St. Columba Catholic Church

The damaged front of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic stands following a bomb blast on May 17, 2025, in Palm Springs, California. / Credit: David McNew/Getty Images

CNA Staff, May 23, 2025 / 14:33 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Fertility clinic bomber linked to anti-natalist ideology

Authorities say the man who detonated a car bomb outside a California fertility clinic last Saturday appears to have been motivated by anti-natalist ideology — the belief that no one should have children. 

The attack destroyed the office spaces of the American Reproductive Center in Palm Springs, an in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic, but the bombing did not destroy the stored embryos. 

IVF is a fertility treatment opposed by the Catholic Church in which doctors fuse sperm and eggs to create human embryos and implant them in the mother’s womb. To maximize efficiency, doctors create excess human embryos and routinely destroy undesired embryos.

The suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus, likely detonated the bomb in what law enforcement is calling an act of domestic terrorism. Bartkus was killed by the detonation, but no one else was killed as the center was empty during the time of the explosion. 

The FBI reportedly found possible links between the suspect and an online forum post in which he contemplated suicide via an explosive device, as well as a YouTube account with a history of videos of homemade explosives. Authorities say they are investigating the suspect’s “manifesto,” which reportedly contained the anti-natalist ideology known as “Efilism.” 

Abortions continue to rise after Dobbs, report confirms 

More than 1.1 million abortions took place from July 2023 to June 2024, according to a recent Charlotte Lozier Institute report compiling available abortion data. 

In a first-of-its-kind report, the analysis compiles abortion totals from various abortionists and other data. Because there is no federal abortion reporting requirement, abortion totals are not definitive, the report noted. The report also found that “thousands upon thousands” of self-managed chemical abortions occur outside the health care system. 

The report found that there are more than 770 abortion centers as well as mail-order abortion drugs being made available through 142 U.S.-based organizations and eight websites operating outside the U.S. health care system. Most abortions happen inside a woman’s home, though out-of-state abortions are on the rise, increasing by 126% from 2020 to 2023, according to the report. 

Hundreds of pro-life Oregonians gather for March for Life

Hundreds of Oregonians gathered outside the state Capitol in Salem, Oregon, on May 17 for the annual Oregon March for Life. 

This year’s theme — “Support Her. Protect Them” — is designed to “emphasize the pro-life movement’s care for both mothers and their babies,” according to organizers. On display at the event was an animated counter depicting the impact of abortion: 63 million lives lost. 

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, who was one of several pro-life voices speaking at the event, said: “It never ceases to have a deep impact on me when we see, visually, the real impact that the tragedy of abortion has had in our country.” 

Other pro-life leaders and legislators spoke at the event, including Oregon Right to Life President Melody Durrett, Western Seminary theology professor Gerry Breshears, and Oregon Republican Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson. 

Oregon Right to Life executive director Lois Anderson called the gathering “deeply inspiring and encouraging,” noting that the March for Life “always renews my sense of optimism for ending abortion and building a culture of life in our state.”

The event is held in May to mark the month that Oregon legalized abortion statewide in 1969. Abortions are legal during all nine months of pregnancy in Oregon, and taxpayer funding contributes to more than half of abortions performed in the state, according to Oregon Right to Life.

Judge strikes down regulation requiring employers to accommodate abortions 

A Louisiana federal judge struck down a Biden-era regulation on Wednesday that required employers to accommodate employees’ abortions. 

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulation in question included abortion under pregnancy-related conditions that employers are required to accommodate under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. U.S. District Judge David Joseph of the Western District of Louisiana ruled that in its enforcement of that law, the EEOC had overstepped its bounds by including abortion in the category of pregnancy-related conditions.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act requires most employers to accommodate workers’ limitations due to pregnancy and childbirth. In 2024, the EEOC determined that these protections included abortion. In response, the states of Louisiana and Mississippi and four Catholic organizations challenged the rule. 

U.S. House moves to repeal FACE Act 

The U.S. House of Representatives is taking steps to repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a law allegedly weaponized against pro-life activists under the Biden administration. 

The House Judiciary Committee held a markup of a series of bills, including the FACE Act Repeal Act of 2025, on Wednesday.

The FACE Act, which has been federal law for 30 years, imposes harsher prison sentences for people who obstruct access to abortion clinics or pro-life pregnancy resource centers. However, under President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the law was almost exclusively used to convict pro-life demonstrators. Using the FACE Act, dozens of pro-life activists were imprisoned for blocking clinic entrances during protests and other forms of protest. 

Texas Congressman Chip Roy, who has previously worked to repeal the FACE Act, introduced the FACE Act Repeal Act of 2025 in January. The FACE Act has also been used against pro-abortion activists who defaced life-affirming clinics.

Florida court strikes down law promoting abortion access for minors 

A Florida appeals court on Wednesday ruled that a law that lets minors get abortions without their parents’ consent was unconstitutional. The court found that the state’s judicial waiver law violated the 14th Amendment right to due process for parents. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal cited parental rights laws as well as a recent ruling by the Florida Supreme Court and the 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson U.S. Supreme Court ruling. 

A young woman is baptized at the 2024 Easter vigil at St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M. / Credit: Courtesy of St. Mary’s Catholic Center, Texas A&M

CNA Staff, May 23, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

The election of Pope Leo XIV earlier this month has — at least according to Google search data — led to a renewed interest in people searching for information on how to “become Catholic.”

This follows several years of anecdotal reports of a surge of people joining the Catholic Church, especially among young people, across many dioceses in numerous countries. 

The Catholic Church’s requirements to join may seem, at first, to be complicated. The process involves some important rites of initiation as well as spiritual preparation, fellowship with other Catholics and prospective Catholics, and instruction in the teachings of the faith. 

Here’s a guide to becoming Catholic in 2025. 

1) Are you baptized?

There are three sacraments in particular, known as the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” that a person must receive in order to come fully into communion with the Church that Christ founded, and baptism is always the first. (A sacrament is a visible sign of God’s grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to his Church; the Church has seven of them total.) 

The other two sacraments of initiation are the receiving of Christ’s body and blood via the Eucharist, also called holy Communion, and confirmation — whereby the Holy Spirit “confirms and strengthens baptismal grace” within a baptized Catholic. 

A simple baptisimal formula, drawn from Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:19, is necessary for baptism: “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The celebrant pours water on the head of the baptized, or immerses him or her in water.

In the vast majority of cases, Catholic clergy — deacons, priests, or bishops — are responsible for baptisms. But technically anybody, even non-Christians, can baptize in an emergency — such as in cases where a prospective Christian, even an infant, is in imminent danger of death — as long as the correct formula and water are used. 

If you know for a fact that you’ve never been baptized before, go ahead and skip to item No. 2 below.

If you’ve been validly baptized as a Catholic at some point in your life, even as an infant, then technically you’re already Catholic. If you were baptized a long time ago at a Catholic church, that church likely still has a record of your baptism and can provide it to you if you ask. 

That said, if you’ve been baptized, confirmed, and made your first Communion but have drifted away from your Catholic faith, you can always return to full communion with the Church by going to the sacrament of confession, also called reconciliation or penance. And if you were baptized a long time ago but never received your first holy Communion or confirmation, you can do so after participation in a period of formation; talk to a priest to learn more if that’s your situation. 

If you’ve been baptized a Christian — but not a Catholic — that baptism is likely valid as long as it was done using the formula described above. But there’s more you must do before you’re fully in communion with the Catholic Church. 

2) Talk to a priest.

Contact a local Catholic parish — if you have Catholic friends, they can likely help you with this. The priest or parish leader of Christian initiation may want to meet with you to discuss your desire to become Catholic and help to guide you through the next steps of the process. 

3) Join OCIA.

The next step is to officially join OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. (This process was previously, for a long time, called RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, until a name change in 2021.) OCIA is the Church’s official process for initiating prospective Catholics into the Church who have attained the age of reason, generally around the age of 7. 

(Some individuals choose to arrange to have private instruction in the Catholic faith before formally entering the Church; however, the normative way to receive formation is through OCIA.)

The first step — if you are unbaptized — is entering the catechumenate; becoming known, thereafter, as a “catechumen.” Depending on where you are at in your faith journey, this stage can last for a period of several years, but usually less than one. You will ask someone who is a fully initiated Catholic who is 16 years old or older (among other requirements) to be your “sponsor” to help to guide you through the journey. 

It’s a unique time of learning and questioning that will involve taking classes, likely at your local parish, to learn more about the faith and reflect on how joining the Catholic Church will affect your life. Once you feel ready, the priest and parish team who are working with you may give you approval to make a request for baptism. 

If you are already a baptized Christian, however, this first step looks a little bit different. There’s a recognition that you’ve already given your life to Christ as a baptized Christian and may have been active in other Christian communities. You’ll become, instead of a catechumen, a “candidate.” 

You will likely go through a similar formation program to the catechumens, helping you understand and experience the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. (It’s worth noting here that while anyone can attend Mass and it’s definitely encouraged that you do so during this time, only Catholics in communion with the Church can receive the Eucharist, or holy Communion.)

The next stage before baptism, regardless of whether you’re a catechumen or a candidate, is called the “Rite of Election,” in which the catechumens and candidates gather with their sponsors and families, usually on the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is the Church’s special 40-day period of penance and preparation leading up to the joyful celebration of Christ’s resurrection at Easter. 

During the Rite of Election ceremony, you will share your desire to be baptized with the local bishop. Your name is written in a book and as a committed catechumen or candidate, you and your compatriots become known as “the elect.” The days of Lent are, for the elect, known as the “Period of Purification and Enlightenment.” Catholics are encouraged to pray for the catechumens and candidates as they near the end of their journey. By this time you will have chosen who you would like to be your godparent or godparents.

At the Easter Vigil Mass, which takes place the Saturday evening before Easter Sunday, catechumens will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, thereby coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. 

Candidates, having already been baptized, will make a profession of faith in the Catholic Church when they are ready to do so and will preferably be received into the Church on a Sunday during the year.

Before that, however, candidates will be required to go to the sacrament of confession and are encouraged to do so frequently during their formation. (Baptism wipes away all sins committed prior, so catechumens do not need to do this.)

After being received into the Church, newly initiated Catholics continue to be formed in their faith during what the Church calls the “Period of Mystagogy.” This lasts until Pentecost, the feast 50 days after Easter in which we celebrate the birth of the Church, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples.

Welcome home to the Catholic Church!

Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, May 23, 2025 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV’s emphasis on faith in the risen Christ is fundamental for the Church, particularly in Europe, Italian Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said.  

In an interview with ACI Stampa, CNA’s Italian-language news partner, the archbishop emeritus of Genoa and former president of the Italian Episcopal Conference said Pope Leo’s first public address after his May 8 election was an invitation for Catholics to deepen their faith in the centrality of Jesus Christ.

“The pope began [his pontificate] with ‘peace be with you’ and immediately continued ‘it is the peace of the risen Christ,’” Bagnasco told ACI Stampa’s Marco Mancini. “The two things must not be separated because the message of the Holy Father would be distorted.”  

“Peace comes from the risen Christ to the extent that we allow ourselves to be embraced by him,” he continued. “If we forget this centrality, we forget the foundation of all foundations, that is, Jesus.”

According to Bagnasco, the inclusion of Church Fathers’ writings in several of Leo XIV’s homilies and public addresses so far should not go unnoticed, including “one of the most significant expressions of St. Augustine: ‘We were made for you and our heart is restless until it rests in you.’”

Lamenting the rise of secularization eroding the faith of individuals and societies, the 82-year-old Italian cardinal said Europe is in great need of heeding Pope Leo’s message to rediscover its identity and faith in “the face of God who is Christ.”

“Unfortunately, it is a reality not of today but of decades, as we know,” Bagnasco told Mancini. “It seems that the European continent is forgetting its origins and this fact is not positive for Europe because it means forgetting its own face.”

“It is forgetting that the meeting between Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome took place here in Europe,” he said.

Though Bagnasco was unable to participate in the May 7–8 conclave that elected Leo XIV due to his age, he participated in the 12 general congregation meetings to discuss the state of the Church and discern the qualities the pope would need to lead Catholics worldwide. 

“What we always expect from the pope and what the entire Catholic world — but not only — expects is to be the point of reference, the confirmation of faith,” he said in the interview. “The mission that Christ gave to Peter is to announce on the rooftops a strong, clear, explicit faith and the evangelical charity that derives from it.”

On the continuity of the history of the Church and the popes, Bagnasco said Pope Leo XIV succeeds pontiffs who, with their own vision and qualities, have sought to lead the Church and confirm the faith of Catholics in a world troubled by various challenges.

“John Paul II with the disruptive force of his personality [led the Church] and before him Paul VI with the great event of the [Second Vatican] Council,” he told Mancini. “Benedict XVI was the great master in the face of modernity that is forgetting God and with God forgetting man.”

He continued: “And then Francis was attentive to the challenges of the time with the ongoing wars and other problems such as the relationship with nature and the people who move from one continent to another in search of a better life,” he said.

The flag of the European Union. / Credit: U. J. Alexander/Shutterstock

Vatican City, May 23, 2025 / 12:25 pm (CNA).

The leadership of the European bishops’ conference said Pope Leo XIV did not speak as much as he was “welcoming, available, and ready to listen” to their concerns during a meeting at the Vatican on Friday morning. 

The Russia-Ukraine war and the need to avoid rearmament in Europe was one of the central topics of the private meeting, according to Bishop Mariano Crociata, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), who spoke during a press conference after the audience, as was reported by SIR news agency. 

“The pope interacted with a certain immediacy, showing great concern that rearmament could have repercussions in terms of reducing social commitments for the weaker sections of society and shifting capital to arms,” the Italian bishop said.

COMECE Vice President Bishop Antoine Hérouard said their discussions emphasized ”the importance of working for a just peace, finding the right balance between peace and justice,” and the social and economic consequences if European countries give more funding to arms.

Other topics raised during what Crociata described as a “cordial and serene” meeting between the EU bishops and Pope Leo were the presence of populist movements in conflict with the values of the European Union and Europe’s demographic decline, which reinforces the continent’s need for migrants. 

The European bishops said they also raised concerns about the phenomenon of people asking to have their personal information removed from Church baptismal records. They stressed the need for European data protection legislation to respect religious freedom and the right and duty of parents to raise and educate their children. 

Cardinal William Goh, the archbishop of Singapore. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 4.0

CNA Deutsch, May 23, 2025 / 11:55 am (CNA).

In an interview with the Daily Compass portal on Thursday, Cardinal William Goh, the archbishop of Singapore, said he hopes for greater doctrinal clarity from Pope Leo XIV. 

“If we are not clear about what the Church teaches, it is very difficult to work together in unity. Although both the so-called ‘left’ and ‘right’ of the Church are interested in promoting the mission of evangelization, there has been an internal division on certain issues such as marriage, LGBTQ+ rights, and transgender rights. These issues have divided the Church because, at a certain point, it became unclear what is right.”

The cardinal said that as an Augustinian, Pope Leo has “a solid foundation in the tradition and spirituality of St. Augustine.”

“At the same time,” Goh, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2022, said that Pope Leo “has worked in Peru and is familiar with situations of poverty and suffering. He also spent several years in Rome and is therefore familiar with the challenges facing the Curia. Having been prior general of his order, he has already demonstrated his leadership qualities. In his first public appearances, he was sober and cautious in what he said and did.”

He continued: “He seems to me to be a man who is aware that a pope’s statements are taken seriously, which is why he is cautious and prudent. This is to be welcomed because it means people won’t be confused. I believe he will be able to clarify doctrine and prevent the ‘left’ and the ‘right’ from fighting each other. He will not be ambiguous and will not leave the interpretation of his words open to individual interpretation.”

According to the website, Goh said about Pope Francis: “I believe that the least pleasant aspect of his pontificate was that his teachings appeared ambiguous in his attempt to reach everyone in terms of doctrine and morality.”  

Goh also addressed the issue of the traditional liturgy. 

“I personally believe there is no reason to discourage people who prefer the Tridentine Mass,” the cardinal said. “They are not doing anything wrong or sinful. Of course, the unity of the Church must be preserved, but we already have different rites, such as the Syro-Malabar rite. We can accept different forms of celebrating the Eucharist, so we should not suppress those who prefer the Tridentine rite.”

Ultimately, he said, “it is not the rite or the form of celebration that matters” but rather “whether one encounters God deeply.”

Goh said he does not celebrate in the traditional form, “but I’m not against those who celebrate it. In my country, there’s a small group of about 300 people, mostly young professionals. Sometimes I ask them, ‘Why do you prefer this celebration?’ They reply that they find it more thoughtful and contemplative and that it brings them closer to God. Why should I discourage them?”

He continued: “If they reject the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, that would of course be a completely different matter, and they should be disciplined. But they don’t, and therefore I don’t think we should discriminate against them. After all, this is the Mass that has been celebrated for hundreds of years, isn’t it?”

This story was first published by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-langauage news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV smiles during his first general audience in St. Peter’s Square on May 21, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 23, 2025 / 09:14 am (CNA).

Follow our live coverage as Pope Leo XIV, first U.S.-born pope in history, begins his pontificate: Experience history in the making with former Cardinal Robert Prevost.

Cologne Cathedral in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. / Credit: Rudolf Gehrig/CNA Deutsch

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 23, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week:

New statistics show increase in crimes against churches and Christians in Germany

The Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office found that attacks against German churches increased by 20% in 2024, with a total of 111 registered crimes, reported CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner. Crimes against religious communities also increased, reaching 8,531 in 2024, compared with 7,029 in 2023. A 22% increase was reported in crimes against members and representatives of religious communities, jumping from 6,122 in 2023 to 7,504 in 2024. 

The German government reported that from the start of 2024 to Dec. 10, 2024, a total of 228 crimes with the subtopic “anti-Christian” were registered, including one homicide, 14 assaults, and 52 cases of property damage. During the same time period, 96 crimes with the subtopic “church” were recorded, including 47 cases of property damage.

New bishop of Diocese of Timika appointed after five-year vacancy 

Bishop Bernardus Bofitwos Baru was ordained bishop of Timika, Indonesia, on May 14 after a five-year vacancy following former Bishop John Philip Saklil’s death. More than 10,000 Catholics and 33 bishops attended the ordination service to celebrate the second Indigenous priest to receive episopal ordination and the first Augustinian bishop in Indonesia, Agencia Fides reported.

“This ordination is a sign of the Holy See’s great concern for the Catholic faithful in Papua,” said apostolic nuncio Archbishop Piero Pioppo at the event.

Baru thanked the faithful for his ordination and shared that listening, dialogue, and cooperation will be the cornerstones of his episcopal ministry. “Our relations must be based on love, friendship, and human exchange. We are called to open doors for one another,” he said.

Catholic organizations and environmental agencies criticize lifting of mining ban in Philippines

Church leaders and environmental groups have criticized a top court verdict nullifying a moratorium that paused mining in the Occidental Mindoro province for 25 years. On May 15, the court in the Philippines ruled that the province could not continue a ban in such a large-scale mining area, Union of Catholic Asian News reported. 

In a joint statement, the Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose and the Catholic charity Caritas International said the lifting of the ban is a cause for “deep concern” and it ignores past suffering of communities across Occidental Mindoro.

“While we recognize the authority of the state to manage our natural resources, we echo Pope Francis’ warning against a technocratic paradigm that values economic gain over human dignity and ecological balance,” the statement said.

Kidnapped priest in Cameroon released

Father Valentin Mbaïbarem, priest at St. John the Baptist Parish, was released by his abductors this week after he was taken hostage on May 7 in northern Cameroon. Mbaïbarem was kidnapped with five other individuals, four of whom were freed and one who was killed, according to ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of 25 million CFA francs ($42,750) for Mbaïbarem’s release.

Bishop Ambassa Ndjodo of Garoua, Cameroon, said: “As an archdiocese, we did not pay any amount for the release of our priest. I do not know if others have done so,” according to Fides News Service. Ndjodo thanked “all who prayed for [Mbaïbarem]” and asked “for the Lord’s blessing on all who contributed to this outcome.”

Monastery in Iraq rekindles mission of peace and healing

The Lebanese monastery of Brothers of the Cross and Sisters of the Crucified is providing love and service to those in Iraq. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Brother Mary Salibo decided to stay in Qaraqosh, Iraq, to serve by establishing the monastery, rebuilding a local church, and holding retreats for youth and families to provide comfort amid war, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA, reported. 

The two orders were originally founded in Lebanon in the 1980s and 1990s but spread to Iraq after the monastery opened. The brothers and sisters continue their mission today by offering spiritual guidance and supporting the sick and marginalized in the area. Their ministry has now expanded to cities in southern Iraq and Karamles, a Christian village located in northern Iraq.

Former homeless people in Brazil help build housing for 200 people

The Belém Mission in São Paulo, Brazil, has began construction on a 17-story building that will house 200 homeless people. About 95% of the workers building the new structure are former homeless people rescued by the Belém Mission, according to CNA’s Portuguese-language news partner, ACI Digital. 

“Normally, we would look for professionals in the market, but, like a miracle, we found these people who know how to work in the different areas of a construction site but who also have love for the Belém Mission,” Antonio Walter, the engineer responsible for the project, told ACI Digital. 

The building is expected to be finished within the next two and half years. “One step at a time, one donation at a time … we will get there,” said Father Gianpietro Carraro, the priest who founded the Belém Mission. “And we thank God because, with the kindness of so many people, we are able to move forward.”

Bishop Francisco Javier Acero with the mothers of the disappeared and priests. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Bishop Acero

Puebla, Mexico, May 23, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Amid a wave of violence that has shaken Mexico, including the murder this week of two high-ranking officials in the capital, the Catholic Church is redoubling its efforts to restore peace.

Through the National Dialogue for Peace and more than 300 initiatives across the country, bishops, priests, and laypeople are working to train mediators, provide mental health care, and support victims, taking risks and embracing hope, even though, as Church leaders themselves warn, “you can’t dialogue with organized crime.”

The bishops of Mexico, along with various organizations, launched the National Peace Dialogue initiative following the 2022 murders of Jesuit priests Javier Campos and Joaquín Mora. While various initiatives promoted by the Catholic Church already existed in the country, this proposal sought to strengthen all those efforts.

According to the National Peace Dialogue website, over a year and a half, input was gathered in a series of forums from thousands of people and institutions across the country. From this process, the National Peace Agenda was developed, which resulted in concrete commitments. Currently, the organization is working to implement action steps at the local, state, and national levels “to project a viable and shared future.”

Catholic Church peace efforts

At a press conference in Mexico City, Father Jorge Atilano González, SJ, executive director of the National Dialogue for Peace, told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that about 300 initiatives are being carried out to reduce violence in the country.

He said, for example, that in the Sierra Tarahumara, in the north of the country, “the issue of mental health among Indigenous youth and families is being addressed.”

In Oaxaca, he continued, “work is being done to train conflict mediators”; while in Monterrey, Nuevo León, work is being done on “evaluating the mental health situation among high school students, to develop proposals on how to address this situation,” among other initiatives.

“Here in Mexico City, we are in conversations with the mayor’s offices to promote processes that include rebuilding the social fabric, addressing addictions, and reintegrating people released from prison. These are examples of what the Church is doing,” the Jesuit priest said.

All the proposals can be found on the National Dialogue for Peace website, which details that these 300 actions are divided into 14 local and seven national initiatives across the country.

During the conference, Atilano emphasized that, despite the danger this represents for members of the Catholic Church who are implementing these projects, “we take the risk of being close to the communities, of accompanying them, and of working to build community and family, so that we have the foundations that will allow us to restore peace to the country.”

‘You can’t dialogue with organized crime’

At the same conference, Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Acero of the Archdiocese of Mexico City made an urgent call to all of society to “work with community, closeness, listening, and concrete actions from the heart of the Gospel” to promote peace.

This exhortation comes in the context that from January through March alone, at least 1,321 “crimes of extreme violence that can be classified as atrocities” were committed in the country, according to the study titled “Gallery of Horror: Atrocities and High-Impact Events Reported in the Media,” conducted by the organization Common Cause.

Faced with this reality, Acero urged parishes and communities to “create spaces for encounter, listening, training in nonviolence, support for victims, and prevention programs.”

Asked whether bishops or priests in Mexico City are seeking to meet with organized crime groups as a way to reduce crime rates, Acero stated that “you can’t dialogue with organized crime. When there’s blood involved, there will be no dialogue.”

However, he clarified: “We mediate. To stop them from killing, I, and the bishops, will get down on our knees. But from here we tell them: ‘Enough is enough. Stop killing, leave the people in peace.’”

“We will mediate for the people of God, but we’re not going to give in at gunpoint. We want echoes of peace and love, not the sound of gunfire,” the prelate added.

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

“I have never seen anything like this,” said Jerikah McCloud, 23, who looks out the destroyed second floor of her family home in the Academy neighborhood of St. Louis on Saturday, May 17, 2025, after the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado struck the city the day before. / Credit: Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP

St. Louis, Mo., May 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The people of northern St. Louis continue to pick up the pieces — assisted by Catholic Charities — after a massive tornado hit the city last week, with a full recovery likely taking multiple years. 

The mile-wide EF-3 tornado tore through the northern part of St. Louis on May 16, causing over $1.6 billion in damage and leaving at least five people dead, including a woman who was killed when the steeple of a Christian church collapsed on her. Much of the destruction affected some of the poorest parts of the city.

Father Scott Scheiderer, who pastors a group of parishes located in one of St. Louis’ hardest-hit areas — “right near ground zero” — said many of the residents there are impoverished and lack insurance, making ongoing assistance critical.

“I started driving through these neighborhoods, and my goodness; the devastation. I mean, words cannot describe. It is just horrific,” Scheiderer told CNA. 

“We [at the parish] took on some damage … But I mean, this is total devastation. Words cannot describe some of these neighborhoods. I mean, they’re just totally gone … People have lost their houses. I talked with them. They have no way to rebuild.”

“The call to help, to be the love of Christ in this time, is just so great right now. So we’re just trying to respond as best we can,” he continued.

The Archdiocese of St. Louis will hold a special collection at Masses May 24-25 or May 31-June 1 to benefit those most affected by the storm, with the funds going to Catholic Charities, the St. Louis Review reported. The St. Augustine Wellston Center, a Catholic food bank, is also taking material and financial donations. 

The twister damaged at least 5,000 structures, and Mayor Cara Spencer said Thursday that FEMA operatives have been on the ground in St. Louis doing assessments. The tornado outbreak on May 16 also spawned tornadoes in Kentucky, Illinois, and Indiana killing at least 28 people total and injuring dozens. 

Among the confirmed dead in St. Louis after the storm is Patricia Penelton, a longtime volunteer at St. Louis’ Centennial Christian Church who was reportedly at the church bagging lunches to distribute after the storm. She was killed when the bell tower and roof of the 121-year-old church collapsed in the tornado. 

None of the Catholic church buildings in the area suffered catastrophic damage. St. Peter Claver Parish, which has a predominantly African American congregation, lost the roof from its school gym, but crews were able to fix it quickly. Numerous large trees were downed all along the tornado’s path, including all around St. Matthew the Apostle, which is part of the St. Peter Claver Parish grouping. 

Father Scott Jones, episcopal vicar for the archdiocese’ northern vicariate, told CNA that by far the greatest need in the area right now is “immediate assistance to those without homes who are living in cars, makeshift shelters, and other locations. Many areas are still without power.” 

The area where the devastation was greatest is North City, which was already economically disadvantaged, Jones told CNA in written comments. Despite the widespread devastation there, “there is a strong commitment to working together with other denominations and agencies in getting assistance to those with the greatest need,” Jones said. 

“Having served there in the past, I can attest that the faith of the people is very strong. I’ve been in contact with the pastors and parishioners and they are holding up well,” he said. 

“People are volunteering in droves, which is heartening. The greatest need right now is money, however … People are stepping up and hopefully will continue to do so once the initial reporting concludes. We are also reallocating archdiocesan resources. For example, my vicariate received a $50,000 grant for formation and my staff and I reworked our budget to donate half to Catholic Charities.”

Jones said they will gladly accept sanitizing supplies, food, and water for the many volunteers who are pitching in to clean up debris, clear blocked streets, and assist residents in securing their homes — along with all the prayer they can get. 

Jared Bryson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis (CCSTL), told CNA in an interview that the people of north St. Louis he has met with are already referring to the tornado as a “Katrina-level” event, harkening back to the disastrous 2005 hurricane that crippled New Orleans for years. 

He said CCSTL’s director of disaster services has been working with emergency managers, the other voluntary organizations that are part of disaster services and recovery, and other nonprofits at an emergency incident command center.

CCSTL is currently accepting donations to help more than 1,500 individuals and families who have reached out through the Catholic Charities website seeking support. Bryson reiterated that many of the people who lost homes in the tornado have no insurance and little money to rebuild. 

Numerous neighbors have stepped up to help in the wake of the storm, but going forward some of the biggest needs “are really financial,” and if aid is not carefully organized and coordinated, “it really causes more problems than it helps,” Bryson continued. 

Highlighting the long-term nature of the recovery effort, Bryson noted that CCSTL only just wrapped up its efforts helping community members recover from a local flooding event that occurred two years ago. Recovery from this tornado will likely take even longer. 

“We’re the organization that works in the communities to get resources until we can actually get other resources around. Sometimes we’re waiting for the FEMA declaration to help with some of that process. But we still need community resources to really build back the lives of these folks,” he said, with those resources including mental health counseling, given the trauma many people experienced. 

He told the story of one woman he encountered after the storm who had lived in her historic, red-brick North City home for almost 80 years and had no insurance despite owning the house outright. Her house, sadly, is “just gone,” Bryson said. 

“After we get past this initial shock and awe moment, people will lose interest in this story,” he said, noting that especially during the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope, Catholics should continue to point to their ultimate hope in Jesus to help restore the spirit of a community affected by such profound material loss.

“This is a multiyear recovery, [and] we are there not only in the incidents when it happens, we are there several years later when we’re still trying to recover the community … You’re not going to rebuild neighborhoods and houses overnight.”

‘The boldness to step forward’

Scheiderer was able to celebrate weekend Masses in the church last weekend at St. Matthew the Apostle — part of the St. Peter Claver Parish grouping he pastors — despite the electricity still being out. He said about 10-20 people still showed up. 

“It was a very beautiful Mass … thinking back to Jesus’ words, ‘I’ve earnestly desired to celebrate this’... there was such an earnest desire in my heart to celebrate the Mass because in doing that, I want to make him present,” Scheiderer said. 

“Once we’ve received that saving sacrifice and it’s filled us, now we need to go out and be the love of Christ for others.”

While many of the parish’s members live outside the parish boundaries, those who have lost homes have few prospects without sustained help, Scheiderer said. He said they are planning to set up a restricted fund for community relief efforts that people of goodwill will be able to donate to by mailing a check to the parish. 

In the meantime, the church is accepting supplies like nonperishable food, water, clothing of all sorts especially socks and underwear, as well as basic personal hygiene items, household items like toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning supplies.

“We’re going to have little stations here where people can come and get the necessary items they need. So we’re just trying to do everything we can to help, because it’s bad,” Scheiderer said. 

Scheiderer asked for prayers for his parish community and the whole of St. Louis; his parish community has started praying a rosary before every Mass. 

“We’re praying for all those who have tragically died and all their loved ones mourning their loss. We’re praying for all those who have been injured or hurt in any way. We’re praying for all those who have lost property, personal belongings, especially those of our parish. We’re praying for all those who have just been so generous in responding; first responders, medical professionals, service workers, city officials, state officials, all those who are just working around the clock. We’re really pouring out for them,” the priest said. 

“Then just a prayer for us, as a parish family, that we can really listen attentively to the Holy Spirit and how he’s calling us to help in this time, and that we have the courage and the boldness to step forward and follow God’s will wherever he’s leading us.”

Peru’s Minister of Foreign Trade and Tourism Desilú León explains the route for “Paths of Pope Leo XIV,” which will cover four regions in the country: Lambayeque, Piura, La Libertad, and Callao, key locations in the pastoral life of Pope Leo XIV. / Credit: Courtesy of Ministry of Trade and Tourism of Peru

Lima Newsroom, May 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, and the minister of foreign trade and tourism, Desilú León, have announced the launch of a new tourism route in the country.

The route, known as “Paths of Pope Leo XIV,” highlights the places where the Holy Father — formerly known as Bishop Robert Prevost — exercised his fruitful pastoral ministry in the Andean nation.

The route covers four of the country’s regions: Lambayeque, Piura, La Libertad, and Callao, key locations in the ministry of the man who is now Pope Leo XIV, the first Peruvian citizen to become pope.

“The Paths of Pope Leo XIV route will not only include Lambayeque — which we have established as the first destination, since the current pope was bishop of the Diocese of Chiclayo — but also the other places in Peru where he served,” the minister explained.

León added that on May 16 the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism established a technical committee to coordinate with mayors and regional authorities the necessary short-, medium-, and long-term actions.

“We need to work together here,” she stated, noting that the goal is to offer visitors not only a cultural experience but also a religious one.

The destinations that will be part of the route include: 

• In Chiclayo: St. Mary’s Cathedral; the Shrine of Our Lady of Peace; St. Peter of Monsefú Parish, where the image of Jesus of Nazareth Captive is venerated; St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Eten City, which houses the image of the Divine Child of the Miracle; and the Cross of Motupe

• In Piura: the Diocese of Chulucanas and the Augustinian Seminary

• In La Libertad: the Augustinian Convent of St. Thomas of Villanova and Our Lady of Monserrat Parish

• In Callao: the diocese where then-Bishop Prevost gave his blessing before being called to the Vatican

The minister said that in addition to churches and religious sites, the route will include other cultural attractions such as museums, beaches, and nature reserves. 

At the end of the presentation, a brief promotional video was shown summarizing the importance of the route and the spiritual legacy of Leo XIV in Peru.

“The route of Pope Leo XIV preserves the memory and the path of the Holy Father: towns, churches, and the faithful touched by his affection, his kindness, and his blessing,” the Spanish-language video explains.

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