We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

Consultant Surgeon Andrew Ready and his team conduct a live donor kidney transplant at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham on June 9, 2006, in Birmingham, England. / Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 18:17 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a sweeping reform initiative of the nation’s organ transplant system after a four-year investigation by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) uncovered systemic ethical and safety violations. 

The violations discovered during the investigation, outlined July 21 in an HHS press release, showed “that hospitals allowed the organ procurement process to begin when patients showed signs of life,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who called this “horrifying.”

“The organ procurement organizations that coordinate access to transplants will be held accountable,” Kennedy continued. “The entire system must be fixed to ensure that every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves.” 

The investigation identified major problems with organ procurement processes, including poor neurologic assessments, inadequate coordination with medical teams, questionable consent practices, and misclassification of causes of death, particularly in overdose cases. Smaller and rural hospitals were found to be especially vulnerable.

Joseph Meaney, former president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, said on “EWTN News Nightly” on July 22 that these problems are “extremely concerning” and that organ procurement processes have had “persistent flaws.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that organ donation after death “is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity.”

The donor or a proxy must consent, however, and organs cannot be removed until there is “moral certitude” a person is dead, Meaney said. “The Uniform Determination of Death Act says there has to be zero functioning in the brain to be able to declare a person brain dead … before any kind of vital organ donation process is initiated.”

The HRSA investigation was prompted by the troubling case of Anthony Thomas Hoover II. According to the New York Times, Hoover, now 36, was hospitalized four years ago in Kentucky for a drug overdose.

He was unresponsive for two days, and his family agreed to remove life support so his organs could be harvested.

A federally funded organ procurement organization (OPO) called Network for Hope (formerly known as Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates) began the process of procuring his organs even though he allegedly seemed to be improving. According to the Times, he was “thrashing on the bed” and subsequently sedated. 

Hospital staff became “uncomfortable with the amount of reflexes” the patient was exhibiting, and some began to call his organ procurement procedure “euthanasia,” though representatives of the procurement group told them it was not.

A physician refused to withdraw life support and continue with the organ procurement, despite pressure from the procurers. Hoover survived, though he suffers from neurological impairment.

The HRSA’s investigation of Network for Hope revealed 351 instances where organ donation was authorized but not completed. The results were alarming: 103 cases (29.3%) showed cause for concern, including 73 patients with neurological signs incompatible with organ donation.

Most disturbingly, at least 28 patients may not have been deceased when organ procurement began.

Network for Hope CEO Barry Massa said in a statement to CNA on July 22 that “patient safety is our top priority. Network for Hope looks forward to working collaboratively with HHS and HRSA and encourages the development of policies that support the betterment of the organ transplant system as a whole.”

Every state is served by one or more nonprofit organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that work with hospitals to manage organ donations.

HRSA has directed the implicated OPO to strengthen its patient safeguards and has mandated rigorous corrective actions. These include a root cause analysis of its failure to follow protocols, such as the five-minute observation rule post-death, and the development of clear donor eligibility criteria.

The organ procurement organization must also establish a procedure allowing staff to halt donation if safety concerns arise. Failure to comply risks decertification, a move Kennedy has vowed to enforce.

Father Tad Pacholczyk, a senior ethicist at the NCBC, applauded the new procedure to halt the process due to safety concerns, telling CNA that it is “a very sensible safeguard.”

Brain death vs. circulatory death

The HHS investigation revealed that some OPOs actively seek cardiac, or circulatory, death donors rather than brain death ones.

The majority of organ donations come from patients who are determined to have suffered death by neurologic criteria, or brain death, and whose bodies are being sustained mechanically to preserve organ viability. Organ donation following circulatory death, however, has seen significant growth, driven in part by the increased demand for organ transplants and federal pressure on procurement groups.

Unlike brain death, where patients are determined to be in an irreversible state with no brain activity, circulatory death involves patients who are typically comatose and on life support. 

These individuals retain some brain function but are deemed unlikely to recover based on medical assessments, which can involve the subjective judgment of the doctors. 

Meaney said there are “question marks” surrounding organ donations that result from the determination of circulatory death, or what he called “cardiac determination,” telling EWTN there is no uniform time clinicians must wait after the heart stops. Hospitals establish the amount of time that can pass before clinicians can determine someone has circulatory death, generally around five minutes.

In some of these cases, Meaney said “the extraction of the organs is actually the cause of death” for the patient.

About 20,000 organs last year were procured after a patient was said to have undergone circulatory death, representing one-third of all donations in the U.S, according to the New York Times. This figure is three times higher than it was five years ago, reflecting a rising reliance on this method.

When families consent to organ donation, once the transplant teams have arrived, the hospital discontinues life support and monitors the patient in the operating room until his or her heart stops. While hospitals oversee patient care until death, once there is cessation of cardiac activity for a sufficient amount of time, specialized surgical teams affiliated with the OPOs are often brought in to proceed with organ retrieval, which must occur quickly to ensure organs remain suitable for transplantation.

One neurointensivist who spoke to CNA on the condition of anonymity described OPOs as “vultures” who, after they are informed by the hospital that a patient is moribund and may become a potential organ donor, “set up shop” in a hospital.

The HRSA investigation found that OPOs sometimes pressure families and medical staff to expedite the organ retrieval process.

The HRSA’s proposed reforms are critical to maintaining public trust in organ donation. 

About 170 million Americans are currently listed as organ donors, but the number may go down as trust declines. 

Pacholczyk told CNA: “Many of us would like to become organ donors, but we have questions, even doubts, about whether we can ‘trust the system.’ One of the more widely articulated concerns is whether organs will be taken before patients are properly determined to be deceased, leading many individuals to decide against checking the box on their driver’s license.”

“Given the significant internal and external pressures to procure organs for transplantation today, and given the fact that our society no longer fully esteems the value of every human life, our organ procurement organizations must be subjected to a process of transparent and independent review,” Pacholczyk said.

Catholic influencer Alex Jurado, who runs the social media ministry Voice of Reason (right), and Bishop Artur Bubnevych of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Alexandro Jurado; photo courtesy of Father Artur Bubnevych

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 17:43 pm (CNA).

A popular Catholic influencer has been barred from public events in his local Church amid investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct.

Bishop Artur Bubnevych of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix issued a statement prohibiting Catholic personality Alex Jurado — who runs the social media ministry Voice of Reason — from public events while he is under investigation for allegations of sexually grooming an underage teenage girl when he was 21 years old.

CNA first reported on the allegations against Jurado on July 15. The Protestant website Protestia published a report alleging that “whistleblowers within the Catholic community” had revealed sexually explicit texts Jurado allegedly sent to a girl possibly as young as 14 years old when he himself was 21.

The popular Catholic apologist has sharply denied allegations. The influencer said in a statement on his Instagram page that the claims were untrue and that he is “voluntarily cooperating in an investigation that will allow the truth to come to light.”

“​​[T]he accusation that I was having an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old girl is a complete fabrication,” he said.

He added that he is “prepared to undergo legal action against those who have defamed me,” describing the allegations as an “awful and vicious rumor.”

On July 16, meanwhile, Bubnevych issued a statement to the clergy of his eparchy stating that Jurado, “a regular attendee at one of our parishes,” is prohibited from “any activity or involvement … occurring in any facilities of or events being sponsored by the Eparchy of Phoenix until further notice.”

“We will cooperate fully with any authorized investigations which may occur in this matter,” the bishop wrote in his statement, a copy of which was obtained by CNA. 

“We wish also to stress that our Safe Environment policies, which address the safeguarding and dignity of all persons, are taken most seriously and, with that in mind, I believe the action being taken is therefore warranted,” the bishop said. 

Amid the controversy, Catholic Answers, an apologetics nonprofit that produces the Catholic Answers Live radio show, removed a page featuring Jurado from its website. 

Jon Sorensen, chief operating officer at Catholic Answers, told CNA in an email that Jurado “has never been a staff member of Catholic Answers. He was an occasional guest on our radio program, ‘Catholic Answers Live,’ and, like all our radio guests, he had a profile page on Catholic.com.”

He added: “In light of the recent serious allegations about Alex, we have removed this profile from Catholic.com. We pray that the full truth may come to light, we pray for Alex, and we pray for everyone who may have been victimized, scandalized, or disedified by these reported events.”

Jurado has not responded to queries from CNA regarding the controversy.

Credit: Amanda Wayne/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 23, 2025 / 17:13 pm (CNA).

In the past year Florida has been the most successful state at protecting religious liberty through safeguards in the state’s statutes or constitution, while West Virginia has been the least successful, according to the fourth annual Religious Liberty in the States report from First Liberty Institute.

First Liberty — the largest legal organization in the U.S. dedicated solely to defending religious liberty — released its annual index ranking religious liberty protections for each of the 50 states. The report, conducted by the institute’s Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy (CRCD), focuses on select legal safeguards of religious exercise in laws and constitutions.

The 2025 report was revealed on July 21 by the CRCD team at an event with Gov. Ron DeSantis to celebrate Florida holding the No. 1 spot for the first time since the research started.

“Florida holds several No. 1 rankings, leading the nation in education, economy, and tourism — and now, Florida is No. 1 in religious liberty,” DeSantis said at the event. “Religious liberty is critical to the foundation and function of America, and I am proud that Florida excels in protecting this right.”

The report assigns a percentage score to each state based on 47 legal protections that states have to protect religious liberty within six categories: government, health care, economic life, religious life, and family and education. These protections are aggregated into 20 “safeguards,” which researchers average to produce one index score per state. 

The analysis determined that Florida holds the top spot with an accumulated score of 74.6%. Montana (70.6%), Illinois (68.8%), Ohio (66.9%), and Mississippi (66.4%) make up the rest of the top five rankings.

In last place, for the third year in a row, is West Virginia with 19.6%. The state did make some progress by passing a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2023 but still holds the lowest score. Also in the bottom five is Wyoming (23.3%), Michigan (27.4%), Nebraska (29.1%), and Vermont (29.3%).  

The majority of the states fall within the 25% to 50% range, meaning there is “significant room for improvement.” CRCD’s researchers found that 38 states are capable of doing more as most states, on average, are employing “less than half of the safeguards measured to protect religious liberty.”

Since the 2022 Religious Liberty in the States report, Montana has improved the most. It has raised its score by about 31%, specifically due to recent legislation protecting rights of health care workers. 

Since 2024, Idaho has improved the most, due to new protections in the categories of health care and family. 

With the new research, First Liberty Institute and CRCD reported they hope “that legislators and concerned citizens will use our findings to identify ways their states can better protect religious liberty.”

null / Credit: maxim ibragimov/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 16:43 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church in Mexico called on Latin American society and authorities to care for the family, emphasizing that “protecting the family is protecting the future of our society.”

In a recent editorial in its weekly publication Desde la Fe (From the Faith), the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico City noted that the region is facing “a profound and silent demographic transformation, but at an accelerated pace, and its consequences are already being felt in the social fabric.”

The reflection is based on the study “Changes in Demographic Structures,” prepared by the Network of Latin American University Institutes on the Family, which examines new forms of family organization in the region.

According to the editorial, the report’s conclusions show that “birth rates are steadily declining, marriages are decreasing, divorces are increasing, single-person households are multiplying, and an aging population has ceased to be a distant threat and has become a palpable reality.”

Given this scenario, the archdiocese called for people to view the phenomenon not merely as a matter of numbers but as a reality “that profoundly transforms daily life, human relationships, and the very foundations of coexistence.”

“The family, understood as the primary nucleus of society, is the great protagonist — and also the greatest victim — of this transition. When bonds weaken, when loneliness replaces belonging, and when aging is not accompanied by structures of support and affection, the result is a more fragmented, more vulnerable, and less resilient society,” the editorial stated.

The archdiocese also highlighted that the data portray a region where “aging is occurring without sufficient generational offset and with increasingly fragile family ties” and warned that “the number of deaths now exceeds the number of births.”

The archdiocesan publication also warned that “without strong family structures — based on love, commitment, co-responsibility, and mutual care — the entire society deteriorates” and urged authorities to ensure that public policies “must treat the family as a social priority.”

Among the proposals, the editorial pointed to policies that “value life, that support responsible motherhood and fatherhood, that protect older adults without isolating them, that promote family reconciliation, and that strengthen ties between generations. Poverty prevention, mental health, comprehensive education, and digital inclusion cannot be designed outside the family: They must be nourished by it.”

The Archdiocese of Mexico emphasized that the demographic transition is not only a technical challenge but “a call to care for the family as a vision for the future. Today more than ever, protecting the family means protecting the future of our society.”

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

A picture shows a view of a damaged facade of the Holy Family Church on July 18, 2025, a day after it was hit in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 17. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 16:13 pm (CNA).

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said a “deviation of munitions” led to the accidental strike on Holy Family Church in Gaza, an incident that resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries last week.

The July 17 strike claimed the lives of three civilians at the church and injured nine, including the pastor, Father Gabriel Romanelli. The church has served as a shelter for more than 600 people since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Muslims.

Israeli officials said last week that the parish was “mistakenly” hit by IDF fire. In a statement on July 23, meanwhile, military spokesman Nadav Shoshani said an IDF inquiry showed the church was struck “due to an unintentional deviation of munitions.”

“The impact caused damage to the structure and injured several Gazan civilians,” Shoshani said. The statement did not mention the three deaths at the parish.

The IDF “directs its military strikes solely at military targets and works to mitigate harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure as much as possible, including religious institutions,” the statement said.

The Israeli military “regrets any harm caused to civilians,” the statement added.

‘Grave dangers’

In a Wednesday statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said it learned of the results of the inquiry through media reports.

“The published findings of the investigation only underscore the grave dangers of conducting military operations in the vicinity of religious and civilian sites,” the statement said.

The findings “once again highlight the vital importance of upholding the principles of international humanitarian law.”

The Wednesday statement from IDF said the military has “facilitated the entry of humanitarian aid, including food, medical equipment, and medication, to the Holy Family Church in Gaza,” though the patriarchate said on Wednesday that aid “has not yet been delivered” to the parish.

Aid workers would distribute food and medical supplies to the parish and surrounding neighborhoods upon being let into the area, the patriarchate said.

The bombing has greatly stirred tensions in a region already fraught with conflict, particularly in the nearly two years since Hamas invaded Israel, touching off a protracted conflict that has left tens of thousands dead.

Holy Family Church, the only Catholic parish in Gaza, has often been at the center of media and international attention amid the conflict. It has provided shelter and aid to hundreds in the war-torn region.

Pope Francis made regular nightly calls to the parish in the roughly year and a half leading up to his death, with the parish children calling the Holy Father “grandfather.”

Though IDF issued an unprecedented admittance of error last week, Patriarchate Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa stirred tensions further when he suggested to an Italian newspaper that the strike may have been made on purpose.

“They say it was an error. Even if everybody here believes it wasn’t,” the prelate said last week.

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square on June 25, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 13:42 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV returned to the Vatican on July 22 around 9 p.m. local time after spending more than two weeks at the papal residence in Castel Gandolfo. The Holy See Press Office officially confirmed the news to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, on July 23.

The pontiff spent a period of rest — July 6–22 — in the Italian town about 15 miles from Rome on the shores of Lake Albano. In addition to resting, the Holy Father also fulfilled several apostolic commitments.

One of the most significant events was the private meeting held on July 9 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who made a special trip to Castel Gandolfo to meet with the pope. During the meeting — which took place within the context of the fourth International Meeting on the Reconstruction of Ukraine, held in the Italian capital July 10–11 — they discussed the humanitarian situation in the country and the role of the Holy See as possible mediator in the conflict. It was the first time a foreign president was received by a pope at this residence since the pontificate of Benedict XVI.

That same day, the pope celebrated Mass in the Castel Gandolfo gardens using the newly approved liturgy to promote global ecological awareness “for the care of creation.”

Pope Leo XIV also took the opportunity to rest, pray, and work on some personal texts.

The pontiff’s return to Rome coincides with the final preparations for the Jubilee of Youth, which will begin on July 28 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope.

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

Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in red) punches Italy’s Angela Carini in the women’s 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena in Villepinte on Aug. 1, 2024. / Credit: MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 12:44 pm (CNA).

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) will formally prohibit men from competing in women’s sports amid the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back transgender policies throughout the United States. 

USOPC said in an email to Olympic groups and stakeholders on Tuesday that leaders had “engaged in a series of respectful and constructive conversations” with federal leaders after President Donald Trump’s February executive order that moved to “protect opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports.”

“Under the Trump administration we will defend the proud tradition of female athletes and we will not allow men to beat up, injure, and cheat our women and our girls,” Trump said when signing the order. “From now on, women’s sports will be only for women.”

“As a federally chartered organization, we have an obligation to comply with federal expectations,” USOPC said in its email this week. 

The committee said it had updated its policies to ensure “fair and safe competition environments for women.” 

All Olympic national governing bodies will be required to update their rules in line with the new guidance, the national committee said. 

The decision drew criticism from advocates of letting men who identify as women compete in women’s sporting events. The National Women’s Law Center described the move as a “cruel effort” to block men from women’s competitions. 

Trump had earlier vowed that his February executive order would block men’s participation in women’s Olympic sports in 2028, when the Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. 

“We’re just not going to let it happen,” the president said when signing the measure. 

The Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to rolling back years’ worth of transgender policies throughout the country. In May, for instance, the White House launched an inquiry into hospitals that have provided transgender drugs and performed transgender surgeries on minors.

The administration in April also directed the U.S. National Institutes of Health to begin a research initiative to study “regret” among individuals who undergo so-called gender transition treatments.

The U.S. bishops earlier this year praised Trump’s efforts to keep men out of women’s sports. Catholic leadership in recent years has grown increasingly critical of transgender ideology, with Pope Francis in 2023 describing transgenderism as “one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations” of the present day. 

Republican officials have been similarly energized by the Trump administration’s moves on transgenderism. On Tuesday numerous attorneys general demanded that the National Collegiate Athletic Association “reinstate the records, titles, awards, and recognitions rightfully earned by top female athletes” that have been stripped by men allowed to compete in women’s leagues. 

“These women champions earned those records. They trained, competed, and won, only to have their victories stolen by male athletes,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey said in a press release. 

“Biological reality matters,” the prosecutor said, describing men competing against women as “a grave injustice” that “undermines the integrity of women’s sports.”

The U.S. Supreme Court, meanwhile, said earlier this month that during its next term it will consider two cases addressing whether or not states can ban males from participating in female sports leagues.

Both cases arose from lawsuits brought by young men who identify as female and who sued Idaho and West Virginia over their respective bans on boys competing in girls’ sports.

On July 11, 2025, Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Michel Guillaud, a priest of the Diocese of  Lyon, France, as the new bishop of Hippo in Algeria, St. Augustine’s see. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Bishop-elect Michel Guillaud

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 23, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Constantine-Hippo, located in Algeria and a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Algiers, is proud to have had as its bishop — appointed in 395 — one of the most illustrious doctors of the Church: St. Augustine of Hippo.

Endowed with a fervent intellect, he transformed this vibrant port city, nestled on the coast of present-day Algeria, into a nexus of theological debates that forever shaped the Catholic Church. In this diocese, St. Augustine wrote some of his major works, such as “Confessions” and “The City of God.”

The city was besieged by the Vandals in 430, during which the saint died. The current seat of the diocese is in the coastal city of Annaba, near ancient Hippo. It is one of the four ecclesiastical districts of Algeria and was officially established on July 25, 1866.

After more than a year of vacancy — since the departure of the previous bishop, Nicolas Lhernould, who was appointed archbishop of Tunis in April 2024 — on July 11 Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Michel Guillaud to head the Algerian diocese.

For Guillaud, St. Augustine is a “living” figure who continues to speak to the entire country today. “All of Algeria was thrilled when Pope Leo XIV said, ‘I am the son of Augustine.’ Many even wondered, ‘Could he be Algerian?’ Some even told me, ‘I knew Mohamed Prévost, his grandfather,’” the bishop jokingly told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

Bishop-elect Guillaud — who has served as a pastor in several Algerian cities: Batna (2006–2014); Constantine (2014–2016); and Skikda (2016–present) as well as vicar general of the Diocese of Constantine-Hippo (2020–2024) — does not consider himself an expert on St. Augustine but recognizes that the saint offers a clear model of life and mission.

“He was a tireless truth-seeker. Although he received a Christian education from his mother, that was not enough for him. He sought other answers through philosophy but returned to the faith with solid convictions. Today, where so much fake news and manipulation circulate, Augustine’s passion for the truth is very important,” he noted.

As could not be otherwise, the teachings of St. Augustine continue to resonate in the daily life of this small and humble Church, yet one filled with spiritual vigor and desire for communion. In times of division, the shepherd of Hippo speaks again of unity.

Making mercy prevail over rigorism

“When he became bishop in 395,” the French priest related, “the Church was divided by the Donatist schism. The Donatists [who believed the validity of sacraments depended on the moral purity of the clergy administering them] outnumbered the Catholics. But with theology, spirituality, and mercy, he managed to reunite the Church. This effort for unity and to make mercy prevail over rigorism seems fundamental to me in a society marked by mistrust and polarization.”

Guillaud, who is the secretary-general of the Bishops’ Conference of the North African Region (CERNA, by its French acronym), emphasized the way in which, as early as the fifth century, St. Augustine embodied fraternity: “He did not live alone. He wanted to live with his brother priests. This fostered a simple, pure, and active life. Many congregations today follow his rule. I love this call to shared life among those who have a common mission.”

A future trip by Leo XIV to Algeria?

After his appointment, Guillaud sent a letter to Pope Leo XIV thanking him for his “trust” in him and extended an invitation to “make a pilgrimage to Algeria in the footsteps of Augustine.”

“I know that the Algerian authorities have also let you know that you would be well received,” he added, although he clarified that, for the moment, there is no official confirmation. The pontiff will receive Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune at the Vatican on July 24, and Tebboune will likely extend an official invitation.

A small but vibrant Church

The Catholic community of the Diocese of Constantine-Hippo in Algeria is a small but vibrant presence. “It is a fraternal presence that is inserted into the Algerian Muslim world. Creating ties, we recognize ourselves as children of God, called to bear witness to his name together, to live in peace and mutual respect. This is what we experience on a regular basis,” the bishop-elect emphasized.

But it wasn’t always this way. During the French colonial period (1830–1962), the Catholic Church grew considerably. However, after Algeria’s war of independence from France, which ended in 1962, most French Catholics left, fearing violence.

According to its website, in 2019 the diocese had approximately 620 Catholics, mostly foreign university students from sub-Saharan Africa. “They represent perhaps 80% of our faithful. So we have a young Church, made up primarily of students,” Guillaud explained.

The Diocese of Constantine-Hippo represents the entire northeast of the country and encompasses seven cities: Annaba, Skikda, Bejaïa, Constantine, Sétif, Batna, and Tébessa. As Guillaud explained, Catholics seek above all to live the Gospel through service, friendship, and dialogue.

Fraternal coexistence with Muslims, albeit with adjustments

However, coexistence with Muslims has required some adaptation. “For example, we don’t celebrate Sunday Mass on Sunday, because it’s a workday. We celebrate it on Friday or Saturday, when it’s a day of rest, because otherwise, no one would come,” he explained.

The bishop-elect emphasized that dialogue with Islam is not a sporadic initiative but a daily reality. 

“Eight or nine out of 10 people who enter our communities are Muslims. They come to bring us some of the couscous they’ve prepared, to ask us how we are doing, to ask for our help, to share something personal. The vast majority of those we meet every day are Muslims,” he noted.

There is a spiritual openness that profoundly influences the mission.

“Algerians have a very strong spiritual and religious sensibility. It’s more pleasant to live here than in a country where religion is marginalized. For us, interreligious dialogue is, above all, a daily experience,” he emphasized.

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

Cardinal Fernando Filoni speaks to EWTN News Nightly” on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. / Credit: EWTN News

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A longtime Vatican diplomat now dedicated to aiding Christians in the Holy Land recently offered reflections on the Church’s mission in conflict zones and its roots in the Middle East. 

In a wide‑ranging interview with “EWTN News Nightly” on July 22, Cardinal Fernando Filoni underscored that the Middle East is not just part of Christianity’s past but remains an area of vital importance.

“Being there means not letting this vast region be considered only historically as the beginning of the Church, without living Christian communities,” he said. A portion of the interview was broadcast on Tuesday evening.

Despite waves of emigration and violence, Filoni insisted, the Church cannot forget her roots. “Jerusalem is the Mother Church. No one should forget their mother’s and father’s home,” he said.

Filoni recalled vividly his service as apostolic nuncio in Baghdad during the first Gulf War. Even as bombs fell and many left the country, he and the bishops agreed: “We remain. The people remain, we remain.”

At that time travel was perilous and telephones were quickly knocked out, but Filoni and an auxiliary bishop made parish visits to check on priests and laity. “We needed to show our faithful, even though we were a minority in a largely Islamic reality: We are with you,” Filoni said. 

Reminded of his own statement that “if a shepherd flees in difficult moments, the sheep scatter,” the cardinal described it as a biblically inspired call to action.

“Jesus himself, speaking of the good shepherd, recommended that those entrusted with the Gospel face difficulties with the same dignity that Christ himself showed,” the cardinal said.

“This remains a fundamental heritage of the Church,” he added.

As grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, Filoni now leads a chivalric order that supports the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, headed by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and assists Christians throughout the Holy Land.

The order provides financial aid, funds schools and parishes, and supports humanitarian efforts that allow Christians to remain in their ancestral homeland.

“We are not the main actors,” Filoni said, “but we are those who, behind the scenes, support the patriarchate and all its actions. This is the Church’s communion in action.”’

Filoni, a former prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, stressed the Church’s role as peacemaker in the region.

“Peace is not a secondary option but a primary one,” he said. “We cannot live always thinking of past injustices. The Church is there to remind everyone that a normal, serene life is what children, men, and women truly desire.”

The cardinal pointed to past Vatican efforts — such as an informal, indirect role in encouraging prisoner exchanges during the Iran-Iraq war — as examples of how even small gestures can open doors.

Today, amid the war in Ukraine, the Church is working to trace missing children, advocate for prisoners and the wounded, and deliver aid. “These actions create a platform for dialogue, starting from the concrete suffering caused by war,” he said.

Filoni warned, however, that such efforts are ultimately futile if warring powers don’t seek peace. “You can even offer a golden platform [for negotiations], but it won’t work because it’s the will of the people involved in the war who must accept or reject the possibility of dialogue, of discussion,” he said.

The cardinal praised Pope Leo XIV’s early reaffirmation of Sollicitudo Omnium Ecclesiarum, the foundational document on Vatican diplomacy issued by St. Paul VI, and observed how St. John Paul II expanded this mission through his extensive travels.  

“There is a centripetal and a centrifugal dynamic — one that brings in and one that reaches out,” Filoni explained. “In this exchange, the life of the Church is created.” 

Asked what could distinguish Pope Leo XIV’s approach, Filoni replied that a new pope “does not follow his predecessor — he follows Peter.”

“There is continuity, but also something new,” he said. He noted that the world has changed rapidly, with the revolution of artificial intelligence emerging in just the past decade. Leo XIV’s unusually varied background as a missionary bishop, head of his religious order, and superior of the Roman Curia has prepared him well for such challenges, the cardinal said.

Turning to Gaza, Filoni struck a somber note. “Sadly, there is no place in Gaza untouched by the violence of weapons, war, revenge, and killings. To keep kidnapped people in captivity is unacceptable. And to attack those searching for water or food is terrible,” he said.

“There is no justification,” the prelate added. He called for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to indiscriminate bombings. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem, under Pizzaballa’s leadership, he said, works tirelessly to provide aid and remain present, supported by the Holy See and by the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

The cardinal shared an image of the Church’s resilience he witnessed in Mosul, Iraq: After a bombing, a priest showed him a wall where the image of the pope remained intact amid the rubble. “Here, the cross did not fall,” the priest told him.

Filoni reflected: “That is the message. The cross is stronger than violence, because it is the instrument through which God made peace between heaven and earth.”

Father Heriberto García Arias with a group of young people. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Heriberto García Arias

Vatican City, Jul 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

In the context of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which will be held in Rome July 28–29, Mexican priest Father Heriberto García Arias, author of the upcoming Spanish-language book “Digital Missionaries: Influencers or Witnesses of Christ Today?”, offered a reflection on the role of evangelizers on social media and the importance of their presence in the digital environment.

With more than 2 million followers on his TikTok account @heribertogarciaar and more than 200,000 on Instagram, the young priest gave an interview to the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, “EWTN Noticias,” from the Eternal City emphasizing that the Catholic Church “is taking very important steps to be present throughout the digital context.”

The difference between a Catholic influencer and a digital missionary

Drawing on his experience and the recent publication of his book, García explained the difference between a Catholic influencer and a digital missionary, whose “purpose is different.” Although “both use media,” the influencer can offer and sell products in line with their values, while the digital missionary’s purpose is to bring his or her experience of Christ to social media.

He pointed to the amount of time younger generations spend on social media: “There are people who are searching for God, and so we have to be present there, being witnesses, but not with the goal of stopping there, but rather to move [the viewer] from the screen to the altar.” 

“So,” he added, “that’s only the path, not the destination.”

Moving from the screen to the altar

The Mexican priest pointed out that the Church “has always adapted to different cultures” to bring the message of Jesus Christ and affirmed that “now it’s our turn, in this culture where new generations come with a different way of thinking, where the digital world is real for them.”

For the priest, the celebration of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers — which also coincides with the Jubilee of Youth — represents “official recognition from the Church of all these missionaries.”

“Just three years ago, the term ‘digital missionary’ didn’t even exist,” he noted, adding that today there are more than 3,500 digital missionaries worldwide. Although he acknowledged that this new reality can elicit a certain “fear,” he assured that “the fruits are already being seen.”

According to the priest from Jalisco state in Mexico, being present on social media “is urgent and necessary,” since many young people “watch TikTok” but “aren’t going to cross the threshold of a church.” He therefore emphasized the importance of creating content that sparks their interest and helps them “come over to the Church.”

Regarding the risk of trivializing the message, he pointed out that the Church is experienced in different ways in each culture while emphasizing the need to form and accompany digital missionaries so that they are “united in the same truth.”

‘I’m not the one who’s speaking, it’s him’

Explaining the origin of his social media presence, García stated that it responds to “a pastoral urgency to address the needs of the young people who are there.”

“We have a very beautiful message, an incomparable philosophy, a transcendental proposal. But sometimes we don’t know how to convey it, we don’t know how to speak their language. I believe we need to convey this message that we have experienced, adapted to the new generations.”

The priest, who received his call to the priesthood when he was 15, confessed that as he began his vocation, he suffered from “stage fright.” However, his formation in the Church’s institutional communications helped him understand that “God has shown me that I’m not the one who’s speaking, it’s him.”

The young priest takes up his work on social media as a great responsibility, and faced with the temptation of becoming “self-referential,” he pointed out: “If you want the message to get across, you also have to deal with that temptation, because in the end, they’re following you, because they empathize with you and they like you.”

“But you do have to be vigilant. It’s not about being the center of attention and talking about Christ; he has to be the center of attention,” he added.

The priest acknowledged that his formation allowed him to understand that he is a “spokesman” for the Church: “You are not the protagonist; it’s about the Church, it’s about Christ, and you have to always keep that in mind, because the great risk is that the Church will not only lose its reputation but also lose its authority in the world. And that is in our hands.”

‘The Holy Spirit is acting through algorithms’

García shared that he has received numerous testimonies from people whose lives were transformed by his messages. 

“People who were about to have an abortion and ended up not having it, people who were perhaps a bit at odds with God because they had a child in the hospital and [then] received the message they needed to encourage them to carry on. Or even someone who wanted to commit suicide and a message stopped him and motivated him to persevere.”

“The Holy Spirit is acting through algorithms, reaching hearts that need his word, that need hope,” he emphasized.

Finally, he assured that his work has the support of the Church and his bishop, something that gives him peace and strength to move forward in this increasingly necessary evangelizing mission.

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