Attacks by Israeli settlers against the population of Taybeh have intensified significantly in recent months, according to the local parish priest, Father Bashar Fawadleh, who also urged the faithful worldwide to not forget this small Christian enclave in the Holy Land.
Taybeh is the modern name of the biblical town of Ephraim, which the Lord Jesus visited shortly before his passion (see John 11:54). In addition to being the only remaining entirely Christian village in the region, it is also globally renowned for its beer.
“The situation in Taybeh has deteriorated drastically in recent months,” Fawadleh said in a statement sent to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. “We are facing settler attacks almost daily, repeated incursions onto private property, the destruction of agricultural land, restrictions on movement due to road closures, military barriers, checkpoints, and growing fear among the population,” the parish priest indicated.
Fawadleh explained that this week, settlers broke into a Christian family’s property, a situation he described as “very alarming.” The home, which had recently been prepared for the family to move into, has become a target of repeated attacks by settlers.
“Settlers have entered the property several times, cut the fence, and even brought their sheep inside the house and onto the surrounding grounds. This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a pattern of intimidation intended to make Palestinian families feel unsafe and to force them to abandon their homes and land,” he stated.
The parish priest reported that the affected family is out of danger, as they were not in the home at the time of the attacks. However, he lamented the immense psychological suffering they have endured.
“Imagine preparing your home for your future, only to find strangers repeatedly entering it without fear or accountability,” he said.
“In addition, several new settler outposts have been established around the village, increasing pressure on our community and putting the future of the Christian presence in this land at risk,” Fawadleh added.
A message to Christians around the world
“We ask you not to forget us,” the priest said. While highlighting the miraculous power of prayer, he noted that Taybeh needs more from Christians worldwide. “We ask you to raise your voices, speak the truth, visit us, and stand with the Christian community of the Holy Land,” he emphasized.
He pointed out that the solidarity of Christians across the globe “gives us hope” and “reminds us that we are all one body in Christ.”
“Together, we can help protect these Christians — living witnesses and ‘living stones’ in the land where our faith was born and where the first generation of Christianity was raised up. May God bless you all and keep you safe. Keep praying, and continue the work and the struggles you are engaged in. We are praying for you, too,” Fawadleh concluded.
The beatification cause of Servant of God Julius Kambarage Nyerere, Tanzaniaʼs first president, has reached the stage of interrogating witnesses, a Tanzanian Catholic bishop involved in the process said, describing the phase as critical in establishing the late leaderʼs reputation for holiness and heroic virtue.
In an interview with ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, Bishop Henry Mchamungu, the episcopal delegate in Nyerereʼs cause, said the diocesan inquiry is currently gathering testimony about the late presidentʼs life, faith, and virtues.
“We are in the process of interrogating witnesses,” Mchamungu said. “This is a very important stage because we have to ask people many questions to obtain sufficient information about the life, virtues, and faith of Mwalimu Nyerere.”
The bishop, who spoke to ACI Africa on the sidelines of the 21st AMECEA Plenary Assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) July 19–26 in Nairobi, Kenya, explained that the tribunal conducts detailed interviews with each witness.
“Each witness is asked many questions — sometimes one person can be asked 30 or even 40 questions. We have to listen to many witnesses because we need to gather enough evidence concerning his life and his virtues,” Mchamungu said.
Nyerereʼs cause was initiated in 2005 after the late Bishop Justin Samba of the Diocese of Musoma, together with the Tanzania Episcopal Conference (TEC), petitioned the Holy See to open the canonization process.
Pope Benedict XVI declared the former president a servant of God on May 13, 2005.
Mchamungu explained that the cause was later transferred from the Diocese of Musoma to the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam.
“The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference informed the archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam, who at that time was Cardinal Polycarp Pengo, that the cause should be transferred from Musoma to Dar-es-Salaam,” he explained.
On May 2, 2014, the Congregation for the Causes of Saints issued a rescript authorizing the transfer of the competent forum for the diocesan inquiry from Musoma to Dar es Salaam.
According to Mchamungu, progress slowed after the transfer because Pengo experienced prolonged health challenges.
The process was revived in 2023 when the president of TEC appointed a new postulator to oversee the cause.
“In 2023, it became necessary to revive the cause again,” Mchamungu told ACI Africa. “The president of the Tanzania Episcopal Conference appointed a postulator, who is the person responsible for guiding the cause.”
He noted that the process required further reorganization after the first postulator stepped down for personal reasons.
“We had to look for another person. After some time, we found another postulator who accepted the responsibility. Although he does not live in Tanzania, he agreed to help us continue with the cause,” Mchamungu said, referring to Nairobi-based Brother Reginald D. Cruz.
He acknowledged that the work of the diocesan tribunal remains demanding because its members also carry pastoral responsibilities.
“Everyone has other pastoral duties. Therefore, finding time to meet and conduct the sessions is not easy. However, the cause is continuing after having remained inactive for a long time,” he said.
Mchamungu appealed to Catholics to pray for the progress of the cause, expressing hope that Nyerere may one day be declared blessed.
“We continue asking God that the cause may continue,” he said. “The day will come, God willing, when he will be declared blessed.”
Mchamungu encouraged those who believe they have received extraordinary graces through Nyerereʼs intercession to report them to the tribunal.
“If someone receives a grace through his intercession, that person should inform the tribunal so that it can be investigated and recorded. Later, it can help in the process of declaring him blessed and, God willing, later a saint,” the bishop said.
Reflecting on Nyerereʼs early life, the Tanzanian bishop recalled his close relationship with the Catholic Church before entering politics.
“Before becoming involved in politics, he was a teacher. He taught at St. Francis Secondary School in Pugu, a school that was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers,” he said.
Mchamungu added that the future presidentʼs experience within the Church helped shape his character and approach to public service.
“He was close to the Church and to the priests who managed that school. They knew him and saw that he was a special person, a young man with good values and commitment,” he told ACI Africa.
The Catholic Church leader continued: “Nyerere received many good values from the Church. Those values helped him become a leader who put people before his own interests. That is why many people continue to remember him as an example of leadership with integrity and service to society.”
As of this year, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a new site in Mexico City. On July 15, the old non-parochial church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was dedicated as an archdiocesan shrine, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the historic church.
In recent days, the church, located in the traditional San Ángel neighborhood on the city’s south side, has begun to welcome more visitors than usual. Every year on the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16, hundreds of pilgrims are drawn to the shrine.
Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in San Ángel, Mexico City. | Credit: EWTN News
However, interest has gained new momentum since Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, primatial archbishop of Mexico, announced in May that the historic church would be elevated to a shrine.
Among those drawn by curiosity was Mariana Ledesma. Although she acknowledged that she is only just beginning to learn about this devotion to Our Lady under this title, she wanted to be part of a moment she considers historic.
“The shrine is beautiful and full of symbolism; seeing the devotion of the entire community, being able to share in that faith, is something truly beautiful. That is precisely the purpose of the shrine: to make it known to others as well,” she told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.
4 centuries of history
The relationship between Mexico City and Our Lady of Mount Carmel dates back to 1585, when the first missionaries of the Discalced Carmelite order arrived in New Spain to assist in the work of evangelization.
In the early 17th century, they established one of their most important convents in San Ángel, from which they fostered contemplative life, spiritual formation, and devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a devotion that took deep root among the capitalʼs inhabitants.
Carmelite friars. | Credit: Discalced Carmelites of Central America
For centuries, the church and convent served as an important religious and cultural center. However, following the Reform Laws of 1876, the old convent was nationalized and became state property.
Today, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church remains a place of Catholic worship while the former convent, after serving various purposes over the years, houses a museum.
After more than 400 years of tending to the church, this year the Discalced Carmelites handed over its administration to the Archdiocese of Mexico due to a decline in vocations within the order.
Mary, ‘strengthen my heart’
During the Mass of canonical dedication as a shrine, Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal, auxiliary bishop of Mexico, explained that the decision to elevate the church to a shrine reflects the fact that the faithful have long been making pilgrimages there to “seek solace and to come seeking the nourishment of the sacraments and the mercy of confession.”
Mass of dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine, July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico
“Let us hope that this [act] serves as an encouragement for many more people to return here to renew the consolation offered by the Virgin of Mount Carmel and their love for Jesus Christ,” he stated.
He also invited the faithful to turn to Mary during times of difficulty. He noted that when faith or hope “begin to fade,” it is necessary to turn one’s gaze toward Mary and say: “Most Holy Mother, you who were able to remain faithful even [standing] before your Son’s cross, strengthen my heart.”
Mass of Dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine on July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico
Petitions to Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The aisles of the shrine were filled with people holding scapulars, flowers, or photographs of their family members. Some came to give thanks for favors received; others sought to place their concerns in Maryʼs hands.
Among them was Claudio de la Paz, a devotee who traveled from the state of Campeche, over 500 miles away, to take part in the celebration. In addition to hoping the faithful will draw closer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, he asked that young people be specially commended to her care, as he said they are currently going through “times of great vulnerability.”
Mass of Dedication of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church as a shrine on July 15, 2026. | Credit: Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico
For Rafael Estrada, devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel “represents a quest for peace, serenity, and harmony.” Estrada urged Catholics to ask for Mary’s protection amid the tribulations Mexico is going through.
Sister Nina Ramos, a religious of the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, invited the faithful to visit the new shrine and noted that those who fulfill the conditions established by the Church may obtain a plenary indulgence.
Catholic aid groups in Bangladesh and China are responding to severe midsummer storms, with Caritas Bangladesh coordinating relief in dioceses hit by early‑July monsoon flooding and Jinde Charities delivering assistance on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses after flash floods and tornadoes.
Caritas Bangladesh is collaborating with local partners in dioceses affected by monsoon rains and flooding that swept the country in early July.
Caritas disaster relief efforts have been underway after the July 5–9 flooding, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 34 people in Bangladesh, according to a July 10 press release from the aid organization. “More than 241,000 people have been affected. Among them are more than 7,400 Rohingya refugees living in 25 camps severely affected by floods and landslides,” Caritas said.
The rainfall has impacted Bangladesh’s Chattogram Division, including the districts of Bandarban, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Cox’s Bazar, and Chattogram.
“Caritas Bangladesh has mobilized local staff and community volunteers, who went from door to door sharing early warning messages and helping families living in high-risk areas move to safety before the worst of the rains arrived,” the aid organization said.
“This latest disaster comes on top of a protracted humanitarian crisis,” the press release continued. “As humanitarian funding continues to decline, many Rohingya families face growing food insecurity, reduced access to essential services and fewer opportunities to rebuild their lives with dignity. The floods are a reminder that sustained international solidarity remains essential.”
Catholics in China distribute aid after flooding
The government-registered Catholic relief organization Jinde Charities has been acting on behalf of the Shanghai and Beijing dioceses to deliver humanitarian assistance in the wake of flash floods and tornadoes.
Rescue workers evacuate flood-affected students in Guigang, in China’s southern Guangxi region, on July 8, 2026. | Credit: CN-STR/AFP via Getty Images
According to a July 18 press release on the organization’s website, Jinde Charities is collaborating with local partners and traveling to Shuangfeng Village, Sanli Town, Qintang District, Guigang City, Guangxi, to deliver food aid to disaster-affected villagers.
Jinde noted in an earlier release that as of July 13, about 827,000 people have been affected by the disaster in Guigang City. In addition to food aid, Jinde has distributed tools such as chainsaws, shovels, wheelbarrows, bamboo brooms, and other supplies. Fides News Agency, a Vatican news service, reported that many Catholic families in Guigang have been left without running water and electricity.
The Catholic bishops of eastern Africa have committed the next four years of their regional pastoral mission to accompanying young people, making them their top pastoral priority as they seek to strengthen the Church through listening, dialogue, and synodal accompaniment in one of the worldʼs youngest regions.
Announcing the decision during the opening Eucharistic celebration of the 21st plenary assembly of the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) on July 19, Bishop Charles Sampa Kasonde said the bishops had intentionally adopted this pastoral focus because young people are central to the future of both the Church and society.
“We, the bishops of the AMECEA region, make young people our pastoral priority over the next four years for three reasons,” Kasonde, the AMECEA chairman, said during the Eucharistic celebration at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi.
Kasonde, who is also bishop of Zambia’s Catholic Diocese of Solwezi, said the first objective of the four-year pastoral commitment is to strengthen young peopleʼs sense of belonging to the Church.
He explained that the bishops’ commitment seeks to affirm “that it is worth the effort of young people to have a sense of belonging to this Holy Mother Church, the Catholic Church, for the future of humanity and indeed the future of the Church.”
He added: “The future of the Church lies in the hands of those who are strong enough to give the coming generations reasons for living and hoping in faith.”
Kasonde said the bishops’ decision is also informed by Africaʼs demographic reality, recalling the reflections of Catholic bishops in Africa during the Golden Jubilee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM).
“Our continental bishops heard the plain fact that six in 10 Africans are under 25 years of age. This reality calls for a preferential option for the youth,” he said.
Reflecting on the theme of the July 19–26 plenary assembly, “AMECEAʼs Synodal Journey with Young People: Building Bridges of Communion, Hope, Justice, and Good Governance,” Kasonde said the Churchʼs mission among young people must be rooted in listening and accompaniment.
“The Synod on Synodality has taught us that the Church discerns Godʼs will by listening,” he said.
Referring to Pope Leo XIV, who sent a message to the plenary assembly encouraging the Church to trust young people “to be agents of transformation,” the AMECEA chairman said new technologies can also contribute to fostering dialogue despite growing social fragmentation.
“Pope Leo XIV even spoke about making use of the internet and new technologies to enhance dialogue amid the many interests that fragment our relationships,” he said.
He underscored that listening and accompaniment are inseparable dimensions of the Churchʼs synodal mission.
“Synodality without accompaniment is a theory. Accompaniment without listening is control. This theme holds both together, journeying with our young people, not merely speaking about them,” Kasonde said.
Addressing the young delegates participating in the 21st AMECEA plenary assembly, he acknowledged that although only a limited number were present, they represented thousands of young Catholics across the region.
“You are few in this hall, but you are not few in Godʼs eyes or in this assembly. You stand here to represent thousands of young Catholics across the 11 countries in eastern Africa who could not travel to Kenya but whose hopes you carry. Your bishops are seeing you and listening to you,” he said.
Encouraging them to embrace their vocation in the Church and society, the AMECEA chairman cited St. Paulʼs exhortation to Timothy: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.”
Reflecting on AMECEAʼs 65-year journey, Kasonde described the regional association as the realization of a vision of ecclesial collaboration that continues to unite the Church across national borders.
“Sixty-five years ago, the bishops of eastern Africa dared to imagine a Church working together across our borders and cultures. Today, here in Kenya, we are the fruit of that dream, for 65 years of growth in faith, in numbers, and in holiness across our member episcopal conferences, God alone be praised,” he said.
He also thanked Pope Leo XIV for his spiritual closeness to the AMECEA plenary assembly through his representative, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, and expressed gratitude to the Catholic Church in Kenya for accepting to host the gathering on short notice.
Turning to the challenges that the region faces, Kasonde said the AMECEA plenary assembly could not overlook the suffering caused by conflict, displacement, and violence.
“Our hearts cannot ignore the wounds of our region and our world — conflict, displacement, families torn by violence,” he said.
Entrusting the region to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he prayed that the gathering would contribute to peace in eastern Africa.
“Through Mary, Queen of Peace, we ask God for peace in every troubled corner of eastern Africa and that this plenary itself become an instrument of that peace,” he said during the opening Mass of the 21st AMECEA plenary assembly on July 19.
On his part, welcoming participants in the plenary assembly to Kenya, the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, reaffirmed the Churchʼs confidence in young people and encouraged them to play an active role in the life of the Church and society.
“The Church loves you, and we invite you to participate fully in the life of the Church and the life of your respective countries, that we may grow together in love, in justice, in unity, in faith, and in moving our society forward based on our Catholic and Christian values,” the archbishop said.
The host of the 21st AMECEA plenary assembly, Archbishop Philip Subira Anyolo of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nairobi described the gathering as “a great blessing and an honor” and invited participants to model their synodal journey on the disciples’ encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus.
“May we find him within us. May we feel our hearts burning as we listen to him. Above all, may we continually discover Jesus as the disciples of Emmaus did at the breaking of bread,” Anyolo said.
He encouraged young people to remain steadfast in faith despite contemporary challenges.
“Do not be afraid to live your faith to the full. Allow the Holy Spirit to inspire you and guide you to joyful and courageous witness,” he said.
AMECEA is comprised of the episcopal conferences of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia — with Djibouti and Somalia participating as affiliate members.
During the weeklong assembly, bishops and delegates are examining key pastoral and social issues affecting young people, including governance, unemployment, migration, social exclusion, safeguarding, mental health, evangelization in the digital age, and missionary vocations.
The plenary will also review the implementation of previous resolutions, consider reports from the AMECEA secretariat and its institutions, deliberate on revised statutes, approve its final resolutions and communiqué, and elect a new AMECEA chairman.
The assembly is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, July 26, with a closing Eucharistic celebration to be presided over by the new AMECEA chairman, who will be elected during the ongoing plenary assembly.
The current chairman of AMECEA, Kasonde, was reelected during the July 2022 20th plenary assembly of the nine-nation, eight-conference association that was held in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
Bishop Stephen Dami Mamza of Nigeriaʼs Catholic Diocese of Yola has said the countryʼs inability to defeat terrorism is not due to a lack of military resources but rather the absence of the political will needed to end the persistent insecurity that has claimed thousands of lives in the West African country.
Speaking to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, on the sidelines of the Catholic Menʼs Organization (CMO) meeting of the Jos Ecclesiastical Province on July 7, Mamza expressed concern about the governmentʼs failure to demonstrate sufficient commitment to tackling insurgency despite Nigeria possessing the capacity to overcome the threat.
“In the security challenges that we are facing, we all know that the government is unserious,” the bishop said, noting that the countryʼs continued struggles against terrorism raises serious questions about the commitment of those entrusted with protecting citizens. “You cannot say that the government doesnʼt have a hand in what is happening since the government is not prepared to resolve these issues and also give the military full authority to get rid of the terrorists,” Mamza said.
The Church leader pointed to the track record of the Nigerian Armed Forces in peacekeeping and military operations across Africa as evidence that the country has the means to confront insurgency successfully.
“The Nigerian Army has resolved issues in different African countries. We have air power, we have land power, and we have all the necessary advantages that we need in order to get rid of the insurgency. But there is no will, there is no seriousness, there is no commitment, and there is too much politics in it,” he said.
Mamza also faulted both the ruling government and opposition politicians for exploiting Nigeriaʼs security crisis for political gain rather than working together to safeguard lives. “Even the sitting government is politicizing the whole security issue. Even those who are in the opposition are also politicizing the security issues,” he lamented.
The bishop warned that public officials who fail to fulfill their responsibility to protect citizens will ultimately answer to God for preventable loss of life. “Our government is not sincere, and our government, on the last day, will be held accountable for the loss of lives in Nigeria at the moment,” he said.
Reflecting on the theme of the CMO gathering, Mamza said Godʼs justice extends not only to perpetrators of violence but also to those who neglect their duty to protect human life.
“The theme of this gathering is that Godʼs judgment is just; both perpetrators of violent terrorism and those who fail in their responsibility to protect lives will face divine accountability,” he said, explaining that, unlike human justice, divine judgment cannot be influenced by corruption, favoritism, or personal relationships.
“Godʼs judgment is not human judgment. God knows everything about us. It is not only what we see that God knows. Even our thoughts, our secret emotions, and what is in our hearts, God knows. His judgment is just and fair,” Mamza said. The bishop also commented on reports about an alleged fake government agency whose purported leadership supposedly established offices and engaged in diplomatic activities despite claims that the agency has no legal basis.
He said the reports point to the need for greater transparency and accountability within public institutions.
“Every year, they will be getting a budget, and then nothing is being used at the end of the year. This is just one. There might be so many that we donʼt know,” he said. Calling for divine intervention, the bishop added: “We pray that God will expose them.”
He encouraged CMO members and all Nigerians not to lose hope despite the countryʼs challenges, emphasizing that while injustice may appear to prevail temporarily, Godʼs justice remains certain.
“The message of the Church is one of hope rooted in the certainty that God sees every act of righteousness and every act of evil. While his judgment is uncompromisingly just, it is also rich in mercy for those who repent and seek his forgiveness,” Mamza said.
From the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, where he moved on July 5 to enjoy a period of rest, Pope Leo XIV has invited the faithful to make time for “meaningful moments of silence and prayer” during the summer.
The pontiff’s remarks were made during his Sunday Angelus address on July 12 at Castel Gandolfo, where he will remain until July 27.
Reviving a summer papal tradition
This summer, Leo XIV decided to spend part of it on vacation at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo, becoming the first pope to do so since 2012. The residence has been used by the popes as a countryside retreat for over 400 years, and was a preferred vacation spot of Benedict XVI and St. John Paul II.
Pope Francis, however, never left the Vatican during the summer of his 12-year papacy, choosing instead to remain at the Casa Santa Marta and repurpose the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo as a museum.
The palace itself is a 17th-century building on the shores of Lake Albano. Although it will be closed to the public during the pope’s vacation, the nearby papal gardens will remain open to visitors.
During Leo’s vacation, all private and public audiences, including the Wednesday general audience, are suspended. His only public audiences will be the Sunday Angelus, with the only exception so far being his lunch with the poor in the gardens on July 11.
The parable of the sower
Commenting on the Sunday Gospel for the day, which contains the parable of the sower, Leo XIV highlighted “the generosity and trust” with which God puts his word and power in the hearts of believers.
“Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, who gave his life for our salvation, is the seed that the Father continues to sow throughout the world so that, by dying, he may bear much fruit,” Leo said in his address.
Pope Leo XIV greets the crowds after his Sunday Angelus on July 12, 2026, at the Piazza della Libertà at Castel Gandolfo. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News
The pope also explained that, just as in the parable where the seed is planted in different soils, the faithful do not each receive this gift in the same way.
“It is true that sometimes [God] finds in us hard and unresponsive soil, at other times distracted soil, like the beaten path, the rocky ground, or the thorny bushes. Yet there are also moments when he finds receptive and fertile ground, and then miracles of love are set in motion that have the power to transform everything — as we ourselves have no doubt experienced in our own lives.”
Leo also reminded the faithful present that God’s love “is stronger than our weakness” and that he never stops sowing and believing in them. He also invited them to take advantage of the summer holidays to experience God through silence and prayer.
“Let us therefore resolve, especially during these summer days of vacation, to make room for listening to, reading, and meditating on the Word of God, thereby fostering — together with rest and wholesome recreation— meaningful moments of silence and prayer,” Leo said.
A renewed appeal for peace
After praying the Angelus, Leo XIV renewed his appeal for peace in war-torn regions, lamenting that “the winds of war are blowing once again in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in many other parts of the world, sowing violence, terror and death.”
The pope also urged political leaders to resume dialogue and opt for diplomatic means to stop the escalation of conflicts.
Leoʼs words come at a time of rising international tension, after the United States and Iran once again became embroiled in a dangerous spiral of attacks. The United States launched new airstrikes against Iranian territory following the Revolutionary Guardʼs attack on a Cypriot-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.
Finally, the pope, recalling that July 12 is “Sea Sunday,” gave a special greeting to sailors, fishermen, and port workers. He praised them for their work despite being “marked by separation from their loved ones and sometimes by fear of the conflicts [that] occur on the seas.”
Catholic leaders from Poland and Ukraine have issued a rare joint appeal for reconciliation between their nations, urging both peoples to reject hostility, embrace forgiveness, and preserve the Christian bonds that unite them despite growing political and historical tensions.
The statement, released June 29 from Rome and Kyiv, was signed by Cardinals Mykola Bychok, Konrad Krajewski, Kazimierz Nycz, and Grzegorz Ryś, together with Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The appeal was issued while the cardinals were gathered in Rome for the recent consistory.
Opening their message, the Church leaders said they were speaking “in unity with Holy Father Leo XIV,” whose first year as pope “has been marked by persistent work to build peace based on the common good and by resolute opposition to war in all its dimensions.”
The signatories said the question of reconciliation between Poland and Ukraine extends beyond politics.
“We are aware that the question of reconciliation between Poles and Ukrainians concerns not only relations between the two peoples but also the authenticity of our common Christian witness,” they wrote.
The appeal comes amid renewed strains in Polish-Ukrainian relations, particularly surrounding differing interpretations of World War II-era atrocities, even as Poland has remained one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s repeated calls for peace, the bishops urged both nations to avoid inflammatory rhetoric.
Following Pope Leo, we are convinced that the first step toward peace is the disarmament of language.”
Catholic leaders from Poland and Ukraine
“Following Pope Leo, we are convinced that the first step toward peace is the disarmament of language,” they wrote. “This applies not only to words but also to gestures, signs, and symbols. They can also wound, close the path to encounter, and generate fear.”
The statement also warned against allowing competing historical narratives to fuel division.
“When we impose our own vision of the past and the future on others, we succumb to the logic of a culture of violence and power,” the Church leaders wrote. Instead, they urged both peoples to seek “the common good, not only of particular interests.”
Quoting the Gospel’s call to mercy, they added: “The Gospel in which we believe teaches us that the remedy for sin is forgiveness, and the limit that God has set for evil is mercy.”
The bishops also invoked the legacy of St. John Paul II, who devoted significant efforts during his pontificate to fostering reconciliation between Poles and Ukrainians.
“We feel the duty not to abandon the common path begun with the blessing of St. John Paul II but to walk it patiently and courageously,” they wrote. “Too much that unites our peoples for us to allow our common heritage to be wasted.”
While acknowledging the painful chapters of history shared by both nations, the Church leaders emphasized that Christians are called to pursue reconciliation rooted in truth, forgiveness, and charity rather than resentment.
Their appeal concluded with a call to resist the culture of division and instead offer a Christian witness to a world increasingly marked by conflict.
“Together with the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV,” they wrote, “we call on everyone to think primarily in terms of the common good and not only of private interests.”
Nicaraguan police detained Bishop Emeritus Abelardo Mata again on June 30, just one day after his initial detention and subsequent release on June 29. The 80-year-old prelate is reportedly now under house arrest.
Mata, bishop emeritus of Estelí, was arrested at a clinic where he had gone for a checkup for his pacemaker. This occurred the day after he celebrated a Mass in which he prayed for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua, an act that may have provoked the ire of the dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his wife and vice president, Rosario Murillo.
Following the new detention, the bishop is reportedly under house arrest at his home in the town of Tisma, according to the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa.
In addition to the bishop, Father Francisco Morales, pastor of Calvary’s Cross Church in Estelí, where Mata celebrated Mass on June 28, and Deacon Wilfred Arauz Rodríguez were also detained. Both were released but remain subject to conditions.
“Bishop Mata holds no administrative responsibilities within the Diocese of Estelí but continues to assist that diocese with its pastoral needs. He thus went to celebrate Mass last Sunday at the request of the parish priest. However, the Sandinista dictatorship has forbidden him from being in the department of Estelí,” Martha Patricia Molina explained on July 2 to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. She is the author of the report “Nicaragua: A Persecuted Church,” which documents thousands of attacks by the dictatorship against Catholics since 2018.
Molina further highlighted that “the Diocese of Estelí has always been a target of repression by the Sandinista dictatorship due to the hatred the dictatorial couple harbors toward Bishop Rolando José Álvarez, the apostolic administrator. Although Álvarez is not voicing opinions, the dictatorship views him as a constant focus of their attention.”
Álvarez, apostolic administrator of Estelí since 2021, following Mata’s resignation, currently lives in Rome after being exiled in January 2024 while serving a 26-year prison sentence. The prelate was a consistent critic of the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship.
Even though Álvarez is living in exile, Pope Francis confirmed him in his position as bishop of Matagalpa and apostolic administrator of Estelí.
Molina also told ACI Prensa that the situation in Estelí “is being aggravated because Mata has been critical of the arbitrary actions committed by the Sandinista dictatorship. Currently, we only learn of 10% of the attacks committed against the Catholic Church because the rest go unreported due to the fear and caution priests and laypeople have about speaking out in the news media or on social media.”
The researcher noted that the number of reports could reach “400 a day” if Catholics were able to speak freely in public.
The ‘dire’ situation in Estelí
Molina noted that the dictatorship is now persecuting the Church in a different way: “They had stopped abducting priests, but now they have gone back to it; furthermore, there are cases of priests having to report to police stations to give statements, and also there’s the constant monitoring and harassment of priests across the countryʼs various dioceses by the police.”
The researcher pointed out that the Diocese of Estelí, “the one most persecuted by the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship after Matagalpa,” is currently forced to “operate without [its bishop] and with only 42% of its clergy. This makes pastoral work difficult and places a heavier workload on the active priests.”
These priests must also take on “the duties of those who are in exile due to persecution, those who have passed away, or those who, for one reason or another, are not exercising their ministry in Nicaragua,” she pointed out.
“The situation is worsening because the Sandinista dictatorship has banned diaconal and priestly ordinations in that diocese,” she emphasized. Ordinations are also forbidden in Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Siuna. None of the four dioceses has its bishop present, as they have all been exiled from Nicaragua.
The need to be vigilant
“We have to remain vigilant regarding Bishop Mata because his health is fragile and requires professional care. What worries me is that the last individuals who have been under surveillance by the dictatorship or the police have ended up in worse condition or even dead,” Arturo McFields, Nicaragua’s former ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), told ACI Prensa on July 2.
A recent example of this situation is the case of Brooklyn Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner whom the Ortega-Murillo dictatorship held incommunicado for over 970 days. He passed away in late May at the age of 73, following several statements from the regime regarding his critical health condition.
“If the dictatorship’s actions are not strongly denounced, the regime would not hesitate to bring about the death of Bishop Mata, as they harbor deep resentment toward this man of God because of his courage and clarity for many years,” McFields emphasized.
An exiled Nicaraguan priest who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid reprisals told ACI Prensa that the situation involving Mata “is sad, but it can also be viewed as a sign of the fear the dictatorship has of an elderly bishop, an 80-year-old (with health issues) because his presence as a shepherd strengthens the lives of the faithful,” ensuring that “the faith remains alive.”
The priest emphasized that he continues to prepare “our hearts for a future in which we can rebuild the Church in Nicaragua not only socially but also through faith because spiritual and pastoral reconstruction work must also be done.”
Call for release
Félix Maradiaga, president of the Freedom for Nicaragua Foundation, issued “an urgent call to the international community, human rights organizations, the world’s democracies, and all people of goodwill to remain vigilant, demand the immediate release of Bishop Juan Abelardo Mata and all arbitrarily detained members of the clergy, and firmly condemn this new escalation of repression.”
“Nicaragua cannot normalize a dictatorship imprisoning priests, silencing pulpits, and persecuting the faith. The moral voice of the Church has historically stood with the Nicaraguan people during their most difficult times, and that is precisely why the regime seeks to intimidate it,” Maradiaga told ACI Prensa.
Pope Leo XIV will follow in his predecessor Pope Francis’ footsteps with a visit to a major migrant landing point, the Italian island of Lampedusa, on July 4.
Continuing his summer of day trips in Italy, the first U.S.-born pope will spend the U.S. Independence Day greeting immigrants, celebrating Mass, and visiting the tombs of Africans who have died at sea while making the dangerous boat crossing to Europe.
Lampedusa, which is part of the Italian region of Sicily, is only about 80 miles from Tunisia and a main gateway for Africans escaping poverty and violence to enter the continent of Europe.
When Pope Francis traveled to Lampedusa on July 8, 2013, his first official trip outside of Rome, the small island was experiencing frequent landings of boats carrying hundreds of migrants and refugees from Africa — those who managed to survive the deadly crossing in search of a better life.
During his visit, Francis celebrated Mass at an altar made from a migrant boat and threw a wreath of white and yellow flowers into the sea to remember those who had lost their lives in the Mediterranean Sea.
Commenting on the capsize of a dingy carrying migrants in the Strait of Sicily just weeks beforehand, the pope said he was saddened by a tragedy that “has been repeated so many times.”
“I felt I had to come here today to pray. To show my solidarity, but also to awaken our consciences, so that what happened will not happen again. Please, let it not happen again,” he urged.
Just months later, in October 2013, at least 300 people died when a boat carrying more than 500 migrants, mostly from Eritrea and Somalia, sank off the coast of Lampedusa.
The same year, one of the island’s southern beaches was voted the world’s best beach by travel site TripAdvisor, underlining Lampedusa’s contrasting identities as both a migrant landing point and popular summer beach destination.
Now, Pope Leo will fly to the same island, whose 6,000 permanent inhabitants are inundated every year by tens of thousands of immigrants who arrive on boats run by people smugglers — the same human traffickers Leo forcefully denounced last month during a visit to another major European port of entry, the island of Tenerife, in Spain.
“Repent while there is still time,” he said, “for God’s mercy can reach even the most hardened sinner, but it enters only through the narrow gate of truth, justice, and conversion.”
The day before, the Holy Father also addressed immigration at the port of Arguineguín, on the coast of Gran Canaria. Human dignity, he said, “requires legal and safe routes, rescue and assistance, real cooperation against traffickers, effective protection for victims, serious processes of welcome and integration, and policies that allow each person to live with dignity in his or her own land.”
While the numbers are lower than the height of the migrant crisis more than a decade ago, Lampedusa continues to be the main port of disembarkation for migrants in Italy, with more than 49,500 refugees and migrants landing on its coasts in 2025, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.
Leo will mark this reality on July 4 with a stop at the Gateway to Europe memorial, a 16-foot-tall terracotta and iron arch situated on the tip of Cavallo Bianco, a cliff facing south toward Tunisia, not far from the island’s commercial port.
He will also leave flowers at the tombs of shipwreck victims and address migrants at Favaloro Pier, which will be renamed in honor of Pope Francis.
The morning will conclude with the celebration of Mass, where an image of the island’s patroness, Our Lady of Portosalvo (“safe port” in English), will be present.
