Saint Catherine Labouré, the visionary of the Miraculous Medal
Yesterday, the Church celebrated Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. And today, November 28, it celebrates the young Saint Catherine Labouré, who received apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1830, when she was still a novice. Saint Catherine was a nun of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul.
Francisco Otamendi-November 28, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Saint Catherine Labouré's parents had 17 children, of whom 10 survived. Catherine was the eighth of those who lived. She was followed by her sister Tonina and Augusto, the youngest, a very sickly child. Her mother died on October 9, 1815.
From the age of 12, she took on domestic responsibilities, combining hard work with an intense life of prayer, sacrifice, and sensitivity toward the poor. From a young age, she felt called to religious life, encouraged by a mysterious dream in which a priest—who years later he would recognize as Saint Vincent de Paul—announced a divine plan to him.
Although her father opposed it, Catherine persevered and finally entered the Daughters of Charity in 1830. At the mother house in Paris, she received visions of St. Vincent and, above all, apparitions of the Virgin Mary that would give rise to the Miraculous Medal. You can see it here. the messages of Our Lady.
He kept the apparitions secret.
Saint Catherine asked to remain hidden. Only her confessors knew the truth about the apparitions, and she rejected any role in the spotlight. In 1831, a year later, she was sent to the hospice in Enghien, where she remained for 46 years, working in the kitchen, dairy, henhouse, laundry, and reception.
In the last months of 1876, already weakened, she calmly announced her death, which came on December 31. Only then did it become publicly known that she was the visionary of the Miraculous Medal, and a spontaneous popular tribute began. She was beatified in 1933 and canonized in 1947.
Extended devotion
Many saints and blessed individuals have worn the Miraculous Medal or have gone to pray to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal at the Rue du Bac. Among others, we can mention Saints John Vianney, Curé d'Ars, John Gabriel Perboyre, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, Bernadette Soubirous, Gianna Beretta Molla. Also John Henry Newman, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Josemaría Escrivá, Padre Pio, the Vincentians, John Paul II, José Brochero, etc.
Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has witnessed numerous Eucharistic miracles that have strengthened the faith of believers.
This book offers a journey through the main miracles that have occurred since the 11th century, with special emphasis on Spain and Europe, where many of these wonders have left an indelible mark.
Santiago Mata is a historian and in this work he offers a rigorous and well-documented approach to Eucharistic miracles, without focusing on spiritual or ascetic reflections on the events. Throughout the pages, the author presents more than 90 miracles, explaining not only the events themselves, but also the historical context in which they occurred and the sources that have allowed their transmission over time. With a combination of research and analysis, this work provides a comprehensive and well-founded view of these extraordinary events.
Beyond the historical and theological narrative, this work by Santiago Mata also takes a scientific approach, bringing readers up to date with the latest studies on these phenomena. From tissue analysis to research in the field of pathological anatomy, surprising findings are presented that defy any natural explanation. Cases such as that of Sokołka, Poland, have undergone rigorous examination, revealing astonishing details about the relationship between the consecrated Host and human heart tissue.
For believers, the Eucharist is the center of Christian life, the sacrament in which Christ becomes truly present under the species of bread and wine. Faith in this mystery is what drives millions of people around the world to participate in Mass and live their relationship with God in a deeper way. Eucharistic miracles, far from being a necessary demonstration of belief, act as signs that strengthen confidence in this fundamental truth of Christianity.
This book is a very interesting read for priests, catechists, pastoral workers, and all believers who wish to deepen their understanding of Church history through the study of Eucharistic miracles. In addition to strengthening faith in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, this work is a valuable tool for formation and evangelization.
Pope Francis warns Turkey about polarization: “The future is at stake”
“Unfortunately, communities are increasingly polarized and torn apart by extreme positions that fragment them," and “the future of humanity is at stake.” This is one of the main messages sent from Turkey by Pope Leo XIV. He did so in his first speech at a meeting with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps.
Pope Leo XIV began his first papal trip in Ankara (Turkey), speaking of dialogue, peace, and thanksgiving, referring both to the holiday and to his own gratitude. A few minutes later, he would warn about polarization and the future of humanity.
Addressing the President, other government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and civic leaders, Pope Leo told them: “Today, more than ever, we need people who promote dialogue and practice it with firm will and patient determination.”
After World War II, he said, the world came together and formed the United Nations and other international and regional organizations committed to dialogue, cooperation, and conflict resolution.
“Conflict is growing globally”
“We are living in a phase marked by increased global conflict, fueled by prevailing strategies of economic and military power,” Pope Leo said. “This is leading to what Pope Francis called ‘a third world war fought in pieces.’”.
“We must not give in to this under any circumstances,” insisted the Pope. “The future of humanity is at stake. The energies and resources absorbed by this destructive dynamic are being diverted from the real challenges that the human family should be facing together today, namely peace, the fight against hunger and poverty, health and education, and the protection of creation.”.
In praise of tolerance and religious diversity
In a land where most people are Muslim, but the Constitution officially proclaims the nation to be secular, Pope Leo XIV praised both the tolerance of religious diversity and the encouragement given to people of all religions to practice their faith.
“In a society such as Turkey’s, where religion plays a visible role, it is essential to honor the dignity and freedom of all God’s children, men and women, compatriots and foreigners, poor and rich,” he said.
"Sons of God."
«We are all children of God, and this has personal, social, and political implications,» he said, including working for the common good and respecting all people.
Pope Francis, who visited Turkey in 2014, urged all believers in God to “feel the pain of others and listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth,” he said. “Thus, he encouraged us to compassionate action, which is a reflection of the one merciful and compassionate God” — as Muslims often repeat — and “slow to anger and rich in love,” as the Psalms say.
Defend social ties, family
Pope Leo XIV encouraged all the inhabitants of Turkey and all people of good will to defend social bonds, beginning with the family.
“People do not gain greater opportunities or happiness in an individualistic culture, nor by showing contempt for marriage or rejecting openness to life,» he said.
“Those who despise fundamental human bonds and do not learn to endure even their limitations and fragility,” he said, “become more easily intolerant and incapable of interacting with our complex world.”.
To the Turkish people: value your cultural and religious diversity
Pope Leo asked the Turkish people to value their diversity, both cultural and religious. He assured them that the country's Catholic community—some 35,000 people, or less than 11% of the population—wishes to contribute.
“Uniformity would be an impoverishment,” said the Pope. “In fact, a society is alive if it has plurality, because what makes it a civil society are the bridges that unite its members.”.
Unfortunately, he said, today “communities are increasingly polarized and torn apart by extreme positions that fragment them.”.
Ecumenical ceremony in Istanbul
The Pope then headed to the airport to fly to Istanbul, where tomorrow, Friday, a prayer meeting will take place with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers. There will also be an ecumenical prayer service near the archaeological excavations of the ancient basilica of St. Neophytus in İznik, ancient Nicaea, where the first ecumenical council, in 325.
Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by President Erdogan in Ankara
The Pope is now in Turkey, and has been welcomed at the Presidential Palace by the Turkish president. Recep Tayyip Erdogan. On Thursday, November 27, Pope Leo XIV began his first Apostolic Journey to commemorate the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea. From Sunday, November 30, to Tuesday, December 2, he will visit Lebanon.
The ITA Airways flight carrying the Pontiff, his entourage, and journalists took off at 7:58 a.m. Rome time from Fiumicino airport and has already arrived in Ankara. During the flight, he greeted the journalists accompanying him. Turkish President Erdogan welcomed him at the Presidential Palace, and in the afternoon he has a meeting with the authorities. He will then fly to Istanbul.
Fifth Pontiff to visit Turkey
Pope Leo XIV is the fifth Pontiff to visit Turkey, and the motto of his trip to this country is ‘One Lord, one faith, one baptism.’ The Pope fulfilled Francis' wish to return to Turkey in May 2025, following his 2014 visit, for the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
The highlight will be Iznik, at the archaeological excavations of the ancient Basilica of St. Neophytus. There, the Pope, together with Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, will pray tomorrow with some twenty patriarchs and representatives of Christian churches before icons of Christ and the Council and the lighting of a candle.
Gift to the Pope of an icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe
During the flight, Mexican journalist Valentina Alazraki, who has traveled extensively and followed popes for many years, asked Leo XIV to establish a more human relationship. The goal is to be “better bridges between you and the world and all the countries we represent.”.
“We are giving you a Byzantine icon of the Virgin of Guadalupe,” he said, "to guide the steps of an American pope, American by birth, South American at heart. Welcome, and thank you very much.".
Message of peace and unity from the plane
In his opening remarks, the Pope emphasized that “this particular trip to Turkey and Lebanon has, as you know, first and foremost, the very meaning of unity in celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. I have eagerly awaited this trip because of what it means for all Christians. But it is also a great message for the whole world, especially with the presence of myself, the Church, and believers in both Turkey and Lebanon.”.
“We also hope to announce, convey, and proclaim how important peace is throughout the world,” he added. “And to invite all people to come together to seek greater unity, greater harmony, and to seek ways in which all men and women can truly be brothers and sisters.”.
“Despite our differences, despite our different religions, despite our different beliefs, we are all brothers and sisters, and we hope to contribute to promoting peace and unity throughout the world,” he said briefly.
The Pontiff has confirmed to some journalists his intention to travel to Spain.
Telegrams to countries
During the flight to Turkey, as is customary on papal trips, Pope Leo XIV sent a telegram to the presidents of the countries he was flying over. For example, to the president of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, he pointed out that his trip aims to “meet with the people, especially with brothers and sisters in faith, encouraging paths of peace and fraternity.”.
Afterwards, greetings were extended to the leading dignitaries of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Bulgaria, to whose president, Rumen Radev, he assured “my prayers» that God would bless the nation with the gifts of unity, joy, and peace.
Pope Leo XIV is welcomed at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on November 27, 2025, the first stop on his first papal trip abroad. (Photo CNS/Lola Gomez)
Arrival in Ankaraand visit to Atatürk's mausoleum
Pope Leo XIV was welcomed at Ankara airport by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He then visited the mausoleum of Atatürk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, signed the guest book with these words: “I thank God for being able to visit Turkey, and I invoke abundant peace and prosperity upon this country and its people.”.
In the afternoon, a meeting will be held with the authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps in Turkey.
The Secretariat for the Economy of the Holy See attributed the surplus of €1.6 million mainly to an increase in donations and improved financial results.
The Vatican reported that it closed 2024 with a surplus of €1.6 million ($1.85 million) compared to a deficit of €51.2 million ($59.3 million) in 2023.
Its operating deficit, while not eliminated, was reduced by almost half, from €83.5 million ($96.8 million) in 2023 to €44.4 million ($51.5 million) in 2024.
This improvement «represents a significant step forward in consolidating the economic situation of the Holy See,» Maximino Caballero Ledo, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, told Vatican News on November 26.
«This result was supported by an overall increase in revenue of nearly €79 million ($91.6 million) compared to the previous year,» he said on the same day that the dicastery published the Holy See's financial statement for 2024.
Causes of the surplus
The increase in revenue was due to a 12% increase in donations, a 7% increase in real estate and commercial management, which included the sale of some inherited assets, and a 4% increase in hospital revenue, according to the report.
Despite «prudent control of expenses and a constant effort to improve operational efficiency,» Caballero said, «an operating deficit of €44.4 million remains,» which will require further «consolidation and growth» to achieve full financial sustainability as the Vatican seeks to balance its «missionary commitment and responsible management of resources.».
The consolidated statement indicates that the Holy See's total operating income and expenses were $1.23 billion ($1.43 billion) and €1.275 billion ($1.48 billion), respectively, resulting in an operating deficit of $44.4 million, which means that daily expenses continue to exceed recurring income.
However, €46 million ($53 million) in investment returns, extraordinary asset sales, and increased donations in 2024 resulted in a final surplus of €1.6 million ($1.85 million) for the year. Excluding Vatican hospitals from the summary, the surplus was €18.7 million ($21.7 million), reflecting the high personnel and operating costs of its healthcare facilities.
In fact, most of the secretariat's financial statement showed more detailed financial figures that excluded the income and costs of Vatican hospitals to demonstrate that the Vatican's core institutional functions were close to balanced or even positive.
Growth in donations
Excluding hospitals, 43% of the Vatican's total revenue of €546.5 million ($633 million) in 2024 came from external donations, and 40% came from «self-generated income,» such as real estate management, commercial sales such as publications, and various unspecified services.
Contributions from the Vatican City State government office brought the Holy See's total operating income to €475.4 million ($551 million) in 2024, with €71.1 million ($82.4 million) coming from financial investments.
Distribution of expenditure
Excluding hospitals, 36% of the Holy See's total expenses of €527.8 million ($612 million) went to administrative and general expenses, and 33% to personnel expenses. These expenses increased by 6% compared to the previous year, according to the report, due to inflation and a sharp increase in property maintenance costs.
On the 24th, % of all expenses, €127.9 million ($148 million), was allocated to grants and other contributions, which were not specified in the report. He added that the Holy See increased its donations in 2024, which represented «almost a quarter of its expenses.».
The report also detailed how he spent the “resources dedicated to the apostolic mission,” excluding hospitals.
Of a total of €393.3 million ($455.8 million) spent in 2024: €146.4 million ($169.7 million) or 37% of expenditures went to «supporting local churches in difficulty and specific contexts of evangelization»; €56.8 million ($65.8 million) or 14% was allocated to worship and evangelization; €45.5 million ($52.7 million) or 12% to communication; 10% to nunciatures and 10% to charity.
The remaining 17% was allocated to areas such as support for church life, historical heritage, academic institutions, human development, science and culture, and life and family, the report notes.
The authorOSV / Omnes
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Javier Fernández Sebastián establishes the relationship between time and history and recalls that since the 18th century, history has been divided into periods.
This interesting collective work on history, Time and Law coordinated by Javier Fernández Sebastián, professor emeritus of political thought at the UPV, will begin with a brief but intense study of time and history that is worth reading very slowly and carefully.
Cronos
Next, the study of time will begin in earnest with a masterful distribution of three moments of the subject. First, time as “chronos,” that is, the now classic “tempus fugit,” in which time slips through our fingers, is, in short, the relentless passage of time.
This is very interesting, because this basic conception of time is, in a way, uncontrollable, overwhelming, and truly ephemeral: “time would be independent of people and problems” (p. 29).
Kairos
Next, our author will address “Kairós,” that is, the event, the wonder, the impact, the spark of life in time, that which is always remembered, that which will mark the inseparable destiny of men, the so-called milestones.
We are, therefore, “facing a moment of great human decisions” (p. 30). It is a qualitative time, a playful and lively time, and therefore, even if it arrives as the ripe fruit of wisdom, it will not depend on us.
Clio
Finally, he will refer to “Clio,” that is, history as judge; the dock of history, the judgment of history, or the spirit of History according to Hegel, or as Cicero would say, history as the teacher of life, with its lessons.
It is a moment that Machiavelli would call the art of politics and Baltasar Gracián would simply call prudence. In any case, it will be supernatural prudence and human prudence judiciously weighing the causes (p. 31).
The plasticization of these periods in art history is interesting, from the first impressions of death to Goya's paintings featuring Clio and the devouring truth (p. 33).
Therefore, our author would have overcome the famous dichotomy of time in Greek philosophy, which was always circular and perpetually repetitive, or the Christian version of time as a horizontal line, progressing from its beginning, which is history, but which leaps to eternal life after the brief passage of earthly life.
Christ the King
It will also show Frederick II Barbarossa breaking with the tradition of “Christ the judge” and lord of history and universal judge of good and evil, as reflected in the feast of Christ the King at the end of the liturgical cycle, by the new figure of the “Emperor-judge” who begins to persecute the Cathars and put them to death before they become a new Arius in the Church and end up destroying the Church and Christianity (p. 41).
Indeed, Innocent III reacted by reviving the “munus regendi” and ended up taking back the keys and founding the nefarious institution of the Inquisition to proceed with violence in defense of the faith. This was condemned by St. John Paul II on March 12, 2000, but the damage had already been done since the 13th century, with the inquisitorial mentality of judging man by his ideas and not by his heart.
Before concluding the chapter by coordinator and professor Fernández Sebastián, we would like to recall his interesting observations about the fundamental difference between historical memory and historical judgment: “All justice is historical (in the sense of being temporary and contingent) and, therefore, there is no such thing as supra-historical justice, which already obsessed Plato and periodically resurfaces in the work of philosophers who, as in the case of Leo Strauss, aspire to attain immutable moral and political truths, in this case a concept of justice safe from the dissolving and transforming effects of the pickaxe of time” (p. 51).
He then goes on to propose a new code of ethics that brings together all historians of different tendencies, backgrounds, ages, and intellectual and cultural training (p. 56).
It is very interesting to see how other disciples of the professor from the University of the Basque Country are taking up the baton and taking this magnificent work in other historical directions.
For example, researcher Marcos Reguera, professor of political thought at various American and European universities, will revisit the issue of unjust laws and their non-binding nature (p. 83), given that “law and justice must oppose arbitrariness” (p. 84).
He also discusses the history of theology in Christianity and the shift that took place within it when it moved from the Church that awaited the imminent “parousia” of the Lord in the early centuries of Christianity to the sanctifying Church that illuminates the path of Christian life with preaching and the sacraments (p. 93). The conclusion is clear: “more important than faith and works is love” (p. 97).
Josu de Miguel Bárcena will discuss the amnesty law which, together with the new constitution, endorsed the rule of law that underpinned democratic coexistence in Spain and served as a model for many years. It is now being studied in detail from a historical and legal perspective, leading to the conclusion that it was a law of “memorable forgetting” but that it will not satisfy the desire of some judges of history who lack a deep historical vision (p. 185).
Times of History, Times of Justice
AuthorsJavier Fernández and Javier Tajadura (coordinators)
Editorial: Marcial Pons
Number of pages: 278
Year: 2005
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Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, apparitions in Paris
The feast day of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is celebrated on November 27, and it is one of the most widespread Marian devotions in the world. It has its origins in the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Paris, France, to Saint Catherine Labouré, a 24-year-old novice of the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, in 1830.
Francisco Otamendi-November 27, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
On the night of July 18, 1830, Our Lady appeared for the first time to the young nun Catherine Labouré at the Mother House of the Daughters of Charity on Rue du Bac, Paris. According to Catherine, Saint Mary told her that God wished to entrust her with a mission and that she would face difficulties, but that she would receive the necessary grace. She also spoke to her of difficult times for France and for the Church, inviting her to pray and trust in divine protection.
In the second apparition, on November 27, 1830, Catherine saw the Virgin Mary standing on a globe, with rays of light coming from her hands. Mary explained that these rays symbolized the graces that God wanted to pour out on those who asked for them. It was then that she asked for a medal to be struck, later known as the Miraculous Medal, with the inscription: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”.
In a third vision, Saint Catherine contemplated the reverse side of the medal, where she saw the letter “M” intertwined with a cross and two hearts: the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. According to the saint's account, the Virgin expressed her desire that those who wore this medal would receive abundant graces and special protection. The central message was an invitation to trust, to persevere in prayer, and to welcome God's graces through the Virgin Mary.
Devotion to the Miraculous Medal, widespread
The Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal is located in Paris itself, and numerous saints and blessed individuals are known to have worn the Miraculous Medal of Mary and to have visited it. Among others, we can mention Saints John Vianney, the Curé d'Ars, John Gabriel Perboyre, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, Bernadette Soubirous, and Gianna Beretta Molla. Also John Henry Newman, Thérèse of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Josemaría Escrivá, Padre Pio, the Paulists, John Paul II, José Brochero, and others.
Tomorrow, November 28, the Church liturgy celebrates Saint Catherine Labouré.
10 strategies for the 5 cries of young Catholics, according to Life Teen
The Life Teen organization, which supports numerous parishes in youth ministry, has proposed 10 strategies in response to the five cries it identifies among young people. Its report is entitled ‘Young Catholics and Youth Ministry in Spain 2025.'.
Francisco Otamendi-November 27, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
Regarding the spiritual shift that seems to be evident in the icons of young people in music and cinema, and in data from the Church itself, the report just released by Life Teen is interesting. It is an X-ray of today's youth, with 10 strategies for evangelization, in response to the 5 cries that it hears from young people. Its title is ‘Young Catholics and Youth Ministry in Spain.’.
After 40 years accompanying parishes in the United States and more than 10 in Spain, Life Teen's mission remains the same: “to bring teenagers closer to Christ.” The intention of the report It is twofold. On the one hand, “to help parishes better understand the reality of adolescents.” On the other, “to create a culture in parishes of wanting to analyze and understand adolescents from a more global perspective.”.
In his opinion, “today's teenagers face an avalanche of pressures that have intensified with the pandemic, from the dominance of social media in their lives to depression, gender dysphoria, and political division.”.
The target audience: Generation Z and Generation Alpha
What does the report refer to as today's youth? It includes preteens, teens, and young adults who belong to ‘Generation Z’ and ‘Generation Alpha’. Generation Z encompasses those born between 1995 and 2015, while Generation Alpha includes those born after 2010. The study will show that there are frequent references to young people between the ages of 18 and 24.
For example, as a relevant piece of information from the text, “28.5 percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 consider themselves Catholic.” Although the report does not provide calculations, it can be estimated that in 2025 there will be around 3.5 million young people between the ages of 18 and 24 in Spain.
If 28.5% of % are considered Catholic, according to the CIS estimate in November 2024, that would represent approximately one million young people.
Technology usage data
The Life Teen report notes that “these generations are unlike any before them due to the profound influence of technology and global connectivity on their development and on how they communicate, learn, form opinions, and relate to the world around them.
As an example, consider the following data:
– Generation Z has an attention span of 8 seconds, the same as a goldfish (Time);
– watch an average of 68 videos on social media per day (Business of Apps).
Data on religion and other topics
– Forty-three percent of Catholic adolescents stop believing in God before the age of 14. And 33 percent of young Catholics between the ages of 18 and 24 say that the Eucharist plays an important role in their lives. (Footprint 2024 Study, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross).
In 2023, 1 in 3 teenagers believed in the existence of a higher power, compared to 1 in 4 in 2020 (Springtide Research).
Additional information: Forty percent of young men and 70 percent of young women experienced symptoms of anxiety or depression during 2021. This increase in emotional disorders was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic (UNICEF Spain).
In 2025, the percentages are similar. They only decrease in serious cases, according to data from insurance companies that is not included in the text.
The five cries of youth
The Life Teen report highlights five critical areas that impact Catholic teens: anxiety, the need to belong, the search for purpose, the importance of family, and the fight against loneliness.
1. Managing anxiety.
The authors of the report propose building a stable community, teaching about true hope and peace, through training and meetings.
2. Sense of belonging and search for community
Thirty-eight percent of teenagers feel that their school life is unsatisfactory. What can we do? Two things, they say: Provide a sense of belonging and community through youth groups and parish activities. Show unconditional love. Catholic communities are essential.
3. Meaningful connections
Catholic education provides a framework for understanding the world and one's role in it, helping adolescents navigate the complexities of life.
4. Need for family
Family relationships are vitally important. Parents continue to have the greatest impact on the lives of adolescents. However, due to the growing prevalence of non-traditional family structures, it is suggested that teaching about the family and providing a support network in the parish community be emphasized.
5. Navigating loneliness
In 2023, teenagers spent almost 70% less time with their friends in person than in 2000. It is about building a stable community by encouraging interactions.
Strategies for Youth Evangelism
The 10 strategies for effective youth evangelism, according to Life Teen, are as follows:
1. Intentional catechesis, Designed for young people from Generations Z and Alpha.
2. Undiluted theology. That is, to deepen the teaching of Catholic theology. The text quotes Bishop Robert Barron, who stated that “Young people like to ask questions and debate the big issues (...). A disconnect occurs when we respond to intellectual questions with diluted catechesis.”.
3. Support.
The number of catechists willing to help and guide adolescents is increasing.
4. Digital evangelization. Use of digital platforms to expand the Church's reach.
7. Equip the “called ones.”. Comprehensive training for leaders.
8. Follow a approved formula for Generation Z.
9. Mindset of abundance, not of scarcity.
10. Accompany young people in your search for purpose.
Grab their attention or lose them. The Life Teen report proposes offering resources tailored to young people who spend an average of 4 hours and 15 minutes a day on social media and consume large amounts of short-form content at a rapid pace. These resources must be attractive and creative.
Advent is here. With it, we begin a new liturgical year. Advent is the Church's alarm clock. It comes to wake us all up and remind us that something new is beginning. This is the central message of today's readings. We find words like these, repeated: “In the days to come,” “moment,” “time,” “hour,” “now,” “awake,” “day.”. They all point to a new beginning.
St. Paul says to the Romans: “Behave in this way, recognizing the moment in which you live, for it is time to wake up from sleep, because now salvation is closer to us than when we first embraced the faith. The night is far gone, the day is at hand.” And in the Gospel, Jesus affirms: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”.
The Church invites us to adopt two attitudes as we begin this season: vigilance and attentiveness. We are invited to wake up from our slumber, from routine, from lukewarmness, from indifference, and prepare ourselves for what lies ahead. Awakening requires putting aside the things that belong to the night and to sleep: sin, bad habits, vices... and instead, clothe ourselves in the works of Christ. Let us leave our pajamas behind, so to speak, and put on the armor of light. But it is not enough to wake up. We must also watch, be like the sentinel, be ready because someone is coming.
The liturgical season of Advent celebrates God's coming in two moments. First, the Church rekindles our expectation of Christ's second coming, his glorious return; then, as Christmas approaches, it calls us to focus our attention on the first coming that took place in history. But it does not end there. The Church also invites us to be vigilant, to grow in sensitivity and delicacy in order to perceive the hidden presence of Christ in everyday reality. The truth is that the Lord comes continually into our lives. Just as Jesus told his disciples that the coming of the Son of Man would be like in the days of Noah, in the midst of eating and drinking, marrying and forming a family, in the midst of ordinary activities.
The unexpected hour is hidden in the ordinary hour. It is hidden in everyday activities. Stay awake and be prepared, because Eternity has entered time, has entered our history, the now eternal in the now temporary, and every moment holds the possibility of an encounter with Him. What was addressed to the disciples is now addressed to everyone, because everyone can now encounter God who is coming.
Advent is par excellence a time of hope and joy. Our hope and our joy have a name and a face: Jesus Christ. Advent prepares us to encounter Him at Christmas, at the end of time, and in every moment of daily life.
Christ is coming, Joy is coming, Hope is coming. The days of the future foretold by the prophet Isaiah will become reality. Isaiah, poet and visionary, called “the Shakespeare of the prophets” (or, if you prefer, the Cervantes, Dante, or Goethe), tells us of one of his visions in the first reading: a future of hope and joy. As the Church concludes the jubilee year of hope, Advent reminds us that hope is still alive.
The Church's alarm clock is ringing; let us not turn it off. Let us leave our pajamas behind and stay awake to welcome Christ, who is coming at any moment, especially in the Holy Mass.
The Pope encourages us to have the courage to live and generate life
This morning, Pope Leo XIV invited those present at the Audience to pray for his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon. He encouraged them to have “the courage to live and generate life,” and to “discover the gift and adventure of motherhood and fatherhood, and to serve the Gospel of life.”.
Francisco Otamendi-November 26, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
“Tomorrow I will travel to Turkey and then to Lebanon to visit the beloved peoples of those countries rich in history and spirituality. It will also be an opportunity to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea and to meet with the Catholic community, my Christian brothers and sisters, and those of other religions. I ask you to accompany me with your prayers.
This is how the Pope implored the thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square, in the Audience General Audience this Wednesday. Prayer for his apostolic journey that begins tomorrow.
In addition, before giving the blessing, the Pontiff recalled that “next Sunday, the Church will resume the new cycle of celebration of the Christian mysteries with the first Sunday of Advent. This time of year prepares us for Christmas, awakening in all of us the desire to encounter the God who comes.”.
“Life is, above all, a gift from God.”
The theme of the catechesis during the Audience continued that of the Jubilee Year, ‘Christ, our hope.’ The Pope began his reflection with “a question that we all carry deep in our hearts: what is the meaning of life?”.
The passage from Scripture we have just heard answers this question: “Life is, above all, a gift from God, who created us out of love.”
One of the most frequent temptations today is a lack of trust in God's goodness and love, the Pope said. Perhaps we no longer experience life as a gift because we are weighed down by its burdens, “but the risen Christ reminds us that God is always faithful to his plan of love.”
However, he emphasized to the English-speaking pilgrims, and to everyone, “trusting in God, we are invited to participate in this plan of life and love, generating life.”.
Vocation to marriage: “The adventure of motherhood and fatherhood”
“For those of you who live the vocation of marriage,” continued the Successor of Peter, “this means discovering the gift and the adventure of motherhood and fatherhood, in which you are called to participate by bringing new lives into this world and preparing them for eternal life. Do not fear this adventure, but open yourselves in prayer to the gift of life, trusting in the God whom we know loves us.
Shortly afterwards, he would say to the Polish people along the same lines: “May your families never lack the courage to make decisions about motherhood and fatherhood. Do not be afraid to welcome and defend every child conceived: proclaim and serve the Gospel of life. God is “the lover of life”, so always guard it with care and love. My blessing to you all!”.
A disease: lack of confidence in life
In his general remarks, the Pope emphasized that “there is a widespread disease in the world: a lack of trust in life. It is as if we have resigned ourselves to a negative fatalism, to giving up. Life risks no longer being seen as a gift, but rather as an unknown, almost a threat from which we must protect ourselves so as not to be disappointed.”.
That is why Pope Leo has said that “the value of living and generating life, of bearing witness that God is par excellence ‘the lover of life,’ as the Book of Wisdom (11:26) affirms, is today more than ever an urgent call.”.
“Christ is life”
He then gave the example of Jesus in the Gospel, who “constantly confirms his eagerness to heal the sick, mend wounded bodies and spirits, and bring the dead back to life,” and said that Christ is life.
“Generated from the Father, Christ is life and has generated life without sparing himself, giving us his own life, and inviting us to give our lives. To generate means to put life into another,” he continued. “The universe of living beings has spread through this law, which in the symphony of creatures knows an admirable crescendo culminating in the duet of man and woman: God created them in his own image and entrusted them with the mission of also generating in his image, that is, through love and in love.“
Priests of England and Wales on their 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of ordination
At the end of his address to English speakers, the Pope greeted “in a special way the bishops and priests of England and Wales who are celebrating the 40th, 50th, and 60th anniversaries of their priestly ordination. As I pray that you may experience an increase in the virtue of hope during this Jubilee Year, I invoke upon all of you and your families the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”.
Meanwhile, he told German-speaking pilgrims: “May the grace of this Jubilee rekindle in all of you, pilgrims of hope, the longing for heavenly goods and grant you the joy and peace of our Redeemer. Let us entrust ourselves to the Lord and allow ourselves to be guided by Him toward the fullness of life.”.
Giving oneself to others
To those who speak Spanish, noisy as usual in St. Peter's Square, especially at the end, Leo XIV asked them to give themselves to others and also to receive life. These were his words.
“Let us ask the Lord for the strength to respond to the life he has freely given us with an existence devoted to his service. Let us abandon ourselves to his love so that we may not fear difficulties and face challenges, giving ourselves generously to others. Let us welcome life and God who manifests himself in it: in the children we bring into the world, in the people for whom we are responsible, and in the society we are called to build.”.
Yesterday, November 25, was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, a good opportunity to reflect on some cultural aspects related to the issue.
November 26, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
Two pieces of news this week invite disturbing reflection on the direction our society is taking. On the one hand, Caritas reported that in 2024 it assisted 4,081 women who were victims of gender-based violence, representing an 11% increase over the previous year.
On the other hand, a recent report by Save the Children reveals that one-third of young people consider it legitimate to sell their own erotic images. The cause seems to lie in platforms such as OnlyFans and “sugar dating” sites, which are normalizing the commodification of the body, especially among young girls.
Putting these two pieces of information together reveals a paradox: while we continue to witness victims of violence rooted in power, control, and objectification, we are also normalizing the voluntary commercialization of one's own body among younger generations.
This raises uncomfortable questions about the effectiveness of sex education taught in schools over the past few decades. If sex education were sufficient, why do we continue to see risky behaviors and decisions that reinforce patterns of objectification?
The root of the problem seems to go beyond information: it is not just a matter of teaching about contraception or sexual rights, because the individualistic view of decision-making—the idea that “everything is permitted as long as it is a personal choice”—is not helping young people and adults to make choices that protect their dignity and safety.
The unanimous approval of the statutes of a “Synodal Conference” has been presented as a milestone in the German synodal process. However, behind the rhetoric of consensus lie tensions, repeated warnings from Rome, and serious objections from canonists and others.
At its last session, held last weekend, the German “Synodal Committee” approved the creation of a “Synodal Conference.” Since its inception, the German “Synodal Path” has sought to create a permanent body for joint deliberation and decision-making between bishops and laypeople. Following the Vatican's explicit prohibition on establishing a “Synodal Council” — a figure that does not exist in canon law, as recalled in two letters from the Holy See dated January 16, 2023, and February 16, 2024 — the promoters have changed the name; but the goal remains the same: to institutionalize a stable structure that perpetuates the Synodal Path.
The basic text “Power and Separation of Powers in the Church,” approved by the Synodal Assembly on February 3, 2022, already stated that decisions binding on all German dioceses should be discussed and approved jointly by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK). The creation of a permanent body was therefore a declared goal from the outset.
Apparent unanimity
The promoters of the “Synodal Conference” interpret the unanimity achieved at the last session of the Synodal Committee as a sign of internal trust and a “mature synodal culture.” However, this unanimity hides the opposition of five German bishops—Cardinal Rainer Woelki (Cologne) and Bishops Gregor Maria Hanke OSB (Eichstätt), Stefan Oster SDB (Passau), and Rudolf Voderholzer (Regensburg)—who refused to join a project that, in their view, would create a body that would be “de facto above” the Bishops' Conference.
The “Synodal Conference” aims to move from deliberation to action after the 2026 assembly. To this end, it attempts to reconcile Roman expectations and reformist aspirations, but leaves decisive questions open: the actual powers of the Synodal Conference, the binding nature of its decisions, and the criteria for participation. Without a nihil obstat Roman, its legitimacy would be seriously compromised.
Episcopal independence called into question
The statutes provide for a stable, joint structure with financial autonomy and the capacity to set its own agenda, evaluate itself, and make decisions collegially. Although the authority of the diocesan bishop is formally affirmed, the proposed system resembles a quasi-parliamentary model that, in practice, binds bishops to decisions made collectively. This contradicts the recent final document of the World Synod, which clearly distinguishes between deliberation (for the whole People of God) and decision-making (the competence of the bishops).
The insistence on unanimity takes on a problematic nuance here. Presented almost as a sign of the Spirit, it runs the risk of becoming moral pressure against those who have reservations. Synodality is reduced to an emotional experience of internal cohesion, rather than discernment in fidelity to the universal Church. Group trust is equated with spiritual legitimacy, overlooking Roman warnings.
The risk is clear: that the new body will interpret its internal unity as confirmation, generating a worrying immunity to criticism. Rome has insisted that a national body with powers not provided for by canon law cannot be created, but the statutes move precisely in that direction, albeit under another name. The claim that “Rome was closely involved” in the drafting seems more like an attempt to exert pressure than a reflection of the actual process.
A synodality different from the Roman one
Five years of the Synodal Path have shown that majorities often impose their agenda without adequately integrating the arguments of minorities. In this context, more decisive than the statutes will be the future internal and electoral regulations of the new body—rules that do not require Roman approval and that will de facto guide its course.
Canon lawyer Heribert Hallermann warns that the statutes contain deliberate ambiguities. Although the phrase “deliberate and decide jointly” has been softened, Article 2 continues to link the two concepts in a way that is incompatible with the World Synod. Furthermore, allowing the Synodal Conference itself to determine its topics and evaluate its functioning opens the door to irregular practices that could become entrenched over time. Hallermann points out that the statutes require recognitio of the Holy See, something ignored in the approved text. He considers it unlikely that Rome will give its approval, as this would mean endorsing a national governing body not provided for by canon law.
Ultimately, Hallermann points out, each bishop must seriously discern the doctrinal and canonical implications before approving the statutes, as it is his duty to safeguard the unity and legality of the Church, even in the face of internal pressures.
Criticism
The lay initiative “New Beginning” (“Neuer Anfang”), critical of the German synodal process from the outset, has published a twelve-point statement calling on the Pope and the Roman authorities to reject the statutes as contrary to the doctrine, constitution, and law of the Church. They point out that institutional cooperation already exists between the German Bishops“ Conference and the Central Committee of German Catholics, and warn of the risk of ecclesial ”over-structuring." What is needed, they say, are not new organizations, but small living circles, diaconal and missionary initiatives, and prayer groups.
They also criticize the parity between bishops, the ZdK, and “other believers,” which they see as a dangerous “parliamentarization” of ecclesiastical government, susceptible to being captured by lobbies and ideologies and obscuring the Gospel, contrary to the warnings of the Vatican and Pope Francis. Furthermore, they accuse the project of exploiting sexual abuse through the concept of “systemic guilt” to promote a reform agenda, concealing personal responsibilities.
The Pope in Lebanon is a message of peace and coexistence in a country wounded by the crisis, where cross-cultural saints and shrines inspire unity between Christians and Muslims.
From November 30 to December 2, 2025, Pope Leo XIV will make his first international apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon. The news has had worldwide repercussions: the Land of the Cedars is a wounded land, but also a place of exceptional symbolic value. “Lebanon is a message [...] and this message is a project of peace. Its vocation is to be a land of tolerance and pluralism, an oasis of fraternity where different religions and confessions meet, where diverse communities live together putting the common good before particular interests,” Pope Francis affirmed in 2021, pointing out the unique mission of this small country.
However, the current context is complex: since 2019, Lebanon has been drowning in a devastating economic crisis, with record inflation, collapsed public services and a population exhausted by mass emigration. The rigid confessional political system, which assigns positions according to religious affiliation, makes decision-making difficult. And yet the country remains a laboratory of coexistence where Christians and Muslims remain, despite everything, side by side.
Already in other articles For Omnes, I addressed the richness of Lebanon's plural identity, rooted in the Eastern Christian tradition, as well as the risks of its collapse. politician and economic. Now, with the Pope's visit, these elements are joined by a spiritual dimension embodied in the saints and their shrines.
Saints and “ambiguous” shrines”
I devoted an academic study to this phenomenon entitled: “Lebanon with its ‘ambiguous’ saints and shrines: a laboratory for evangelization in a world cross-cultural?”, presented at the 14th Professional Seminar on Church Communication Offices, at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.
In this analysis I address the phenomenon of “ambiguous” shrines: places of worship that, while belonging to a particular religious tradition, are also venerated by followers of other religions. In Lebanon, this is especially the case with three central figures of Maronite spirituality: saint Charbel Makhlûf (1828-1898), saint Rafqa al-Rayès (1832-1914) and saint Nimatullah al-Hardinī (1808-1858).
Born in villages in northern Lebanon, they lived simple lives, marked by prayer, teaching and sacrifice. Nimatullah, canonized in 2004, was a teacher of theology and spiritual guide; Rafqa, proclaimed a saint in 2001, transformed suffering into a testimony of faith; Charbel, raised to the altars in 1977, became famous after his death for the miracles attributed to his intercession and for his incorrupt body that still exudes miraculous oil.
Its sanctuaries, especially that of St. Charbel in Annaya, attract pilgrims of various denominations: thousands of Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants), but also Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and even Druze come every year to ask for healing and leave votive offerings.
Living together: a common good
This shared devotion evokes the Arabic concept of ‘aysh al-muštarak’, or “living together,” which has characterized Lebanese history for centuries. Already in Islamic and then Ottoman times, Christian holy places were frequented by Muslims, who recognized in them the «baraka», the divine blessing transmitted through the «walī Allah» (“friends of God”).
Despite the rise of nationalism and the civil wars of the 20th century, this “dialogue of the faithful” never broke down. It is not a dialogue born of diplomatic summits, but of daily life: gestures of popular piety that unite where politics divides. Lebanon thus reveals itself as a true “message of peace”: shared faith maintains bonds where human structures fail.
Three “heroic” saints and the pilgrimage to their tombs
Charbel, Rafqa and Nimatullah are called “heroic” saints, not because of spectacular feats, but because of the radical way they lived the Gospel. Their lives have become moral and spiritual references for the entire Lebanese people. Many Muslims report dreams in which St. Charbel appears as an intercessor of peace; others testify to extraordinary healings. Rafqa is venerated as a model of fortitude, and Nimatullah (Charbel's teacher) as a spiritual guide.
These saints are figures who transcend religious boundaries: they represent not only Maronite identity, but a holiness that speaks to everyone, building a «communitas» that overcomes divisions.
Pilgrimage («ziyārah», “visit”) is a practice common to the great monotheistic religions. In Lebanon it acquires a unique character: the Muslim faithful who lights a candle before the icon of Saint Charbel, who touches his relics or anoints himself with oil at his tomb, is not acting out of curiosity, but out of genuine faith. These practices - prayer for healing, offerings, sacrificial gestures - express a universal spiritual language.
What some call “ambiguity”, far from representing a threat, reveals itself as a richness: it is an experience of transculturality and, in a certain sense, of “transreligiosity”, which shows that the sacred can be a bridge and not a wall. This is why the Lebanese shrines are concrete signs of hope in a wounded Middle East.
Conflict, elections and disarmament: Lebanon under observation
In recent months, Lebanon has been at the center of international tensions. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah experienced an escalation between 2023 and 2024, with direct intervention by the Lebanese Shiite group alongside Palestinian factions, leading to a ceasefire agreement on November 27, 2024.
In 2025, attention shifted to the domestic political level: Parliament elected Maronite Joseph Aoun as president, ending more than two years of institutional vacuum.
The new government has declared its intention to strengthen the state and regain full control of the territory. In this context, an ambitious plan has been approved for the disarmament of the Hezbollah militia before the end of 2025, with the aim of making the state armed forces the only legal army. Hezbollah, weakened by the war, refuses to give up arms completely without a total withdrawal from Israel.
The country is therefore at a historical crossroads. The question is not only geopolitical, but also symbolic and spiritual: it is a matter of transforming pluralism into true national sovereignty, inspired by the unity that the Lebanese saints and the Syriac tradition have generated for centuries.
Evangelization and communication
The experience of the Lebanese saints shows that evangelizing does not mean transmitting abstract ideas, but creating encounters and relationships. As I pointed out in the seminar at the University of the Holy Cross, it is a matter of “pre-evangelization”: a human terrain where the heart is ready to receive the Gospel.
In a polarized world, where communication is reduced to slogans, “ambiguous” sanctuaries offer another way: they show that authentic faith does not divide, but generates communion; that the sacred is not the exclusive property of a community, but a space where humanity gathers.
Lebanon, with its fragile but persistent experience of coexistence, remains a laboratory of peace. The Pope's trip will not only be a pastoral visit, but a prophetic sign: a reminder to the world that the encounter with God necessarily leads to an encounter between people.
Eloy Gesto launches a dialogue between faith, communication, and leadership in Santiago
On December 12 and 13, the event “Communication is More than Words” will take place in Santiago de Compostela, aimed at developing human potential from a Christian values perspective. The director of Escuela Inventa, Eloy Gesto, explains the meeting to Omnes, in which Juan Manuel Cotelo, José Ballesteros, and Carlos Roca will participate.
Francisco Otamendi-November 26, 2025-Reading time: 6minutes
Over the last 14 years, Escuela Inventa, led by Eloy Gesto, has supported more than four thousand professionals, entrepreneurs, and teachers in their communication development. There have been 24 events, plus three large-scale ones. Now, Inventa and Nuntiare propose a dialogue between faith, communication, and human leadership in the service of the common good, in the 25th edition of “Communication is More than Words.” It will take place on December 12 and 13 in Santiago de Compostela.
This event, featuring a varied combination of formats, will be attended by film director Juan Manuel Cotelo, who will screen his film El mayor regalo (The Greatest Gift). José Ballesteros, leadership expert. And Carlos Roca, communicator and creator of the renowned podcast La Roca Project.
What sets Eloy Gesto and his team's events apart from others, especially since 2021, is the process of profound conversion experienced by the director of Inventa, which has led to a complete turnaround in the approach of his school. Since then, Christ has taken center stage in their events. Now, he affirms, “We Christians tend to hide Christ because we have become lukewarm out of fear, and we renounce the truth.”.
This is how Eloy Gesto, communications professional, explains it, along with the genesis of the event.
Where is Escuela Inventa's headquarters located?
- The operations center of Inventa School It's in Santiago, in Galicia. Since you're on the outskirts, people ask, "Hey, when are you going to Madrid or Barcelona?" No, we do this type of training in Santiago because people appreciate it, having a quieter place, because it's very intensive training, and people appreciate that. The December event is held at the ABANCA Auditorium in Santiago.
The note about the event talks about ‘Communication at the service of the soul.’ It is very likely that it has to do with his personal history.
- In case it helps, there is a article that tells my story. The personal side. In this regard, the thing is that I'm not thinking about things as a business, in terms of profitability, but rather I'm thinking about the mission.
I am the son of a goldsmith, a craftsman, an artist. My father was a true artist, but a disaster as a businessman. We don't have the entrepreneurial streak, we have the artistic streak. In fact, I really enjoy crafting communication, carving out people's communication.
Escuela Inventa was founded in 2011, and we organize workshops, professional seminars, and communication events, with thousands of people and leading figures participating. There have been several milestones. We had leading speakers in the fields of emotional intelligence, positive psychology, entrepreneurship, and professional and personal development. And the people, the attendees, are thirsty, they are searching, that is a reality.
Eloy Gesto, center, at one of the Escuela Inventa communication events @EscuelaIventa.
And what happened next? What was going on in your sector?
– The problem is that I am in a sector where personal growth, public speaking, and communication are marked by trends of new age and stoic. Right now, gurus, coaches, and so on are proliferating under every rock, and this has a consequence: it increases the meaninglessness of what we do.
They are very self-centered versions, versions very much geared toward bottom lines, but with little regard for quality, the creation of social fabric, or the common good—very little of that.
What's the problem? Ultimately, there is a fundamental premise that is erroneous. The development of one's own abilities is based on three principles: self-sufficiency, self-improvement, and self-development.
Conveying the idea that people can develop themselves. Appearing brave, when in reality what you are doing is feeding your pride, you leave God aside, and you end up becoming a little god. That is the dynamic of the sector I am in, the professional development of skills, abilities... where that is the mainstream.
Tell us your thoughts.
– In 2014, at one of these events, attended by hundreds of people, there were renowned speakers such as Mario Alonso Puig, Pilar Jericó, Alex Rovira, Raimon Sansó, Alejandra Vallejo-Nágera, not María, her sister, or Irene Villa, and others. After those two very motivational days, people apparently went home feeling motivated.
They had lived through that intense experience, but what happened to me? I felt a huge void. And I said to my partner: I don't know what people are showing me. People are searching, we are all hungry, I am hungry too, but what are we giving people? And while some were happy with that, I had a feeling that I had made a mistake, that this was not the way. All this despite the fact that the intention was good. I knew that the path was incomplete.
Did his conversion come then?
— No, that wasn't the moment of conversion. It took me seven years to recognize God and open my heart to the truth. That came seven years later, on January 1, 2021, at a time of personal pain, when God clearly manifested himself in my life. And from then on, everything changed. A profound conversion took place, a light.
Since then, Christ has been at the center of my life and the projects I undertake. He is transforming everything and completely changing my focus.
I'm not trying to convince anyone, but I'm not hiding it either. Just as others practice mindfulness, meditation, or other things, I don't have to give that up either.
What is most striking? It is true that in some cases, these people who are in different places get scared. Yes. But that is not the majority. The majority are those who listen to you.
Perhaps you could tell us about a real case.
– Just this morning. I was listening to the testimony of a 27-year-old guy. I was talking to him about God when he came here, and he was in the process of becoming self-sufficient, that stoic vision of entrepreneurs who can do anything, who can even travel to Bali, these things that are fashionable, self-improvement, etc., those youthful stereotypes...
And right now he is going to church, he has left a business project he had, with a clear new age profile, and he has realized it. Around Escuela Inventa we are seeing many people who are asking themselves questions, because of that concern, God is using us as a vehicle...
In fact, we have discussed it with a spiritual director here, Don José María, who is the archpriest of Santiago, and we are all surprised, and we wonder how long God will allow us to do all this.
Do we dare to speak about the truth and about Christ?
– That's the problem. We Christians tend to sugarcoat and hide Christ because we have become lukewarm out of fear, and we renounce the truth. I'm afraid too, let's not kid ourselves, and I need that strength to show him. But what is our responsibility? To proclaim the Gospel wherever we are.
Our first attempts resulted in the project A la luz de la Palabra (In the Light of the Word), and we held an evangelization event, Nuntiare, in December 2023, featuring presentations inspired by passages from the Gospel.
It turned out well. But our audience, the one we reached, was mostly Christian. So,
After talking with the spiritual director, we thought that these two things, the Nuntiare project and Escuela Inventa, should be merged.
They also want to reach a non-believing audience...
– Yes. With this merger, what we are doing right now is taking a leap towards this version of ‘Communication is More than Words.’ We also want to reach a predominantly non-believing audience, where through these Christian values and speakers, in a world of personal and professional development, there is a clear First Proclamation of mission. And that is the mature version of this whole process that God is allowing us to experience, we don't know for how long.
Indeed, as stated in the program, this edition has the support of the First Announcement Delegation of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, through Mr. Javier García, and the spiritual guidance of Mr. José María Pintos, archpriest of Santiago.
Practical information
That concludes our conversation with Eloy Gesto. This is a non-profit event. You can find here Practical information for attending the event in person, which will take place at the ABANCA Auditorium, Santiago de Compostela, on December 12 and 13, 2025. Contact: info@escuelainventa.com, 696 936 279.
Today, November 25, 2025, the Vatican presented the announced document “An expensive: In Praise of Monogamy. This is a doctrinal note on the value of marriage as an exclusive union and mutual belonging. At present, the document is only available in Italian, pending translations into the main languages.
1. The document is not about polygamy.
The text was presented by Cardinal Fernández, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Monsignor Fernández explained that strictly speaking, “it is not a document about polygamy but about monogamy,” that is, it focuses on a reflection on the property of unity in marriage, the union between man and woman.
However, the cardinal acknowledged that the origin of this reflection was due to a request from some African bishops who wanted an attractive argument to encourage believers in their dioceses to live monogamously.
2. Arguments are drawn from Scripture but also from culture.
The fundamental intention of this Doctrinal Note is proactive: to draw from Sacred Scripture, the history of Christian thought, philosophy, and even poetry, reasons and motivations that encourage choosing a unique and exclusive union of love.
The Vatican maintains that monogamy is not a true value because it is revealed, but rather because it is a natural conviction that is often expressed in culture, as it is inscribed in the nature of every human being.
3. A document for in-depth work
The Vatican believes that the text could provide marriage movements and groups with varied and useful material for study and dialogue.
4. Marriage is all-encompassing.
Marriage is exclusive and all-encompassing, since man and woman are one flesh. This implies a total gift of time, home, plans, the whole person, and the body. Sexual self-giving would be false if it were not accompanied by a total personal gift in all areas of life.
Marital unity is strengthened by practicing charity through everyday gestures such as listening, helping, encouraging, comforting, valuing, and showing gratitude. Furthermore, conjugal charity requires living in truth: transparency and honesty are essential pillars.
5. Marriage, a call to the highest peaks of holiness
The document emphasizes that marital love for Christians is always called to reach the heights of charity, that supernatural love that “excuses everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything” (1 Cor 13:7). Charity is the soul of marital unity, not just a feeling, but a theological virtue that makes it possible to love with a love that is gratuitous, faithful, generous, and capable of giving itself totally. This supernatural love is a divine gift that perfects the grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony.
6. Spouses should pray together.
The document emphasizes that common prayer is one of the highest acts of marital charity, and the Eucharist, the sacrament of Christ's love, is the source of this unity.
7. Monogamy is not inbreeding.
Finally, the text warns against the risk of “endogamy,” that is, a closed “us” that can mortally wound charity. Marital charity has a missionary dimension, and lived unity becomes witness. This openness manifests itself in four key factors: the individual spaces of each spouse, the procreative dimension, sharing with other married couples, and the social sense of the couple, manifested especially in attention to the poor.
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The Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. Preparation for the Reign of Jesus Christ, a masterpiece of Marian devotion and Catholic theology, was first published in 1843, 127 years after the death of its author, the French priest St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort (1673-1716). The richness of the text flows from Sacred Scripture, the Holy Fathers, and the living Tradition of the Church, through the saint's profound spiritual and mystical experience, as well as the maturity of his missionary activity.
Saint John Paul II—who initiated the process for the declaration of Saint Louis Marie as Doctor of the Church—testified in his book-interview with André Frossard, Do not be afraid (1983): “Reading that book marked a definitive, radical change in my life.”.
And in his dialogue with Vittorio Messori, included in the volume Crossing the threshold of hope (1994), he spoke about his episcopal motto, inspired by the Treaty (“I am all yours, and all I have is yours, O my kind Jesus, through Mary, your most holy Mother”): “All yours. This formula is not merely pious; it is not a simple expression of devotion: it is something more. Thanks to Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, I understood that true devotion to the Mother of God is essentially Christocentric and, moreover, deeply rooted in the Trinitarian Mystery of God and in the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption.
We now present a brief summary of some of the splendid Mariological teachings contained in the Treatise of Saint Louis Marie.
Mediator and dispenser of grace
Inspired by the etymology of the name of the Mother of Jesus, the author poetically affirms: “God the Father created a reservoir of all waters, and called it the sea. He created a reservoir of all graces, and called it Mary” (n. 23). In a more theological way, he notes God's choice of Mary as the administrator of her Son's merits of redemption: “God the Holy Spirit communicated his gifts to Mary, his faithful Spouse, and chose her as the dispenser of all he possesses. She distributes all her gifts and graces to whomever she wants, as much as she wants, how she wants, and when she wants” (n. 25). She has therefore been constituted “treasurer of his riches, dispenser of his graces, accomplisher of his wonders, and repairer of the human race” (n. 28).
She is truly the Mother of God and of the Church, for “in the order of grace, the Head and the members are born of the same mother” (n. 32). Her intercession is indispensable for following Christ, so that “no one can attain intimate union with Our Lord and perfect fidelity to the Holy Spirit without a very close union with the Blessed Virgin” (n. 43).
In Mary, the Lord's dream is finally fulfilled, for the Holy Trinity rests as in paradise in her faithful heart, completely trusting in divine promises and totally docile to the action of the Paraclete. For this reason, he has chosen her to be the channel of the living and supernatural water of the Holy Spirit: “Only through her have all those who came after her found grace before God, and only through her will all those who come after her find it” (n. 44).
The French priest notes that invoking and imitating Christ's first and greatest disciple is the path followed by Christians who have fully embodied the Gospel in the history of the Church: “the greatest saints, the people richest in grace and virtue, are the most assiduous in imploring the Blessed Virgin and always contemplating her as the perfect model to imitate and the effective help that must come to their aid” (n. 46).
It also affirms the universality of the unique and very special cooperation of the Blessed Virgin in the work of redemption: “The salvation of the world began through Mary, and through her it must reach its fulfillment” (n. 49); “Mary, by remaining perfectly faithful to God, became the cause of salvation for herself and for all her children and servants, consecrating them to the Lord” (n. 53).
Mary's mission
Mary's role in the Church is to facilitate the union of the redeemed with the Redeemer, her divine Son. She leads us directly to Jesus: “Mary is the surest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way to Jesus Christ” (n. 55). In turn, the will of her divine Son is to rely on his blessed mother to bring everyone the fruits of his Paschal sacrifice: “Mary's strongest tendency is to unite us to Jesus Christ, her Son, and the Son's most vivid tendency is for us to go to Him through his most holy Mother. For this reason, the Blessed Virgin is the way to reach Our Lord” (n. 75).
The saint affirms that, according to the Lord's plans, “we need a mediator before the Mediator himself, and that the exalted Mary is the most capable of fulfilling this charitable office. Through her, Jesus Christ came to us, and through her we must go to him. She is so powerful that her petitions have never been ignored” (n. 85). And he concludes: “To reach Jesus Christ, we must go to Mary, our Mediatrix of intercession.
To reach the Father, we must go to the Son, our Mediator of redemption” (n. 86). He also asserts that, in our fallen nature weakened by sin, “it is difficult to persevere in grace, because of the incredible corruption of the world. Only the faithful Virgin, against whom the serpent could do nothing, performs this miracle in favor of those who serve her as best they can” (n. 89).
In short, as John Paul II stated, “by placing the Mother of Christ in relation to the Trinitarian mystery, Montfort helped me to understand that the Virgin belongs to the plan of salvation by the will of the Father, as Mother of the Incarnate Word, whom she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every intervention of Mary in the work of regenerating the faithful is not in competition with Christ, but derives from him and is at his service.
Mary's action in the plan of salvation directly refers to a mediation that takes place in Christ” (Speech, 13-10-2000). The Church recognizes Mary's “maternal mediation” and venerates her as “spiritual mother of humanity and advocate of grace” (cf. Encyclical Letter Mother of the Redeemer, 25-3-1987, nn. 38-49). Therefore, the spiritual journey of the faithful consists in “conforming themselves to Christ with Mary” (cf. Encyclical Letter Rosarium of the Virgin Mary, October 16, 2002, No. 15).
Everyone goes on a date at least once in their lives. Sometimes both people know it is a date. Often, only one believes it is a date while the other treats it as a casual meeting. In some rarer cases, both people know it is a date and there are romantic elements involved yet both parties never used the word “date”. Nevertheless, the point remains, indirectly or directly, everyone experiences at least one date with romantic undertones in their life.
Now let’s take a best-case scenario. Assume you have found someone you like. You took the risk. You asked them out. They said yes. Now the question is simple: what do you do? You have choices about where to have this date. A theme park. A movie. A fancy restaurant. In my opinion, none of it matters. I find these possibilities are distractions.
A theme park would offer you speed, lights, screams and long lines. You'll burn money and a whole day and at the end you'll learn how someone handles a roller-coaster, not really how they handle silence, doubts or ideas. Thrill is not character and the noise of the rides do not reveal anything about a person. Sure, you'll have great memories, but would you understand the person any better? We often structure first dates like carnivals and then complain that love feels like a circus.
The same would apply for a movie date at a cinema. I've always viewed it as two silent people staring forward, watching someone else's story and when it ends, they talk about that story, rather than about each other. Someone's taste in films does not make up their entire personality nor are their analysis and reviews a revelation of who they are entirely. You can leave a movie date knowing nothing about a person except their favorite genre and artistic preferences.
Now a fine restaurant looks romantic but it's expensive, stiff and self-aware. You spend more time measuring your manners and focusing on posture and the price of items than you do in trying to get to know someone's mind and personality. It feels forced and a forced moment cannot reveal a natural bond.
It is my firm view that first dates are not about thrill or spectacle. Rather they are about clarity and honesty. It’s where you choose to see the other person for who they are while they let you see them. This is why it is often said to simply be yourself on a date. You can delude and lie to yourself long enough, but you can’t lie and present an illusion to someone else forever.
The key: simplicity
Rather than having a fancy or an adventurous first date, I argue that the ideal first date is simple. Coffee. A walk in the park. Ice cream. Conversation. The point being it is an activity that allows you to communicate the most. Conversation reveals the intelligence of the mind and character of the heart. A first date where you both sit and talk over coffee is affordable, it’s honest and it’s direct. The activity is secondary, it’s not important, what’s valuable is the engagement, the flow of the conversation, the personality bits you pick up as you talk.
I ask you directly: if you marry someone, what will you do every single day? Not thrill-seeking. Not constant adventure. Not even physical intimacy on a daily basis. But you will communicate, no matter the day, be it a good or a bad day, you will communicate. You will share words, ideas, emotions, arguments, laughter and disagreements. Conversation becomes the daily work of love, the ordinary rhythm that either builds a life together or exposes the absence of one.
Communicate
Man and woman are not created merely to coexist side by side; they are called into a communion of persons, which reaches its highest form in marriage. Communion is impossible without communication: not only verbal, but emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and bodily. So, would it not make sense, already on a first date, to discern whether the two of you can communicate in a way that satisfies both the mind and the heart? If communion is the destination, then communication must be the first step.
If you cannot communicate, if your words fail to stir thought, feeling, or curiosity, then no amusement park, candlelit dinner, or fleeting intimacy will manufacture a bond. A spark is born from understanding, from genuine intellectual and emotional resonance. We cannot love what we do not truly know, and we cannot build love on illusion, convenience or mere sentiment. Emotional excitement may dazzle for a moment, but it can never replace the slow, honest work of knowing and being known.
Sure, some argue that communication improves with time. They are half-right. Communication can grow, but it must have a starting point. Zero multiplied by a hundred is still zero. Thus, there must be a foundation otherwise nothing can grow.
I see the first date as a quiet test of foundations, a test of honesty, courage, and perception. Can you truly see the person in front of you and do they see you? Do your words find each other with ease? Is there room for gentle challenges, for growth, for curiosity? Do they awaken your mind as well as your heart? Do you sense peace, grace, even something faintly divine in their presence? Do your conversations dissolve time rather than strain against it? If yes, there is real potential, something worth exploring with patience and reverence. If not, no amount of money, scenery or carefully scripted effort will manufacture what is not there.
A holy couple prays together, fasts together, they counsel one another, they visit God in the tabernacle together and share God's table, but first they communicate well with each other and in that process, help each other communicate with God better. Truth be told, if you cannot sit and speak together for hours, you will not survive the years. Why? If two people cannot communicate, they cannot cooperate; and if they cannot cooperate, they cannot love and if they can't love each other, they can't grow in love to God together and if that can't be done, what then is the point of marriage? The point is thus clear, when going on dates with someone you like, focus on communication and let the choice of venue be productive for good conversations.
Luis Beltrame and María Corsini, first spouses to be beatified together
Luigi Beltrame Quattrocchi and Maria Corsini are an iconic couple in the Catholic Church, as they were the first spouses to be beatified together. Saint John Paul II beatified them on October 21, 2001, and the liturgy commemorates them on November 25, as they were married on that same day in 1905 in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome.
Francisco Otamendi-November 25, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Saint John Paul II beatified Luis Beltrame and María Corsini together. He said that “the path to holiness taken together, as a couple, is possible, beautiful, and extraordinarily fruitful.” «And it is fundamental for the good of the family, the Church, and society,” he added. saint's day Vatican.
The richness of faith and love of the spouses Luis and María Beltrame Quattrocchi is a demonstration of what the Second Vatican Council affirmed about the call of all the faithful to holiness. Specifying that spouses pursue this goal “propriam viam sequentes,” “following their own path” (Lumen gentium, 41).
“This precise indication of the Council is fully realized today,”, said the Polish Pope, “with the first beatification of a married couple.” At the Jubilee of Families on June 1, the Pope Leo XIV He referred to “holy marriages” and cited the Beltrames, Guerins, and Ulmas.
Holy marriages
Luigi was born in Catania, although he lived most of his life in Rome; Maria, on the other hand, was Florentine. They met in Rome around 1902, when he was 22 and she was 18.They were married on November 25, 1905, in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. They had four children: Felipe, Estefanía, César, and Enriqueta, the latter born after a difficult and risky pregnancy for her mother, but both refused to terminate it for reasons of faith.
Among the married couples who have been declared saints are, in addition to Saint Mary and Saint Joseph, the parents of Jesus, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the parents of the Virgin Mary. Saints Priscilla and Aquila, collaborators of Saint Paul. Saint Isidore the Farmer and Saint Mary of the Head. Saints Celia Guerín and Luis Martín. Manuel Rodrigues Moura and his wife, and other married couples who were martyred on various continents.
The parents of Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Louis Martin and Celia Guerin, were beatified on October 19, 2008, by Benedict XVI. They were canonized on October 18, 2015, by Pope Francis, in a ceremony in St. Peter's Square.
The authorFrancisco Otamendi
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‘Sacré Coeur: record ratings and public rejection in secular France
With more than 400,000 viewers since its release on October 1 through November 14, and still growing, a new film about the Sacred Heart of Jesus has become an unexpected box office hit in France, breaking records and sparking controversy.
The new film about the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacré Coeur, is breaking box office records in France. It is also breaking records for public rejection in campaigns and in important city councils in secular France, such as Marseille.
‘Sacré Coeur‘It has completely exceeded initial expectations (with lines at movie theaters not seen in years), while also sparking significant controversy in France. This includes the cancellation of the film's promotional campaign on public transportation and its screening in France's second-largest city, given the country's secular nature.
However, for many, the film's popularity demonstrates that French Catholicism has returned to the public arena.
Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Released on October 1, the film, subtitled “His reign will have no end,” focuses on the apparitions of Jesus to a French Visitation nun, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, to whom he showed his heart between 1673 and 1675 in Paray-Le-Monial, in the French region of Burgundy.
Produced to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the apparitions, this docudrama combines historical reenactments, testimonials, and expert analysis. It gives ample space to accounts of personal encounters with Christ, often during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
The witnesses and speakers are very diverse. They range from Father Matthieu Raffray, a traditionalist priest known for his strong opinions on social media, to prisoners, members of parliament, and a former drug dealer from Bondy, a city in the northern suburbs of Paris known for its high crime rate.
Screenshot from the film Sacré Coeur, directed by Steven and Sabrina Gunnell, showing St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and Jesus. (OSV News/courtesy of SAJE).
Inspired by a visit to the sanctuary in Burgundy
The film's directors, Steven and Sabrina Gunnell, were inspired to produce it after a visit to the sanctuary in Burgundy. Steven is a former member of the French youth band Alliage from the 1990s. He converted to Catholicism and now works with his wife on producing films related to their deep Christian faith.
The film places great importance on the shrine of Paray-le-Monial. Entrusted to the Emmanuel Community since 1985, the shrine welcomes tens of thousands of pilgrims each year. It was the setting for a successful jubilee celebration for the 350th anniversary of the apparitions, held between December 2023 and June 2025.
The jubilee was closely linked to the late Pope Francis's last encyclical, “Dilexit Nos,” subtitled “On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ,” published in October 2024.
The film's success was accompanied by criticism, both inside and outside the Catholic Church.
The film does not mention the Jesuits.
A common criticism of “Sacred Heart” from within the Church is the omission of the Jesuits. The film features St. Alacoque's spiritual director, Father Claude La Colombière—canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 1992—but never mentions that he was a Jesuit. Several French Jesuits told OSV News that they regretted this, highlighting the key role of the Society of Jesus in spreading devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Today, the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, rooted in Jesuit spirituality, encompasses more than 22 million Catholics in 92 countries. The Jesuits interviewed stated that recognizing society, along with other congregations linked to this devotion, would have demonstrated that devotion to the Sacred Heart is a vital movement within the universal Church, not just a local phenomenon.
Outside the Catholic sphere, the controversy reached the level of “Christianophobia,” in the words of the director himself, when public institutions such as city councils were reluctant to screen the film, as was the case in Marseille.
‘Violation of the nation's secularism
The October 22 screening at the Château de La Buzine, a municipal cinema, was canceled, citing a “violation of the principle of secularism” in a public space.
Le Monde reported that the screening had been canceled minutes before the premiere on the grounds that “a public establishment cannot host screenings of a religious nature.”.
As the film was about to be released on October 1 throughout France, MediaTransports, the advertising agency for SNCF and RATP, rejected its planned poster campaign in metro and train stations, citing the “religious and proselytizing nature” of the project, “incompatible with the principle of public service neutrality,” Le Figaro reported.
Heated debate about cinema
Joining a heated debate about Sacré Coeur, on October 29, Le Monde highlighted the film's “political” dimension. It also expressed surprise at its “low-budget” nature, which “should never have gone beyond the niche audience for which it was intended.”.
But for Father Pascal Ide, a priest of the Archdiocese of Paris known as an online film critic, “’Sacré Cœur’ dusts off, decompartmentalizes, and depoliticizes a central truth of Christianity, which is that God became Heart.”.
A doctor of medicine, philosophy, and theology, Father Ide expressed his enthusiasm for the film in La Croix October 29. “What moved me most was undoubtedly the person of Jesus and his intense desire to approach each person personally in the most intimate way, to experience an intense heart-to-heart connection,” said Father Ide.
“Discreet but real return of religion”
In a conversation with OSV News, he added: “The film is very enriching. There is something for everyone. What is certain is that it has a considerable impact, which says a lot about the expectations of an audience that goes beyond practicing Catholics.”.
On November 3, Le Figaro devoted an entire page to the docudrama phenomenon, saying that “This film reveals the return discreet but real influence of religion in French society.”.
The film's popularity is so great, Le Figaro said, that “week after week, the lines are getting longer in front of movie theaters, which have been struggling since the beginning of the year.”.
Unprecedented popularity‘
La Croix praised the “unprecedented” popularity “for a documentary of this nature,” saying that “the audience, which is growing thanks to word of mouth, is more diverse than the controversy surrounding the film's release would suggest.”.
For the Catholic magazine La Vie, ‘the key to success lies in the film itself,’ which the magazine describes as “a popular catechism” with its own missionary dimension. Based on this observation, many bishops continue to promote it on their diocesan websites.
Le Figaro quoted one of the viewers, Jean-Michel, who said: “This film goes beyond the scope of a simple documentary: it is a true inner journey, an encounter with the living love of the heart of Jesus.”.
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding next year, U.S. bishops will consecrate the nation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The decision was made during the fall plenary assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, held November 11 in Baltimore.
———————-
Caroline de Sury writes for OSV News from Paris.
This information was originally published in OSV News. You can consult it here.
Recent popes have emphasized contemplating nature as a source of spiritual vitality. Over a hundred years ago, John Muir was one of the pioneers of this human ecology: nature as a homecoming.
Marta Revuelta and Jaime Nubiola-November 24, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Who is that bearded man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and gazing intently alongside the President of the United States at the abyss of Yosemite? He is neither a politician nor a military man, but a naturalist who made contact with nature his life's mission and who knew how to convince a president of the need to protect the wilderness.
John Muir, with his gaunt figure and biblical prophet's beard, was not only accompanying Theodore Roosevelt on that famous 1903 excursion: he was, in fact, convincing the president that the wilderness should be protected for future generations. That photograph is now the symbol of a seminal moment: when the contemplation of nature became conservation policy.
Origins
Muir had come a long way to reach that summit. He was born in Dunbar, Scotland, in 1838, and emigrated to Wisconsin, in the United States, at the age of eleven. His life on his family's farm was marked by the hard work imposed by his father. Those hours of intense effort contrasted with moments of freedom, when he would walk with his brother through the meadows and stop to watch a bird or a flower. That childhood experience, a mixture of severity and wonder, nurtured a sensitivity that would never leave him.
Contact with nature
In his youth, he stood out as an inventor and studied chemistry, botany, and geology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A serious accident in 1867 left him almost blind, but his recovery marked the beginning of a new life: he set out on a journey on foot of more than 1,800 kilometers to the Gulf of Mexico, and from there he reached California, where he began to explore Yosemite. There he found what he would call his true home. “Going to the mountains is like coming home.”, I would write in My first summer in the mountains (1911).
His life became a constant pilgrimage. He discovered the glaciers of the Sierra Nevada, traveled to Alaska and named the Muir Glacier, researched the ecology of giant sequoias, and traveled throughout South America, Africa, and Australia. But he always returned to Yosemite, where the experience of the wild revealed itself to him as a sacred mystery.
At The mountains of California (1894) wrote: “When we try to distinguish something on its own, we discover that it is connected to everything else in the universe. On every walk in nature, you receive much more than you were looking for.”. That conviction of interconnectedness led him to assert that wilderness was not a luxury, but a vital necessity. “Thousands of tired, nervous, overly civilized people are beginning to discover that wildness is a necessity.”he wrote in Our National Parks (1901).
For Muir, that need was also an inner calling. In a letter to his friend Jeanne Carr, he simply expressed his destiny: “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” (La vida y las cartas de John Muir, 1924). But he did not want to keep this revelation to himself. In his diaries he states: “Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray, where nature can heal and give strength to both body and soul.” (John of the Mountains, 1938).
That pedagogical vocation turned into political action. In 1892, he founded the Sierra Club, which is still active today, and devoted his energies to defending Yosemite and the national parks. He understood nature as a school and teacher, capable of teaching more clearly than books: “The clearest path to the universe is through a wild forest.” (Un viaje de mil millas hacia el golfo, 1916).
From nature to God
For John Muir, the wild forest speaks to us of God. Muir had abandoned his family's Calvinism, which tended to view God as totally alien to the world. Although he had little connection with the Catholic tradition, Muir seems to have sensed—according to scholar Tim Flinders—the divine presence that animates the natural world., “who inhabits the universe and fills it with light and harmony” (John Muir: Spiritual Writings, p. 24). Through his work, his writings, and his life, Muir taught that nature can lead us to discover and admire its Creator.
His thinking combined the spiritual, the scientific, and the political: spiritual, because he saw the sacred in the wild; scientific, because he rigorously studied geology and botany; political, because he knew how to influence laws and presidents. He believed that nature should be preserved. “for the benefit and enjoyment of all the people”, as a common good of humanity.
The 1903 photograph in Yosemite sums up that entire journey. On one side, Roosevelt, embodying the power of the state; on the other, Muir, with his fiery gaze and hermit-like demeanor, embodying the voice of the mountain. Between them, the immense landscape of Yosemite, witness to a pact in favor of conservation. Perhaps that is why, when we look at the image again, we understand that it portrays not only a president and a naturalist, but humanity in dialogue with the wild. Roosevelt represents political power; Muir, spiritual power. And between them opens the horizon of nature, which seems to remind us that true greatness lies not in domination, but in preservation. There, in the silence of Yosemite, Muir's call still echoes: the mountains continue to call us, and we still have time to respond.
Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and the 117 Martyrs of Vietnam
On November 24, the liturgy celebrates Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, priest, and his fellow martyrs of Vietnam, 117 in total in the 18th and 19th centuries, beatified by several popes, and finally canonized by Saint John Paul II in 1988.
Francisco Otamendi-November 24, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
The 117 martyrs of Vietnam bear witness to fidelity unto death throughout centuries of persecution religious in what is now Vietnam. Several popes beatified Vietnamese martyrs, and finally, a decree in 1986 united the 117, canonized by St. John Paul II in the late 1980s.
Of the total, 96 were Vietnamese, 11 were Spanish Dominican missionaries, and 10 were French priests from the Paris Foreign Missions Society. The persecution took place between 1745 and 1862. Many of the martyrs suffered terrible punishments and died in prisons under inhumane conditions.
During the Angelus on the day of the canonization, John Paul II recalled the sanctuary of La Vang, where many Christian faithful took refuge during the persecutions. In his address to the Spanish and French pilgrims present in Rome, he recalled the courage of those missionaries and faithful: “In their passionate zeal, they remind us of the greatness of the gift of faith.”.
Bishops, priests, laypeople
According to the Fides agency, the 117 martyrs, whose list can be seen here, Not only do they represent a very high symbolic number, but also the diversity of the Vietnamese Church: bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople, united by the witness of martyrdom. The majority were priests (including 37 Vietnamese priests), but there were also laypeople. Other media outlets have specified that among them were eight bishops, 50 priests, and 59 lay people, according to their state of life.
Among the best-known martyrs are Saint Andrew Dũng Lạc, a Vietnamese priest executed by beheading,and Saint Bênađô Vũ Văn Duệ, an elderly priest when he was martyred in 1838. The eleven Spanish martyrs were Dominicans, including six bishops.
From 1645 to 1886, 53 edicts were issued against Christians in Vietnam, leading to the martyrdom of up to 113,000 believers, explains the Vatican website. Faced with the steadfastness of so many martyrs of the faith, the Vietnamese monarchy relented in its cruelty and imposed only the dispersal and confiscation of the property of the growing number of converts to the Christian faith.
Pope calls for release of hostages in Nigeria and Cameroon
This morning during the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV made an urgent appeal for the release of hostages kidnapped in Nigeria and Cameroon. In addition, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, which celebrates the Jubilee of Choirs, the Pope praised the expression of love for God through the beauty of music.
During the Angelus prayer on the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Leo expressed his “immense sadness at the news of the kidnapping of priests and students in Nigeria and Cameroon. I feel deep sorrow, especially for the many young people who have been kidnapped and for their anguished families.”.
The Pontiff has made “a vehement appeal for the immediate release of the hostages” and has urged “the competent authorities to take the necessary measures to achieve this. Let us pray for these brothers and sisters of ours, and that churches and schools may always and everywhere remain places of safety and hope.”.
As is well known, two days ago armed men kidnapped more than 300 students and 12 teachers from a Nigerian Catholic school.The kidnapped students were both male and female and ranged in age from 10 to 18, the Christian Association of Nigeria said in a statement.
Letter ‘In unitate fidei’
Pope Leo XIV also said that “my apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon is now approaching. Turkey will celebrate the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. For this reason, the Apostolic Letter ‘In unitate fidei’ is being published today, commemorating this historic event.» You can find information about the letter and its text here.
On the other hand, the Pontiff added in the Angelus that “today World Youth Day is being celebrated in dioceses around the world. I bless and spiritually embrace those who are participating in the various celebrations and initiatives. On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person may discover the beauty and joy of following Him, the Lord, and of dedicating themselves to His Kingdom of love, justice, and peace.
Choir Jubilee
Church choirs help everyone at Mass experience harmony while expressing love for God through the beauty of music, the Pope said in his homily at the Jubilee Mass.
In celebrating this Jubilee of Choirs, a feast day of Christ the King, The Pope said that «Christ's power is love, his throne is the Cross, and through the Cross his Kingdom shines forth in the world.».
On this feast day, World Youth Day is celebrated in dioceses around the world, and it was present in the prayers of the Mass and in the Pope's words at the end of the liturgy.
During Mass, those in attendance prayed for young people, that “following Christ, our Lord and King,” they “may set the world ablaze with their zeal and creativity, so that they may bear witness to the humble power of the Gospel.”.
Pope Leo XIV said he wanted to greet and embrace spiritually all the young people celebrating in their dioceses. “On the feast of Christ the King, I pray that every young person will discover the beauty of the joy of following him, the Lord, and devote themselves to his kingdom of love, justice, and peace.”.
Love should inspire choirs
In its homily After Mass, he said that love should inspire choirs. “Being part of a choir means moving forward together,” he said, “taking our brothers and sisters by the hand and helping them walk with us.”.
«It is about singing God's praises together, comforting our brothers and sisters in suffering, exhorting them when they seem to be giving in to weariness, and encouraging them when difficulties seem to prevail,» said the Pope.
A parish choir is a bit like the church itself, he said. It strives to journey through history singing God's praises.
“Although this path is sometimes fraught with difficulties and trials, and moments of joy alternate with others that are more tiring,” added the Successor of Peter, “singing lightens the way and brings relief and comfort.”.
Music helps us express what is in our hearts.
Pope Leo, who enthusiastically chants prayers and sings hymns, said that music helps people “express what we carry deep in our hearts and what words cannot always convey.”.
“Music can express the full range of feelings and emotions that arise within us,” he said. “Singing, in particular, is a natural and refined expression of the human being: mind, feelings, body, and soul come together to communicate the great events of life.”.
The liturgical service of a choir at Mass “is a true ministry that requires preparation, commitment, mutual understanding, and above all, a deep spiritual life, so that when they sing, they pray and help everyone else to pray,” said the Pope.
Although a choir is a “small family of individuals united by their love of music and the service they offer,” he emphasized that they must remember that at Mass, the entire community is part of the family.
Without ostentation
“You are not on stage, but part of that community, striving to help it grow in unity by inspiring and involving its members,” the Pope told them. “Devote yourselves to facilitating the participation of the people of God, without giving in to the temptation of ostentation, which prevents the entire liturgical assembly from actively participating in the singing.”.
And the Pope urged the choir members to strive to ensure that their own spiritual lives are “always worthy of the service they perform, so that their ministry may authentically express the grace of the liturgy.”.
Leo XIV: «The Nicene Creed tells us of a God who is close to us.»
Today, on the Solemnity of Christ the King, Pope Leo XIV published the Apostolic Letter "In unitate fidei" on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which gave rise to the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
«With this letter, I wish to encourage throughout the Church a renewed impulse in the profession of faith, whose truth, which for centuries has been the shared heritage of Christians, deserves to be confessed and deepened in ever new and contemporary ways,» begins Pope Leo XIV's Apostolic Letter. «In unity of faith», written on the occasion of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea and published shortly before the first papal trip to Turkey on the occasion of this anniversary.
In this letter, which is not particularly long, the Pope compares the times when the Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 with the present day, pointing out how those times «were no less turbulent» than today.
The pontiff recounts the main historical milestones that led Bishop Alexander of Alexandria to summon the bishops of Egypt and Libya to a synod to combat Arian teachings and, subsequently, Emperor Constantine to call «all bishops to an ecumenical, that is, universal council in Nicaea to restore unity. The synod, called the “318 Fathers,” was held under the presidency of the emperor: the number of bishops gathered was unprecedented.
God «has come to meet us in Jesus Christ.»
The Pope elaborates on the debate that arose at this council, which was «due to the need to respond to the question raised by Arius about how the statement “Son of God” should be understood and how it could be reconciled with biblical monotheism.».
At this meeting, «the Fathers confessed that Jesus is the Son of God insofar as he is ‘of the same substance (ousia) of the Father […] generated, not created, from the same substance (of the same substance) of the Father.' This statement is completely distinct from Arian theory and, in practice, means »reaffirming that the one true God is not unreachably distant from us, but rather has drawn near and come to meet us in Jesus Christ.«.
God from God, light from light, true God from true God
León XIV then focuses on the statement in the Creed that God is «God from God, light from light, true God from true God.» Explaining each of these points, he emphasizes: «The Council then adopts the biblical metaphor of light: ‘God is light’ (1 Jn 1.5; cf. Jn 1:4-5). Like light that radiates and communicates itself without diminishing, so the Son is the reflection (apaugasma) of God's glory and the image (character) of your being (hypostasis) (cf. Hb 1,3; 2 Co 4:4). The incarnate Son, Jesus, is therefore the light of the world and of life (cf. Jn 8:12). Through baptism, the eyes of our hearts are enlightened (cf. Ef 1:18), so that we too may be light in the world.».
It also states that «the Creed affirms that the Son is ‘true God from true God’. The true God is the God who speaks and acts in the history of salvation,» «The Christian,» continues Leo XIV, «is therefore called to convert from dead idols to the living and true God.».
The Pope has placed great emphasis on live out the Creed, In this apostolic letter: «The Nicene Creed does not formulate a philosophical theory. It professes faith in the God who has redeemed us through Jesus Christ,» emphasizes the pontiff, who recalls how, by virtue of the incarnation of the Son of God, «we find the Lord in our brothers and sisters in need.».
«The Nicene Creed does not speak to us, therefore, of a distant, unreachable, immobile God who rests in himself, but of a God who is close to us,» the pontiff recalled.
In this regard, quoting St. Athanasius, emphasizes that «having himself become man, he divinized men. It is not that, being man, he subsequently became God, but that, being God, he became man in order to divinize us.».
A deification that, far from being a self-deification of man, «protects us from the primordial temptation of wanting to be like God (cf. Gn 3.5). What Christ is by nature, we become by grace. Through the work of redemption, God has not only restored our human dignity as the image of God, but He who created us in a wonderful way has made us participants, in an even more admirable way, in His divine nature (cf. 2 P 1,4). Divinization is, therefore, true humanization.
Path of unity and witness of life
The letter concludes with a strong call to continue and intensify the journey toward unity with other Christian denominations.
In this regard, Leo XIV recalls that the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed became a bond of unity between East and West. In the 16th century, it was also upheld by the ecclesial communities born of the Reformation. The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is thus the common profession of all Christian traditions. It has been a long and linear path that has led from Sacred Scripture to the Nicene profession of faith, then to its reception by Constantinople and Chalcedon, and again to the 16th century and our 21st century.«.
At the end of the letter, the Pope reiterates the need for the Creed to come alive in the lives of Christians, serving as a guide for witness: «The liturgy and Christian life are therefore firmly anchored in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed: what we say with our mouths must come from the heart, so that it may be witnessed in our lives. (...) The Nicene Creed invites us, then, to an examination of conscience. What does God mean to me and how do I bear witness to my faith in Him?».
Along with this call to bear witness to the Creed with our lives, the Pope has focused on the ecumenical task of the Church. In this regard, he recalls how «Saint John Paul II continued and promoted the conciliar message in the Encyclical Ut unum sint(May 25, 1995). Thus, with the great commemoration of the First Council of Nicaea, we also celebrate the anniversary of the first ecumenical encyclical. It can be considered a manifesto that has updated those same ecumenical foundations laid by the Council of Nicaea. In this letter, Leo XIV wanted to call for »walking together to achieve unity and reconciliation among all Christians,« noting further that »the Nicene Creed can be the basis and reference point for this journey.«.
The Pope does not hide the fact that this path of unity «is a theological challenge and, even more, a spiritual challenge, which requires repentance and conversion on the part of all. For this reason, we need a spiritual ecumenism of prayer, praise, and worship, as happened in the Nicene and Constantinople Creeds,» in order to arrive, as he emphasizes in this Apostolic Letter, at «a future-oriented ecumenism of reconciliation on the path of dialogue, of exchange of our gifts and spiritual heritage.».
Since October 27, when D. S. Garrocho wrote in El País about Ethe Catholic shift as a result of Lux y Sundays There has been quite a lot of literature on this subject in a very short time. Whether this is a serious shift or not remains to be seen. But, in my opinion, this general feeling of a urgency for God, of a thirst for transcendence that is more lasting than previous messianic promises (I am referring to the empty promises typical of ideologies) has been latent in the heart of Western society for longer than it seems. And what seems to have happened is that there has been a first spiritual awakening. That awakening speaks volumes, in my opinion, of a weariness, a tiredness with the world precisely because of the lack of spirituality. Much has been done to encourage awakening—woke– to young people. But wake up from what dream?
Ideologies have attempted to inspire dreams of a world that can be transformed into something truly worthwhile. The fact is that time passes and ideologies have failed to fill the world with eternity, which is what the human heart truly desires. There seems to be, and we will see how it turns out, an awakening not to another dream, but to a reality that is more difficult to see, but at the same time is the only thing that can fill the void in the hearts of those who sincerely seek something eternal, something true, something beautiful. And that “something” is God, it is Love, it is Spirit, which no ideology can give.
The weariness of the self
Fatigue. It is a word that Byung-Chul Han predicted with The society of fatigue. There is a deep weariness of the self. That weariness is necessary in order to open up to others. The weariness of the virtual world that prevents us from relating to each other. The weariness of culture. woke Everything that cancels out leaves no room for freedom. The weariness of a self that only has time and the world, but a world encapsulated in dreams, separates us from the true reality that is discovered in others, in family, in God.
That tiredness is positive if it leads us to wake up, to open ourselves up to “spending time” on what is truly profound, and not to remain cloistered in the self. That self-absorbed and narcissistic self causes another kind of tiredness that leads to anxiety, depression... to illness.
If there really is a Catholic shift, it is because there is weariness, boredom, fatigue, or whatever you want to call it. Too much has been expected of politicians, too much hope has been placed in things that are very outdated... We are waking up to that. There is a need to truly love. The erafromthepost-truth It does not exist, has never existed, and will never exist due to the very nature of truth. And people perceive this. There is a need to forgive, to be grateful, to make the most of life, but not with blind, stressful, and hyper-productive activism, which is what causes negative fatigue, but rather by putting our lives at the service of others, by filling ourselves with the capacity to marvel at the beauty of this world.
In short, begin to enjoy contemplating beautiful things, and do not be afraid of silence. The blossoming of spirituality that we perceive comes precisely from the world of beauty: from cinema and music in particular. Dostoyevsky already said it in The idiotBeauty will save the world. And save it from what? From the self tired of itself and from ideologies that promise fleeting happiness.
An authentic spiritual awakening
This alleged Catholic shift is a call to step outside of oneself, to promote a truly woke, that awakens us to each other and to the Other. The danger I foresee if the shift truly occurs is that it will be a purely sentimental shift. And why is this a danger? Because feelings are also perishable. Necessary, yes, but fleeting.
If this shift is about opening ourselves to the Spirit, a Spirit of Life, Love, Beauty, Giving, and Gratitude, then feelings cannot be what sustains change. Love is much more than feelings. In fact, love is what remains when feelings no longer support us. If this shift is real, we will need to approach it with less sentimentality and more faith. If weariness awakens us to the Spirit, then the awakening must be approached from a spiritual perspective, which is never just about feelings. And this is the challenge: to live knowing that feelings drive us, but love is what gives life, and life... in abundance.
Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr, patron saint of musicians
On November 22, the liturgy celebrates the young Roman saint Cecilia, a virgin who was martyred in 230 during the reign of Alexander Severus, when Pope Urban I was pope. Saint Cecilia is considered the patron saint of music, musicians, and singers.
Francisco Otamendi-November 22, 2025-Reading time: < 1minute
It is known that as early as the fifth century, a basilica was dedicated to Saint Cecilia, virgin and martyr, in the Trastivere district of Rome. Her cult spread widely after the account of her martyrdom, or Passio, was written in the sixth century, in which she is praised as the perfect example of a Christian woman who embraced virginity and suffered martyrdom for the love of Christ.
According to the Passio Sanctae Caeciliae, Cecilia married the patrician Valerian for convenience, to whom she confides that she has converted to Christianity and taken a vow of perpetual virginity, writes the saint's day Vatican. Valeriano agrees to receive catechesis and baptism. He is later joined by his brother Tiburcio, who also embraces the Christian faith. Both brothers were arrested and beheaded, along with the officer who took them to prison, who had also converted.
He professed his Christian faith.
The Roman authorities also wanted to arrest Cecilia, despite the young Christian woman's popularity. They locked her in a cauldron at high temperatures, but after 24 hours, the guards found her miraculously alive, enveloped in a heavenly dew. Her beheading was then ordered, but the executioner was unable to carry it out.
Finally, Cecilia died after three days of agony, and although she could not speak, she professed her faith in the Triune God with her fingers. This is how she was sculpted in the statue kept under the central altar of the Basilica that bears her name. The Vatican website notes that at the end of the medieval period, an explicit and documented link between Saint Cecilia and music was found, despite some misinterpretation. The Academy of Music founded in Rome in 1584 bears her name.
“Children don’t disturb Mass”: a look from the heart of a mother
"I want to say as loudly as possible to parents: the Church doesn't mind children! No matter how much some priests may say otherwise, or how many people may turn to you and your child with disapproving looks.".
November 22, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Every Sunday, many families experience the same scenario: we want to go to Mass and worship the Lord, but we have young children. If the parish does not have a children's room, going to the main nave can become a real odyssey. Not because children are a problem, but because, often, our churches are not designed for them.
Before becoming a mother, I confess that I too dreamed of “perfect Masses”: a profound and approachable priest, a carefully planned liturgy, a well-tuned choir, an atmosphere of silence conducive to prayer. For me, silence was almost synonymous with the presence of God.
But when my children arrived, everything changed. I discovered that Mass can be experienced in a different way. That there is a hidden grace for parents who continue to go to Mass even when everything is against them, including the community itself.
It was during those “interrupted” Masses that I understood, for the first time, what it means to live the Eucharistic mystery with simplicity. Thus, feeling out of place due to the constant impatient glances directed at my children, I understood that God's presence did not depend on my concentration, that Mass was not a yoga session. He is there, even when I cannot follow every word, even when I do not hear the entire homily.
This is not about encouraging disorder, of course. All parents try to ensure that our children behave respectfully and do not interrupt, but too often we find that the Church has no place for them. If there is no room or space where children can move around freely, families end up at the door or on the street, trying to listen to Mass from outside. And for this effort, I want to say as loudly as possible to parents: the Church does not mind children! No matter how much some priests say otherwise or how many attendees turn to you and your child with disapproving looks.
I would also like to experience Mass in a different way, without my children's questions and constant demands, especially when they are not even five years old. However, although it may seem that such young children are unaware of anything, I have had experiences that cannot be replicated in a religion class or in a community where there are no children.
After the liturgy of the word and after consecrating the wine, my son becomes emotional and, looking at the chalice that the priest raises above the altar, he says to me in a loud voice: “Mom, it's Lightning McQueen's cup.”. When I hear him, I can't help but smile, trying to control my laughter. I look at my son and see his eyes shining. So I give him a kiss, thinking, “My son is mixing everything up,” I think at first. But then, when I look back at the chalice where God is present, I feel a certain envy towards my son. I too would like to look at him with that same admiration, with that same desire.
Since then, at every Mass, I ask the Lord to grant me the grace to be a child again, to mix everything up, to desire him as my son desired him that time: as the star of his favorite movie.
Catholic scientists: Jaime Ferrán y Clúa, physician and bacteriologist
On November 22, 1929, Jaime Ferrán y Clúa, physician, bacteriologist, and discoverer of a vaccine against cholera, passed away. This series of short biographies of Catholic scientists is published thanks to the collaboration of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain.
Ferrán was a Spanish physician who took an interest in the work of Pasteur in bacteriology. At that time, the role of bacteria in the etiology of numerous diseases was demonstrated, and from there Ferrán began his work in bacteriology and vaccine development, using a home laboratory in Tortosa.
After spending time in Marseille studying a cholera epidemic in 1884 on behalf of Barcelona City Council, he developed an anti-cholera vaccine in his laboratory that was used during an epidemic in the province of Valencia (the first anti-bacterial vaccine used on humans during an epidemic), although its widespread use was subsequently banned following a controversy in which politics and science became intertwined. He later took charge of the Municipal Microbiological Laboratory of Barcelona, where he produced and improved Pasteur's rabies vaccine. He also developed vaccines against yellow fever, typhus, and bubonic plague, and perfected the production of anti-diphtheria serum.
Later, in 1905, he was dismissed from the Laboratory, again after a controversy involving both science and politics, and took refuge in his own Ferrán Institute, where he spent the rest of his days researching tuberculosis. He described the multi-stage life cycle of the bacterium and developed an anti-alpha vaccine, which did receive official support and was used in Spain, Argentina, and Uruguay, coexisting with the French BCG vaccine.
Ferrán was honored by the French Academy of Sciences and received tributes in many countries. In 1950, the Jaime Ferrán Institute of Microbiology was created at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), which in 1953 gave rise to the microbiology section of the Biological Research Center in Madrid. Today, the Spanish Society of Microbiology awards the Jaime Ferrán Prize in his honor.
He had strong Catholic convictions. He said that “anyone who does not believe in God is either ignorant or has no brain.". Because nothing works without winding it up, like a clock, like a car. But who sets this great work of creation in motion? He therefore found in the regularities of nature a sign of the existence of a Creator who had brought it into being.
The authorGonzalo Colmenarejo
PhD. IMDEA Food.
Member of the Society of Catholic Scientists of Spain.
128th Plenary Assembly: spiritual rebirth, abortion, and the PRIVA plan
The Spanish bishops held their 128th Plenary Assembly from November 18 to 21, 2025, where they discussed topics such as spiritual rebirth, abortion, and the PRIVA plan.
Following the ecumenical celebration held on November 20 at the Almudena Cathedral to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) is today celebrating the last day of its 128th Plenary Assembly, which has been taking place at the CEE headquarters since Tuesday, November 18.
The Secretary General, Monsignor Francisco César García Magán, reported on the conclusions of this meeting at the final press conference of the Plenary Assembly.
Pastoral guidelines, synodality, and the PRIVA plan
The bishops have made progress in drawing up the pastoral guidelines for the next four-year period (2026-2030), a strategic document that will set out common priorities and the actions planned for each Episcopal Commission. After receiving contributions from dioceses, ecclesiastical provinces, and directors of the CEE, the text is now in the synthesis phase prior to its final drafting.
In addition, the Assembly studied the proposals of the CEE's synodal representative, Monsignor Francisco Conesa, to promote structures and practices that make diocesan life more synodal. These include the creation of diocesan synodal teams and the consolidation of synodal representatives already present in almost all dioceses. Although these initiatives are not entirely new—they were already promoted after the Second Vatican Council—the aim is to deepen and systematize the active participation of the faithful in ecclesial life.
The annual report of the Advisory Committee on the Comprehensive Reparation Plan for minors and persons with equivalent rights who are victims of sexual abuse (PRIVA) has also been released. The presentation was made by the CEE representative on this Committee, Cristina Guzmán, and the director of the Coordination and Advisory Service of the Offices for the Protection of Minors, Jesús Rodríguez Torrente. To date, 101 cases have been submitted to this Commission, 58 of which have already been resolved and communicated, and the necessary information has been requested for the other cases in order to establish the channel for reparation.
Regarding abortion, Bishop García Magán emphasized that the debate transcends religious convictions, pointing out that, in addition to the religious approach, there is a scientific and philosophical dimension that must also be considered in any reflection on this issue.
100 more seminarians than last year
Monsignor Jesús Vidal, president of the Episcopal Subcommittee for Seminaries and the Pope's representative for these matters, has reflected on the current situation: formation criteria, number of seminarians, and vocational reality. As Monsignor García Magán pointed out, the number of seminarians in Spain has increased by about 100 young people compared to last year: “The spirit blows where it wills and when it wills. We cannot make marketing plans,” he stressed.
As for the «Catholic turn,» García Magán emphasized that this approach to the spiritual dimension of the person can be diffuse and «difficult to pigeonhole» into a specific reality, but he considered it a positive sign. “Emphasizing the spiritual dimension of the person is valuable: we are not just a collection of cells and chemical reactions; we are distinguished from plants and animals by our capacity to transcend and seek meaning,” he said.
Thus, the president of the Episcopal Commission for the Laity, Family, and Life, Bishop Carlos Escribano, and the president of Catholic Action, Eva Fernández Mateo, have reported on the current situation of Catholic Action and the new evangelization project they are working on.
The bishops reflected on the presence of lay people in public life, emphasizing the importance of accompanying and promoting vocations of service, encouraging the active participation of the faithful in parish life and in society. As part of this initiative, the creation of summer courses focused on formation and dialogue was proposed, following the methodological framework of «see, judge, and act.».
The Plenary also approved the final text of the Regulation of the «General Council of the Church in Education.» This document includes the contributions of the 127th Plenary Assembly, which already approved the proposal and the base document, and the contributions of the members of the Plenary and the Permanent Seminar of this Council.
On November 21, the Church celebrates the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Temple, an ancient and cherished liturgical memorial that recalls Mary's gesture of devotion, offered to God as a child by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne.
Francisco Otamendi-November 21, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
According to tradition, inspired In the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem at the age of three by her parents, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, to consecrate her to the Lord. The Church sees in this early offering of the Presentation of the Virgin the image of Mary as a “living temple,” the one who will welcome the Son of God into her womb.
The feast has ancient roots. It was already celebrated in the East since the sixth century, linked to the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New in Jerusalem. In the West, it was incorporated into the Roman calendar in 1585 by Pope Sixtus V. Beyond its date and origin, this memorial illuminates the mystery of Mary as a creature fully open to grace from the beginning of her history.
Current call and prophetic sign
The initial dedication of the Virgin Mary anticipates decisive moments, such as her “yes” at the Annunciation, or her faithful presence at the foot of the Cross. Many spiritual authors see in this feast an invitation to offer our own lives as temples for God, following in Mary's footsteps.
The Presentation of the Virgin Mary It is not just a memory of the past. It is a current call to discover the beauty of silent fidelity, authors point out. This day is also an opportunity to give thanks for the vocation of those who today consecrate their lives to the Lord. Coinciding with this feast, the Church celebrates Pro Orantibus Day, dedicated to contemplatives.
Nor is it a remote event, but rather a prophetic sign. God delicately prepares the history of salvation, and He does so by counting on the humble “yes” of a little girl. This feast must be distinguished from the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple by Mary and Joseph, which the liturgy celebrates on February 2. There, the elderly Simeon and the prophetess Anna appear.
The authorFrancisco Otamendi
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AI has become a tool for priests to prepare sermons. However, it poses risks, as true homilies require spiritual action, prayer, and embodying the Gospel.
Manuel Blanco-November 21, 2025-Reading time: 3minutes
Every journalist faces “blank page syndrome” at some point. Similarly, the challenge for every preacher is to have something to say; to know how to explain the Word of God and share it; to get the main message of the Gospel right without drawing a blank... Brevity, conciseness, moving lives and hearts are all part of this challenge. A mixture of cold sweat and tremendous excitement characterizes the struggles and anxieties of those who rack their brains to convey the Good News to others. A funny paradox: when it comes to writing about the risks and advantages of using AI (Artificial Intelligence), the first impulse is to turn to “it” to see what it thinks about the subject, how it approaches it. Something like “searching” before “thinking.” In any case, this is nothing that has not been done before, albeit in a more rudimentary way: turning to encyclopedias, books, or scholars to organize ideas and consider enriching approaches.
I think the dream of a mediocre preacher would be to wake up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, and ask the central computer in his “smart home” for a good homily. The movies have warned us about the “rebelliousness” of some artificial “brains” (for example, “Hal” from 2001: A Space Odyssey). And although it introduced us to honest and loyal robotic “intelligences” at the service of humans (such as the ingenious “Tars” from Interstellar), we cannot expect from them a “spiritual act” such as “preaching.”.
The three classic purposes of communication (to inform, entertain, and persuade) are not foreign to the Gospel, nor to Jesus' own style. But the Lord is not a businessman who seeks only performance and efficiency. He desires to enter into people's personal lives out of love, not to gain followers or convince them that the products he sells are the best and must be purchased. When Jesus reaches his listeners, in addition to his powerful and truthful message, he convinces them with his own life; he is credible and touches their hearts.
A priest wrote his script based on several “reliable” sources. He then passed it on to a young parishioner who was somewhat “on the fringes” of the Church but an expert in new technologies. With that material, he prepared a beautiful presentation, with images, visuals, and order; even highlighting the main points and marginalizing the incidental... It was colorful and educational. He even composed a curious melody to condense the theme, ideal for young and old alike to memorize!
Because AI has the advantage of speed, conciseness, and illustration... It summarizes without losing the essence. It comes up with the usual questions that focus on the topic, thus helping to avoid digressions or being “out of touch” with reality. It provides context and practical ways to respond. It is specific. When asked for an anecdote that exemplifies the topic, it usually comes quite close (it provides a generic story that the preacher can then use; sometimes it specifies it, if it “finds” one that someone has written or used before). AI needs to be well fed, but it does provide direct and quick access to a multitude of content, comments, and homilies in a compilation.
When it comes to preaching well, there are few shortcuts. Mere “efficiency” is idolatry. You need to understand Jesus: what he thinks, what he feels, what he would do... and why. That is prayer. The vertigo of the good preacher is having to speak of something Sublime, Pure, Omnipotent, knowing himself to be splattered with his own sin, without strength, without knowledge... without sufficient grace from God. But grace pursues him. He seeks the unquenchable fire of Truth. He does not expound, he proclaims! He conceives appropriate “headlines” because he “receives” them from within. The machine has read millions of texts, but without making them flesh, without soul.
Currently, a bird of ill omen flies over the nest of content: manipulation. There are websites that try to “shield” themselves from this. Thinking and learning remain essential. So do humility and repentance. The preacher who embodies the Gospel carries it like the tan of someone who has been exposed to the vitamin-rich sun.
AI is a tool: you cannot give it your heart or blindly delegate to it the task of preaching, catechesis, conversation... Jesus Christ persuades because he is trustworthy. The Church is asked for much or all of that transforming integrity of the Holy Spirit, the Principal Author.
In a new video, Father Ignacio Amorós offers five specific criteria to help young people discern whether their relationship is healthy, authentic, and God-centered.
Many young people ask themselves, “Is this person right for me?”, “Should I stay in this relationship?”, “Is it good for me?” And discerning whether one is in the right relationship can be a difficult task. Priest Ignacio Amorós, through the Catholic channel Rebels Wanted, comes to the aid of these young people by presenting five criteria for recognizing authentic, mature, and God-centered love.
The training video is titled “The 5 Signs of a Good Christian Relationship” and offers five signs that help evaluate whether a relationship is built on real love and not on fleeting emotions or emotional dependencies.
The five signs, explained with real examples, are:
1. It makes you a better person
True love drives virtue, inner order, a healthier life, and moral and spiritual growth. “Good love lifts you up,” says Amorós, recalling the testimony of a young woman who said, “My boyfriend makes me a better person.”
2. It makes you better with others, especially your family
A healthy relationship does not isolate, cut ties, or confine. On the contrary, it leads to being a better son, brother, or friend. As the priest explains, “a good love leads you to love your loved ones better,” in contrast to possessive or closed relationships.
3. It gives you inner peace
Not a superficial peace without problems, but the deep peace that comes from the Holy Spirit when one acts in truth and goodness. “It is the serenity of a heart in love that does good,” says Amorós.
4. It allows you to live authentically, without hiding.
A healthy Christian relationship does not require leading a double life or hiding the relationship. The key question—inspired by St. Ignatius—is: “If your mother knew about this relationship, what would she say to you?” Transparency is a hallmark of authenticity.
5. It broadens your horizons and encourages you to dream big.
True love broadens the heart and life: it inspires projects, dreams, creativity, and desires for holiness. It does not extinguish, shrink, or suffocate. “When love enters a relationship, it makes you magnanimous,” says the priest.
After these five signs, the video adds what Amorós calls “the definitive sign”:
Brings you closer to God
A relationship that helps you discover Christ's love, live the truth, pray, participate in the life of the Church, and grow in humility, charity, and purity. “A good Christian courtship must lead you closer to God, no matter what.”
The video concludes with Mother Teresa's testimony, reminding us that authentic love is also expressed in concrete charity.
With an approachable and educational style, this content aims to be a useful tool for parishes, youth movements, family counselors, catechists, and parents who seek to better accompany young people on the path of Christian love.
«Let not your right hand know what your left hand is doing,» says the Gospel. However, Father Vladimir affirms that it is good to see how the Church puts into practice everything it preaches and helps people. Vladimir has welcomed and accompanied 195 homeless people thanks to yourTECHÔ.
Between 30,000 and 40,000 people in Spain are homeless. This not only implies the absence of a physical space, but also the breakdown of security, health, emotional ties, autonomy, and identity.
The main problems faced by homeless people are unaffordable prices or discrimination by landlords. But there is hope: some people have managed to escape this situation thanks to the housing and support model.
The project yourTECHÔ was created to end homelessness by providing housing to the social organizations that support them. They are therefore looking for companies with a sustainable social purpose and sufficient profits to be able to scale up and transform.
Philanthropy is essential, but yourTECHÔ is committed to going further, with impact investing. It is the first social SOCIMI (Listed Real Estate Investment Company) to be listed in Spain (IPO on BME growth in April 2024) and 40% of the capital has donated the dividend to the Foundation, further strengthening its social commitment. This model allows for the democratization of impact investing: anyone, regardless of their economic capacity, can participate in the solution.
Combining the problem of homelessness with the problem of depopulation in Spain and providing a joint solution is for yourTECHÔ is a perfect example of innovation. Of the 3.5 million empty homes, half are in villages. With projects such as yourTECHÔ Rural takes advantage of the availability of housing in depopulated areas to offer decent, low-cost solutions.
The Church, key to yourTECHÔ
Religious congregations or entities are key players in the housing and support model. So much so that the highest rate of overcoming homelessness is found in apartments run by the Church (27 tenant entities belong to the Church, 135 properties are rented, and there are nearly 500 residents). The fact is that yourTECHÔ not only offers housing, but «there are people who are so damaged that they need support even though they already have a place to live,» says Blanca Hernández, president and founder of yourTECHÔ comments on the importance of ensuring that the apartments serve to dignify the residents by providing support with an integration plan for each of the people living in the apartment.
Vladimir, a Cuban priest, arrived in Madrid and soon saw the number of compatriots arriving without resources. “We wanted to help, but we had nothing,” he recalls. It all started when, almost by chance, a parishioner decided to sell an apartment, and with it, Cobijo was born three years ago. Shortly after, he met the director of yourTECHÔ and began a collaboration that today allows us to manage 25 apartments together with yourTECHÔ and 10 of our own.
Since then, they have provided a home for 195 people—42 of them children—and more than 2,000 Cubans have received initial assistance with shelter, food, and support. Vladimir explains that in their apartments, they believe in rotation: the stay is usually between six months and a year, because, he says, “otherwise, you stay in the nest and don't learn to fly.” “Cobijo is the result of Providence and a culture of alliances. I am grateful to yourTECHÔ generosity: when we can't pay, the foundation supports us.
Father Jesús, parish priest of Leganés Norte, also describes the reality that accompanies this: a shanty town between the M-45 and Leganés with 80 people, families living in industrial warehouses—some even in a cold storage room—and situations of extreme vulnerability. That is why he values the joint model between the foundation and the SOCIMI: impact investment to acquire housing, sustainable social rents, and philanthropic support to cover what families cannot afford. “The Church,” he says, "must be a Samaritan: welcoming and providing a home to those who have none.".
In "Lux," Rosalía offers musical excellence and spiritual depth, creating a bridge to the transcendent. An album that transcends genres and aspires to become an instant classic.
Javi Nieves in Alpha and Omega writes about the musical quality of “Lux,” saying: “It is an extraordinary work. A turning point for the music of our time, capable of reconciling new forms of creation with the spiritual depth of true art. I don't want to resort to labels—it would be unfair to reduce it to a genre—because Lux transcends categories; it brings something genuinely new.”.
Álvaro Galindo, musician (composer, pianist, and singer) and content creator, comments along the same lines: “Musically, it's perfect. When you record with the talents of the Montserrat choir and the London Symphony, it can't sound bad. And she, with her powerful voice... but also with impressive delicacy. Because that's the difficult thing: having power and knowing when to use it. Here she does it wonderfully. When she has to be strong, she is; when she has to be soft, she is too. And she modulates the intensities in a beautiful way.”.
But its artistic depth is accompanied by a language that goes beyond music and literature, as the famous Cadena 100 radio host says: “The lyrics on this album, their intention, their atmosphere, awaken a deep desire to feel loved by God. In them, one recognizes a delicacy that belongs to the language of the sacred... Lux is, above all, a spiritual album. It reflects a sincere search for meaning, without losing Rosalía's essence or her unique way of making music... This work reconciles modern art with beauty. And yes, beauty is a form of truth. Taste—like faith—is educated, it is worked on. Lux invites us to discern between the superficial and the essential, between the ephemeral and the eternal.”.
In short, this work exudes transcendence. To describe what Rosalia has done on this album, we could say that it makes her what in Ancient Rome was called a “pontifex maximus.” That is, in a literal sense, as explained by the entry for the term on Wikipedia, “pontifex” means “bridge builder,” a combination of “pons” and “facere.” The word “maximus” means “the greatest.” “This could mean «bridge builder between gods and men.»” In other words, this great artist, with her music, creates a bridge to transcendence, with a language that goes beyond music and lyrics, which is spiritual. Rosalía breaks the mold with this album, because it goes beyond the rationalization of reality that we practice today in our society, with politicization and polarization.
We can say that this work of art was born with the vocation of becoming a musical classic, as Galindo says: “Several times something very powerful has happened to me while listening to it: I find it hard to return to reality when it ends. It's very heavy. I think it's going to become an instant classic... Honestly, I couldn't name an album from the last 50 years that's as special as this one. There are good albums, yes, but this one is on another level: musically, conceptually, and contextually. What's more, the subject it deals with—talking about God through popular music—is something that no one else did out of fear. It was almost taboo. And now Rosalía puts it front and center without any qualms.”.
In 1908, the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, when he was Rodin's secretary, entered the Louvre to view the works of this contemporary museum. When he reached the Greek antiquities section, he came across a badly damaged male torso, without arms, legs, or genitals... Its contemplation moved him deeply, and he wrote the poem “Torso of Archaic Apollo,” which ends with these verses: “...because there is not a single place here that does not look at you. You must change your life.”.
The same can be said of “Lux.” It looks at you and challenges you to change, because it is a bridge to transcendence, bringing you closer to the beyond.
Chilean María Magdalena Santa Cruz embodies an extremely joyful faith, which she maintains thanks to the unconditional support of her husband and a wide circle of friends who constantly assist her in her tireless work.
María Magdalena Santa Cruz carries religion in her first and last names, a constant “god-sidence,” as she calls it. Chilean, married to Patricio for 28 years, with four children, faith and dealing with the saints have deeply marked her life. Her story, always lived in an atmosphere of joy, is also marked by a path that was not always easy.
His name, which he likes so much, is no coincidence: “says a lot about me”, he assures us. Although his parents gave him his name, over time, his name and his vocation “were sealed”, linking it in some way to Mary Magdalene, the saint who loved Jesus deeply and was present both at Calvary and at the Resurrection.
Fighting against difficulties
Alongside her husband, Magdalena has been a supernumerary member of Opus Dei since before they married. The education that both of them have received has left its mark. “the way we face difficulties and problems”. They define themselves as a couple. “very simple and from this planet”. As in many successful couples, the dynamic between the two is a balancing act: Patricio is a man of “infinite patience”, while she confesses “passionate, restless, and changeable”.
Magdalena has no qualms about acknowledging her limitations with refreshing candor. She suffers from hemiparesis on her right side, a condition that caused her to walk and talk late and has made her “everything is a little more difficult”. Added to this is a noticeable tendency toward absent-mindedness and clumsiness. She describes herself as “very limited” and to have a “deficit”. She takes everything in good humor. She is famous in her family for her car accidents, such as “scratch the car or crash while parking”.
However, in her life, the support of others is key to moving forward. Her husband always supports her in her endeavors. “ideas” and remains calm when she makes mistakes. Likewise, she has the unconditional support of her friends, a large group that, at her express request, I will name in full: Orietta, Jesica, Carola, Fran U, Fran B, Fran V (from heaven), Cote, Magu, Anita, Peca, Angélica J, Luz, Carola M, Angelita, and Colomba. They have guided her. “and they never let me go”, and, out of necessity, “You have to be patient with me.”. Despite these limitations, their enthusiasm and passion are inexhaustible.
Devotion to Saint Monica
On a personal level, her love for her family has led her to have a deep devotion to Saint Monica, the patron saint of mothers who pray for their children. Because one of her children has not received the sacrament of Confirmation, Magdalena has taken matters into her own hands: to ask God for him, she has organized a group of university students who prepare young people from schools where religion is not an important subject for Confirmation. The classes are held in a parish near her home.
Her faith is woven into these everyday realities. She remembers her grandmother Marta, who taught her to pray the Rosary every day.
The work of uniting
Although his academic beginnings were difficult, over time he managed to become “among the top 10 averages (albeit in the final year of high school)”. Her first degree, Geography, was a test of character, as it required her to climb “steep hills”, an effort that he often had to overcome thanks to the fact that “My colleagues promoted me.”.
After many jobs, he ended up focusing his attention on those most in need, specifically in deprived neighborhoods, and devoted himself to working on the outskirts and “bringing worlds together: unite, unite, unite”. It is a calling that sometimes keeps her away from those of “upper neighborhood”, where his work “has always been short-lived”.
He has now returned to his natural home: Bajos de Mena, in the municipality of Puente Alto. It is a difficult environment. There, he faces a harsh reality where young people have only two options: “study or drugs. That's how drastic it is.”. In this environment, she is “Dreaming and helping with various training projects for my kids, their moms, their families, and my teachers, who are the best.”.
The visible Creation. Grisaille from «The Garden of Earthly Delights.» Hieronymus Bosch
We are launching a new series of monthly articles that seek to intertwine the richness of art with the depth of catechesis. We begin this first series with a reflection on creation, a fundamental theme of Catechism of the Catholic Church. In each installment, we will address key aspects of the Christian faith in light of significant works of art.
Eva Sierra and Antonio de la Torre-November 20, 2025-Reading time: 7minutes
This article first provides a technical explanation of The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus van Aken, exploring its composition, symbolism, and historical context. We will analyze how the painter used color, perspective, and details to create such a fascinating and complex work. In a second section, we will approach the painting from a catechetical perspective, reflecting on its spiritual and theological messages.
ARTISTIC COMMENTARY
On the third day, God created dry land, seas, plants, and trees. On the first and second days, He had already created light and the heavens.
The closed triptych shows Bosch's vision of the end of the third day of creation: a crystalline sphere floating in darkness; light and darkness are the causes of the grayish tone that reveals trees and vegetation sprouting to life, scattered across the landscape.
In the upper left corner, God is shown creating the world. At the top of both panels, the inscriptions “He said it, and it was done.” and “He commanded, and they were created.” taken from the psalms refer to his omnipotent power.
Use of the grisaille
The grayscale used is known as grisaille, whereby an image is rendered entirely in shades of gray, modeled to create the illusion of sculpture, especially relief.
This technique was popular for the outer wings of polyptychs in northern Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries. Many Italian and Flemish painters wanted to demonstrate the superiority of painting over sculpture in terms of its ability to represent three-dimensional figures, at a time when there was debate about which of the two art forms should be considered the highest in terms of realism.
The technique of grisaille helped to demonstrate that painting can trick the eye into seeing a three-dimensional form, something that cannot be said of sculpture, which cannot capture images in two dimensions. If we think about how these altarpieces looked in a church, under the light cast by candles, it is not difficult to imagine that they achieved their goal.
The creation of the world on the third day, when only light and the heavens had been created, fits perfectly with the technique used: before God created the world, there was nothing, only darkness. God created light and darkness on the first day; the sun and moon were only created on the fourth day; until that day, colors did not exist. The open triptych shows a whole range of plants and living creatures in bright colors. This vision of the earthly garden of delights would only be possible after the fourth day. The monochrome display of creation on the third day emphasizes the idea that God truly created something that was beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Original destination of the work
Bosch painted this triptych around 1490–1500. This format was common in the Netherlands in the 14th and 15th centuries. Altarpieces of this type were usually kept closed except on special occasions. Once opened, this particular one revealed a vividly colored interior, in stark contrast to the outer wings. Unfortunately, we have lost the sense of surprise that the ritual of opening would have offered to the original viewers.
There is not much information about the exact date of execution, nor about the circumstances that led to its commission, or, more interestingly, about the place for which this painting was originally intended.
It is difficult to imagine that this triptych was commissioned to be displayed in a church, despite the religious iconography, due to the large number of nude figures inside.
The triptych was first associated with the House of Nassau: Antonio de Beatis, who accompanied Cardinal Luis de Aragón on his trip to the Netherlands, saw it in 1517 at the Nassau Palace in Coudenberg, Brussels. It was confiscated from William of Orange in 1568 by Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, Duke of Alba, and later purchased at a posthumous sale by Philip II in 1591, who sent it to the monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. In 1933, it was permanently transferred to the Prado Museum.
The enigmatic grisaille contained in the two panels that close the triptych, reveals a message about Creation that we can decipher when we place it in the context of the theology and spirituality of the era in which it was conceived.
Bosch always works with symbolic elements that fill his paintings with mystery, but which become an inexhaustible source of meaning when we discover the keys behind them.
Specifically, the key to interpreting this painting can be found in a passage from the Summa Theologiae by Saint Thomas Aquinas, something obvious to those who viewed the painting in the 15th century, who knew and studied this work in depth, but not easily accessible to many contemporary viewers of this masterpiece.
In fact, in the introduction to question 65 of Part One of this work, Saint Thomas divides his exposition on material or visible Creation into three points. First, he will speak of the creative act, then of the work of the first three days of Creation (the distinction, or separation) and finally the work of the last three days (the opus ornatus, or dressing). This division finds its biblical basis in Genesis 2:1: “the heavens and the earth were completed with all their adornments”. Well, the closed triptych symbolically alludes to the first two points. When the triptych is opened, the explosion of color and movement that the viewer perceives is a powerful allusion to the third point, the opus ornatus in which God clothes the created world with animal and human life.
Let's see, then, what this wants to express to us. grisaille about the creative act, in order to later decipher its message about the first part of Creation.
The Artist and His Word
The act of creation is explained by the two passages from Scripture already mentioned, whose intense white stands out like a light of wisdom against the black background, evoking the inaccessible mystery surrounding the origin of the world and of life. The Word of God illuminates this mystery, white on black, because it is that Word that created the world. The quotation from Psalm 39 seeks to inspire meditation. It invites us to reflect on how the Word of God is the cause of all that has been received by being, and the framework that gives consistency and meaning to the world, ideas that in the New Testament refer to Jesus Christ, the Word of God, as for example in John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-17.
On the other hand, the quotation from Psalm 138, a psalm that describes God's creative work in the form of a hymn of praise, inspires recognition and gratitude. For, as Bosch tries to explain, God's creative act in his Word seeks to awaken in rational creatures words of meditation and praise, since the word of these creatures is the optimal response to the Word of the Creator.
The representation of the Creator in the upper left corner seems to evoke the signature of the painter on his canvas or the sculptor on his carving. Anachronistic as this evocation may be, since we are in an era when artists rarely signed their works, it is still thought-provoking to think that the cosmos is “signed” by a Creator, who is not a product of chance or necessity but the fruit of the free and loving decision of a divine Artist, who would, incidentally, sign in the opposite corner of the painting where human artists usually do so.
Indeed, the transcendence of God, who is placed at the antipode of where the signature of a human artist would be, is also evoked by the position of the Creator in the composition. God is beyond his work, beyond time and space, inaccessible to human forces and shrouded in a mystery of darkness, because, as is also stated in the Summa, we can say more about what God is not than what God is. This expression, common among the mystics of the Netherlands who were contemporaries of Bosch, reminds us that creatures reflect the Creator, but always in a limited and imperfect way, since they are incapable of adequately representing the infinite and transcendent divine being.
The work of three days
As for the fruit of God's creative act, this grisaille already represents the first half of the year, the distinction, which, according to Genesis 1, God accomplishes in the first three days. In them, the Word of God separates opposites to prepare a suitable environment for animals and humans. On the first day, darkness is separated (distinguished) from light. So, as can be seen in the painting, the sphere that stands out against the background of darkness shines with a light that is God's first creature. On the second day, the Word of God separates the upper waters (those above the heavens, in ancient cosmology) from the lower waters (those that run over the surface of the planet).
As a boundary between them, God draws the firmament, which Bosch beautifully depicts as a crystal sphere.
On the third day, the waters below are separated from the dry land, so that a single continent groups together all the land, surrounded by the primordial sea. The Creator grants the earth the role of mother, for from it are born the various plant species that complete the preparation of the stage on which animal life will be born (the opus ornatus, from the fourth to the sixth days). Bosch's inventiveness is lavishly displayed here in a colorful representation of chimerical plant forms, suggesting the infinite inventiveness of the Creator.
All of this represents a mysterious, newly created world, full of innocence, radiant with purity, and with an admirable order designed by the Word of God. This world will be offered to human beings as a common home for all living beings, so that they, in harmony with their Creator, may care for and enjoy it. We will have to wait to open the panels of grisaille to see how this story of Creation continues and with what words human beings will respond to the Creative Word.
Work
Title of the work : Grisaille of The Garden of Earthly Delights
Joseph Evans comments on the readings from the Gospel of Christ the King (c) for November 23, 2025.
Joseph Evans-November 20, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Jesus reigns from the cross. He is king, but not in earthly terms. His throne is the cross, the worst place of suffering known to man at that time. He is king from a throne of suffering, of humiliation. In the midst of his agony, he does not think of his own pain or his problems, but offers salvation to the repentant thief. He is king because he can master his own suffering and think of others and do them good.
Jesus teaches us a new way of being kings. Not to rule over others, but to rule over ourselves. To know how to overcome our own misfortunes and emotions in order to do good for others.
Jesus shows us that the true king knows how to serve, willingly, to become a servant to others. The true king ignores the mockery and comments of others to do what he believes is right. The true king knows how to remain silent when words do not help.
Too often we fail to control ourselves. We speak when we shouldn't. We respond to provocation. We allow ourselves to be carried away by anger, self-pity, or selfishness, putting ourselves before others. Jesus shows us another way: to control ourselves and live true royalty, which is service to others without seeking to dominate them.
It also reminds us that we should attach less importance to worldly structures and political power. The inscription above Him had been placed there by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Rome ruled Israel at that time. Pilate had placed the inscription there perhaps to mock the Jews, as if to say, “Don't try to have a king. This is what we do to anyone who claims to be king of the Jews.”.
When Jesus was mocked by the soldiers, who could only think in political terms, He quietly lived a form of kingship that far transcended politics. He was showing us how fleeting earthly power is. Earthly kingdoms come and go. Rome, which thought it could mock poor, weak Israel, was powerful then. Now it is just a historical memory. But God's kingship lasts forever. It goes beyond this world: it reaches Heaven, which Christ opened to the repentant thief.
If we are willing to suffer on this Earth, to be faithful to God, we will reign in Heaven. We will share Christ's throne: “To the victor I will grant to sit with me on my throne, as I have overcome and sat down with my Father on his throne.” (Rev. 3:21). To overcome is to be faithful until death, it is to overcome ourselves and not others, it is to overcome our pride in order to serve them.
Pope backs US bishops and insists on peace in Ukraine
Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics and people of good will to read and listen to the U.S. bishops“ pastoral message on immigrants. He called for humanity and dignity for them, pointing out that ”no one has said that the United States should have open borders". In today's Audience he also spoke of dignity.
At this morning's General Audience in St. Peter's Square, Pope Leo launched a message of protection for human dignity and the whole of creation. Last night, leaving Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, the Pontiff endorsed before journalists the recent “special pastoral message on immigration” of the U.S. Bishops“ Conference. He called for ”dignity“ with immigrants, and again ”insisted on peace" for Ukraine.
“When people live good lives, and many of them (in the United States) for 10, 15, 20 years, treating them in an extremely disrespectful way, to say the least,” is not acceptable, the pope said Nov. 18 in referring to U.S. immigrants.
“A very important statement.”
Pope Leo told reporters at Castel Gandolfo that the pastoral message is “a statement very important. I invite especially all Catholics, but also people of good will, to listen carefully to what they said”.
“We are concerned to see among our people a climate of fear and anxiety surrounding the issues of racial discrimination and immigration control,” the bishops said. “We are saddened by the state of the current debate and the vilification of immigrants. We are concerned about conditions in detention centers and the lack of access to pastoral care. We regret that some immigrants in the United States have arbitrarily lost their legal status.”.
Leo XIV: “No one has said that the United States should have open borders”.”
“No one has said that the United States should have open borders,” the pope told reporters. “I think every country has the right to determine who, how and when people enter.”.
However, the Holy Father remarked that in implementing immigration policy “we have to look for ways to treat people humanely, to treat them with the dignity they have.”.
“If people are in the United States illegally, there are ways to deal with that,” he said. “There are courts. There is a justice system,” but the system has “a lot of problems” that need to be addressed.
The bishops also said, “We oppose the indiscriminate mass deportation of people» and prayed «for an end to dehumanizing rhetoric and violence, whether directed at immigrants or law enforcement.”.
What the Pope does at Castel Gandolfo
Pope Leo was also asked what he is doing at Castel Gandolfo.
Tuesdays are traditionally the only day of the week when Popes do not have official audiences or public events. When his schedule permits, Pope Leo goes to Castel Gandolfo on Monday afternoon and returns to the Vatican on Tuesday evening.
Pope Leo said he uses the day for “a little sport, a little reading, a little work,” specifying that at Castel Gandolfo he plays tennis and swims in the pool.
Having a rest during the week “helps a lot,” the Pope said. And it is important to take care of both body and soul.
Certain apostolic journeys, and other probable
As he prepares for his first trip outside Italy as pope, a visit to Turkey and Lebanon from Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, he was also asked when he planned to return to Peru, where he served as a missionary and as a bishop.
The pope said he enjoys traveling, but Jubilee year events kept his 2025 calendar full. The challenge for 2026 will be to find a way to schedule the trips he would like to take. Including the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and then a trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, “of course.”.
“Insist on peace” in Ukraine
Journalists asked the Pope about Ukraine. Some raised the question of ceding territories to Russia to end the war. A hypothesis recently put on the table also by US President Donald Trump.
“That is for them to decide, the Constitution of Ukraine is very clear,” said Leo XIV.
“The problem is that there is no ceasefire, they don't reach any point to dialogue and see how to solve this problem... Unfortunately, every day people die. I think we have to insist on peace, starting with this ceasefire and then dialogue.”.
Conversion of the heart, and solemnity of Christ the King
In the Audience, Pope Leo noted that “like Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, who turned to look at Jesus, we too must allow the seed of Christian hope to bear fruit. Convert our hearts and influence the way we respond to the problems we face.”.
“As followers of Jesus, we are called to promote lifestyles and policies that focus on the protection of human dignity and all creation,” he told the English-speaking pilgrims.
At the end, he recalled that “next Sunday, the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe. Put Jesus at the center of your life,” he encouraged.
On November 19, the liturgy celebrates St. Odon, a French monk known for being the second abbot of Cluny (Burgundy, France), the most famous monastery of his time. Benedict VVI called St. Odon “a true spiritual guide”. And he also commemorates St. Agnes of Assisi, sister of St. Clare, faithful followers of St. Francis of Assisi.
Francisco Otamendi-November 19, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Benedict XVI dedicated the General Audience of 2 September 2009 to St. Odon, Abbot of Cluny. He presented him as “a luminous figure in the monastic Middle Ages who saw the surprising spread in Europe of the life and spirituality inspired by the Rule of St. Benedict”.
The then Pope recounted: “Odon was still a teenager, about sixteen years old, when, during a Christmas vigil, he felt how this prayer to Our Lady spontaneously came from his lips. «My Lady, Mother of mercy, who on this night gave birth to the Savior, pray for me. May your glorious and singular birth be, O most pious one, my refuge”.
St. Odon: “Mary, Mother of Mercy”.”
The appellative “Mother of Mercy”, with which the young Odon then invoked the Virgin, continued Pope Benedict, “will be the way he will always choose to address Mary». «Calling her also “the only hope of the world... thanks to whom the gates of paradise have been opened to us.”.
St. Odon became abbot of Cluny in 927. From this center of spiritual life he was able to exert a wide influence on the monasteries of the continent. His biographer, while emphasizing in Odon the “virtue of patience”, offers a long list of his other virtues. Among them, contempt for the world, zeal for souls, commitment to the peace of the Churches”. “St. Odon was a true spiritual guide for the monks as well as for the faithful of his time,” he said. Benedict XVI.
St. Agnes of Assisi, sister of St. Clare
Sister of St. Clare, foundress of the Poor Clares, Agnes was born in Assisi in 1197. A few days after Clare, in 1211 or 1212, left home, so did Agnes, to dedicate her life totally to God. Her family tried to get her back, but Agnes remained firm in her purpose.
She spent most of her life in the monastery of San Damiano, on the outskirts of Assisi. But she was sent to Monticelli, Florence, with the task of instilling in this new community the spirit of Clare. There she remained as abbess for years. A letter from her to Clare is preserved from this time.
In the last period of her life, Agnes accompanied Clare in Assisi during her last illness and death on August 11, 1253. She died shortly thereafter. Her mortal remains, together with those of Clare, were buried in the Basilica of St. Clare in Assisi. She was canonized in 1753 by Pope Benedict XIV.
Pope Leo's four favorite films and his meeting with filmmakers
Pope Leo XIV has asked film directors and actors to continue to challenge, inspire and give hope. He has also revealed in a recent video his four favorite films: Roberto Benigni's ‘Life is Beautiful’, Frank Capra's ‘How Beautiful it is to Live’, Robert Wise's ‘The Sound of Music’ and Robert Redford's ‘Ordinary People’.
A few days after the Pope disclosed his favorite films last weekend, well-known actors, actresses and directors met with the Pope in the front row of the Vatican's frescoed Clementine Hall. Among others, Gus Van Sant and Spike Lee, and actors Monica Bellucci, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen and Sergio Castellitto, who played the traditionalist Cardinal Tedesco in the movie ‘Conclave’ (2024), reported Cindy Wooden, also from OSV News.
Pope Leo asked directors and actors to “defend slowness when it has a purpose, silence when it speaks and difference when it is evocative.» “Beauty is not just a means of escape,” he told them; “it is, above all, an invocation.”.
Pope Leo XIV greets Australian actress Cate Blanchett during a meeting with film directors and actors in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on November 15, 2025 (CNS Photo/Vatican Media).
“When film is authentic, it not only comforts, it challenges,” he said. “It articulates the questions that dwell within us and, at times, even provokes tears we didn't know we needed to express.” The Pope prayed that his work “never loses its capacity to astonish and even to continue to offer us a glimpse, however small, of the mystery of God.”.
Earlier, the Pontiff had received actor Robert De Niro (82), a two-time Oscar winner, American but with Italian roots. “Good morning! It's a pleasure to meet you,” the Pope said. “For me too,” replied De Niro, who was accompanied by several people, who received from Leo XIV a rosary.
The film quartet
Despite its conciseness, Pope Leo's selection of four favorite films covers a wide range of themes and tone.
The quartet begins with a Christmas classic from Hollywood's golden age that offers viewers a resounding affirmation of the value of a life well-lived. In the same vein, it also includes a mostly light-hearted musical based on true events about the formation of a family musical group.
But deeper dramas are not neglected. In fact, the catalog is completed with the story of a family tragedy and its emotional consequences, as well as a study of paternal love framed in the heartbreaking cruelty of the Holocaust.
Following, in alphabetical order, are brief reviews of the films highlighted by Pope Leo, with some OSV News rating and, where applicable, their Motion Picture Association ratings.
‘How beautiful it is to live’ (1946).
A Christmas classic that chronicles the joys and hardships of a good man (James Stewart) who, on the verge of financial ruin on Christmas Eve, contemplates suicide until his guardian angel (Henry Travers) shows him how valuable his life has been to those around him.
Frank Capra's overtly sentimental film portraying everyday American life is bolstered by an exceptional cast (including Lionel Barrymore as a scheming banker) and a profound reflection on such common virtues as hard work and helping others. Young children might find the darker moments of the story disturbing. OSV News rating is A-II: for adults and teens. Not rated by the Motion Picture Association.
‘Life is Beautiful (1998)
A bittersweet comic fable in which an Italian Jewish bookseller (Roberto Benigni) uses his imagination to convince his young son that his bleak existence in a Nazi concentration camp is just an elaborate contest and that they will undoubtedly win the grand prize.
Also co-written and directed by Benigni, the story begins as a slapstick comedy in which the young man courts his future wife, then transforms into a moving human story about a father's irrepressible determination to protect his son from terror and misery. Theme: genocide.
OSV News is rated A-II: for adults and teenagers. Some content may be inappropriate for children under 13.
“Ordinary People” (1980)
Donald Sutherland and Mary Tyler Moore deliver masterful performances as confused and tormented parents trying to cope with the psychological aftermath following the death of their eldest son in a boating accident and the suicide attempt of the surviving son (Timothy Hutton).
Directed by Robert Redford, the film suggests that the complacent and materialistic environment of the characters may have contributed to the family instability, but these aspects are not fully explored. The problems are very real, but the film comes across as oddly cold and distant. Due to the crudeness of the subject matter and some scenes with strong language, it is recommended for an adult audience.
‘The Sound of Music’ (‘The Sound of Music’) (1965)
An excellent film adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical about the formative years of the Trapp Family Singers in Austria between the two world wars.
Its interesting story, strong cast (led by Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer), charming music and clever lyrics, colorful scenery and pleasant fantasy will entertain the mind and brighten the spirit.
Directed by Robert Wise, the film has held up over the years as a highly refreshing family entertainment. The OSV News rating is AI (suitable for all audiences). Motion Picture Association rating is G (suitable for all audiences). Approved for all ages.
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John Mulderig is a media critic for OSV News. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnMulderig1.
This information was originally published in OSV News. You can consult them here y here.
Archaeological finds in the Holy Land in the second half of 2025
Recent finds include an 8th century B.C. monumental dyke in Jerusalem, a Byzantine gold treasure at Hippos, and an emotional Aramaic inscription from the Bar Kojba Revolt near Ein Gedi.
Rafael Sanz Carrera-November 19, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
Archaeological discoveries in the Holy Land continue to illuminate the historical context of the Scriptures, offering not only material evidence, but also opportunities for deeper theological reflection.
Following the findings of the first half of 2025 -explored in the first part of this article.-The second half of the year brought new treasures in dialogue with the Old and New Testaments. From hydraulic structures of the Davidic monarchy to inscriptions that evoke the Jewish struggles of the second century AD, these advances reinforce the survival of the biblical tradition in the landscape of Israel and Jordan. Below, we highlight the three most relevant discoveries from July to November 2025.
A monumental dam in Jerusalem: Royal engineering at the time of the biblical kings
In August 2025, a team from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), led by archaeologists from the Hebrew University, announced the discovery of a monumental dyke in the heart of Jerusalem, dated to the 8th century B.C., during the reigns of kings Jehoash and Amaziah (9th-8th centuries B.C.).
This imposing structure, over 100 meters long and up to 6 meters high, was part of the city's ancient water system, specifically aligned with the Pool of Siloam. Excavated in the area of the City of David, the dam was built of massive stone blocks and served to channel water from the Gihon spring, protecting the capital from flooding and ensuring supply in times of siege.
The find, revealed by systematic excavations and radiocarbon dating, matches biblical descriptions of the waterworks of Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:20), who prepared Jerusalem against the Assyrian threat, although this dam predates and points to a tradition of royal urban planning dating back to earlier monarchs. As senior archaeologist Ronny Reich explains, «this work demonstrates advanced adaptation to climate change and defensive needs, reflecting the prosperity of the kingdom of Judah.».
This discovery enriches the understanding of monarchical Jerusalem, a key period for the Israelite faith. For biblical scholars, it links directly to passages such as Isaiah 2:9-11, where mention is made of the repair of the wall of the Old City Pond. Symbolically, it evokes the living water spoken of by the prophet, a motif that resonates in the Gospel of John (4:14) and in the Christian tradition as a source of grace.
Byzantine gold treasure at Hippos: Riches of the Christian Decapolis
July and September 2025 brought a double announcement from excavations at Hippos-Sussita, the ancient Decapolis city located in the Golan Hills overlooking the Sea of Galilee. First, in July, Roman gold jewelry (1st-3rd centuries AD) was unearthed, including an exquisite ring and earrings decorated with Hellenistic motifs, witnesses to the opulence of a city that, according to tradition, was visited by Jesus during his ministry in the region of Gadara (Matthew 8:28-34).
Subsequently, in September-October, the Haifa University team uncovered a Byzantine treasure trove: 97 solid gold coins (solidus), jewels with inlaid crosses and a medallion with the image of a local bishop, hidden around 613 A.D. during the Sassanid Persian invasion.
These artifacts, preserved in a ceramic vessel under the floor of a Christian basilica, include pieces up to 1,500 years old, valued at hundreds of thousands of today's dollars. Excavation director Michael Eisenberg describes it as. «a glimpse into the last days of a thriving Christian city, where gold served not only as wealth, but as Eucharistic offerings.». The connection with the New Testament is evident: Hippos was part of the Gentile Decapolis, a cultural mosaic where Jesus performed miracles and preached, illustrating his universal mission (Mark 5:1-20).
This treasure not only illustrates the transition from paganism to Christianity in Galilee, but also shades the context of Jesus' ministry in a Hellenized and wealthy environment. It also recalls the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30).
Aramaic inscription in the cave of Ein Gedi: Lament of the revolt of Bar Kojba
In August 2025, archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in collaboration with the IAA, announced the discovery of a four-line Aramaic inscription in a cave in the Judean desert near Ein Gedi and overlooking the Dead Sea. Paleographically dated to 132-135 AD, during the Bar Kohba revolt against Rome, the text begins with «Abba of Naburya has perished,» a personal lament possibly written by Jewish rebels hiding in the shelter. Engraved on a stalactite, it measures just 8×3.5 cm and was found together with Roman swords and a coin from the revolt, preserved by the arid climate.
This discovery, unique in its preservation and context, offers an emotional window into post-Temple Jewish resistance, a period of martyrdom that influenced the formation of rabbinic Judaism and, indirectly, early Christianity. As epigrapher Oren Tal notes, «is a human cry in the midst of despair, similar to the psalms of lament.». Although it does not directly quote the Bible, it evokes the exile and the messianic hope of texts such as Daniel 12 or the Dead Sea Scrolls, found in nearby caves. It also echoes the passion of Christ as a model of redemptive suffering (Hebrews 12:2).
Other biblical findings
Wine press in Tel Megiddo (Israel)In November 2025, near the iconic Tel Megiddo - the prophetic Armageddon of Revelation 16:16 - a 5,000-year-old (Copper Age) grape press, the oldest evidence of wine production in Israel, was unearthed. This Canaanite relic, with ritual bowls, illustrates the agricultural roots of the region and evokes wine as a Eucharistic symbol in the New Testament.
Samaritan farm in Samaria (Israel)The site of a 1,600-year-old village linked to the Samaritans, with mosaics and amphorae that allude to their religious syncretism (John 4:1-42), was brought to light in September 2025. It reveals the Jewish-Samaritan coexistence in Byzantine times.
Exhibitions and studiesIn September, the Museum of the Bible exhibited the Tel Dan Stele, the earliest extrabiblical reference to King David (2 Samuel 5), attracting thousands of visitors. In addition, advances in AI have refined dating of Dead Sea fragments, strengthening their link to the Hebrew canon.
Taken together, these finds from the second half of 2025 - the Jerusalem dyke, the Hippos treasure and the Ein Gedi inscription - deepen the dialogue between archaeology and the Bible, nuancing not only historical events, but also themes such as providence, endurance and redemption. As in the first part, the Holy Land continues to speak: a living testimony that invites believers and scholars to rediscover the Scriptures on their ancestral soil.
The authorRafael Sanz Carrera
Doctor of Canon Law
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Monsignor Argüello: “Normalizing abortion is normalizing social Darwinism.”
The plenary meeting of the Spanish bishops began this Tuesday, one day after the Executive Commission's visit to Pope Leo XIV, with several outstanding topics.
The Spanish bishops are meeting in Madrid until next Friday. This is the first assembly under the pontificate of the Augustinian Pope, who on Monday, November 17, received the members of the Executive Commission.
In his traditional opening speech, the president of the Spanish bishops, Luis Argüello, did not avoid several of the topics that mark these days of the meeting, both because they are matters of work and because of the current situation in which this Plenary is taking place.
Catholic revival, a manipulable fad?
One of the topics that Argüello did not want to forget is the spiritual rebirth that, in recent years, seems to have gained strength in Spain. In this sense, he emphasized that “There are signs that warn that Catholicism is in fashion or, if you prefer, that there is a return to spiritual coordinates that seemed outlawed. The process is constant and is increasing” and has given as an example the album of the singer Rosalía, Luz or the film “Los Domingos“.
This return to the faith was the theme of much of the first part of this speech in which the president of the bishops warned that “listening more intensely to the rumor of God and the «Catholic turn» can be a fashion or an object of ideological manipulation of the confusion and difficulties that young people are experiencing today,” and attacked the “‘technological authoritarian complex’ that has in Vice President James David Vance, a Catholic convert, its political link. With all this, the power of money and algorithms at the service of money and power emerges with force”.
Abortion, the issue “hidden” by sociopolitical powers
“In recent weeks the issue of abortion has reappeared in various ways: the pretension of elevating this supposed right to constitutional rank; the conscientious objection of health personnel; the information to mothers of all that the intervention that causes abortion means; data offered by the Ministry of Health, in 2024 there were 106,173 abortions and 322,034 births.” With these data, the president of the bishops addressed the terrible reality of abortion in Spain.
Argüello quoted Matthieu Lavagna, interviewed by Omnes a few weeks ago, who emphasizes in his book “La raison est pro-life” how “daring to talk about it in public has become a taboo, almost an intrusion into people's private lives. To state publicly that abortion is objectively immoral, because it means ending the life of a person other than his or her mother and father, is to risk hearing strong personal, social and political disqualifications: «To question this conquest, to doubt this right? It is the paroxysm of fascist and authoritarian thinking that deserves the immediate label of extreme right»”.
The President of the Spanish Episcopal Conference recalled that “it is enough to open any medical embryology manual to see that scientists unanimously affirm that from the moment of fertilization a living and independent human organism is created in the mother's body with its own genetic patrimony. It is not necessary to go to the Bible to affirm this, even if it does provide that its dignity is sacred and that it is endowed with an immortal soul”.
The Archbishop of Valladolid has put his finger on two key issues in this matter: the hiding of the reality, selfishness and consequences of abortion “under the carpet” and the servility of certain bioethics committees “at the service of biopolitics”.
She also pointed out that in every pregnancy it is necessary to take into account not only the unborn child but also its parents and circumstances. For this reason, he wanted to “extend a hand of closeness to pregnant mothers so that they do not hesitate to ask for help if they have to deal with the drama of a pregnancy that may be unwanted; that the solution to a situation, so often very difficult to cope with alone, is not the elimination of the life that is in their womb”. In this sense, he denounced that “the normalization of abortion expresses the normalization of social Darwinism” in which not all lives are worth the same.
“The Church does not sponsor any political form.”
Another of the topics addressed in the speech of the President of the Spanish Bishops was the anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco and the beginning of democracy in Spain. On this point, Bishop Luis Argüello recalled how “fifty years ago most of the bishops of Spain, men who had known war and post-war, dedicated words of praise and gratitude to Franco”, without avoiding the unequal development of the relationship of the Spanish bishops with the Franco regime.
The speech was especially clear when the president of the bishops quoted Cardinal Tarancon when, in his homily on November 27 at the Hieronymites, he stressed that “the Christian faith is not a political ideology nor can it be identified with any of them, given that no social or political system can exhaust all the richness of the Gospel nor does it belong to the mission of the Church to present concrete options or solutions for government in the temporal fields of social, economic or political sciences. The Church does not sponsor any political form or ideology and if someone uses her name to cover his or her own factions, he or she is usurping it”. The president of the Spanish bishops has asked that “the next three years should be of ‘purification of the memory’ contaminated by the ideological biases of the laws of historical and democratic memory that, rightly, want to rehabilitate and honor the victims of the dictatorship and to bury with dignity those who were still in graves and ditches, but are, mainly, an instrument of ideological polarization at the service of the political interests of the present rather than a channel to deepen the reconciliation that the years of the Transition achieved, to a large extent”.
It is not enough to be a conscientious objector
The president of the Spanish bishops especially encouraged the lay faithful to be present in public life. In this sense, he emphasized that “it is not enough to be a conscientious objector. It is necessary to promote conscience from one's own conscience”.
Argüello wanted to point out that the latest information regarding alleged cases of abuse within the Church “enlivens in us the desire to continue promoting the work to eliminate these behaviors from two areas: The presumption of innocence, also for members of the Church, and also the freedom of denunciation and its course” in case it is considered true.
Following the normalization of Christianity in the fourth century, theological disputes arose that Nestorius took to the extreme by rejecting the title of Mother of God for the Virgin Mary.
November 18, 2025-Reading time: 4minutes
In the Bull of Convocation of the Jubilee of Hope in 2025, Pope Francis recalled that this event would take place during the celebrations of the Council of Nicaea: “It also coincides with the anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which was held in the year 325. With this remembrance we Catholics show our gratitude to the Lord for those conciliar sessions... which have fixed the teachings revealed in the Word of God and which are synthesized in the truths that we recite or sing in the Creed” (“Spes non confundit”, n.17).
Indeed, the consolidation of hope has been the key to this Jubilee year that we are celebrating in the universal Church and we cannot forget that the foundation of hope is rooted in the grace of God that has been poured out in baptism under the invocation of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
Theological controversies
First of all, we must refer to the theological disputes that arose from the fourth century onwards in the Church, that is, as soon as the “so-called intellectuals” came into contact with the Christian revelation and became aware of the first expositions of the faith: catechesis, the symbol of the apostles and Christian apologies.
Let us also remember that in 313 Constantine allowed the Church to obtain a charter and to possess juridical personality, and countless people asked to be baptized.
The Church Fathers of this period emphasized how this massive influx of new faithful without careful preparation and, above all, with few clergy to assist them on the path to baptism, produced a drop in tension in the Church.
Here we have the origin of the double movement that developed throughout the Catholic Church at both ends of the Mediterranean, in whose basin the Christian faith had grown and expanded. On the one hand, the monastic life that led thousands of men and women to live a life of identification with Christ, imitating him in the days he spent in the desert in preparation for his public life. A path of holiness that had three phases: the anchorites, the cenobitic life and the monasteries. This path of holiness endures in our time in very varied forms that have a common trunk with the desert fathers.
We should immediately recall the thousands of men and women who, as Origen and other apologists told us, remained celibate in the bosom of society, dedicated to work, family life and the exercise of charity in apostolic celibacy or as fathers and mothers of a Christian family in fullness of love. St. Josemaría pointed out, however, that this way of life of many Christians “ended up being forgotten as a result of not living it.
Within the framework we have just outlined, we now wish to present the problem of the theological disputes that arose within the Catholic Church in the fourth century, as soon as institutional normality was achieved.
The Trinitarian problem
The first question raised by the pagan priests and even by the rabbis and doctors of the law converted to Christianity, i.e. the “intellectuals” of that period, was how to reconcile the uniqueness of God with the presence of the theophanies of the New Testament, the identification of Jesus Christ with his Father and the undeniable presence of the Holy Spirit not only in the theophanies mentioned but also in the Acts of the Apostles and in the daily life of the Church.
Thus, it was a matter of reconciling the trinity of persons with the unity of nature. Basically, the central arguments of the Treaty of Trinitate in which everyone believed and had grown in faith and in the life of faith, needed to be made explicit.
The Christological question
The second great question would be how to combine the two natures of Christ, the divine and the human, in the one person of Jesus Christ. Let us not forget that since the spread of the heresy of Manes, the idea of one God of good and another of evil was very widespread, which was rejected by anyone who thought a little about the divine substance.
Theological discussion moved from the scientific and specialized sphere to the simple people and the street, thanks, for example, to the catchy songs of Arius, and open discussions became public and passionate.
The Virgin Mary
Finally, let us remember the figure of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople (428-431), who raised another very delicate question. In his opinion it was convenient to call the Blessed Virgin “Mother of Christ” instead of “Mother of God” lest some ignorant people think that the Virgin was God.
Here are some words of St. Josemaría commenting on this theological discussion and the solution it provoked at the Council of Ephesus: ”This has always been the sure faith. Against those who denied it, the Council of Ephesus proclaimed that «if anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is truly God, and that for this reason the Blessed Virgin is the Mother of God, since she begot the Word of God incarnate according to the flesh, let him be anathema».»(Council of Ephesus, can. 1, Denzinger-Schön. 252). History has preserved for us testimonies of the joy of the Christians before these clear, clear decisions, which reaffirmed what everyone believed: «the whole people of the city of Ephesus, from the early hours of the morning until the evening, remained anxiously awaiting the resolution... When it was known that the author of the blasphemies had been deposed, all with one voice began to glorify God and to acclaim the Synod, because the enemy of the faith had fallen. As soon as we left the church, we were accompanied by torches to our homes. It was night: the whole city was joyful and illuminated» (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Epistolae, 24 (PG 77, 138). Thus writes St. Cyril, and I cannot deny that, even at a distance of sixteen centuries, that reaction of piety impresses me deeply”.
Undoubtedly, these words highlight how devotion to the Virgin was always based on considering her as Mother of God and mother of men, and on this maternal privilege the other Marian titles and privileges were based, as the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith recently recalled.
Member of the Academy of Ecclesiastical History. Professor of the master's degree in the Causes of Saints of the Dicastery, advisor to the Spanish Episcopal Conference and director of the office of the Causes of Saints of Opus Dei in Spain.
Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome
The liturgy commemorates on November 18 the Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul in Rome, which unites in a single memory the two great apostles, pillars of the Church, martyred under Nero in the first century.
Francisco Otamendi-November 18, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Today's feast remembers not only the material construction of the temples erected over their tombs, but above all the dedication. That is, the consecration of the buildings to God and to divine worship, by which they become holy places. And also the spiritual reality that they represent for the Catholic faith: the apostolic continuity and unity of the Church built on the martyrdom witness of St. Peter and St. Paul.
St. Peter's Basilica marks the place where, according to tradition, the first Pope suffered martyrdom. Its original dedication dates back to the 4th century, under Emperor Constantine. The present basilica, rebuilt between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, is a visible symbol of the Petrine ministry, to which Christ entrusted the mission of confirming the brethren in the faith (cf. Lk 22:32).
The Church sees in this temple, whose construction lasted 170 years, under 20 Pontiffs, a sign of unity around the Successor of Peter. “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it,” Jesus told him (Mt. 16:18-19).
St. Paul Outside the Walls
The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, built over the tomb of the apostle of the Gentiles, was also founded in the fourth century, and was later rebuilt after the fire of 1823, which destroyed almost everything. A monumental reconstruction took place and was completed in 1854. Remains such as the cloister and the triumphal arch are preserved. Today it is an important pilgrimage center and one of the four papal basilicas (the other three are St. Peter's, St. John Lateran and St. Mary Major).
The last major celebration at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which is located 11 kilometers from St. Peter's Basilica, took place recently, with the historic participation in an ecumenical prayer service of King Charles III of Great Britain and Queen Camilla.
What matters more in the Church, pastoral practice or study and formation?
Does study, preparation or pastoral practice matter more in the Church? What does the Pope think about the subject? Where is he placing the emphasis? Perhaps both, but with nuances. Here is one of them.
Sometimes there is talk of Popes being more pastoral or more intellectual. What should prevail in the formation of priests and laity in the Church, what matters more: study or the pastoral task? Or the two legs... These are frequent analyses that arise.
Pope Leo XIV further clarified the matter at the official inauguration of the 2025-2026 academic year of the Pontifical Lateran University on November 14. A center that is often referred to as “the Pope's University,” and which occupies “a special place” in his heart, as he has affirmed.
“Scientific research and research work are necessary.”
“To truly serve the Church and the world,” Pope Leo said, “the university must maintain the highest academic standards.Scientific excellence must be promoted, defended and developed”.
“Sometimes we come across the idea that research and study are useless for real life, that what matters in the Church is pastoral practice rather than theological, biblical or legal preparation.”.
However, the risk lies in “falling into the temptation to simplify complex issues to avoid the burden of thought, with the danger that, even in pastoral action and its language, we may fall into banality, approximation or rigidity,” he continued.
“We need trained and competent laity and priests.”.
“Scientific research and research work are necessary. We need trained and competent lay people and priests. Therefore, I urge them not to lower their guard in scientific matters, but to pursue with passion the search for truth and to be closely involved with other sciences, with reality and with the problems and difficulties of society,” he said in his speech.
“Counteracting the risk of a cultural vacuum”.”
Faith must be studied in a way that allows it to be expressed “within today's cultural contexts and challenges,” he said, but these studies are also a way of «counteracting the risk of the cultural vacuum that, in our time, is becoming more and more widespread».
The university's theology faculty, the Pope said, must find ways to highlight the «beauty and credibility» of the Christian faith «so that it can appear as a fully human proposal, capable of transforming the lives of individuals and society, of bringing about prophetic changes in response to the tragedies and poverties of our time, and of encouraging the search for God.».
Dialogue and respect
Everything a Catholic university does, Pope Leo said, it must be done with dialogue, respect and with the goal of building a true community of brothers and sisters.
That sense of fraternity, he said, is essential to counteract “the lure of individualism as the key to success in life.” This has “worrying consequences in all areas: people focus on self-promotion, the primacy of the ego is nurtured, cooperation is hindered. Prejudices and barriers towards others, especially those who are different, grow, responsibility in service is confused with solitary leadership and, in the end, misunderstandings and conflicts multiply.”.
On the human and religious level, Pope Leo said, a Catholic university is called to promote the common good and to prepare students to contribute to the good of their churches and communities.
“The goal of the educational and academic process must be to form people who, guided by the logic of gratuitousness and by a passion for truth and justice, can become builders of a new world, fraternal and in solidarity,” he said. “The university can and must spread this culture, becoming a sign and expression of this new world and of the search for the common good.”.
«The Reborn»: a story of overcoming the odds in the Congo
The Friends of Monkole Foundation production puts a face to the plight of abandoned children in Kinshasa and highlights the transformative power of education.
– Supernatural Friends of Monkole Foundation will present next Thursday, November 27th at the Palacio de la Prensa Cinemas in Madrid the documentary film Kobotama Lisusu (The reborn), a moving true story of overcoming the odds, filmed in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) and directed by Álvaro Hernández Blanco.
The film, produced by the Friends of Monkole Foundation and with Gabriel González-Andrío as executive producer, narrates the experience of Fils and Ruth, two siblings who were accused of witchcraft, mistreated and expelled from their home during their childhood. Their struggle to survive and gain access to a decent education becomes a symbol of hope for thousands of Congolese children in a similar situation.
According to UNICEF and Save the Children, between 50,000 and 70,000 children have been accused of witchcraft in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Kinshasa alone, where some 20 million people live, more than 30,000 minors survive on the streets, and 80 % of them were expelled and abandoned for these same reasons.
“Witchcraft accusations and armed conflicts are the main causes of mass school exclusion,” says Enrique Barrio, president of the Friends of Monkole Foundation. “That is why we have launched a Scholarship Program that will allow 50 children from two orphanages in Kinshasa to attend school. We believe that education is the key to development and equal opportunities”.
Hope in Kinshasa
The director of the documentary, Álvaro Hernández Blanco, highlights that Kobotama Lisusu “seeks to shed light and hope on real stories of children who, in spite of everything, manage to get ahead”.
“We don't want Ruth and Fils to be exceptions, we want them to be references,” he adds. “You often hear that documentaries «raise awareness,» but with Kobotama Lisusu we want to go a step further by putting very tangible measures within reach to engage the public in change,” he concludes.
Fils Makani, one of the protagonists, says: “I am excited about this documentary and I believe it will touch and change the lives of many people, including ours. I want to thank Friends of Monkole because thanks to their help it has changed our future”.
The premiere of the documentary has the collaboration of Omnes Magazine, the cinemas of the Palacio de la Prensa in Madrid, Antonio Gamboa (The Art Warriors, Madrid Content School).and Canal 24 Horas journalist Laura Pavía.
More than 600 churches and monuments will be dyed red for #RedWeek 2025, a global initiative by Aid to the Church in Need to denounce religious persecution and support freedom of faith.
From Vienna to Bogota, Sydney to Paris, more than 600 churches and monuments around the world will be illuminated in red between November 15 and 23 as part of #RedWeek 2025, an international campaign organized by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom.
The central day of the campaign will be #RedWednesday, November 19, with more than 100 events scheduled, including prayers, public events, concerts, school meetings and marches. More than 10,000 people are expected to participate directly and the impact is expected to reach more than 500,000 participants through media and digital platforms.
Among the most prominent witnesses will be the Colombian nun Gloria Narvaez, kidnapped for almost five years by Islamist extremists in Mali, who will speak in Mexico, and the German missionary Hans-Joachim Lohre, also kidnapped in Mali, who will give his testimony in Switzerland. In Germany, seven major events will be attended by Nigerian Bishop Wilfred Chikpa Anagbe, including a solemn Mass in the red-lit Regensburg Cathedral.
United in a single gesture
During #RedWeek, more than 635 churches and monuments in cities such as Vienna, Rome, Zurich, Lisbon, London, Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City and Bogota will be illuminated in red, symbolizing the blood of the martyrs. For the first time, emblematic monuments in Paris such as the Obelisk of Concorde and the Pont des Arts will also join the campaign.
In Germany, more than 190 churches have registered, while the Netherlands will illuminate some 200, and Portugal will illuminate in Lisbon, Braga, Porto and Viana do Castelo. Some of the most representative cathedrals participating include St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica and Mary Queen of the World Cathedral in Canada, the cathedral of Las Lajas Shrine in Colombia and several cathedrals in Australia and New Zealand, including Perth, Hobart, Melbourne and Newcastle.
In London, St. George's Cathedral will be the center of ACN UK's main national event with a Mass presided over by Bishop Nicholas Hudson and the presentation of the Courage to be Christian award to Tobias Yayaha, a catechist from Sokoto, Nigeria.
A global phenomenon
According to ACN's World Religious Freedom 2025 Report, 413 million Christians live in countries where their religious freedom is severely limited, and 220 million suffer direct persecution (1 in 10 Christians). Christians face violence, discrimination and destruction of property in 32 countries, physical or verbal attacks in 73 countries, and forced displacement in 33 countries.
ACN invites all parishes, schools and communities to join in by lighting their churches in red, symbolizing the blood of the martyrs, organizing moments of prayer and spreading messages on social networks with the tags #RedWeek2025 and #RedWednesday2025, in a gesture of global solidarity for the millions of persecuted Christians in the world.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, princess and servant of the sick and poor
At the conclusion of the Jubilee of the Poor, on November 17 the liturgy celebrates St. Elizabeth of Hungary, a princess who married young, had three children, and died at the age of 24. She dedicated her short life to helping the weak, the poor and the sick, and built hospitals. She was branded a madwoman for her generosity.
Francisco Otamendi-November 17, 2025-Reading time: 2minutes
Saint Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary and Grand Countess of Thuringia, in Germany, was born in 1207, daughter of King Andrew II and Gertrude of Andechs-Merano, and was depicted by Murillo “curing the sick” in the 17th century.
Following the customs of the medieval nobility, Elizabeth was betrothed as a wife to a German prince of Thuringia. She married at the age of fourteen to Ludwig IV, Landgrave or Grand Count of Thuringia, and had three children. German, the heir to the throne, Sophia and Gertrude. The latter was born when her husband had already died (1227), victim of the plague, as a crusader on his way to the Holy Land. She was only 20 years old. St. Elizabeth died at the age of 24, in 1231, and was canonized by Gregory IX in 1235. A record of a dense and self-sacrificing life.
Elizabeth of Hungary is the female figure who most genuinely embodies the penitential spirit of Francis, according to the Franciscan saints' calendar. The preaching of the Friars Minor among the people, which they had learned from St. Francis of Assisi, consisted in exhorting them to a life of penance and to exercise themselves in the works of mercy. Elizabeth's short life caused scandal at the court of Wartburg, many considered her mad because of her mercy.
Helped the weak and promoted hospitals
When she was still grand countess and in the absence of her husband, she had to face an emergency that plunged the country into famine. She emptied the county granaries to help the needy, poor and sick. Elizabeth saw the person of Christ in those in need.
He put intelligence at the service of his welfare work. During her husband's lifetime, she contributed to the foundation of hospitals in Eisenach and Gotha. Then she built the one in Marburg (1229), the favorite work of her widowhood. To take care of it, she founded a religious fraternity with her friends and maidens, and placed it under the protection of St. Francis, canonized a few months earlier.
Jürgen Habermas proposes to recover the democratic debate seeking the common good and not simply clashing or convincing the adversary. And to strengthen the foundations of the democratic and legal concepts on which we base the edifice of the State and the structures of power.
Professor Jürgen Habermas (1929), almost at the end of his life, has become the teacher of a whole generation of thinkers committed to achieving a global ethic for this new civilization that is emerging at the beginning of the new millennium, and which is in great need of a balance between faith and reason and of the unity of the sciences on the basis of a common anthropology.
That this common ethics that is being sought should be open to transcendence is a sign of great common sense and open-mindedness, since for twenty-first centuries there have been many men and women of great intelligence who have lived in accordance with their faith in a divine revelation that is in accord with the dignity of the human person and therefore worthy of being taken into account. Indeed, the transcendence of man, in the philosophy of the limit, enriches the dignity of the human person, a transcendental matter for building the common home.
First, in the study we now present on the structural change of the public sphere, Habermas will refer to the concept of “deliberative politics” thanks to which democratic debate can be recovered, seeking the common good and not simply clashing or convincing the adversary, nor even considering the other as an adversary but as a stakeholder in the dialogue.
Better “public sphere” than “public opinion”.”
For Habermas, it is important to broaden the concept of “public opinion”, which is already too hackneyed and with clear traces of manipulation, and exchange it for that of “public sphere” where we can all be comfortable.
Logically, Habermas will recall from the beginning of his presentation how society has changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of communism and, at the same time, the collapse of the welfare civilization, since we are heading towards an atrocious individualism and also towards excessive tax burdens by the State to maintain the excessive social charges, social security contributions and pensioners' money. Finally, he will point out that we are still in a democratic capitalist society but prone to constant financial crises.
Strengthening democratic and legal concepts
He will then state that the foundations of the democratic and legal concepts on which we base the edifice of the State and the structures of power must be strengthened: “With the Declaration of human rights and fundamental rights, the essence of rational morality migrated to the medium of imperative constitutional law, constructed on the basis of subjective rights”.
He will therefore point out some deep contradictions that we experience in today's society: “with the secularization of state power a legitimacy vacuum arose. Since in modern societies the legitimizing power of faith in the divine election of the ruling dynasties was no longer sufficient, the democratic system had to legitimize itself from within itself.”.
Christian Humanism
It is interesting to note that Christian humanism had the potential to help post-war society in the universal declaration of human rights, since they were able to legitimize them in theological anthropology. Man “is the image and likeness of God”, and therefore, in the 1948 declaration of human rights, human rights were legitimized in human rights, that is to say, they were self-legitimized, based on human dignity and on a universal rational consensus.
Let us return immediately to Habermas to recall that “The close relationship between social status and electoral participation is well documented (...). It only works as long as democratic elections lead to the correction of serious and structurally entrenched social inequalities”.
Habermas will then conclude his argument by leaving the issue up in the air or in abeyance: “for the time being there is little to say in favor of the desirable policy shift towards a sociological agenda aimed at further integration of the European core”.
Importance of the media system
He will immediately tackle the great problem of the unity of interests in political life and the importance that communication and states of opinion are acquiring in the public sphere.
It is logical that he pauses to note: “the media system is of crucial importance to the role of the political public sphere as a generator of competing public opinions that meet the guidelines of deliberative politics.”.
Indeed, much of the structural change in the European Community, for example, is based on the media, advisory cabinets and ways of exposing different attitudes: “since the emergence of media societies, nothing has changed significantly in the social basis of such a separation between the public sphere and the private spheres of life. (...). Moreover, there is a growing tendency to move away from the traditional perception of the political public sphere and politics itself”.
Several interviews
Next, the editor of this book brings together several interviews with Habermas, which may help us to understand some of the concepts he has pointed out in the first part of his work.
For example in some answers, he will take up some of the issues pointed out and outline such important matters as the following: “in political disputes we improve our convictions and get closer to the right solution of problems”.
We find the following important: “most political decisions are based on compromises. But modern democracies combine popular sovereignty with the rule of law”. Almost at the end Habermas will point out, as a constitutive requirement, the importance of “rationalizing political power through democratic control and critical debate”.
A new structural shift in the public sphere and deliberative politics
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Pope Leo XIV to make his first trip to Turkey and Lebanon
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