We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

A Catholic Church in Laos. / Credit: Amittaya/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 14:36 pm (CNA).

Despite the fact that the constitution and religious freedom laws in Laos officially guarantee the right to worship, Christians in rural areas of this Southeast Asian country are being evicted from their homes and being forced to live in the rainforest.

The situation is occurring in the middle of the monsoon season, with rainfall up to one inch each day and nighttime temperatures that drop to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Many of the displaced — including children and entire families — are taking refuge in the forests without access to food, safe shelter, or medical care.

“No one should have to live like this. Kids… in the jungle! In the rain! It’s just inhumane,” a Bangkok-based humanitarian worker, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, told UCA News.

Anthony Williams, a researcher with the international Christian aid agency Barnabas Aid, stated that “Persecution in Laos is worse in rural areas, where local leaders have a freer hand to take action against Christians, and especially converts from a traditional religion.”

Although the 2019 Evangelical Church Law allows worship and the proclamation of the Gospel, “the law is often ignored in rural villages and settlements, either in ignorance or maliciously,” Williams noted. “The government is largely just turning a blind eye to the forcing of Christians from their homes.”

Williams said local leaders even deny Christians official documents, such as birth certificates, and “in most cases, the central and provincial governments do not act to enforce the law.”

In February, a mob destroyed a home church in the Xonboury district in Savannakhet province. Surprisingly, a month later, authorities allowed its reconstruction and the resumption of worship, but such cases are rare.

Hostility toward Christians has manifested itself in evictions, imprisonment, and even murder. In July 2024, Pastor Thongkham Philavanh was shot dead in Oudomxay province shortly after resuming his church meetings after serving four years in prison for preaching the Gospel.

“It is often the case that an increase in the number of converts leads to higher levels of persecution. This world hates Christ (John 15:18), and in this respect, Laos is no different,” Williams said.

With a population of eight million, the country has about 300,000 Christians — including 50,000 Catholics — which represent less than 2% of the population. The rest are mostly Buddhist or practice syncretic religions with animism.

Williams warned that if Christianity continues to grow in Laos, “persecution will increase, both in scale and intensity,” and lamented that "it is unlikely that the Lao government will see protecting Christians as a priority” given the geopolitical and economic challenges in the region.

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

Before the Angelus on July 13, 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass for local Catholics, religious leaders, and civil authorities at the 17th-century Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo’s main square. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 13:22 pm (CNA).

Upon arriving at Castel Gandolfo on Aug. 13, Pope Leo XIV called for a peaceful resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting, scheduled for Aug. 15 in Alaska, will address the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which the Russian army invaded three years ago.

The Holy Father stated: “We must always seek a ceasefire; the violence, the many deaths must stop. Let‘s see how they can reach an agreement. Because after all this time, what is the purpose of war? We must always rely on dialogue, on diplomatic work, and not on violence or weapons.”

According to Vatican News, Pope Leo XIV also spoke about the possible deportation of the population of Gaza.

“The humanitarian crisis must be resolved. We cannot go on like this. We know the violence of terrorism, and we honor the many who have died, as well as the hostages — they must be freed. But we must also think of the many who are dying of hunger,” the Holy Father said.

He noted that “the Holy See cannot stop” the conflicts, but, he said, “we are working, let’s say, on ‘soft diplomacy,’ always inviting, encouraging the pursuit of nonviolence through dialogue and seeking solutions, because these problems cannot be resolved with war.”

The Holy Father is in Castel Gandolfo for a second vacation. He will remain at the papal residence, located on the shores of Lake Albano, until Aug. 19.

On Friday, Aug. 15, the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he will celebrate Mass at the pontifical parish in Castel Gandolfo.

On Sunday, Aug. 17, at 9:30 a.m. local time, the Holy Father will arrive at the shrine of Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano, an Italian town bordering Castel Gandolfo, to celebrate Mass with a group of poor people receiving assistance from Caritas.

After Mass, he will head to Castel Gandolfo to pray the Angelus at noon from Liberty Plaza.

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

Encore Adult Day Care has been a pillar in the senior community for 40 years; local residents glad to see program continue

The Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama. / Credit: R. Wellen Photography/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 12:42 pm (CNA).

A high-ranking priest in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is on leave amid allegations that years ago, he began a relationship with a young woman who was a minor at the time.

Vicar General Father Robert Sullivan, 61, went on a personal leave of absence on Aug. 4, according to an Aug. 13 letter from Bishop Steven Raica obtained by CNA.

In his letter, Raica said that per internal policy, the diocese did not initially provide a public reason for Sullivan’s leave. But the bishop said an Aug. 13 report in the Guardian made it “necessary and appropriate” to clarify why the priest had left his post.

The Guardian report alleged that Sullivan reportedly “traded financial support for ‘private companionship’” with a woman, Heather Jones, now 33, “including sex, beginning when she was 17.”

Raica confirmed that the diocese had received the allegation, describing it as a report of “a relationship that began when the woman reporting the allegation may have been under the age of 18.”

The diocese reported the allegation to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the bishop said, though that agency found that it did not merit a state-led investigation. The age of consent for sexual activity is 16 in Alabama.

The diocese, however, opened its own investigation. Since the early 2000s, in response to the global clerical abuse scandal, the Church has classified individuals under 18 as minors and deemed any sexual contact with them as abusive.

The allegations have been provided to the diocesan review board, Raica said. A report is also being developed for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to Vatican protocol.

Sullivan is currently “removed from all priestly service” while the investigation continues, the bishop said. 

“We do not know the time frame for completion of the work of the dicastery in Rome nor of that which will be further required within our diocese,” he said. 

Raica said it was “not [his] intention” to disclose the information of the allegation prior to the results of the investigation. 

“[T]he initial work of any investigation does not lend itself to a definitive determination,” he said, “and anyone accused in the Church possesses a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, equivalent to the right granted in civil law.”

The bishop asked for “continued prayers for all involved” and called for strict adherence to diocesan youth safety guidelines. 

In its Aug. 13 report, the Guardian said Jones came forward with the claims because Sullivan, as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood, Alabama, “had continued working closely with families and their children,” leaving her “fearful that ‘others may be vulnerable to the same type of manipulation and exploitation.’”

The paper said Jones alleged that Sullivan met her when she was 17 years old while working at an “adult establishment” he allegedly visited regularly and that the priest took her “shopping, dining, drinking,” and to hotels for sex.

Jones alleged that Sullivan and his attorney “eventually had her sign a nondisclosure agreement in return for $273,000,” the paper said. 

She also allegedly received around $120,000 from “a Venmo account under Sullivan’s name,” according to the Guardian.

Archbishop Weisenburger joined priests of the Archdiocese of Detroit for an "incredible" evening of fellowship hosted by St. Hugo of the Hills Parish in Bloomfield Hills on Aug. 13. "These are the blessed events that build priestly fraternity," he said.