the Middle Ages, played an important role in the mid-century, a fact that also helped to boost the interest of local scholars. But, above all, the resurgence of the Jacobean phenomenon began on the night of January 29, 1879, when a group of canons led by López Ferreiro, with the support of Cardinal Payá, found the Apostolic Tomb in the trasaltar, hidden in that place since the time of Archbishop Sanclemente, almost three hundred years ago.
After the rediscovery of the remains of St. James, certified in 1884 by Pope Leo X with the Bull Deus OmnipotensThe Jacobean phenomenon experienced an initial resurgence, especially under the guidance of Cardinal Martín de Herrera, who had a long episcopate that included several Holy Years. A revival of pilgrimages that, in the last decades of the 20th century, also linked to the celebration of the holy years, was to begin a new stage after the two visits of Cardinal Martín de Herrera and Cardinal Martín de Herrera. Saint John Paul II and the strong support of the autonomous government of Galicia.
Today, in an unprecedented holy biennium due to the circumstances, the Cathedral of Santiago presents a renewed aspect after a decade of rehabilitation and restoration works, years in which emblematic elements such as the Portico de la Gloria, the facade of the Obradoiro or the Main Chapel have been recovered; all this, without losing the essence of a place that, throughout twelve hundred years of history, has been a point of reference and welcome for millions of faithful and pilgrims n
"Reactivating" Paul of Tarsus: a necessity for the contemporary Church.
Giulio Mariotti, a Judaist and biblical scholar, talks to Omnes about the figure of Paul of Tarsus, to understand what it means today to read the apostle without prejudice, and how his proclamation can continue to speak to people.
We have all heard about St. Paul of Tarsus and his adventures: travels, adventures on land and sea, shipwrecks, dangers. His life seems more exciting than a television series. For centuries, his name has evoked faraway countries, new languages and people, never known before, sun, salty air and wind that caresses the face. At his birth, in Tarsus, he had been called Shaul - the impetuous one - but it was with the name "Paul", a little man, that he became universally famous.
We talked about it with Giulio Mariotti, Judaist and biblical scholarThe author, who works in the field of Second Temple Judaism and Christian origins, studying the history of Jewish thought and the nascent movement of the disciples of Jesus.
He is co-author with Gabriele Boccaccini of "Paul, a Jew of His Time" (2025), co-editor with Piotr Zygulski and Federico Adinolfi of the compilation volume "Reactivating Paul of Tarsus" ("Reactivating Paul of Tarsus", 2025), and author of "Election, Dualism, Time. Reading 2 Thessalonians in the Judaism of his time" (2024).
Omnes interviews him to understand what it means today to read Paul again without prejudice, and how his proclamation can continue to speak to people.
In "Reactivating Paul of Tarsus" (Effeta, 2025), you have gathered contributions from international theologians and scholars to bring Paul out of confessional and academic confines. Why did you choose the verb "reactivate" to speak of Paul? What needs to be reactivated today in his figure?
Italian cover of the book "Reactivating Paul of Tarsus".
- We have chosen the verb "reactivate" because it is not simply a matter of studying Paul anew, but of giving him back a vital voice in today's cultural, social, theological and interreligious debate. To "reactivate" means to take Paul out of an exclusivist Christian reading and place him once again at the center of a pluralistic and shared reflection. For too long he has been read as an apostate from Judaism and founder of Christianity. With this verb, we wanted to emphasize that Paul is not a figure of the past to be exhumed, but a voice that is still capable of questioning our certainties and systems.
Reactivating Paul means offering new spaces to perspectives that until now have received little attention in Italy, such as the reading of Paul within the Judaism of his time. Thus, in addition to the fundamental studies of authors such as Romano Penna, Mauro Pesce, Antonio Pitta and Gabriele Boccaccini, to cite just a few scholars, others are being added on the Judaism of the Apostle that incorporate both the Italian and international research tradition.
In his studies on Paul he insists that he never "abandoned" Judaism. What changes if we really read him as a believing, observant, apocalyptic Jew?
- To read Paul as a believing, observant and apocalyptic Jew is to dismantle one of the pillars on which Christian theology was based for centuries: the idea that he broke with Judaism to found a new universal, spiritual and, ultimately, "superior" religion.
In reality, Paul never abandoned Judaism: he is a Pharisee who adheres to an eschatological and messianic movement within the Judaism of his time, convinced that in Jesus a definitive phase in the history of Israel and humanity has been inaugurated. He neither rejects the Torah nor considers it useless, but interprets the present time as an "eschatological moment" in which even the Gentiles can become part of the people of God, Israel, without having to become Jews, the whole of Israel that will be saved (Rom 11:26). In this way, Paul is once again not the destroyer of Judaism, but simply one of its voices in the Judaism of his time.
In this volume you have collected essays that bring Paul of Tarsus into dialogue with topics such as gender equality, ecology or social injustice. Are we not in danger of projecting too many things of our times onto him?
- It is a very fair question, and we are fully aware of it. The risk of anachronism exists whenever we try to "update" an ancient author. However, it is not a matter of pretending that Paul spoke of ecology, gender equality or global justice as we would today. That would be ideological and historically incorrect. Our intention is different: to start from the principles of his thought to ask ourselves if they can still say something to our time.
Paul raises radical questions-about evil, about the meaning of the law, about hope, about the universality of salvation-that remain alive even today. It is therefore legitimate to ask ourselves: what can his way of thinking suggest to us, also in the field of rights, politics and care for creation? Not to modernize it by force, but to allow us to question it.
Is there any Pauline verse that has accompanied you and accompanies you especially in this moment of your life?
- The verse that accompanies me most at this moment is: "For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor 12:10). It is a phrase that subverts all the logics of power, success and performance that dominate our lives. In a world that demands that we always perform, always win, always be impeccable, Paul reminds us that it is precisely in weakness that the power of God is revealed.
Within the apocalyptic worldview, Paul believes that divine intervention is necessary to resolve the problem of evil, and this is what he found in what is described as a revelation on the road to Damascus. This realization, together with that of being at the end of time, will guide the whole of Paul's thought and offers us the realization that, even in our time, the trump card consists in showing fragility rather than performance at every opportunity.
Why is it no longer possible to speak of Paul as a convert?
- To speak of "conversion" for Paul, in the traditional sense of passing from one religion to another, is historically and theologically misleading. In Paul's time, Christianity as an autonomous religion did not yet exist. Therefore, Paul did not abandon Judaism; he never disavowed the Torah or his Jewish identity. He himself proudly described himself as "a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee in the observance of the law" (Phil 3:5).
What is experienced on the road to Damascus, therefore, is not a religious "conversion" but a prophetic call in the manner of Jeremiah and Isaiah read as a revelation. To continue to speak of "conversion" perpetuates a theology of rupture that has nourished Christian anti-Judaism for centuries. It is time to replace this language with more historically and literally appropriate words: "call" or "revelation".
Paul did not change his religion: he changed his position while remaining within Judaism. For this reason, for some years now, the Secretariat for Ecumenical Activities has been proposing to change the name of the feast of 25 January from "conversion" to the feast of Paul's "vocation.
You have also included Jewish and secular voices in the volume. Why is a confrontation that transcends the Christian sphere important today?
- To speak of Paul today can no longer be an internal affair of Christian exegesis and theology alone. For too long Paul has been read and used only from an ecclesial point of view, often in a polemical and anti-Jewish key. However, he himself has always defined himself as a Jew - a Pharisee, an observant Jew - and has never denied this identity. That is why it was essential in this volume, as it is in international research and debate, to open the dialogue to other voices: to Jewish scholars and lay thinkers, and to anyone interested in investigating who Paul really was without prejudice or preconceived ideas.
It is also a way of overcoming confessional barriers and inviting everyone-believers and non-believers alike-to confront a figure who, no matter how you look at it, has profoundly marked the history of Western thought. Paul does not belong to a Church but, like all great thinkers, to humanity.
What can the Jewish world receive from a re-reading of Paul of Tarsus such as the one you propose?
- One of the great potentials of Paul's perspective within Judaism is to finally open a way for a non-hostile reception of Paul also by the Jewish world. For centuries, in fact, Paul was perceived as the one who betrayed Judaism, condemned its practices and founded a separate, substitute and often hostile religion.
This image emerged especially from the second century onwards, and then became consolidated in Christianity as the "standard view", almost up to the present day. But today historical studies tell us otherwise: Paul never wanted to found another religion, nor did he seek to abolish the Torah. He remained within Judaism, in dialogue and sometimes in tension with other Jewish groups of his time.
What do you wish for those who read this book, especially if they are young or alienated from the faith?
- My sincere hope is that those who read this book will encounter a Paul who increasingly resembles his authentic face, stripped of centuries of interpretations that have turned him into a model of Christian anti-Judaism or exclusivist intolerance. The hope is that we will understand that Paul escapes labels and can be appreciated by believers and non-believers, by Christians and Jews alike.
The theme of today's readings is very clear: the importance of prayer. In the first reading we see prayer for others. Abraham prays to save the cities that God threatened to destroy because of their corruption. He got God to agree that if there were even 10 good men in those cities, he would not destroy them. But was his prayer effective? It seems not, because in the end God destroyed the cities. What is the use of praying if God does not listen to us? But, in fact, the only good people in the city were saved, namely Lot, who was Abraham's cousin, and his family. So Abraham's prayer was effective, but not as he expected. All the good people in the city were saved. This helps us to see that God hears our prayers, but not always as we expect.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us to pray first of all by his example. Seeing him pray, the disciples wanted to learn to pray themselves. Without boasting, our example of prayer can inspire others to pray. Next, Jesus teaches the Lord's Prayer, the perfect prayer and model prayer. And to encourage us to persevere in prayer, he tells us a beautiful parable about a man whose insistence finally gets his friend out of bed to give him the food he had come for.
Jesus encourages us here to pray, to keep knocking at God's door. We have nothing to give to others. If we want to give them something of value, we must go to God. And then Jesus gives three amusing examples: "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?". Of course not. Well, if "ye therefore who are evil".says Jesus, "you know how to give good things to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?". The Holy Spirit is the best gift of all: he is God himself, the living gift, the person-gift. In the Holy Spirit are all the gifts, every gift.
The message is clear: let us pray for others, let us be bold, daring, confident, like Abraham, who prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah. Let us pray to save our society, our country, or for the conversion of other countries. God wants us to ask, to be "annoying", he invites us to bother him. "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.". But we must trust in God's goodness. If we want to give good things to others, no matter how sinful we are, He is even more willing to do so.
Rome prepares to welcome half a million young people during the Jubilee
Both in Rome and in the Vatican, preparations are being finalized to welcome the half a million young people expected to participate in the Jubilee between July 28 and August 3.
Vatican and Italian authorities are finalizing preparations to welcome the half a million young people expected to participate in the Youth Jubilee. This major event will take place between July 28 and August 3, featuring more than 70 different activities in the squares of Rome.
During a press conference held at the Vatican on July 23, Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, stressed that the Jubilee is "a moment of grace". He also highlighted the participation of young people who will come from countries at war, which makes this meeting "an event of peace and construction".
"This moment of joy and celebration," the Archbishop continued, "is meant to be an embrace of all the young people of the world." The President pointed out as one of the most important moments the day of Penance that will take place on August 1 at the Circus Maximus, where 200 priests will alternate every two hours to confess all the young people who want to receive the sacrament.
For his part, the President of the Jubilee Technical Directorate, Alfredo Mantovano, indicated at the same press conference that "the presence of young people at the Jubilee represents an invaluable heritage for the communities from which they come and to which they return".
A challenge for security
The large number of people participating in the Jubilee represents an enormous challenge, as Roberto Gualtieri, Mayor of Rome, pointed out. For this reason, "the city has deployed a large technological apparatus to reinforce security," with some 20,000 people working to ensure the safety of the participants.
On the other hand, in order to facilitate transportation, subway and bus services will be extended in the city. This is part of the plan drawn up by Fabio Ciciliano, Head of the Civil Protection Department, who assured at the press conference that the aim is to prevent the Jubilee from disrupting the daily life of people in Rome.
Youth Jubilee, an example of faith and hope
The Vice President of the Lazio Region, Roberta Angelilli, emphasized that "the Youth Jubilee is a special and memorable event, not only for the extraordinary participation, but also for the emotional and collective participation.
He underscored the beauty of seeing people from all countries united in one city and recalled that, through the Jubilee, young people become "formidable witnesses of peace, faith and hope".
During the round of questions at the press conference, the environmental impact of the event generated particular interest. The organizers assured that great efforts have been made to reduce the negative impact and it is expected that the materials invested in the structures prepared for the Jubilee will be reused for other events in the future.
Dates of the Youth Jubilee
The young people participating in the Jubilee will arrive in Rome on Monday, July 28. Hundreds of accommodations have been prepared in parishes, sports centers, religious centers, host families and hotels to cope with the arrival of so many people.
On July 29 at 7:00 p.m., a welcoming Mass will be celebrated in St. Peter's Square. On July 30 and 31, the young people will be able to participate in various cultural activities in the city of Rome, and on Friday, July 1, the aforementioned Penitential Day will be celebrated.
Saturday, August 2, will be a day of entertainment, music and testimonies, until the vigil with Pope Leo XIV begins at 8:30 p.m. at Tor Vergata. On Sunday at 9 a.m. the Holy Father will preside the Holy Mass with all the young people, in a moment that will be both a farewell and a missionary sending forth.
All the information on the Youth Jubilee can be found at the web page enabled for this purpose.
St. Bridget's holiness makes her "an eminent figure in the history of Europe," Benedict XVI said in 2010. "Hailing from Scandinavia, she testifies that Christianity has deeply permeated the life of all the peoples of this continent," he added. St. John Paul II declared her co-patroness of Europe in 1999, along with Saints Catherine of Siena and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein).
Francisco Otamendi-July 23, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Benedict XVI dedicated a General Audience in October 2010 to St. Bridget of Sweden, co-patroness of Europe, solemnly canonized by Pope Boniface IX in 1391. In his own wordsThe then Pope referred to "the holiness of Bridget," which "makes her an eminent figure in the history of Europe. Coming from ScandinaviaSt. Bridget testifies that Christianity has deeply permeated the lives of all the peoples of this continent.
Pope Benedict XVI pointed out that "in declaring it co-patron saint of EuropePope John Paul II wished that St. Bridget - who lived in the 14th century, when Western Christianity was not yet wounded by division - would intercede effectively with God to obtain the long-awaited grace of the full unity of all Christians.
"For this same intention," he added, "so important for us, and so that Europe may always know how to nourish itself from its Christian roots, we wish to pray, dear brothers and sisters, invoking the powerful intercession of St. Bridget of Sweden, faithful disciple of God, co-patroness of Europe."
Marriage, "the path to sanctity".
"We can distinguish two periods in the life of this saint. The first is characterized by her status as a happily married woman," Benedict XVI said. Her husband's name was Ulf and he was governor of an important province in the kingdom of Sweden. "The marriage lasted twenty-eight years, until Ulf's death. Eight children were born, the second of whom, Karin (Catherine), is venerated as a saint." This reveals, in the opinion of the Germanic Pope, an "educational commitment of Brigida towards her children".
This first period of Brigida's life "helps us to appreciate what today we could define an authentic 'conjugal spirituality': "Christian spouses can walk together a path of holiness, sustained by the grace of the sacrament of Matrimony," he said at the Audience.
"May the Spirit of the Lord also stir up today the holiness of Christian spouses," the Pope said, "to show the world the beauty of marriage lived according to the values of the Gospel: love, tenderness, mutual help, fruitfulness in the generation and education of children, openness and solidarity towards the world, participation in the life of the Church."
The Disclosures
When Bridget became a widow, she began the second period of her life. She renounced other nuptials to intensify her union with the Lord through prayer, penance and works of charity, Benedict XVI explained. "Christian widows, too, therefore, can find in this saint a model to follow."
"Brigida, after the death of her husband, after distributing his goods to the poor, although she never acceded to religious consecration, settled in the monastery Cistercian monastery of Alvastra. It was there that the Disclosures divine, which accompanied her throughout the rest of her life". She is known for her messages to the Popes to return from Avignon to Rome, as she did. St. Catherine of Siena. In 1391, Pope Boniface IX solemnly canonized her.
Andrés Esteban López: "The New Age has also affected Christian communities".
Priest and exorcist Andrés Esteban López talks about the New Age, its origin and impact on today's society, clarifying some concepts of this movement that, as he states, has also affected Christian communities.
Father Andrés Esteban López Ruiz is an exorcist of the Archdiocese of Mexico. He is part of the International Association of Exorcists and, in addition to being a member of the Spanish-speaking secretariat of this association, he is in charge of the ongoing formation of other priests. exorcists.
In this interview with Omnes, he explains in detail the origins of the New Age, the deceptions to which it leads and the reasons for hope that Catholics can have in the face of the expansion of this spiritual movement which, says Father Andrés, "has also affected Christian communities".
How would you define the New Age?
- It is, in principle, a spiritual movement that emerged in the 1970s, which has a common system of beliefs and practices, but which admits a large number of variations in each place, in each person, in each time and in each group.
It can be placed in the field of a certain "esoteric religiosity", but more appropriately, according to its own self-understanding, as an "esoteric spirituality". It is not a "movement" in full terms because it is a non-unified, decentralized, diffuse and informal cultural phenomenon.
Some refer to the New Age as an "environment" in the social sense, as a certain cultural environment that implies some conditions of beliefs, practices and customs that influence the lives of different people, mainly in the spiritual, religious and moral aspects.
What are your main beliefs?
- The New Age belief system is a complex, non-unified system that has different sources and expressions. These are some of its main beliefs:
The New Age is a syncretic spirituality that combines elements of various religions and spiritual traditions with an emphasis on subjective experience in terms of enlightenment and divinization. In this sense it can be seen as a type of neo-gnosticism, where Christ, Buddha, Confucius and other enlightened masters have the same relevance.
On the other hand, the New Age involves a foundational and operative spiritualistic element; communication with spirit guides and ascended masters, sometimes in the guise of angels or beings of light, is believed in and frequently invoked.
The New Age has as its central point the belief that everything is composed of energy and that one can interact with it, God being the cosmic energy that constitutes the world. It is therefore a pantheistic spirituality. The spirit guides are mediators of wisdom and energy in this cosmic system that is always presented as holistic.
The New Age is esoteric, seeking occult knowledge and enlightenment through ascetic and initiatory practices of enlightenment in which guides, masters, gurus, etc. are always involved. The connection with cosmic cycles and revelation through the stars or other cosmic aspects is sought. The energetic interaction with the cosmos in terms of manipulation through rites and elements is the basis of its magical component.
The New Age has, then, a strong component of magic practice, seeking healing and wellness through occult practices such as energy manipulations, but also seeking access to occult knowledge through ritual practices.
Finally, although the New Age is eclectic and integrates elements of various religions, it understands itself as an overcoming of Christianity, which has been incorporating from its origins diverse religious elements, mainly from Buddhism, Hinduism and, later, from some indigenous and shamanic religions. In this sense, it is common to find ideas such as "karma" or reincarnation within their beliefs. This element of overcoming Christianity was expressed as the axiom of the end of the Age of Pisces, which represented Christianity, and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius, which would represent a new spiritual awakening of humanity.
How did the new Era come about?
- The New Age has its roots in the esoteric and eclectic spirituality of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Authors such as Emanuel Swedenborg, Franz Mesmer and Allan Kardec influenced the New Age spiritual perspective.
Helena Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, is considered one of the main ideologists of the New Age. Her work "The Secret Doctrine" (1888) establishes a cosmic unity between the stars, the universe, the human soul and nature. In addition, she laid the foundations for an eclectic and syncretic Gnosticism where diverse religious expressions are incorporated, which she called theosophy.
Blavatsky also promoted the practice of yoga, meditation and the invocation of spirit guides. In fact, much of her work was inspired and written through the mediation of spirit guides. Although we recognize Kardec as the father of modern Spiritism, Blavatsky was the great promoter of a new spirituality integrating magical, ancestral and mystical elements in the West, as well as one of the main promoters of bringing the ascetic practices of Buddhism to Europe.
Alice Bailey, a disciple of Blavatsky and Besant, is considered the "mother of the New Age". Her work "A Treatise on the Seven Rays" (1936-1951) establishes the basic principles of the New Age, including cosmic unity, energetic communication between body and soul, and the possibility of manipulating divine energy for healing and enlightenment. There is, for her, a communication or connection between the body and soul of man and the physical universe, through the 7 rays that are universal divine forces associated with the human body and different energetic zones called "chakras".
The expression New Age is attributed to Alice Bailey, who used it in some of her works, such as"Discipleship in the New Age."(1944-1955), and who in 1937 founded an association called the "Lucis Trust" in order to prepare humanity for radical change through the great invocation of light. Indeed, previously Blavastky, Besant and then Bailey had expressed a fundamental role of Lucifer in their cosmic understanding, as an angel of light who sacrificed himself to become enlightenment for souls in their spiritual awakening.
Their Christological perspective, on the contrary, is that of "Maitreya" according to which he is the highest being of cosmic energy who has manifested himself in the form of Christ and also of Buddha, and who will come again to continue manifesting himself. In this sense, taking the Gnostic perspective, they consider that Lucifer is the mediator of spiritual wisdom and Christ his manifestation in the flesh.
Is the New Age compatible with Christianity?
- New Age beliefs are incompatible with the Christian faith founded on the divine Revelation that recognizes God as the only Creator and Lord of the Universe, His Son Jesus Christ as the only mediator of salvation and the Holy Spirit as the giver of life. Syncretism, pantheism and belief in energy are opposed to the truths of faith that we profess, as well as the esoteric and magical practices mentioned are opposed to the virtue of religion.
In this way, people who begin to move in the New Age environment experience a change of mentality that gradually makes them lose the Catholic faith and become involved in a series of practices that end up leading them to serious sins against the first commandment such as spiritism, idolatry, magic, witchcraft, etc.
Do you believe that New Age magical practices open the door to the devil?
- These practices constitute objectively grave sins that injure the believer's relationship with God. Therefore, they signify by themselves always regrettable facts in the order of grace, faith and charity. Moreover, they imply a darkening of conscience and the acquisition of a magical mentality with grave psychic and moral repercussions. As to whether, in addition to these damages, a spiritual problem can be caused in which the devil could exercise an extraordinary action on the person, such as vexation, obsession or possession, it is possible to answer in a general sense as follows:
The main cause of the extraordinary action of the devil is the sin against the first commandment, specifically, the practice of occultism in its different forms. Therefore, the magical practice of the New Age, such as energetic healings, invocations of spirits or angels, magical rituals, spells, divination, among others, can be an occasional cause for a person to be subjected to a particular domain of the devil in which he suffers an extraordinary action on his part.
In any case, in general, it is necessary to evaluate the practice itself, the degree of involvement of the person, the frequency and time of the practice in order to be able to respond more accurately in each case. Normally, the risk for those who are already operators of these occult techniques is not the same as for those who have participated occasionally.
It must be said that one of the main problems we face in this field because of the New Age is precisely the fact that the cultural influx of the New Age has come to normalize esoteric practices.
Has there been an increase in possession cases due to New Age trends?
- New Age beliefs and practices are a widespread phenomenon that unfortunately has also affected Christian communities. In this sense, the number of people who suffer different affectations, in different degrees because of their participation in these environments, has increased more and more. Mainly we have numerous testimonies of people who, having been intensely immersed in these practices, have suffered in various ways from some kind of extraordinary action of the devil, including possession.
What role does the exorcist play in the face of the dangers of the New Age?
- The exorcist priest has a specific ministry to attend to people who think they may be suffering from the extraordinary action of the devil. His first task is to welcome these requests with charity in order to accompany the faithful spiritually through discernment, prayer and the teaching of the faith.
When he verifies with moral certainty the extraordinary action of the demon, he must assist the vexed faithful by celebrating the Major Exorcism for as long as necessary. In this sense, the exorcist priest plays primarily a role of discernment and care for the faithful who have already suffered these unfortunate consequences in order to assist them in their liberation.
However, his role is not limited to this specific attention, but he can also give a balanced and considered testimony of the errors and dangers of the New Age in terms of prevention according to his own experience.
Do you think that many people who follow these practices are seeking the same thing as those who seek the Christian faith: a deeper connection with the divine?
- Although we are living a change of epoch, we can hardly define our times as times of atheism. The post-modern era is an era of post-truth, relativism, subjectivism and deep emotivism. However, there is, in general in the West, a search for spiritual elements that has not yet been extinguished in the societies of ancient Christianity. Thus, although it seems that we are entering a post-Christian era, vague, diffuse, eclectic religiosities without serious moral commitments seem to be increasing and captivating large numbers of people, especially the young.
In this sense, we can affirm that many people seek spiritual and profound answers in new ways of relating to the divine and are easily led to the New Age. We could say for these cases that the heart of the man thirsty for God looks for streams of water where to rest and although they do not find the living spring of God in the New Age, this search is a reason for hope.
However, most people who engage in occultism, although also in its New Age expressions, do so in search of a certain well-being that they think these practices can provide them.
Sometimes it is seeking healing or curing physical or psychological illnesses. At other times it is seeking economic benefits or social or amorous advantages. Or they may be seeking information or knowledge that will be useful in foreseeing the future or making decisions. In this sense, we see that the spread of occultism has always been linked to a certain selfishness that disassociates the person from the source of his well-being, which is God.
Moreover, in the New Age, it seems that a precisely opposite path is proposed, although seductive, people seek a spiritual empowerment that makes them dispense with a relationship with God, but rather assume a supposed divine potential with which they do not need God. In other words, the heart of man also hardens and seeks to satiate itself uselessly in its own self-absorption.
How can we differentiate between something that really opens a door to the action of the devil and a deception?
- It is difficult to differentiate between charlatans and true operators of the occult. However, it is not always necessary to make this distinction because both are harmful to people. It is reasonable to avoid these environments and these people in the sense of getting involved with them in their practices.
Even so, I think that a very concrete criterion is to recognize if in the practices involved there are true facts that cannot have a natural explanation, then we find ourselves with probably preternatural or demonic elements, in which possibly the extraordinary action of the demon can be suffered.
What should be the attitude of the Church towards the beliefs and people who practice the New Age?
- The attitude and response of the Church in the face of these beliefs should be first of all the joyful proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the proclamation of the Word of God. This prophetic ministry accompanied by the teaching of the faith and adequate catechesis is the best way to enlighten the people in order to lead them to Christian life and also to warn them of the evils involved in turning away from God in occultism. This teaching must also be able to respond to the ever-changing problems of the times, therefore, it must also discern and illuminate the dangers of the New Age for the faithful.
On the other hand, in the face of the fascination for experiences of the occult and modern mysticism, we must be able to propose the living experience of the encounter with God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. Teaching the faithful the beautiful way of Christian prayer, the transforming power of the sacraments and the freedom contained in a life of love for God, fruitful in charity, will always be the best way to care for the hearts of the simple.
Moreover, the Church as a compassionate mother must have a merciful and welcoming attitude in order to be able to receive all those who for various reasons have turned away from the Christian life and fallen into the traps of occultism. This attitude requires a proven patience that knows how to explain calmly the various questions in which the conscience of the faithful has been darkened and to gradually accompany a metanoia to bring people back to the spirit of the Gospel.
With regard to people who live immersed in the New Age, convinced of the truth and efficacy of its practices, the Church must also exercise a ministry of intercession, praying for them and giving a beautiful testimony of the reasons for our hope, trusting in the grace that brings about conversion. The testimonies we have of conversions of great leaders in the New Age are also abundant and show us the need to pray always and unceasingly for one another, especially for those who are most lost, most confused and most enslaved by the deceptions of evil.
"Mary was outside, weeping at the tomb," St. John recounts in his Gospel. St. Mary Magdalene, whose feast is celebrated on July 22, is an example of repentance, of love for Jesus. She witnessed his crucifixion, death and Resurrection. At the tomb, two angels asked her: "Woman, why are you weeping?
During the Jubilee of Mercy, the Congregation for Divine Worship, at the indication of Pope Francis, made a "feast" the memory of St. Mary Magdalene, whom the Pope had defined as a disciple "at the service of the nascent Church".
This brilliant definition of the Bishop of Rome is due to what the Gospel tells us. It is she who first sees Christ, it is she who, passing from the sadness of tears to joy, is called by name by Jesus and announces him to the apostles.
The grace of tears
On April 2, which was the Tuesday after Easter 2013, Pope Francis, speaking precisely on the subject of Mary MagdaleneHe had said: "Sometimes, in our lives, the glasses to see Jesus are tears". "Before the Magdalene who weeps, we too can ask the Lord for the grace of tears. It is a beautiful grace...". "To weep for everything: for the good, for our sins, for graces, also for joy. Weeping prepares us to see Jesus".
"And that the Lord gives us all the grace to be able to say with our lives: I have seen the Lord, not because he has appeared to me, but because I have seen him in my heart".
The eyes that announce it
For a priest with intense pastoral activity it is not easy to empathize with the pain of those who come to the parish. Funerals, weddings, baptisms, news of pain, unemployment, tensions, follow one after the other. And they reach the priest's heart in a tumultuous way, one after the other, forcing an emotional alternation that sometimes pushes the priest to protect himself behind an apparent indifference.
The eyes of Mary MagdaleneThe tears of a priest, bathed in tears because they find an empty tomb, can become those of a priest who, after knowing Christ, never cease to look at him and are the first to announce him to the unbelieving apostles.
Church considers exhuming the skull of St. Thomas More for veneration
The Church in England is studying some projects to exhume the skull of St. Thomas More, and place it for veneration. It would be on the 500th anniversary of his martyrdom, in 2035. At present, the head of Sir Thomas is buried next to his daughter Margaret in the Anglican church of Dunstan.
The Church of England is studying plans to exhume, enshrine and place for veneration the skull of St. Thomas More, patron saint of rulers and politicians. The desire is to arrive in time for the 500th anniversary of his martyrdom in 1535.
Years after his beheading, the saint's head was buried in a vault with the body of his daughter, Margaret Roper, in the Anglican church of Dunstan (Canterbury, southeast England).
The parish church council, or PCC, has announced that it wants to exhume the skull so that it can be venerated by pilgrims.
Preserving what remains of the relic
A statement read to parishioners on July 6, the date of St. Thomas More's martyrdom, specified that the objective would be to exhume and preserve the relics. "What the PCC has agreed, subject to all the correct permissions being granted, is to exhume and conserve what remains of the relic. This will take several years to dry out and stabilize."
Where to place it
"We could put it back in the vault, maybe in a reliquary of some kind. Or we could place the reliquary in some kind of shrine or stone pillar carved above the floor in Roper's chapel. That's what many of our visitors have asked for," the release said. "We would really appreciate your ideas and thoughts."
According to 'The Times', the London-based newspaper that broke the story, the church will seek to raise 50,000 pounds, or $67,300, to fund the conservation project. The goal would be to create a sanctuary by 2035.
Among the first steps is obtaining permission from a commissioners court in Canterbury, which issues decisions on church buildings and grounds, according to The Times.
Thomas More and John Fisher did not take the oath of office
Thomas More was a lawyer who became one of Europe's most admired statesmen, gaining international recognition for 'Utopia', his satirical work on a perfect state.
He was appointed lord chancellor of England by King Henry VIII in 1529, but resigned in 1532 in opposition to the king's reforms of the Catholic Church in England.
He further angered the king by refusing to attend the coronation of Anne Boleyn. This was the mistress Henry had married after Pope Clement VII refused to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The decision led Henry to lead the church into schism.
Thomas More was interned in the Tower of London after he and St. John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester, refused to take the oath attached to the 1534 Act of Succession to the Crown. This oath recognized the offspring of Henry and Anne to be rightful heirs to the English throne.
Convicted of high treason
More was sentenced to death for high treason at a trial at Westminster Hall in London. He was to be hanged, drawn and quartered, a slow and painful death involving disembowelment.
Henry commuted the sentence to beheading. And on the day of execution on Tower Hill, London, he asked More to keep his last letter.
St. Thomas More famously claimed that he died "in faith and for faith," and that he was always a good servant of the king, but first of God.
The body of the future saint was buried under the altar of the church of St. Peter in chains in the Tower of London, where it remains. The Chapel Royal of San Pedro ad Vincula ('St. Peter in Chains') is the former parish church of the Tower of London.
Head on a spike on London Bridge
They boiled his head, which was placed on a spike on London Bridge, replacing the head of the Bishop John Fisherbeheaded fifteen days earlier, on June 22.
More's daughter Margaret, whom he affectionately called 'Meg', rescued the head and embalmed it. She was buried with her father's head after his death in 1544. The head was moved along with his remains when they were transferred to the Roper family crypt more than 30 years later.
Pope Pius XI declared Moro and Fisher martyrs in 1935. In 2000, St. John Paul II declared St. Thomas More "heavenly patron saint of rulers and politicians".
In a 1991 speech, St. Thomas More was described by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, as "Britain's other great witness of conscience." In addition to St. John Henry Newman.
The American-born Pontiff said, during the Jubilee of rulers, that "he was a man faithful to his civic responsibilities. A perfect servant of the State precisely because of his faith. This led him to see politics not as a profession, but as a mission for the spread of truth and goodness."
Pope Leo XIV stressed "the courage he showed by his willingness to sacrifice his life rather than betray the truth." "This makes him, also for us today, a martyr for freedom and for the primacy of conscience."
Simon Caldwell writes for OSV News from Liverpool, England.
This information is a translation of the original from OSV News, which you may consult here.
Relying on the Bible, we can recover the peace that is so easy to lose in today's world.
July 22, 2025-Reading time: 8minutes
Human history has not documented even 100 consecutive years of peace. It appears that of the last 3,400 years of written history, only 8 % (268 years overall) have been the sum of periods completely free of war or confrontation. We know that many of the geopolitical conflicts are intergenerational cycles that have not been overcome. Others have more recent economic, ideological, sociological (including territorial disputes), and even ethnic and religious roots.
Psychology helps us to understand the main reasons of how the relationship between emotion and reaction operates: a controversy or disagreement that could have been mitigated or slowed down, awakens the most primitive tendencies and instincts in our collective memory, ignites conflictive feelings until we become hostages of their effervescence, inspiring destructive, social and inter-relational interventions when our sense of threatened survival is over-activated. At this point there is no way to count the human and economic losses, and the emotional crises generated. How is it possible that supposedly intelligent human beings, we have failed every previous lesson and we foolishly repeat what it has already been demonstrated that we should avoid? What madness! How much sadism! How much cruelty!
Not even with these profound experiences of human pain have we been able to notice or renounce so much unnecessary and useless pain. The Bible presents us with how Jesus Christ describes a deeper root: the psychology of personal life and spiritual state of every human being. In Luke 6:45, Jesus says: "A good man out of the goodness he treasures in his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil he brings forth evil; for out of the overflowing of the heart the mouth speaks".
Only the Gospel of Love helps us to interrupt this circuit to block the flow of the growing destructive currents. In Matthew 5, 38 - 48, Jesus offers a plausible solution: "You have heard that it was said: 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, 'Do not deal with the one who wrongs you. On the contrary, if one slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other; to him who would sue you to take away your coat, give him your cloak also; to him who asks you to walk a mile, go two miles with him; to him who begs from you, give; and to him who borrows from you, do not refuse. You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, who makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? do not the tax collectors also do the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what reward have ye? do not the Gentiles also do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect".
Sometimes we feel very limited when we want to change some external realities instigated or provoked by social or political forces, or simply beyond our control. But let us understand something very important: each human being does have control over his or her own reasoning, feelings, perceptions, reactions and decisions. This is how the external conflict should not be transferred to our inner self until it becomes our personal internal conflict. Let us not allow ourselves to be persuaded by the collective hysterias of fears, hatreds and senses of revenge. These are the ones that drag multitudes and peoples to their great downfalls and processes of self-destruction.
The destructive power of hate
On a personal level I have to understand that my hatred does not destroy my enemy: rather it destroys me. Hatred is an emotional cancer that eats away at the heart and metastasizes in my body and mind. There are even several physical illnesses associated with strong experiences of resentment by triggering high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which suppresses the immune system contributing to cardiovascular, digestive, inflammatory, and chronic pain conditions, among other conditions. Hate is also a major player in well-known psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, sociopathic personality, etc.
On a spiritual level, hatred is the thief of states of grace and inner peace. My enemies will arm themselves with my hatred to consume me day by day and to deform my integrity and spiritual nature. When I hate and seek revenge I am further empowering my enemies, giving them sovereignty over my feelings and my decisions. And worse, I am giving them the power to rob me of my salvation, for with hatred in my heart no one will enter Heaven, the dwelling place of the God of love.
Perhaps we think that there are human reasons to hate because of injustices, outrages, threats; but we do not have spiritual permissions. Although Psalm 97, 10 says, "Hate evil, you who love the Lord", it is not a feeling directed to another human being, but a decision to abhor and repudiate the evil that so much divides and harms human beings who should love and respect each other.
The beautiful Psalm 23 includes in verse 5 a quote that we often lose sight of: "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies". What table is that? The table where peace treaties are signed. Because only by walking in peace and unifying ourselves in solidarity, will we be able to find those green pastures, still waters and places of provision that the same psalm offers us.
Peace treaties
Human coexistence and above all Christian brotherhood is sustained by treaties of peace and covenants of mercy between people who eradicate their selfishness and narcissism to recognize that we live not only with others around us but that they dwell in our hearts.
True and authentic love is the one that responds to the proposal of the supreme commandment pronounced by Jesus in Matthew 22:37: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind". Love has been the reason for the survival of humanity, which faces so many threats to its survival. Human beings tend to ally in natural disasters and universal threats. When we live in love we make alliances of peace because we want to preserve the integrity of people and our human relationships with them because we need them in our lives for our physical and psychological survival.
Healthy relationships based on that love will seek to preserve peace by keeping in mind that there is no substitute for respect, consideration, sincere dialogue, mutual support, and the recognition that we are all children of God and heirs of His equal love. The person who is truly converted to Jesus and convinced of His teachings can opt for no other condition of life except peace in the heart and peace around him.
Romans 14:19 tells us to live not only in peace, but to edify one another. In other words, eradicating from our vocabulary and conduct that which hurts us, defames us, dishonors us or makes us feel like emotional orphans because no one cares about us. How different it would be to live edifying each other with words of affection and with demonstrations of mutual trust, sincere understanding and unconditional support!
We build ourselves up when we transmit kindness and mercy. We are edified when we dispose our minds and senses to listen, attend and understand the needs of others.
We are edified when we pause the hustle and bustle of life to console and heal ourselves, as in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37).
We are edified when we recognize the gifts of others, and instead of being filled with envy and desires of usurpation, we exalt, celebrate and dimension them.
We are edified when we recognize that we are all sinners and no one is in the place or position to cast the first stone at the adulterous woman of John 8, or as in Mark 14, those who entered into moral judgment of the woman of the fine spikenard perfume.
And above all, we build ourselves up when we fulfill the conditions for entering the Kingdom of Heaven, as Matthew 25:34-36 says: "Come, you blessed of my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me".
To edify one another is to promote all that makes us brothers and sisters, that shows solidarity, and that builds bonds of peace among us. 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15 says, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as you are already doing. We urge you, brethren, to appreciate the efforts of those who labor among you in caring for you for the Lord's sake and admonishing you. Show them all esteem and love for their work. Keep peace among yourselves. We exhort you, brethren, admonish the undisciplined, encourage the apathetic, support the weak, and be patient with all. See to it that no one repays another evil for evil; always strive to do good to one another and to all".
So rightly did Jesus offer to pour out His Holy Spirit upon us because it will be through His Spirit that we will be able to fulfill His superhuman and sanctifying proposals! Galatians 5:22-23: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control".
What should coexistence be like?
1 John 2, 4: He who says he loves God and does not love his brother is a liar. That love must be legitimate and genuine, not feigned or forced. It must be inspired by the ways in which the Bible explains how God loves each one of us.
Philippians 2:2-5: "Give me this great joy, that you may be of one accord and of one mind and love. Do not act out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Do not close yourselves up in your own interests, but seek the interests of others. Have among yourselves the sentiments proper to Christ Jesus".
2 Timothy 2:24: "One who serves the Lord must not quarrel, but be gentle to all, able to teach, long-suffering."
1 Peter 3:8-9: "Finally, all of you be of the same mind, be in solidarity with one another in suffering, love one another as brothers, have compassionate hearts and be humble. Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult, but on the contrary, respond with a blessing, for to this you have been called, that you may inherit a blessing."
Ephesians 4:30-32: "Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom he has sealed you for the day of final deliverance. Banish from you bitterness and wrath and anger and insults and all malice. Be kind, understanding, forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ."
John 17:21-23: "That they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one, as we are one; I in them, and you in me, that they may be completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me."
How do we calm the anxieties of the mind?
Let us not get carried away by the currents of the world, collective hysterias created by people who do not know how to regulate their emotions and drag the rest of the world into their own little hells. The "firearm" that political and social seducers, destroyers of the world and their societies, have known how to handle best, has been the emotional manipulation of vulnerable beings. We must take control of what wants to control us and dominate what wants to dominate us, to feel and decide to be more spiritual than carnal and slow down the growth of evil in today's world. To reach inner peace is for strong men and women who resist instincts and orient themselves towards the virtuous and supernatural.
As the Padre PioPeace is simplicity of spirit, serenity of mind, tranquility of soul, the bond of love. Peace is order, it is harmony among us all, it is a continuous joy, born of the testimony of a good conscience; it is the holy joy of the heart, in which God reigns. Peace is the way to perfection, indeed in peace is found perfection; and the devil who knows all this, puts all means to snatch peace from us".
Recovering inner strength
We will achieve and maintain peace with the inner dialogue that will regulate our rushed emotions to help us reach acceptance and reconciliation.
We will achieve and preserve peace by reorganizing life in a truer and more realistic order of priorities; protecting interpersonal relationships by establishing healthy and real boundaries that show human respect, fair, reciprocal and loving relationships.
We will achieve and preserve peace by understanding when to keep fighting and searching, and when to give up with tranquility, adaptability, resignation and gratitude.
We will achieve and maintain peace by always being faithful to our values and identity; with the gift of gratitude, with dialogues of reconciliation, and when we live with a clear conscience for fulfilling what is expected of us.
And especially when we live in a personal and paternal relationship with the God of love and mercy, with an unwavering faith and a life of constant prayer.
Leo XIV reinforces his call for peace in Gaza in conversation with Mahmoud Abbas
The Pontiff was able to speak with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine a few days after his conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister, on the Gaza conflict.
Pope Leo XIV has had a telephone conversation with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine. The call comes in the wake of events in the Gaza Strip conflict and violence in the West Bank and the attack on the only Catholic church in the Strip in which three people were killed.
The press office of the Holy See has reported this conversation in which Leo XIV continues the line of dialogue and promotion of peace, a sign of his pontificate since its beginnings. Two days ago, the pontiff discussed the same subject with the Prime Minister of Israel.
Also in the conversation with Abbas, the Pope has again asked the "respect for International Humanitarian Law, underlining the obligation to protect civilians and holy places and the prohibition of the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population" according to the note issued by the Holy See.
The Pope recalled the importance of helping the most wounded and, above all, of "allowing the proper entry of humanitarian aid". In this regard, it is worth noting the visit that several Christian leaders have made to the area in recent days in which they have been able to bring hundreds of tons of food supplies, as well as first aid kits and urgent medical equipment to the area !hundreds of tons of food supplies, as well as first aid kits and urgent medical equipment. In addition, the Patriarchate ensured the evacuation of those injured in the attack to medical institutions outside Gaza where they will receive medical care," the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
Pope again condemns Gaza attack and calls for an end to "barbarism"
The "barbarism of war" and the forced displacement of people must end, and civilians and places of worship must be protected, Leo XIV pleaded yesterday. at the conclusion of the Angelus with the faithful from his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo. The Pope strongly condemned the Israeli attack on the Catholic parish in Gaza, and called for an end to the "barbarism".
CNS / Omnes-July 21, 2025-Reading time: 6minutes
- Carol Glatz, Vatican City (CNS).
"Tragic news continues to come these days from the Middle East, especially from Gaza," said Pope Leo XIV after reciting the Angelus with those gathered outside the papal palace in Castel Gandolfo yesterday, Sunday, July 20. "I again call for an immediate end to the the barbarity of war and a peaceful resolution of the conflict," he added painfully.
Last Friday, the Pontiff had asked the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, for an immediate cease-fire, negotiations and the end of the war.
"I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population," said yesterday.
The names of the three fatalities
The Pope expressed his "profound sadness for the attack of the Israeli army on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City", on July 17, 2009.who killed three Christians and seriously injured others.
"I pray for the victims: Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad and Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, and I am particularly close to their families and all parishioners," the Pope said.
"Regrettably, this act adds to the continuing military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza," the Pope said.
"The world can't stand war anymore."
Before praying the Angelus, the Pope spoke to reporters waiting near the entrance of the papal villa after celebrating Mass in nearby Albano Laziale.
He was asked about the conflicts in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza StripHe said that it is necessary that the parties "come to the table to dialogue and lay down their weapons, because the world can't take it anymore".
"There are so many conflicts, so many wars; there is a need to really work for peace, to pray with trust in God, but also to really work for peace: to pray with trust in God, yes, but also to act."
To Netanyahu: leave so much violence behind
When asked about your phone call with the Prime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu on July 18, the day after the attack, the Pope said: "We insist on the need to protect the holy places of all religions" and to work together in this regard.
But he added that it is necessary to "truly respect people, sacred places and try to leave behind so much violence, so much hatred, so many wars".
"You are in the heart of the Pope and of the whole Church."
After praying the Angelus, the Pope addressed all "our dear Christians in the Middle East."
"I deeply understand your feeling of helplessness in the face of this grave situation," he said. "You are in the heart of the Pope and of the whole Church. Thank you for your witness of faith."
He prayed that Our Lady would intercede to "protect you always and accompany the world towards the dawn of peace".
Greeting pilgrims and visitors from different parts of the world gathered in the small square, the Pope thanked the International Forum of Catholic Action for promoting the "Prayer Marathon for Leaders".
"The invitation, addressed to each one of us, is to pause today between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. to pray for one minute, asking the Lord to enlighten our leaders and inspire in them projects of peace," he said.
Summer: time with God and caring for others
Summer should be spent cultivating time with God, relaxing and caring for others, Pope Leo XIV said at Mass celebrated yesterday in the cathedral of St. Pancratius Martyr in the town of Albano Laziale, southeast of Rome.
"During the summer, we have more free time to collect our thoughts and reflect, as well as to travel and spend time with others," he said in the homily at the Mass, which was celebrated before the Angelus at Castel Gandolfo.
"Let us take advantage of this to leave behind the whirlwind of commitments and worries and savor a few moments of peace and reflection, also taking time to visit other places and share the joy of seeing others, as I am doing here today," he added.
"The Holy Spirit did something else."
The cathedral of Albano had been named the titular church of the future pope on February 6, and the then Cardinal Robert F. Prevost was scheduled to take possession of it on May 12, the feast of St. Pancrazio.
"But the Holy Spirit did something else," Pope Leo said, smiling, in his homily, referring to his election as pope. May 8.
The diocese of Albano presented him with the same silver tray they had prepared for him as cardinal, adorned with his coat of arms, during a brief presentation of gifts in front of the cathedral's main entrance. However, "we had to fix the coat of arms," Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano told him, referring to the slight changes needed to make it a papal emblem.
The Pope had walked toward the cathedral from a back exit of the papal villas and gardens near the Vatican Observatory led by the Jesuits, which opens to the city of Albano Laziale. He greeted the hundreds of people who lined the streets and watched on giant screens in the square. Pope Leo then visited the Vatican Observatory to help commemorate the anniversary of the first moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969.
After greeting a group of residents and shaking hands with local mayors, he blessed the cathedral with holy water before entering and concelebrating Mass with the bishop, Cardinal Michael Czerny, U.S. Father Manuel Dorantes, administrative and management director of the nearby Vatican-run Laudato Si' Center for Higher Education, and others.
Martha and Mary: service and listening, two dimensions of hospitality
In the homilyreflecting on the Gospel reading of the day (Luke 10:38-42) about Martha and her sister Mary, the Pope said that "service and listening are, in fact, two twin dimensions of hospitality".
It would be a mistake, he said, to see Martha's focus on serving Jesus and Mary's desire to sit at the Lord's feet to listen to him "as mutually exclusive or to compare the merits of the two women."
While it is true that we must live our faith through concrete actions, faithfully carrying out our duties according to our state in life and vocation, it is essential that we do so only after meditating on the Word of God and listening to what the Holy Spirit is saying to our hearts," he said.
Christians "must make room for silence."
Therefore, Christians "must make space for silence" and prayer, away from noise and distractions, to "recollect ourselves before God in simplicity of heart," he said.
"Summer can be a providential time to experience the beauty and importance of our relationship with God, and how much it can help us to be more open and welcoming to others." "Let us make summer an opportunity to care for others, to get to know one another and to offer advice and to listen, because these are expressions of love, and that is something we all need," the Pope said.
"Promoting a culture of peace"
"Let us do so with courage," the Pope said, "So through solidarity and the sharing of faith and life, we will help to promote a culture of peace, helping those around us to overcome divisions and hostility and to build communion between individuals, peoples and religions."
"We need to take some time to rest."
The Pope arrived at the papal villas on July 6 for a two-week stay, and was scheduled to return to the Vatican on the evening of July 20. But after reciting the Angelus to those gathered in the main square of Castel Gandolfo, the Pope said he would return to Rome "in a few days," specifically on the evening of July 22.
In comments after the AngelusThe Pope reiterated: "We need to take time to rest and try to learn better the art of hospitality.
"To be a home open to all"
"The vacation industry wants to sell us all kinds of 'experiences,' but maybe not the ones we're really looking for," he said. "Every genuine encounter is free; you can't buy it, whether it's an encounter with God, with others or with nature."
The vocation of Christians and of the church, he said, is "to be a home open to all" and to welcome the Lord, "who knocks at our door and asks us for permission to enter."
—————–
Carol Glatz is a senior correspondent for Catholic News Service Rome.
This information is a translation of the original, published earlier by OSV News, which you can find at here y here.
After praying the Angelus on Sunday, July 20, Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Observatory located in Castel Gandolfo. The Pontiff's presence was motivated by the anniversary of the first manned mission to the moon in 1969.
The Holy See Press Office expressed in a note the closeness of Pope Leo XIV to those affected by Typhoon Danas in Taiwan.
There are hundreds of injured and at least two dead after the typhoon hit, in addition to thousands of evacuees. In view of this situation, Leo XIV asked the Apostolic Limosnery to send "concrete aid" to the population.
Now you can enjoy a 20% discount on your subscription to Rome Reports Premiumthe international news agency specializing in the activities of the Pope and the Vatican.
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
St. Lawrence of Brindisi, austere and indefatigable preacher
Born in Brindisi, Kingdom of Naples (1559), St. Lawrence of Brindisi (or Brindisi), whom the Church celebrates on July 21, belonged to a renowned Venetian family. He became Minister General of the Capuchins and was an eloquent and indefatigable preacher. Austere, he slept on boards, fasted frequently, fled from honors, and went to Christ crucified.
Francisco Otamendi-July 21, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
The liturgy today welcomes St. Lawrence of Brindisi, who entered the Capuchin Order and studied in Padua. He was a gifted person to whom God granted extraordinary intellectual qualities, according to the Franciscan saints. An indefatigable and eloquent preacher in various European nations, teacher of his brothers, erudite writer, he also held numerous positions in his Order, including that of Minister General.
Because of his great gift, while he was a deacon, he was commissioned to preach the 40 days of Lent in the cathedral of Venice for two consecutive years. The people vibrated with emotion when they heard his sermons, and there were many conversions.
At the age of sixteen he entered the Capuchins in Verona. When he asked to be admitted, the superior warned him that it would be a life of tough and austere. The young man asked him: "Father, will there be a crucifix in my cell? "Yes, there will be," replied the superior. "That is enough for me. When I look at Christ crucified I will have the strength to suffer for love of Him any suffering". He received the name Lorenzo with the religious habit.
Simple and humble
The Roman Martyrology summarizes: "St. Lawrence of Brindisi, priest and doctor of the Church, of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, tireless preacher in various European nations".
"Of simple and humble character, he faithfully fulfilled all the missions entrusted to him, such as the defense of the Church against the Turks who were trying to dominate Europe, the reconciliation of warring princes and the government of his religious Order. He died in Lisbon, Portugal, on July 22, 1619". Pope Leo XIII canonized him in 1881, and St. John XXIII gave him the title of 'Apostolic Doctor' in 1959, for his profound knowledge of the Word of God.
Allies without Barriers: The Road to a More Inclusive Society
Aliados por la Integración is an entity that wants to promote a truly inclusive society, in which people with disabilities are not only assisted, but can fully develop their potential.
In Spain, more than 4.38 million people live with some type of disability. disabilityThe social inclusion of people with disabilities, representing a significant part of our society, continues to face important challenges for their full inclusion. Despite legislative advances and the notable increase in public investment in universal accessibility policies, true social transformation requires a deeper and more generalized commitment, involving a strategic decision based on the recognition of the value of diversity.
On this path towards a more inclusive society, entities such as Allies for Integration do their bit by generating job opportunities through the provision of services to companies and institutions. These organizations act as bridges between people in vulnerable situations and a labor market that still presents significant barriers, demonstrating that inclusion through employment is the best way to promote equal opportunities and build a fairer and more egalitarian society.
"The collective challenge we face is to profoundly transform our perception of disability, moving from a welfare model to one based on rights and opportunities, where each person can fully develop their potential and actively contribute to the construction of a society richer in diversity," explains Almudena Fontecha, president of Aliados por la Integración.
Reality in figures: a panorama of contrasts
Statistics reveal a reality that still requires important transformations. According to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics, the employment rate of people with disabilities stands at just 27.8 %, a gulf compared to 68.1 % for the non-disabled population. This difference of more than 40 percentage points reflects the structural barriers that persist in our society. When we focus specifically on people with intellectual disabilities, the situation is even more worrisome, with only 23.8 % in employment.
"These data are not mere numbers; they represent lives and dreams postponed, talents wasted and a human potential that our society is not knowing how to fully integrate," says Almudena Fontecha.
In addition, one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome is prejudice and lack of knowledge. A recent study reveals that 43 % of Spaniards admit to feeling some discomfort when interacting with people with disabilities, mainly for fear of saying or doing something inappropriate.
Even more revealing is that 63 % of respondents acknowledge "not being able to avoid" treating people with intellectual disabilities as if they were children, an infantilization that constitutes a subtle but real form of discrimination. In addition, 75 % state that they have never had a co-worker with a disability, which reinforces the lack of knowledge and the persistence of stereotypes.
Allies for Integration: more than two decades building bridges
In this context, organizations such as Aliados por la Integración play a transforming role. This entity has been promoting the social and labor inclusion of the most vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, for more than 20 years. Its mission is based on a clear principle: inclusion through employment is the best way to promote equal opportunities.
Aliados por la Integración develops its work through collaboration with different social entities, companies and administrations, generating job opportunities through the provision of different services. This model of strategic alliances allows multiplying the impact of its actions and creating a favorable ecosystem for inclusion.
The Special Employment Center that is part of the project is a key piece in its strategy to specifically address the labor inclusion of people with disabilities. Through this resource, they facilitate the transition to the labor market and generate spaces where diversity becomes an added value.
But inclusion is part of the entire Aliados support network. An outstanding area where it generates inclusion is the Religious Institutions sector, where it has become a national reference with presence in 116 centers that serve more than 2,000 users, collaborating with 57 religious institutions between bishoprics and congregations of different charismas. Through social and health care services for the elderly (geriatric nurses, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, etc.), general services (cleaning, maintenance, kitchen) and administrative management, the entity not only optimizes resources but also creates job opportunities for people in vulnerable situations, always respecting the charisma of each institution.
As Carlos Buerba, director of the Religious Institutions Area, points out: "We are not just an entity empowered to provide services in the social sphere. Our success lies in the fact that we adapt to the circumstances of each congregation and get involved in resolving the common challenges we face, but above all in fulfilling the social mission that gives meaning to everything we do, which is none other than helping people who, like everyone else, deserve the opportunity and know how to take advantage of it, to build their life project".
The value of diversity: an incalculable contribution
The inclusion of people with disabilities is not only an act of social justice, but also an opportunity to enrich our coexistence and work spaces. The experience of Aliados por la Integración confirms that companies and entities that bet on diversity experience tangible improvements: greater communication in teams, more positive work environments, a boost to creativity and innovation, and increased productivity.
Beyond the workplace, the presence and active participation of people with disabilities in all social spaces contributes to building a more empathetic society, aware of human diversity and better prepared to respond to the needs of all its members.
Disability on the horizon: a collective challenge
Disability is not an alien or distant reality, but a condition that will become a more intense part of our lives in the coming decades. The accelerated population aging that Spain is experiencing is closely linked to the increase in situations of disability. According to INE demographic projections, by 2050 more than 30 % of the Spanish population will be over 65 years of age, which will mean a significant increase in the number of people with age-related functional limitations.
This imminent reality places us before a scenario in which disability will cease to be perceived as a circumstance that affects "others" and will become an experience shared by a substantial part of society. The data are revealing: while at 65 years of age approximately 20 % of people have some kind of disability, this percentage rises to 70 % among those over 85 years of age. With life expectancy continuing to rise - currently 83.3 years and expected to reach 86 years in 2050 - we face a future where disability will be an increasingly present reality.
This demographic scenario requires coordinated and common action on the part of society as a whole. According to Almudena Fontecha, "we can no longer consider the inclusion of people with disabilities as the exclusive responsibility of public administrations or specialized third-sector entities. A social pact involving all agents is essential: from education to business, from the media to cultural and leisure spaces. Universal accessibility and design for all must become guiding principles for any urban, technological or service development".
The path towards a fully inclusive society requires the commitment of all social actors. Entities such as Aliados por la Integración demonstrate that it is possible to generate real opportunities for people with disabilities when there is a clear vision and systematic work.
The challenge for the coming years is not only to continue improving access to employment and training, but also to profoundly transform the social perception of disability. We need to move from an approach based on compassion or heroism to one based on the recognition of diversity as a value and rights as a non-negotiable principle.
The Netflix miniseries that combines history and fiction with complex characters and light moments amidst the darkness.
Pablo Úrbez-July 21, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Series
AddressMark L. Smith, Peter Berg
DistributionTaylor Kitsch, Betty Gilpin, Kim Coates
PlatformNetflix
Country: United States, 2025
Once upon a time the west - Netflix: Utah, United States, 1857. Sara and her son are waiting for a guide to move westward, where she hopes to rejoin her husband at Crooks Springs. Pratt and Abish, on the other hand, are two newly married Mormons on their way to the settlement of Brigham Young, governor of the state and president of the Mormon Church. Two Moons is an Indian girl who escapes from her tribe; Isaac a famed hunter who lives in the forest; and Dellinger the captain of the only Union regiment deployed in those lands. The lives of all these characters will intertwine in an adventure of epic dimensions.
This six-episode Netflix miniseries is a colossal western, unfolding in front of the viewer a pharaonic universe of settings and characters. The result is a deep immersion in the historical reality of Utah in 1857, alternating historical events with fictional plots, showing the illusion of building the future in a frontier land, but also with all its rawness and drama. Once upon a time in the West is a raw, heartbreaking work, with a high dose of physical violence and unpleasant situations. And, at the same time, it has enough intelligence not to be morbid or sensationalist; it renounces to wallow in violence and sordidness, using them only as a resource to reflect the harsh reality demanded by the story, without turning them into a visual spectacle.
The characters have their edges, their lights and shadows, they hide their past and disguise their intentions, which makes them tremendously attractive and plausible. They evolve, sometimes modify their perceptions, and it is clear that they are not the same as they were at the beginning of the story. In this sense, the series is not relativistic, but optimistic; it exudes an optimism inexorably anchored in weak human nature. Thus, every heroic action, perhaps minimal and marginal, is a light in an environment of evil, pain and cynicism. There are questions about the origin of evil and transcendence that are difficult to answer, and that is why sometimes actions elucidate the mystery better than words. The performances are fabulous, both Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin in the leading roles as well as the supporting actors who represent the perverse side.
Pope Leo XIV's cry and dialogue for peace intensifies
The first message to the world from the new Pope Leo XIV, on May 8, after the 'Habemus Papam', was "Peace be with you all!". Since then, papal hammering and dialogue for peace and unity have intensified. In the wake of the bombing of the Catholic parish in Gaza, the Pope urged an "immediate ceasefire." And on Friday he called directly on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for "an end to the war."
Francisco Otamendi-July 20, 2025-Reading time: 10minutes
The new Pope Leo XIVOn May 8, visibly moved, he addressed the faithful in St. Peter's Square and the expectant world and said: "Peace be with you all. Peace, an immediate cease-fire, negotiations, and even a cease-fire, he said. the end of the waris precisely what the Pope has asked fortwo and a half months later, to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The trigger has been the attack on the catholic parish of the Holy Family in Gaza by an Israeli tank. Meanwhile, with his mind on the war in Ukraine, Leo XIV has been in dialogue with Zelenski, with Putin, and asks for prayers and involves everyone.
The Vatican City flag flies on July 18, 2025, at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, hit by an Israeli attack on July 17. (Photo by OSV News/Khamis Al-Rifi, Reuters).
First peace greeting, May 8th
On May 8, from the Central Lodge of St. Peter's, the newly elected Pope He said: "Dear brothers and sisters, this is the first greeting of the Risen Christ, the Good Shepherd, who gave his life for God's flock. I would also like this greeting of peace to enter your hearts, to reach your families, to all people, wherever they are, to all peoples, to the whole earth. Peace be with you!".
"A disarmed and disarming peace."
Then the new Pope, "son of St. Augustine," gave some adjective: "A disarmed and disarming peace," he said. "This is the peace of the risen Christ, a disarmed peace and a disarming peace, humble and persevering. It comes from God, God who loves us all unconditionally."
Commenting on these words, and those pronounced by the new Pope in his homily at the Eucharist at the beginning of his Petrine ministry on May 18, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, an Augustinian, highlighted in Omnes some of the main lines that can be nuclear, and are already beginning to be so, in the Pontificate of Leo XIV.
"Serene shepherd for a troubled world".
"The first is the centrality of the Risen Christ: 'We want to say to the world, with humility and joy, look to Christ, draw close to him, accept his Word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his proposal of love to form his one family: in the one Christ we are one". This leads him to take special care of unity, indeed, communion in the Church, which is his first great desire. A united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world. This will only be possible if we take love as the axis of our life. He also indicated this in his first greeting (...)".
Shortly thereafter, in a text entitled significant title The Augustinian Archbishop went on to comment on the first words of the new Pope from the central balcony, the balcony of great occasions: "We want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace".
Address to the diplomatic corps
Archbishop Luis Marin, who has known "Robert Prevost for many years, with whom I share an Augustinian vocation and charism", notes "the commitment to peace" of the new Successor of Peter, "which has been a constant in the Pope's texts". "For example, the demanding and clear speech of May 16 to the diplomatic corps, which I invite you to read in its entirety".
The canonist and writer Rafael Sanz Carrera has highlighted, in a text with another significant title -'Leo XIV, a bridge to peace'-, his opening greeting. "In his first public appearance, the new Pope Leo XIV needed no grand gestures to make clear the direction of his pontificate. One word was enough: peace. That was the first one he uttered in addressing the world, a deliberate choice that did not go unnoticed."
"Shepherd of bridges" with open arms
In his analysis, Rafael Sanz believes that in this way Leo XIV wanted "to emphasize from the outset that his mission would be that of a shepherd of bridges. His vision is that of a united Church that goes out into the world to heal wounds, serve the most needy and build common paths based on faith and reason".
In his opinion, "one of the most significant moments of his first speech was the image of St. Peter's Square with open arms: this is how Leo XIV understands the role of the Church in today's world. A Church that resembles that square, where everyone can fit, and that knows how to receive with tenderness those who arrive wounded, confused or excluded (...). the new Pope proposed a missionary, dialoguing, profoundly human community, where Christian love is not only an ideal, but a real experience".
Ask everyone to help in the dialogue, as Francis did
In his opening address, Pope Leo XIV, referred to his predecessor, Pope Francis. "We still preserve in our ears the faint but always courageous voice of Pope Francis blessing Rome. The Pope, while blessing Rome gave his blessing to the world, to the whole world, that Easter morning."
"Let me continue that same blessing: God loves us, God loves you all, and evil will not prevail. We are all in God's hands. Therefore, without fear, united, holding hands with God and with each other let us go forward."
"We are disciples of Christ. Christ precedes us. The world needs his light. Humanity needs him as a bridge to be reached by God and by his love," he continued. "Help us also you, then help each other to build bridges, with dialogue, with encounter, uniting us all to be one people always in peace. Thanks to Pope Francis!" he concluded this part of his opening remarks.
Constant hammering for peace
Since then, Pope Leo's messages for peace have been constant, and his efforts are intensifying. The most recent ones have concerned the attack on the Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip, as we have recalled.
Facts and words of the work for peace of Leo XIV
Here is a part of Pope Leo XIV's work for peace, the public part, the part that has transcended the most:
- 8 May.Speechafter being elected Popefrom the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. Greetings of peace to all the Earth. "Peace be with you all.(discussed above).
"Never again war!"
- May 11. First Regina coelifrom Central Loggia of St. Peter's Basilica: "Never again war!"
The Pope remembers the anniversary of the Second World War. It ended 80 years ago, on May 8, after having caused 60 million victims. And he says:
"As Pope Francis has affirmed on more than one occasion, I too address the great ones of the world, repeating the ever timely appeal: 'Never again war!'
The Pope referred to the "beloved Ukrainian people," the prisoners, and "that the children may return to their families."
Humanitarian aid
"I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip - cease fire immediately! Humanitarian aid be provided to the exhausted civilian population and all hostages be released."
"I have welcomed the announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and wish that through the upcoming negotiations a lasting agreement can be reached soon."
-May 12. Meeting with communicators.
He recalls the imprisoned journalists, calls for their release, and urges unarmed and disarming communication.
- May 12. Conversation with the President of Ukraine.
Volodimir Zelenski makes public on the X network that he has invited the Pope to Ukraine: "Such a visit", the message said, "would bring true hope to all believers and to all our people".
Pope Leo XIV meets with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski at the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 9, 2025. (Photo by CNS/Vatican Media).
- May 16. Hearing with the Diplomatic Corps.
He encourages ambassadors to work together to build a world of truth, justice and peace.
- May 18. Audience with the President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, after the Mass for the inauguration of the Pontificate.
After the meeting, Zelenski wrote in X that he had thanked the Pope for his words on Ukraine at the Regina Coeli the previous Sunday. In particular, "on the need for a just peace". The Pope also greeted presidents and heads of state from different countries.
- May 21. General Audience
Appeal for Gaza and promotion of peace based on dialogue.
A Church that builds bridges, that engages in dialogue
- May 24. Address to the Curia.
"Missionary Church, Church that builds bridges, dialogues, always open to welcome with open arms all, all those who need our charity, our presence, our dialogue and our love".
Conversation with President Putin
- 4 June. Conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone
Pope Leo XIV and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held a first telephone conversation on June 4. The leader of the Catholic Church encouraged the Russian president to make a gesture of peace with Ukraine, the Vatican press office reported.
- June 22nd. Angelus. May weapons not stifle the cry of humanity.
The Pope launches a urgent appeal the international community to put an end to the conflicts in the Middle East, with special concern for the situation in Iran, Israel and Palestine. In his message, he warned about the suffering of the civilian population, particularly in Gaza and other affected territories.
Condemnation of the attack in Damascus
- 25 June. Condemnation of the attack on an Orthodox church in Damascus (Syria).
Leo XIV urges the international community not to abandon Syria, and calls for dialogue, diplomacy and peace for the entire Middle East. Pope Leo addresses all Christians in the Middle East saying, "I am close to you, the whole Church is close to you." "We follow closely and with hope the events in Iran, Israel and Palestine", he said.
Again with Zelenski
- July 9. Second visit of the President of Ukraine to Leo XIV.
The Pope received in audience Zelenski on July 9, and reaffirmed his readiness to host Russian and Ukrainian representatives for negotiations at the Vatican.
"It seems that there is still no awareness that destroying nature does not harm everyone in the same way: trampling on justice and peace means affecting above all the poorest, the marginalized, the excluded. In this context, the suffering of indigenous communities is emblematic". This is the denunciation made by Pope Leo XIV in his message for World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creationwhich will be held on September 1, 2025.
- July 13. First Angelus of Leo XIV at the residence of Castel Gandolfo.
"Let us not forget to pray for peace and for all those who, because of violence and war, find themselves in a situation of suffering and need."
- 16 July. Promoting peaceful societies in the service of human development.
Message of Leo XIV, signed by Secretary of State Parolin, on the occasion of the XX National Congress of the Italian Confederation of Workers' Trade Unions (CISL) inaugurated in Rome. The common objective is "a more humane order of social relations" in order to contribute to the "tranquility of order" so dear to St. Augustine. With that expression, St. Augustine refers to peace as a state of harmony and equilibrium that arises when each thing and each person occupies its proper place in a just order.
The heart's match
- 16 July. Sport transforms conflict into encounter
In a video message for the Partita del Cuore (The Party of the Heart), which took place in L'Aquila, the Pope recalled that "the greatest challenge is to unite us," especially in these times of "divisions, bombs and wars." Playing together, the Pope stressed, is ultimately about coming together.
Leo XIV recalls in the video the Truce of 1914 in World War I, which took place at Christmas.
- 17 July. Pope Leo XIV calls for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
Following the aforementioned Israeli attack on the Catholic parish in Gaza, the Pontiff "renews his call for an immediate cease-fire, and expresses his deep hope for dialogue, reconciliation and lasting peace in the region."
To Netanyahu, "the end of the war".
- July 18 Pope Leo XIV calls on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to cease hostilities and end the war.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, in an interview with Tg2 Post (RAI), described Prime Minister Netanyahu's call to the Pope as "timely" and "positive," Vatican News reported. "It was not possible not to explain to the Pope, not to inform the Pope directly of what happened, which is of absolute gravity," Cardinal Parolin said.
The Vatican Secretary of State called for clarity on the assault on the Holy Family Church in Gaza, describing the conflict as "a war without limits".
Other reactions: Cardinals Parolin, Chomalí...
In addition to the Cardinal ParolinCardinal Fernando Chomalí, Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, who has described the situation in Gaza as "unsustainable", has been one of the ecclesiastics who has been most vocal in his assessment.
"I express my solidarity and my total and clear rejection of such an act that left two dead (there were finally three, and several wounded, some seriously), the wounded parish priest, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli, and a Church, which hosted hundreds of Gazans displaced by the war," he said in a press release on July 17.
"When an attack is made against the house of God, it is an attack against the most sacred thing that a human being has, his faith, source of hope and charity," the Cardinal added. In his opinion, "this inhuman act" must be condemned transversally by all people of good will and "must deeply challenge those who still believe that with violence they will achieve their political objectives".
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Father Gabriel Romanelli, pastor of Holy Family Church, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III pose in front of St. Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church on July 18, 2025, as they visit refugees in churches in Gaza City following the Israeli attack (CNS photo/courtesy of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem).
Pope's closeness to Patriarch Pizzaballa
Following the attack on the Gaza parish, Pope Leo XIV contacted the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbatista Pizzaballa, who was attending the parish of the Holy Family, the Vatican agency reported, accompanied by Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III.
Leo XIV expressed his "closeness, concern, prayer, support and desire to do everything possible not only to achieve a cease-fire, but also to put an end to this tragedy".
"The Pope repeated several times that it is time to stop this massacre, that what happened has no justification whatsoever, and that we must ensure that there are no more victims," Patriarch Pizzaballa said on statements to Vatican News.
On behalf of the Latin Patriarchate and all the Churches of the Holy Land, Pizzaballa thanked the Pope "for his solidarity and the prayers he had already assured us of", expressing also the gratitude of the entire Catholic community of Gaza.
Moreover, amid growing international concern, leaders from around the world have condemned the July 17 attack on the Holy Family parish in Gaza City.
A woman lives in St. Peter's Monastery, the oldest monastery in Malta, and a long tradition of Benedictine nuns stretching back in history to the 15th century. However, that centuries-long continuity is now in jeopardy, as she is the only one left to walk the corridors of this beautiful monastery in Mdina, the "City of Silence" that was once the capital of the country.
Blessed Mary Adeodata Pisani
These are the same steps taken by Blessed Maria Adeodata Pisani. This nun, who received the name Maria Teresa at baptism, lived from 1806 to 1855. Daughter of a marriage turbulent, she refused to integrate into the life of society that her mother wanted to impose on her and entered the monastery of St. Peter in Mdina on July 16, 1828, at the age of 22. There she took the name Maria Adeodata and, just two years later, made her solemn profession.
Blessed Pisani held various positions: sacristan, nurse, porter, novice mistress and abbess. During her time at the head of the monastery, she stood out for her fidelity to the Rule of St. Benedict and for her tenacity in helping the nuns of the entire community.
On February 25, 1855, he went to receive Holy Communion, indicating to the nurse who cared for him that this was the last time he would go down to the chapel. After receiving the sacrament, he suffered a heart attack and died a few hours later, having received the Anointing of the Sick.
Saint John Paul II beatified Maria Adeodata Pisani on May 9, 2001, saying that her life was a "splendid example of Benedictine religious consecration". The Polish Pope, referring to the Blessed, stressed that "with her prayer, her work and her love she became a source of spiritual and missionary fruitfulness, without which the Church cannot preach the Gospel according to Christ's command, because mission and contemplation absolutely need each other."
An octogenarian nun
Today, the only person who carries on the legacy of that blessed woman is an octogenarian nun. Her home, this hidden convent in the Maltese City of Silence, is open for those who want to visit it. However, they will not see her.
Those who enter the grounds will first encounter the smile of a volunteer working at the door, offering guides to the museum-monastery in different languages. Then, as they walk through the rooms, contemplating the multitude of works of art hanging on the walls, they may hear a dog barking in the distance. As you peek into the garden that serves as an orchard for the only guest of the place, you may see the little animal playing in the dirt, while a woman tends to the plants that grow there. The two of them are the only company for the only Benedictine nun left in Malta.
What happens next?
At the end of the visit to the monastery, it is impossible not to wonder what will happen to all that spiritual and artistic heritage when there are no more nuns there. If someone asks the volunteer at the entrance, he will just shrug his shoulders with a smile, implying that this is the same question asked by everyone who passes by.
Will the legacy of the Benedictine nuns pass into the hands of the government? Will another religious order begin its life there? Will some of the remaining Benedictine nuns in the world move to the monastery?
Perhaps some young Maltese girl will respond to a call from God, inviting her to recollect herself and meet Him in this monastery, which, by a beautiful coincidence, is located precisely in the City of Silence.
Saint Aurea of Cordoba, virgin and martyr in the persecution
On July 19, the Church celebrates St. Aurea of Cordoba, whose father was a Muslim and mother a Christian, in the 9th century. She entered a monastery in Cordoba, and in a context of persecution of Christians, her relatives denounced her. At first she hesitated, but she was martyred for not abandoning the Christian faith.
Francisco Otamendi-July 19, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
Saint Áurea de Córdoba was born in Seville into a well-to-do family. Most of them were Mohammedans, but her mother, Artemia, was a Christian. She educated her in the Christian faith and the Gospels. She was the sister of the martyrs Adolphus and John, and retired to the monastery of Cuteclara after the death of her brothers. There she lived in peace until she was denounced for her faith. In one of the persecutions under the Muslims, was brought before the judge and denied the Christian faith.
But she repented, presented herself to the same magistrate and, after the trial was repeated, she remained firm in her faith, for which she was beheaded. We know her life and martyrdom from the testimony of St. Eulogius of Cordoba. The Roman Martyrology confirms that the first time she was frightened before the judge, but then she stood firm (year 856). She is remembered for her courage and unshakable faith in times of persecution.
Saint Macrina, Saint Epaphras
Today, the Catholic liturgy also commemorates Saint MacrinaShe was the elder sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, Cappadocian fathers, and of Peter of Sebaste, bishop. Together they formed a family of saints with a profound influence on Christian doctrine and spirituality.
St. Epaphras also appears in today's saints' calendar. He was from Colossae and was a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who, during his stay in Ephesus, converted him to Christianity. The Apostle mentions him in the letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, in which he calls him "our dear companion and faithful minister of Christ", "my companion in captivity". He evangelized Colossae and other cities.
From 'The Wanderer' to 'The Thunderer', musician Dion's journey of faith
What's a veteran musician, troubadour, rock and roll hall of fame inductee and contemplative Catholic doing in an encore? If you're Dion DiMucci, you're still writing new music and singing the praises of a Christ-centered existence. From 'The Wanderer' to 'The Thunderer. From the wandering wanderer, to the thunderer, to the thunderer.
OSV / Omnes-July 19, 2025-Reading time: 6minutes
- Mike Mastromatteo
DiMucci, known throughout his nearly 70-year recording career by his first name, Dion, distinguished himself from many rock and roll peers in the late 1960s by publicly recommitting himself to his Christian faith.
Dion's return to faith came as the singer struggled to overcome drug dependencies that developed shortly after his first commercial and popular success. Dion had recorded several hit songs in the late 1950s, and landed a lucrative recording contract before he was 21.
After a dry period musically and emotionally, Dion returned to the charts in 1968 with the hit recording 'Abraham, Martin and John', a lament about the assassinations and political turmoil in the United States in the wake of the civil rights struggle.
Addiction recovery program
It was at this time that Dion entered an addiction recovery program and took the first steps on the road to sobriety and inner fulfillment. One of the lasting lessons for Dion on the road back was understanding the difference between commercial success and personal fulfillment.
Dion's return to wholeness and spiritual tranquility is a key feature of his new memoir 'The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher,' a series of conversations about life, recovery, faith and music.
Bishop Barron forewords his new book
In the preface of the new book, the Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and head of the Catholic Ministries of Word on Fire.reflected on the "breakthrough of divine grace" that helped Dion recover from debilitating addiction.
"Dion placed great emphasis on the four main temptations that spiritual teachers have identified as substitutes for God: wealth, pleasure, power and honor," Bishop Barron said. He added that detachment from material things is key for anyone seeking to follow a Christ-centered path.
Faith commitment: 57 years of sobriety and clean living
In a series of interviews with OSV News, Dion reflected on how recommitment to faith has sustained his 57 years of sobriety and clean living. He also shared his thoughts on the fallen nature of man.
"I'm a trusting person, but I never expect too much from people nowadays," Dion said. "We're born fallen, and when people come up to me and ask me if we're good or bad, I still believe we're basically good. But it's always 'uncertain' because we're fallen. There is something very good in us, but we have to cultivate it and carry it forward. If you don't, things can go awry."
Italian-American Fathers, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in the Bronx
These are humble but powerful words from the son of working-class Italian-American parents who, despite being registered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in the Bronx, New York, were not particularly fervent in their practice of the Catholic faith.
Dion said growing up in the Bronx was not particularly difficult. But that it was sometimes complicated to avoid the street gang culture, which often required young people to prove their worth through rebellion and rejection of most forms of legitimate authority. He also recounted how a lack of confidence in his own worth led him to constantly seek approval from others.
Cover of "The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher," a series of conversations about life, recovery, faith and music by Dion DiMucci and Adam Jablin (OSV News photo/courtesy of Dion DiMucci).
He continues to record with Springsteen, Clapton, Simon
Although Dion first rose to fame more than 60 years ago with hit recordings such as 'The Wanderer', 'Runaround Sue', 'Ruby Baby' and 'Lovers Who Wander', he refuses to rest on the laurels of the past. He continues to record blues-based albums alongside beloved musical colleagues such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Paul Simon.
Bible and Christ-based lyrics
Some of Dion's recent albums have a gospel music flavor, but she doesn't pretend to preach with her contemporary music. However, the lyrics of some of Dion's blues-based songs are unmistakable in their messages focused on the Bible and in Christ.
His song 'The Thunderer', for example, is based on the life and work of St. Jerome, the fourth-century saint who first translated the Bible to Latin.
The song juxtaposes Jerome's prickly personality with his passion for making the Scriptures the language of the common man. As the lyrics warn us, "[You] can't go through life just being nice / Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ / Love without truth is just sentimental / Truth without love is barren."
Mike Aquilina: friendship, key to evangelization
More information about Dion's attitude toward faith, music and life in general comes through his mentor and songwriting partner, Mike Aquilina. The co-founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio, and author of several books on the patristic era of the church, Aquilina, cites the positive effect Dion has on his listeners and fellow musicians.
Aquilina said Dion was a 'colossal figure' for Italian-Americans as they still assimilated to the America of the 1950s and 60s.
"A key part of evangelism is friendship, and Dion's career has placed him in the lives of great artists," Aquilina told OSV News.
"Look at the list of people he has worked with on the last few albums. These men and women have been his friends for many decades. That means he's been in their lives and has exerted some influence. Dion has a great sense of humor, but he doesn't have superficial conversations, and these people know that. He remains their friend because they value his spirituality."
Music, also a form of evangelization
Aquilina also said that some of the "explicitly religious" content of Dion's more contemporary music can be seen as a form of evangelization.
"[The song] 'Angel in the Alleyways,' for example, is about guardian angels," he said, "'Can't Go Back to Memphis' is really the story of Adam's expulsion from Eden. But I think everything he does reflects a Christian perspective. Even the songs that reflect the stark realities of addiction, like 'Cryin' Shame,' show how we are punished for our own sins."
When she's not performing or preparing new recordings, Dion devotes several hours each week to helping people recover from addictions and substance abuse problems. "This is a big part of his life, and it's a religiously motivated mission," Aquilina said. "Dion knows he has been saved from death and misery and wants to help others find that salvation."
Humility
Although by no means a theologian, Dion has helped draw attention to a lesser-known element of the church's teaching on sin and punishment. In interviews and in his impromptu remarks to friends and followers, Dion promotes the idea of humility as "the healer of pain."
As Bishop Robert Barron has noted, "[Dion] explains that we are punished for the [sinful] act, not because of it. I don't think the Doctor of the Church St. John of the Cross could have said it better."
Broadway show
Despite turning 86 in July, Dion has no plans to slow down. He divides his time between Boca Raton, Florida, where he is a member of St. Jude Parish, and New York, where he maintains an apartment.
He will soon release an album to accompany the book 'Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher', and is overseeing the production of the Broadway show 'The Wanderer', a musical loosely based on his early days as a rocker and doo-wop pioneer. The show has already played in smaller theaters in New Jersey, but its Broadway premiere will undoubtedly bring Dion's story to a new generation of music fans.
Dion says the show has strong, obvious, transformative and redemptive components. "But she does it in a very beautiful, good and true way, using the language of the heart in the songs and lyrics."
"He has a plan for your life."
Whatever the success of 'The Wanderer' on Broadway, Dion has no intention of rearranging his priorities in life. Nor does he plan to stop producing music. He remains grateful for the discernment long ago that allowed him to understand the difference between success and fulfillment.
"I think without God in my life, all the pressure of life falls on me to figure it all out [and] take a stand on everything," he said. "When you have faith in God, [you know] He has a plan for your life and you have moral clarity. Having His security, serenity, peace and freedom is a beautiful way to go through this life. His friendship is paramount, and I thank God for giving me this energy. He has been good to me.
------
Mike Mastromatteo is a Toronto writer, editor and book reviewer.
This story was originally published in OSV News. This item is a translation of the original in English, which you can view at here.
Rebeca, a Salvadoran mother, businesswoman, and marathon runner, turned running into a "dialogue with God" by offering every effort for her family and the souls in purgatory.
Rebeca, or Rebe as many know her, is a whirlwind of energy and faith. Wife, mother of five, businesswoman and Salvadoran marathon runner, her life is a testimony of how the multiple facets of the contemporary woman can converge in a path of encounter with God. "Like so many women of this century, I live each day with my heart divided between multiple facets, trying to give the best of myself in each one," confesses Rebe. For her, this intricate tapestry of life is woven, as she says, "always with the invisible thread of faith".
His relationship with the faith was nurtured in the warmth of a Catholic home, marked by simple and profound examples."I remember my two grandmotherseach one with her rosary between her fingers," she recalls. Her paternal grandmother instilled in her devotion to the blessed souls in purgatory and trust in divine mercy. However, it was love that would propel her to an even deeper connection.
Running for love
In her youth, she prayerfully asked to "find a boyfriend who would love God and help me walk toward Him." Her prayer was answered with the arrival of her husband, who not only taught her to pray the Salve, but, years later, would be the inspiration for Rebe to put on running shoes.
Family life, with the arrival of five children, became a real "long-distance race". After the birth of their fifth daughter, medical advice led her husband to take up running for health reasons. Rebe, "seeking to share time with him and rekindle the flame of love," decided to join him. The start was not easy. "I remember the first day: I could barely breathe trying to keep up with him, while he came and went by my side," she says. The anecdote that marked a before and after, and forged her spirit as a runner, came when, in a moment of desperation during those first jogs, he blurted out: "Rebe, I didn't come here to walk". That phrase was the starting signal for her determination. She began to train alone during the week, alternating walking and jogging, until the day came when, in the shared runs, it was she "who was now setting the pace".
Long distances soon became his new horizon. She would get up at dawn to accumulate kilometers and return in time for the family's morning routine. In "that deep silence of the early morning, between the sound of my footsteps and the beating of my heart", Rebe found a "sacred space: my dialogue with God".
She discovered that, "in the solitude of the road, I could talk to him, thank him, ask him for strength". Although she sometimes escapes to the Tabernacle, she acknowledges that on her morning runs, "God gives us unique sunrises, each sunrise with its own palette of colors, reminding me that his love is always new and impressive."
Praying and running
For Rebeca, faith is lived "in everyday life. Together with her husband, they are convinced that "example is the best way to bring our children closer to God". But they do not hide their own struggles and frailties, because they know that "it is important to show them our falls, our struggles, and how we get up again and again, knowing that we are beloved children of a merciful Father".
Running taught him a valuable lesson: "A runner always moves forward with pain". This maxim became a fundamental pillar. "As in life," Rebeca reflects, "if we want to reach our goals we must move forward despite the pain, despite our fears, knowing that we are not alone in every step."
She learned to offer that effort, "that tiredness, for the souls in purgatory, for my family, for the intentions of those I love". An illusion constantly accompanies her: "to think that, perhaps, one day I will meet in heaven those souls for whom I ran an extra mile or offered a kilometer at a suicidal pace".
Running has also become a family activity. They have entered several races together, celebrating every goal they reach and learning that "spiritual life, like sports, is a constant struggle, but also a shared celebration".
Today, Rebeca looks back and sees that "every step, every race, every prayer, has been part of the same journey: that of seeking God in the ordinary, of finding Him in love, in effort and in the joy of living. Because, in the end, running and believing are, for her, two ways of always moving towards Him.
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
The Pope was able to speak by telephone with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, following yesterday's attack by the Israeli army. against the Holy Family Church of Gazawhich caused the death of three people and injured others, some seriously. This was reported by the Holy See Press Office in a communiqué.
In this conversation, according to the note, the Pope reiterated his call for an immediate ceasefire and the reactivation of a peace negotiation process for the area.
Leo XIV conveyed to the Israeli leader his concern for the humanitarian situation of the people of Gaza and stressed "the urgency of protecting places of worship and especially the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel".
Conversation with the Patriarch of Jerusalem
This conversation with the political authority was not the only one that the Pope has had in recent hours to learn about and show his willingness to help in the situation of the war that has been ravaging the Holy Land for more than a year.
The pontiff was able to converse with the Cardinal Pierbattista PizzaballaThe Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem shortly before he arrived at the attacked church.
The Cardinal went to the area of the attack together with His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, "as part of an ecclesiastical delegation, expressing the shared pastoral solicitude of the Churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the Gaza community," as reported by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Cardinal Pizzaballa thus wanted to assess "personally the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the community, to help guide the Church's ongoing presence and response."
In addition, in the last few hours, and at the request of the Latin Patriarchateand in coordination with humanitarian partners, "ensured access for the delivery of essential assistance not only to the Christian community, but also to as many families as possible. This includes hundreds of tons of food supplies, as well as first aid kits and emergency medical equipment. In addition, the Patriarchate ensured the evacuation of those injured in the attack to medical institutions outside Gaza where they will receive medical care."
Subscribe to Omnes magazine and enjoy exclusive content for subscribers. You will have access to all Omnes
A study conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate shows that devotion to the Virgin Mary has a significant impact on vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
Devotion to Mary is a significant factor in discerning and maintaining a call to priestly and religious life, according to a new study.
"As religious women, Mary has played a very important role in our religious life, and I am excited to see the report as a kind of confirmation that Mary is indeed our model," said Sister Thu T. Do, a Sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross and research associate at Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).
On July 16, CARA released a report entitled "Impact of Mary, Mother of the Church, on Church Vocations," which Sister Thu and fellow CARA researcher Jonathon L. Wiggins prepared in response to a request from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.
Study the Marian dimension of the Church
Diocesan theologian and coordinator of ongoing diaconal formation, Daniel Osborn, spearheaded that request. Osborn told OSV News that the "primary genesis" of the project was Pope Francis' November 2023 call to members of the International Theological Commission for further study on the Marian dimension of the Church.
"On a personal level," he added, "I owe my own ecclesial vocation as a lay theologian to Our Lady's intercession." So the study, Osborn explained, was also "a way of honoring her and thanking her personally for how she intervened in my own life," which saw him return to the Catholic faith of his childhood after a period of estrangement.
The survey, conducted between March and May using paper forms sent by postal mail and e-mail questionnaires, represented responses from 1,091 respondents, a mix of U.S. Catholic bishops, diocesan priests, permanent deacons, directors of deacons and major superiors of religious men and women.
Vocational discernment
Among the six groups surveyed, an average of 59 % said that Marian devotion had had a "significant" or "great" impact on their discernment of a vocation to serve Jesus Christ and the Church. Of the groups, religious priests (71 %) cited Marian devotion the most, while deacon directors (49 %) cited it the least.
The majority of respondents (92 %) claimed to have learned about Marian devotion as children, with family (79 %) being the primary means of introduction, followed by parishes (44 %) and Catholic schools (44 %).
The rosary tops the list of common Marian devotional practices during vocation discernment, with 71 % saying they pray it in private and 52 % saying they pray it with others. Praying before images of Mary-whether icons, statues or paintings-was cited by 40 % of respondents.
Among the participants, the home (80 %) was the main place of devotion during their vocational discernment, followed by the parish (77 %).
Marian apparitions and medals
Respondents also said they "often" or "always" wear the Miraculous Medal (32 %), associated with Mary's apparitions to St. Catherine Laboure in the 19th century; the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (29 %); or another Marian medal (18 %).
Pilgrimages to Marian apparition sites before coming to their vocation in the Church were also noted by 44 % of all respondents, with Guadalupe (29 %) and Lourdes (28 %) as the most visited sites.
The majority of respondents (74 %) affirmed that devotion to Mary has "strengthened" or "greatly strengthened" the living out of their respective vocations. Bishops (89 %) were the ones who most emphasized the role of Mary in this regard.
Marian devotion also reinforces respondents' current devotion to the Eucharist, with a total of 8 0% stating that Mary has had a "significant" or "great" impact.
The survey's open-ended question on the Marian dogma or doctrine that has most influenced the respondents' vocations elicited 31 specific examples, with the Immaculate Conception, the Mother of God or "Theotokos," the Assumption and the perpetual virginity of Mary being the most frequently cited.
Most significant Marian devotions
Another open-ended question on the most significant Marian titles garnered a high response rate, with 84 % of participants listing a total of 128 different Marian titles. The most popular was "Mary, Mother of God," followed by "Our Lady of Perpetual Help," "Mary, Mother of the Church," "Unbinding," "Our Lady of Guadalupe," "Our Lady/Mother of Sorrows," "Theotokos" ("God-bearer"), "Queen of Peace," "Our Lady of Good Counsel" and "Immaculate Heart."
Among the Marian authors mentioned by the participants in the survey, the first is the French priest St. Louis Marie de Montfort, followed by St. John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, Father Michael E. Gaitley, member of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, and St. Alphonsus Liguori.
Among other findings of the report:
– Saint John Paul II was named the saint who had most inspired the Marian devotion of the respondents, followed by St. Louis de Montfort, St. Joseph, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Dominic and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
- The Gospels of Luke and John were the most popular sources of Scripture related to Mary.
- Marian art such as the Pietà, the tilma of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin printed with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and representations of the Annunciation and Our Lady of Perpetual Help received "a high volume of mentions" among survey participants.
Mary as "companion, friend and guide".
"Most respondents described Mary's presence in their lives using terms such as companion, friend, guide, consoler, model, intercessor, mother, and inspirer of vocations," the report said. "Many also spoke of experiencing her role through Marian devotional practices and being consecrated to Mary."
Mary "meets us everywhere," Sister Thu told OSV News. "Even in the place or at the time when we don't meet anyone, Our Lady, Mary, is there."
This news was first published in OSV News. You can read the original text HERE.
Saint Symphorosa and seven holy children, martyrs on the Via Tiburtina in Rome
On July 18, the Church celebrates Saint Symphorosa and the seven martyred sons, also saints, she had with her husband. saint Getulio, military tribune, who died a martyr at the time of Adriano. All remained firm in the faith, in the III-IV centuries.
Francisco Otamendi-July 18, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
"Nine miles from Rome along the via Tiburtina, commemoration of Saints Symphorosa and her seven companions (tradition affirms that they were her sons). Crescentius, Julian, Nemesius, Primitivus, Justin, Statius and Eugenius, martyrs, who were martyred in various ways, faithful to their brotherhood with Christ." Thus says the Roman Martyrology about saint Symphorosa and her seven saintly childrenThe saints and blessed, who are commemorated on July 18, together with other saints and blessed, are also commemorated on July 18.
Saint Symphorosa was a Roman matron, mother of martyrs. Her husband, saint Getulio, who was a military tribune, died a martyr in the time of Adriano. This marriage had seven sons whose names we have just mentioned and which tradition preserves. They were a Christian family.
Family of martyrs
Hadrian sent to prison Getulius and his brother Amantius, also a military man, who were beheaded in the Tiber.
Sinforosa spoke to her children about the threat and loyalty to God, the attitude of her father. She had to hide for seven months with her children, hiding in the persecution, and told them about martyrdom. They all said they were willing to die rather than worship idols. The family was arrested. Sinforosa was thrown into the river Teverone, near Tivoli, with a stone tied around her neck. Her children were martyred, and blessed God in the midst of the torment.
"The seven brothers" and other saints
When Hadrian calmed down, the Christians were able to give burial to those they called "the seven brothers", and they built a small church to Symphorosa. Subsequently, her relics were transferred to Rome and placed next to those of her husband St. Getulius.
On the same day, the liturgy commemorates other saints such as Arnulf of Metz, Simon of Lipnica, Bruno of Segni, Dominic Nicholas Dinh Dat, Frederick of Utrecht, Emilianus of Dorostoro, Philastrius of Brescia, Maternus of Milan, Rufilo, St. Theodosia of Constantinople, and the Ukrainian nun Blessed Tarcisia (Olga) Mackiv, murdered in Poland in 1944.
Gospel according to St. John: where the human reveals the eternal
St. John, who wrote his Gospel in his old age, always discovers the same Word, the same timeless, eternal Christ, behind every event of Christ's temporal life.
July 18, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Reading these days the Gospel according to St. JohnI was particularly struck by a fundamental aspect that seems to contrast with the general idea that we can have of this Gospel. It would seem that this last canonical Gospel, written at the end of the first century, after the three synoptic Gospels, would be "theological", understanding this concept as being little attentive to the concrete historical data in which the earthly life of Jesus of Nazareth unfolded.
But this general idea about the fourth Gospel contrasts, from the beginning, with the reality of what is concretely written, in conformity with the author's purpose who, from the beginning, makes it very clear that he wants to present what is truly human in Jesus: "And the Word became flesh" (Jn 1:14).
Eternity and humanity
Yes, certainly, he looks at the Word in his eternity, in his pre-temporality, but not separated or pre-temporal without more, but in his union with the "flesh", with his humanity, and, moreover, with his humanity in what is weakest and most fragile.
John, who wrote his Gospel in his old age, intuits and discovers behind every event of the temporal, historical life of Christ, the same Word, the same timeless, eternal Christ, "who is still in the bosom of the Father" (cf. Jn 1:18), working on earth. The human in no way contrasts with the divine in Jesus, but is his transparency and manifestation.
Unity in the Gospel
There is no dualism, no Gnostic docetism, but unity, even in the most painful hours of the passion and death of Jesus. It is precisely in these sufferings that John sees the divinity of Christ, his eternal and definitive Love, shine forth with particular splendor: "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself" (Jn 12:32). The miracles, for their part, more than works of power, are "signs", "shining forth" of his Love, of his divinity.
Ultimately, all the facts of Jesus' life, well grounded in earth and history, are placed in the light of the eternal Word, the "only-begotten" Son: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14).
Catholic parish in Gaza comes under bombardment, Leo XIV calls for immediate ceasefire
The only Catholic parish in Gaza was hit by an Israeli tank and seven parishioners were wounded. The Pope demands in a telegram an immediate cease-fire.
The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reported in a brief statement the attack on the Holy Family parish, the only Catholic parish in the Gaza Strip, in which seven people were wounded, including two elderly people.
Although the death toll was not yet known at the time of the first announcement, two people were killed in the attack, as has since been confirmed.
According to initial reports, an Israeli tank fired at the church, which serves the approximately 500 Christians remaining in Gaza. The army points to a "shooting error" in which also the parish priest, Gabriel Romanelli, suffered a minor leg wound, but was able to attend to the more seriously wounded before being treated and discharged from the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist hospital.
Pope Leo XIV's request for peace
This attack on the only Catholic church in the Strip adds to the untenable situation of the community.
Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to the Catholic community in the area, emphasizing his "profound sadness" over the attack and assuring them of his prayers for "the consolation of those who mourn and for the recovery of the wounded."
The pontiff made an "appeal for an immediate ceasefire", as he has been doing since his election, with "hope for dialogue, reconciliation and lasting peace in the region".
Opus Dei launches a healing and listening office in Spain
With members and former members of the Work as interlocutors, the Office aims to "channel these processes in a structured way and better respond to the requests received".
– Supernatural Prelature of Opus Dei has published on its web site the launching of a new healing and listening office to attend to former members of the Prelature or former attendees of its activities who may feel hurt or have complaints of an institutional nature.
The Healing and Listening Office of the Opus Dei in Spain, created by a decree of the Regional Vicar of the Prelature dated May 13, 2025, continues the line of interlocution marked by the protocols that the institution put in place more than 10 years ago to deal with possible cases of abuse and which have been progressing and taking shape over the years.
This type of office already exists in many dioceses and religious institutions in Spain and, according to Opus Dei, this new office aims to "promote healing processes" with former members of the Prelature or former attendees of its activities who may feel hurt or have complaints of an institutional nature.
It is not the first of these offices that Opus Dei has, since 2022, in Argentina, there is the Office of Healing and Resolution, with a similar objective in the American region. Since 2024, the Prelature has also had an Office of Healing and Resolution in Argentina, with a similar objective in the American region. channel to receive requests or complaints related to their time at the Work through an e-mail.
Former members of the listening team
This office is intended to be one more step in the task of "channeling these processes in a structured way and to better attend to the requests received". To this end, the Prelature has formed a team that includes professionals in the fields of psychology, spirituality, education, social work and pastoral accompaniment.
Among these people, there are men and women, some belonging to the institution, some without government positions, and people who previously belonged to the Work in order to offer a "space of trust that allows each case to be attended with empathy and respect".
In fact, the office has operational independence with respect to the government of the Prelature and it is these persons who act as interlocutors between the Work and those affected and who are responsible for "transferring to the Prelature, if necessary, the requests or suggestions for forgiveness or reparation that, in agreement with the claimant, are deemed appropriate." The communiqué does not clarify the type of reparation referred to, or whether the possibility of economic restitution is even contemplated in some cases.
Repair and healing
Through the attention given to the persons who come to the office, this office will gather information "to understand what happened, assess the magnitude of the case and seek the best way to offer assistance and healing". The Prelature itself points out that "the office team can count on external advice - for example, for legal orientation or institutional mediation - always with the express consent of the person attended to."
Preparation for the centenary of Opus Dei
The office was born from a path of work, listening and learning of the Prelature of Opus Dei, together with that of the entire Catholic Church, in dealing not only with cases of abuse (sexual or of conscience) but also in welcoming people who have been wounded or confronted with the religious institution.
In addition to different cases of disgruntled former members that have directly affected the institution founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá, the Work emphasizes its desire to "improve personal attention, especially towards those who have left the Work" and that this type of action will serve to prepare for the centenary of the foundation of Opus Dei, which will take place in 2028.
Saints Hedwig, Queen of Poland and Lithuania, and Theresa of St. Augustine
On July 17, the Church celebrates St. Hedwig, young queen of Poland and Lithuania. With her husband, the king of Lithuania, she had great influence in the evangelization of that country. She founded the Faculty of Theology of the University of Krakow, "the Jaguellonian" (Poland)". The Blessed Teresa of St. Augustine and 15 Discalced Carmelite nuns, martyrs in France, are also commemorated today.
Francisco Otamendi-July 17, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
The liturgy today commemorates St. Hedwig, or Hedwig, who inherited the throne of Poland (1382-1399) upon the death of her father, Louis I of Hungary. The saint was historical figure important in the union of Poland and Lithuania. She married King Ladislaus Jaguellon of Lithuania, converted to Christianity as Ladislaus II, and her husband, evangelized the country.
The 'Roman Martyrology' defines it this way: 'In Krakow, city of Poland, saint Hedwig, queen, who, born in Hungary, inherited the kingdom of Poland and married Jagiellon, great lord of Lithuania, who received in baptism the name of Ladislaus, and with whom she implanted the Catholic faith in that territory of Lithuania († 1399)'." Jadwiga Andegaweńskain Polish, was noted for his charitable work, founding of hospitals and his role in the Christianization of Lithuania.
Faculty of Theology at the University of Krakow
St. Hedwig took an active part in the life of the huge Polish-Lithuanian state. She promoted culture and founded the Faculty of Theology at the University of Krakow ("the Jaguellonian"), one of the oldest in Europe. Saint John Paul IIwho studied there, would teach that "the real wealth of a country is its universities".
Queen Hedwig, who died at the age of 25, has been admired for centuries. She was beatified in 1987, and canonized ten years later, by the holy Polish Pope. And her relics were transferred to the altar of Christ Crucified in the Cathedral of Krakow.
Martyrs in the French Revolution
Blessed Teresa of St. Augustine, prioress, and 15 Discalced Carmelite nuns of the Carmel of Compiègne, were guillotined in Paris in 1794, during the French Revolution. Therese of St. Augustine was born in Paris in 1752 and entered the Discalced Carmelite monastery of Compiègne, some 65 km north of Paris. Through her inspiration, all the Carmelites offered themselves to the Lord as victims of atonement to ask for peace for the Church and for their country.
Also celebrated today is St. Alexius, 4th century, who left his home to become a beggar who begged for alms incognito. Saint Hyacinth, martyr in Asia Minor (today Turkey). Saints Justa and Rufina, sister martyrs of Seville (Spain), whose memory is recorded in the most ancient martyrologies. O St. Leo IVPope (847-855), buried in St. Peter's.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies such as cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting, or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The storage or technical access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The storage or technical access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
Technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.Storage or technical access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a request, voluntary compliance by your Internet service provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved solely for this purpose cannot be used to identify you.
Marketing
The storage or technical access is necessary to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or multiple websites for similar marketing purposes.
How to get your child to read and become literate this summer
