Holy Trinity Catholic Church

Bishop Erik Varden. / Credit: Pål Johannes Nes

CNA Newsroom, Aug 30, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops of Norway have issued a pastoral letter calling on the faithful to be guided by Church teaching on human life and dignity in the country’s parliamentary election scheduled for Sept. 8. 

The bishops also voiced concern about growing political support for euthanasia.

In the letter dated for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time and released this weekend, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim and Bishop Fredrik Hansen of Oslo emphasized that voting is “not only a right; it is a demanding and weighty duty” for Norway’s approximately 160,000 Catholics.

“We are troubled by the apparent growth of support for euthanasia in our country and among our politicians,” they wrote.

“All who suffer from pain or illness should receive every form of care we can offer, as should their families and those who look after them. To ‘help’ someone die helps no one.”

The bishops stressed the inviolability of human life and dignity, declaring that “no person — whether an unborn child, the incurably ill, a newly arrived refugee, or a victim of violence or human trafficking — may be set aside or counted of lesser worth than the rich, the powerful, or the famous.”

“As your bishops, we wish to share a few thoughts with you before the election,” they continued. “It is not our role as bishops to tell you for whom to vote. Our hope is rather that the basic principles we outline here will aid your own discernment about which party to support.”

The pastoral letter comes as approximately 3.9 million eligible Norwegian voters prepare to choose representatives who will govern the country for the next four years.

Despite Catholics representing only about 3.5% of Norway’s population, the bishops emphasized their community’s responsibility to participate actively in civic life.

“Though Catholics are few in Norway, we may not disclaim our shared responsibility, either for society or for the well-being of our neighbor,” the bishops declared. “We therefore consider it especially important that all eligible Catholic voters make use of their vote and weigh their choices carefully before Election Day.”

The letter outlined several key areas where Catholic social teaching should inform voters’ decisions, including protection of human life “from conception to natural death,” religious freedom, strengthening families, caring for the poor, and Norway’s international responsibilities.

Beyond life issues, the prelates called attention to persistent poverty despite Norway’s reputation as a wealthy welfare state, noting that “each year we hear of people who cannot afford heat in winter or food at Christmas, and of children left out because family means are insufficient for school or leisure activities.”

The bishops also emphasized religious freedom as “rooted in human dignity,” declaring it “essential to ensure that everyone — individually and together with others — can seek faith and live responsibly in accordance with that faith.”

Varden and Hansen concluded their message by invoking Norway’s patron saint.

“St. Olav, Norway’s eternal king, helped found our country upon the values of the Gospel, upon the message and example of Jesus Christ,” they wrote. “At this election, let each of us recognize our responsibility to build upon the saint-king’s work.”

The Catholic Church in Norway has experienced significant growth in recent decades, with registered membership increasing from approximately 95,000 in 2015 to around 160,000 today, largely due to immigration from Catholic countries.

While advance voting began in July, Election Day has been set for Monday, Sept. 8.

The current government is led by the Labour Party under Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, with approximately 20 parties competing in the upcoming parliamentary election.

null / Credit: felipe caparros/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 30, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The United States is seeing the highest number of executions in more than a decade, with 30 executions so far in 2025. 

CNA has released three new interactive maps to show where each state in the U.S. stands on life issues — the protection of unborn life, assisted suicide, and the death penalty. The maps will be updated as new information on each issue becomes available.

Below is an analysis of the map that shows where each state stands on death penalty laws as of August 2025.

The death penalty in the U.S. 

The United States is split on the death penalty, which is also known as capital punishment. Twenty-three states have the death penalty, while 23 states have abolished it. In the remaining four states, executions have been temporarily paused via executive action, but the death penalty has not been abolished.

Of the states that have abolished the death penalty, Michigan took the lead, becoming the first state to abolish the death penalty in 1847. Alaska and Hawaii — both newer states — have never had the death penalty.

Five states (Idaho, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah) allow the death penalty via firing squad as an alternative to lethal injection.

The federal death penalty can be implemented for certain federal crimes in all 50 states as well as U.S. territories.

A total of 16 federal executions have occurred since the modern federal death penalty was instituted in 1988. 

The federal death penalty was found unconstitutional in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Furman v. Georgia in 1972, but it was later reinstated for certain offenses and then expanded by the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994. 

In 2024, President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of 37 men but left three men on death row.

Where does your state stand on the death penalty? 

Alabama: The death penalty is legal in Alabama. The state has one of the highest per capita execution rates in the nation, with 81 people executed since 1976.

Alaska: Alaska has never had the death penalty. Capital punishment was abolished by the territorial legislature two years before Alaska became a state. Hawaii and Alaska are the only states to have never had capital punishment in state law.

Arizona: The death penalty is currently legal in Arizona but has been paused for various reasons throughout the state’s history. In 2025 executions resumed in Arizona following a three-year pause.

Arkansas: Arkansas allows the death penalty if a defendant is found guilty of capital murder, defined as the premeditated and deliberate death of another person. In 2025, Arkansas became the fifth state to use nitrogen gas for executions.

California: California has had a moratorium on its death penalty since 2019.

Colorado: In 2020, Colorado abolished the death penalty.

Connecticut: In 2012, Connecticut abolished the death penalty for future crimes.

Delaware: The Delaware Supreme Court found capital punishment to be unconstitutional in 2016, and in 2024 Delaware repealed the state’s death penalty laws.

District of Columbia: The District of Columbia does not have a death penalty. It was repealed by the D.C. Council in 1981.

Florida: Florida allows the death penalty for first-degree murder and other capital felonies, including sexual battery. Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 ended requirements for juries to vote unanimously for capital punishment. DeSantis also signed legislation allowing capital punishment in the case of sexual battery of children.

Georgia: Georgia law allows the death penalty in cases where the defendants are at least 17 years old and commit certain homicides; for instance, if the method of homicide was depraved or if the defendant committed the murder in a public place threatening other people.

Hawaii: Hawaii abolished the death penalty in 1957 when it was still a territory, prior to becoming a state. Hawaii and Alaska are the only states to have never had capital punishment in state law.

Idaho: Idaho is one of five states to allow the death penalty by firing squads. In 2023, the state allowed this method due to a shortage of lethal-injection drugs. The method can be used if the state cannot obtain lethal-injection drugs.

Illinois: Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.

Indiana: In Indiana, the death penalty is legal in some murder cases with “aggravating circumstances” for someone 18 or older who is not intellectually disabled. Lethal injection is the only method of execution that is legal.

Iowa: Iowa abolished the death penalty in 1965. Though some capital punishment proponents have attempted to bring it back over the years, none have succeeded.

Kansas: The death penalty is legal in Kansas, but the state has not executed anyone since 1994. Kansas has abolished and reinstated the death penalty several times.

Kentucky: The death penalty is legal in Kentucky for those convicted of murder with aggravating circumstances.

Louisiana: The death penalty is legal in Louisiana.

Maine: Maine abolished the death penalty in 1887.

Maryland: Maryland abolished the death penalty in 2013.

Massachusetts: Massachusetts abolished the death penalty in 1984.

Michigan: Michigan was the first state — and the first government in the English-speaking world — to abolish the death penalty. It abolished capital punishment in its constitution in 1847.

Minnesota: In 1911, Minnesota abolished the death penalty via the state Legislature.

Mississippi: Mississippi is one of five states to allow the death penalty by firing squad.

Missouri: Capital punishment is legal in Missouri, typically for first-degree murder with aggravating factors.

Montana: The death penalty is legal in Montana.

Nebraska: Though Nebraska lawmakers have debated abolishing the death penalty in recent years, it remains legal.

Nevada: The death penalty is legal in Nevada in first-degree murder cases with at least one aggravating circumstance.

New Hampshire: New Hampshire abolished the death penalty in 2019 after the state Legislature overrode the governor’s veto of the repeal bill.

New Jersey: New Jersey abolished the death penalty in 2007.

New Mexico: New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2009.

New York: In 2004, the New York Court of Appeals declared New York’s death penalty law unconstitutional.

North Carolina: The death penalty is legal in North Carolina for first-degree murder cases with an aggravating factor. The state law has 11 aggravating factors, including for sexual offenses, cruelty, and murder of a witness or law enforcement officer.

North Dakota: In 1973, North Dakota abolished the death penalty.

Ohio: In 2020, Gov. Mike DeWine declared a moratorium on the death penalty in Ohio.

Oklahoma: Oklahoma has the highest per capita state execution rate, with 127 executions from 1976–2024. Oklahoma is one of five states to allow capital punishment by firing squad.

Oregon: Executions have been paused as Oregon has had a moratorium on the death penalty since 2011.

Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania has had a moratorium on executions since 2015.

Rhode Island: Rhode Island abolished the death penalty in 1852. The state briefly reinstated it in 1872, but it never carried out another execution.

South Carolina: South Carolina is one of five states to allow the death penalty by firing squad.

South Dakota: In South Dakota, the death penalty is legal only in cases where someone dies. Those who are declared insane or those with mental disabilities cannot be sentenced to capital punishment.

Tennessee: The death penalty is legal in Tennessee. In 2022, Gov. Bill Lee placed a moratorium on capital punishment for review of lethal injection protocols, but executions recently reopened.

Texas: Texas has the second-highest per capita state execution rate, with 101 executions from 1976–2024.

Utah: Utah is one of five states to allow the death penalty by firing squad, and it has been requested twice in recent years. States with this option usually allow defendants to choose, as some say it is less painful and more instantaneous than lethal injection, which at times has taken hours to cause death.

Vermont: Vermont abolished the death penalty in 1972 after the U.S. Supreme Court — for a brief period of time — declared the punishment unconstitutional in Furman v. Georgia.

Virginia: Virginia abolished the death penalty in 2021.

Washington: In 2018, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional, citing racial bias and arbitrariness. In 2023, capital punishment was formally removed from state law.

West Virginia: West Virginia abolished the death penalty in 1965, though there have been attempts to reinstate it in recent years.

Wisconsin: Wisconsin abolished the death penalty in 1953, one of the first states to do so.

Wyoming: The death penalty by lethal injection is legal in Wyoming. It is not allowed if the person is mentally incapacitated or pregnant.

Federal: The death penalty is legal on a federal level in the United States of America. The Trump administration restored the death penalty on Jan. 20, 2025, via an executive order.

Catholic Church teaching on the death penalty

In 2018, the Vatican developed the Church’s teaching on the death penalty, with Pope Francis updating the Catechism of the Catholic Church to reflect that the death penalty is “inadmissible” in the contemporary landscape. 

Previous teaching in the catechism issued during the pontificate of St. John Paul II permitted the death penalty in “very rare” cases, saying that “cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender ‘today ... are very rare, if not practically nonexistent” (CCC, 2267, pre-2018).

null / Credit: Trevor Owens via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 30, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Here’s a roundup of the latest Catholic education news in the United States:

Catholic University of America professor receives $3.89 million for study on beauty

Brandon Vaidyanathan, a professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America, has received a $3.89 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation for a “first-of-its-kind, large-scale international study of beauty,” the university announced.

“The project will serve as a powerful catalyst to spur scholars, practitioners, and communities to take beauty seriously as a force for good in the world,” Vaidyanathan said.

Titled after a question posed by Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky, “Can Beauty Save the World? Aesthetic Engagement Among the Spiritual But Not Religious,” will center on understanding how experiences of beauty generate “a sense of meaning and transcendence” the university indicated.

St. Louis University launches yearlong AI series amid debates over rising use

St. Louis University has announced its College of Philosophy and Letters and its Catholic Studies program will host a yearlong program, “The Pope Leo Series on AI and the Social Teachings of the Church.”

The series, which launched on Aug. 27 with an event on AI and the future of work, will consist of a monthly panel examining AI from a different aspect of Catholic social teaching and will feature a variety of academic experts on the subject, according to a press release.

Future panels will examine how AI affects education, health care, warfare, how man relates to God, and society and human relationships.

Held in the university’s Catholic Studies Center, all panels will be free to the public. A representative of the university told CNA the series will be recorded but not livestreamed. 

“The goal of this series is to promote integration and interdisciplinary dialogue about artificial intelligence and its impact through sustained shared reflection on the social teaching of the Church, using as a springboard a Vatican document recommended by the new pope: Antiqua et Nova,” the university stated. 

Villanova University granted $822,258 for Augustinian project

Wake Forest University and Lilly Endowment Inc. have awarded Villanova University $822,258 to go toward its “Educating Augustinian Character” project and to support the creation of an “Augustinian Ambassadors” program for undergraduates. 

The grant will also benefit efforts “to make Augustinian character formation deeper and more accessible,” according to a press release from the university.

“This grant gives us the capacity to expand our efforts to advance our formative programming in a way that’s robustly Augustinian while also bringing in the fruits of a larger national conversation around universities and character education,” said one of the program’s co-directors, Anna Bonta Moreland.

Villanova is the alma mater of Pope Leo XIV, who is an Augustinian religious.

CAFOD and Caritas Sudan provide cash assistance to IDPs in Kost, Shite Nile State in Sudan. / Credit: CAFOD

ACI Africa, Aug 30, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In one of the worst and most underreported humanitarian crises in the world, taking place in the northern Darfur region of Sudan, aid agencies have struggled to reach the desperate while lamenting the lack of global media coverage of what is happening there.

The country representative for Sudan for the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Telley Sadia, recently spoke to ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, about the growing humanitarian crisis in Sudan and the need for the international press to give it “a voice.”

“This is one of the biggest humanitarian situations in the world, which, unfortunately, has not received much international press,” said Sadia, who has worked in Sudan for many years. “My message is to the media: Sudan needs a voice. I look forward to the day when the world will be made aware of what is actually happening in this country.”

His comments echo the sentiments of the executive director of CAFOD, Christine Allen, who in an Aug. 2 interview told ACI Africa that in the U.K., “trying to get coverage on the media or political interest in Sudan has just been almost impossible.”

Below is part of the interview Sadia gave to ACI Africa about what is happening on the ground right now in northern Darfur and the role CAFOD is playing to assist those in need as they continue to find innovative ways to deliver water, medicine, and different forms of aid to the people.

ACI Africa: What is the current general humanitarian situation of Sudan?

Telley Sadia: The situation isn’t good, especially in locations where fighting is still ongoing, like in the Darfur region and in the Kordofan region. Because of the fighting [two years of heavy fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces], lives are being lost. The infrastructure has been destroyed. People don’t have food. It is in Kordofan where you heard people were at one point feeding on leaves. In the Darfur, the situation is the same.

Accessibility to these places remains a challenge and getting aid to the people who are trapped there is not easy. People have lost their lives because of loss of blood or lack of adequate medical attention.

Children have lost about three years now of not going to school, especially in these locations. In locations such as Kosti where fighting has not been intense, schools have been converted to camps for people fleeing from places where there is still intense fighting. Children not going to school is a challenge that we are going to grapple with for a very long time even after the war is ended.

A majority of those staying in crowded camps are women, children, and the elderly. Most of them are really traumatized. The Sudanese, especially those in the Darfur region, have experienced war before, but nothing came close to what they are witnessing now. Those in Khartoum, going north and in other parts of the east, had never experienced what they’re experiencing now. That is why many in camps are really traumatized.

Even in locations where there is no fighting, we are having economical challenges. The inflation is very high. Liquidity is at zero. It’s very rare to see hard currency. The old currency that was changed is now back into circulation because people don’t have money. Whatever they had that they couldn’t change because of the war is what they are using.

And then, it’s also making it difficult for agencies to easily meet their financial obligations because the banking systems are not efficient because of the situation. 

In what ways does CAFOD work with local partners and the Catholic Church on the ground?

CAFOD is a partner-led organization. We work with local partners because they are the ones who are closest to the people, and our desire is to strengthen their operational systems.

Some of these organizations are within the communities, and so, they can easily respond to the needs of the people. We work with Caritas Sudan and secular organizations located within these communities.

We also work with small Christian communities. The challenge, however, is that most humanitarian organizations fled when fighting intensified in north Darfur.

What are CAFOD’s success stories while intervening in the Sudanese crisis?

Beginning August last year up to early this year, we had a huge influx of IDPs [internally displaced people] across the country in about 11 states. Displaced people found refuge in Church premises. The Church was overwhelmed. There were no resources to meet the needs of the people and there was the fear of the outbreak of diseases, especially cholera. 

Fortunately, we had already launched the CAFOD Sudan Appeal, where we get support from well-wishers back in the U.K. From the appeal, we raised funds, and we were able to reach all the 11 states, in the Church premises where IDPs were gathering. We went around distributing food, water, and medication. Many people who came in injured were provided with care. 

We also worked with other mutual aid groups to support people who were camping in open spaces to provide them with hot meals and clean water. Our immediate response was appreciated by both the Church and the authorities.

What areas does CAFOD generally focus on in Sudan?

CAFOD started its operations as a grant management organization from the U.K. in the 1970s, and then it opened the country offices in 2004. Our work focuses on WASH [water, sanitation, and hygiene] as well as nutrition and protection. We are also doing emergency response for situations like floods and also support schools. We engage in sustainable livelihoods, and we are focusing quite a lot on agriculture and cash assistance.

How has the conflict impacted CAFOD’s operations?

We have been forced to close our offices in El Fashir. Now we are working through local partners who are based there, and things are not as they were before when we had CAFOD staff and an office in the city of El Fashir.

We also had to close our country offices in Khartoum, and this has been a great challenge because now we are operating from our few remaining field offices. This has been very inconvenient.

When war broke out, we had to downsize our staff as we monitored the situation. What we had for a long time was skeletal manpower as we worked mainly through partners, but as we stabilized again after the shock and started getting used to the situation, we had to bring in more new people as the needs grew.

We need to expand our protection program for the vulnerable and fast-track the WASH activities we put on hold for about five to six months. Some of our water projects are lagging behind, and we are fast-tracking them to reach at least 90% completion by the end of this year.

What areas in Sudan remain completely inaccessible to aid organizations?

There are areas where you can’t really access where there is active fighting. Like now, El Fashir town is completely inaccessible. For you to get to this place, you must first go to Chad. You fly to Egypt or Ethiopia, then connect to N’Djamena.

At the border between Chad and Sudan, you encounter a fresh set of challenges. You must first be cleared by Chad authorities. You get a visa, which sometimes takes days to process before you are cleared to proceed to Sudan.

There are also areas in-country that are not easily accessible because they are controlled by either of the warring parties. In many cases, there has not been any engagement between the parties to allow for safe passage for international agencies. Traveling to these areas is like traveling to another country altogether.

What I know is that El Fashir is not accessible. You can’t go in. Coming out is also a challenge because of the unending bombardments. There is fighting going on in other places such as West and South of Kordofan. What we only see are people coming out of these places to seek refuge. But it is still difficult for other people to go in, even humanitarian agencies.

What kind of support is most urgently needed from the international community right now?

Health care and food. Those who need urgent health care are the terminally ill who cannot access treatment because the systems have been broken down, as well as the women and teenage girls who have been abused and require trauma-related support.

People need food. I’ve been in Sudan for a number of years, and I never saw the number of women and children on the streets begging as it is now. All they want is something to eat. The issue of hunger is really serious, and it needs to be addressed. 

But the most urgent need for me is for some level of understanding to be reached so that people can have a break from all this stress, and for humanitarian agencies to have free access to places where there is so much need.

Who would you address in your final message concerning the situation in Sudan? 

My message is to the media: Sudan needs a voice. I look forward to the day when the world will be made aware of what is actually happening in this country. It is only this awareness that will create a change of attitude of the leaders of the two warring factions, so that they can give peace a chance. And by giving peace an opportunity, people will be able to get back to their normal lives.

This is one of the biggest humanitarian situations in the world, which, unfortunately, has not received much international press. Sudan is not heard. There isn’t much awareness on what is actually happening here. And because of this, not much pressure has been exerted on the warring parties to reach some level of compromise, so that there can be some level of peace for people to at least be a bit free. And also, for humanitarian agencies to have access to the parts of the country where the people have been caught in crossfire, where we cannot access. So, the humanitarian situation remains dire.

The information and interview for this story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Jan. 28, 2024. / Credit: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 29, 2025 / 18:52 pm (CNA).

News this week of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement sparked positive commentary from a wide cross-section of Catholics on social media, who anticipate a positive cultural shift from the marriage between the beloved pop star and Kansas City Chiefs tight end. 

“Expect a spike in marriage,” wrote marriage and family expert Brad Wilcox in a social media post. “Taylor and Travis put a ring on it.” 

“The Life of a Showgirl” singer announced her engagement to Kelce in an Aug. 26 Instagram post, captioned: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

Wilcox, the author of “Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization,” noted in another post the engagement came on the same day as a new study highlighting the value of marriage for women today.

The study, “In Pursuit: Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being,” found married women with children make up the majority of women ages 25 to 55 who describe themselves as “very happy.”

Swift’s engagement “as a sort of left-leaning pop celebrity could create a space where it’s OK again for center-left Americans, both elite and ordinary Americans, to publicly embrace marriage,” Wilcox also told the Wall Street Journal.

“Marriage is a beautiful thing,” Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins chimed in, reacting to the news on social media. 

She added: “I hope Taylor Swift’s engagement inspires young women to see the joy and purpose in getting married, starting a family, and committing to one person for the rest of their lives.” In another post, Hawkins expressed confidence that “America is heading into its ‘get married and have babies era.’”

Defending the singer against negative reactions on social media to the news of her engagement, CEO and founder of the Classical Learning Test Jeremy Wayne Tate wrote in a post on X: “I’m disappointed with some conservatives today … Boy proposed to girl to enter into the most traditional relationship in human history … marriage.”

“That’s a beautiful thing,” he added. “Just say congratulations.”

LiveAction President Lila Rose also congratulated the happy couple on social media and praised their decision to get married. 

“Marriage is the best and tons of women look up to Taylor,” Rose said. “So happy to see her embracing it.”

null / Credit: Deemerwha studio/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 29, 2025 / 18:13 pm (CNA).

After a man fired over a hundred bullets into a Minneapolis Catholic Church killing two children and injuring 17 others, thousands of mourners packed into an archdiocesan vigil to pray for the victims and their families with Archbishop Bernard Hebda and other clergy members.

“We know that there are a lot of other things that need to be done [and] we need to be able to address these issues in civic society, but what we do together tonight is to pray,” Hebda told grieving Catholics at the Academy of Holy Angels, just two miles from Annunciation Church, where the tragedy occurred.

“And we look for the words that are able to express inexpressible grief,” he said. “We look for those symbols that might bring some hope. … We come together in our trials and we trust that God will answer us, that he will hear our pain, that he will hear our prayers.”

Catholics across the country held their own vigils or offered prayers for the victims, as did many Protestants and people of other faiths.

Yet as communities sought comfort and a connection with God amid the tragedy, some figures in the media and even politicians went in the opposite direction. On social media and in public statements, those individuals derided prayer and dismissed its role in addressing suffering and societal ills.

“I’m tired of being told this is normal — and you should be too,” Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colorado, said in a post on X. “Thoughts and prayers aren’t going to do anything to fix this.”

Rep. Maxwell Frost, co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, echoed that sentiment, stating on X that “these children were probably praying when they were shot to death at Catholic school.”

“Don’t give us your [expletive] thoughts and prayers,” Frost added.

Jen Psaki, an MSNBC host who served in the administrations of former presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, wrote on X that “prayer is not freaking enough.”

“Prayers [do] not end school shootings,” she added. “Prayers do not make parents feel safe sending their kids to school. Prayer does not bring these kids back. Enough with the thoughts and prayers.”

Why Catholics turn to God in times of need

Over the past few days, Catholics and other Christians have pushed back on the negative view of prayer promoted by some lawmakers and members of the media.

In response to Psaki’s comments, Franciscan University explained through its X account that “prayer is not an escape from reality” but is rather “the very place we meet Christ, who himself was unjustly slain.”

“We will continue to pray, not because we are passive, but because we know only God can bring true justice, healing, and peace,” the university added. “Evil wants us to stop praying and to despair. We will not. We cling to Christ, who has conquered death.”

Franciscan University held a prayer vigil Thursday night for the victims, which about 500 students attended.

University President Father Dave Pivonka, TOR, told CNA: “It makes sense that Catholics would come together and pray given that [the shooting] took place at a Catholic church.” He added: “One of the things that Catholics do is we pray.”

The insinuation of anti-prayer rhetoric, Pivonka said, is that “prayer isn’t doing something.” He rejected that notion, saying “prayer has a great impact.” In the midst of tragedy, he noted that many people are looking to help and offering prayers for “the Lord’s peace to be with them [and] the Lord’s presence to be with them” is a “beautiful way to do that.”

Pivonka said he also prays for public officials, “that God would give them courage, that God would give them wisdom” to address political issues. He said Catholics should also engage society, the culture, and the political world.

He noted that Minnesota’s Catholic bishops had been asking state lawmakers to provide funds for security, which was ultimately not given. He said: “That’s a very active thing that they were trying to do.”

“Yes, we’re praying, but yes we’re doing actions to try to bring about this change,” Pivonka said.

Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, wrote in an op-ed for the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, that his diocese established a Mental Health Council to provide “guidance, responses, and resources to support those experiencing mental health issues as well as to their family members.”

He noted that Catholics can do “certainly, more than one thing,” such as security, mental health resources, engagement with public officials, and acts of charity and compassion.

“Above all, we can and must pray with daily fervency, calling out to the Lord, striving to remain close to him, and asking him to grant us all the peace only he can give,” Burbidge wrote.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, told Fox News Digital that “prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God, which strikes me as altogether appropriate precisely at times of great pain.”

“Prayer by no means stands in contrast to decisive moral action,” he said. “... This is not an either/or proposition.”

Vice President JD Vance, who is Catholic, also joined the conversation, posting on X in response to Psaki that any criticism of prayer is “bizarre.”

“We pray because our hearts are broken,” he wrote. “We pray because we know God listens. We pray because we know that God works in mysterious ways and can inspire us to further action. Why do you feel the need to attack other people for praying when kids were just killed praying?”

The Council of Nicaea in 325 as depicted in a fresco in Salone Sistino at the Vatican. / Credit: Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618), Cesare Nebbia (1534-1614) e aiuti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ACI Stampa, Aug 29, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Kurt Koch and Patriarch Bartholomew I, Eastern Orthodox ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, addressed the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea being celebrated in 2025 during the Rimini Meeting held Aug. 22–27.

In his presentation, Koch, the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, highlighted the importance of the doctrinal issues addressed by the council.

“With it, the Fathers professed their faith in ‘one God, the Father almighty, creator of all things visible and invisible’ ... And in the letter of the Synod to the Egyptians, the Fathers announced that the first real object of study was the fact that Arius and his followers were enemies of the faith and opposed to the law, and therefore affirmed that they had ‘unanimously decided to condemn with anathema his doctrine contrary to the faith, his blasphemous statements and descriptions, with which he insulted the Son of God,’” he noted.

“These statements,” he added, “delineate the context of the creed formulated by the council, which professes faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, ‘consubstantial with the Father.’ The historical context is that of a violent dispute that erupted in Christianity at the time, especially in the eastern part of the Roman Empire; it follows that, by the beginning of the fourth century, the Christological question had become the crucial issue of Christian monotheism.”

The Council of Nicaea placed Jesus’ prayer to the Father at the center of the profession, Koch said, adding: “The Christological creed of the council has become the basis of the common Christian faith. The council is of great importance, especially because it took place at a time when Christianity was not yet torn apart by the numerous divisions that would later arise. The Nicene Creed is common not only to the Oriental Churches, the Orthodox Churches, and the Catholic Church, but also to the ecclesial communities born of the Reformation; therefore, its ecumenical importance must not be underestimated.”

Only in this way is unity in the Church possible, he continued: “In fact, to restore the unity of the Church, there must be agreement on the essential contents of the faith, not only among the Churches and ecclesial communities of today but also with the Church of the past and, in particular, with its apostolic origin. The unity of the Church is founded on the apostolic faith, which in baptism is transmitted and entrusted to each new member of the body of Christ.”

He continued: “Since unity can be found only in the common faith, the Christological confession of the Council of Nicaea is revealed to be the foundation of spiritual ecumenism.”

“The ecumenical movement,” the cardinal noted, “has been a movement of prayer from its origins. It was prayer for Christian unity that paved the way for it. The centrality of prayer highlights that ecumenical commitment is, above all, a spiritual task, undertaken with the conviction that the Holy Spirit will complete the work he has begun and show us the way.”

Ecumenism can only progress “if Christians return together to the source of faith, which is found only in Jesus Christ, as the Council Fathers of Nicaea professed... Christian ecumenism can be nothing other than the adherence of all Christians to the Lord’s priestly prayer, and it materializes when Christians deeply embrace the firm desire for unity,” Koch said.

The importance of the Council of Nicaea was also underscored by Patriarch Bartholomew, who emphasized: “It is evident that this council played and continues to play a primary role in strict adherence to holy Scripture, and the Orthodox Church remains firmly anchored in it; a cornerstone for proclamation in the 17 centuries that followed.”

The patriarch of Constantinople addressed current issues such as synodality and a common date for the celebration of Easter.

“To be credible as Christians,” he noted, “we must celebrate the Savior’s resurrection on the same day. Together with Pope Francis, we have appointed a commission to study the issue. However, there are differing sensitivities among the Churches, and we must avoid new divisions, not fuel more divisions.”

The Orthodox leader said this requires a joint effort: “The effort to find a common date for Easter is an important pastoral objective, especially for couples and families of different faiths, and given the great mobility of people, especially during the holidays.”

“With a common Easter date,” Bartholomew continued, ”the profound conviction of the Christian faith could be expressed even more credibly: that Easter is not only the oldest but also the most important feast of Christianity, and that the Christian faith stands or falls with the Paschal Mystery, as the early Church summed up this fundamental conviction with the phrase: ‘Take away the Resurrection, and you instantly destroy Christianity.’ The fundamental importance of Easter would be highlighted by a common date, which would also give new impetus to the ecumenical journey toward restoring the unity of the Church in East and West in faith and love.” 

“Indeed, ecumenism also advances on the path toward recomposing the unity of the Church only if it is carried out jointly and, therefore, synodally. The fundamental importance of synodality for ecumenical commitment is clearly demonstrated by two important documents, such as the study ‘The Church Toward a Common Vision,’ which aspires to a multilateral and ecumenical vision of the nature, purpose, and mission of the Church,” the patriarch stated.

Bartholomew concluded by affirming the importance of the joint study: “This vision is also shared by the International Theological Commission in its programmatic document ‘Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church,’ which notes that ecumenical dialogue has progressed to the point of recognizing synodality as a ‘revelatory dimension of the nature of the Church.’”

“This historical overview helps us understand that the development of synodality in the life of the Church and of ecumenism must be implemented with theological accuracy and pastoral prudence. This lesson can also be learned by studying the Council of Nicaea,” the Orthodox patriarch concluded.

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

The Shrine of John the Baptist at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, believed to house the head of the saint. / Creidt: Photo courtesy of ACI MENA

ACI MENA, Aug 29, 2025 / 14:36 pm (CNA).

Each year on Aug. 29, the Church commemorates the beheading of John the Baptist, as recounted in the first three Gospels. The actual resting place of the saint remains uncertain, particularly the fate of his head, which became a focal point of devotion in the Middle Ages, with several sites claiming to possess it.

Today, four places are most often associated with the relic: the Residenz Museum in Munich; San Silvestro in Capite in Rome (upper part of the skull); Amiens Cathedral in France (the front portion of the head, from the forehead to the upper jaw, excluding the teeth); and finally, the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria, according to both Muslim and Christian tradition. However, there is no conclusive evidence that the head rests in any of these locations.

The Umayyad Mosque’s history predates Christianity. About 3,000 years ago, it was a temple dedicated to Hadad, the fertility god of the Arameans and other civilizations of the Fertile Crescent. When the Romans took control of Syria, they erected a vast temple to Jupiter on the site in the first century A.D. Later, under Emperor Theodosius I, Christianity was firmly established, and by the late fourth century, part of the pagan complex was converted to a church.

Scholars debate whether the church was built in the southwestern section of the Roman temple or directly within the Cella (Holy of Holies). While it is uncertain if the church was originally dedicated to John the Baptist, sources suggest that by the time the Arabs entered Damascus in 635, the church was indeed named after him and was believed to house his head. The relic may have been preserved inside or near the main altar.

Muslims left the church standing for about 70 years before the Umayyad Caliph, al-Walid I, ordered its demolition in 705 to build a grand mosque worthy of Damascus — then the capital of the Caliphate. Despite Christian opposition, the project went forward, and construction lasted about a decade.

According to the 12th-century historian Ibn Asakir, during construction workers discovered the relic of Yahya ibn Zakariya (John the Baptist in Islamic tradition) in a cave beneath one of the mosque’s planned pillars. Al-Walid ordered the relic to be reburied in its place, marking the column above it distinctly. A shrine for John the Baptist was later incorporated into the mosque, a detail also confirmed by the Andalusian traveler Ibn Jubayr.

Muslims honor John the Baptist as a prophet mentioned in the Qur’an, revered for his piety and truthfulness.

Christian traces remain visible in the mosque complex. These include a baptismal font thought to date from the church period, a partially destroyed stone relief on the outer wall believed by some to depict Christ, and the two Roman towers (southeastern and southwestern), which may have once served as bell towers before becoming the Minaret of Jesus and the Qaytbay Minaret. 

Particularly notable are Greek Christian inscriptions on the lintel of the southern gate of the Byzantine church complex, one quoting Psalm 145:13: “Your kingdom (O Christ) is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations.”

In modern times, the memory of John the Baptist at the Umayyad Mosque continues to bridge faith traditions. During his visit to Syria in 2001, Pope John Paul II entered the mosque and prayed at the shrine of the saint, highlighting its shared significance for Christians and Muslims alike.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 29, 2025, appointed Father Andres Ligot as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Jose, California. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Diocese of San Jose

Vatican City, Aug 29, 2025 / 14:06 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Andres Ligot as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Jose, California.

The bishop-elect is currently parish priest of St. Elizabeth of Portugal and vicar general of the San Jose Diocese.

Prior to his 2021 appointment to St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Ligot, 59, served as judicial vicar of the diocese from 2008 to 2021. 

Bishop Oscar Cantú expressed his gratitude for Ligot’s elevation to bishop in an Aug. 29 statement published on the diocesan website.

“His priestly heart, pastoral experience, and steady leadership will bless our parishes, schools, and ministries,” Cantú said. “I invite the faithful to keep him in prayer as he prepares for episcopal ordination.”

Ligot said he was “humbled” by the trust and support he has received from Pope Leo and Cantú and asked people to pray that he will continue to be a “faithful servant” within the diocese. 

“I renew my promise to serve Christ and his people with joy — especially those most in need,” he said in a statement published by his diocese. 

Ordained a priest in 1992 by Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of St. Peter in Rome for the Diocese of Laoag City, Philippines, Ligot was incardinated into the Diocese of San Jose on March 30, 2004.

Before his incardination to the California diocese, Ligot served as parish vicar for St. John Vianney Parish, San Jose, from 2003 to 2005. He was also a chaplain at the Veterans Medical Center in San Francisco and a visiting priest at the Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park.

From 2005 to 2009, the bishop-elect was parish priest of St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Parish in Santa Clara.

Ligot attended San Pablo College Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines, and later continued his priestly studies at the Bidasoa International Seminary in Navarra, Spain, where he obtained a master’s degree in theology. He later obtained a doctorate in canon law from the University of Navarra in Spain.

Ligot, who is fluent in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and Ilocano, will become the second auxiliary bishop appointed to the Diocese of San Jose and the sixth U.S. prelate from the Philippines.

Over $1 million has been raised through a GoFundMe campaign for victims of the shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. / Credit: Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Aug 29, 2025 / 12:21 pm (CNA).

Numerous online fundraising campaigns have raised well over $1 million to help support victims of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting that claimed the lives of two children and injured approximately 20 people. 

Verified GoFundMe fundraisers showed over $1.2 million raised as of the morning of Aug. 29, with the funds supporting those injured in the shooting as well as the family of one of the deceased children. 

The mass shooting took place on Aug. 27 when a gunman opened fire on the parochial school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. The killer subsequently took his own life. 

The GoFundMe campaigns created in response to the tragedy include one in support of the Moyski-Flavin family, whose 10-year-old daughter, Harper, was one of the two children killed in the shooting. The other victim has been identified as 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. 

The GoFundMe for Harper’s family says the funds will “be utilized by the family in honor of Harper’s memory with a portion donated in Harper’s honor to a nonprofit to be identified at a later date.” As of Friday morning it had raised about $80,000 of its $100,000 goal.

The largest campaign had raised roughly $530,000 of a $620,000 goal as of Friday morning to help support 12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who the fund said was “in critical condition in the ICU” after being shot during the attack.

The funds for that campaign will contribute to Sophia’s medical care, trauma counseling for her and her brother, family support services, and lost wages.

Other campaigns include fundraisers for 9-year-old Vivian St. Clair, 11-year-old Genevieve Bisek, and 13-year-old Endre Gunter.

‘Give your kids an extra hug’

In the hours after the shooting, family members of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel identified them as the two children killed in the incident, which the FBI is investigating as a possible hate crime against Catholics.

“Because of [the shooter’s] actions, we will never be allowed to hold [Fletcher], talk to him, play with him, and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming,” the Merkel family said after the shooting.

“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” the statement said. “Give your kids an extra hug and kiss today. We love you. Fletcher, you’ll always be with us.”

The Moyski-Flavin family, meanwhile, said they were “shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.” 

“No family should ever have to endure this kind of pain,” they said. “We urge our leaders and communities to take meaningful steps to address gun violence and the mental health crisis in this country.”

The other victims of the shooting are expected to survive, authorities have said, though several remain in serious condition.

Prior to carrying out the murders, the killer, identified as 23-year-old Robin Westman, a man who struggled with his sexual identity, indicated anti-Christian motivation for the murders and an affinity for mass shooters, Satanism, antisemitism, and racism.