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Rome Newsroom, Jul 6, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has been welcomed by wellwishers upon his arrival to his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, on Sunday.

Crowds of people standing behind barriers greeted the Holy Father, taking photos and shouting “Viva Papa!” as he walked towards the papal palace located southeast of Rome.

The pope will reside in Castel Gandolfo’s Villa Barberini during his two-week summer vacation taking place from July 6–20, continuing a centuries-old papal tradition of rest at the 135-acre estate.

According to the New York Times, the property’s swimming pool has been refreshed and a new tennis court installed for the pope who is known for his appreciation of physical fitness and training.

Popes Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI all spent at least part of the summers in Castel Gandolfo, following the Lateran Pact of 1929. 

Pope Francis chose to not use the property as a summer residence during his 12-year pontificate. The late pontiff instead chose to open the estate’s gardens to the general public in 2014 and, in 2016, converted the papal palace into a museum.

The palace and gardens will remain open to the public during Leo’s stay, since he will be living in the Villa Barberini, a different palazzo on the grounds.

Castel Gandolfo mayor Alberto de Angelis told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, last month that Pope Leo’s stay “will give back to the city its daily connection with the pope.”

“The Angelus, the visits, the contact with the people. We want to experience all of that again,” Mayor de Angelis said.

Pope Leo will continue to deliver his weekly Angelus addresses Liberty Square (Piazza della Libertà) in front of the pontifical palace on July 13 and on July 20.

Feast date: Jul 06

July 6 marks the feast day of St. Maria Goretti, a young virgin and martyr whose life is an example of purity and mercy for all Christians.

St. Maria Goretti is best known for her commitment to purity and the courageous defence of her faith at the young age of eleven that made her willing to undergo death rather than participate in a sin against God. She is also remarkable for the forgiveness she willingly granted her attacker as she lay on her deathbed.

Maria was born in Corinaldo, Italy on October 16, 1890. Her father, a farmer, died of malaria when she was young, and her mother had to work to support their six children.

Maria took care of the younger children while her mother worked, and she prayed the Rosary every night for the repose of her father’s soul. She grew in grace and maturity, and her cheerful obedience and piety were noticed by those around her.

On July 5, 1902, a neighbouring farm hand, Alessandro Serenelli, tried to rape Maria. On several prior occasions, Alessandro had harassed Maria with impure advances, all of which she has vehemently rejected. This time, he locked her in a room and tried to force himself upon her. She fought against him, shouting, "No! It is a sin! God does not want it!" and warning him that this was the path towards hell. When Maria declared that she would rather die than submit to this sin, Alessandro angrily grabbed her and stabbed her 14 times with a knife.

Maria was found bleeding to death and rushed to the hospital. As she lay dying, she forgave Alessandro for the crime he had committed against her, saying, "Yes, for the love of Jesus I forgive him...and I want him to be with me in Paradise."

Although the doctors tried to save her, she died two agonizing days later, only eleven years old.

Alessandro was sentenced to 30 years in prison. He remained unrepentant until one night, eight years into his prison term, when Maria appeared to him, dressed in white, gathering lilies in a garden. She smiled, turned towards Alessandro, and offered him the flowers. Each lily he took transformed into a white flame. Then Maria disappeared.

From that moment, Alessandro converted and found peace. He repented of his crime and changed his life. He was released from prison three years early and begged forgiveness from Maria’s mother, which she duly granted.

Alessandro moved to a Capuchin monastery, working in the garden as a tertiary for the remainder of his life. He was one of the witnesses who testified to Maria's holiness during her cause of beatification, citing the crime and the vision in prison.

Many miracles were attributed to Maria Goretti after her death. In 1950, she was canonised by Pope Pius XII, becoming the youngest Roman Catholic saint officially recognised by name. Her feast day is celebrated by the Church on July 6, and she is the patron saint of purity, rape victims, young women, and youth in general.

On her feast day in 2003, Pope John Paul II spoke about St. Maria Goretti at his Sunday Angelus, noting that her life provides an exemplary witness of what it means to be "pure of heart."

"What does this fragile but christianly mature girl say to today's young people, through her life and above all through her heroic death?" asked the Pope.

"Marietta, as she was lovingly called, reminds the youth of the third millennium that true happiness demands courage and a spirit of sacrifice, refusing every compromise with evil and having the disposition to pay personally, even with death, faithful to God and his commandments."

"How timely this message is," the Holy Father continued. "Today, pleasure, selfishness and directly immoral actions are often exalted in the name of the false ideals of liberty and happiness. It is essential to reaffirm clearly that purity of heart and of body go together, because chastity ‘is the custodian’ of authentic love."

Rome Newsroom, Jul 6, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday prayed for the victims and families affected by the recent flood disaster in Texas.

The Holy Father, speaking in English, expressed his “sincere condolences” to “families who have lost loved ones, in particular their daughters, who were at the summer camp, in the disaster caused by flooding of the Guadalupe river in Texas in the United States” after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

More than 20 children attending the all-girls summer camp are currently missing after flash floods struck Texas Hill Country in the early hours of July 4, CNN reported on Sunday. 

Aid organizations, including the Catholic Charities Mobile Relief Unit, have since mobilized services to provide food, shelter, and water to flood victims forced to evacuate their homes. 

The death toll continues to rise as rescue and recovery efforts enter into its third day. At least 50 people have been confirmed dead, according to CNN.

Pope Leo also asked his listeners on Sunday to pray for peace, and for those who live in a state of war: “Let us ask the Lord to touch the hearts and inspire the minds of governments, so that the violence of weapons is replaced by the search for dialogue.”

Daily cultivate the seed of the Gospel in your hearts

Reflecting on the Gospel scene when Jesus sent out 72 disciples into towns to prepare for his coming, the Holy Father said there are few people who “perceive” Jesus’ call to share the Christian faith with others.

“Dear brothers and sisters, the Church and the world do not need people who fulfill their religious duties as if the faith were merely an external label,” he said. 

“We need laborers who are eager to work in the mission field, loving disciples who bear witness to the Kingdom of God in all places.”

The Holy Father emphasized that the places of mission can be found “in the particular situations in which the Lord has placed us,” such as in the family home, places of work and study, and other social settings.

“Perhaps there is no shortage of ‘intermittent Christians’ who occasionally act upon some religious feeling or participate in sporadic events,” the pope said. “But there are few who are ready, on a daily basis, to labor in God’s harvest, cultivating the seed of the Gospel in their own hearts.” 

To become a disciple of Jesus and a laborer in the “mission field,” the Holy Father said priority must be placed on cultivating a “relationship with the Lord” through dialogue. 

“We do not need too many theoretical ideas about pastoral plans,” he said. “ Instead, we need to pray to the Lord of the harvest.”

Pope Leo concluded his address asking the Blessed Virgin Mary “to intercede for us and accompany us on the path of following the Lord” to “become joyful laborers in God’s Kingdom.”

On Sunday, the pope departed for Castel Gandolfo where he will stay for a short period of rest during the summer.

CNA Newsroom, Jul 6, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

A French parliamentary report released on July 2 has shed light on disturbing cases of abuse in schools while also reigniting a longstanding national debate over the balance between state oversight and freedom of education.  

The report, resulting from a five-month inquiry into violence within the school system, proposes a series of measures aimed at better protecting minors. However, its heavy focus on Catholic private institutions under state contract has raised concerns about potential political bias and the future of educational pluralism in France. 

The inquiry was led by parliamentarians Violette Spillebout, from President Macron’s centrist party Renaissance, and Paul Vannier, from the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI). 

While the report formally addresses all types of schools, much of its attention is directed toward Catholic private institutions under state contract, especially those with boarding programs.  

‘Structural dysfunction’ 

The commission of inquiry was established following revelations of abuse at Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a Catholic boarding school in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques (southwestern France). The case, spanning several decades, served as a catalyst for national reflection. Prime Minister François Bayrou, a former education minister who had sent his children to the school, was called to testify. 

The Bétharram school is cited in the report as a key case study, where priests, teachers, and staff are accused of having committed serious physical and sexual abuse between 1957 and 2004.  

Victims described acts of “unprecedented severity, of absolute sadism.” Lawmakers called the school a “textbook example” of the state’s structural dysfunction and failure to prevent abuse, warning that similar flaws remain in place today. 

More broadly, the report denounces ongoing violence in both public and private schools and cites decades of insufficient protective measures. Commission president Fatiha Keloua Hachi described the investigation as a “deep dive into the unthinkable,” revealing systemic silence and institutional failure. It documents over 270 affected schools and at least 80 victim collectives across the country. 

The report also pointed to cultural and religious factors that may have contributed to institutional silence in some schools, including rigid hierarchical structures and a reluctance to question authority. 

The commission found that sanctioned teachers could sometimes be quietly reassigned. It also highlighted the absence of national data on abuse cases and discrepancies in reporting: One national survey estimated 7,000 cases of sexual violence in a year, yet only 280 were officially recorded in 2023–2024. 

Ultimately, the report concludes that the Ministry of Education still lacks effective tools to identify and address abuse and calls for comprehensive structural reforms. 

Among the report’s most prominent recommendations is the lengthening of the statute of limitations for reporting abuse, reinforcing whistleblower protections, and establishing a new independent reporting body called “Signal Éduc.” It also calls for the creation of a national compensation fund for victims.  

Other proposed measures include increasing the frequency of inspections, particularly for boarding schools (annually in primary schools and at least every three years in middle and high schools), and lifting professional secrecy in cases involving abuse of minors under 15, even in the context of religious confession.  

This last proposal, already included in the 2021 Ciase report on sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, is raising concern among the Church hierarchy which has consistently reaffirmed the inviolability of the seal of confession.  

The report further recommends that private institutions under state contract be brought more directly under the oversight of the Ministry of Education’s General Directorate and proposes reevaluating the role of the Catholic Education Secretariat (SGEC), which oversees over 7,200 schools. 

Catholic education’s response 

Philippe Delorme, Secretary General of the SGEC, which came under intense scrutiny from co-rapporteur Paul Vannier — who repeatedly questioned its legitimacy and accused it of obstructing oversight — responded cautiously to the report.  

He acknowledged its usefulness in surfacing abuses and encouraging vigilance while voicing concern about what he views as attempts to erode the distinctive mission of Catholic education. 

“School life in our establishments is not intended to be exactly the same as in public schools as we enjoy a certain freedom of organization,” he stated during an April 7 audition with the Commission for Cultural Affairs and Education.  

During a June 19 press conference, he claimed that the SGEC had already committed to verifying the criminal background of all non-teaching staff — some 80,000 individuals — well in advance of the report’s release.  

Furthermore, the SGEC recently launched, in May, the “Stop Violences” campaign, aiming to raise awareness, enhance prevention strategies, and reinforce the commitment of Catholic educational institutions to student safety. 

The report’s emphasis on Catholic schools has sparked debate, as critics acknowledge the seriousness of the documented abuses but also question whether the focus risks suggesting a systemic failure unique to Catholic education, despite similar issues existing across the broader educational landscape. 

In a related analysis published in Le Figaro, education journalist Caroline Beyer wrote that the report marks “a political sequence above all,” with Catholic education squarely in the firing line, and questioned whether the recommendations would result in meaningful change or serve ideological motives. 

Her observation echoed broader concerns that, while the report raises vital questions, it risks becoming a tool for polarizing debates around the role of faith-based schools in French society. 

Such doubts about the impartiality of the document have been reinforced by the fact that Vannier was already the author, in 2024, of a highly critical report on the funding of Catholic schools. 

Former Minister of Higher Education Patrick Hetzel also accused the parliamentarian of using the inquiry to pursue an ideological agenda aimed at undermining the 1959 Debré Law, which ensures state support for private schools under contract. “With him, LFI wants to revive the school war,” Hetzel told Le Figaro, referencing historic tensions between secular and faith-based education in France. 

Although Violette Spillebout has insisted that their work was not guided by dogma but by the testimony of victims and a desire to ensure that no child, in any type of school, is left unprotected, the perception of disproportionate attention on Catholic institutions remains a point of contention. 

The report comes amid broader efforts by the French government to extend control over education. In 2021, President Macron’s administration drew criticism for proposing a ban on homeschooling, ostensibly to combat Islamic radicalization. Though softened before passage, the bill reflected a shift toward greater state control over education. 

The report’s publication also coincided with renewed focus on Paris’s Stanislas School, a prestigious Catholic institution under investigation for alleged non-compliance with the national sex education curriculum as well as “homophobic and sexist drift”, and for its new Christian culture courses.  

While a 2023 inspection did not confirm systemic discrimination, the Ministry of Education has signaled closer monitoring. 

Pope Francis arrives at Castel Gandolfo, where he will spend a period of rest, at around 5 p.m. A large group of faithful, including a group of nuns, waited hours for his arrival.

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Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jul 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The Argentine justice system has added the auxiliary vicar of Opus Dei, the organization’s second in command, Monsignor Mariano Fazio, as a defendant in the case involving the alleged human trafficking and the reduction to servitude of 43 women in Argentina.

The case, which was formally filed in 2024 but had been reported in the media several years earlier, accuses Opus Dei authorities of allegedly recruiting 43 women while they were still minors and subjecting them to a regime of semi-slavery in their residences.

Until now, the defendants were four priests who served as authorities at different times between 1991 and 2015: Carlos Nannei, Patricio Olmos, and Víctor Urrestarazu, former vicars of Opus Dei in Argentina, and the former director of the women’s branch in the country, Gabriel Dondo.

The case now includes another defendant: Fazio, currently auxiliary vicar of the Prelature of the Holy Cross, the second-highest authority in Opus Dei worldwide. 

The Argentine Prosecutor’s Office Against Human Trafficking and the National Prosecutor’s Office in Criminal and Federal Correctional Affairs No. 3 are requesting that he appear to testify.

The accusation

Although the complaint states that at least 43 women were recruited by Opus Dei as minors, deceived with promises of an education and a home, and then forced to work for free as domestic workers for years, the document only focuses on the case of one of them.

The prosecutor’s office maintains that Opus Dei presented “a false proposal” and that the only education these women received was to perform domestic tasks “without pay” and in violation of their rights.

The accusation also refers to a system of “indoctrination and psychological manipulation” with “rules of life,” including the obligation to chastity, the severance of family and social ties, periodic health checkups, and the provision of psychiatric medication, which they had to comply with under threat of punishment.

The case is based on the testimony of a Bolivian woman who worked for Opus Dei for 30 years. In April, the woman expanded her statement, claiming to have directly served Fazio, among other priests.

Response by Opus Dei 

Upon the announcement of this new charge, reported by the Spanish newspaper Eldiario, the Opus Dei communications office in Argentina issued a statement clarifying that the judicial investigation concerns “the personal situation of a woman” during her time in Opus Dei and “categorically” denies the accusation of human trafficking and labor exploitation.

Opus Dei expressed surprise at seeing that “the claim [that] initially began in the media as a complaint about inconsistencies in pension and employment contributions” has subsequently “morphed into a civil claim for financial harm and damages” as well as most recently an “accusation from a person claiming to have been a victim of ‘human trafficking.’”

The complaint, Opus Dei maintains, stems from “a complete decontextualization” of the freely chosen vocation of the assistant numeraries.

The statement goes on to defend the right of the people mentioned in the complaint to defend themselves and “be allowed to present their version of events for the first time, in order to definitively clarify this situation.”

Those leveling the accusation, Opus Dei emphasized, “have systematically attempted to instill in the media a narrative of automatic guilt” that violates the presumption of innocence.

The organization maintains that the woman making the complaint “is referring to a stage in her life when she freely chose to embark on her spiritual journey in the Catholic Church” as an assistant numerary.

A life choice

The assistant numeraries, the statement explains, “are women of Opus Dei who, like all other members, aspire to love God and others and demonstrate this through their work and their daily lives,” work that in this case consists of caring for people who live in the centers.

The statement indicates that joining the apostolate is a life choice that involves an explicit, repeated, and often written desire, while “there is no barrier” to leaving.

The statement also maintains that the “living situation and mistreatment” raised in the complaint is false, since in addition to receiving pay and having private health insurance, the homes where the numerary assistants reside provide “a welcoming environment with facilities for rest, recreation, reading, and study.”

The prelature once again affirmed its “commitment to fully cooperate with the justice system to determine the facts and resolve the situation in a fair and transparent manner.”

Who is Monsignor Mariano Fazio?

Fazio was born in Buenos Aires on April 25, 1960. He holds a degree in history from the University of Buenos Aires and a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

Ordained a priest in 1991 by Pope John Paul II, he served as the first dean of the institutional communications department at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome from 1996 to 2002, and from 2002 to 2008 served as rector of that university.

During the same period, he was elected president of the Conference of Rectors of the Pontifical Roman Catholic Universities.

Fazio was an expert at the fifth general conference of the episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean (Aparecida, Brazil), where he met then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio.

He served as vicar of Opus Dei in Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia. In December 2014, he was appointed vicar general of Opus Dei by the then-prelate, Bishop Javier Echevarría, a position he held until January 2017 when the Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz as prelate of Opus Dei.

He has served as auxiliary vicar since May 14, 2019.

In May, Ocáriz and Fazio met with Pope Leo XIV to share the current situation of the apostolate after Pope Francis requested that the statutes be modified.

Regarding the meeting, the prelate of Opus Dei stated that “it was a fatherly gesture, during which the pope expressed his closeness and affection.” 

Regarding the process of modifying the statutes, he reflected: “The changes we are experiencing — including in the process of adjusting the statutes — are an impetus to safeguard what is essential.” He added that Opus Dei “is called to change in fidelity to its charism.”

After a three-year journey, on June 11, Opus Dei presented the proposal for its new statutes to the Holy See.

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

ACI Africa, Jul 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Archbishop Benjamin Phiri of Zambia’s Archdiocese of Ndola has called on journalists and media in the South African nation to resist sensationalism and distorting of facts as the country prepares for general elections in August 2026.

In his homily on Sunday, June 29, the solemnity of Apostles Peter and Paul, Phiri called for responsible and ethical journalism.

“When you report in order to educate, you do not tell lies. You tell the facts as they are,” he said during a Mass marking the 40th anniversary of St. Peter the Apostle Mushili Parish of his metropolitan see.

The archbishop faulted journalists, “whose narratives fuel more conflict than resolve issues because of the practice of pitting one against the other.”

“You want that political party to fight against that political party; you want that person there to be fighting the other person there. Is that what you learn in school about reporting?” he asked.

He added: “If you are a Catholic, and that is what you are doing, I am very disappointed in you. Because that is not what you are supposed to do. Yes, you are doing your job, but you are doing it wrongly. Report properly, report factually, and be constructive.”

The archbishop, who started his episcopal ministry in January 2011 as auxiliary bishop of Zambia’s Chipata Diocese, warned media professionals and outlets against spreading harmful information or seeking “fame” at the expense of harmony.

“Your newspaper or your radio station or TV may become famous because you are good at making people sad. You are also going to receive your own judgment,” he cautioned, adding: “If there is social unrest and people die, the blood is on your head. Because you are the one who misrepresented things and made people to arouse their emotions to the extent of killing each other, you are responsible.”

In his homily, Phiri, who has been at the helm of the Ndola Archdiocese since June 2024, also urged the people of God in the South African nation not to let differences in ideology lead them to violence.

“Now we are going towards elections. I know we are mainly here for different beliefs and ideologies,” he said, emphasizing that while ideologies and political engagements are not fundamentally bad, they should be pursued “in accordance with the will of God.”

He lamented the consequences of ideological differences, particularly during election seasons, highlighting how they have led to conflict, injury, and even loss of life among individuals who profess the same faith.

“This one believes in that way, another believes something else, and suddenly we are beating each other, even killing each other. How foolish can one get? We are all worshipping the same God,” he said.

The 66-year-old Church leader questioned the eternal value of political ideologies. “Is an ideology going to take you to heaven?” he asked. “And there you are, fighting each other, killing each other, trampling on each other, because of some ideology. You have missed it.”

He added: “If what you do is against the will of God, salvation will not be yours. I’m saying this because we who are Christians, at times we talk too much and so much about Christianity, but our hearts are so far away from each other and from God.”

Phiri also addressed corrupt practices in Zambia’s public service, urging public servants to refrain from misusing their positions for exploitation or personal gain and instead to serve the people of God with integrity.

He lamented that corruption has made it increasingly difficult to secure employment opportunities or admission to educational institutions without offering bribes or personal connections.

“Nowadays it is very difficult to find a job unless you know someone or pay someone. It is difficult to find a place in a school unless you know someone or pay someone. Don’t I have a right, if I am properly qualified, to find a job? Or for my child to find a place in an institution, if the child is qualified?” he asked.

Zambia, which has a population of over 19.6 million people according to 2022 statistics, is scheduled to hold its general elections on Aug. 13, 2026, to elect its president, members of the National Assembly, Councilors, and Council chairpersons.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

After a devastating hit the Hill Country of Texas, Pope Leo XIV gave his prayers to the victims, many of them children.

Israel will send a delegation to Qatar for proximity talks with Hamas on the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.

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Western intelligence raises grave concerns over Moscow's military conduct, calling for restraint and investigation.

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