St. Columba Catholic Church

Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Nov. 19, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Dec 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The pope has approved the new General and Personnel Regulations of the Roman Curia, which come into effect Jan. 1, 2026, and which adapt the internal functioning of the Vatican bodies to the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, promulgated by Pope Francis in 2022.

The document, approved “ad experimentum” (for temporary or provisional use) for five years, seeks to consolidate “an ecclesial service marked by a pastoral and missionary character.”

Documents in Latin... or in other languages

Among the most significant innovations is a historic change in linguistic matters. For the first time, the regulations stipulate that “the curial institutions will, as a general rule, draft their documents in Latin or in another language.”

Until now, Latin was used by default in the drafting of internal documents. The new rule will allow documents to be written directly in languages ​​used by the Curia, such as Italian, English — the native language of Pope Leo XIV — or Spanish, which the pontiff speaks fluently due to his extensive pastoral work in Peru.

The text also introduces clear boundaries to prevent nepotism in Vatican offices. For example, it prohibits the hiring within the same entity of blood relatives up to the fourth degree and of relatives by marriage in the first and second degree. Furthermore, it requires that candidates be distinguished by their “virtue, prudence, knowledge, and appropriate experience.”

For lay employees, the initial hiring will be on a probationary basis for at least one year, with no possibility of extending it beyond two years. This will require that, once this period has been completed, the employee be hired on a permanent basis or let go.

No assets in ‘tax havens’

The regulations also include measures that reinforce financial transparency. Officials and senior executives will be required to submit a declaration every two years confirming that they do not own assets in “tax havens” or hold shares in companies that contradict the social doctrine of the Church, such as the arms or abortion industries.

Failure to submit this declaration, or the submission of false information, will be considered a serious disciplinary offense. 

The new legal framework regulates the organization of work within the Curia. The standard work week will be “at least 36 hours.” Maternity leave will begin three months before the expected delivery date and extend for another three months afterward. In addition, 158 hours of annual leave are granted.

Staff members must observe strict professional confidentiality and may not make public statements without prior authorization.

The regulations establish, for the first time, unified retirement ages for the various positions. Heads of dicasteries must retire at age 75; lay employees at age 70; and ecclesiastical and religious undersecretaries at age 72. All positions automatically terminate at age 80.

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

A person detained is taken to a parking lot on the far north side of the city before being transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Chicago on Oct. 31, 2025. / Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Catholic bishops in the United States have expressed unified disapproval of the “indiscriminate mass deportation of people” as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported over 527,000 deportations and another 1.6 million self-deportations since Jan. 20.

Several Catholics in the Trump administration, such as Vice President JD Vance and Border czar Tom Homan, have invoked their faith to defend the heavy crackdown on migrants who do not have legal status in the country after the bishops’ message of dismay.

Caring for immigrants is a clear command in Scripture. Catholic teaching on the matter of mass deportations is somewhat nuanced, with obligations on wealthy countries to welcome immigrants and responsibilities for immigrants to follow the laws of the nations receiving them. The Catholic approach to immigration in recent decades has underscored mercy and respect for the migrants’ human dignity and prudence on the part of public officials to safeguard the common good, with an emphasis on a response to migrants that “welcomes, protects, promotes, and integrates.”

While Catholic teaching affirms human dignity and the right to migrate when necessary, debate has centered on the means of immigration policy.

When is a deportation policy ‘intrinsically evil’?

If something is “intrinsically evil,” it means that it is immoral under any circumstance and for any reason, regardless of one’s motivation or the intended consequence of the action. That term is reserved for actions themselves that can never be morally justified.

As St. John Paul II explained in his 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor, an “intrinsically evil” act is one that, by its very nature, is “incapable of being ordered to God” because the act is in conflict with “the good of the person made in his image.”

He cites Gaudium et Spes, the pastoral constitution on the Church in the modern world issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965, to offer some examples of intrinsic evils.

Although the council itself does not use the term “intrinsically evil,” he references the council’s description of actions that are “opposed to life itself,” which include “murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction.” It also lists, among other things, action that “insults human dignity,” such as “subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, [and] the selling of women and children.”

Neither John Paul II nor the council elaborate on the meaning of “deportation” in this context in those specific documents. Although, in his 1991 encyclical Centesimus Annus, the Holy Father spoke about deportations within the context of forced removal of people during World War II: “As a result of this violent division of Europe, enormous masses of people were compelled to leave their homeland or were forcibly deported.”

Joseph Capizzi, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America, told CNA the context appears to refer to deportations that are both “arbitrary” and “without due process,” like during World War II.

“The context was, of course, mass deportations of people absent any due process and their treatment as movable property, or chattel,” he said. “That is by definition treating those humans as subhuman, offending their God-given status by their creation in his image and likeness.”

In relation to “subhuman living conditions” being intrinsically evil, Capizzi said all people “must be treated as humans” regardless of legal status. No person, he said, can be treated “with cruelty” or “absent basic human regard.”

Father Thomas Petri, OP, a moral theologian and former president of the Dominican House of Studies, told CNA that deportation, as an enforcement of immigration law, “in and of itself can’t be intrinsically evil.”

“There is going to be prudential debate and prudential discussion on what constitutes immoral, evil deportation,” Petri said.

“Even if there’s disagreement on who should be deported, when the deportation happens, it should happen in a way that doesn’t undermine the dignity of those being deported,” he said.

“Even when there is justified deportation, …  those who are being deported [must be treated] … humanely, respecting human dignity, which includes the natural rights to food, human living conditions [and] … access to religion,” Petri said.

“Anything that contradicts or harms their human dignity is certainly grave,” Petri said.

When can governments limit immigration?

The Church has consistently encouraged nations to welcome the stranger, in line with Christ’s command in Matthew 25:35, and has also recognized the government’s need to protect the common good.

In 1988, the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace issued a document called “The Church and Racism,” which addressed the subject.

For immigrants and refugees, the commission said governments must ensure their “basic human rights be recognized and guaranteed.” Such people could be “victims of racial prejudice” and are at risk of “various forms of exploitation, be it economic or other.”

The document also acknowledged that public powers are “responsible for the common good” and must “determine the number of refugees or immigrants which their country can accept.” The governments should consider “possibilities for employment and its perspectives for development but also the urgency of the need of other people.”

Another concern is a need to avoid “a serious social imbalance” that could be created “when an overly heavy concentration of persons from another culture is perceived as directly threatening the identity and customs of the local community that receives them.”

Pope Pius XII made similar observations when addressing American officials in 1946, saying then: “it is not surprising that changing circumstances have brought about a certain restriction being placed on foreign immigration” and “in this matter not only the interests of the immigrant but the welfare of the country also must be consulted.”

Such restrictions, he said, should still never forget “Christian charity and the sense of human solidarity existing between all men, children of the one eternal God and Father.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the Church’s position, teaching that prosperous nations have an obligation, “to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner.” The immigrant has an obligation “to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.”

“Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions,” it adds, without touting mass deportation as a moral ideal.

Capizzi said governments must “protect an actual common good.” For immigration law, he said this means “sometimes by allowing immigrants in to assist, and also by limiting immigration to allow immigrants’ integration into the host nation, and to protect the nation’s work force.”

Enforcement, he said, can occur after a person has unlawfully entered, but cases that require deportation should inspire more prudence.

Petri said the primary concern comes “when you’re talking about [people] who have been in this country for 20 years.”

“There is a moral difference between deporting hard and violent criminals and deporting, say, a husband and a wife who have just tried to make a living,” he said.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for an estimated 150,000 people at Beirut's Waterfront in Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Marwan Semaan/ACI MENA.

Beirut, Lebanon, Dec 2, 2025 / 04:52 am (CNA).

Beirut heard a different kind of voice on Tuesday morning. In a city still marked by the sounds of the 2024 escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, Pope Leo XIV urged Lebanon to rise above violence and division. “Lebanon, stand up. Be a home of justice and fraternity. Be a prophetic sign of peace for the whole of the Levant,” he said at a Mass attended by about 150,000 people at Beirut Waterfront.

The liturgy closed the final day of the pope’s visit to a nation strained by intermittent political paralysis, economic freefall and persistent instability. The Waterfront itself carries symbolic weight. Built on land reclaimed from the sea with rubble from downtown Beirut destroyed in the civil war, it has come to represent both loss and reconstruction.

In his homily, Pope Leo spoke of praise, hope, beauty and responsibility, calling for unity at a moment of national fracture. He acknowledged the burdens carried by the Lebanese people and said praise becomes difficult “when life is weighed down by hardship.” Lebanon, he added, has suffered “many problems” and “difficult situations” that leave people feeling powerless.

The pope urged the country to rediscover gratitude. Lebanon, he said, is “the recipient of a rare beauty,” even though that beauty is often obscured by suffering. The country is also, he noted, a witness to how “evil, in its various forms, can obscure this splendor.”

From the open coastal space, he recalled biblical images of Lebanon. He then pointed to the nation’s present wounds: poverty, political instability, economic collapse and renewed fear after conflict. He mentioned his prayer earlier in the day at the Beirut port, the site of the 2020 explosion, and connected that visit to the broader national trauma. In such circumstances, he said, praise and hope can give way to disillusionment.

The pope invited the faithful to look for “small shining lights in the heart of the night.” Jesus, he said, gives thanks not for extraordinary signs but for the faith and humility of “little ones.” He spoke of the “small signs of hope” found in families, parishes, religious communities and lay people who remain dedicated to service and to the Gospel. These lights, he said, promise rebirth.

He urged the country not to yield to “the logic of violence” or the “idolatry of money,” and asked all Lebanese to work together. “Everyone must do their part,” he said. He called for a “dream of a united Lebanon” where peace and justice prevail and where all recognize one another as brothers and sisters.

At the end of Mass, the pope offered a spontaneous prayer for peace in the region and the world, calling on "Christians of the Levant" to be "artisans of peace, heralds of peace, witnesses of peace."

Farewell ceremony

After the Mass, the pope traveled to Beirut International Airport for a farewell ceremony, where he was received by the president.

In grief remarks, the pope recalled the sight of the port earlier that morning and praised the resilience of the Lebanese people. “You are as strong as the cedars that populate your beautiful mountains, and as beautiful as the olive trees that grow in the plains, in the south and near the sea.”

The pope also greeted regions of the country he was unable to visit and repeated his appeal for peace. “May the attacks and hostilities cease,” he said. “Armed struggle brings no benefit. Weapons are lethal. Negotiation, mediation and dialogue are constructive.” He urged all to choose peace “as a way, not just as a goal.”

Pope Leo XIV prays in silence at the site of the 2020 port explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, on December 2, 2025. / AIGAV Pool

Beirut, Lebanon, Dec 2, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV paused on the final morning of his trip to Lebanon before the ruins of the Beirut port explosion, praying in silence and placing a wreath in memory of the victims. He also met families of those killed and survivors still carrying the wounds of the 2020 blast.

The pope lit a candle and laid down a wreath of red flowers at the site, and seemed at one point to hold back tears. Afterwards, he spoke with family members of victims, some of whom who were holding photographs of their relatives killed in the blast.

The pope’s silent prayer at the port unfolded against an unresolved search for justice, a grief still felt across Lebanon.

Five years after the August 4, 2020 explosion, one of the largest non-nuclear blasts in history, families of the 236 people killed and more than 7,000 wounded say they are still waiting for truth and accountability. Vast neighborhoods of Beirut were shattered, yet justice remains elusive. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam greeted the pope at the site.

Lebanon’s investigation has been marked by political interference and long periods of inactivity. Although the probe formally resumed in 2025 after a two-year halt, it remains stalled. Successive governments have failed to ensure an independent and impartial process, leaving families of victims facing what they describe as a prolonged denial of justice.

Several senior officials summoned by lead investigative judge Tarek Bitar have resisted cooperation, invoking immunity or filing legal challenges that repeatedly froze the inquiry.

Some movement returned in early 2025. Judge Bitar resumed work in February after new public commitments by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Salam to uphold the rule of law. The following month, interim top prosecutor Jamal Hajjar reversed earlier measures that had paralyzed the investigation. A number of figures, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Major General Abbas Ibrahim, responded to summonses, while others, including members of parliament, continued to refuse cooperation.

Pope Leo XIV speaks to patients and caregivers at the De La Croix Hospital in Jal el Dib, Lebanon, on December 2, 2025. / Vatican Media

Jal el Dib, Lebanon, Dec 2, 2025 / 02:07 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV told hospital patients and caregivers in Lebanon that he had come to “where Jesus dwells,” adding that Christ is present “in you who are ill, and in you who care for the ailing.” He delivered the message during a Tuesday morning visit to De La Croix Hospital in Jal el Dib, one of the final stops of his trip to Lebanon as the country continues to struggle with the wounds of conflict and economic collapse.

The Holy Father addressed staff, patients, and the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross who operate the institution. Pointing to the hospital’s founder, Blessed Yaaqub El-Haddad, Pope Leo described him as a “tireless apostle of charity” whose devotion to the suffering shaped the institution’s identity.

“Your presence is a tangible sign of the merciful love of Christ,” Leo told the healthcare workers, comparing their service to the Good Samaritan who stopped for the wounded man. He urged them not to lose heart when fatigue or discouragement take hold. “Keep before your eyes the good you are able to accomplish. In God’s eyes, it is a great work.”

Pope Leo also offered a pointed appeal to Lebanese society. A community focused only on achievement and wellbeing, he warned, risks abandoning its most vulnerable members. “We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed while ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability.” Christians, he insisted, are called to make the poor a priority because “the cry of the poor,” heard throughout Scripture, continues to demand a response.

Jal el Dib, a town in Lebanon’s Matn district with a largely Maronite Catholic population, grew from a small Ottoman-era stop on the Beirut–Tripoli route into a commercial hub during the French Mandate, the period of French-administered rule that shaped much of modern Lebanon after World War I. In that setting, the De La Croix institution, founded in 1919 by Blessed Yaaqub, developed into one of the region’s most significant centers for psychiatric care and mental disability services. Operated by the Franciscan Sisters of the Cross, it now includes five patient pavilions and serves more than 2,200 people each year.

Turning to the patients, the pope emphasized their dignity and their place in the heart of God. “You are close to the heart of God our Father. He holds you in the palm of his hand,” he said. “Today, the Lord repeats to each one of you: 'I love you, I care for you, you are my child. Never forget this!'” At times during the visit, Leo seemed to be holding back tears.

After the public event, Pope Leo was scheduled to visit one of the hospital’s pavilions privately to meet patients and staff.

Pope Leo XIV greets religious sisters and patients at the De La Croix Hospital for the mentally disabled in Jal el Dib, north of Beirut, Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media.

CNA Staff, Dec 2, 2025 / 01:11 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV concludes his visit to Lebanon on Dec. 2. Watch LIVE the major events of Pope Leo’s first apostolic journey Nov. 27 to Dec. 2 at youtube.com/@ewtnnews and follow our live updates of his historic visit:

St. Peter’s Square during the declaration of St. John Henry Newman a doctor of the Church in November 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Dec 1, 2025 / 16:51 pm (CNA).

The Holy See closed the 2024 fiscal year with a surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.86 million), according to the 2024 Consolidated Financial Statement published Nov. 26 by the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy. This result represents a substantial change compared with the deficit of 51.2 million euros ($59.5 million) recorded in 2023, according to the Vatican.

The last public report from the Holy See was from 2020 — published in 2021 — and showed a deficit of 66.3 million euros ($77 million).

The current report indicates that the financial improvement is based on a reduction in the operating deficit, which decreased by almost 50%, from 83 million to 44 million euros, ($96.4 to $51.1 million) driven by a 79-million-euro ($91.8 million) increase in revenue, mainly from donations and hospital management, and by strict cost control that partially offset inflation and rising personnel costs.

The report also highlights the performance of financial management with positive results of 46 million euros ($53.4 million), higher than the previous year thanks to capital gains obtained from the sale of historical investments and the start of operations of the Investment Committee.

Surplus excluding hospitals

Excluding hospital entities, the Holy See recorded a surplus of 18.7 million euros ($21.7 million), although the secretariat warns that this figure reflects extraordinary accounting effects and a one-time increase in donations, so its sustainability will depend on future fiscal years.

The Holy See’s balance sheet reveals a total allocation of 393.29 million euros ($457 million) destined for the apostolic mission and the pontifical funds, not including the financing of hospitals. This budget reflects the priority of supporting the Church’s core activities worldwide and shows how resources are distributed to guarantee the continuity of the apostolic mission.

Approximately 83% of the funds are concentrated in five strategic areas that underpin the pastoral and social work of the Holy See. The most significant allocation, amounting to 146.4 million euros ($170.1 million) — equivalent to 37% of the total — is dedicated to supporting local Churches in difficult situations and for evangelization, recognizing the importance of strengthening the most vulnerable communities and supporting the spread of the faith in territories where the mission faces greater challenges.

Worship and evangelization constitute the second most significant category, representing 14% of the resources. This allocation supports liturgical activities, religious formation, and initiatives for spreading Church teachings worldwide. A ​​further 12% is specifically dedicated to communicating the pope’s message, ensuring that his teachings, exhortations, and statements effectively reach the faithful and the international community.

Ten percent of the budget is allocated to charitable services

Likewise, 10% of the budget is dedicated to maintaining the international presence of the Holy See through the apostolic nunciatures, which play an essential diplomatic and pastoral role in relations with states and local Churches. Another 10% is allocated to charitable services, reinforcing humanitarian and assistance initiatives that respond to the most urgent needs of the poor and marginalized.

The remaining 17% finances activities such as the organization of ecclesial life, management of historical heritage, and support for academic institutions. The secretariat emphasized that these allocations reflect consistency between the Church’s pastoral mission and its financial management.

The report concludes that, although the result is encouraging, the full financial sustainability of the Holy See will continue to depend on its performance in the coming fiscal years, marking 2024 as a year of economic recovery after years of deficits.

Maximino Caballero Ledo, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, gave a comprehensive explanation of the results in an interview with Vatican media, highlighting both the achievements and the need for prudence and continuity in management.

“The data reflect remarkable progress in consolidating the economic situation of the Holy See,” Caballero said. “It is not only about maintaining a balanced budget but also about strengthening our ability to make the best use of every contribution received, making the service to the mission of the universal Church more solid and sustainable.”

The financial document presented by the Vatican shows that the structural operating deficit was reduced by almost half, from 83.5 million euros to 44.4 million euros ($97 million to $51.6 million). This is mainly due to an increase in revenue, which amounted to almost 79 million euros ($91.8 million) compared with the previous year, driven by greater donor participation, positive results from hospital activities, and progress in real estate and commercial management.

Caballero emphasized that these “favorable dynamics,” combined with prudent spending control and a constant effort to improve operational efficiency, offer a positive outlook for the Vatican’s finances. However, he recalled that “the deficit of 44.4 million euros [$51.6 million] indicates that there is still a long way to go. Financial sustainability is not only a possible objective but a necessary condition to guarantee the continuity of our apostolic mission.”

Growth in donations and the trust of the faithful

The prefect noted that contributions from the faithful experienced a rebound in 2024 after years of slowdown. “This increase represents an encouraging sign of renewed participation by the faithful and local Churches in the mission of the Holy See. However, these dynamics are variable and always require prudence and realism in their interpretation,” he emphasized.

The analysis of expenditures confirms, according to Caballero, that most resources continue to be allocated directly to apostolic activities, “reflecting the consistency between the priorities of the mission and the financial decisions that make it possible. This allows for the strengthening of pastoral initiatives and support for the most vulnerable communities, consolidating a balanced and responsible management of resources.”

Financial management and future prospects

The 2024 balance sheet also shows positive results of 46 million euros ($53.4 million) from financial activities, including extraordinary transactions related to the restructuring of the investment portfolio in accordance with the new policy approved by the Investment Committee. Caballero warned that “these capital gains are not repeatable with the same intensity in future years and reflect the natural volatility of financial activity.”

Therefore, he emphasized that “along with prudence in spending, it is essential to continue working on the revenue side: donations, fundraising, asset valuation, and consistent investment management. The goal is not to pit these dimensions against each other but to consolidate progress and gradually strengthen a more stable economic foundation.”

Toward full financial sustainability

The prefect concluded by highlighting that the 2024 fiscal year closed with a small surplus of 1.6 million euros ($1.86 million), an encouraging sign that, according to him, “demonstrates that the direction taken is positive. Now we must consolidate this progress, aware that some of the results come from nonrecurring elements. Financial sustainability is essential to ensure the continuity of the Holy See’s mission, which by its nature requires a stable economic foundation.”

Caballero emphasized that “it is not simply a matter of balancing the budget but of strengthening our ability to optimally utilize every contribution received, making the Holy See’s service to the entire universal Church more solid and sustainable.”

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

Cardinal Kurt Koch during an interview with EWTN News. / Credit: EWTN News

ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 1, 2025 / 16:21 pm (CNA).

The executive director of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Regina Lynch, thanked Pope Leo XIV for appointing Cardinal Kurt Koch as the new president of the pontifical foundation.

“We very much look forward to having Cardinal Koch as our president and for the guidance he can bring to our mission to persecuted and suffering Christians all over the world. We are grateful to Pope Leo XIV for this appointment and for his interest in our work,” Lynch said.

Koch is 75 years old and replaces Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, who is 81 years old and has led the institution since 2011.

Piacenza was the first president of ACN since the organization received the title of pontifical foundation.

In a Nov. 27 statement published on the ACN website, Lynch highlighted the work carried out by Piacenza, in whom the international institution “has always had a steady and trusted mentor and president.”

Furthermore, Piacenza “was always a great supporter of ACN initiatives, such as the One Million Children Praying the Rosary and the Middle East campaigns, and we are very grateful for his service to suffering and persecuted Christians.”

Koch is the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and has headed the Commission for Religious Relations with Judaism since 2010. He has also closely collaborated with the Catholic charity over the years, ACN reported.

The organization highlighted its new president’s experience in ecumenical and interreligious relations, as these are an essential part of the pontifical foundation’s mission, “especially in countries where Christians, or Catholics, are a minority.”

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

A screenshot from the Vancouver video in which Alissa Golob recorded her conversation with a health care worker at BC Women’s Hospital. / Credit: RightNow YouTube/B.C. Catholic

Vancouver, Canada, Dec 1, 2025 / 15:51 pm (CNA).

A week after The Catholic Register in Canada revealed that pro-life advocate Alissa Golob went undercover while 22 weeks pregnant to test whether late-term abortions were accessible in Canada without medical justification, the national response continues to intensify, with a new twist: a fourth hidden-camera video that Golob says she is legally barred from releasing.

Golob, co-founder of RightNow, posed as an undecided pregnant woman in abortion facilities in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary in 2023. The Nov. 19 Register story detailed her conversations with clinic counselors and physicians who told her late-term abortions could be arranged at nearby hospitals, sometimes “up to 32 weeks,” without needing to provide medical reasons.

Staff described procedures as a “mini stillbirth,” advised her she could “expel the fetus in the car,” and said reasons such as already having two children or “not wanting to be pregnant” were acceptable.

Those recordings — three of which have now been released — directly contradict long-standing political claims that late-term abortions in Canada are only performed in cases of maternal health risk or severe fetal anomalies.

In an email interview with The B.C. Catholic, Golob said the reaction from Canadians has been more visceral than she expected.

The dominant response has been “overwhelming shock and horror from the average Canadian who didn’t think late-term abortions were possible,” she said.

Many who describe themselves as pro-choice wrote to her saying the recordings were disturbing and that unrestricted late-term abortion “just shouldn’t be allowed.”

By contrast, she said some abortion-rights advocates have reacted with confusion and contradiction. “They were basically trying to throw everything they could at it to see if anything would stick,” she said. “Some said the videos were lies, some said late-term abortions don’t happen — despite the videos proving otherwise.”

Golob said the most significant development since the Catholic Register story broke is her discovery that she cannot release the Calgary footage at all.

“Alberta, shockingly, has the most extreme and overreaching bubble-zone legislation in the country,” she said. “Distributing any footage recorded in the bubble zone could result in a fine or jail time.”

She called the legislation “worse than Ontario and even Montreal,” meaning the fourth video will remain unreleased unless the province changes its law.

Although no physician has contacted her privately, Golob said some health care professionals reacted strongly in group chats and medical forums.

“Doctors were trying to disprove that late-term abortions happen until others in the chat posted my undercover videos,” she said.

None of the clinics featured in the videos has issued public statements or responded to inquiries, she said. “They know they’ve been caught red-handed… there’s not much they can say to remedy the situation, so they say nothing at all.”

Abortion advocacy organizations, including Action Canada, have alleged the videos lack context.

Golob dismissed the charge. “Of course the videos were edited — sometimes I was in the clinics for hours,” she said, and “99% of the talking” is by clinic staff.

She noted that if anything were manipulated, the clinics could sue her and “easily win.”

She has already shared the full recordings with reporters so they could verify that passages were not altered.

Conservative members of Parliament including Leslyn Lewis, Rosemarie Falk, and Garnett Genuis have shared the videos, as did People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier. Liberal member of Parliament Doug Eyolfson condemned them, drawing “surprising” pushback” from Canadians across party lines.

Golob said the recordings show that late-term abortion referrals are far easier to obtain than most Canadians assume.

“Abortionists have no problem and easily and readily refer you for a late-term abortion… for absolutely no reason whatsoever,” she said. Even an explanation as simple as “I don’t want to be pregnant” was treated as acceptable for a third-trimester referral.

Golob said one issue has been overlooked in the public debate: the reliability of Canadian abortion statistics.

“In multiple videos I was told that any end of pregnancy after 20 weeks — no matter how it happens — is considered a stillbirth,” she said. Combined with the fact that provinces report statistics voluntarily, she argued Canadians have no way of knowing how many late-term induction abortions actually occur. “We should be demanding to know how many… and why.”

For now, Golob said she has no further video releases planned unless Alberta changes its law. But she believes the Catholic Register’s original reporting has opened a door Canadians weren’t expecting.

“People are seeing something they were told for years was impossible — and they want answers.”

This story was first published by The B.C. Catholic and is reprinted here with permission. 

A picture shows a view of the destroyed Beirut port silos on Aug. 1, 2025, as Lebanon prepares to mark the fifth anniversary of the Aug. 4, 2020, harbor explosion that killed more than 250 people and injured thousands. / Credit: JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

ACI MENA, Dec 1, 2025 / 15:21 pm (CNA).

As part of his visit to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV will pray at the site of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion — the largest nonnuclear blast in modern history. For William Noun, the brother of a victim, this initiative is crucial and a continuation of what Pope Francis began. 

The explosion left more than 200 dead and 6,000 injured — 800 hospitalized in regular wards, 130 in intensive care. It particularly devastated East Beirut’s predominantly Christian neighborhoods. The scale of devastation surpassed anything Lebanon had experienced in decades: bloodied streets, collapsed buildings, and entire districts destroyed. The word most used by witnesses to describe the situation was “apocalyptic.” 

Vatican solidarity

The destruction was not limited to lives, infrastructure, and finances. It also crushed the morale of an already-exhausted population as they watched their capital collapse in front of their eyes. Yet the tragedy drew significant international solidarity, including strong support from the Vatican.

Immediately after the explosion, Pope Francis sent a donation of 250,000 euros ($295,488) to the Church in Lebanon to support emergency relief and recovery efforts. 

His support continued in the years that followed. In the summer of 2024, Francis met at the Vatican with relatives of the Beirut port victims. Noun, who lost his brother Joe in the blast, was among those present.

In an interview with ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, Noun underscored the profound significance of his visit to the Vatican, both personally and in the pursuit of justice. 

He traveled to Rome with his wife, Maria, who, like him, lost a sibling in the explosion. Bound by grief, they eventually chose life. Three years after the blast, they married, and when they met Pope Francis, Maria was pregnant. 

The pope blessed their unborn child and gently asked them to return once the baby was born. But when their son arrived, Pope Francis had already passed away. Now, with Pope Leo coming to Lebanon, their child may receive another blessing — but this time from another pope.

For Noun, the encounter with Francis was unforgettable. He recalled how attentively the pope listened, how genuinely he wanted to understand the victims not as statistics but as lives abruptly torn apart. Noun showed him photographs of his brother Joe, who led a Catholic youth movement in their hometown; Francis lingered over the images and asked to know more about Joe. 

Until that moment, public discourse on the explosion had focused almost entirely on numbers, not on the lives behind them. But Francis, consistent with his pastoral approach, made a point of focusing on the human dimension.

The visit also carried weight on the justice front. Noun and other families met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin to discuss the investigation, the political obstruction, and the urgent need for international support.

For Noun, the meeting had a tangible impact, but momentum later faded. With Pope Leo’s trip to Beirut, he now sees a rare opportunity to revive the struggle for truth and accountability that has been repeatedly silenced.

A nation without justice

Lebanese authorities have yet to deliver justice for the victims of the Beirut port explosion more than five years after the blast devastated the capital. For Noun, justice is nonnegotiable.

“Justice is a right; whether it comes early or late, it is still a right,” he said. “No one can accept losing it, especially after an explosion of this magnitude.”

When asked what stands in the way of the truth, Noun pointed first to political interference and pressure on the investigation. That, he argued, is why support from the Vatican matters. “The pressure coming from the pope’s office can break through the political pressure blocking the case.”

The second major obstacle, he said, is the absence of genuine international will. Countries that call themselves “friends of Lebanon,” he argued, have refrained from offering real help. “If there had been sincere political will, the truth would have appeared within the first two or three months.”

The blast shook the world and sparked global outrage, yet meaningful international assistance to the investigation never materialized. There were statements of solidarity but, he noted, “no one provided anything that actually helped move the investigation forward.”

The unanswered question

The blast was triggered by 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored improperly in a warehouse at the port, material that had been sitting there for years despite repeated warnings from officials. Behind the shipment lies a complex network of businessmen, intermediaries, and companies spread across nearly 10 countries with alleged links to networks close to the Bashar al-Assad regime.

Yet what happened specifically that Aug. 4 remains unresolved. No conclusive evidence has clarified the cause of the fire that ignited the explosives. Was it an accident, an attack, or sabotage? Five years later, the central question remains unanswered.

A significant number of Lebanese continue to believe that the explosion bore the fingerprints of Israel. In his conversation with ACI MENA, Noun noted that Hezbollah moved quickly in the opposite direction.

“From the beginning, accusations were circulating,” he said. “But Hezbollah was the first to absolve Israel completely; they said it was an electrical short circuit or welding sparks.”

He recalled the speech delivered on Aug. 8 by the secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, just four days after the blast, which stunned many Lebanese because Hezbollah typically blames Israel for everything. That time, however, they dismissed the possibility outright.

From that moment on, Noun argued, the party worked aggressively to obstruct the investigation, putting pressure on the families of the victims, the presiding judge, and judicial authorities. The campaign included public and legal attacks against Judge Tarek Bitar, political paralysis that froze the government for six months, and repeated withdrawals of Hezbollah-aligned ministers from Cabinet sessions.

“It would take hours to detail everything they did publicly,” Noun said. “And even more happened behind closed doors, with security and political figures.”

The goal, he believes, was to ensure that the investigation itself never reaches a conclusion. “The strategy is not just to remove a judge,” he said. “The strategy is to destroy the investigation. They refuse any investigation and want to declare it an ‘accident’ and close the case.”

“I’m not the only one pointing fingers at Hezbollah; three-quarters of the country does,” he added.

Noun is now one of the central figures representing the families of the Beirut blast victims and leading the fight against impunity. His battle has been far from easy. He has been the target of smear campaigns — particularly from Hezbollah supporters — and he was arrested in 2023 following comments he made on television about the stalled investigation. In 2025, he and Peter Bou Saab, also the brother of a victim, reported being assaulted by armed men shortly after a rally held by the families of the victims.

Despite the pressure, Noun is not willing to back down. His goal remains unchanged: justice.

More than a symbolic visit

Noun believes that Pope Leo’s presence in Beirut carries weight far beyond symbolism. The Vatican, he noted, holds not only a spiritual authority but also a social and, at times, political influence. It has closely followed the port blast investigation since 2020 and is fully informed about its developments. For him, this visit represents a continuation of what Pope Francis began; a sustained moral pressure that keeps the pursuit of justice alive.

He said families do not yet know whether Pope Leo will deliver a speech at the port site, and for now they have been asked simply to attend and follow the instructions of the Vatican’s organizing team, since the gathering is primarily meant to be a moment of prayer. But if the pope does speak, Noun said he hopes to hear a clear message affirming support for justice and renewed international pressure.

“The pope understands exactly where he will be standing and what it means for the families to be beside him,” Noun emphasized. The Vatican’s voice, he believes, matters: The pope is close to global decision-makers, and his position gives him unique leverage.

“There is a major role he can play, not only through prayer and faith but also by influencing action,” he said.

Father Dany Dergham, a Maronite priest who leads the “Church Talks Politics’’ platform, has a more concrete request for Pope Leo. In a post on X, he addressed the pope directly, writing: “Your Holiness, if you wish to bring us a gift on the occasion of your visit, the most precious and sacred to us would be the satellite images of the Beirut port crime, which can be requested from the concerned countries through Vatican diplomacy, so that we may know who killed our families and our children, destroyed our homes, blew up our churches and institutions, and shattered our dreams.”

Beyond the blast

Noun’s hopes for the papal visit extend far beyond the explosion, although it remains at the heart of his struggle. What he wishes Pope Leo, the Vatican, and the international community to recognize is the critical importance of safeguarding the Christian presence in Lebanon.

Lebanon, he stressed, remains the only country in the region where Christians enjoy this degree of freedom. But that reality, he warned, is under threat. He believes the Church must take a more active role in helping young Christians remain in the country rather than emigrating. While acknowledging the important work the Church already does, he argued that much more is needed, from early childhood education and schools to universities, housing initiatives, and long-term support systems that allow families to build a future in Lebanon.

Noun also pointed to growing tensions between Hezbollah and the Christian community. According to him, the pope’s visit is already being framed by Hezbollah supporters in sectarian terms, questioning the state’s preparations and national attention surrounding it.

Speaking about the broader political context, he expressed deep concern over what he described as Hezbollah’s separation from the national interest. “Every time something national brings people together, they choose to break away from the national consensus and go in a different direction. They believe everything is done against the party’s interests,” he said.

Noun argued that the party and its community must recognize that “they are not the decision-makers, not the ones who run the country, and their militant logic cannot govern Lebanon.” He stressed that Lebanon’s Christian community cannot survive without a functioning state: “It is the state that protects everyone, not weapons and militias.”

According to Noun, most Christians today are far removed from Hezbollah’s environment and mentality, and while a few attempt to present an illusion of harmony, “when you look at any village where Hezbollah supporters coexist with Christians, you see the tensions very clearly.” He said that what the party portrays publicly is very different from the reality on the ground.

Noun also said it is against this backdrop that Pope Leo’s stop at the port carries real weight. His visit to the port will not rewrite the past, and it may not be enough to break the system that has blocked the truth, but standing on that ground forces the world to look again at a case many hoped would fade. And for the families of the victims, that visibility is itself a form of resistance, a refusal to let powerful people close the file.