The Vatican

The Vatican Library: A Testimony to the Church's Cultural Openness

The growth of the library’s collection and its increasing output of documents have prompted Leo XIV to order the construction of a new building for the Vatican Archives and Library, a testament to the Church’s cultural openness. The Pope inaugurated the exhibition “AQVA: Catastrophe and Wonder” at the Library itself.

Francisco Otamendi-September 15, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

The decision to establish new facilities for the Vatican Archives and Library was made by Pope Francis, who identified the extraterritorial area of the Lateran as the ideal location.

However, a Chirograph A document from the Pontiff, signed on September 14, reveals that in recent months new opportunities have arisen to create new spaces within the Vatican City State, and the area chosen by the Pope is the so-called «Fuente del Autoparco» and its surroundings.

Therefore, a new building for the Vatican Archives and the Vatican Library will be constructed there, with the space divided equally between the two institutions and a portion reserved for other services of the Vatican City State.

To this end, as directed by the Holy Father, the Vatican Apostolic Archives and the Vatican Apostolic Library, as founding and sponsoring entities, will establish a Vatican instrumental foundation. In the meantime, the Vatican Library will continue to use the storage spaces it currently occupies at the Pontifical Roman Major Seminary.

A reading room at the Vatican Library in the Vatican on September 14, 2026. (Photo by CNS/Lola Gómez).

Old and New Cultural Openings

Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV visited the Vatican Apostolic Library on Monday for the opening of the exhibition ‘AQVA: Catastrophe and Wonder.’ In his Speech, the Pontiff encouraged the members of the Apostolic Library to bear witness to “the Church’s long-standing and renewed cultural openness,” the Holy See reported.

“For the first time as Pontiff, I am visiting the Vatican Library, following in the footsteps of my predecessors,” said the Pontiff. “This is intended as a sign of the Pope’s closeness to and appreciation for the mission of the Apostolic Archives and the Apostolic Library, which serve to foster and spread culture for the benefit of the Church and all humanity.”.

Pope Leo XIV blows out a candle in the Vatican Library, as the event took place on his 71st birthday (@VATICAN MEDIA).

The Pope and Providence: “My mother was a librarian, and here I am today”

At the start of his remarks, the Pope said, “God, in His providence and sometimes with a touch of humor, always reminds us that He is with us. Many of you may not know that my mother (Mildred) was a librarian, and today I am here, on my birthday, precisely to greet all of you.”.

The Holy Father then greeted the officials and staff working at these two Vatican institutions, as well as some guests and benefactors, to whom he expressed his deep gratitude, according to has reported Vatican News. Later, following in the footsteps of his predecessors who visited the Vatican Library, the Pontiff noted that this visit is intended to demonstrate the Pope’s closeness to and appreciation for the mission of the Apostolic Archives and the Apostolic Library, which serve to foster and disseminate culture for the benefit of the Church and all humanity.

The Pope's Library: A Heart, with Systole and Diastole

“How can I describe the Pope’s Library?” the Pope continued. “I’ll use a metaphor: the Apostolic Library is a heart. The heartbeat symbolizes life and results from two opposing movements, systole and diastole: contraction and relaxation, one movement toward the center and another toward the periphery. The Apostolic Library also remains alive to the extent that it maintains its own systole and diastole.

The Systole: “May the Apostolic Library continue to be a place of great intimacy, tranquility, respect, and care.” (…)

Diastole: “The openness and breadth of spirit of this library are evident in its humanistic origins: it includes not only works on theology, but also on literature, philosophy, astronomy, physics, mathematics, geography, botany, zoology, medicine, history, law, art, and economics.”.

“Works written in other religious contexts”

“Not only European and Christian books, but also works written in other religious contexts, from every corner of the world. And this was many centuries before this perspective became universally shared.”. 

“In this way,” concluded Leo XIV, "the Apostolic Library bears witness to the Church's long-standing and renewed cultural openness. The series of exhibitions that begins today also confirms this.".

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Beauty as a Path to God

Aesthetic pleasure is not limited to simple, disinterested contemplation; rather, it acts as a threshold that stirs within human beings the desire for greater fulfillment. Unlike the finite forms of art or nature, this dynamism finds its ultimate meaning when it becomes an encounter with a living Beauty that transcends the fleeting satisfaction of the moment.

Rafael Ramonet-September 15, 2026-Reading time: 7 minutes
RelatedRelated News"To educate in the contemplation of beauty is to open the mind to its essence."Related NewsVia pulchritudinis: The experience of beauty and its transcendent meaning

There is a kind of pleasure that stands apart from all others because of its strange purity: the pleasure derived from contemplating beauty. It promises nothing, demands nothing, and leaves no aftertaste. Unlike the pleasure of possessing or consuming, aesthetic enjoyment is fulfilled simply by looking, listening, or contemplating, without any desire for possession. It is, we might say, a «healthy» pleasure even in the literal sense: whoever contemplates a sunset, a symphony, or the face of a loved one does not emerge from that experience damaged, but rather serene, more awake, and grateful. But this very gratuitousness raises a question that is not merely aesthetic, but existential: Does beauty end in the moment of ecstasy, or is that moment the gateway to a new path to be traveled?

A pleasure for no apparent reason

Kant called this experience «disinterested pleasure»: a pleasure that depends neither on the utility of the object nor on its possession, but on the pure contemplation of its form.

This characteristic—the absence of interest, greed, or practical purpose—is what makes aesthetic pleasure qualitatively distinct from sensual pleasure or material well-being. We seek nothing from the sunset we are contemplating; it is simply enough for it to be. And yet, that «enough» is deceptive, because anyone who has truly felt the intensity of a beautiful moment knows that, paradoxically, it is never quite enough: one wishes it would last; one would like to «enter» the music, to remain forever before the painting, before the sculptural ensemble that brings tears of such intense joy that no reason can explain it.

In the fullest experience of beauty, there is a strange uneasiness mixed with a sense of fulfillment.

A Journey or a Full Stop? From Plato to Augustine

The insight that sensuous beauty is not an end in itself, but rather the first step on an ascent, has already been classically articulated in Plato. In the Banquet, in the speech that Socrates attributes to the priestess Diotima of Mantinea, the famous «ladder of love» is described: the soul that loves begins by loving a beautiful body, but if its love is properly directed, it then ascends to the beauty of all bodies, then to the beauty of souls and just actions, later to the beauty of laws and knowledge, until it finally reaches the contemplation of Beauty itself: something that is neither born nor perishes, that is not beautiful at one moment and ugly at another, but beautiful always and in and of itself, in which all beautiful things share without that sharing either increasing or diminishing it. Diotima goes so far as to describe it as «something wonderfully beautiful by nature.» Already in Plato, therefore, sensible beauty functions as a stepping stone, not as a goal: every beautiful body or soul is a necessary rung, but to remain stuck there would be to thwart the very movement that beauty sets in motion.

This same structure—finite beauty as a journey, not as a destination—reappears centuries later, in a very different form, in Saint Augustine of Hippo. Right at the start of their Confessions, Augustine articulates what is perhaps one of the most frequently quoted phrases in all of Western spiritual literature: «You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.» This restlessness is not a defect of the soul, but rather its very structure: we are made with a capacity for desire that no finite good—no matter how beautiful it may be—can fully satisfy.

Augustine, who had sought beauty for years in art, in rhetoric, and in sensual pleasure, describes that journey with a famous image, addressed to God as Beauty itself: «Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new; late have I loved you.» And he adds that he sought beauty outside himself, in created things, without realizing that true Beauty was within and above him: «You were within me, and I was outside, and there I sought you.».

For Augustine, every particular beauty—a face, a melody, a landscape—is beautiful by participation, as a reflection of a prime Beauty from which all other beauty derives its power to please. Hence, no finite beauty can fully satisfy the beholder: not because it is flawed, but because its function is not to quell desire, but rather to kindle and direct it.

There is, however, a difference between Plato and Augustine: Platonic Beauty in itself is an impersonal Form, an object of intellectual contemplation; Augustinian Beauty is a “You,” a personal God whom one loves and who comes to meet the soul that seeks Him. The Platonic ascent culminates in vision without another; the Augustinian ascent, in encounter.

From the Work of Art to the Beauty That Is Someone

When faced with a work of art—no matter how sublime the experience may be—what happens is, at its core, always a form of enjoyment: we contemplate something, let it affect us, and it leaves an impression on us, but the painting does not look back at us, the symphony does not respond to our wonder, the poem does not know that we are reading it. It is a passive beauty in the precise sense that its effect on us does not stem from a will or from freedom: it is form, order, harmony, which our sensibility receives and enjoys, but which cannot reciprocate the love it inspires. That is why aesthetic pleasure, for all its depth, has a natural limit: it can move us, uplift us, even sweep us away, but it cannot love us back.

When we speak of God as the path and the goal of beauty, we must go a step beyond this artistic analogy, because in God, beauty is not a quality to be contemplated from the outside, but an active Beauty in the highest degree—and active precisely without the need for any words: God does not need to «say» anything for His very reality—even when glimpsed only fleetingly and imperfectly through creation—to produce that same selfless joy that a work of art produces, and something more, because the One who is contemplated here is not an inert object, but Someone who in turn looks, loves, and reaches out to meet us. The difference, then, does not lie in the intensity of aesthetic enjoyment (which may be comparable to—or even greater than—that experienced before a great human work), but in what that enjoyment subsequently allows: before a painting, the enjoyment is self-contained, however profound it may be, because there is no one on the other side to whom to respond; in the presence of God, the same kind of enjoyment—selfless, gratuitous, «wholesome» pleasure—is also the gateway to a personal relationship, because the One who produces that joy is not a beautiful form, but Someone infinitely beautiful—Beauty itself—who loves and waits.

This allows us to formulate the Augustinian insight cited above with greater precision. When Augustine writes, «Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new,» he is not describing the contemplation of a sublime object, but rather the recognition of a Person whom, without knowing it, he had long been seeking through all created beauty. The aesthetic journey—enjoying beauty in art, in nature, and in the human face—would then be the first half of the path, common to every sensitive human being; but that path, if traveled to the end, does not lead to a more perfect Form to be contemplated, but to a “You” with whom one can enter into a relationship. And that relationship, unlike any work of art, is desired by Him Himself: a relationship that endures, now established beyond time and space.

The Absurdity Objection

Against this interpretation, the existentialist objection rises with all its force. For Sartre, the human being is «a futile passion»: a desire for fulfillment and foundation that never finds satisfaction because, quite simply, there is nothing there to satisfy it. Camus, for his part, defines the absurd as the clash between the human demand for meaning and the indifferent silence of the universe. From this perspective, the pleasure of beauty would point to nothing beyond itself: it would be raw data—beautiful but mute—that neither promises nor refers to anything. To feel a sense of rapture before a work of art would, in this interpretation, be a gratuitous event in the most radical sense: beautiful, yes, but without an addressee or a promise.

That is a serious objection. But it is worth asking a question borrowed from a field very different from philosophy: mathematics. When a proof leads to an absurd result—a contradiction, an unmanageable infinity—the mathematician does not conclude that mathematics itself is absurd, but rather revises the initial assumptions: they cannot accept the absurd result as valid, but conclude that there must be an error in some poorly formulated premise. We could apply the same procedure here. If the initial hypothesis—that there is no ultimate foundation, that the human desire for meaning is merely an evolutionary accident with no real correspondence—leads to something as shocking as the idea that the most intense, most gratuitous, and «best» experience a human being can have means absolutely nothing, perhaps the problem lies not in the aesthetic experience itself, but in the hypothesis that frames it. This is not a proof—the argument does not logically compel the opposite conclusion—but it is a legitimate invitation to «start over with different hypotheses,» as is done in mathematics, rather than forcing experience to fit into a framework that empties it of meaning. Put another way, I reason logically and correctly, arrive at an absurdity, accept it, and propose it as a vital foundation. Respectable, but it does not seem to be something that can be easily shared, even though some have done so.

Beauty as a Threshold

The question with which we began—Does beauty end at the moment of ecstasy?—has no answer that can be demonstrated from outside the experience itself. What can be said, however, is that the very structure of that experience—its gratuitousness, its «wholesome» and disinterested nature, and above all that restlessness that survives even the moment of greatest fulfillment—is more consistent with the interpretations of Plato and Augustine than with Sartre’s conclusion —logically flawless within his own system, but which the most basic common sense deems absurd and unacceptable—that man is a useless passion. A heart that, after the most fulfilling moment, remains «restless,» does not sit well with the idea that that moment was already the end of the journey. It fits better with the intuition shared by both: that all finite beauty—even that of the most accomplished work of art—is a journey and not a destination, a pleasure that can become an encounter; and that traveling it to the end is not about reaching a more perfect form to be admired from the outside, but rather moving from contemplating the beautiful to being loved by Beauty itself—a journey I highly recommend.

The authorRafael Ramonet

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RelatedRelated News"To educate in the contemplation of beauty is to open the mind to its essence."Related NewsVia pulchritudinis: The experience of beauty and its transcendent meaning
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The Vatican

The Pope Raises Curia Salaries by Reversing COVID-19 Pay Cuts

By revoking theDespite the pay cuts implemented in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic for cardinals, heads and secretaries of dicasteries, priests, and religious members of the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV has increased the salaries of high-ranking Vatican officials.

Editorial Staff Omnes-September 14, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

The wage restraint measures adopted by Pope Francis with the Apostolic Letter «A Sustainable Future,» March 23, 2021, which were necessary to address the challenges posed by the pandemic, have been repealed by another Apostolic Letter, dated September 1, by Pope Leo XIV.

Consequently, the salaries of cardinals, heads and secretaries of Vatican dicasteries, as well as clergy and religious, in the same proportions as the reductions. In summary, a 10 percent reduction for cardinals, an 8 percent reduction for other superiors, and a 3 percent reduction for clergy and religious.

Commitment to Ensuring Economic Sustainability

The Pope adds in his Motu Proprio that the measures have already been partially amended, through the repeal of Article 3, with the Rescriptum ex Audientia dated June 16, 2025. And he is “certain that the institutions of the Holy See and the Vatican City State will continue, through various means, to fulfill their commitment to ensuring economic sustainability.”.

The decision was made by the Holy Father after consulting with the Ministry of Economy and “carefully examining everything.” The Pontiff is repealing the rule, although he is not eliminating the provisions that were in effect while the law was in force, including the freeze on biennial seniority raises.

Ministry of Economy

For this reason, “the expert opinion of the Secretariat of Economy”—whose Prefect is the Spanish layman Maximino Caballero—“was sought after carefully examining everything.”.

This measure is established without prejudice to the effects that occurred during its period of validity, including the effects resulting from the suspension of the accumulation of biennial seniority increases referred to in Article 5, which remains definitively acquired.

Pope Francis' Restrictions Lifted 

The restrictions adopted by Pope Francis were stringent and were due, in particular, to the consequences of the pandemic. The pandemic had exacerbated “the deficit that has characterized the Holy See’s economic management for several years, which has negatively impacted all sources of revenue for the Holy See and the Vatican City State,” as stated in the 2021 Motu Proprio ‘A Sustainable Future.’.

Pope Francis also made a appeal to review spending in order to avoid even more drastic measures, such as the layoff of lay employees who are parents, as reported by the Vatican news agency.

The authorEditorial Staff Omnes

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The Vatican

Pope Leo XIV Turns 71!

The first North American pope in history, Leo XIV, turns 71 on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, this September 14. Episcopates such as those of Peru and Spain, Augustinians from around the world—including those from the Philippines—and Prefect Bishop Luis Marín, OSA, were among the first to congratulate him.

Francisco Otamendi-September 14, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

“Our beloved Pope Leo XIV is turning 71. Happy birthday, Holy Father. May the Lord protect you, grant you a long life, make you a saint on earth, and not deliver you into the hands of your enemies,” wrote the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, OSA, who has recounted his time spent with Fr. Robert Prevost before he was elected Pope.

Although Leo XIV hasn't mentioned anything—neither during yesterday's Angelus nor in recent days—the Catholic world knew that today is his birthday, for reasons including the fact that he already celebrated his first birthday as pope last year. 

Peru's Profound Impact

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference, which is expecting the Pope from November 11 to 16, has sent him a warm greeting: “Happy birthday, Pope Leo XIV! Peru awaits you with joy, affection, and prayer.”.

Another example of Peruvian celebrations is the one in Monsefú, which features a popular festival: the town of Lambayeque, in Chiclayo, where the then-Monsignor Robert Prevost lived for years. There, they are preparing a tribute featuring marinera and some of his favorite dishes. The Peruvian press is presenting this as a sign of the town’s enduring affection for its former bishop.

In June of last year, the Vatican released the documentary Lion of Peru, marking the 20th anniversary of Augustinian missionary Robert Prevost—now Pope Leo XIV—in Peru. The 45-minute compilation of testimonies, prepared by the editorial team of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, traces the journey of his mission in Peru. ’From Chicago to Chulucanas, from Chiclayo to the Vatican,‘ goes one of the background songs by Los Bachiches.

From the Philippines, Spain, Mexico, publications…

The Filipino Augustinians have congratulated Leo XIV, calling him “brother,” on his 71st birthday. This is particularly interesting because they are his brothers in the Order, and it reflects a more familiar tone. The news was reported today by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Also from the Philippines, the Pope has received birthday wishes from GMA News (Philippines). The Philippine network published a graphic today reading: “Blessed 71st Birthday, Pope Leo XIV!”, accompanied by a message of prayer and thanksgiving.

The Pope visited Spain in June, leaving an indelible mark, and the Holy Father has also received congratulations from here, including those from the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Cáritas Diocesana de Madrid, and other institutions.

In addition, there have been numerous personal congratulations, especially on social media. For example, Samuel García, governor of Nuevo León (Mexico), posted on X: “Happy birthday, Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex_es. With great respect and admiration, I wish you health, long life, and much wisdom…”.

First North American Pope

León XIV is the first North American pope in the history of the Church, and people there are wishing the Pope a ‘Happy Birthday,’ starting with his siblings.

Professor Rafael Navarro Valls recently wrote A reflection on ‘An American Pope: The U.S. Influence on Leo XIV.’. In it, he writes that The fact that Leo XIV is the first pope born in the United States is a historic event of enormous significance, although his international pastoral experience and his long-standing work in Latin America have shaped his leadership in a distinctly universal way.

The Gift of Life. A Life Dedicated to Others

When the Church congratulates the Pope on his 71st birthday, it is not merely celebrating the fact that Robert Francis Prevost was born on September 14, 1955, according to sources consulted. “It is giving thanks for a life that, over the years, has taken on a specific mission: Augustinian, priest, missionary in Peru, bishop, cardinal, and finally successor of Peter.”.

“In other words, celebrating a birthday means celebrating that a person has received the gift of life and that, as the years have passed, that gift has also become a gift to others.”.

Another theologian says: St. John Paul II wrote in his 1994 ‘Letter to Families’ that a newborn is a gift. He says: ‘Its existence is already a gift, the first gift of the Creator to the creature.’ In other words: ‘Its existence is already a gift, the first gift from the Creator to the creature.’.

And he expands on the idea: ”A child becomes a gift to his parents, his siblings, his family, and, ultimately, to society. A person’s existence is not insignificant: every birth changes the world because someone appears who wasn’t there before.” The same can be said of every human being, he concludes.

Pope Leo XIV, in his Speech addressing this year’s Diplomatic Corps, he said, among other things: “Life, in fact, is an inestimable gift that unfolds within a committed relationship based on mutual self-giving and service. In light of this profound view of life as a gift to be cherished, and of the family as its responsible guardian,” “we categorically reject any practice that denies or exploits the origin of life and its development.”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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  • Sabrina and Steven Gunnell: “Devotion to the Sacred Heart Is Not a Thing of the Past”
Cinema

Sabrina and Steven Gunnell: “Devotion to the Sacred Heart Is Not a Thing of the Past”

Sabrina and Steven Gunnell, a French couple and directors of Sacred Heart, they talk about a record-breaking movie.

Virginia Gil-Nogués-September 14, 2026-Reading time: 5 minutes

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of the most widespread in the Church, reaching every corner of the globe. On the 11th, a documentary film with this title premiered in Spain, Sacred Heart, which combines historical reenactments and contemporary testimonies to explore the life of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque and the message of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The film’s directors, Sabrina and Steven Gunnell, who are of French origin, have drawn on their own faith experiences in the film. Both spoke with Omnes in Madrid during the documentary’s premiere. 

What is the origin of this movie? 

–SABRINA: This is the story of an encounter. In August 1923, we were at the Notre-Dame du Laus Shrine in the French Alps, and I went to hear the testimony of Father Marot, the former rector of the shrines at Paray-le-Monial, and of Alicia Beauvisage. The whole time, my heart was racing; I saw many similarities between their story and ours (Steven’s and mine), and I realized that the Sacred Heart of Jesus had truly been our life from the very beginning.

When we were done, I told Alicia that I had been making movies with my husband for several years. She took my hand and said, “I’ve been praying to meet Christian filmmakers.” At that moment, I understood what God wanted. That afternoon, as a family, we discovered that we could consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart—something we hadn’t known about, even though we were Catholic. Later, in Paris, for two months, we received clear signs from the Sacred Heart, whether in everyday life or when entering a store—things we hadn’t noticed that way before. Steven didn’t tell me what he was seeing, but after a month and a half, he said to me, “I think I’m seeing a lot of Sacred Hearts.”. 

How did your family and close friends react to the news of this project? 

–SABRINA: Many friends considered the Sacred Heart to be an outdated topic—one that no one talked about, one that was gathering dust, a thing of the past. But it spoke to us, and we felt that the Lord was calling us to explore it. Although we didn’t know how to convey the entirety of its spirituality—which is the heart of the faith—in 90 minutes, we felt a kind of inner cry urging us to do so. Then Steven had the idea for the film.

Are you referring to the poster? 

–STEVEN: Yes. When I saw the posters for horror or satanic movies at airports and train stations, I imagined showing Jesus in all His Love, and I felt immense joy. And we said yes to Him. From that moment on, He helped us understand what we were going to do. 

This is his ninth documentary; the film has already attracted over a million viewers worldwide and has been distributed in several countries. Did you expect it to be so well received?

–STEVEN: It took us over a year to make the film. And when we finished it, our distributor in France told us that the goal was to reach 20,000 tickets sold, since it’s a Christian, Catholic documentary—a specific niche—not meant for the general public. Controversy began to arise around the film, and we realized that French television didn’t want to run the posters because they featured a cross and were too religious in nature, which they didn’t like. Nevertheless, we put up posters, and that’s how many people found out the film was in theaters and started going to see it out of curiosity.  

A Personal Story

Steven, you went from being part of a famous pop group to a very dark period in your life, and from there to making movies about faith. Is there anything about that fall from grace that continues to show up, in some way, in the stories you choose to tell?

—STEVEN: I was a member of the Boy Band Alliage And, overnight, I went from being anonymous to being rich and famous. When that ended, I lost everything. During that time in my youth, I had experienced the worst of all drugs: fame, because it brings with it power and the feeling that it will last forever. 

I couldn't find a way forward in my artistic career, so I went to England, where I began digging my own grave. I wasn’t sleeping well and was in a bad place mentally. I was scared. Desperate, I called my mother, who asked me—before I did anything foolish—to go rest in a church. And, for the first time in my life, I obeyed her. 

I went to a chapel in London and fell asleep on a bench there. Until then, I hadn’t been able to fall asleep, not even at night. When I returned home to Nice, my mother took me to a church filled with people, and as I gazed upon that scene, I felt a sense of inner presence, of discovery. “It is You whom I have been searching for all along,” I thought. 

Did you have a hard time understanding what God was asking of you through the movie? 

—STEVEN: The first few years of our marriage were difficult because the Lord was preparing us for our mission. In 2012, we received our first calling and discovered immense joy behind the camera—the joy of being able to share how God can transform lives. From that point on, everything took off, and we haven’t stopped growing since. 

After my experience in the music world, where everyone abandoned me, the gift of wisdom was truly unique and awe-inspiring. It is mercy, once again. In the film, there is a scene in which Jesus Christ appears crucified, and when the soldier pierces His side with a spear, water flows from Christ’s lifeless body, symbolizing the inexhaustible source of divine life and God’s mercy. That heart from which water flows is truly the key—the solution for constantly renewing the heart. 

France is a country deeply shaped by secularization. Do you think that this context is, paradoxically, part of the film's success?

—STEVEN: St. Jerome said, “Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.” Two thousand years ago, the Lord was rejected in many places, but He was welcomed in places where He could perform miracles. Centuries later, we find ourselves back at the same stories. In France and other countries, there are forces that deny this transcendence, but I am among those who believe that human beings are profoundly spiritual, and so they always find their way back to the source, since it is a constant search. I do not believe that one person can save another; that is why I am a Catholic—because it is God who saves me. 

Do you think the film could challenge—and perhaps even lead to the conversion of—some viewers who are unfamiliar with this devotion?

—SABRINA: We are the first viewers of our films; we make movies that we would have loved as teenagers back then. We receive many testimonies from people who were moved by the screening—people who find a path of faith where they least expected it and ask themselves profound questions that lead them back to the faith of their childhood. They had this sense that Jesus Christ was calling them and asking, “Have you forgotten that faith?” It’s very moving to read their stories and see that, after watching the film, they no longer experience Mass in the same way. Now they hear the beating of that heart. 

We are here to show God's grace, and then let Him work in people's hearts as He sees fit. Devotion to the Sacred Heart is by no means a thing of the past.

The authorVirginia Gil-Nogués

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Guest writersVictor Torre de Silva

Influential Saints

The Internet and social media are also turning the saints into new influencers, bringing their lives and examples closer to millions of Christians.

September 14, 2026-Reading time: < 1 minute
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The ease with which the internet has enabled us to communicate has an impact on many areas of the Church, from institutional communication to the more widespread dissemination of devotions. Setting aside the negative uses we sometimes see, its positive aspects are undeniable: just think of how many people are able to hear the Pope thanks to these media.

In particular, this has had a very positive impact on the progress of canonization cases. Today, it is much easier to spread the word about a Christian whose cause is being opened. Videos, texts, and interviews make it possible to share the story of their life and devotion with the whole world. I have recently received news of progress in various causes, such as the announcement of the beatification of Fulton Sheen and the latest developments in the cause of Pedro Ballester.

I've been thinking these past few days that this parallels what's happening on Instagram, TikTok and other networks with the influencers: people who share their lives, their friendships, and their “tips” with millions of followers who look up to them as role models. The saints are the greatest models of holiness for Christians, and now we can also have them very close to us through social media.

I think it would be a great idea to promote social media accounts that share the lives of the saints in the first person, perhaps with the help of artificial intelligence. Their diaries, anecdotes, or advice could be adapted so that they “speak” to us on a personal level, as if they were posts from today. These initiatives—some of which are already underway—can help Christians who use social media discover the saints among the influencers they follow. A piece of good advice for daily life or an example of how to face a challenge can be the perfect nudge to bring us closer to Christ.

The authorVictor Torre de Silva

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Integral ecology

Helping Mothers After Childbirth: A Pro-Life Issue

Nicole Kristensen recalls facing difficult births and postpartum challenges as a mother. Today, she draws on her experience to help other women before, during, and after childbirth. Kristensen, the owner of Holystic Maternity Care, and other experts discuss postpartum support.

OSV / Omnes-September 14, 2026-Reading time: 6 minutes

– Katie Yoder, OSV News

“Although I faced challenges, having a community was the most important thing, and that’s a fundamental part of what I strive to achieve today as a doula,” said Catholic doula and coach Nicole Kristensen, who serves communities in New York and Connecticut.

(Editor's note: A doula is a person with no medical training who provides emotional and practical support to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, without replacing the care provided by doctors or midwives.). 

Kristensenowner of Holistic Maternity Care , and other experts on the postpartum period and Catholic leaders have spoken with OSV News about the Church’s role in providing postpartum support and guidance to new mothers who are facing difficulties.

Her comments come at a time when mothers are speaking openly about the difficulties of the postpartum experience amid the highly publicized trial of Lindsay Clancy in Massachusetts, which ended in a mistrial on September 4. The case has raised awareness about postpartum psychosis, a serious maternal mental health disorder.

Postpartum support is a pro-life issue

These experts agreed that the Church and Catholics have a responsibility to be involved in postpartum support as a pro-life issue. The Church is already active in this area, they said, but Catholics can do more. Many of them emphasized the importance of parish involvement.

Although these experts came from different fields and government agencies, they wanted new mothers who are facing difficulties to know that they are not alone.

“The Church plays an important role in postpartum support because Jesus commands us to care for the most vulnerable, and women after childbirth and their babies fit that description,” said Kat Talalas, deputy director of pro-life communications at the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Postpartum Care Landscape

Currently, there are various national resources available for women experiencing postpartum difficulties. Women with maternal mental health issues can contact the Suicide and Crisis Helpline (988) or the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline. Other nonprofit organizations that support mothers during the postpartum period include Postpartum Support International and the Policy Center for Maternal Health.

Maternal mental health disorders, also known as perinatal mental health disorders, are common and affect up to one in five families in the United States each year, according to the policy center. The center notes that anxiety and depression are the most common complications of childbirth. However, these types of disorders are not universally detected or adequately treated.

According to the center, symptoms of postpartum depression include sadness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty enjoying favorite activities, and difficulty bonding with the baby. Symptoms of maternal anxiety include extreme fear, worry, and nervousness.

Recovery time, with imbalances

The experts agreed that the Church should support new mothers, especially those who are facing difficulties.

“In the months following childbirth, it takes all women months—and sometimes even years—to fully recover,” said Caroline Hartley, a nurse specializing in family care and founder of Fiat Integrative Health, a clinic that provides medical care and mental health services in Franklin, Tennessee. “Hormonal imbalances occur, sleep patterns are disrupted, and isolation is common. Approximately one in seven women suffers from postpartum depression, and nearly half are never diagnosed.”.

The mother of seven added, “If Catholics disappear at that moment, our pro-life witness will be incomplete.” Many of these experts and leaders identified postpartum support as a pro-life issue.

“It is absolutely essential—and I would say mandatory—that the Body of Christ be present to support mothers and families during the postpartum period,” said Mary Haseltine, a Catholic doula and mother of seven. 

Something Essential

Haseltine is also the founder of Made for This, which offers resources on pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, and author of “Made for This: A Catholic Mom's Guide to Childbirth". 

“This is not only part of the Gospel’s general mandate to care for those in need,” he said. “If, as a Church, we are going to ask families to promise to be open to life—as we do in our marriage vows—and to strive to be a people who value the dignity and beauty of every life and build a culture of life, this is essential.”.

A growing commitment

These experts acknowledged the Church's role in postpartum support, highlighting Catholic hospitals, pregnancy centers, and doulas. 

They also mentioned ministries such as Elizabeth Ministry International, a Catholic apostolate that supports women and families through the joys and challenges of motherhood, and Walking with Moms in Need, a parish-based initiative of the U.S. bishops that serves pregnant women and vulnerable mothers.

“Although the ”Walking with Mothers’ program is primarily aimed at low-income women, the available resources and support offered by the parish could be extended to any mother facing difficulties,” said Talalas of the U.S. bishops.

In U.S. dioceses, in parishes

According to Talalas, at least one-third of U.S. dioceses are participating in the “Walking with Moms in Need” initiative, and they have parishes that are also participating, although she added that the number is likely higher.

Parishes with ministries that support mothers in need play an active role in supporting mothers during the postpartum period. The ministry of the parish of San Felipe and Santiago in Exton, Pennsylvania, recently donated postpartum personal care items to The 4th Trimester Mom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to maternal health.

Prayer, peer support, mentoring

Elizabeth Ministry International, Headquartered in Wisconsin, it currently has more than 800 registered chapters. Its members offer prayers, mutual support, mentoring, educational materials, spiritual nourishment, and inspirational resources. 

Krys Crawley, executive director of Elizabeth Ministry International, said that her organization hopes to establish branches in every parish around the world. 

“Our Catholic understanding of human dignity tells us that both the mother and the child are infinitely valuable,” said Crawley, who is also the founder and executive director of Life’s Connection, a community health and education center that provides support during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Care for the Baby and the Mother

Hartley stated that Fiat and similar organizations follow a comprehensive model in which they care for both the baby and the mother. Catholic doulas, such as Haseltine and Kristensen, also provide support to women before, during, and after childbirth. Both offer free online resources for the postpartum period. 

Haseltine also offers a Bible-based postpartum recovery plan and a directory of Christian birth professionals to connect women with the support they need. Kristensen offers an e-book to help women prepare for a peaceful postpartum period and lists helpful articles for this stage.

A parish-centered solution

However, these experts stated that the Church can do more. Many encouraged parishes to get actively involved. They recommended that parishes start support groups for mothers in need and for the Elizabeth Ministry, or expand existing ones. Others suggested creating spaces where mothers can connect, build community, and help one another.

Many people recommended organizing meal delivery programs and providing childcare for new mothers and growing families. They suggested staying in regular contact with the mothers and maintaining a list of resources that might be useful to them.

“One of the most important changes the Church can make is to stop treating postpartum difficulties as a private matter and instead proactively support mothers,” Hartley said. 

“You’re not failing in the gift you’ve been given”

These experts also shared advice for mothers facing difficulties. They recommended that mothers turn to their family members, friends, and parishes. Some advised prayer. Many encouraged mothers not to be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. They wanted them to know that the Church and Catholic ministries want to walk alongside them.

“If you’re a new mom and you’re going through a tough time, listen to this: you’re not a bad mom, and you’re not failing the gift you’ve been given,” Hartley said. 

“Loving your baby and feeling confusion, fear, anger, emptiness, or a lack of connection can coexist,” she added. “That doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful. It means your body and mind have gone through something enormous and haven’t recovered yet.”.

“You should never have had to go through this alone.”.

Hartley and others urged women to are going through a difficult time so they can tell their husbands, friends, priests, midwives, counselors, and doctors.

“You said ”yes“ to life, and that ”yes’ still includes you and your needs,” she said. “You should never have had to carry this burden alone.”.

——————-

– Katie Yoder is a correspondent for OSV News. She writes from Maryland.

– This information was originally published in OSV News, and you can read it there here.

—————

The authorOSV / Omnes

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Culture

Catholic Scientists: Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora

Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora is one of the most prominent figures representing the union between the Catholic faith and modern science in the Hispanic world.

Ignacio del Villar-September 14, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora (Mexico City, 1645–1700) is one of the most representative figures of the union between the Catholic faith and modern science in the Spanish-speaking world.

Coming from a family in which his father had served as a tutor to the royal family in Madrid, he studied with the Jesuits in Tepotzotlán and Puebla, although he was expelled for indiscipline in 1667. However, he never strayed from Ignatian spirituality or the Catholic faith. In 1668, he published his first work, Indian Spring, dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe, and in 1673 he was ordained a secular priest.

Before being ordained a priest, he had already studied at the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, where he distinguished himself to the point of being appointed to the chair of mathematics and astrology (1672), a position he held for twenty years.

He also served as chaplain at the Hospital del Amor de Dios and as royal cosmographer to Charles II, for whom he drew up the first general map of Mexico City and various plans and hydraulic projects for the lagoon and the valley, intended to prevent flooding. He also took part in scientific expeditions, such as the 1693 expedition to the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, where he drew up nautical charts of Pensacola and the Mississippi.

Sigüenza y Góngora was also noted for his efforts to separate superstition from science. When a great comet appeared in 1680, he wrote his A Philosophical Manifesto Against Comets (1681), a work in which he sought to allay public fears and explain the phenomenon scientifically. Later, he wrote his greatest work: Astronomical and Philosophical Libra (1690), which contributed to astronomy and astrology and helped establish science in the Hispanic world.

In 1675, he also led the first documented excavations at Teotihuacán and founded the first newspaper in New Spain, Flying Mercury, and wrote various literary works. To top it off, he became a hero during the 1692 popular uprising in Mexico City, where he risked his life to save the City Council’s archives from a fire. In his later years, he compiled materials for a history of ancient Mexico, as part of an effort to reclaim the region’s Indigenous past, though his death cut the project short.

The authorIgnacio del Villar

Public University of Navarra. SCS-Spain.

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The Vatican

"Only forgiveness sets us free," says Leo XIV as he prays for the victims of 9/11 and for peace

Forgiveness is essential; without it, we cannot live in peace. Only forgiveness sets us free and restores the light, the Pope said this Sunday. After reciting the Angelus, Leo XIV renewed his prayers for those who died and were injured in the 9/11 attacks, and called for our commitment to peace.

Francisco Otamendi-September 13, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

Following a reflection on a Gospel passage that speaks of a fundamental value of Christian life—forgiveness—the Holy Father recalled in the Angelus Two days ago marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America.

“I renew my prayers for those who lost their lives and for those who continue to grieve the wounds of that tragic day,” said the Pontiff. “At a time when violence and conflict afflict so many of our brothers and sisters, I invite everyone to pray that the Lord may bring peace to the entire world.”. 

"The memory of the tragic event that occurred 25 years ago inspires us to renew our commitment to peace, which we entrust to the intercession of the Virgin Mary," said the Successor of Peter.

A Fundamental Value of the Christian Life: Forgiveness

From the window of the Apostolic Palace, on a sunny day in Rome, the Pope focused his remarks, as usual, on the readings for this 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Jesus taught and bore witness to forgiveness even on the cross, where he prayed to the Father for his persecutors with the words we all know: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” It is a fundamental value of the Christian life.

This is how Pope Leo XIV began his catechesis before this Sunday's Angelus.

Jesus to Peter: Forgive “up to seventy times seven”

In today’s Gospel passage, Peter asks the Master precisely about this topic: “Lord,” he asks, “how many times must I forgive my brother for the wrongs he does to me? ”Up to seven times?” His words reveal a generous heart: the number seven, in fact, symbolizes fullness in the Bible, and “forgiving seven times” means forgiving with great generosity, the Pope has stated.

Jesus“ response, however, goes further: “I do not tell you to forgive up to seven times,” he says, “but up to seventy times seven”, that is, “beyond all limits, immeasurable”

Forgiveness is “essential”

The Pope then emphasized that “forgiveness is indispensable; without it, one cannot live in peace,” he added. “Sooner or later, conflicts, accusations, grudges, and acts of revenge arise in people’s hearts and between people, destroying relationships, dividing families, and unleashing wars.”. 

"Only forgiveness sets us free and restores the light, even where man's material and moral poverty has, for a moment, cast a shadow over the horizon and made the path uncertain," said Leo XIV.

Like a favorable wind 

In his reflection, the Pope compared forgiveness to “a favorable wind,” which “dispels even the thickest clouds, until we can see the sun again. Saint Peter himself experienced this on several occasions throughout his life; in particular when, after denying and abandoning Jesus during the Passion, upon encountering the Risen One on the shore of the lake, he heard a single question: ‘Simon […], do you love me?’, accompanied by an invitation: ‘Follow me.’. 

Just as it was at the beginning, on the day of their first encounter, as if nothing had happened. This charity, which forgives and heals, will serve as confirmation of his mission for the first of the apostles, the Holy Father concluded.

Pray to the Mother of Mercy

“Let us ask, then, the Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy,” the Pope urged the Romans and pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, “to help us ‘always forgive, even when it is difficult to take the first step, and to spread, with courage and perseverance, the serene and healing light of love that overcomes hatred and disarms all resentment.”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Books

«Light from Light»: The Nicene Creed That Still Speaks Today

A volume edited by Bishop Jesús Rico Pavés brings together six scholars to explore in depth the Nicene Creed and the identity of Jesus Christ as true God and true man.

José Carlos Martín de la Hoz-September 13, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

Bishop Jesús Rico Pavés of Jerez is currently the president of the Commission for Evangelization, Catechesis, and the Catechumenate of the Spanish Episcopal Conference; at the same time, he has found the time to prepare and carry out this collaborative project that we are now reviewing—one that is sure to be the subject of much discussion in the coming months, as it addresses something as central to the Church as the unforgettable figure of Jesus Christ, Son of God, true God and true man; moreover, the authors present it in a fresh and engaging way.

Certainly, we always begin milestone anniversaries—such as the recent 500th anniversary of Luther’s Wittenberg theses, the 500th anniversary of the School of Salamanca, the 500th anniversary of the birth of Philip II, and so on—with great enthusiasm, publicity, appeals to experts, etc.

The problem is that the proceedings of the conferences held on these milestone anniversaries—including panel discussions featuring experts, lectures, and so on—are either never published or appear in special issues of specialized journals that reach only small circles of people who are already well-versed in the subject.

Nicaea, 1,700 Years Later

In this magnificent volume, Professor Rico Pavés has compiled the views of six leading scholars from the Spanish theological scene in the treatise of Trinitate and of Christology who have written their chapters in perfect coordination, so that we now have a work that synthesizes historical theology and the history of theology under the ambitious title “From the Nicene Creed to the Church of the 21st Century.”.

Certainly, when the commemorative events marking the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 were organized, we all had in mind the immense benefits that resulted in 1951 when conferences were held on the great Council of Chalcedon in 451. So much so that over the past 75 years we have been able to establish two major Christologies: the pre-Chalcedonian and the Chalcedonian. This distinction has been of immense help to researchers during this time.

When I saw the title of the book, which aims to commemorate the Council of Nicaea while also delving deeper into the doctrine of the “Son of God,” unity, and the Holy Trinity, I was moved by the title chosen: “Light from Light.”.

Certainly, when addressing the Council of Nicaea and studying how it is received by contemporary theologians, there is no expression more concise and apt than the one used by the council itself, which is reflected in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed recited on Sundays during Masses throughout the Catholic world: “Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made.”.

The Confession of Faith in Christ

In the following lines, we will review this work coordinated by Monsignor Rico Pavés, and we encourage the reader to purchase this magnificent volume as soon as possible, read it, and draw from it their own lines of inquiry and, above all, food for meditation and reflection on the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, in the tradition of Saint Athanasius, St. Alexander of Alexandria, and above all St. Hilary of Poitiers; for the Holy Spirit certainly intervened at the Council of Nicaea, and moreover, the council featured the largest proportion of bishops in the council hall in the entire history of the Church. It seemed as if the “communion of saints” had sought to settle the matter once and for all: no Monophysites, no Docetists, no Nestorians, no Subordinationists: “God from God, Light from Light, begotten, not made.”.  

As St. Paul stated in one of his letters to the early Church: “The word of God is not chained” (2 Tim 2:9), and at the same time, it was necessary to respect the harmony between faith and reason, as well as the unity of the Church under one Shepherd and in one creed.

The Arian Controversy

Certainly, this theological discussion concerning the unity of the Holy Trinity and the distinctness of the three divine persons should have been left to the experts, while the Christian people continued to believe and affirm in the “Apostles” Creed” the unity of nature and the three Persons (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 185).

As we recall, the Alexandrian priest Arius achieved what four centuries of terrible persecutions had failed to do: he shattered the unity of the Church. Through his teachings and catchy songs, Arius took the debate to the streets and the marketplace to spread a deceptive doctrine, but “rationalist”—that is, that “Jesus was supremely perfect, marvelous, full of every immense quality and virtue, and by the merits of his Passion and death deserved to be called God; but in reality, he was not God, for he was ontologically inferior to the Father.”.

Unfortunately, the Arians did not accept the redemption wrought by Christ, nor the sacrificial value of the Mass, nor the supernatural power of grace bestowed upon Christians. Furthermore, by asserting that Jesus was a great prophet but not God, they would be aligning themselves with Islam, which would eventually absorb the Arians who remained in the 8th century when the Muslims invaded Spain, bringing an end to the Visigothic kingdom.

The Council of Nicaea served to find a word that expressed that Jesus Christ was of the same nature as the Father. The term “homoousios” was deemed appropriate (258), and the agreement was unanimous. It was the subject of discussion and careful consideration both before and after the council. It still remained to be demonstrated, in practice, that a term not found in Sacred Scripture could work. Certainly, it has worked to this day, and furthermore, it has been shown that other terms can replace those we currently use, since the “Word of God is not bound,” but this had to be verified. For example, the term “Church as Communion” has been able to coexist with the term “Church as the People of God on the Move,” and has even surpassed it. Finally, the concept of man “as relationship” has practically become established in theological anthropology.

Jesús Rico Pavés (Ed.), *Light from Light: From the Nicene Creed to the Church of the 21st Century*, PPC, Madrid 2026, 690 pp.

Light from Light: From the Nicene Creed to the Church of the 21st Century

Author: Jesús Rico Pavés (Coord)
Editorial: PPC
Year of publication: 2026
Pages: 690
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Evangelization

The 5 Virtues That Made Fulton Sheen a Master of Holiness

The upcoming beatification of Fulton Sheen marks another step in the recognition of a life dedicated to Christ and to the service of the Church.

OSV / Omnes-September 13, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

- Jude Andrew Link, program director for the beatification of Fulton Sheen in St. Louis.

«What virtues do you think Sheen exemplifies?» A fellow sister asked me that question as she was preparing her classroom for the start of the school year. Here in Peoria, Illinois, we’ve already been in school for several weeks. But in other parts of the country, students and teachers just had their first few days of school this week. This sister was preparing a mural about saints and virtues.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about that question. His beatification tells us that the Church considers Sheen a man of heroic virtue. Fulton Sheen, who would soon be beatified, was undoubtedly a man of faith. His deep and personal devotion to Jesus Christ was evident in his famous commitment to the daily Holy Hour.

«If you want to know about God,» he said, «get down on your knees.» On the day of his ordination, Sheen promised to devote one holy hour each day, and his faithfulness to that promise prepared him to reap the fruits of theological faith.

The light of faith illuminated his mind and gave him a profound understanding of the mysteries of Christ, which then influenced his teaching, preaching, and writing, endowing them with a power born of the Spirit.

His strength: prayer

He knew about Christ from his studies, but he came to know Him through prayer.

That fidelity sometimes came at a high price. In *Treasure in Clay*, he writes about the extremes he went to in order to keep his daily appointment with Our Lord, even during periods of spiritual dryness and distraction, or that time when he accidentally got locked inside a church in Chicago, climbed out a window, and fell into the coal bin.

The Blessed Lord rewarded his faithfulness in the most moving way, coming to meet Sheen one last time during his Holy Hour on December 9, 1979, to lead his faithful disciple to the Father’s house.

The Holy Hour was the cornerstone of Fulton Sheen’s life—the place where he found his identity, drew inspiration for his teaching, and gathered strength for the task ahead. It was the source of his admirable integrity. He was the same person regardless of the situation or the audience; he felt just as comfortable among the rich and famous as he did among the cleaning lady and the street sweeper.

Love for One's Neighbor

However, his stories reveal that he felt most at ease among the poor and the simple. He told the story of the street sweeper in Rome, who was unimpressed by the cardinals and bishops gathered for the Second Vatican Council, and who reminded him that the simple man doing his work for the love of God was doing something more worthwhile than any «important» task performed for other reasons.

This spiritual vision fostered a deep respect for each individual and for the wisdom and integrity of the common person. This respect sprang from his love for God, which enabled him to see every person as a brother or sister, with a deep and practical love for his neighbor—a love that inspired his zeal for souls and sustained his preaching and missionary work.

Sheen, a hard worker

Fulton Sheen was known for his great dedication to his work. As a college professor, he would tear up his lecture notes at the end of each quarter and rewrite them every semester so he could approach the material with a clear mind.

He spent more than 30 hours preparing for each television episode, rehearsing his performance in several languages. It would be easy to label Sheen a workaholic, but perhaps it was a form of asceticism—a kind of spiritual discipline and devotion to duty—a refusal to succumb to the complacency that can accompany success and the arrogance that justifies slacking off with the argument that «I already know how to do it.».

Obedience

All of his activities—preaching, teaching, writing, radio and television appearances, and missionary work—were in the service of the Church, an expression of his unwavering obedience to Christ and the Church, as expressed by his superiors in the hierarchy.

In this order, his vision was clear, and he stood up to Cardinal Francis Spellman as an equal when he believed it was the right thing to do. This obedience was, as every obedience is at some point, a trial by fire in his later years—a trial he accepted and embraced out of love for Christ and his Body, the Church.

During the turbulent and chaotic 1960s and 1970s, Sheen—who had a platform and an audience at his disposal—chose to remain discreet, deliberately keeping his ecclesiastical disagreements out of the public eye. In his autobiography, he mentions them only in passing.

Patience

His faith in Christ, present in his Church, and his obedience even in the face of the failings of its members and leaders, endowed his love with that spirit of perseverance and sacrifice that characterizes the—sometimes old-fashioned—virtue of patience. His trials and physical sufferings during the last decade of his life transformed him into Christ the victim, making him a witness to the enduring reality of Christian hope.

It is no wonder, then, that St. John Paul II told Sheen, just two months before his death in 1979: «You are a faithful son of the Church.» The Polish pontiff saw in the frail bishop a man whose entire life and identity had been surrendered to Christ and placed at the service of the Church.

On September 24, the successor to St. John Paul II, through his representative, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, will declare Fulton Sheen blessed. With this act, the Church, our Mother, offers us the gift of a teacher and guide, showing us that Sheen’s teachings and writings can form us in the faith, and that his life is a model of holiness through the imitation of his practice of heroic virtue. As students fill classrooms across the United States this September, Catholics are invited to get to know a new teacher in the school of holiness: Archbishop Fulton Sheen.

Dominican Sister Jude Andrew Link is a member of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. She teaches theology at Peoria Notre Dame High School and serves as the director of programming for the beatification of Fulton Sheen in St. Louis.

The authorOSV / Omnes

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The Courage to Discern

León XIV encourages young people not to be afraid of their vocation and to seek God's voice in silence amid the noise of the world.

September 13, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe Echo of the Loaves and the Fish Related NewsI saw him dieRelated NewsFull Classrooms and Empty Cribs

Echoing the historic and timeless «Do not be afraid!» with which St. John Paul II began his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has left a profound mark during his recent visit to Madrid. Those words, which invited people to throw open the doors to Christ, seemed to take on a new and vibrant life in the Plaza de Lima, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of a Prayer Vigil that defied the prevailing trends of today’s society.

From the very beginning, the Pontiff’s message was direct, devoid of hesitation or half-measures. Addressing the impressive sea of more than 500,000 young people flooding the Castellana, Leo XIV emphasized the urgency of personal commitment. «Never be afraid to consider a vocation,» he declared firmly in response to young Marina’s question. This call to courage was immediately complemented by his response to Fernando, reminding the entire audience that marriage and building a family constitute, in and of themselves, a vocation that should not be feared either.

To guide this demanding process of discernment, the Pope shared his own points of reference, building a bridge between modernity and the living Tradition of the Church through saints who, despite the passage of centuries, continue to challenge people today. Thus, he recalled how the figure of St. Augustine, in the fifth century, and his existential honesty led him in his youth to ask himself: «If they were capable, why not me?» Alongside the saint from Hippo, he highlighted the boldness of St. John Chrysostom, a giant of the fourth century whose eloquence sprang from the absolute consistency between what he preached and how he lived; a shepherd who did not fear raising his voice before the Emperor himself in defense of justice.

The Pontiff also turned his attention to figures of Hispanic heritage who exemplified remarkable charity and social commitment. He mentioned Saint Thomas of Villanueva, the 16th-century Augustinian reformer known as «the Bishop of the Poor,» who strongly exhorted his brothers in the clergy «to persevere in prayer, in a life of chastity, and in obedience.» In the same vein, he highlighted Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo, the 16th-century missionary who zealously fought against the abuses and corruption of his time on Peruvian soil. All of these figures demonstrate that holiness is not an abstract concept to be displayed in a showcase, but rather an attractive model that goes against the grain. They are examples—like those of many good people living today—that invite us to look beyond the headlines and discover what Pope Francis calls «the saints next door.».

However, the big question that hung over the Castellana was how to tune into God’s frequency in a world saturated with stimuli and hyperconnected. Pope Leo XIV’s response to the deep concern raised by young Manu was clear: inner silence. The Holy Father warned against the «clamor of a thousand voices» and the deceptions of social media, which peddle lies and fleeting ideologies, contrasting them with a sincere search for the truth. In his own words, it is in the experience of silence that we decide which noises to ignore and where the truth remains unchanging.

That theoretical silence became astonishingly tangible and palpable when the vast crowd, for the most part, knelt to worship Jesus in the Monstrance. In a scene almost unthinkable given the usual pace of a major capital city, Lima’s Plaza de Lima was transformed into a new Bethany. Amid the crowd, a space of absolute intimacy was created—like the one shared by Martha, Mary, and Lazarus with the Master—ideal for pouring out concerns, sufferings, and plans. An intimate and profound experience that, far from being an isolated oasis, is repeated time and time again in so many parishes where Eucharistic Adoration is an essential part of their pastoral ministry.

It is precisely in that haven of peace that the most serious and courageous question a young person can ask takes on its full meaning: «Lord, what do you want from me?» God, just like mothers and fathers with their children, has a beautiful story in store for each one of us. Ultimately, the Pope’s call is an invitation to existential courage—the very same courage a priest recalled when explaining the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the Christ figure that forms its altarpiece to a group of hesitant young people. A lesson that, in my view, is deeply meaningful both for everyone who was on the Castellana and for those who followed it through the media—and whose final recommendation continues to resonate strongly in my memory:

«Go for it! Go in there, look at him, and tell him you don't love him.».

The authorEloy Asenjo, Carpenter

RelatedRelated NewsThe Echo of the Loaves and the Fish Related NewsI saw him dieRelated NewsFull Classrooms and Empty Cribs
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Bishop Arellano: “At the heart of the Church of Barbastro-Monzón, Torreciudad stands as a true beacon of hope”

The Torreciudad esplanade has filled with families, children, and volunteers from all over Spain to celebrate the 34th Marian Family Day under the theme “Families Gathering Around the Mother.”.

Maria José Atienza-September 12, 2026-Reading time: 7 minutes

The Dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota and Plenipotentiary Commissioner for Torreciudad, Monsignor Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, presided over the 34th Marian Day for Families in Torreciudad, which drew a crowd of some 7,000 people. 

The event also takes place against the backdrop of the complicated process that this Marian complex has been undergoing since 2023 with the Diocese of Barbastro–Monzón—a process that has been marked by various disagreements over this period. The most recent of these, just 24 hours before the event takes place. However, the tension reflected in the latest statement from the Diocese of Barbastro was not evident during the event, in which those present even applauded when Bishop Arellano Cedillo has appointed the bishop of Barbastro Monzón. 

A day much like the previous ones 

The day began at noon with prayer and the traditional offerings from families and various local organizations. In his homily, Bishop Arellano referred to the presence of the Regional Vicar of the Prelature in Spain, Ignacio Barrera, “whose presence honors us and strengthens the bonds of our ecclesial communion” and greeted “the Rectors of this church, Mr. Ángel Lasheras and Mr. José Mairal,” making a gesture of unity between those appointed by the Prelature and those appointed by the Bishop, the root cause of the current situation in Torreciudad.

“Faith is not an isolated experience”

Arellano delivered a “bridging” homily, in which he placed the work and spirit of Torreciudad within the context of the universal and local Church’s mission. In this regard, he recalled “the pastors who guided the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón” and expressed gratitude for the example set by “St. Josemaría Escrivá, a son of this land, who knew how to discover in ordinary life the place where God comes out to meet us and, through His grace, transforms our daily existence.”.

The family and its role in the life of the Church were the focus of the homily delivered by the Dean of the Tribunal of the Rota, who reminded the congregation that “faith is never an isolated experience or an adventure we undertake alone: each of us receives a story, bonds, a family, and a calling that are part of a greater History—one that God guides with infinite wisdom and mercy.”. 

Thus, he emphasized, “Christian families, you are part of a living chain of faith and grace, in which what you have received becomes a gift for those who come after you: parents who teach their children to pray; spouses who patiently cultivate the art of forgiving and starting over; grandparents who sustain family life through their prayers; young people who sincerely seek God’s will. All of you are building up the Church.”. 

Bishop Arellano also emphasized that “in Nazareth, divine love took the form of a home. But Nazareth was also the home where love learned the language of a faith tested by trials. It is precisely in the midst of trials that the truth of that enduring love is revealed.”. 

In this vein, he continued, “the family is undergoing a true turning point,” and he referred to the most common problems facing families today: “the loneliness that creeps into so many hearts, the difficulty in building an indissoluble love, the wounds that are so often suffered in silence, and the temptation to live as if God were not necessary.” “In this context,” he emphasized, “Pope Leo XIV’s call to give special pastoral attention to families, accompanying them in their joys and difficulties, resonates with particular force.”. 

A Beacon for Families 

Bishop Arellano praised the work of Torreciudad, noting that “at the heart of the Barbastro-Monzón Diocese, Torreciudad stands as a true beacon of hope for families.”. 

He also spoke of the thousands of people who, every year, visit the Virgin at the new shrine in Torreciudad: “In this shrine, Mary welcomes her children with the tenderness of a Mother who understands, comforts, and remains close to them. Here, every family can learn from her to preserve the faith amid difficulties, to trust when the path becomes arduous, and to remain under the merciful gaze of Christ.”. 

Finally, the plenipotentiary commissioner for Torreciudad asked “Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad to grant us the grace to understand that holiness is not a legacy reserved for the past, but a living call that God addresses to each one of us today, here and now.”.

«We're waiting for the Pope in Torreciudad»

At the end of Mass, Rector Ángel Lasheras expressly thanked Bishop Arellano for attending the event and conveyed a message to Pope Leo XIV: «We love him very much and look forward to welcoming him to the Shrine so he can get to know it.».

Pope Leo XIV, for his part, has sent his apostolic blessing to the participants in this event.

50 Years of Torreciudad, as We Understand It Today

With this event, the Marian complex marks the 50th anniversary of the new shrine—founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá and inaugurated on July 7, 1975, with a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of the founder of Opus Dei, who had died a few days earlier in Rome. 

This year, the speakers at the conference will be the influencer couple Quique Mira and María Lorenzo, founders of Aute and Proyecto Caná, who will lead discussions with attendees on topics such as family, young people, and love and marriage today. 

During the event, basic hygiene products were also collected for vulnerable families; these will be distributed in collaboration with Cáritas Diocesana de Barbastro-Monzón. 

Testimonies of Faith: Quique Mira and María Lorenzo

After Mass, the families spread out across the Shrine’s esplanade to have lunch. Later, right there, Quique Mira and María Lorenzo—family content creators and founders of Aute and Proyecto Caná, a digital evangelization initiative—shared their testimony of faith in a conversation about dating, marriage, and family. The young married couple spoke before the nearly 7,000 participants at the Marian Family Day at the Torreciudad Shrine, where they shared their personal experience of faith and recounted their journey of conversion. 

“I was disappointed in myself because I had drifted so far away that I was no longer the María I used to be. Watching the movie – Supernatural Passion of Christ, ”, and through His sacrifice, my heart was awakened and I understood God's love,“ said María Lorenzo, who emphasized that ”living one's faith is a concrete relationship with a specific person, who is Jesus Christ.". 

Quique, for his part, confessed: “The moment I began to find silence in my life and let the Lord into it was when this new definition of Love found a place within me.”. 

For both him and María, the key to a successful marriage lies in a “three-way relationship.” Quique explained this using a phrase his spiritual director once shared with him: “Mery may be the woman of your life, but God is the Love of your life.” The young Catalan man has stated that his mission is to lead his wife to Heaven, and that “only by welcoming the Lord into our lives can we live a marriage of three, with God, because He is the one who enables us to love.”.

Through their testimony, Quique and María aim primarily to reach younger generations—a goal that has been pursued for the past two years through this event, as noted by José Alfonso Arregui, director of communications at Torreciudad: “We’re looking to give the event a fresher feel, since this is the direction we want to take—one focused on the family.”.

One big family

Arregui noted that the number of visitors to the Shrine on this date typically ranges from 6,000 to 8,000, and that this year there are about 7,000 people. Some of them are visiting Torreciudad for the first time, but for some families, setting aside a weekend in September for this purpose has already become a tradition. Mercedes Valdecantos, from Madrid, is one of them: “I’ve come to all 34 retreats; I haven’t missed a single one,” she said. The main difference she noted this year, compared to previous years, is that the atmosphere is “calmer, more serene, and deeply devout.” She added, «I feel right at home.”.

Like Mercedes’s family, Pablo Fraile’s family has attended the event for several years in a row. “As always, I love the family-like atmosphere here and the devotion to the Virgin,” he said. Although he came with his wife and their five children, they usually get together with the other families from the Montealto and El Prado schools in Madrid.

The Work of Volunteers

Fraile also highlighted the dedicated work of the more than 200 volunteers who are working hard to ensure that everything goes perfectly. Oriol Saló, a Catalan college student and volunteer, has paid special attention to one detail: “People are very cheerful; they try to create a good atmosphere and show their gratitude.” He explained: “We are the hands-on team supporting the people who have spent an entire year preparing this event.” Both he and his colleagues have been responsible for monitoring the entrances to the Shrine, organizing the offerings brought by the faithful, and carrying out practical tasks. 

There are also many veteran volunteers. Take Marcela Ruiz, for example, a Venezuelan who has come all the way from Barcelona, convinced that it’s always a good decision: “Volunteering is a fantastic idea; it’s great to see both what goes on behind the scenes of the event and how the families enjoy it. You can really feel that we’re close to the Virgin. You’re here working, but you get so much from the people.”. 

Cristina Gracia, also a volunteer, emphasized the more apostolic nature of the Day: “It is an opportunity to share the charism of the Work by carrying out our work with as much joy as possible, striving to earn our place in Heaven.”.

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The Vatican

The Vatican Reveals That There Are More Than 1,700 New Martyrs of the 21st Century

The Vatican Commission for the New Martyrs—Witnesses of the Faith has already recorded more than 1,700 martyrs of the 21st century. Regarding the possible initiation of beatification processes, Cardinal Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, has stated that “Holiness isn’t limited to those who have been officially canonized.”.

Francisco Otamendi-September 12, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

The Commission for the New Martyrs—Witnesses to the Faith, established within the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, continues to gather information on Christians who have given their lives for the Gospel throughout the world in the 21st century. 

If on September 14 (Pope Leo XIV's birthday—he turns 71 this year) in 2025, the Vatican Commission spoke Of the nearly 1,700 “new martyrs and witnesses to the faith,” the Commission itself puts the number of documented testimonies in 2026 at more than 1,700.

The Commission It is chaired by Archbishop Fabio Fabene, secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and by Professor Andrea Riccardi, vice president, who this week, together with Cardinal Semeraro, Prefect of the Dicastery, announced a special event to be held next Tuesday, September 15, at the Augustinianum Patristic Institute in Rome, on the topic “The 21st Century: A New Era of Martyrs?”.

Archbishop Fabio Fabene, secretary of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints and president of the Commission on “New Martyrs,” and historian Andrea Riccardi, vice president of the Commission, at the Vatican on September 8, 2025 (Photo CNS/Pablo Esparza).

Cardinal Semeraro: “Not all saints are canonized”

A common question that arises in this regard is whether all the new martyrs listed in the catalog currently being compiled and documented by the Commission will be canonized.

“The grace of holiness in the Church is manifested—though not limited to—in canonizations,” said Cardinal Marcelo Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, in his Speech.

Highlighting the ‘high standard of ordinary Christian life’

“Obviously, it is not ruled out,” added the cardinal, “that for some of those listed in the Catalog, the procedures for beatification and canonization may begin, provided the necessary conditions are met.‘ However, what we wish to emphasize is the ’high standard of ordinary Christian life’ that St. John Paul II points out in *Novo Millennio Ineunte*.”, No. 30, and the holiness ‘within reach’ that Pope Francis recalls in *Gaudete et Exsultate*, ”No. 6–8.".

“The Anthropological Value of Christian Holiness”: The Ability to Suffer for the Truth

Cardinal Prefect Marcello Semeraro also referred to the “anthropological value of Christian holiness,” which is summed up in “the ability to suffer for the truth.”.

He did so by quoting Benedict XVI at length: “To suffer with others, for others; to suffer for truth and justice; to suffer out of love and to become a person who truly loves: these are fundamental elements of humanity, the abandonment of which would destroy man himself. But the question arises once again: Are we capable of this?…”

“For this, too, we need witnesses—martyrs—who have given themselves completely, so that they may show us this day after day” (Benedict XVI continues). “We need them so that, even in the small choices of daily life, they may choose the good over comfort, knowing that this is precisely how we truly live life. Let us repeat: the capacity to suffer for the truth is the measure of humanity» (Spe Salvi, no. 39).

Ecumenical value 

Finally, the cardinal concluded by highlighting the ecumenical value of the initiative, which Saint John Paul II had envisioned for the Commission from the very beginning. Already in his encyclical *Ut unum sint* (1995), he wrote: ‘From a theocentric perspective, we Christians already have a common martyrology. This shows how, at a profound level, God maintains communion among the baptized in the supreme demand of the faith, manifested by the sacrifice of life’ (no. 84).”.

On this point, the Cardinal Prefect again referred to Pope Francis, who, upon establishing the Commission within the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, emphasized that its work “will allow the martyrs, officially recognized by the Church, to stand alongside the documented testimonies—and there are many—of these brothers and sisters of ours, within a vast panorama in which the single voice of Christian martyrdom resounds.”.

Conference Next Week

The conference mentioned at the beginning will take place at the Pontifical Augustinianum on September 15, 2026, in two sessions; the program is available at here.

On the 16th, the speakers and participants will be received in a special audience by Pope Leo XIV, who has stated: “[…] we cannot, we do not want to forget. We want to remember. We do so with the certainty that, just as in the early centuries, so too in the third millennium, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of new Christians” (Tertullian).”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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ColumnistsLupita Venegas

Digital Safety for Teens: Is Taking Away Their Cell Phones Enough?

Children's digital well-being is no longer viewed solely as a matter of individual responsibility but is beginning to be seen as a social responsibility.

September 12, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsTackling "the dark side of digital progress".Related NewsDigital education. The delicate balanceRelated NewsWhat does Magnifica Humanitas say to Catholics today? 

A few months ago, a teenager began having panic attacks. He had stopped sleeping well, was irritable, and was finding more and more reasons not to go to school. His parents thought he was just going through a rough patch—until they found out what was really going on.

In an online group with his classmates, they had started making fun of him. Then came the memes, the hurtful comments, the doctored photos, and the private messages. What used to end when school let out now continued in his room, on his cell phone, late into the night. There was no place where he could feel completely safe.

Bullying had made its way into her home.

Although this case is presented here in summary form, it reflects a reality that many families are facing. Social media can be a space for communication, creativity, and connection, but it can also amplify feelings of comparison, humiliation, social pressure, and isolation.

Science is calling for our attention. The American Psychological Association warns that certain negative experiences on social media—such as discrimination, hate, and cyberbullying—may be linked to an increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression among adolescents. 

That is why a recent news story from the United States is particularly significant: Meta reached a legal settlement with authorities in numerous states to introduce new measures to protect minors on Facebook and Instagram. These measures include a default limit of two hours per day, nighttime restrictions between midnight and 6 a.m., silencing notifications during school hours, hiding “likes,” stricter age verification, and more comprehensive parental controls. 

Beyond the legal details, there is a message we should not ignore: the digital well-being of minors is no longer viewed solely as a matter of individual responsibility but is beginning to be seen as a social responsibility.

But this raises an uncomfortable question: Is it enough for platforms to set limits?

No.

We also need to rediscover something much older than any social media platform: family life.

The cell phone shouldn't become the most constant member of our family.

Home needs to become once again that place where we can talk without rushing, look each other in the eye, share our worries, laugh together, argue, and make up. We need to start talking again.

Because a teenager who knows he can turn to his parents when something is bothering him has an extraordinarily valuable source of protection: their relationship.

The solution isn't just about taking their phones away. It's about teaching them to live freely and responsibly in a digital world. And that requires adult guidance.

We can set screen-free times, especially during meals and before bedtime. We can make sure phones aren’t kept in the bedroom overnight. We can learn about the apps our children use, guide them through their first digital experiences, and talk openly about cyberbullying, pornography, social comparison, privacy, and peer pressure.

But above all, we can ask them:

“What was the best part of your day?”

“Was there anything that made you feel bad?”

“Did anyone ever make you feel inferior?”

“Is there something on your mind that you don’t know how to tell me about?”

Sometimes, a ten-minute conversation can prevent suffering we’ll never even know about if we simply ask, “Have you done your homework yet?”

Science also confirms the importance of the family. The U.S. Surgeon General himself has pointed out that parents' mental health and the quality of family relationships are closely linked to their children's well-being. 

And our faith has something precious to offer.

The Book of Deuteronomy presents a deeply familiar image of the transmission of faith: “You shall teach them to your children and speak of them when you are at home and when you are on the road” (cf. Deut. 6:6–7).

This text is so relevant today!

“At home and on the go.” This isn’t about occasional education, but about a daily presence. Learning takes place through conversation, by example, and through small shared experiences.

Jesus also reminds us of the importance of being present in the lives of others. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus were walking along, confused, He approached them, walked with them, and asked them what was troubling them (cf. Lk 24:17).

Perhaps that's what we need to do today with our teenagers: walk alongside them.

It's not enough to just monitor their screens. We need to know what's in their hearts.

Technology will continue to advance. New platforms, new algorithms, and new ways of interacting with one another will emerge. We cannot raise our children for a world without technology. We must teach them to use it without letting technology rob them of what no screen can replace: real friendship, human contact, rest, silence, play, conversation, and the love of a family that’s truly there for them.

Digital boundaries are necessary. But there is an even more important boundary: no social media platform should take the place of family.

Perhaps the best digital protection we can offer our teenagers starts with turning off our cell phones together and reigniting conversation.

We need to talk again.

The authorLupita Venegas

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RelatedRelated NewsTackling "the dark side of digital progress".Related NewsDigital education. The delicate balanceRelated NewsWhat does Magnifica Humanitas say to Catholics today? 
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Spain

Torreciudad: The Diocese of Barbastro considers the agreements with Opus Dei regarding the statue to be invalid 

One day before the 34th Family Day, which will be presided over by the plenipotentiary commissioner, Bishop Alejandro Arellano, the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón has issued a statement casting doubt on the existence of the document authorizing the transfer of the statue of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad to the church built in 1975.

Maria José Atienza-September 11, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsTorreciudad: Bishop Pérez Pueyo Once Again Calls for the Virgin to Remain at the Shrine ChapelRelated NewsOpus Dei Weighs In on Torreciudad: "A Legal Disagreement Cannot Be Turned Into an Offensive Accusation"

The Diocese of Barbastro Monzón has issued a statement in response to the latest actions taken by both sides regarding this conflict. Last August, the Bishop of Barbastro accused Opus Dei of a “retention” of the image of the Virgin, the The prelature responded with some details regarding the agreements with the diocese.

Now, one day before the visit to Torreciudad by Bishop Arellano—the commissioner appointed by the Holy See to handle this matter and the highest authority on all issues concerning Torreciudad—the diocese has issued a statement that, far from fostering reconciliation, only exacerbates this painful situation. 

The Agreements of 1962 and 1966

The statement issued by the diocese emphasizes that “in the public deed of incorporation of the long-term lease, granted on September 24, 1962 (…) ‘the obligation ’not to remove the image from the chapel” was expressly established among the obligations assumed,” and he points to the confirmation of this fact in the minutes of the Cathedral Chapter. 

This was, in fact, the first contract between the diocese and the prelature; however, the latter, in its various statements, has referred to a a subsequent agreement, signed in 1966, which can be consulted online. It is a notarized document attesting to an agreement between the then-diocesan bishop, Monsignor Jaime Flores, and Florencio Sánchez Bella, chaplain of Opus Dei at that time, which states, as the second point of the agreement—which expands upon the 1962 leasehold census—that “The Torreciudad Board of Trustees is responsible for the construction and financing of the new sanctuary, on the express condition that the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad be worshipped and venerated there, while also committing to build it on land near the current chapel.”. 

The reason for this move was based on the “inability of the current chapel to accommodate the pilgrims who—especially since the Board of Trustees helped open the road to Torreciudad—have been coming in ever-increasing numbers to pray before the venerated image.”. 

Likewise, Opus Dei in Spain pledged “that, in the new shrine, the image of Our Lady of Torreciudad would be safeguarded with all necessary precautions and would be venerated there with dignity and decorum.”. 

However, this point is not acceptable to the diocese, which states in this press release that “the construction of a large church next to the original chapel, while it may help spread Marian devotion, cannot justify the relocation—without proper authorization—of an image of the Virgin that belongs to the people of Barbastro-Monzón.” 

A document “that is not on file” with the diocese

The Existence and Validity of the Agreement documented on September 8, 1966 This, however, is disputed by the Diocese of Barbastro, which asserts that this document “has not been provided to this Diocese, despite repeated requests,” nor “is there any authorization in the minutes of the Cathedral Chapter or in the documentation preserved in the diocesan archives to remove the image from the chapel and permanently transfer it to the new church, nor is there any agreement setting forth a permanent transfer of its ownership or use.”. 

Ownership is not in question

Indeed, ownership of the image or the chapel has not been called into question at any point during this process; rather, it is the validity of the transfer of the right of use of the chapel (and, therefore, the responsibility for its maintenance) and “the rights to display and preserve the image””as set forth in items 4 and 5 of the long-term lease signed by both parties in 1962.

In this new statement, the diocese once again calls into question the legality of these agreements and demands that the sculpture be returned to its original chapel and that the diocese be the one to “authorize its temporary transfer to the church in Torreciudad and to other locations when pastoral reasons so warrant, with proper coordination and the necessary safeguards.” This amounts to declaring the original agreement—under which the display and preservation of the image were entrusted to Opus Dei—null and void. 

Once again, and in a tone very similar to the statement released by the Bishop of Barbastro-Monzón on August 31, 2026, the diocese speaks of “a right that has been taken away”: “This diocese—small and humble in means—does not ask for any privilege or new right, nor can it accept a fait accompli regarding something so dear to it that has belonged to it for more than a thousand years until it was taken away fifty years ago.” Furthermore, it refers to an alleged inability of the faithful in the area to visit the Virgin in the new church when it implies that “the children of Barbastro-Monzón do not want their Mother as a visitor; they want her at home.”. 

The commissioner will be in Torreciudad tomorrow

Opus Dei has declined to respond to this new statement, which comes 24 hours before one of the most significant events on the Pyrenean shrine’s calendar: Family Day, which this year will be presided over by the plenipotentiary commissioner for Torreciudad, Bishop Arellano Cedillo. 

The presence of this expert in canon law is no small matter, given the current situation in Torreciudad. The dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota was appointed in 2024 by Pope Francis as plenipotentiary commissioner for Torreciudad, a role that granted the canonist full powers and the final say in all matters concerning the sanctuary. 

Arellano has reviewed and studied both positions and the documentation submitted by the two parties in a tragic situation that has now lasted three years. 

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RelatedRelated NewsTorreciudad: Bishop Pérez Pueyo Once Again Calls for the Virgin to Remain at the Shrine ChapelRelated NewsOpus Dei Weighs In on Torreciudad: "A Legal Disagreement Cannot Be Turned Into an Offensive Accusation"
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‘The Cross at Ground Zero’ and Other Stories of 9/11: “Faith Sustained Us”

On September 11, 2001—the date of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history—there was no shortage of heroic emergency responders who faced the danger, nor of priests and members of religious orders who rushed to Ground Zero. One of them came across a cross, ‘the Ground Zero Cross.’

OSV / Omnes-September 11, 2026-Reading time: 8 minutes

- Kimberley Heatherington, OSV News

Some of the stories told by fire and emergency response teams, as well as priests and members of religious orders who went to Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, following the terrible terrorist attack, are well known, but others are not as well known. 

The help and comfort they provided to those who suffered devastating losses—including deaths, injuries, and missing persons—deserve to be remembered on this 25th anniversary.

Father Brian Jordan took some holy water and went to the scene of the disaster

“I remember it as if it were yesterday,” Father Brian Jordan told OSV News.

A Franciscan friar of the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe within his order, the priest is currently the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, located on West 31st Street in New York City.

That morning, Father Jordan was at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Upon hearing about the attack, he returned to the Franciscan friary on 31st Street, attached to the parish of St. Francis of Assisi, where he lived, determined to go to the scene of the disaster.

Not knowing for sure what he would find—though he expected to find both victims and those responsible for the attack—he took some holy water and a pair of bronze knuckles. “I said, ‘I’ll bless them with one hand, and just in case there are any bad guys, I’ll bless them with the other.’”.

Before leaving, another friar gave him some devastating news: his fellow Franciscan, Father Mychal Judge, had died. Even so, Father Jordan knew what Father Judge would have wanted him to do: go and help.

On October 5, 2006, construction workers removed a six-meter-tall cross made of steel beams, which had been recovered from the rubble following the September 11, 2001, attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in New York. (Photo by OSV News/Chip East, Reuters).

“There were bodies and body parts everywhere: I blessed them all”

After stopping at St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan—where the only patients were people being treated for dust inhalation following the collapse of the Twin Towers—Father Jordan headed to Ground Zero, where he ran into a police captain he knew.

“He gave me a mask; he gave me a pair of gloves. He said to me, ‘Father, put on the mask, put on the gloves, and go to work.’ And so I walked back and forth for several blocks, and there were bodies and body parts. I simply blessed them all.”.

On September 16, Father Jordan celebrated his first Mass at Ground Zero; he would continue to celebrate Mass there for nearly 10 months.

The “Ground Zero Cross,” at Building 6 of the World Trade Center 

Then, on September 23, something unexpected happened.

“A big, burly construction worker from Local 731 came up to me and said, ‘Hey, Father, do you want to see the house of God?’”.

“Then we entered the ruins of Building 6 of the World Trade Center,” Father Jordan recalled. “There were about 25 firefighters beside me, and a construction worker asked me, ‘What do you see there, Father, right in the middle?’ I told him, ‘I can’t believe it… I see a cross.’”.

Two intersecting steel beams had been severed in such a way that they formed a crucifix after Building 6 of the World Trade Center was struck by debris from the collapse of the North Tower.

It was excavated, placed on concrete, and blessed

This remarkable discovery became known as the “Ground Zero Cross” and, over time, became part of the collection of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. It was excavated, placed on a concrete base, and blessed. On October 7, a Mass was held near it, at the corner of Vesey and West Streets.

“That moment gave people hope and encouragement,” explained Father Jordan, who wrote his own memoir—“The Ground Zero Cross” (Xlibris)—and was honored with the distinction of being its unofficial guardian.

A New York City firefighter attends a Mass at St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral in Brooklyn, New York, commemorating the 21st anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2022. U.S. Catholic bishops offer Masses, prayers, and reflections as the nation commemorates the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2026, terrorist attacks. (Photo by OSV News/Gregory A. Shemitz).

Sister Margaret O’Brien

On September 11, Sister Margaret O’Brien, a Sister of Charity who worked for the Sisters of Charity Health System, was in her office at Bayley Seton Hospital on Staten Island, briefing a colleague who had just returned from vacation.

“Her secretary came in and said, ‘I just got a call. A plane crashed into the World Trade Center,’” Sister Margaret recalled. “We walked down the hall to a window from which we could see, and we realized how serious the situation was.”.

“The sisters quickly got ready to go to St. Vincent's Hospital ”to organize the emergency response and trauma care,” Sister Margaret explained. 'And the doctors were there, the stretchers were there—everyone was waiting at the entrance—but after a short while, no one showed up.'".

On the hotline, with people looking for their loved ones

Sister Margaret manned the emergency hotline at the Sisters' hospital operations center, taking calls from people looking for their loved ones.

“The phone was really difficult,” she reflected. “Because people would give you a name, and you’d check your list, but you couldn’t find them. … It was all very, very emotional, and for the first few days, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing.”.

“I remember feeling very grateful to have something I could contribute to, to be able to help,” said Sister Margaret, who currently serves as assistant to the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York.

The South Tower of the World Trade Center is on fire after being struck by United Airlines Flight 175 in New York, according to this file photo from September 11, 2001. Twenty-five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, Catholic family members who lost loved ones that day have acknowledged that their faith helped them cope with their losses. (Photo by OSV News/Sean Adair, Reuters). 

Figures

It is worth noting that, in total, the attacks caused the immediate deaths of 2,977 people, including 441 first responders. As of June 30, more than 9,000 people, according to the World Trade Center Federal Health Program, had died since then.

To date, more than 57,000 first responders and survivors have been diagnosed with cancer related to the attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Trauma: The Most Common Cause

Trauma was a constant feature of the nurses’ shifts, especially for one colleague who cared for first-response teams sent to receive treatment after participating in recovery efforts at Ground Zero.

“Sometimes people spoke, but most of the time they simply couldn’t,“2 Sister O’Brien explained. Her colleague ‘remembered one person: she was very quiet, and then she said, ”I can lift my arms and legs. But when I lifted a rock and saw a face—just a head, crushed against the ground…’”.

“It collapsed,» Sister O’Brien added.

Father Stephen McGraw: An Airplane Flying Above Our Cars

Father Stephen McGraw—at that time a priest in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, just outside Washington—also witnessed indescribable scenes.

On the morning of September 11, a school Mass had just ended, and he was on his way to Arlington National Cemetery for a funeral when he made a mistake and failed to take the correct exit.

“I remember that, around 9:35, I was just stuck in traffic, right in front of the Pentagon.”.

He was worried that he would almost certainly be late for the funeral now.

“And then, without warning, the plane roared right over our cars, very, very low,” Father McGraw recounted. “I can’t say which of my senses was most affected: there was the vibration and the roar of the plane, and a light pole was struck and fell onto a taxi driver’s car that was just a few cars away.”.

As he looked to his right, he saw American Airlines Flight 77 crash into the Pentagon.

«I saw it crash and vanish, while a huge fireball shot out of the building the moment after the impact.».

Victim Assistance Near the Pentagon

Since his radio wasn't on and he didn't hear what was happening in New York City, «I just assumed it was a terrible, tragic accident.». 

The travelers were stunned, and Father McGraw jumped out of his car—with his stole, the oils for anointing, and a prayer book in his hands—crossed the highway safety barrier, and made his way across the Pentagon lawn to reach the victims.

“My message was: ‘Jesus is with you.’”

“Basically, my message to them was, ‘Jesus is with you.’ That’s what I kept telling the various victims I cared for,» Father McGraw said.

One of the victims, who identified himself as a Catholic—Juan Cruz, manager of the civil accounting division of the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army—was administered the sacraments.

Another victim—Antoinette Sherman, an Army budget analyst who later died—lay face down on the grass, with severe burns on her back and only one shoe on one foot. Father McGraw gently left it there at her request.

“Then she simply added—perhaps to whoever might be listening—‘Tell my mother and father that I love them.’ And I assured her that I would.”.

The annual “Tribute of Light” event illuminates the sky over the Lower Manhattan skyline in New York on September 10, the eve of the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Each year, to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks that led to the collapse of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, two beams of light illuminate the sky from dusk until dawn. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in New York, Washington, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in the 2001 attacks. (Photo by OSV News/Andrew Kelly, Reuters).

“We saw evil in its fullest form, but we also saw goodness.”

Father McGraw—currently a missionary priest and pastor at the Bánica Mission in the Diocese of Arlington, in the Dominican Republic—does not believe that his unexpected destination was a coincidence.

“I had a strong sense of divine providence,” he told OSV Noticias. “I was meant to be there.”.

“We saw evil at its worst,» Father Jordan said. «But we also saw goodness at its best. New York City came together. The country came together. The world came together.».

Masses and Reflections by the Bishops These Days

As the nation commemorates the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, U.S. Catholic bishops are offering Masses, prayers, and reflections, while emphasizing the need to seek peace amid a fractured global landscape.

“Twenty-five years have passed since that day, and yet the chilling images remain etched in our minds,” said the Ukrainian Catholic bishops in the United States, led by Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of Philadelphia, in a pastoral letter To mark the occasion, a report published on September 4 states Gina Christian.

“Faith lifted us up and sustained us”

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has stated in a press release on September 9, that “faith lifted us up and sustained us” during the attack and its aftermath.

“As conflicts around the world intensify, let us renew our commitment to be instruments of Christ’s peace in an increasingly fractured and divided world,” he said.

———–


– Kimberley Heatherington is a correspondent, and Gina Christian She is a multimedia reporter; both work for OSV News.

– This information has been published recently on OSV News. You can find it, for example, here.

The authorOSV / Omnes

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The World

Lorenzo Fazzini: “The defining characteristic of Catholic publishing should be universality”

On the 100th anniversary of the Vatican Publishing House, its editorial director, Lorenzo Fazzini, explains to Omnes what it means to be “the Pope’s publishing house”: to safeguard the Magisterium and, at the same time, bring it to the world through translations, international collaborations, and new authors.

Giovanni Tridente-September 11, 2026-Reading time: 7 minutes

The Vatican Publishing House (LEV) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Founded as an autonomous body in 1926, but the successor to the Vatican Printing Office established by Sixtus V in 1587, it has served nine Popes and disseminated their writings and the Magisterium of the Church throughout the world. This anniversary invites us to look back on the past and, at the same time, to reflect on the future of the book and the presence of Catholic culture in contemporary discourse.

Leading this transition is Lorenzo Fazzini, editorial director of LEV since 2021, after having headed the Italian Missionary Publishing House. A journalist, translator, and writer, Fazzini has devoted many of his books to the intersection of faith, literature, and contemporary culture, as seen in the stories collected in New Christians in Europe even the dialogues between believers and nonbelievers. A journey that has also led him to explore the traces of the infinite in contemporary fiction.

He has also published books with Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi. The experience he gained at the missionary publishing house also helps explain the attention Fazzini devotes to authors, experiences, and perspectives from the various Churches around the world—which he would like to see increasingly represented in the catalog of the Vatican Publishing House itself.

This year, the centennial has already given rise to a series of specific events. On May 7, Pope Leo XIV received the LEV’s executives and staff in the Consistory Hall, recalling the exhortation that Paul VI had addressed to his predecessors in 1976, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary, to “to look ahead, to refine ideas and plans for the future”.

A week later, the Bookstore organized four discussions at the Turin International Book Fair featuring church leaders and cultural figures, including a debate on fraternity between Algerian Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco and art historian Tomaso Montanari. On June 24, the Pope received a group of writers from around the world in audience, including Nobel Prize winner Jon Fosse, Marilynne Robinson, Elizabeth Strout, and Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, along with authors associated with the Library itself, such as Adrien Candiard.

In this interview with Omnes, Fazzini explains that being “the Pope’s publishing house” means fulfilling a dual role: safeguarding papal texts from misrepresentation and exploitation, while at the same time promoting their widest possible dissemination through translations, publishing agreements, and international collaborations.

From this responsibility emerges a reflection on the identity of Catholic publishing, which is called to take its place in the cultural arena and to engage—beyond the exclusive circle of believers—with questions about life, death, evil, forgiveness, and hope.

The interview also addresses the changes in the publishing market and new opportunities for authors and readers to connect, emphasizing the need to move beyond self-referential language. Thus emerges the profile of a publishing house that seeks to bring together, at the heart of Christendom, the voices and testimonies of the various Churches around the world and, through books, to put them back into circulation within the universal Church.

The Vatican Publishing House is celebrating its 100th anniversary, but its roots go back to the Vatican Printing Office founded by Sixtus V in 1587. What is the common thread that links that history to today’s LEV?

—I believe there is a common thread that has to do with communicating the faith and the Gospel. The Church has always been at the forefront when it comes to proclaiming Christ. From St. Paul, who went to the Areopagus in Athens, to Guglielmo Marconi’s Vatican Radio, the Church has known that the task of communicating and proclaiming Christ must be carried out through all available means. Therefore, once the invention of the movable-type printing press took place, it wasn’t long before the Vatican Printing Office was established, from which LEV became independent in 1926, exactly one hundred years ago, to become an instrument of greater editorial reach at a time when rising literacy rates allowed for a wider dissemination of the book as an object.

Recently, Pope Leo XIV received the executives and staff of LEV, noting that, over the course of a hundred years, they have served nine Popes. What does it mean, specifically, to be “the Pope’s publishing house”?

—Specifically, this means that the publication of all the texts of all the popes is the responsibility of the publishing house, which in turn is part of the Dicastery for Communication. And so, on a daily basis, we respond to various requests to translate and publish the texts of the Pontiffs, as well as those of the offices of the Roman Curia. This involves, on the one hand, promoting their widest possible dissemination and, on the other, creatively overseeing the dissemination of papal texts to ensure it is carried out correctly and respectfully.

For example: the book Free Through Grace, by Robert F. Prevost—that is, the writings of Pope Leo when he was prior general of the Augustinians—will be published in the United States by one of the country's leading publishers, Penguin Random House. On the other hand, to mark the publication of Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo's latest encyclical; we are receiving dozens and dozens of requests from all over the world for its translation and publication.

“The distinctive feature of Catholic publishing should be universality. In other words, it should speak to everyone.”.

Lorenzo FazziniEditor-in-Chief of the Vatican Publishing House

What is the greatest responsibility when it comes to safeguarding and disseminating the Pope’s writings and the Church’s Magisterium?

—As I was saying, it’s about exercising oversight in a creative and proactive way. In other words, safeguarding the papal texts and preventing any exploitation of them—including for economic gain—while at the same time ensuring that the Pope’s words, which serve to spread the Gospel, can reach as many people as possible.

I'll give a couple of examples: the Letter on the role of literature in education, by Pope Francis, is the first papal document to be published by a French publishing house as prominent as Gallimard has published over the course of more than a century. Furthermore, our participation in international book fairs such as those in Frankfurt, Warsaw, Turin, and elsewhere allows us to connect with and build relationships with new publishers from around the world, with whom we can establish ties and launch collaborations aimed at the ever-greater dissemination of LEV’s texts.

You've chosen to celebrate the centennial with a strong international focus. What do you want to tell the world about the LEV today?

—Far be it from us to be self-centered in our desire to tell the world about LEV; the aim of this international outreach is precisely to highlight the fact that the work of the Holy See’s publishing house is at the service of the entire Church, which by its very nature is universal—that is, Catholic. And that it speaks the languages of every people, pointing to the one language, which is that of the Gospel. LEV is merely an instrument of that great family of peoples that is the Church, which is at the service of the Gospel and its dissemination throughout the world. For this reason, being present in various international contexts means being available to ensure that the message of the Pope, the Roman Curia, and the authors we publish is accessible to anyone in the world.

You have argued on several occasions that the religious perspective should have a place in the contemporary public sphere without any reservations. What role can a Catholic publishing house play in today’s cultural debate?

—I’ll answer with a story from about twenty years ago. During a brief encounter—the only one I ever had—with Cesare De Michelis, founder of the publishing house Marsilio, I heard him say to me: “‘You know, I'm not Catholic or religious, but I think that every now and then we need to listen to the voice of those who are ’outside the world”—for example, bishops and priests—because their perspective on human affairs, coming from the outside, is certainly interesting.". Well, I would take this assertion even further by arguing that if we do not concern ourselves with the big questions (life, death, the meaning of existence, the possibility of hope in the face of evil in the world, forgiveness, reconciliation…), then what should we concern ourselves with?

Have fun until you die is the title of a famous essay by sociologist Neil Postman. In the society of the spectacle, it seems that the only imperative is to find new opportunities for entertainment, which, as Don Lorenzo Milani taught, means di-vertere, —that is, to stray from the ordinary path. A path that, on the other hand, is made up of effort, questions, meaning, connections, and doubts. In this regard, a Catholic publisher—just as any ordinary Catholic should—must contribute his voice, not out of a sense of superiority, but because he has received a Word of revelation from on High that, as it happens, has endured for two thousand years. So surely he has something to say today as well!

Who are the LEV's readers today, and how have they changed compared to the past? Do they still publish with believers in mind, or do they also consider other readers?

“Ah, if only I knew! The readers of our books are predominantly people interested in deepening their faith through reading.” But there’s also a growing number of “casual” readers who find in some of our essays useful insights into how a faith-based perspective can help them understand certain situations, events, or issues.

I am thinking, for example, of the story of Sister Azezet Kidane, a Comboni sister whose life would make for a great movie: the story of a life dedicated to the poorest in the name of the Gospel is of interest to many people, regardless of their religious affiliations. Or I’m thinking of a biography like that of Mercè Prats, dedicated to a genius of our time, Teilhard de Chardin: a book that has attracted a great deal of interest from the press, especially the non-Catholic press.

In a market where sales are declining and many religious bookstores are struggling, what is the significance of print books today?

—As Pope Leo said when he met with us, a book is an opportunity to come together. The number of occasions in which authors meet face-to-face with readers or potential readers is growing rapidly. Festivals, events, book presentations, public gatherings… today, the calendar has become an endless succession of such occasions. This is one of the new frontiers where a Catholic publisher must be present, so as not to remain trapped in a self-referential Catholic bubble—which would be the very death of Catholic outreach.”.

“I would like a publishing house capable of bringing new voices from all over the world to the public.”.

Lorenzo Fazzini Editor-in-Chief of the Vatican Publishing House

In light of this, is there still something unique about Catholic publishing that is worth preserving?

—Well, what makes it unique should be its universality. In other words, it should speak to everyone. On the other hand, it seems to me—echoing an absolutely politically incorrect observation by theologian Giuliano Zanchi—that when nonbelievers hear believers talk about “their things,” they hear a foreign language that means nothing to them. Whereas Jesus spoke of salt, yeast, lamps, treasures, fields, fathers, mothers… That should be the defining characteristic: not being narrow in scope. Nor self-referential. But it’s not easy. Nevertheless, it must be our daily commitment.

What is your relationship with other publishing houses? Are there any forms of collaboration, exchange, or mutual support?

—We have had several opportunities to collaborate with various publishers, both Catholic and secular, on co-publications of certain texts, including works by popes and other authors. I’m thinking of some books produced in collaboration with Solferino Editrice, the publisher of the Corriere della Sera in Italy, or with Edizioni e/o for the publication of a book by one of its star authors, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt, or an upcoming young adult book by Adrien Candiard, who has been our author for years, which we will publish with the publishing house San Pablo, which has more experience than we do in this specific sector.

If you had to imagine what the LEV would be like in ten years, what would you like it to be like? And what feature should it never lose?

—Ten years in today’s fast-paced world is almost two generations! I would like to see a publishing house that is increasingly proactive in its choice of topics, themes, and authors—above all, one capable of bringing to light new voices from all over the world, voices capable of bringing their own sensibilities, experiences, and church life to the heart of the Church, in Rome, so that these can then be shared back out to every corner of the universal Church.

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Integral ecology

Ecological conversion: a way of giving thanks to God the Creator

«Caring for Our Common Home», is a theological analysis by the International Theological Commission that addresses the environmental crisis from a Trinitarian perspective and proposes combating «ecological sin» through spiritual and lifestyle conversion.

Emilio Chuvieco-September 11, 2026-Reading time: 5 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsResponsible austerity and green conversionRelated NewsThe ecological issue is a theological one, according to the International Theological Commission

In early September, the Vatican published an interesting document from the International Theological Commission titled «Caring for Our Common Home: A Responsible and Fraternal Response to the Triune God". 

In his presentation, the Commission’s secretary, Bishop Piero Coda, emphasized that this text was intended to offer a reflection that would encourage us to rediscover and appreciate «the theological foundation of care for our common home beyond the extremely grave situation in which we find ourselves» (no. 6). 

The structure of the document 

The document is divided into three chapters: the first analyzes the theological roots of the environmental protection, with special reference to the Trinitarian nature of Creation; the second reflects on the human person’s place in relation to other created beings, emphasizing the importance of restoring the threefold existential relationship—with God, with other human beings, and with the rest of creation; the third section highlights several points where the relevance of «care for our common home» is most clearly evident. 

As one might expect, the document draws extensively on Pope Francis’s teachings on this issue, as well as those of other recent popes. The text includes more than 200 citations, including some documents from other Christian denominations and other religious traditions, such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and indigenous religions.

Key Points for Understanding the Document

In this article, I'll discuss a few quotes from this document that I find particularly interesting:

Regarding the ultimate destiny of non-human creatures, it offers an interesting reflection on the communion among all created beings, oriented toward their eschatological destiny, in which all will participate—each according to its own characteristics—in the new creation: «With the Incarnation of the Son of God, this future will not be limited to the eschatological citizenship of human beings, but will have a cosmic dimension and scope» (n. 14). And in another paragraph: «God the Father created everything in Christ to bring about eschatological fulfillment in him and through him. Consequently, the destiny of creation is its fulfillment in God and its final recapitulation, through the power of the Spirit, in Christ who died and rose again.» n. 36

It reaffirms the traditional Christian view that regards creation as God’s first revelation, quoting St. Bonaventure: «When the believer once again recognizes creatures as signs and gifts, as intelligible and good, then «knowledge of creatures leads to knowledge of the Creator,» accompanied by wonder, gratitude, and joy» (no. 28). 

The Trinitarian Dimension of Creation

In this regard, he focuses on examining the Trinitarian dimension of Creation, drawing on the teachings of four Doctors of the Church: St. Augustine, Saint Hildegard, St. Bonaventure y St. Thomas. This section concludes by stating that «All of creation bears the imprint of the Trinity, through which God makes himself present in his work. Therefore, a relationship with creation always implies a relationship with the Creator. Every action concerning creation intrinsically—though often not explicitly—has a religious dimension.» No. 42

In this Trinitarian vein, he recalls the three fundamental relationships of human beings—with God, with other people, and with the rest of creation—to also highlight a threefold contemporary crisis: «ecological (relationship with creation), social (relationship with others), and religious (relationship with God).».

Overcoming this crisis «requires fostering relationships governed by the dynamics of love, gift, and gratuitousness in the three fundamental areas of our existence (cf. Laudato si’ 10): filial gratitude toward God and the personal offering of one’s own life in Christ for his glory (Rom 12:1); solidarity and mercy toward one’s neighbor (Lk 10:25–37; Mt 25:31–46); and care for the garden, our common home, in which God has placed humanity (Gen 2:15).» n. 39 

Recalling that creation is not intended solely for our service, as they have repeatedly stated the most recent popes, the document states that «our common home does not come into being through God’s hands for the sole purpose of providing the necessary sustenance for human beings to develop their full potential in governing and enjoying the resources of creation without limits (…) Throughout all creation there is an orientation toward fullness in God through Christ (1 Cor 15:24–28) and in the Holy Spirit, where the full and glorious manifestation of the Triune Creator will finally take place» (no. 43). 

Created in the image and likeness of God, «the normative and inspiring model for human action regarding creation is found in God himself, who exercises his power not in a despotic, arbitrary, or selfish manner, but by promoting the life of his creatures (Ps 36:7; cf. Ps 145:9; Gen 7:1–3; Dan 4:11; Sir 18:13; Wis 11:24), and sustaining all creation through his care» n. 78

One of the innovative ideas in the document is its approach to the ecological sin, initially proposed—using different terminology—by Patriarch Bartholomew, and later taken up by Pope Francis in the final years of his pontificate. 

The document now proposes «defining ecological sin as an action or omission against God, against one’s neighbor, the community, and the environment. It is a sin against future generations and manifests itself in acts and habits of pollution and destruction of environmental harmony, violations of the principles of interdependence, and the breakdown of networks of solidarity among creatures (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 340–344) and against the virtue of justice.» No. 94.

And it offers some suggestions for overcoming it: «Since ecological sin affects all three relationships—God, humanity, and nature—ecological conversion should also heal all three: Conversion according to the Christian faith begins with an encounter with Jesus Christ (LS 217), from whom we learn: to relate to God as the one and only Lord (cf. Mt 4:3–4), with other human beings as our neighbors (cf. Lk 10:25–37), and with creation as a work in which we recognize the expression of a divine language (cf. Mt 6:26–30).» n. 110. 

The document criticizes two extreme anthropological approaches: on the one hand, viewing human beings as the only valuable beings in creation; and on the other, assuming that they have no more value than any other creature—rejecting both predatory anthropocentrism and radical biocentrism.

As the cornerstones of the ecological transition, encourages reflection on the meaning of the Jubilee, spirituality, and lifestyle. «A healthy spirituality is mindful of personal and family consumption; it strives to make it sustainable. It seeks to minimize energy consumption at home and in transportation. It promotes a healthy and environmentally responsible diet. It helps us discern what we buy, mindful that every purchase is a moral act (CV 66; LS 206). It invites us to practice thoughtful self-control over our own pace of life and consumption, encouraging us to choose to forgo certain products and practices that are harmful to the environment,» no. 117

After examining the differing perspectives of the major religious traditions on the threefold relationship mentioned above, he summarizes the positive attitude that every Christian should adopt toward environmental issues, within the framework of these coordinates: «This awareness implies recognition of divine sovereignty, the goodness of creation, and the unique place of human beings in the cosmos as interlocutors and representatives of God himself. It also entails recognizing the structures of sin against creation and the Creator, and the need for a conversion to an integral ecology» n. 146

The authorEmilio Chuvieco

Professor of Geography at the University of Alcalá.

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ColumnistsAlberto Sánchez León

Love and the Concept of Love: In Light of Leonardo Polo’s Thought

Accepting oneself as a creature, giving thanks for the gift received, and giving of oneself to others are the steps that reveal a person as a being called to love, coexist, and make the world a more humane place

September 11, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
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Human beings exist for the sake of others. No one creates their own existence. This is the first step toward accepting oneself as a dependent, non-autonomous being.

The first reaction to this realization of our dependence should be gratitude. We are accepting a gift. That is why gratitude requires, on the one hand, a radical self-knowledge—that is, knowledge of the root of our own being—and, on the other, the freedom to accept ourselves. And I accept myself as a created gift. Gratitude is therefore, as G. K. Chesterton said, the highest form of thought. And I would go so far as to say that it is not only a way of thinking, but, above all, a way of being. I am grateful (or I am not).

As a created being who accepts and accepts oneself, one also gives and gives of oneself. Giving is the essence of the created personal being. To give is to accept one’s being. To give is a way of giving thanks for the gift that is one’s very existence. I offer my acceptance. Accepting oneself is the most radical act of freedom. Accepting oneself is personal freedom. One must first accept oneself in order to give of oneself later; for in order to give, one must accept, and to give of oneself, it is an indispensable condition to have first accepted oneself.

We are acceptance and giving. If a person is a being who gives because they accept themselves, then the capacity to give manifests love. If the highest expression of a person is giving (giving of oneself), that highlights who we are: love. And “to love” is distinct from “love.” “To love” is a verb; “love” is a noun. Loving pertains to the personal self; love pertains to its essence. Loving is transcendental; love is essential. Therefore, it can be said that love is not personal, because love is an act, a contribution, but not a being. 

To accept the gift that we are is to accept oneself as a creature, to accept oneself as a person. This is what original, innate freedom consists of. 

What can a person give? A person can give their time, their advice, their life, their work, and so on. What a person gives is their love—what they are. But their love is not their act of loving. Love—that which can be given—lies in the realm of actions. Human love is a response to who we are; it is responsibility: a response that is, at the same time, a reciprocation. Man is not the shepherd of being, as Heidegger said, but the one who gives a response to the world, the one who perfects the world (or makes it worse).

And how do we respond? Through our actions. This is where ethics begins, as a follow-up from the self to the person. Actions are not personal but essential. Ethics is not anthropology, but rather continues of it. Love belongs to the realm of ethics, of human action; it does not belong to the anthropological, personal realm. Loving gives meaning to action. Being comes first. Action comes last. That is why culture—what human beings contribute—cannot come first. Loving creates culture. Loving makes love possible. Only those who love give and contribute. Love is not the first thing. The first thing is loving. The infinitive is an act. And the act comes first; it is a verb, an infinitive.

But a person is not a verb but an adverb. God is the Word; God is love (in God, “to love” and “love” are one and the same; in humans, they are not). God is love (1 John 4:8).

What does it mean for a human person to be an adverb? It means that a human person is in addition. It is also an adverb of affirmation. It is frequently classified as an adverb of addition or quantity. It is used to add information to what has already been said, with a meaning similar to «also» or «in addition to this.» In other words, “además” accompanies other information. That is why we can say: In addition to think, in addition to have, in addition to do, in addition to feel, in addition operations and in addition of God. To be in addition It means that a person is insatiable, restless, never satisfied, and always pushing further. That is why there is something infinite about it—because there is always room to grow, and personal love makes that possible.

Love requires another. There is no such thing as solitary love or love in solitude. That is why loving and coexisting mean the same thing. Man does not exist. The world and the universe exist, but not man. Man coexists. And he coexists in relation to God, to other people, and to the universe. He opens himself to all beings and relates to them by aligning himself with their respective levels of being. In this way, the in addition With regard to God, it means being a child, a relationship of sonship, and divine sonship.

Pope in addition Compared to other men, he is brotherhood, a relationship of brotherly love. The in addition With regard to the world, it is perfection, personalization, or—to put it more precisely—hyperteleologization. This last relationship of the in addition Our relationship with the world has to do with humanity’s mission to beautify the world, to make it better, more humane, and more personal. “Hypertheologizing” is the personal act of ascribing a higher purpose to the world and to human beings themselves, elevating them beyond their natural limits. This notion involves transcending mere teleology or virtue (hyperformalization) in order to direct human capacities toward the act of self-giving and the humanization of the cosmos. Ultimately, it is about making the world a home where brotherhood and kinship reign freely.

The authorAlberto Sánchez León

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Leo XIV: “The bishop is a servant, called to serve the faith of the people”

This Thursday morning, during an audience with about 200 new bishops, the Pope emphasized that “the bishop is a servant, called to serve the faith of the people,” and that he must rediscover the passion and courage needed to proclaim the Gospel anew.

Francisco Otamendi-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

This morning at the Vatican, the Holy Father emphasized the concept of “service” in his ministry to the new bishops from the five continents who are participating in a formation course in Rome. There are 147 bishops from countries such as India, Congo, Papua New Guinea, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, and Thailand, although the Pope raised the number to 200 in his address.

After encouraging everyone to sing the ”Veni Creator”—“I think you all have a copy. I hope someone has a better voice than I do this morning… Let’s start a cappella”—the Pope wanted to recall in his Speech the central theme of his remarks: service to the faith and to the Church.

“The bishop is a servant” 

“First of all, something as simple as it is often overlooked: the gift you have received is not for yourselves, but to serve the cause of the Gospel. You have been chosen and called to be sent forth as apostles of the Lord and as servants of the faith,” said Leo XIV.

Before engaging in a fraternal dialogue with you, I would like to pause briefly on this point, he added: “The bishop is a servant; the bishop is called to serve the faith of the people. It is something that has to do with our identity.”.

"Why was I chosen? I, at least, ask myself that," the Pope revealed. 

“Service is not an external characteristic or a way of fulfilling a role. On the contrary, those whom Jesus calls as disciples and proclaimers of the Gospel—especially the Twelve—are asked to possess inner freedom, poverty of spirit, and a readiness for service born of love, in order to embody the very choice of Jesus, who became poor to enrich us (cf. 2 Cor 8:9). 

“He has revealed to us the nature of God, who is not revealed to us in power, but in the love of a Father who calls us into communion with Him,‘ he added, recalling the words of St. Augustine: ’Regarding the ordination of a bishop, Augustine states: ”First of all, the one who presides over the people must understand that he is a servant of many’ (Discourse 340/A, 1).”.

“A certain desire for greatness” among the apostles: Jesus had to intervene

Shortly thereafter, the Holy Father recalled that “a certain desire for greatness” (ibid.) had begun to take hold among the Apostles, prompting Jesus to intervene as a healer to cure them. 

In fact, we recall the Lord’s warning when he saw the Twelve arguing about who was the greatest: “Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all” (Mark 10:43–44). 

What Does It Mean to Be Servants? 

At the same time, the Pope continued, “today we must ask ourselves what it means to be servants of the people’s faith. As important and necessary as it may be, it is not enough to simply be aware that our ministry is rooted in the spirit of service, in the image of Christ.”.

”In fact, it must also be reflected in the style of the apostolate, in the various forms of pastoral care and governance, and in the desire to proclaim the Gospel—in ways that are as diverse and creative as the specific situations they face.”.

"A humble service," said Pope Francis

The Pontiff quoted Pope Francis here, who has said on several occasions: “The only authority we have is service—and humble service!” It is truly important that we reflect on these words and try to live by them.

"That is why I ask you to always remain vigilant and to walk in humility and prayer, so that you may become servants of the people to whom the Lord sends you," continued Leo XIV.

“Our closeness to the people entrusted to us is not an opportunistic strategy, but our very essence,” said Pope Francis (Address to the bishops participating in the training course, September 12, 2019).

Passion and Courage in Proclaiming the Gospel

As he was concluding, the Pope mentioned the difficulties and called for passion. “The crisis of faith and its transmission, together with the difficulties affecting church membership and practice, call us to rediscover the passion and courage needed for a new proclamation of the Gospel.”.

We must not forget, the Successor of Peter added, “the other challenges—of a more cultural and social nature—that affect us all and that, in particular, affect certain regions: the tragedy of war and violence, the suffering of the poor, the aspiration of many for a more fraternal and compassionate world, the ethical challenges that call us to reflect on the value of life and freedom, and the list could certainly go on.”.

“As watchful shepherds” 

In this context, “the Church sends you forth as attentive shepherds who know how to share in the journey, the questions, the anxieties, and the hopes of the people; shepherds who wish to be guides, parents, and brothers and sisters to the priests and to their sisters and brothers in the faith.”.

Finally, Leon XIV said that he prays for them, “so that they may never lack the breath of the Spirit and so that the joy of their Planning, like a gentle fragrance, may also spread to those they are going to serve. ”Thank you!”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Gospel

How many times do I have to ask for forgiveness? 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Vitus Ntube discusses the readings for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), September 13, 2026.

Vitus Ntube-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

Saint Peter is one of the most relatable and endearing characters in the Gospels. He asks the questions that many of us would like to ask but may not dare to voice. Like the brave student who speaks on behalf of the whole class, Peter gives voice to our questions. 

Today’s readings focus on forgiveness: receiving God’s forgiveness and offering that same forgiveness to others. In today’s Gospel, Peter approaches Jesus and asks him, “Lord, if my brother offends me, how many times must I forgive him? Up to seven times?".

That’s our question, too, even though we often phrase it differently. We encounter someone we thought we had forgiven, and suddenly we discover that the wound is still there. The memory returns, the pain resurfaces, and we feel that we have to forgive again. Then we ask ourselves: How many times do I have to forgive before I can say that I’ve truly forgiven?

We may have to renew our decision to forgive the same person or the same painful situation many times. This does not mean that our previous forgiveness was false or insincere; it simply means that the heart often needs more time to catch up with the decision of the will.

The parable reveals to us the deepest reason for forgiving. We forgive because we have first been forgiven. God always takes the first step. His mercy precedes ours. Every act of Christian forgiveness is a response to the forgiveness we have already received.

Learning to ask for forgiveness is even more important than learning to forgive. Anyone who never acknowledges their own need for mercy will find it difficult to show mercy to others. On the other hand, those who frequently kneel before God, aware of the immense debt that has been forgiven, gradually learn to look upon others with the same compassion. Only those who know they have been forgiven can truly forgive.

That’s why we can also turn Peter’s question around: How many times do I have to ask for forgiveness? Up to seven times? Jesus“ answer applies here as well: “I'm not telling you to forgive seven times, but seventy times seven”, that is, without keeping score. We should never grow weary of asking for God’s mercy, because God never grows weary of forgiving us.

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‘Journey to Redemption,’ a Youth Pilgrimage Toward the Jubilee of 2033

The initiative proposes a nine-year journey to accompany young people to Jerusalem, with Rome and Santiago as preliminary stops.

Inmaculada Sancho-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

In 2033, the Great Jubilee of Redemption will be celebrated. The Church is working on the ‘Journey to Redemption’ (J2R2033) initiative, which proposes a journey to accompany and revitalize young people on this path with three milestones: Rome (2025), Santiago (2027), and Jerusalem (2033). The initiative was presented on September 7 in Palencia at a press conference.

Along with Bishop Garciandía, the following spoke at the presentation: Fernando Moscardó, vice president of the J2R Foundation; Mónica Marín, a member of the foundation’s Mission Committee; and Pedro Brouilhet, the episcopal vicar for the Proclamation of the Word and head of the diocese’s Youth Ministry Department.

A nine-year journey toward 2033

J2R2033 is not an isolated event, but a nine-year journey that seeks to transform what is called the “wounded generation” into the “generation of redemption,” and which can be summed up as “pilgrimage, evangelization, and healing.” The itinerary also includes an intermediate stage in 2030, centered on the figure of St. Augustine, to mark the 1,600th anniversary of his death.

The project has already completed its first phase. Following a series of local pilgrimages throughout Europe in June 2025, a group of young people from fourteen countries proclaimed the Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe on August 1 of that year at the Roman basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. The document has already gathered more than 250,000 signatures, including that of Leo XIV himself, who wished to personally join the initiative. 

An initiative that is already gaining support

‘Journey to Redemption’ began to take shape more than two years ago around the Network of San Miguel Shrines in Europe, of which Monsignor Garciandía was rector at the shrine in Navarre, and has gradually gained support from the Episcopal Subcommittee for Youth and Children of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela, and the Church in Jerusalem, where the journey will conclude. The Latin Patriarch, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, has assured us that young people in the Holy Land also want to be part of the project.

The next goal will be the Holy Year of Santiago in 2027, which Bishop Garciandía envisions as a mobilization of young people along pilgrimage routes throughout Europe, without the need to physically gather in Santiago.

The authorInmaculada Sancho

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Education

Time is money—is there anything the school can do to prevent this?

The Pope invites families and educators to rethink the role of schools in the face of artificial intelligence and technological change, without sacrificing human relationships.

Álvaro Gil Ruiz-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsCatholic educators describe the use of AI and agree: there is a lack of preparation

A new school year begins, and some scenes play out once again. Getting school supplies ready, back-to-school meetings, reuniting with classmates, resuming after-school activities… There are so many feelings, lessons learned, and habits absorbed that, year after year, this social and academic reality has such a lasting impact on our children’s lives. But is that impact real? Haven’t times changed? Aren’t we talking about an obsolete system?

Education and society from a century, half a century, or a decade ago—or even less—bear no resemblance to those of today. Change has always been inevitable, but today, the pace is dizzying. Everything is changing at an unprecedented speed. What was valid yesterday is no longer valid today. What remains constant? What certainly does not change is the social, emotional, and academic impact that school—and everything that happens there—has on our lives. It is one of the factors that most influences our future; therefore, if we want to safeguard the future of our families and our society, let’s prioritize the education of the new generations during their childhood and take into account the changes we are experiencing. 

The Pope will visit UNESCO

Leo XIV, the pope who was greeted with ovations during his visit to Spain, is well aware of the pivotal role of education and schools. Proof of this is his upcoming visit to UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). As part of his apostolic trip to France, the French Church, the French government, and UNESCO itself have invited the Roman pontiff to visit this international organization.

The meeting with Khaled El-Enany, the organization’s director general (with whom he already met last June), will take place on September 25 at the headquarters in Paris to discuss the current challenges facing artificial intelligence, information integrity, education, and artistic creation in the digital age. The program also includes panel discussions and an address by the Pontiff.

What does Leo XIV say about this?

But the head of the Catholic Church has already set forth his thoughts on these issues in his latest encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. And it's right on the mark, because it addresses issues that concern families, schools, and society in general. 

For starters, he is concerned about what Pope Francis called in Laudato Si, the “technocratic paradigm.» A logic whose algorithm is based on efficiency, control, and corporate profit, which develops business models that monetize attention and time—where we, as men and women, are the business. In this model, the youngest and those with the least education and training are the most vulnerable and fragile; therefore, they are the most likely to fall prey to addiction and enslavement. Faced with this reality, Leo XIV proposes an alliance between politics, educational institutions, and families. Examples of this include the pioneering legislative proposals in France and Spain to limit social media use among minors under the age of sixteen, so that the burden does not fall solely on families. 

The Pope is clear that the school is parents’ greatest ally in the education of their children. Parents have the primary and inalienable right to choose the type of education and formation their children receive, in accordance with their own moral, cultural, and religious convictions. 

With regard to schooling, he also speaks of “urgent challenges,” such as overcoming obstacles to access basic education and higher education. 

Educating Students to Think in the Age of AI

Another such challenge is the school’s ability to adapt to the breakneck pace of change in our society, which almost inevitably requires staying up to date. In the face of AI and other realities, the Pope proposes a holistic education that encompasses all dimensions of the person, ongoing teacher training, and a positive dialogue with technology, making responsible, critical, and creative use of it. 

Faced with the constant flow of information provided by technology, we are invited to engage in inquiry, reflection, and discernment. This helps us avoid falling into fragmented, non-holistic knowledge. It also encourages genuine critical and creative thinking. As the Pope notes, many educators are increasingly speaking of dehumanization, because students “know many things” but struggle to find meaning in their lives. 

Reclaiming What Technology Cannot Provide

In short, “schools are not meant to keep up with the pace of the digital world, but rather to offer what the digital world alone cannot provide: shared time for learning and trusting relationships.”

That is why families, the educational community, and society as a whole should focus their reflection on these questions: How can I ensure that my children or students truly learn? How can I foster deep friendships? How can I promote respect and closeness among everyone? 

The answers to these and other questions are very broad, but they must be addressed. That is why those responsible for education—first and foremost, parents; next, teachers and educators; and, as stewards of the common good, politicians—are called upon to reflect deeply on these issues and to propose and pursue ways forward. And what better way to begin this process than by reading Leo XIV’s encyclical slowly and drawing insights from it, while paying close attention to his speech at UNESCO in late September. In this way, we will begin to prepare ourselves to help children.  

RelatedRelated NewsCatholic educators describe the use of AI and agree: there is a lack of preparation
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Cinema

Carles Prats: «In Montserrat, I learned a different way of understanding time»

After spending four years living with the monks of Montserrat, Carles Prats highlights their unique way of experiencing time in a documentary that seeks to portray the reality of the community without filters or judgments: "El temps de Montserrat.".

Teresa Aguado Peña-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 6 minutes

Four years of filming to capture the daily lives of the monks of Montserrat. That is how long director Carles Prats spent coming and going from the monastery to bring this story to life. The Weather in Montserrat («El Tiempo de Montserrat»), a documentary that, during the monastery’s millennium celebration, seeks to show—without judgment or voice-over—the daily life of the Benedictine community. The project began before the pandemic and allowed the team to witness an unusual side of Montserrat—practically empty of visitors—as well as to gain access to places and moments that are usually hidden from tourists’ view.

Prats, who is accustomed to working on documentaries about culture, film, and music («Peret and the Origins of Catalan Rumba», «Dracula Barcelona» ), acknowledges that this experience has been particularly enriching. The result is a contemplative look at a community whose daily life is marked by prayer, work, and a unique conception of time. Presented at the BCN Film Fest, it will premiere on September 10 at a special screening hosted by A Contracorriente Films.

There is also a personal story behind the project. Nuria Casaldáliga, a classmate of Prats’s and the niece of Bishop Pere Casaldáliga, was the one who spearheaded and brought the documentary to fruition alongside him. Her death last January also makes The Weather in Montserrat in a project for which the director is especially grateful.

In this interview, the director talks about his experience with the monks and what he has learned about monastic life, repetition, and a different way of understanding time.

Why make a documentary about the monks of Montserrat?

–Montserrat has always been a very interesting and inspiring place to me. A few years ago, I read an essay by Neil Postman in which he discussed how Benedictine communities managed their time. He even went so far as to say that it seemed as though the Benedictines had invented the clock.

On the other hand, making a documentary about daily life in a monastery is really complicated, because it requires them to open their doors to you. Driven by our fascination with the monastery, its use of time, and the opportunity to showcase its daily life, Nuria Casaldáliga—who set the production in motion—and I set to work.

The documentary places special emphasis on time. What can we learn from the way these monks manage their time?

–There comes a time in life when, at least in my case, you become more repetitive. That’s what Jorge Luis Borges said: “There comes a time in your life when you stop reading and all you do is reread.”

In the documentary, the abbot says that repetition leads you to an understanding of who you are and of the world. I think I, too, am very much in that moment of repetition, in a contemplative state. For me, it has been an enriching experience.

The community at Montserrat is very special. There are about 50 monks, and most of them have advanced degrees, so you find yourself among a community that is well-educated in a wide variety of fields.

When you see the monks chanting in the basilica, the image you see has little to do with their daily lives. Each one has his own duties: some are in charge of the library, others run the guesthouse, and still others welcome pilgrims.

In addition, the community has changed a great deal. It is governed by the Rule of St. Benedict, a 6th-century text, but the abbot adapts it to the times. Nowadays, for example, all the monks carry cell phones and send each other WhatsApps, something that wouldn't have been the case 200 years ago.

One might think that, given the way they manage their time, the monks' lives seem monotonous. How would you respond to this misconception?

–Life depends on what you like or don't like. For example, they explained that the philosopher Kant did exactly the same thing every day. Perhaps in recent decades, people have come to value leisure, vacations, tourism, going to the movies, and video games a great deal. That's where this idea comes from.

But I don't think repetition is a bad thing; on the contrary. From the perspective of meditation and self-reflection, it can have positive effects.

There are some very restless people who are unable to stay there. For others, however, this is deeply fulfilling. What I've seen is that the monks enjoy it. This kind of highly structured daily routine allows them to lead a fulfilling life.

After living alongside this community for years, what do you think monastic life can offer today to a society that is living at an increasingly fast pace?

–I think we live in a society that, in some ways, is superficial. Everything moves so fast, and we’ve gotten used to short messages and highly fragmented content.

I believe that this approach to time management and the purpose for which you use your time bring about positive results. In fact, throughout history, there have always been people who have wanted to live in communities in remote places. 

The Montserrat community is not a closed community. It is closely connected to the outside world: some monks teach outside the monastery and engage in various activities, although they follow the Benedictine schedule. 

But at the same time, there is this model of monastic life—one that is more introspective and focused on meditation—which I think is very positive, especially in an increasingly frivolous world.

At one point in the documentary, one of the monks says that people have this image of a monk reading in the garden, and that it’s a distorted image. Do you think people have an image of monastic life that doesn’t match reality?

–Yes. In many ways, the reality of these monks’ lives is surprising. That monk is in charge of the library, and he’s very unassuming (he appeared in the documentary only after much insistence, because he had no desire to be in the spotlight). I found his reflection on that idealized image of a monk sitting under a tree reading a book really amusing.

The backgrounds of the various monks are also surprising. The man who is now the museum director had previously been in charge of IT security at an American company. The man who runs the sanctuary had been a manager at Burger King. Another had been a gardener, and yet another had taught at a university.

It's a very diverse world that you can't imagine until you get there. And yes, those stereotypes do exist.

Besides, once you start spending time with them, you discover a very different side to them. At the end of the day, they might get together to read the newspaper, talk about a soccer game, or play Parcheesi. The monks are fun. Like everyone else, some are more outgoing and others are more reserved, but for me it’s been a very interesting and enriching experience.

Was it difficult for the monks to open up in this way?

–It took us a while to get them to open their doors to us. One of the leading monastic documentaries, The Great Silence, had to wait 18 years before they let him in to film. We had to wait eight months.

You'll understand this once you're inside the monastery, because for the monks, their daily routine—their schedule of prayers and services—is more important than attending to someone who's come to make a documentary.

I was also surprised that all the monks wear watches. They explained to me that, when they join the community, the abbot collects their watches and redistributes them at random, so that each monk probably ends up with a different one than the one he had when he arrived.

The monks talk about why they left their former lives to enter the monastery. Was there any testimony or personal story that particularly touched you?

–I was really struck by what a monk who visited Montserrat as a young boy on a field trip had to say. He saw the monks and decided he wanted to become part of the community.

To make sure that his calling was truly monastic life, he asked to live outside the monastery for a year. They provided him with a place to live in a small village in the Pyrenees.

The townspeople were suspicious of him because he had long hair, and they thought he was a hippie. When they found out he was a monk from Montserrat, they began to treat him differently. He ended up staying in that town for 19 years, working in the fields.

After that, he left to care for his ailing mother and later his father. Another 12 years passed. In other words, he had planned to be away for a year, but ended up staying for 31 years before he decided to return to the monastery.

He came back, knocked on the door, and said, «Look, I left 31 years ago.» And he became a monk again. The story really caught my attention.

What is the most admirable aspect of these monks' lives?

–I admire that they came to the conclusion that they wanted to become monks. For a while, many try it out, and some give it up because they realize that monastic life isn't for them.

I’m also struck by the fact that people live together in a community in such a different way. We think a lot about ownership: «I’ve bought this, I want this, I want that.» There, the mindset is very different. It’s like a mental liberation from the obligations that consumption creates.

I think that, if you handle it well, it enriches you. Montserrat has been home to some fantastic intellectuals, and the publications from the Abbey of Montserrat are wonderful. You see that people who have lived there within the monastery have managed to produce truly admirable works.

A monk told me that they published a quarterly magazine. But he said, “If it comes out every six months, it’s no big deal,” because for them, the important thing is to stick to their daily schedule. I think that’s a valuable lesson: to prioritize the things that really matter. The rest will follow.

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Evangelization

100 Years of Domund: A Website Paying Tribute to a Century of Missionary Work Is Launched

World Mission Sunday (DOMUND) is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Since 1926, this day has permeated Spanish society and has significantly promoted evangelization in mission territories. To mark the centennial, the Pontifical Mission Societies (OMP) is paying tribute to this century of missionary work with a new interactive and visually engaging website.

Editorial Staff Omnes-September 10, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

This year, 2026, marks the 100th anniversary of Domund, and the celebration is already underway. The Pontifical Mission Societies are preparing this year’s campaign, which will be held for the 100th time on October 18. The Pope has chosen “One in Christ, United in Mission” as the theme for this conference, as you can see on its Message Throughout September and October, OMP It will provide updates on various initiatives proposed to celebrate this occasion throughout Spain.

For now, OMP is paying tribute to this century of missionary work (1926–2026) in this innovative website featuring a highly visual, interactive journey through the 100-year history of Domund in Spain (photographs, videos, collection boxes, etc.) and through the mission territories (comparative statistics, infographics, etc.).

Although we will look at this in more detail later, this Domund Day has significantly advanced evangelization—the Church’s mission—in the following ways: on each of the 36,500 days of this century, an average of 9,000 Catholics have been baptized, three schools and one parish have been built… and many more initiatives have taken place. 

On the left, José María Calderón, director of OMP Spain, and on the right, Serafín Suárez, a missionary in Africa (Flickr / OMP Spain).

Leaders in generosity, in financial contributions, and in sending missionaries

“Do you remember when you used to go out as a child to collect money for the missions?” asks OMP Spain. Do you remember the collection boxes, the posters, the gatherings, the movies?… It was in 1926 when Pope Pius XI asked the entire Church to dedicate the second-to-last Sunday in October to praying for the Church’s mission work in mission territories and to supporting it through Pontifical Mission Societies (OMP). 

The goal was to remind all the baptized each year of the call to support evangelization to the ends of the earth.

In Spain, they recall, the Pope’s invitation was taken to heart, and every year conferences, testimonials in schools, and videos were organized… “All of this sparked a missionary spirit in our country that has led to Spaniards today being leaders ”in generosity, both in terms of money and missionaries.".

(@web www.domund100.es).

A Special Website

To mark the 100th anniversary of Domund, as noted above, the Pontifical Mission Societies has delved into its historical archives and is sharing them on a special website domund100.es

The website is divided into three sections and aims to provide an interactive overview of this missionary journey. 

The first part, “100 Years with You”, focuses on Domund in Spain and features historical photographs of the various initiatives associated with this event that are sure to stir up nostalgia for many. 

The website explains the origins of this event, displays historical posters organized by year, and highlights the iconic Domund collection boxes… Among many other features, visitors can watch the missionary films produced by OMP, starring actors such as Fernando Fernán Gómez and Sara Montiel.

Fruits of World Mission Sunday: 9,000 Catholics, 3 schools, 2 priests… every day, for 100 years

Through World Mission Sunday, Pope Pius XI called on all Catholics to support evangelization in mission territories—those dioceses that were under the jurisdiction of the historic Propaganda Fide. (now the Dicastery for Evangelization). 

In the second part of the special website “100 Years for Them”, OMP shares the fruits of its missionary work.

Following a thorough analysis of data from the Pontifical Yearbooks of 1925, 1950, 1975, 2000, and 2025, this presentation offers maps and interactive infographics that provide insight into the scope of evangelization over the past century, during which the number of missionary dioceses has quadrupled, and on average, every day for the past 100 years, 9,000 new Catholics have been baptized, 2 priests have been ordained, 5 nuns have been consecrated, and 1 parish and 3 schools have been built.

Image of the interactive world map that illustrates the ‘missionary boom’ over the past 100 years, courtesy of Domund (@web www.domund100.es).

An interactive world map

On the website, you can see how, 100 years ago, evangelization was entrusted to religious institutes and congregations; and how, in recent years, the Church has taken root, giving rise to the 1,132 dioceses that exist today—which, having been founded by missionaries, continue to need the support of the entire Church. An interactive world map illustrates the missionary ‘boom’ of the past century, with exponential growth in the number of dioceses and Catholics.

Evangelization in Nakuru (Kenya) (@web www.domund100.es).

An example: the evolution of Nakuru (Kenya)

The website cites one of these dioceses as an example of what is happening simultaneously across all mission territories. Specifically, it highlights the development of Nakuru (Kenya), where support from Domund has made it possible, year after year, to build up the local Church (convents, parishes, formation of catechists and vocations, schools…). It also features previously unpublished black-and-white photos of missionaries who brought the Gospel to all five continents under conditions far more challenging than those of today.

Young people in South Korea, with María Matos (@web www.domund100.es).

Missionaries Commemorate World Mission Sunday

In the last section of the website, “100 Years for Him”, Spanish missionaries fondly recall, according to OMP Spain, how this day has accompanied them over the years. Thanks to Domund, many of them discovered their vocation, or have found in financial support and prayer the strength to carry on with their mission. The day concludes with the Domund prayer, proposed by Pope Leo XIV.

The authorEditorial Staff Omnes

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The Vatican

The Pope urges people to commit themselves to promoting the dignity of God's children

“We have been created in the image of God: let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending the dignity of God’s children, with the light and strength of the Gospel,” Pope Leo XIV urged during Wednesday’s audience, in his catechesis on the Constitution *Gaudium et Spes*.

Francisco Otamendi-September 9, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

He began by offering a special greeting in Croatian to a large group of faithful from the Military Ordinariate of Croatia—who were present in great numbers today in St. Peter’s Square—and extended a special welcome to the Italian dioceses and parishes, as well as to the ecclesiastical assistants of the Foundation Aid to the Church in Need, the Holy Father Leo XIV continued his commentary on the conciliar constitution Gaudium et Spes (GS), with its first chapter devoted to the dignity of the human person.

The Second Vatican Council’s Constitution *Gaudium et Spes* emphasizes that human dignity is the “foundation and condition” of those “values that are held in the highest regard today,” but that must not lose their connection to ‘their divine source’ in order to avoid possible distortions due to ‘the corruption of the human heart’ (GS, 11).”.

The journey that has made it possible to highlight the essential characteristics and fundamental rights of human dignity represents one of the most significant chapters in human history, the Pontiff emphasized.

However, the Pope has warned in the General Audience that the journey ahead “is not over and must confront the contradictions—both old and new—that stand in the way of its full realization.”.

Human dignity, a gift that comes from God's love

‘The Church reminds us that human dignity flows from the very being of the person, and I have had the opportunity to reaffirm this as well in the recent encyclical *Magnifica humanitas*,’ the Pope noted: 

“Every person, who is by nature made for relationship, is intended and loved by God to enter into a story of communion with Him, with others, and with creation.

”Her dignity does not depend on her abilities, her wealth, or the role she plays, nor on the right or wrong decisions she makes; rather, it is a gift that precedes and transcends her, given by God as an expression of his unfailing love” (no. 50).

The infinite dignity of the human person, therefore, as Pope Leo XIV has stated, is rooted in his identity as a creature made “in the image of God,‘ capable of knowing and loving his Creator—a plan and gift of love that transcends all other created realities, which are entrusted to their care ’to govern and use them for the glory of God.”.

The ultimate foundation of faith

Through faith we can understand the ultimate foundation of human dignity, since the Son, “in the very revelation of the mystery of the Father and of his love, fully reveals man to himself and makes known to him the sublimity of his calling» (n. 22).

Pope Leo XIV greets the crowd in front of the Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, southeast of Rome, on September 7, 2026, the eve of the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Photo by OSV News/Simone Risoluti, Vatican Media).

Being a person, our relationship with God and with others, a gift to be shared

The Holy Father then elaborated on the concept of relationship and the gift. “Being a person always implies relationship, communion, and participation with God and with others; therefore, a filial relationship with God the Father and a fraternal relationship with Christ and with all human beings. It excludes self-centered isolation. To be a person means to perceive oneself as a gift to be shared, growing and maturing through acceptance, reciprocity, and service.”.

This dignity, the Pope reminded us, is entrusted to each person’s responsibility; and at the same time, “it also demands solidarity and mutual care, overcoming the many distortions and manipulations that even today distort our perception of it and hinder its fulfillment.”.

Three concepts: intelligence, consciousness, and freedom

In closing, Leo XIV highlighted the three most significant expressions of human dignity emphasized in *Gaudium et spes*: intelligence, which makes human beings insatiable seekers of truth; conscience, through which human beings give unity and meaning to their own lives; and freedom, which makes them responsible agents in their own decisions.

These dimensions are closely intertwined: it is in consciousness that truth is recognized as such and where freedom can experience it as its foundation and possibility, the Pontiff has said.

Finally, the Pope stated that “the Holy Spirit, who gives life in Christ, sets us free and constantly reaffirms our dignity as children of God, freeing us from fear and guiding us toward our ultimate goal (…).

Closing Message: Promoting and Defending Human Dignity

“We have been created in the image of God: let us commit ourselves to promoting and defending the dignity of God’s children, with the light and strength of the Gospel,” encouraged the Successor of Peter, who recalled yesterday’s feast.

Yesterday we celebrated the liturgical feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary; “May her example and her maternal intercession inspire and accompany you throughout your lives,” the Pope said before imparting his blessing to the pilgrims and faithful in St. Peter’s Square.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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León XIV in France. So that the world may have life

France is preparing to welcome the pontiff for a four-day visit with five stops, including Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, and Metz. Leo XIV is following in the footsteps of Benedict XVI, the last pope to set foot on French soil in 2008.

Gonzalo Meza-September 9, 2026-Reading time: 8 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsThe Pope's visit to France is taking shape: Notre Dame, Lourdes, and MetzRelated NewsLeo XIV to visit France in SeptemberRelated NewsHere's What Pope Leo XIV's Visit to France Will Look Like

The French Bishops' Conference (CEF) met this Tuesday at its Paris headquarters to present the Pope Leo XIV's apostolic journey to France, September 25–28. Participants in the press conference included Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the French Bishops’ Conference (CEF); Bishop Benoît Bertrand of Pontoise and president of the trip’s organizing committee; as well as Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris; Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes; and Archbishop-Bishop Philippe Ballot of Metz, as well as the logistics coordinators for the papal visit.

The visit will last four days and include five stops: UNESCO headquarters, Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, and Metz. Leo XIV will be the tenth pope to visit Paris. The last papal visit was by Benedict XVI in 2008.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and president of the CEF, said that the preparation for this trip is not just a matter of logistics. We should prepare ourselves to listen to the Pope and experience this event as a gift given to us, he said.

The cardinal did not wish to reveal the content of the messages in advance, though he did highlight their central theme: the defense of human dignity, in light of his encyclical “Magnifica humanitas.”. 

Monsignor Benoît Bertrand, Bishop of Pontoise, vice president of the CEF, and president of the organizing committee, summed up the preparations in three words: joy, diversity, and anticipation. Diversity, he explained, ranges from large crowds to gatherings of about five hundred people and to meetings that will bring together no more than ten. 

Regarding the expectations of the French people—which he considers to be numerous and not limited to Christians—he spoke of being strengthened in the faith, of being guided along the paths of mission, of the Church being at the service of the little ones and the poor, and of those who seek God. 

“The Holy Father is also coming to France to nurture our hope, because we need it so very much,” he said. “Without a doubt, this trip will be historic.”.

"So that the world may have life": a motto born on a street in Rome

The official theme of the trip is “So that the world may have life.” It comes from the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, the Sermon on the Bread of Life.

The proposal came from Cardinal Aveline, and Leo XIV himself personally approved it. Aveline has recounted how it came about: “One morning, as we were returning to the French Seminary along the Street of the Antiquarians in Rome, walking with the two vice presidents, we were reflecting. Then the idea came to me: “So that the world may have life.” That very night I wrote a brief letter to the Pope. The next morning, the pontiff replied: “Yes, that’s a good one.”».

The cardinal explained why he finds it significant: “Because it expresses, in a few words, a fundamental truth: a saying of Christ: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Also because it defines, for the Christian faith, who Christ is: “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”».

The “Right to Assisted Dying” in France

The slogan is not trivial. On July 15, the National Assembly passed the law establishing the “right to assisted dying” in its final reading, with 291 votes in favor, 241 against, and 29 abstentions, after the Senate had rejected it three times.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and the President of the Senate referred it to the Constitutional Council, which on August 14 declared it constitutional with three interpretive reservations, including a conscience clause for pharmacists and healthcare facilities. Emmanuel Macron signed it into law on August 18, and the text appeared in the Official Gazette the following day.

The law grants access, under certain conditions, to adults with a serious, incurable condition that threatens their life. It is expected that the Pope will emphasize the importance of protecting life while in Lourdes. 

The Catechumens: The French Surprise

The second backdrop is a phenomenon that the French Church itself did not anticipate: the steady increase in the number of adults and adolescents seeking baptism.

According to the CEF’s annual survey published on March 25, 21,386 catechumens were baptized at the 2026 Easter Vigil: 13,234 adults and 8,152 adolescents. That is 28 % more adults and 10 % more adolescents than in 2025.

In ten years, the number of adults has tripled, from 4,124 in 2016 to 13,234 this year.

Young people aged 18 to 25 are the largest group, accounting for 42 %, followed by those aged 26 to 40.

Paris is a special case. The diocese accounts for about 10 % of the country’s catechumens and supports seventy student chaplaincies, sixty-five seminarians, and sixteen new priests ordained in 2025. Across the ecclesiastical province of Paris, which encompasses the eight dioceses of Île-de-France, the number of adults seeking baptism rose from 1,249 in 2021 to 3,158 in 2026, an increase of 153 %.

In light of this, the bishops of Île-de-France convened in April 2025 what was to be a provincial council on the theme “Catechumens and Neophytes: New Perspectives for the Life of Our Church in Our Dioceses.” The name «council» had to be changed because the number of invitees exceeded the limits set by canon law, and it was renamed the Provincial Ecclesial Assembly. It was solemnly opened on May 31 at Notre-Dame in Paris and will convene in three sessions: October 2026, January 2027, and May 2027. 

That is why, on the morning of Saturday the 26th, Leo XIV will meet at the Catholic Institute of Paris with the members of the assembly, catechumens, and neophytes. There, he will also pray before several statues of saints and blessed who once lived in the former “des Carmes” convent.

Paris: Six Scenes in a Day and a Half

The Paris leg of the trip is the most complex. The Pope will land at Orly on Friday, the 25th, at 10:00 a.m. He will then go to the Élysée Palace to meet with the President of the Republic and address government officials, civil society, and the diplomatic corps. At 3:00 p.m., he will visit UNESCO headquarters, where he specifically requested to go in order to speak to the international community about education.

He will then travel in the popemobile along a 2.5-kilometer route from the Church of Notre-Dame des Champs to Place Saint-Michel, along Boulevard de Montparnasse and Boulevard Saint-Michel.   

At 5:15 p.m., the pontiff will preside over Vespers at Notre-Dame with bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, consecrated persons, and seminarians.  That same evening, he will preside over a vigil at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis before more than 80,000 young people between the ages of 17 and 35. Tickets sold out within hours of registration opening, and there is now a waiting list. 

On Saturday the 26th, following the visit to Casa Bakhita, the largest celebration will take place: Mass at Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. More than 500,000 participants are expected. Organizers believe the crowd could spill over the Arc de Triomphe.

“We can hope that the celebration of the Eucharist will be a powerful sign in the life of the Church and that this sign may be shared by the people of France as a sign of unity,» said the Archbishop of Paris, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich. These moments, he added, express at once unity, inner reflection, intimacy, and the desire for a connection that has meaning far beyond the Church.

Lourdes: Pilgrim and Shepherd

Leo XIV's visit to Lourdes It follows the two encyclicals by St. John Paul II, issued in 1983 and 2004, and the one by Benedict XVI in 2008, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the apparitions.

Pope Leo XIV will arrive at the Tarbes-Lourdes airport at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, the 26th, and will then visit the Massabielle Grotto. 

Monsignor Jean-Marc Micas, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, says he will be a pilgrim among pilgrims: he will touch the rock in the grotto, drink the water, light a candle, kneel, and pray in silence, just as pilgrims do. 

As universal pastor, he will preside over Sunday morning Mass on the sanctuary lawn and lead the Marian torchlight procession on Sunday evening.

The expected turnout is considerable for a city with just over 12,000 residents: 50,000 people on Saturday night, 150,000 on Sunday morning, and 25,000 on Sunday night.

Lourdes will also be the site of the most sensitive meeting of the trip. Leo XIV will meet privately with seven victims of sexual abuse. 

Monsignor Pierre-Antoine Bozo, coadjutor bishop of La Rochelle and spokesperson for the CEF, explained that the group was put together with the aim of achieving the greatest possible balance.

Metz: The Other Regime

The final day, Monday the 28th, will take place in Metz, at the intersection of the French, Luxembourgish, and German borders. This is no coincidence. In France, two systems coexist with regard to religious worship. The general one is the law of December 9, 1905, which established the separation of church and state. 

Religious buildings dating from before that time, which had already been nationalized in 1789, remained in public hands: cathedrals belong to the state, and parish churches to the municipalities.

The other, lesser-known system is the Concordat system in effect in Alsace and the Moselle. There, the 1905 law was never implemented because, at that time, those departments were part of the German Empire. When they returned to France in 1918, the existing law remained in force, including the Concordat signed in 1801 between Napoleon and Pius VII. The law of June 1, 1924, confirmed this exception, and the Constitutional Council upheld it in 2013.

In practice, the Concordat recognizes four religious denominations: Catholic, Lutheran, Reformed, and Jewish. Their ministers are paid by the state, and religious instruction is provided in public schools. Metz and Strasbourg are the two dioceses covered by the Concordat, and their bishops continue to be appointed by decree of the President of the Republic.

The procedure is unusual: the Holy See proposes a candidate, the president accepts the nomination through an initial decree that remains confidential; the Pope then grants canonical investiture through a papal bull, and a second decree—following review by the Council of State—is published simultaneously in the French Official Journal and in *L’Osservatore Romano*. 

Monsignor Philippe Ballot, Archbishop of Metz, emphasizes the significance of the location: «The Moselle is the ideal setting for a message of peace. It is a region that has endured three wars and two annexations, and where yesterday’s enemies have become friends,» he says. «So it is possible everywhere where there is war.» He also speaks of the power of forgiveness through Franco-German reconciliation and notes that the event will have a European and international dimension.

In Metz, at 10:00 a.m., the Pope will preside over an interfaith gathering at the Robert Schuman Convention Center. Six religious leaders will read and sign a joint declaration with him: Cardinal Aveline on behalf of the Catholics, Christian Krieger on behalf of the Protestants, Chief Rabbi Haïm Korsia for the Jews, Chems-Eddine Hafiz for the Muslims, Monsignor Dimitrios for the Orthodox, and Antony Boussemart for the Buddhists. An hour later, he will participate in the event «At the Roots of Europe for Peace and Unity.».

The tribute to Robert Schuman will last all day. Born in Clausen, on the outskirts of Luxembourg City, to a Moselle father and a Luxembourgish mother, Schuman served as a deputy for the Moselle for more than four decades; he lived and died in Scy-Chazelles, on the outskirts of Metz, and is buried there. Pope Francis declared him venerable.

In the afternoon, the pontiff will tour the streets of Metz in the popemobile, and at 4:00 p.m. he will celebrate Mass at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. His departure is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Metz-Nancy-Lorraine Airport.

The Logistical and Economic Challenge

The overall figures give an idea of the scale of the operation. The trip will cost 27 million euros, financed largely by donations; as of the date of the press conference, 5.5 million had been raised. 

On the 25th and 26th, 15,000 police officers, gendarmes, riot police, and soldiers from Operation Sentinelle will be deployed. The Paris leg alone will mobilize 15,000 volunteers. 

Although the French government will not subsidize the organization, it will be responsible for the security of the events, the Pope, and his entourage

How France Is Experiencing This Moment

The atmosphere described by the organizers is one of enthusiasm and joy. Many churches in France are organizing days of prayer and spiritual preparation, one such place being the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, a site of perpetual adoration since 1885 and a national shrine of Mercy, which is organizing a novena and prayer sessions in preparation for the papal visit.

Aveline spoke of her own excitement at the enthusiasm generated by the visit—a joy she perceives as widespread throughout the country and across all social media platforms—which, in her view, reveals a deep spiritual thirst among the French people. 

"France is of interest to the Pope," the cardinal admitted. With the new influx of new converts and catechumens, he said, the country is proving that it is resisting secularization. He also mentioned that Leo XIV is learning French so he can express himself more fluently.

The bishop of Pontoise concluded the press conference with an open invitation: that all French people—whether Catholic or not, believers or not—come to welcome and listen to Pope Leo XIV in Paris, Saint-Denis, Lourdes, or Metz. 

As the Archbishop of Paris, Monsignor Laurent Ulrich, pointed out: the Pope is coming «to nurture our hope, because we certainly need it very much.».

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RelatedRelated NewsThe Pope's visit to France is taking shape: Notre Dame, Lourdes, and MetzRelated NewsLeo XIV to visit France in SeptemberRelated NewsHere's What Pope Leo XIV's Visit to France Will Look Like
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ColumnistsCarmen Lucena

I'm a rebel… and my kids don't wear brand-new clothes at the start of the school year

"I'm going to let you in on a big secret, but don't let the algorithm find out (I don't think the world is ready for this…). Well, here goes: the best way to save money is... to educate."

September 9, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

Raise your hand if you’re a mom or dad who hasn’t been “tricked” by the algorithm with the 3-for-2 deal on school supplies, the check that 10000% sends you back for whatever you spend, and the mini-points that let you save more than you ever imagined. I’m going to let you in on a big secret, but don’t let the algorithm find out (I don’t think the world is ready for this…). Well, here goes: the best way to save is not to spend, and even better, to teach children to live simply. 

Each of my children’s colored pencils is different and has a purpose. Each has a story. The ruler is scratched up. The pencil sharpener already holds many stories—it watched a pencil get sharpened until it was worn down to almost nothing. I resist buying everything new every year, since these items still have plenty of life left in them. At the end of the school year, I have them empty their pencil cases into a box, and together we look through them, clean them, organize them, and throw away what’s no longer needed. Schools provide a list of required supplies for each child. And my greatest act of rebellion right now is to buy only the bare essentials and shoes (it’s a quirk of mine: I don’t want them to follow in someone else’s footsteps—in the most literal sense). 

When something runs out, I restock it. When they lose it, I “sell” it to them for a few cents. I always have some in stock, but I want them to appreciate how much things cost. 

You might think they're too young to grasp this important message. I used to think it was pointless, too—that maybe this would be useful once they had their own money. But no. Now is the perfect time. 

In June, I got one of those surprises that fill you with 100% maternal satisfaction. I have to buy new notebooks for two of my kids. The rest get them from school, with the school logo on the cover. One of the kids who uses these (an 11-year-old) came up to me while I was ironing with two whole blank notebooks in hand. And she said to me, “Mom, I gathered the unused pages from all my notebooks and made two new ones—I bound them myself. Here, take them in case they’re useful to someone.” Did you feel the same warmth wash over you that I did? A little girl took the time to remove all the loose pages, gather the unused sheets, and make two new notebooks. Of course her brother will use them—which means I was able to buy him two fewer notebooks. And the best part is that she didn’t ask for anything in return: she didn’t say, “With what you save, will you buy me something?”. 

This summer I’ve been the talk of the pool—aside from the usual gear a mom of seven brings—snacks, my towel, the baby… I’d head down with a bag full of mismatched socks, with little holes… and I’ve spent my time darning and pairing them up. If the body of the sock is in decent shape, the toe and heel are darned until they’re as good as new. Socks are enough to inspire a whole new article; they make me reflect too much. Wearing brand-new socks is one of life’s great pleasures, but so is the realization that by using things for as long as they’ll last, I possess a greater treasure than what consumerism sells us. 

The authorCarmen Lucena

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The Episcopal Conferences of West Africa Celebrate Their First Youth Day

In a video message sent to the first edition of the West Africa Youth Days—an event bringing together 16 countries and taking place in Accra, the capital of Ghana— Pope Leo called on young people to be “bridge-builders between peoples, cultures, and religions.”.

Francisco Otamendi-September 9, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

Youth Day, which will be held from September 7 to 11, 2026, in Accra, Ghana, is a historic event organized by the Episcopal Conferences of West Africa (RECOWA/CERAO), modeled after World Youth Day.

In its video message, in French and English, Leo XIV praises “this wonderful initiative” by the Episcopal Conferences of West African countries, “which have placed young people at the center of their pastoral priorities.”.

I am convinced that these precious moments shared together, as the Holy Father tells you, “will help you grow in faith and be increasingly enriched by values such as connection and openness to others.”.

“Promoting positive change in our societies”

One of the central messages of the Pontiff, who made a lengthy pastoral visit to four African countries (Algeria, the land of St. Augustine, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea), is his call to “walk together to bring about positive change in our societies. Walking together means ensuring that no one is marginalized, isolated, excluded, or rejected.”. 

In this regard, Leo XIV encourages young people to “be builders of bridges between peoples, cultures, and religions.” We must commit ourselves to living as Jesus, our Teacher and Lord, did—he who excluded no one from his path. He recognized the presence of God in those who lived on the margins of society, even in those who did not belong to his own people.”.

Logo for the First West African Youth Day in Accra, the capital of Ghana, September 7–11, 2026 (Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Holy See).

“You are God’s gift, the Church’s gift”

At the outset, the Pope encourages them to move forward with hope. “In these times when so many crises seem to cast a shadow over the horizon, I want to encourage you to move forward without losing hope. I know how much doubt, uncertainty, and, at times, insecurity can weigh on your shoulders and disrupt your plans for the future.”.

However, the Holy Father adds, “You are not young people who are being sacrificed, as many might think. In the Church—the Family of God—you are God’s gift, the Church’s gift. As Pope Benedict XVI said: “You are rich in qualities, energy, dreams, and hopes—resources that you possess in abundance! Your youth is a great treasure not only for you, but also for others, for the Church, and for the world” (Message for the 25th World Youth Day, ”February 22, 2010).”.

“I’m counting on you, and I trust you.”

Pope Leo then assures the youth of West Africa: “Dear young people, I am counting on you and I trust you; the Church trusts you. Through your words and actions, send a powerful message to our world, torn apart by wars and conflicts of every kind.”.

Abandon “fictitious pleasures and superficiality”

“Be witnesses of love, justice, and peace,“ adds the Pontiff. ”Do not sacrifice your precious youth on the altar of illusory pleasures and superficiality. Indeed, “our deepest questions find neither a listening ear nor an answer in the endless scrolling through our cell phones, which captivate our attention but leave our minds weary and our hearts empty. They will not take us far if we keep them locked away within ourselves or within circles that are too narrow. The fulfillment of our authentic longings always requires going beyond ourselves” (Message for the 40th World Youth Day, ”October 7, 2025)”.

Pope Leo XIV upon his arrival at the university in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in April 2026 @CNS photo/Lola Gomez.

He entrusts the integral human development of nations to the Virgin Mary

In closing, Pope Leo XIV entrusts young people to the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, “with special thoughts for those in your countries who sometimes face complex crises.”.

“May she intercede with her Son, Jesus Christ,” the Pope prays, “for the integral human development of your beloved nations. Upon you, the clergy, and upon all who work with young people, I invoke an abundance of divine graces.”.

An initiative by the region's bishops

The initiative by this Conference, according to the Dicastery for Integral Human Development (DSDHI), “it stems from the desire of the region’s bishops to offer young Catholics a shared space for faith, fellowship, and formation.”.

The chosen theme, “Take heart” (Jn 16:33), serves as the central theme for the five-day event, which brings together numerous youth delegations from West Africa, along with bishops from the region, international guests, and official delegations.

Burkina Faso proposed the meeting

The idea for a gathering of Catholic youth from West Africa arose at the request of the young people themselves: Burkina Faso proposed the initiative as early as 2019, and the bishops gave their approval the following year, but the event had to be postponed due to the pandemic, explains the Dicastery

Fr. Vincent de Paul Boro, first deputy secretary of the CERAO, explained that the meeting It aims to be a “prophetic sign” for the region, capable of converting young people from 16 countries and from diverse cultures and languages, “as leaders of a renewed youth ministry and as witnesses to unity on a continent marked by tensions.”.

Representing the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DSDHI), Fr. Avelino Chico, S.J., is present in Accra to present a video message from the new Prefect, Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, F.M.A., and the Prefect Emeritus, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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What is the origin of the Angelus?

Born to the rhythm of medieval bells, the Angelus gradually took shape over the centuries until it became one of the most widely recited Marian prayers in the Church.

Teresa Aguado Peña-September 8, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

Every Sunday at noon, the Pope appears at the window of the Apostolic Palace to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square. It is a scene that has become one of the most recognizable images of the life of the Church. But where does this prayer come from, one that has marked the rhythm of Christians’ days for centuries? Its history begins in the Middle Ages, to the tolling of monastery and convent bells, and it gradually took shape until it became the prayer we know today.

The Angelus is a Catholic devotion that commemorates the Annunciation and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, particularly recalling the moment in the Gospel passage when the archangel Gabriel announces the Good News to Mary. Thus, its name comes from the first words with which the prayer begins in Latin, The Angel of the Lord announced to Mary («The angel of the Lord appeared to Mary.»).

Monastic origins and the glow of sunset

The earliest precedent can be found in the monastic communities of the Early Middle Ages, where bells were rung to signal the recitation of the second prayer, following Compline (part of the Liturgy of the Hours). In the 13th century, the custom of praying three Hail Marys at the ringing of the evening bell began to spread. The Franciscans played an important role in spreading this practice. Around the time of St. Bonaventure, the General Chapter of the order, held in 1269, recommended this prayer upon hearing the evening bell.

This devotion was linked to the mystery of the Incarnation, as the three Hail Marys served as a reminder of the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary. This evening practice gradually spread throughout Europe during the 13th and 14th centuries. Historical records confirm that by the first half of the 14th century, it was already a widespread custom.

From the afternoon to the morning and noon

It wasn't long before the practice came to include other times of the day. During the 14th century, the practice of ringing the bell in the morning, accompanied by three Hail Marys, also began to spread. One of the earliest references to this can be found in a chronicle from Parma dating from 1318. In this way, the prayer gradually took on the rhythm of marking the beginning and end of the day.

Noon was added later. In the 15th century, the ringing of bells at this hour began to spread throughout France, associated both with the commemoration of Christ’s Passion and with a plea for peace and protection. In 1456, faced with the threat of an Ottoman invasion, Pope Callixtus III issued a papal bull encouraging Christians to pray at noon as the bells rang, thus asking for peace and divine protection. The custom subsequently spread to various parts of Europe.

Thus, the three times of day—morning, noon, and evening—became associated with Marian prayer. However, the Angelus did not yet have the exact structure we know today.

The sentence takes on its current form

The final form was also the result of a gradual process. The earliest known document that records the structure of the Angelus as it is prayed today appears in a Venetian catechism from 1560, featuring the three biblical verses, their responses, the Hail Marys, and the closing prayer.

In 1571, Pope Saint Pius V incorporated the Angelus into the “Little Office of Our Lady” (a liturgical devotion to the Virgin Mary). Later, in 1724, Benedict XIII made a decisive contribution to its universal spread by granting indulgences to those who prayed it, through the publication of the document “Iniunctae nobis.”.

The practice continued to evolve. In 1742, Benedict XIV decreed that during the Easter season, the Angelus be replaced by the Regina coeli, while retaining the same traditional times of prayer. Finally, in 1815, Pope Pius VII added the recitation of three Gloria at the end of the Angelus in thanksgiving for the gifts that the Holy Trinity has bestowed upon the Virgin Mary. This latter practice is more common in Italy.

The Angelus Today

The Angelus was recited three times a day: in the morning, at noon, and in the afternoon. Today, the most widespread practice among the faithful is to recite it at noon.

As John Paul II said, this prayer «invites us to meditate on the mystery of the Incarnation, encouraging Christians to take Mary as a point of reference at various moments throughout their day, so that they may imitate her willingness to carry out God’s plan of salvation.».

St. Josemaría also followed this custom. Álvaro del Portillo recounted it in Interview with the Founder of Opus Dei: “After finishing reading the email, he prayed the Angelus at noon. It was an important moment in his day, because in addition to being a filial conversation with the Virgin Mary, it marked the time when his Eucharistic devotion shifted: until then, he had spent the morning giving thanks to God for the Mass he had celebrated; but after the Angelus, he began to prepare for the Mass he would celebrate the following day.».

Why do Christians pray the Angelus?

The Angelus leads Christians to the central moment of the Annunciation, when Mary receives the message from the Archangel Gabriel and responds with her «yes» to God’s plan of salvation. Through her obedience, the Son of God becomes incarnate and begins the work of Redemption.

Praying the Angelus is, therefore, a way to recall the mystery of the Incarnation and to unite ourselves to Mary’s «yes,» learning from her to accept God’s will with trust. It is also an opportunity to seek her intercession and to experience the communion of saints with so many Christians who offer this prayer every day.

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The Pope to seminarians: “The beauty of giving one’s life for Him and for the Church”

To the seminarians who are undergoing years of study and discipline as part of their formation for the priesthood, Leo XIV has reminded them that the key to their preparation for the priestly ministry is to focus on “their relationship with the One who called them.” The Pope sees in them “the beauty of giving one’s life for Him and for the Church.”.

OSV / Omnes-September 8, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

– Courtney Mares, OSV News

Pope Leo XIV has encouraged future priests to make the most of their years in the seminary by grounding every aspect of their formation in a deep personal relationship with God.

“The heart of the retreat experience lies in «learning to be with the Master, the Lord Jesus,”” the Pope said in a audience with Italian seminarians in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican.

“Every vocation arises from an intimate dialogue with God, nurtured in silence and prayer, which often takes place despite the sometimes deafening noise of the world,” said the Pope.

God “chose those whom he willed”

The Pope met with seminarians from two seminaries in southern Italy: the Pius XI Regional Seminary in Apulia and the Episcopal Seminary of Aversa in Campania.

“In a world so eager to celebrate self-fulfillment, it is truly important to reiterate that none of you—nor any of us—is here because we deserve it. But solely because of a free choice made by God the Father—a sign and a promise of a gratuitous love that always goes before us and never disappoints,” Pope Leo told the young people.

“There’s no competition, no ranking, and nowhere does it say that he chose the best: He chose whoever he wanted,” he added.

A necessity in a world that's always in a hurry

The Pope emphasized that the time devoted to the seminary today is most necessary never, “in a world that’s always in a hurry.”.

Precisely because we live in fast-paced and noisy times, “we need a space and a moment in life where we can learn to be present, to discern, and to allow ourselves to grow without taking shortcuts,” he said. “The seminary is not a postponement of the mission, but a prerequisite for it.”.

Hope for the entire Church, and the beauty of giving one's life for Him

“Dear seminarians, your very presence in the seminary is a sign of hope for the entire Church,” the Holy Father told them. “Not a vague optimism, but the certainty that the Lord always calls—in every era of history and in every place.”.

“As I look at each one of you, I behold the wonder of God, who never tires of whispering to the hearts of young people ”the beauty of giving one's life for Him and for the Church.".

Thanks for saying “yes,” and also to the families

Pope Leo XIV thanked the young people for their “yes” to God’s call and reiterated that their presence at the seminary is “a sign of hope for the entire Church.”.

The Holy Father also expressed his “most sincere gratitude to the families present here. A vocation never arises without a supportive environment, and it often requires a home and parents who pray and know how to let go. To you, dear families, I offer my gratitude and that of the entire Church.”.

Preparing to Be Sent Out

He encouraged the seminarians to remember that they are being prepared to be sent out to share the good news of life in Christ with the world: “To those families who can barely make ends meet, to young people in their twenties who are packing their bags to look for work, to the elderly who live alone, to the marginalized, and to those who have lost their sense of purpose.”.

“The priest is sent to all people to proclaim to everyone the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ, the good news of our salvation,” said the Successor of Peter.

———————

– Courtney Mares is the Vatican correspondent for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholiccourtney.

– This information was originally published in OSV News, and you can read it there here.

The authorOSV / Omnes

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Cinema

The Sacred Heart, a 17th-century devotion, on the big screen

Sabrina and Steven J. Gunnell are premiering a documentary on September 11, coinciding with the Jubilee of the apparitions in Paray-le-Monial.

Inmaculada Sancho-September 8, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated News5 ways to foster devotion to the Sacred Heart of JesusRelated NewsWith an Open Heart. How can we teach that God cares for us and loves us?

350 years ago, in Paray-le-Monial, Jesus revealed his heart to a nun of the Visitation, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. From those apparitions arose one of the most widespread devotions in the Catholic tradition. Sacred Heart, a documentary by the French production company Krea Film-Makers, takes that 17th-century episode as its starting point to explore whether this devotion still holds meaning today.

The project did not originate in a production office, but on a pilgrimage. In the summer of 2023, during a visit to Notre-Dame-du-Laus, Sabrina and Steven J. Gunnell encountered testimonies from people consecrated to the Heart of Jesus. “My heart was on fire there,” recalls Sabrina Gunnell.

Shortly afterward, they contacted the parish priest of Paray-le-Monial and discovered that the 350th-anniversary Jubilee of the apparitions was about to begin. For them, the coincidence carried its own significance: “We said to ourselves, ‘Okay… the Sacred Heart wants its movie,’” says Sabrina Gunnell.

Steven Gunnell sums up the underlying intention with a biblical reference: “We were thinking of the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus, who walk alongside a stranger and, after listening to him, say to one another, ‘Didn’t our hearts burn within us?’” That, he says, is the film’s aim: to allow every viewer to experience that same love, whether or not they initially share the faith of those speaking.

 “Many people thought that talking about the 17th-century apparitions was something distant or outdated. But we wanted to show precisely that this message is still relevant today,” Sabrina recalls.

A Devotion That Lives On

Between 1673 and 1675, Jesus appeared three times to Margaret Mary, a nun of the Order of the Visitation in Paray-le-Monial, Burgundy. According to tradition, he showed her a heart burning with love for humanity, wounded by people’s indifference. From these apparitions arose one of the most widespread devotions in the Christian tradition.

The documentary organizes this message into three parts, which emerge throughout the film without appearing to follow a set structure: a love that is shown unconditionally; the pain of a love that is often not reciprocated; and an invitation to respond to that love, not just to contemplate it. The film devotes a good portion of its runtime to the third aspect: showing, through personal testimonies, what that response means in the life of a specific person.

The Same Heart, Centuries Later

The documentary alternates between two perspectives. One is historical, featuring actors who reenact Margarita María’s apparitions in the 17th century, the initial misunderstanding she faced from those around her, and the process by which that personal experience became a public devotion. 

And another contemporary work, featuring some twenty testimonies from people with very different backgrounds—a priest, a nun, a missionary, and several young people—who speak about what that same wounded heart and that same love that does not impose itself mean today in their own lives.

Twenty voices, one heart

The transition between the 17th-century reenactments and the contemporary accounts is seamless: there are no jarring moments, nor does it feel as though you’re watching two different movies. The historical scenes—Margaret Mary, Jesus, the surroundings of Paray-le-Monial—are filmed with a dignity that is surprising for a documentary of this kind, without falling into the textbook-style reenactments that so often weigh down this type of production.

The testimonies work precisely because they are all different from one another. No two stories are the same, and that variety is what holds the documentary together. Not a single one is superfluous.

It’s true that, by touching on so many different aspects—historical, theological, and personal—the film leaves some doors ajar, without enough room to delve deeply into all of them. Even so, it never feels like it falls short: what it lacks in specific detail, it makes up for in intimacy, and it is that intimacy that stays with the viewer as they leave the theater.

Sacred Heart, produced by the French company Krea Film-Makers and distributed in Spain by Bosco Films—which is also responsible for Free (2023)—, hits theaters across Spain on September 11. Three hundred and fifty years after those apparitions in Burgundy, the question it raises remains the same: what does one do with a love that was never sought and yet never ceases to wait?.

The authorInmaculada Sancho

RelatedRelated News5 ways to foster devotion to the Sacred Heart of JesusRelated NewsWith an Open Heart. How can we teach that God cares for us and loves us?
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Evangelization

Alpha: A “Light” Form of Evangelization That Leads Thousands to the Faith

Alpha emphasizes starting with a warm welcome and personal interaction before presenting the doctrine, trusting in the work of the Holy Spirit to draw people closer to Christ.

Fernando Emilio Mignone-September 8, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

At a time when many parishes are seeking new ways to reach out to those who have drifted away from the faith, Alpha courses have become one of the most widespread evangelization initiatives in various countries. Its approach combines conversation, a warm welcome, and open reflection on the big questions of life and the Christian faith. 

With Anglican origins, Alpha has spread to numerous Christian denominations and today has a significant Catholic presence. In recent decades, dioceses, parishes, and Catholic movements in various countries have adopted this method as a tool for initial evangelization.

In Canada, one of its main promoters in the Catholic sphere is Ed Zadeiks, who for the past eight years has been promoting Alpha “in a Catholic context.” Zadeiks left a successful business career to devote himself full-time to this evangelization enterprise. It was his wife, Shawna, who introduced him to the courses. Both explain how an initiative born in the Anglican tradition has found its own place within the Catholic Church.

The Origin of Alpha

The Zadeiks explain that the Holy Spirit blows where he wills: in this case, in the soul of the Reverend Nicky Gumbel. Born in London in 1955, this son of a Jewish father and a Christian mother—neither of whom were practicing—converted from atheism to Anglicanism during his first year at Cambridge University. A lawyer, married to Pippa, and the father of three children, he was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1987. In 1990, he took over leadership of the Alpha courses. He repositioned these courses, which were already being offered at Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) church in London: he decided to offer them to the unchurched. Since it was so successful, he organized the first international conference at HTB in 1993… and a thousand Christian leaders attended. These international conferences have continued year after year. 

That is where Zadeiks has met Gumbel most often. He tells me that Gumbel “has great love and admiration for Catholics.” Zadeiks adds that Pope Francis sent a video message for the opening of the Leadership Conference on May 6, 2024. The video was presented at the opening session by the Gumbels. Francis said that Christian leaders must imitate Jesus—through a life of service, closeness to others, and showing the way to the Father. He encouraged the 5,000 delegates from 30 Christian denominations to be bearers of God’s tenderness and forgiveness. And he called on them to walk together with their eyes fixed on 2033, the two-thousandth anniversary of the Resurrection.

What is Alpha about?

Proclamation of the Christian truth, encounter with Jesus, community. Why not reverse the order of these three steps? This is the modus operandi of Gumbel and Alpha: 1. personal encounter with others, 2. personal encounter with Christ, 3. doctrine. This inverse order has yielded miraculous results.

It’s a simple recipe for success: a series of structured sessions to learn about the Christian faith, and an opportunity to explore the meaning of life. The courses are held in churches, homes, prisons, universities, offices, factories, coffee shops—anywhere. 

The courses themselves are typically held once a week over ten weeks, plus on a weekend. Each session begins with a meal, followed by a talk or video and small-group discussions.

The talks cover basic Christian beliefs: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How can we believe? Why and how do I pray? Why and how do I read the Bible? How does God guide us? The Holy Spirit (very important in the Alpha course). How can I resist evil? Why and how should I share this with others? Does God heal today? The Church. 

In the One, we are one. Alpha's Ecumenism .

Gumbel says he loves Catholics and all Christians, who, he says, belong “to a Church of 2.4 billion souls.” Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Archbishop Emeritus of Vienna, praises the Alpha courses. Many bishops around the world support Alpha.

The first Alpha course was held in 1977 (at HTB). In 1990, Nicky Gumbel took over, gave the program a major boost, and oversaw the revision of the course. The courses grew rapidly in Great Britain during the 1990s. Today, they are taught in about 100 countries and in 110 languages, and more than 25 million people have taken them. Participants come from non-Catholic Christian and Catholic (25% of the total) backgrounds, with some variations in the course material. For this article, I asked three Canadian Catholic priests for their opinions on the course. One praised it, another had a positive experience, and the third preferred to draw inspiration from the method to create his own courses with more doctrinal content.

Beyond the numbers, some priests believe that Alpha’s true impact is seen in the renewal of their parishes. This is the case for Father Michael Leclerc, pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola in Montreal, where Alpha courses have been offered for nine years.

By putting those courses into practice with their four Rs—something real, relatable (that one can identify with), radical hospitality, and reliance on the Holy Spirit—Leclerc transformed his parish. It is predominantly young non-practicing Catholics and even non-believers who are drawn to it. The average age of parishioners has dropped to 40. And while there used to be 30 parish volunteers, there are now between 150 and 200. They will add a Sunday Mass starting in September. Leclerc puts these courses into practice alongside the Parish Renewal program created by another Canadian priest, Father James Mallon of Halifax, author of *A Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance Parish to a Missionary Parish« and founder of the Divine Renovation Ministry, which operates in English- and German-speaking countries.

The Spanish Alpha website states: “Alpha is a fun dinner, a great talk, and an open discussion. No pressure, free, and appealing.” See Spain: cursoalpha.es. For the Spanish-speaking Americas, see pruebaalpha.org (and a short video by Fr. Sebastián Achcar: pruebaalpha.org/historias-alpha), and alphausa.org/alpha-in-spanish.

The authorFernando Emilio Mignone

Montreal / Toronto

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But with her

"We think it's reasonable to move to another city for a promotion, but reckless to do so for the sake of a loved one. We admire those who sacrifice ten years for their careers, and we look upon those who give up an opportunity to support their families with a certain amount of pity.".

September 7, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsFriends, not projectsRelated NewsBetween Protection and Freedom: The Gaze That Challenges ParentsRelated NewsThe Favor I Didn't Want to Do

A few days ago, at a dinner party, the conversation turned to the future. A young man mentioned that his girlfriend was studying for a civil service exam and that her future might take her far away. Someone asked him what he would do.

—Once her situation is clear, wherever she goes, I'll go too. I'll figure things out on my own, but I'll do it with her.

He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Then more dishes arrived, the conversation shifted, and the remark was left behind. I, however, couldn't just let it go.

Those words contained a decision capable of changing a career and a city. He didn't know where he would work, but he had accepted that the future of the person he loved would truly become part of his own.

«I’ll make a life for myself.» She didn’t expect her to sort things out for her. Nor was she giving up on her calling or going to live in anyone’s shadow. There was a sense of initiative and responsibility in that statement. She would start over if necessary. She would find her place.

«But with her.» That was the crucial point. Her project still existed, only it was no longer written solely in the singular.

We live surrounded by messages that portray lasting relationships as a loss. We’re told to travel, try new things, grow, find fulfillment, and, above all, «live life to the fullest.» Later on, once you’ve made the most of your youth and sorted out your aspirations, you can consider getting married or having children—as long as they don’t throw your plans too far off course.

Every time I hear that phrase, «First I have to live,» I wonder what it means. Those of us who’ve reached our early forties, married and with four children—are we dead, then? Have we failed to make the most of life? Are our children proof that we gave up too soon?

My daughters have robbed me of sleep, money, comfort, spontaneity, and some opportunities. Love doesn’t make the sacrifice any less painful. But they haven’t cut me off from life. They’ve drawn me into it as deeply as possible. They’ve forced me to step outside of myself, given me a story I couldn’t have built on my own, and expanded what I used to call my future.

Perhaps the misconception lies in equating living with always being able to do whatever one wants. As if a life were more valuable the less it owed to anyone, the fewer plans one had to change, and the more options one kept open. According to that logic, marriage limits one, children hold one back, and fidelity confines one. A fulfilling life would be one without too many ties: available, reversible, and permanently one’s own.

But a freedom that never chooses—out of fear of losing some option—ends up not knowing why it wanted to be free in the first place. Making a commitment isn’t about giving up the ability to choose, but about carrying a choice through to its consequences. And therein lies the decisive difference between an imposed renunciation and a voluntary surrender: where it comes from and from what kind of freedom. That young man wasn’t being held captive by another person; he had decided that she would have a real—and not merely decorative—place among his priorities.

St. Josemaría put it this way: «Nothing is more false than setting freedom against self-giving, because self-giving is a consequence of freedom» (Friends of God, 30).

It’s curious: we think it’s reasonable to move to another city for a promotion, but reckless to do so for the one we love. We admire those who sacrifice ten years for a career, yet we look upon those who give up an opportunity to support their family with a certain degree of pity. We’ve accepted that work dictates our lives; what unsettles us is when love does.

It’s not about imposing the same timeline on everyone or measuring a life by marriage or the number of children. There are unfulfilled desires, painful circumstances, and different paths. It’s about challenging a more subtle lie: that true love means living a shorter life; that all mutual dependence is slavery; that only those who have never given their word to anyone truly belong to themselves.

Commitment does not take away freedom—it gives it direction. Sacrifice is not always the denial of happiness; often it is the price of happiness, because almost everything worth keeping requires leaving something behind. Starting a family does not mean putting your own life on hold to care for others. It means discovering that life can be greater when we stop measuring it solely by ourselves.

That young man didn't talk about any of this. He simply said that, once her situation was clear, he would go wherever she went and make a life for himself there. He didn't say «because of her.» He didn't portray himself as a victim. He had chosen this himself.

Perhaps that is why the phrase was so powerful. In an era that advises us to live first and commit later, he seemed to have understood that commitment doesn’t begin once we’ve finished living. It’s a way of life. One of the most demanding, but also one of the ones that can set us free the most, because it frees us from the prison of always having to choose ourselves.

She didn't know how she would make a living, but she did know who she wanted to spend her life with. She hadn't stopped making choices. She was deciding what she wanted her future to be.

The authorAntonio Ruiz Valverde

RelatedRelated NewsFriends, not projectsRelated NewsBetween Protection and Freedom: The Gaze That Challenges ParentsRelated NewsThe Favor I Didn't Want to Do
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Family

Why is the future of society decided around the kitchen table?

With this article, we are launching a series dedicated to the  Reflections on the home and its importance in today's society, in collaboration with Home Renaissance Foundation, an international think tank focused on the home and the family.

Sir Bryan K. Sanderson, CBE-September 7, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

The first time I realized just how fundamentally important the home is for children, for families in general, and, by extension, for societies as a whole, was 60 years ago in Ica, a small coastal city in Peru located south of Chiclayo, where Pope Leo XIV would later spend many years. 

A recent graduate of the London School of Economics, I decided to spend 18 months in a UN partnership program to help establish a new university in what was then an impoverished area of the country. 

Life Lessons in Ica

Part of the agreement was that I would live in a shantytown with the local indigenous community; I had a small, spartan cabin with water and electricity only for a few hours a day. 

There were numerous similar huts that, unlike mine, were crammed with children. It was common to have one child a year, but the lack of medical facilities, family planning, and poor hygiene led to a very high infant mortality rate—nearly 50 % of children died before the age of 5.

Despite all these hardships, there was enough to eat (rice, beans, and papayas almost every day), and I was welcomed into a close-knit community; I even played soccer on the local team; everything revolved around home and family. 

I came to appreciate the importance not only of the immediate family, but also of the broader, intergenerational family that they all practiced. No child felt excluded or rejected, and older people continued to be part of the family—something that, unfortunately, is not the case in many of our societies today. 

The Balance Between Success and Family

Life went on, and I enjoyed a career that took me to the top of a major oil company. I also married a Swedish woman 59 years ago, and we have two children and five grandchildren. 

Visiting and living in many parts of the world—such as Italy, Singapore, Switzerland, and Scandinavia—contributed to my personal growth. 

It wasn't easy to balance family life with the demands of a highly competitive career at a time when the importance of work-life balance was not yet recognized, but my wife and I always put our family life first because it was the cornerstone of our lives, providing us with security and happiness. 

And that is precisely why it exists Home Renaissance Foundation For the past 20 years, we have been working to persuade governments and international organizations to do everything in their power to facilitate this. I wish we weren't needed.  

New Housing Challenges

At Home Renaissance We seek to explore and address the impact of the home on personal development and the challenges of family life that we all face. 

For example, the constant challenge of ensuring that different generations live together in harmony—especially now, in societies where an aging population places an ever-increasing strain on housing and healthcare resources. 

Young people are becoming independent later in many developed countries because the cost of housing is prohibitive, but there is still a reluctance to design housing that is flexible enough to meet the needs of different age groups. 

We could learn from Malaysia, for example, where families traditionally live close to one another in separate units and move to different accommodations depending on the needs of their growing families; Grandparents often help care for children whose parents work, as families struggle to meet the growing demands and expectations of modern life. 

We need to find new ways to use today's technology to recreate the sense of community and security that were common to many people in the recent past. 

The Impact of the Digital Divide

Another growing and rapidly evolving challenge is finding ways to adapt to the new and changing pressures of social media and young people’s vulnerability to its ubiquity. 

We are so far removed from the simple, orderly, and stratified society of the mining village in northeastern England where I began my life in the postwar years that it now seems like ancient history. For people of my generation, this is often frightening because technology has advanced so rapidly that there are no longer any experiences to pass on to our children. One of the tasks of Home Renaissance Foundation, with the help of academics and experts, is to provide guidance on how households can adapt to meet these challenges. 

It is not an easy task and requires constant attention to keep up with the ever-faster pace of technological change.

Without a doubt, living standards have improved substantially in most parts of the world, with the possible exception of sub-Saharan Africa; malnutrition in China and India, for example, has been virtually eradicated; and women’s rights have been recognized in many of our societies. 

Now we must learn to use these improvements to benefit households around the world—and, in particular, the children who live in them. It is a huge undertaking, but one that is immensely important for Home Renaissance Foundation.

The authorSir Bryan K. Sanderson, CBE

President of the Home Renaissance Foundation and former CEO of British Petroleum.

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Experiences

Catholic educators describe the use of AI and agree: there is a lack of preparation

Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom: What Role Does It Play in the New School Year? Catholic educators have shared how they use AI and how they address its challenges. “We always focus on the human person,” and “we are ill-prepared,” they acknowledge.

OSV / Omnes-September 7, 2026-Reading time: 6 minutes

It automatically corrects your emails. It lets Siri and Alexa answer your questions or respond to your commands. It recommends what to watch next on your streaming service. It helps you find your way with navigation apps. It can generate images, videos, term papers, and even novels.

It's AI (Artificial Intelligence), and its rapid rise as part of everyday life also extends to the field of Catholic education.

So, as the new school year begins, OSV News spoke with educators and thought leaders who discussed how AI works—or doesn't work—in Catholic classrooms.

 What is human development like in a world shaped by AI?

“A few years ago, most conversations revolved around academic cheating, institutional policies, and whether students should be allowed to use AI tools,” Meaghan Crowley-Sullivan tells OSV News. She is a curriculum and professional learning developer at the Institute for Innovation in Digital Education and Leadership at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, known as iDEAL.

“Those questions haven’t gone away; they’ve matured,” he explained. “We’re seeing more schools asking themselves: What does good teaching look like in this new digital age? What do students need to learn? What should we protect—not only in our teaching, but also in the way we approach teaching? And, ultimately, what does human education look like in an AI-shaped world?”.

Benefits and Assistance for Parents

Crowley-Sullivan stated that there has also been an increased emphasis on inclusion, while at the same time it has become clear that parents could benefit from support from schools.

“They’re helping parents understand what these technologies are and what their children are encountering,” Crowley-Sullivan added. “And how they can set healthy boundaries and have more meaningful conversations about AI at home.”.

Teachers need to be trained in the use of AI

It's not just students and parents who need guidance. “When we teach teachers how to use this and how to incorporate it into their classrooms, we rely heavily on that conversation about ‘the human element in the loop,’” said Shannon Tabaldo, director of iDEAL.

“Human-centered AI is just a tool: it’s there to give you additional resources and capabilities that you’ve never had before,” he continued. “But you’re still the expert. We always focus on the human person in Catholic schools. We always ask ourselves, ”What are we really trying to do with this tool?’”.

First-graders Connor Nguyen and Jasper Zhao participate in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) program at Assumption of the Virgin Mary School in Pasadena, California, on January 15, 2025. (Photo by OSV News/Bob Roller).

AI: An Opportunity for Personalized Learning

Crowley-Sullivan and Tabaldo—who are also mothers—have seen AI being used more and more for personalized learning.

Students can critique an AI-generated piece of work or image, or ask it to transform their attempts at poetry into perfect iambic pentameter; the AI can easily generate materials tailored to a specific course level and reading level or simulate a «conversation» with a historical figure; teachers can use it to assess students’ learning patterns and personalize instruction in small groups and other teaching formats.

“The Catholic approach is not about being afraid of technology or refusing to innovate,» Crowley-Sullivan emphasized. «It’s really about discernment—recognizing the possibilities and asking ourselves if we can use this in ways that promote our values.”.

We are ill-prepared

Crowley-Sullivan more than reflects Pope Leo XIV’s view on the role of AI in education, as recently expressed in his landmark encyclical ‘Magnificent Humanity: ’On the Protection of the Human Person in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”.

“Rapid technological changes reveal how ill-prepared we are in terms of education. Educating people about the use of AI, then, means teaching them to decide when and for what purpose it should not be used,» wrote the Pontiff. «The speed and ease with which answers or summaries can be obtained risk extinguishing the desire to ask questions.”.

“Schools are not called to keep pace with the digital world,» the Pope advised, “but to offer what the digital realm alone cannot provide—namely, shared time to learn and build trusting relationships.”.

A Catholic framework is needed to address new technologies

In response to these concerns, Crowley-Sullivan developed the “Catholic Companion Framework for Technology and Innovation” to help educators, leaders, and families navigate emerging technologies. 

Used by dioceses across the country and downloaded worldwide, it will soon be introduced in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia—just outside Washington—to help integrate AI into its 51 schools, serving nearly 13,000 students.

Leslie Lipovski — assistant superintendent for student learning and teaching excellence in the diocese — told OSV News that the diocese formed a working group to help develop a policy on AI.

“From kindergarten through eighth grade, we only talk about AI literacy; students don’t log in to ChatGPT or use it,” Lipovski said. “But even preschoolers are familiar with AI. So we ask ourselves, what is AI? How can it be used—for good or for ill?”.

Some teachers say, “Let’s go back to pen and paper.” Others embrace it.

In middle school, Lipovski added, teachers are «very careful about how they use it. ‘I have some teachers who say, ’Let’s go back to pen and paper—that’s how we’re writing essays right now.» But we also have teachers who are embracing it and showing the kids how to use it responsibly.”.

The Diocese of Arlington uses PowerSchool, a cloud-based student information system that manages data, grades, attendance, and communication among educators, students, and families, as well as LUMA, a smart classroom assistant developed by edtech expert Michael Hargadon, which supports both teachers and students.

Awareness of AI has evolved

According to Lily Abadal, a partner at the Catholic school consulting firm Partners in Mission, a professor at the University of South Florida, and a research associate on a project at the University of Notre Dame called DELTA (Human Formation in the Age of AI), awareness of artificial intelligence has been evolving. 

“During the first couple of years after ChatGPT’s launch, many people thought it might just be a fad,” Abadal said. 

“Nor were they necessarily aware of how it actually worked, or to what extent students had access to it, or what kinds of things they were able to produce with it.”.

“There are places where the quickest and easiest option isn’t good or educational.”

“Obviously, it’s something that can make things go faster and more smoothly,” Abadal continued. “But there are situations where the fastest and easiest option isn’t good—nor is it educational in terms of how it shapes students.”. 

“We learn that things are often not easy, and we must be able to face the challenges head-on in order to instill the Catholic virtues we want students to develop throughout their time in Catholic education.”.

“One of the best gifts we can give students when it comes to interacting with AI,” concluded consultant Abadal, “is to show them where the technology fits into their lives—and where it doesn’t.”. 

We're talking about reflective material

Stephen Eschenfelder, director of university ministry at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School in Spring Hill, Florida, in the Diocese of St. Petersburg, plans to invite Abadal to speak at an upcoming conference on artificial intelligence.

And, as a former seminarian with a degree in moral philosophy who teaches classes on leadership and the sacraments, he has very specific ideas about the use of artificial intelligence in education.

“There has to be a limit to AI, and I believe that turning to God in prayer has to be that limit,” he emphasized. “I can’t use this as a means to have a life of prayer and to connect with God. In our theology classes, when we have reflection assignments, many students use AI. So we have to change things and the way we assign homework, because it’s reflective material. Part of it involves gathering data, but a large part focuses on: ”What do you think about this? How do you feel about that?’”.

The professional lives of today's students may be affected

Eschenfelder is also concerned about the potential “huge iceberg of change” on the horizon for his students« careers, noting that »their jobs could change significantly due to artificial intelligence in a few years.”.

One student even shyly revealed to Eschenfelder that his slide presentation had been generated by AI.

«They deprived themselves of the ability to learn anything,» said Eschenfelder, who also noticed that the students were surprised that he wrote a novel on his own rather than simply asking the AI to write it. «I couldn’t understand that,» he added, with a touch of exasperation.

AI is here to stay. “Our goal: to preserve that humanity”

“We’ll have to adapt our schools, teaching, and learning. It’s going to be completely different,” Lipovski suggested. “Our goal as Catholic schools is to preserve that humanity, because the teacher is the most important element; teachers are needed to guide students on when it’s appropriate to use AI and when it isn’t.”.

«They need that humanity,» he concluded. «We can’t just hand this over to machines.».

———————

– Kimberley Heatherington is a correspondent for OSV News. She writes from Virginia.

– This article was originally published in OSV News, and you can read it here.

The authorOSV / Omnes

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The Vatican

The Pope Encourages People to “Come to an Agreement” as a Way of Loving, and Speaks Out for Ukraine

In addition to fraternal correction, there is another fraternal way to love, and that is “reaching an agreement,” Pope Leo XIV noted during this Sunday’s Angelus. He also called for a halt to and an end to the violence in Ukraine.

Francisco Otamendi-September 6, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes

During the Angelus this Sunday, September 6, the Holy Father Leo XIV issued a new appeal in St. Peter’s Square to put an end to the violence and destruction in Ukraine and to open hearts to dialogue and peace.

Furthermore, while commenting on the Sunday liturgical readings, he recalled what St. Paul says in the Letter to the Romans: that all the commandments “are summed up in this one: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Rom 13:9). 

St. Paul emphasizes this point with a very powerful image, one that also appears in the “Our Father.” He writes: “Let your only debt to others be that of mutual love,” the Pope noted.

The Debt of Mutual Love

Jesus has taught us to ask for and practice the forgiveness of debts. However, there is a debt we owe one another, without becoming trapped by it: it is the debt of mutual love, the Pontiff emphasized in his meditation on the Angelus.

And Jesus suggests to every Christian community “at least two ways to practice mutual love. The first is to be able to offer fraternal correction. It is a delicate and often-forgotten art that requires frankness and a gradual approach.”. 

Speaking honestly with one another—first one-on-one; then, if necessary, among two or three people; and finally, when needed, with the entire community—means facing reality and transforming problems and conflicts into opportunities for growth. Complaining and gossip are easier, but they accomplish nothing and paralyze many situations. The Gospel, however, teaches us freedom through charity—that has been the papal message on this point.

Reaching an agreement, not just when there's a conflict 

Furthermore, “there is a second way to love one another as brothers and sisters, which for Jesus even transforms prayer: coming to an agreement. Not only when there is a conflict, but also when asking God for any gift,” said the Successor of Peter.

The Lord says: “If two of you on earth agree to ask for anything, my Father in heaven will grant it to you» (Mt 18:19). This promise suggests that we can share common desires, common sorrows, and common hopes, and, through prayer, grow in unity.”

“Without faith, anyone could feel lonely and distrust others, seeing them as strangers and enemies,” Leo XIV continued. "However, by grace, we are brothers and sisters who can come to an understanding: meeting one another, forgiving one another, and listening to one another in the Lord.".

“Let us ask Mary,” the Pope urged before the Marian prayer of the Angelus, “who, after the angel’s announcement, hurried to meet her cousin Elizabeth to share in the joy and the weariness of pregnancy, to teach us, too, the joyful debt of brotherly love".

Solidarity with the Ukrainian people

The Pope then opened his sorrowful heart to express his solidarity with Ukraine.

“It is with great sadness that I have been following the news about the violent attacks that have recently struck several cities and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of innocent people. My heart goes out to the people who have been living in anguish and fear for years.”.

“I make a new appeal to put an end to the violence, halt the destruction, and open hearts to dialogue and peace,” he implored. “I hope that the efforts made in recent days to resume negotiations will bear concrete fruit and open the door to diplomacy.”.

"Let us lift up our prayers to the Lord, that harmony may prevail in all the world's conflicts," said Leo XIV.

Return to Normal Activities

In closing, the Pope asked that, as we return to our regular activities after the holidays, we ask the Lord to accompany us and sustain us with His light.

It may be recalled that in late August, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov, identified some common ground on international issues and agreed on the importance of continuing the dialogue between the Russian Federation and the Holy See.

Secretary Gallagher he said then: “This war must end.”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Books

The 500th Anniversary of Philip II, «the Prudent»

The story of Philip II, the monarch who viewed power as a service to the common good and the Church—a far cry from the image of cruelty and fanaticism perpetuated by the “Black Legend.”.

José Carlos Martín de la Hoz-September 6, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

On May 27, 2027, we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential monarchs in Spanish history. We all remember the famous saying that “the sun never set on his vast territories,” for during his reign there was a time when the crowns of Castile and Portugal were united, and as a result, these two immense empires encompassed a large part of the known world.

In any case, from the very beginning of his immense power and dominion, Philip II always kept in mind a statement by Francisco de Vitoria, founder of the School of Salamanca and of international law, who consistently reminded him, both verbally and in writing, that it was fitting for the entire spiritual realm of the world to be governed by the Roman Pontiff, for it was important that we be one people under one Shepherd: Jesus Christ, universal King of heaven and earth.

The Limits of Universal Power

Likewise, he wrote in his *Relecciones* on “Political Power and Its Limits” that, due to original sin—and, specifically, selfishness and envy—it was not appropriate for there to be a single universal empire that materially governed the globe. As we have indeed seen since his time—and even after the fall of the Berlin Wall—the seemingly global world is divided into large blocs that vie for development and progress in science, technology, and the subsequent advancement of anthropology.

Certainly, there is no single monarch who, through his laws and instruments of government, unifies laws and directives to establish a single political authority. Instead, we have realized Vitoria’s dream that the dignity of the human person would be the foundation of an international law that is far superior to the law of nations of his time and that, at the same time, respected local and provincial autonomy—where people can live in trust and according to their traditions—this provides closeness and security to the weakest and genuine charity among equals.

Philip II, a King in the Service of God

The fact is that this coming year we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of Philip II, the quintessential Catholic king who was attacked by everyone and everything because he never hesitated to affirm that he wanted to be a good son of God and of the Church.

In fact, he lived out to the letter what Alfonso X the Wise had already established as “the kings of the kingdom”: the first section, first title, and first law stated that the monarch’s purpose was for his subjects to go to heaven. Therefore, Philip II placed the interests of the Church above his own.

Governing for the Common Good

Likewise, he sought out the best, most intellectually gifted, wisest, and most prudent individuals for the highest positions in the state judiciary, even though many of them were clergymen, bishops, or cardinals. For example, he did not hesitate to propose to the Holy Father a statesman to serve as viceroy of New Spain and, at the same time, as archbishop of Mexico’s first American diocese.

Certainly, it was not clericalism but rather a pursuit of integrity, dedication to the citizens, and the common good. A letter from Philip II to Diego de Covarrubias—whom he had just appointed president of the Council of Castile, president of the Council of State, and who was also the bishop of Segovia—is illustrative of this. In that letter, he spoke to him from the heart. First, he asked him to devote all his efforts to carrying out the construction of the hospitals that had been decided upon by the Council of State and to release the necessary funds to implement the plan without delay.

Second, he urged him to be cautious with one of the high-ranking officials of the Council of State, noting: “He tends to take on more work than he can handle.” This detail is interesting because it speaks to a king who stays on top of matters to ensure they are carried out and who knows how to ask his trusted men for what they can give—and no more. In reality, that vast empire could only be sustained thanks to a generation of men who had been well-trained at the colleges—especially in Salamanca—and who knew how to take the reins of the state and guide the government of the viceroys and the General Cortes in every part of the empire.

The "Black Legend" Against the Catholic King

We cannot fail to mention the “Black Legend” about Philip II, which was actually intended to attack the Church, since he was certainly the most important Catholic monarch of his time and his territories remained loyal to the Catholic Church, while elsewhere the slogan “cuius regio, eius religio”, which means that attacking the Church was tantamount to attacking Philip II. 

Likewise, we must remember that Philip II distinguished all too well between the Catholic Church—governed by the Holy Father and guided by the Holy Spirit—and the pope as a temporal lord and ruler of the vast Papal States, a situation that led to such bizarre alliances as the union of France and the Turks against Philip II to attack the Vatican States.

A New Perspective on Philip II

Certainly, younger generations have already come to know Philip II much better than we have, through the works of great American and European modernist historians such as, for example, Kamen, Parker, etc., who have developed new interpretations of the sources and shed light on many little-known facets, such as his paternal tenderness toward his daughters, the careful education he provided them, his concern for carrying out the Holy Father’s wishes in preparing for the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks, while at the same time defending, through the Roman agent of petitions, the rights of the Spanish crown regarding royalties

Certainly, the false image of a monarch as the “hammer of heretics” and the “light of Trent” has changed, that is to say, the false image of a stern king—always dressed in mourning, cruel and pompous (as reflected on the cover of this work we are now presenting), clerical, and more Catholic than the Pope—has been dispelled. 

We will conclude by recommending Manuel Rivero Rodríguez’s recent book on Philip II as a way to prepare for this centennial, and we hope it will be as fruitful as the centennial of his death.

Philip II

Author: Manuel Rivero Rodríguez
Editorial: Alianza editorial
Pages: 347
Year of publication: 2026, Madrid
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TribuneLucas Buch

The Divine Calling and Freedom

The apparent contradiction between God’s plan and human freedom is resolved when we understand that a vocation is not an external imposition, but rather a life plan that is freely discovered and embraced through an intimate relationship of love and personal friendship with Him.

September 6, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

I recently came across a quote by John Paul II that caught my attention once again: “In one’s vocation, both God’s unconditional love and the exaltation of human freedom shine forth.”. How is it possible to reconcile the existence of a divine plan (vocation) with human freedom—the exaltation of freedom!—?

One line of thought, which has gained traction in recent years, asserts that God’s will consists in having created human beings free. God loves you and wants you to be free: your vocation is summed up in the way you choose to respond freely to God’s love. In this process, the only determining factor is that which stems from each person’s individual talents and circumstances—something that is, ultimately, contingent. Beyond that, it is generous creativity that shapes one’s calling. 

This perspective is encouraging and helps us realize the full potential of our freedom, but it also presents some challenges. I became aware of this while reading the book In Your Hands, Father, by the Belgian Carmelite Wilfrid Stinissen. The book follows three steps: “Accepting God’s Will,” “Obeying God’s Will,” and “Being an Instrument of God.” In the second step, the author explores the idea that “God’s will is not written anywhere in heaven. Since God has given us free will, He also wants us to use it. As long as we do not expressly violate God’s manifest will and the laws of the Church, we can decide for ourselves what we want to do.”.

That was how a philosophy professor explained God’s plan for each of us. Years later, the same author asked “to a good friend whether God wanted something at every moment, even in the smallest things. The answer was immediate: ‘Of course—otherwise, obedience would be meaningless.’”. It sounds strong, but it’s easy to understand: if there is no specific will, it’s not possible to speak of obedience. And, in fact, if God had not had a will for Mary, she would hardly have decided to become the Mother of the Messiah (much less would she have achieved it through her own generosity alone…). Jesus, too, was clear about what the Father was asking of him at every moment—and doing so was his sustenance. 

If God has a specific plan, does freedom boil down to saying "yes" to what God determines? The 2018 Synod of Bishops, dedicated to young people and vocation, highlighted the need to reflect on that relationship while avoiding any determinism and everything extrinsicism: “A calling is neither a prewritten script that a person should simply recite nor a theatrical improvisation without a outline”. 

What Stinissen helps us understand is that it is possible to walk the path of God’s will—a very specific will—from a place of profound freedom. This is how the saints of every age have experienced it. Perhaps this is the decisive point: for those who still see themselves as individuals distinct from God, it is impossible that his will not be seen as an imposition, however slight it may be. He can be encouraged to trust in God, who created him free; and he can be helped to see that the divine will is nothing other than his own happiness, and that God created him free to put that radical capacity into play… But none of that is enough to convince someone if they see God as a stranger. 

The divine call can only be understood and lived with complete freedom through a personal relationship with God. His will can be a path to freedom, to the extent that one’s own life is conceived within communion with Him. In this way, love put into practice illuminates reality: Love is knowledge itself, according to the well-known saying of St. Gregory the Great, love itself is knowledge. Love lived out allows us to understand our vocation in a way that was previously incomprehensible. Richard of Saint Victor put it this way: Where there is love, there is sight -“Where there is love,” one might translate it—the ability to see what was once hidden is revealed. 

Thus, those who are united to God through love experience their calling as an invitation to complete freedom. On the other hand, those who do not live that love are unable to understand it. In short, the phenomenon of vocation can only be fully understood through union with God, in union with Him. 

If this is the case, rather than trying to explain the phenomenon of vocation through the relationship between obedience and freedom, we should approach it through the concept of communion and calling. Leo XIV recently touched on this when answering questions from little Renzo in Barcelona: “More important than asking yourself whether you will be a priest, a doctor, a teacher, a parent, or anything else, is asking yourself if you want to be a friend of Jesus. Because friendship with Jesus brings us joy, sets us free, and helps us see, step by step, the vocation and the path that God has planned for each of us.””. For those who are friends with someone, the idea of sharing a project with that person is not an external demand, but something as natural as life itself. For those who live in friendship with Christ, his proposals are more their own than their own desires. And in responding to that call, they will put their entire freedom on the line—a freedom that is both obedient and creative.

The authorLucas Buch

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Evangelization

9 Quotes from Saint Teresa of Calcutta to the World

On September 5, the Church celebrates Saint Teresa of Calcutta, whom so many called Mother Teresa and who was so deeply loved. Here are nine messages she left us during her time on earth, along with a story at the end that explains her early years in India.

Francisco Otamendi-September 5, 2026-Reading time: 5 minutes

Who hasn't met—or has a relative or friend—who has spent a few weeks or a year in India with the Missionaries of Charity, lending a hand with the demanding work carried out by the spiritual daughters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta?

“Today the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Teresa of Calcutta, a nun of Albanian origin who, through her ”yes’ to the Lord’s plans, was able to bring God’s love to the poorest of the poor in more than 130 countries—that is, to every corner of the globe. What is impossible for man is possible for God,”, wrote Last year on Omnes, on this very date, Fernando Gutiérrez, a lay missionary and founder of Mary’s Children Mission.

And she added: “During the fifteen months I lived in Calcutta, there was one thing that really caught my attention. The place where this great work of charity—which God brought about through Mother Teresa—began in the humble neighborhood of Motijheel remains today a predominantly Muslim area where there is still, moreover, a great deal of poverty, both material and spiritual. And I would often think to myself as I walked through its streets: If I had grown up in Kolkata with a saint so close to me, I would have converted long ago, and my faith would already be nearly the size of that mustard seed.”.

Mother Teresa's charisma: dedication with heart and soul

The Missionaries of Charity have posted on their website charisma from its founder, which they have also summarized in a somewhat colloquial way as follows:

“The goal of the Missionaries of Charity is to devote themselves body and soul, and exclusively, to the material and spiritual well-being of all the destitute, the defenseless poor, abandoned children, the helpless sick, lepers, and beggars in need; in short, all those unfortunate people who, whether through their own negligence or a lack of public concern, are forced to wander through life without help or hope.”.

Some of his messages

Here are some of the saint’s messages—necessarily abridged—that may be suitable for meditation before the Lord on this day. In summary, the saint said this:

“The fruit of silence is prayer. The fruit of prayer is faith. The fruit of faith is love. The fruit of love is service. The fruit of service is peace.”.

“Religion is a work of love; it should not divide us or destroy peace and unity.”

1.- Religion should be an act of love. Therefore, it should not divide us or destroy peace and unity. Let us use religion to help us become one heart filled with love in the heart of God. By loving one another, we will fulfill the purpose of our creation: to love and be loved.”.

2.- “We are all capable of doing good and evil. We are not born evil. We all have something good inside us. Some hide it, others neglect it, but it is there. God created us to love and be loved… we are all His children, whether we are Hindus, Muslims, or Christians.”.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta @OSV.

“We are children of God, created to love and be loved”

3.- “We are all children of God, and we have been created for great things: to love and be loved. God loves each of us with an eternal love; we are precious to Him. Therefore, nothing should separate us. Religion is a gift from God, and its purpose is to help us become one heart filled with love. God is our Father, and we are all His children; we are all brothers and sisters. Let there be no distinction based on race, color, or creed.”.

4.- “We have been sent to unite all people under one Spirit, regardless of their nation, race, or culture. Under what spirit? The spirit of love! We have been sent to unite everyone under the spirit of love: to unite all people of different religions—Hindus, Muslims, and people of different castes, colors, or cultures. We have been called to bear witness to the reality of the brotherhood of all peoples, in which the fulfillment of the law is love.».

“Let’s not use religion to divide us”

5.- Let’s not use religion to divide us. In all the holy books, we see how God calls us to love. Everything we do for one another, we do for Him, because God is our Father. Religion is a work of love, not something meant to destroy peace and unity.

6.- “Some call Him Ishwar, others Allah, and still others simply God, but we must all recognize that He created us for great things: to love and be loved. What matters is that we love. We cannot love without prayer, so, whatever our religion may be, we must pray…”

“Our work is not aimed at conversion, but at bringing people closer to God through our acts of charity.”

7.- “Our work in India and elsewhere is not aimed at conversion, but at bringing people—especially those most in need—closer to God through our charitable works.” “If, when we come face to face with God, we accept Him into our lives, then we are being converted.” “The best conversion is helping people love one another. When they love one another, they draw closer to God.” And how do we begin? By praying together. Let us pray to bring prayer into our families. 

“A smile is the beginning of love”

8.- “Let’s always greet each other with a smile… because a smile is the beginning of love.” Be kind and merciful. May no one leave your presence without feeling better and happier. Be a living expression of God’s goodness: goodness on your face, goodness in your eyes, goodness in your smile, goodness in your warm greeting.

9.- “Sisters and brothers around the world, in every country, we strive to provide the same love and care, regardless of religion, caste, or skin color. We try to serve God’s children, our brothers and sisters. And I believe this has been another beautiful gift from God—giving us the opportunity to serve Him.”.

Photograph included in the article ‘La Misericordia and Mother Teresa,’ written by Brian Kolodiejchuk and published in *Palabra* magazine in 2016.

A pivotal anecdote: the first woman to collect

Saint Teresa of Calcutta recounts that “I personally picked up the first woman I saw from the street. She had been half-eaten by rats and ants. I took her to the hospital, but they couldn’t do anything for her. They only admitted her because I refused to leave until they took her in.”. 

”From there, I went to city hall and asked them for a place where I could take these people, because that very same day I had found other people dying on the streets.".

“The city council’s health official took me to the temple—the Temple of Kali—and showed me the Darmashalah, where people used to rest after praying to the goddess Kali. It was an empty building; he asked me if I would accept it. I was very happy to have that place for many reasons, but above all because I knew it was a center of worship and devotion for Hindus.”. 

”Within twenty-four hours, we had already brought our patients there and began working at the shelter for the destitute sick and dying. Since then, we have taken in more than twenty-three thousand people from the streets of Calcutta, of whom approximately fifty percent have died.".

Acquittal in an Indian court

This year, the congregation has experienced great joy. In a landmark ruling in a ruling that brings an eight-year legal battle to a close, the Civil Court of Ranchi (the capital of Jharkhand) has acquitted a nun from the Missionaries of Charity, who was imprisoned for more than a year, and two other people accused of child trafficking in 2018. Sister Mary Prema, who was the superior at the time, denounced the “widespread myths, distorted information, and fake news” that were published.

Monsignor Theodore Mascarenhas, former secretary general of the Catholic Bishops“ Conference of India (CBCI) and bishop of Daltonganj, described the ruling as ”a triumph of truth, perseverance, and faith.”.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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Cinema

A Kidnapping Witnessed by a Child

In a Mexico marked by poverty, a boy discovers the dark secret that the adults around him are hiding, and he must face the awakening of evil without losing his innocence.

Pablo Úrbez-September 5, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

Mexico, 1986. During the World Cup, young Miguel and his sister María play with children from other families at the Esmeralda estate, a once-prosperous coffee plantation. The adults, whom they see arguing constantly, are struggling to turn their financial situation around and lift their children out of poverty. One day, Miguel discovers Felipe, a kidnapped boy, hidden in an abandoned house.

A six-episode miniseries produced by Netflix that adapts the novel I'm not afraid by Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti. In 2003, it was adapted into a film under the same title, directed by Gabriele Salvatore. While the plot in both the novel and that feature film was set in Italy in 1978, its adaptation to Mexico in 1986 is particularly commendable. The filmmakers maintain a clear distinction between the world of children—characterized by innocence, honesty, and sincerity—and the adult world, rife with selfishness and pettiness. The miniseries It describes these children's awakening to evil and their truly virtuous response.

I'm not afraid It has a lot in common with young adult classics such as The Goonies, E.T. or the recent Stranger Things, featuring adventures that celebrate heroism and the value of friendship. But at the same time, it also depicts dark situations bordering on horror, with a tone of thriller both in the investigation of the case and in the anguish experienced by the kidnapped child. The run-down coffee plantation, surrounded by vast cloud forests where it’s easy to get lost, provides an ideal setting for the action to unfold, and that is where the effort of the adaptation lies. Furthermore, the story’s unfolding during the World Cup showcases the dreams and childlike innocence of eagerly following the matches, just as the entire country is also glued to the action, while the kidnappers carry out their malicious plan.

The six episodes are very well structured, with specific time jumps that give the viewer a complete picture of the kidnapping. The performances, especially those of the children, are very convincing. However, on the downside, the series could have tied up all the loose ends in the conclusion, rather than leaving so many questions unanswered, and could have shown what becomes of each character.

Series

Title: I'm not afraid
Address: Ernesto Contreras, Alba Gil, Alejandro Zuno
Distribution: Luis Alberti, Fátima Molina, Humberto Busto
PlatformNetflix
Country: Mexico

The authorPablo Úrbez

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ColumnistsMiriam Lafuente

Magic

We want what we're supposed to want; we study the major we're supposed to study, and that's how our days go by.

September 5, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

One of my favorite songs is called “Wonderful Life”, by Black, and it says that there's magic everywhere you look. There are people who go through life without realizing it.

I was volunteering at a hospital. One morning, I found myself standing next to the bed of a woman in her seventies who was lamenting her life—not her present life, but her past. Confined to her bed, she was reflecting on her life and, without realizing it, venting her complaints aloud so that everyone could hear them.

It struck me deeply, and at the same time, I was overcome with a great sadness, because there was no solution to any of the things he lamented. He said he had spent his entire life on his feet, behind the counter of a tobacco shop, working harder than he should have.

The woman felt as though she had lived too little or had failed to make certain decisions (as St. Teresa of Ávila said). One day she realized it: she woke up, saw, and came to the realization that there is only one life, but, swept along by inertia, she had done what she had to do, letting herself be carried along by the current. Why hadn’t she realized it sooner?

On our life There aren't always major dramas or crises; sometimes it's just a feeling of being there, but not quite being there. We want what we're supposed to want; we study the major we're supposed to study, and that's how our days go by.

We go with the flow of life, which sweeps us along because that's what's expected of us. That momentum leads us to put off the things that truly matter to us, because we believe it's not the right time to deal with them.

It is an inauthentic, unfulfilling existence in which one forgets oneself. Not because it is necessarily bad, but because we haven’t stopped to think about whether we might want something more out of life. When we live like this, we aren’t living our own lives—we’re simply going through the motions, missing out on the moments of magic.

The authorMiriam Lafuente

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  • Pedro Rodríguez García, founder and first editor of the magazine *Palabra*, has died
Newsroom

Pedro Rodríguez García, founder and first editor of the magazine *Palabra*, has died

A theologian and professor at the University of Navarra, he founded Word in 1965 and pursued an extensive academic and research career linked to the Church and the Second Vatican Council. He produced the critical-historical editions of The Way y Holy Rosary, by St. Josemaría Escrivá, whom he interviewed in a historic interview in 1967.

Editorial Staff Omnes-September 4, 2026-Reading time: 3 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsHow did the interview with St. Josemaría come about?Related NewsThe campus homily. Context and some featuresRelated NewsFrom Word to Omnes: A history that continues to be written

Pedro Rodríguez García, a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, theologian, and full professor emeritus at the University of Navarra, has died at the age of 93. Rodríguez was the founder and first editor of the magazine Word, a publication that is the origin of the the current issue of Omnes magazine and from the publisher Ediciones Palabra.

Born in Cartagena in 1933, Pedro Rodríguez earned his Bachelor’s degree in Law and completed doctoral coursework at the Complutense University of Madrid. Between 1956 and 1959, he lived in Rome, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Doctoral degrees in Sacred Theology at the Lateran University. During those years, he spent time with St. Josemaría Escrivá on a daily basis. He was ordained a priest in 1958 and incardinated into the Prelature of Opus Dei.

Upon his return to Madrid in 1959, he devoted himself to teaching theology at the «Studium Generale»of Opus Dei" and to pastoral work in university settings. During those years, he also participated, along with professors Alfredo García Suárez and José María Casciaro, in the launch of the Theology Library under the auspices of the University of Navarra, which sought to promote theological renewal in the context of the Second Vatican Council.

Founder of Palabra

In September 1965, at the start of the final session of the Second Vatican Council, Pedro Rodríguez founded and became editor-in-chief of the magazine Word for four years. The publication began as a monthly journal of pastoral and theological analysis aimed primarily at priests in Spain and Latin America, with the goal of promoting the reception and application of the teachings of the Council.

As the years have gone by, Word It expanded its horizons to become a leading Christian news magazine. The publication also served as the foundation for Ediciones Palabra, a publishing house that has since been actively promoting books with Christian content.

The Interview with St. Josemaría

One of the most notable episodes of his tenure as head of Word was the Interview with St. Josemaría Escrivá published in October 1967. Pedro Rodríguez helped prepare the questionnaire, which ultimately consisted of 21 questions about the Church, the Second Vatican Council, the laity, and Christian life.

The interview, featuring St. Josemaría on the cover, was introduced by Rodríguez himself and later became the first chapter of Conversations with Monsignor Escrivá de Balaguer.

An extensive body of theological work

With doctorates in Theology and Law, Pedro Rodríguez’s teaching and research focused primarily on ecclesiology, with special attention to its ecumenical and spiritual dimensions. Throughout his career, he published numerous research papers and edited source texts.

His most notable works include The Church and Ecumenism, Ecclesiology: 30 Years After «Lumen Gentium», in which he reflects on the evolution of ecclesiology based on one of the fundamental constitutions of the Second Vatican Council, and The Roman Catechism in the Time of Philip II and the Spanish Inquisition. He also produced the critical-historical editions of The Way y Holy Rosary, by St. Josemaría Escrivá, in which he undertook a rigorous study and historical contextualization of two of his best-known works.

A long academic career

Pedro Rodríguez was a full professor at the University of Navarra’s School of Theology beginning in 1974 and has been a professor emeritus since 2003. Throughout his academic career, he held, among other responsibilities, the positions of dean of the School of Theology, director of academic studies, director of research, and chair of the Department of Ecclesiology. He also directed Scripta Theologica, a theological research journal published by the University of Navarra.

His teaching and research focused particularly on ecclesiology, ecumenical theology, the history of theology, and the reception of the Second Vatican Council, as well as on the theology and spirituality of St. Josemaría Escrivá. He was also appointed by St. John Paul II as an expert for the 1999 Synod of Bishops for Europe and led the delegation from the Prelature of Opus Dei at the Third European Ecumenical Assembly, held in Sibiu, Romania, in 2007.

Among his honors are his membership in the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, to which he was admitted in 1980, and his appointment as a full member of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain in 2006. John Paul II also granted him the title of Prelate of Honor of His Holiness.

RelatedRelated NewsHow did the interview with St. Josemaría come about?Related NewsThe campus homily. Context and some featuresRelated NewsFrom Word to Omnes: A history that continues to be written
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Culture

Dolly Parton's Life of Faith

The nearly 1,000 songs Dolly Parton recorded over her long career covered a wide range of topics. She passed away at the age of 80 from cancer on August 25 at her home in Nashville, Tennessee, and dedicated her life to delving into biblical teachings; her faith benefited millions of people.

OSV / Omnes-September 4, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes

– Kurt Jensen, OSV News

In her thousand or so songs, Dolly Parton (1946–2026) not only addressed the humiliation of poverty, harassment in a dead-end job, and romantic rivalry, but she was also comfortable with explicitly Christian songs such as “He’s Alive” from 1989 and “There Was Jesus,” released 30 years later.

In fact, Parton's faith manifested itself in concrete ways that benefited millions of people around the world.

Outrageous and flamboyant on stage, she was discreet and level-headed in her private life—and never moralistic. She preferred to lead by example, investing her wealth and fame in philanthropy with a special focus on the most vulnerable.

Love for Others from an Early Age

Even as a child, Parton—the fourth of twelve siblings—knew firsthand how illiteracy plunged people into poverty. Because her father, Robert, a farmer from eastern Tennessee, could neither read nor write, his job opportunities were very limited.

But Parton also knew that the problem of illiteracy could be addressed at an early age. With this in mind, in 1995 she founded the Imagination Library, an organization that sends free, age-appropriate books to children under the age of 5. A resounding success since its inception, the Imagination Library currently helps 3 million children every month.

Another challenge Parton faced in her youth was the widespread fear of contracting polio. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread a similar sense of terror around the world, she was asked to help, and she quietly got to work.

Without making a big fuss, Parton donated $1 million to vaccine research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Her friend, Dr. Naji Abumrad, told her that a vaccine might be on the horizon. Her contribution led to the creation of the Dolly Parton COVID-19 Research Fund, which was instrumental in the development of the Moderna vaccine.

Widespread success

Parton had already been establishing herself in country music for some time when, in 1977, she made a major breakthrough with “Here You Come Again,” which became her first pop hit. Thanks to that, she became a national figure, and her fame has never waned.

Three years later, Parton made the leap to the big screen, starring alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in the popular office comedy “9 to 5.” The trio played secretaries overwhelmed by the tyranny of a lecherous boss (Dabney Coleman). Parton wrote and recorded the film’s theme song, which was also very well received.

Dollywood, a theme park in Pigeon Forge, her home state, was another of Parton's successful projects. It significantly boosted the local economy in an area that many would have considered too remote for an entertainment destination of that magnitude.

Spiritual Lessons

Parton's penchant for spiritual themes, as well as her tendency to take unexpected turns, was a constant. 

In 2012, she starred alongside Queen Latifah in the movie *Joyful Noise*, which tells the story of the rivalry between two members of a church choir in a small town in Georgia.

Nine years later, Parton received a Christopher Award for her 2020 Christmas special, ‘Christmas on the Square,’ a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens’s 1843 novella, «A Christmas Carol.» In what would be her final role, Parton played—as one might expect—an angel adorned with rhinestones.

In an article published in January to mark Parton’s 80th birthday, Rita Buettner, a columnist for the Catholic Review—the media outlet of the Archdiocese of Baltimore—described her reaction to the recent re-recording of Parton’s 1977 song, ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning.’.

“I was struck by the beauty of this gift from Dolly. It’s a song of hope, comfort, and strength at a time when we all need more of that. It’s also a song of faith.”.

Faith in humanity, faith in God

Buettner went on to praise the way Parton “lives out and clearly demonstrates her faith. She has faith in humanity, faith in a higher purpose, faith in God, faith in the future. ”I know Dolly isn’t Catholic. But we’re Christians, we’re believers, and we both try to live each day taking another step toward heaven—or so we hope.”.

“He doesn’t always say it directly,” Buettner continued. “He doesn’t have to. It comes through in his music, as he uses the gifts God has given him to bring a little more light, a little more beauty, and a little more joy to the world.”.

“Dolly’s songs help others feel less alone,” Buettner concluded. “She accompanies us on life’s journey, so we know we’re not the only ones who experience sadness, challenges, darkness, or love.”.

More than 50 years of marriage

Many people recall “Islands In the Stream” (with Kenny Rogers) in this vein, with a central message about love as a deep bond and the conviction that together, we can overcome whatever comes our way. Dolly Rebecca Parton married Carl Thomas Dean in 1966 and once joked that Dean had only seen her perform once. She was alluding to his romantic side, saying that he would do spontaneous things to surprise her, such as writing her poems. 

Parton said in 2011: “We are truly very proud of our marriage. ”It’s the first for both of us. And the last.” On May 6, 2016, Parton announced that she and Dean would renew their vows in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. On March 3, 2025, Parton announced on social media that Dean had died at their home in Nashville at the age of 82.

“I Will Always Love You”

A fact that is perhaps less well known is that Dolly Parton wrote “I Will Always Love You” in 1973 and originally recorded it in 1974. Later, the version that made her famous was the one by Whitney Houston, released in 1992 as part of the soundtrack for the movie *The Bodyguard*‘, in which Houston starred alongside Kevin Costner.

———————–

– Kurt Jensen is a guest columnist for OSV News.

– This article was originally published in OSV News, and you can read it here.

The authorOSV / Omnes

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Do you want to be Pope? 

León XIV reminds us that the Christian life consists in discovering God’s call and freely responding to it, embracing the dream that the Lord has for each person.

September 4, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

“You ask me if, as a child, I wanted to be Pope. Well, Renzo, I don’t think so. I don’t think I ever thought about it. But I can tell you this: ever since I was a child, I’ve felt the desire to dedicate my life to God. I didn’t yet fully know how or where the Lord would lead me. Over time, I came to discover that Jesus was calling me to follow him as a priest, and that this path led through the Order of St. Augustine. But this isn’t just true for me. Every child is a dream of God.”. These words by Leo XIV were spoken during one of the most moving moments of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey to Spain last June. 

Renzo’s innocent and tender question—he was a boy from a vulnerable family—concealed, in the simplicity of its wording, the crucial question for every Christian. 

God doesn't ask each of us if we want to be Pope (thank goodness!), but there is one question He asks all of us, every day of our lives: “Do you want to be a saint?” 

And, day after day, we respond—with varying degrees of success. 

This is the Christian life. 

I recently read that a disciple is someone who changes their routines and schedules… in order to be closer to Christ. 

The disciple sets aside the nets—not because he abandons them, condemning them to oblivion and to the mice, but because he puts those nets to work in the service of the mission. 

Peter did not abandon the boat. He abandoned his reliance on it, his dependence on it, and, by placing it in Christ’s hands, he made it the Church. 

No, God does not ask us if we want to know the ultimate purpose of our lives, nor the trials we will face along the way—perhaps because He knows the consequences of heart attacks. He asks us if we want to collaborate, freely, in His plan, in bringing to life the dream of God that Leo XIV spoke of to Renzo—the one that the Creator holds and nurtures for each and every one of us. 

Bringing that positive response to that call to life is what shapes our happiness, which is always shared. 

A Spanish thinker and writer asserts that human beings have only one pivotal moment in their lives: the moment when they realize who they are—not what they are or what they do, but who they are.

That who is is the content of that “little white stone” in which it is “a new name has been written, known to no one but the one who receives it” (Revelation 2:17). 

The name-thought of God, the divine dream that gave us life and that holds all our happiness.

The authorEditorial Staff Omnes

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Spain

Opus Dei Weighs In on Torreciudad: «A Legal Difference Cannot Be Turned Into an Offensive Accusation»

The prelature regrets the accusation that it is "withholding" the Virgin of Torreciudad and reaffirms its confidence in the work of the papal commissioner.

Maria José Atienza-September 3, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsTorreciudad: Bishop Pérez Pueyo Once Again Calls for the Virgin to Remain at the Shrine ChapelRelated NewsThe Bishop of Barbastro - Monzón reopens the debate on TorreciudadRelated NewsOpus Dei clarifies rumors regarding Torreciudad agreement

In light of the latest installment in the «series» on Torreciudad—specifically, the statement issued by Ángel Pérez Pueyo, bishop of the Diocese of Barbastro-Monzón, on August 31—the Opus Dei has made its position on this conflict public and keep in mind a few key points for understanding a difficult process in which two positions that seem unable to reach an agreement come together.

Indeed, in the press release On the occasion of the 47thPilgrimage of the Virgins of Ribagorza and Sobrarbe at the Torreciudad Shrine, Bishop Ángel Pérez Pueyo described as illegitimate the «alleged» retention of the original image of Our Lady of the Angels of Torreciudad by Opus Dei; he called into question the work of the papal commissioner and threatened to resign if the statue was not returned to the original sanctuary (located just a few meters from the new church).

The Virgin has not been «taken away» or «separated from her children»

The statement implies that the Virgin has been separated from her people ever since 1966, when the then-diocesan bishop, Monsignor Jaime Flores, agreed to the relocation of the Virgin’s statue (the transfer in perpetuity had taken place in 1962).

This point is one of the first mentioned in the Prelature’s statement, which notes that «it has never been in dispute that ownership of the image belongs to the diocese. The controversy concerns the scope and validity of the rights of use, custody, and location established through agreements between the parties.».

The statement is also clear in specifically noting the legality, transparency, and normality of the relocation: «The image was not moved to another town nor removed from Torreciudad: it was placed, with documented authorization from the diocese, in the new church built a few meters from the chapel and within the same devotional complex.”.

»The sculpture was never taken without authorization. Always with the bishop's permission, it was restored in 1964 and again around 1970, and since 1975 it has presided over the altarpiece of this new church, publicly displayed for the veneration of all the faithful.« This point contradicts the bishop’s account that the image has been »withheld” from the faithful of his diocese.

The statement takes a firm stance against what it describes as a baseless and offensive accusation. Opus Dei asserts that «it is legitimate that there are currently differing interpretations regarding the legal effects of the agreements. It is up to the competent authority to resolve them. But a legal difference cannot be turned into a baseless and offensive accusation.». 

The Role of Opus Dei in the Knowledge and Devotion to Torreciudad

One of the points the statement makes clear is the growth in devotion to Our Lady of Torreciudad thanks to the work carried out by Opus Dei in renovating the site, restoring the statue of the Virgin, and promoting devotion through initiatives organized by the Shrine.

In this regard, the prelature highlights the restoration, renovation, and maintenance work carried out on the complex, which also includes the original sanctuary chapel (owned by the Diocese but ceded in perpetuity). Among other things, it mentions how «the new church allows the elderly and people with disabilities to draw closer to the Virgin» and notes that the original chapel has been restored and is open to the public. In fact, they point out, «historical photographs show the physical condition of the chapel and its outbuildings before the work began. The current images allow us to see the results of the restoration, conservation, and hospitality efforts carried out by many people, including the faithful of the diocese.».

The old chapel before its restoration and the creation of the access path

The plenipotentiary commissioner was requested by the diocese

On October 9, 2024, the Holy See's daily bulletin reported the appointment of Bishop. Alejandro Arellano Cedillo, Dean of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, as «pontifical commissary plenipotentiary»for Torreciudad," that is, a delegate of the Pope who has the authority to act on his behalf in specific matters.

In cases of this kind, the commissioner has full authority to make decisions and take action in both ecclesiastical and administrative matters. This type of commissioner is appointed by the Pope, and his or her role may encompass both judicial and executive functions within the Church.

At that time, the diocese not only expressed, together with the Prelature of Opus Dei, its full confidence in the commissioner’s work, but also, in statements to a local media outlet, Pérez Pueyo emphasized that this intervention by the Holy See came at the request of the Diocese of Barbastra, since a satisfactory agreement had not been reached in the meetings held by both parties since the disagreements began in July 2023. However, in the latest diocesan statement, the bishop expresses his disagreement with Arellano Cedillo’s work.

Torreciudad is set to host a week full of events: on September 5, the aforementioned pilgrimage will take place, while on the 12th, the plenipotentiary commissioner will preside over the Marian Family Day, which has been attended by thousands of people from all over Spain for the past 33 years. Meanwhile, Opus Dei remains confident that the competent authority will resolve a conflict that is only creating an uncomfortable and sad situation.

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RelatedRelated NewsTorreciudad: Bishop Pérez Pueyo Once Again Calls for the Virgin to Remain at the Shrine ChapelRelated NewsThe Bishop of Barbastro - Monzón reopens the debate on TorreciudadRelated NewsOpus Dei clarifies rumors regarding Torreciudad agreement
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  • An American Pope: The United States' Influence on Leo XIV
ColumnistsRafael Navarro-Valls

An American Pope: The United States' Influence on Leo XIV

The fact that Pope Leo XIV is the first pope born in the United States is a historic event of enormous significance, although his international pastoral experience and his long-standing work in Latin America have shaped his leadership into a clearly universal one.

September 3, 2026-Reading time: 4 minutes
RelatedRelated NewsLion XIV responds: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration”.”Related NewsA glimpse of Pope Leo XIV's first interview: clues to his pontificate 

A few days ago, at the end of his summer stay in Castelgandolfo and before leaving for San Marino, Leo XIV gave an important interview to NBC. Many topics were discussed, although the Pope highlighted these two as particularly positive traits of the United States: the love of freedom and the ability to welcome people of all backgrounds and ethnicities. But more than the topics discussed, perhaps the interview’s special significance lay in bringing the American Pope into the spotlight for the first time. In this regard, it seems necessary to try to explain what the Pope’s birth in the United States adds to him, and what the existence—for the first time in history—of a Pope with American roots adds to the United States. 

American Influence on the Pontificate of Leo XIV

The fact that he was born in the United States has influenced the pontificate of Leo XIV in various ways.

First, he has firsthand knowledge of how U.S. democratic institutions function, of the country's political culture, and of the role that religion plays in a pluralistic society.

The United States is home to one of the world’s largest Catholic communities, although it is marked by divisions over both doctrinal and political issues. In recent years, American Catholics have been embroiled in debates over abortion, immigration, religious freedom, gender identity, social justice, and partisan polarization. In this context, Leo XIV has sought to project an image of unity, reminding everyone that the Church cannot become a tool in the service of any political ideology. Indeed, one of the main effects of his election has been to strengthen the international visibility of the U.S. Catholic Church. León XIV’s election was interpreted by many American Catholics as recognition of the maturity that Catholicism in the country has achieved. 

However, the Pope himself has insisted from the beginning of his pontificate that his responsibility transcends any national identity. On numerous occasions, he has pointed out that the Bishop of Rome does not represent the interests of a specific state, but rather exercises a universal ministry directed toward the entire Catholic Church.

As for his influence on the United States, Leo XIV has sought to become a moral authority rather than a political actor. His statements have aimed to remind people that democracy requires dialogue, respect for institutions, and the pursuit of the common good, while avoiding fueling the growing polarization that characterizes American politics.

The Pope and Donald Trump

One of the issues most widely covered by the media has been the relationship between Leo XIV and President Donald Trump. Since the beginning of his pontificate, Leo XIV has maintained an attitude of institutional respect toward the U.S. government, following the Vatican’s diplomatic tradition of cooperating with all legitimately constituted governments. However, this has not prevented disagreements on certain ethical and social issues.

The most visible differences have arisen over immigration policies. Leo XIV has repeatedly argued that migrants must be treated with dignity and that states have an obligation to balance the protection of their borders with respect for people’s fundamental rights.  

This position is fully in line with the social doctrine of the Church and has been interpreted by numerous analysts as an indirect criticism of some of the immigration policies promoted by Donald Trump. However, the differences between the two do not imply an institutional rift. The Holy See maintains stable diplomatic relations with the United States and continues to collaborate on issues related to religious freedom, humanitarian aid, the defense of persecuted Christian minorities, and the search for peaceful solutions to various international conflicts.

A Pope Above Political Labels

With regard to the major U.S. political parties, Leo XIV has avoided any ideological alignment. Although some conservative circles believed that a U.S.-born pope might be particularly close to the Republican Party due to his defense of life, family, or religious freedom, his early actions have revealed a much more complex position. While upholding the Church’s traditional doctrine on moral issues, he has also firmly defended social justice, the protection of workers, the welcoming of immigrants, care for the environment, and the fight against poverty—issues that typically receive greater attention from the Democratic Party. 

From an international perspective, the election of an American pope has also had significant diplomatic implications. Numerous observers noted that his nationality could strengthen the capacity for dialogue between the Vatican and Washington. However, the first year of his pontificate shows that Leo XIV has chosen to maintain a foreign policy based on active neutrality, international mediation, and the pursuit of dialogue among states. His actions confirm that the pontiff’s national origin does not automatically determine the Holy See’s diplomatic priorities. 

Ultimately, Leo XIV stands out as a unique figure in the contemporary history of the Catholic Church. The fact that he is the first Pope born in the United States constitutes a historic event of enormous significance, although his international pastoral experience and his long-standing work in Latin America have shaped a clearly universal leadership. Rather than acting as a representative of U.S. interests, Leo XIV has sought to consolidate a papacy oriented toward dialogue, peace, social justice, and the promotion of human dignity, reaffirming the global nature of the Petrine ministry in an international context marked by political polarization and profound social challenges.

The authorRafael Navarro-Valls

Professor Emeritus at the Complutense University and Honorary President of the International Ibero-American Union of Jurisprudence.

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RelatedRelated NewsLion XIV responds: “I am not afraid of the Trump administration”.”Related NewsA glimpse of Pope Leo XIV's first interview: clues to his pontificate 
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Gospel

The Debt of Love: Fraternal Correction. Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Vitus Ntube discusses the readings for the 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A), September 6, 2026.

Vitus Ntube-September 3, 2026-Reading time: 2 minutes

The second reading provides the key to understanding both the first reading and the Gospel. It is like the spine of a book, holding together the various pages of today’s liturgy into a single message. St. Paul writes: “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for whoever loves has fulfilled the rest of the law".

We all have a duty to love one another. Love takes many forms, and today’s readings invite us to embrace one of its most demanding and beautiful expressions: fraternal correction. We love others not only by encouraging and serving them, but also by helping them grow in holiness, overcome their faults, and leave behind everything that separates them from God.

The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation. God has made us responsible for one another. Each of us has weaknesses and blind spots that we often find difficult to recognize on our own. Out of true love, God places other people in our lives to help us persevere on the path of virtue.

This is the message of the prophet Ezekiel in the first reading: “"To you, son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear a word from my mouth, you shall warn them on my behalf."”. A sentinel who sees danger approaching and remains silent is not fulfilling his mission. In the same way, Christian love sometimes requires us to speak a difficult truth.

The Gospel reveals to us the purpose of that correction. Jesus says, “If your brother sins against you, rebuke him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have saved your brother.”. The goal is not to prove that we are right, to display a supposed moral superiority, or to humiliate another person. The goal is to save a brother or sister. True fraternal correction always seeks the genuine good of the other person.

But the duty to correct others also implies the duty to allow ourselves to be corrected. Anyone who is willing to practice fraternal correction must be equally willing to receive it. In fact, our reluctance to correct others may sometimes stem from our own unwillingness to accept correction. We hesitate to point out others’ faults because we ourselves resist having our own pointed out to us.

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Amy-Jill Levine, Jewish biblical scholar: “We may disagree, but we can collaborate with Christians”

Jewish biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine has been elected president of the Catholic Biblical Association, which promotes dialogue between Christian and Jewish biblical scholars. “We will disagree on fundamental theological issues, but we can collaborate,” says Levine. Furthermore, “demonization is not based on facts, nor is it the norm.”.

OSV / Omnes-September 3, 2026-Reading time: 7 minutes

- Gina Christian, OSV News

Amy-Jill Levine is the first Jewish person to lead the Catholic Biblical Association, which had previously been chaired by various scholars of Roman Catholic and Protestant affiliation.

Levine, an internationally renowned expert on the New Testament, is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at the Hartford International University for Religion and Peace, and professor emerita of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt University. 

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera, chair of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has stated its strong support for biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine in the face of anti-Semitic reactions. Amy-Jill Levine has now spoken with OSV News.

What is your vision for the Catholic Biblical Association, and how do you hope to help guide and shape it as president?

– Levine: During my one-year term, I will work with the board of directors and the members to advance the association's goals, including promoting excellence in biblical studies.

I would also like to continue my work with Catholic clergy and clergy from other denominations, as well as with religious educators, to help eradicate anti-Semitic teachings that stem from a combination of ignorance and a lack of sensitivity. 

I would like to work with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to help ensure that the textbooks used in parish schools, catechesis, and sermons do not promote anti-Semitic messages.

What does his historic appointment mean in the broader context of Catholic-Jewish relations following ‘Nostra Aetate’ the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Church's Relationship with Non-Christian Religions?

– Levine: It is clear evidence of the rapprochement between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people over the past 60 years. Pope Benedict XVI wrote (in his 2011 book, *Jesus of Nazareth, Part Two*) that “after centuries of antagonism, we now see that our task is to bring our two ways of reinterpreting the biblical texts—the Christian and the Jewish—into dialogue if we are to correctly understand God’s will and His word.”. 

In *Evangelli gaudium*, Pope Francis wrote that ‘God continues to work among the peoples of the Old Covenant and to bring forth treasures of wisdom that spring from their encounter with his word. For this reason, the Church is also enriched by receiving the values of Judaism.’.

My appointment, therefore, is in line with the teachings of the Church. It reflects the trust and respect that people have in me, as well as in the CBA. 

Perhaps this position will allow me to work more closely with the Catholic clergy and religious educators to demonstrate that understanding Jesus and Paul requires knowledge of first-century Jewish practices and beliefs—and that it is not necessary to disparage Judaism or use it as a negative foil to make Jesus look good. 

Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, chair of the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and biblical scholar Amy-Jill Levine, in a photo together. (Photo by OSV News/Courtesy of Tyler Orsburn/Daniel DuBois).


Can you mention any other goals? For example, regarding collaboration between Christians and Jews?

- Levine: Perhaps this will encourage the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), seminaries, and publishers to make more extensive information available to Catholic readers on Jewish biblical interpretation, the Jewish context of the Gospels and Paul, and the history of Jewish-Catholic relations.

Perhaps this will help inform Jews—many of whom are unaware of the changes in Church doctrine since “Nostra Aetate”—of the enormous progress that has been made.

In this dialogue, we do not set aside the distinctive features of our own traditions for the sake of interreligious sensitivity. We will disagree on fundamental theological issues, and these will not be resolved until the Messianic age is fully realized. 

But in the meantime, we can collaborate to learn from one another and support one another when hatred arises. 

How would you summarize, for the average person in church or synagogue, the importance of collaboration among Catholic, Christian, and Jewish scholars in biblical research?

– Levine: We are stronger when we do this work together, when we can identify gaps in our knowledge, and when we can contribute different questions to the text based on our own traditions.

From a Jewish perspective, reading the New Testament is part of Jewish history. Mary and Jesus were Jewish; Paul, Peter, and James were Jewish as well, and they never lost, denied, or rejected that identity. My work can fill in aspects of my own history that the synagogue did not preserve.

As for the Christian position, the 2002 document from the Pontifical Biblical Commission, ‘The Jewish People and Their Sacred Scriptures in the Christian Bible,’ states: “Dialogue is possible, since Jews and Christians share a rich common heritage that unites them. It is highly desirable that prejudices and misunderstandings be gradually eliminated on both sides, in order to foster a better understanding of the heritage they share and to strengthen the bonds that unite them.”.

“Reclaiming our shared history, better understanding why and how we disagree”

- Levine: By reading together, we can learn what meanings the texts had in their original contexts, how they have been interpreted over time, and how Jews and Christians came to draw different messages from the shared Scriptures. This work is explored in the book I co-authored with Marc Z. Brettler, *The Bible with and without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently*. 

We are also co-editors of the *Annotated Jewish New Testament* (currently in its third edition, published in 2026 by Oxford University Press). The notes and essays in this volume demonstrate the profound influence of Christian origins on Jewish sources and practices. By studying texts together, we learn more about our neighbors and also about ourselves.

We can rediscover our shared history, better understand why and how we disagree, see how our relationships have changed over the centuries, and recognize that demonization is not based on facts, nor is it the norm.

In which areas of biblical studies are there significant research opportunities at this time?

– Levine: New Testament scholars are recognizing the importance of understanding Jesus and Paul as first-century Jews. 

We realize that Jesus is not abolishing the Torah, but is, in fact, making it stricter. To the commandment against murder, He adds a commandment against anger; to the commandment against adultery, He adds a commandment against lust. These verses from the Sermon on the Mount are not antitheses, but intensifications.

Regarding the question of ‘an eye for an eye’ versus ‘turning the other cheek,’ we know that Jews do not go around gouging out people’s eyes. Rather, Rabbinic Judaism makes it clear that, in cases of physical injury, the victim must be compensated. Thus, the rabbis address the aggressor’s responsibility. 

Jesus quotes the saying ‘an eye for an eye’ and then changes the subject, speaking of a slap on the right cheek—a light tap with the back of the hand intended to rebuke, not to harm. He then gives instructions not to the aggressor, but to the victim.

St. Paul and the Torah

With regard to ritual purity, we now recognize that Jesus does not disregard the laws of purity, but rather restores people to a state of purity. Furthermore, thanks to archaeology, we have a better understanding of the importance that purity and other Jewish practices held for first-century Jews. These practices reaffirmed Jewish identity in the face of Roman pressure and made Judaism a way of life, rather than merely a belief system.

We take Paul seriously as the ‘Apostle to the Gentiles’ and, therefore, understand that his comments on the Torah are not directed at the Jews. His interest lies in convincing the Gentiles to worship the God of Israel, but not as converts to Judaism—for then only Jews would worship God, and Jews generally expected that in the messianic age the nations would turn to the God of Israel without converting—but as Gentiles in Christ.

How would you respond to anti-Semitic reactions—especially on social media—regarding your appointment?

– Levine: Ever since my choices were made public, I have been accused of being the daughter of Satan, a cannibal, someone who seeks to destroy the Church, a supporter of the Palestinian genocide, an enemy of Jesus and the Church, and so on. Some people have contacted the CBA office to demand my dismissal. 

Ever since I was a child, I have not only studied but also appreciated the beauty of Catholic worship and traditions. As someone who has dedicated my life to fostering better relations between Jews and Christians, with a special focus on Catholicism, I find this sad and a clear sign of the enduring power of the anti-Semitism.

Readers who question how a Jew who does not recognize Jesus as the Messiah can preside over an association dedicated to Catholic biblical studies are not anti-Semitic. It is a legitimate question. The association has had Protestant presidents, and I do not recall their appointments sparking virulent reactions. (Editor’s note: Former CBA presidents Paul J. Achtemeier and Charles H. Talbert belonged to Protestant denominations; Talbert was a Baptist pastor.).

I have been a member of the CBA for decades, I have served on numerous CBA committees, taught at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, developed numerous programs for Catholic elementary and secondary schools (especially in Australia), and defended Catholic doctrine to Jews, Protestants, and people without religious affiliation who were unfamiliar with the faith. My work has strengthened the Christian faith and improved Jewish-Christian relations.

You respect the fundamentals of the Catholic tradition.

- Levine: I do not question the fundamentals of the Catholic tradition, such as the Incarnation, the Resurrection, etc. Although I do not share these beliefs, I can honor them, respect them, and even give them additional meaning by placing them in their historical context.

When it comes to the Incarnation, I am interested in the Jewish stories of miraculous births, the Jewish philosopher Philo’s description of the Logos, how the Nativity stories might have been received by their earliest audiences, and how they relate to the Scriptures of Israel.

I'm also very interested in Mary: what life was like for Jewish women in Galilee, how her story is portrayed differently in the Gospels, and how texts from the 2nd and 3rd centuries recounted stories of her childhood and death.

The Resurrection

With regard to the Resurrection, I am interested in placing the accounts of it within the context of the various Jewish views on the resurrection or life after death, and how those views have changed over time. From the disagreements between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, through the rabbinic insistence on the resurrection of the body, to the questioning of this idea by the Reform movement in the 19th century, and the various Jewish views today. 

I'm also interested in how belief in Jesus' resurrection changed the way people behaved at that time and afterward.

It is not necessary to believe in Catholic doctrine (part of which is post-biblical in its formulation, such as the creeds) to interpret Matthew, for example, as a text that proclaims the lordship of Jesus.

We should always read the writings of others with generosity and grace. In this process, I consider myself an ally of the Catholic tradition.

——————-

Gina Christian is a multimedia reporter for OSV News. You can follow her on X @GinaJesseReina.

This interview was originally published in OSV News, and you can read it here. 

—————–

The authorOSV / Omnes

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