Category: Diocese of Scranton News

SCRANTON (August 11, 2026) – Mr. Christopher R. Clay, formerly an incardinated priest of the Diocese of Scranton, has been dispensed from the clerical state, effective July 24, 2026, following credible accusations of sexual abuse of a minor.

Mr. Clay is no longer a member of the clergy, nor has any of the privileges or responsibilities of the priesthood. A priest who has been dispensed from the clerical state may not celebrate Mass or confer the Sacraments. He may no longer be called “Father” or wear clerical attire.

Mr. Clay was ordained to the Priesthood in June 1998, by the Most Rev. James C. Timlin, Eighth Bishop of Scranton, and was a member of the Oratory of Saint Philip Neri, a religious community founded in Mount Pocono by Reverend Peter M.J. Stravinskas.

Mr. Clay was originally removed from the exercise of priestly ministry in June 2004, in response to a credible accusation of sexual abuse of a minor. In July 2024, the Diocese became aware of another accusation of sexual abuse of a minor made against Mr. Clay. In both instances, the Diocese of Scranton followed its established protocol of notifying law enforcement of the allegations and reporting all findings to the Holy See.

To be clear, since the original accusation in 2004, Mr. Clay has been prohibited from the exercise of priestly ministry and celebrating the sacraments with any member of the Christian Faithful or anyone else. He has not possessed the faculties to preach the Word of God or hear confessions. He was also placed – and remains – on the Diocese of Scranton’s list of “Credibly Accused Individuals” suspected of sexually assaulting minors.

In March 2026, Mr. Clay submitted a petition to the Most Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, requesting dispensation from the clerical state, which has been granted and is final.

Mr. Clay now lives privately in Dallas, Texas, and is no longer affiliated with the Diocese of Scranton in any official capacity.

The Diocese of Scranton has contacted both the Diocese of Dallas and the Diocese of Fort Worth to make them aware of the Holy Father’s decision and Mr. Clay’s status.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – As Todd Blanche was confirmed and sworn in as attorney general, a group of pro-life organizations urged him to follow through on his previous comments that the Trump administration would review a Biden administration policy permitting the shipment of mifepristone by mail.

The Trump administration has sought to pause multiple state lawsuits seeking to roll back Biden administration-era eased restrictions on mifepristone, a drug commonly used for first trimester abortion, but which is also used in some miscarriage care protocols. The Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in effect while seeking to block those challenges, pending a promised FDA safety review, prompting frustration from pro-life advocates.

Advancing American Freedom, the think tank founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, said it led 35 organizations in sending a letter Aug. 7 to Blanche prior to his confirmation, calling on him to “honor his commitment to review President Biden’s Office of Legal Counsel’s December 2022 opinion on the Comstock Act.”

The Comstock Act of 1873 bans lewd materials, including contraceptives and abortifacients, from being sent through the mail, although it has not been enforced in recent decades. Some have suggested that the law, still on the books, could be used to ban abortion pills even in states that permit their use.

But the 2022 DOJ memo referenced by the AAF letter argued the law “does not prohibit the mailing of certain drugs that can be used to perform abortions where the sender lacks the intent that the recipient of the drugs will use them unlawfully.”

In their letter, the pro-life groups argued that during his hearing, Blanche said he would review the finding and should do so promptly.

“We thank you for pledging to evaluate whether the OLC opinion is consistent with the statute Congress actually passed and look forward to the result of your review,” they said.

Signatories on the Aug. 7 letter included Tim Chapman, AAF president, as well as representatives from SBA Pro-Life America, Students for Life of America and Americans United for Life.

Supporters of allowing mifepristone to be distributed by mail have argued that the law has long been considered antiquated, unenforceable, or unconstitutional. But some have argued it should be repealed.

Prior to his confirmation Aug. 8, Blanche signaled on a call with a predominantly Protestant Christian ministry that the Trump administration would be “putting practices and policies in place” to stop shipment of mifepristone by mail.

During a private call in late July, hosted by the White House Faith Office, Blanche told the group Intercessors for America that the Justice Department was “working hand in hand” with federal agencies and the White House “so that the Dobbs decision becomes permanent in every single state.”

He was referring to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had found that abortion was a constitutionally protected right, and returned the matter of restricting or regulating abortion to the legislative branch. A recording of the Blanche call, which appears to have since been removed from YouTube, was first reported by Politico.

“If states have said, ‘We are going to protect the unborn and we’re going to protect every life from the moment of conception,’ we’re putting practices and policies in place so that other states and other organizations can’t attack that,” Blanche said on the call. “They can’t do things like they’re doing with mailing in mail-order drugs.”

A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from OSV News. But a Justice Department statement to The Hill claimed Blanche’s “comments have been mischaracterized and need to be understood in their full context, which was with respect to mail order abortion drugs, not a broader expansion of federal control over states.”

In an Aug. 8 statement regarding Blanche’s confirmation, Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said, “The Trump administration and its backers in Congress have, once again, shown people across the country that they will never stop their attempts to make it harder for people nationwide to get an abortion and will make it more dangerous to provide that care.”

“That’s exactly the opposite of what people want and the consequences could be deadly,” she argued.

Blanche, who was previously President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, was sworn in Aug. 10 as attorney general after a contentious confirmation process during which Republican senators raised issues including a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” sought by Trump; objections to the way the Department of Justice handled the release of the Epstein files; and its approach to state challenges to a policy permitting distribution of mifepristone by mail, calling into question whether they would have the votes to confirm him without Democratic support.

But the Senate narrowly confirmed Blanche as attorney general in a 49-50 vote in the early hours of Aug. 8.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is seeking reelection in a swing state in November, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, declined to support Blanche.

Without any Democratic support for Blanche’s nomination, and with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., still absent from the upper chamber, every other Republican was needed for the confirmation. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who was among the senators seen as key swing votes in the process, effectively allowed the confirmation to move forward by stating on the Senate floor he would vote to confirm Blanche.

(OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and destruction following a powerful earthquake that struck Colombia, leaving more than 100 dead and dozens of collapsed buildings.

The pope offered prayers “for the eternal rest of the deceased and raises his prayers to the Lord for the speedy recovery of those affected by this tragedy,” said a telegram to Archbishop Francisco Javier Múnera Correa of Cartagena, president of the Colombian Bishops’ Conference, signed by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

The earthquake struck in the morning Aug. 10, with hundreds of videos posted online of people fleeing outdoors as the ground below them violently shook.

The Colombian Association of Capital Cities reported that the death toll rose to 132, with more than 570 injured. The association, which is a network of Colombia’s major cities, said the number is expected to change as damage assessments continue in the affected areas.

In his message, which the Vatican published Aug. 11, Cardinal Parolin conveyed the pope’s condolences “to the families who, in this hour of deep sorrow, mourn the loss of their loved ones.”

“In the same way, he assures his spiritual closeness and expresses his gratitude to all those who, with generous dedication, are working in the search, rescue, and assistance efforts for those affected,” the message read.

“Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he asks the Lord to pour out upon the beloved Colombian people the gifts of spiritual strength and Christian hope,” said the message.

According to Colombia’s Geological Service, the quake’s epicenter was the northwestern department of Chocó, and the intense magnitude made it “the strongest earthquake felt in Colombia in the last decade.”

The Geological Service also reported that, as of Aug. 10 in the afternoon, the country has recorded 18 aftershocks with magnitudes between 1.4 and 4.8 since the initial earthquake.

In a message published Aug. 10, the Colombian Bishops’ Conference expressed its closeness to the victims of the deadly 7.4 magnitude quake, as well as those who have been displaced.

“We pray for those who have lost their lives, that God may grant them eternal rest; for the persons who are still missing; for the injured, and for the affected families,” the bishops said.

The bishops also prayed for relief and medical personnel, as well as military and government authorities, “and all those who, with generosity and courage, are working in search, rescue, and care efforts for those affected.”

“This painful moment reminds us that no one can face an emergency of this magnitude alone,” the statement read. “Colombia is called, once again, to recognize itself as one family and to respond to the suffering of its brothers and sisters with generosity, responsibility, and solidarity.”

Among the videos of the destruction wrought by the earthquake were that of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales, as well as several churches that were heavily damaged in the aftermath.

The Archdiocese of Manizales also shared a 10-second video showing a Mass taking place as the earthquake struck in the morning.

In a video message to the city’s faithful, Archbishop José Miguel Gómez of Manizales said that while the archdiocese continues to assess the damage to churches, “the most important thing is you, the faithful, the priests, and all our neighbors who suffered the same.”

“God, our Lord, never abandons us, and it is in these moments when, lifting our eyes to Him, we must all, with humility and simplicity, ask Him for the graces we need to live through these difficulties,” Archbishop Gómez said.

The archbishop also invoked the intercession of Our Lady of the Rosary, asking her to “console and comfort” those affected by the natural disaster. He also urged people to follow guidelines given by the authorities.

“And, following those instructions, always seek to be attentive to those who suffer the most, so that no person is left without care in these difficult times,” he said before imparting his blessing.

The Colombian bishops’ conference said dioceses across the country are setting up collection points to ensure food distribution to shelters, hospitals and communities in the affected areas.

Caritas Colombia, the conference said, activated its National Emergency Service “to raise funds to directly help the jurisdictions and communities that were most affected by this tragedy.”

(OSV News) – Recent security issue disclosures from major artificial intelligence developers Anthropic and OpenAI point to a need for even greater human oversight of the technology, two Catholic experts told OSV News.

“What the Church brings to this is not a technical control. It is the refusal to let responsibility be transferred onto the tool,” said Matthew Harvey Sanders, CEO of Longbeard, the technology firm behind Magisterium AI, a Catholic “answer engine” trained on official and other authoritative Church teaching sources.

Charles Camosy, associate professor of moral theology and ethics at The Catholic University of America, warned of a “kind of prisoner’s dilemma” in which AI development firms across the globe are finding themselves locked in a relentless competition.

He noted that “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI, “called for ‘disarming’ AI and this also meant disarming this very race.”

In an email to OSV News, Sanders — whose firm uses frontier AI models developed by the two companies — clarified and contrasted two incidents self-reported by OpenAI and Anthropic, which saw models from each company appear to demonstrate a startling – and troubling — level of initiative during testing.

On July 21, OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT — announced that a combination of its models had broken out of a sandboxed testing environment to “obtain open Internet access” while solving a task.

Essentially, the models had hacked the open-source AI development platform Hugging Face, exploiting what OpenAI called a “previously unknown zero-day vulnerability,” meaning the weakness was unanticipated.

Hugging Face had revealed the breach on July 16, with OpenAI realizing shortly afterward that several of its models were responsible.

In a July 28 update, OpenAI said a “pre-release model” that was partly at fault “was never intended for public release,” and had been deactivated after the incident. The company has stressed it continues to work with Hugging Face and external advisors to review the incident.

Following the OpenAI disclosure, Anthropic — the AI developer responsible for Claude, and the firm among those on hand for the release of Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI — examined its own track record.

In a July 30 post to its website, Anthropic said it had identified three incidents in which a Claude model had “gained unauthorized access to the real systems of three different organizations.”

Like OpenAI, Anthropic said it was actively addressing the issue, “approaching the fixes as if the responsibility were ours alone.”

Sanders said the two incidents “are not the same event.”

“In OpenAI’s case, the containment was real and the models defeated it,” even “going to extreme lengths” to attain the goal, he explained.

However, “in Anthropic’s case, the model never escaped and never needed to,” since it regarded “the real companies it was breaking into” as “part of the exercise it had been given,” said Sanders.

“In both cases the systems did exactly what they were built to do, with more competence than their builders had planned for,” he said. “That is not rebellion. It is obedience, and it ought to worry us more.”

Sanders stressed media coverage describing the incidents as examples of AI going rogue are inaccurate, since that perspective “hands these systems a will they do not have.”

Moreover, such a view “quietly moves responsibility away from the people who made the decisions,” he said.

Both OpenAI and Anthropic had “deliberately switched off the safeguards that stop a deployed model from carrying out cyberattacks,” he said, adding, “That is a defensible research decision.”

But, said Sanders, “the design choice that failed” in both cases has to do with “how much containment is enough around a model whose restraints you have deliberately removed.”

Ultimately, OpenAI failed “to anticipate capability,” while Anthropic erred in its “failure to check” on the incidents, which took place in April, until late July, and then only after OpenAI made its disclosure, said Sanders.

“Neither is an accident of the technology,” he said, adding that Pope Leo’s “encyclical does not allow us to describe them as one.”

Both Sanders — who commended the two AI firms for their respective disclosures — and Camosy pointed to the critical need to bring a Catholic perspective to bear on the rapidly evolving technology.

“The Church has spent two thousand years declining to let people describe their own choices as fate, and that is exactly the discipline this moment needs,” said Sanders. “Every account of these incidents that reaches for the image of a machine breaking free is, whether it means to or not, an argument that nobody is answerable. Somebody is always answerable. That is good news rather than bad, because a decision a person made is a decision a person can make differently.”

Camosy urged Pope Leo XIV “to make a trip, very soon, to Silicon Valley” to “convene local Silicon Valley companies and global AI companies as well” to ensure humans remain in control of AI.

“That kind of dramatic move, as far as I can tell, is the only thing that could possibly move the needle culturally and globally for this kind of problem,” said Camosy. “He’s got the worldwide clout to do so, and so many people of so many different perspectives have welcomed his moral leadership on this issue in particular.”

And, Camosy added, “The time to set up something like this is now. We likely have months, not years, to act.”

ROME (OSV News) – Preparations are in full swing for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, South Korea, where Pope Leo XIV is expected to join young Catholics from around the world for the second World Youth Day ever held in Asia.

The Aug. 3-8, 2027, gathering comes more than three decades after the first World Youth Day in Asia, which drew 4 million to 5 million people to Manila with St. John Paul II in 1995, setting a Guinness World Record for largest attendance at a papal event at the time.

With one year remaining before the massive international Catholic youth festival, organizers say planning has intensified. Representatives from the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life visited South Korea in July to review preparations and meet with bishops from dioceses that will host pilgrims in the diocesan days before the main event.

Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul said the archdiocese has spent the past three years laying the groundwork for the gathering.

“The year ahead will be the time to complete our preparations and welcome young people from every part of the world,” Archbishop Chung said in a statement. “We will do everything possible to make WYD Seoul 2027 a celebration of hope and a witness to the hospitality and solidarity of Korea and Seoul.”

Registration opens in October

Before arriving in the South Korean capital, international pilgrims will have the option to take part in the traditional “Days in the Diocese” from July 29 to Aug. 2, staying with local communities in 15 dioceses across the country while experiencing the faith, culture, and traditions of the Catholic Church in Korea.

Registration for World Youth Day attendees is scheduled to open in October. The accommodation options will include a large-scale parish homestay program, designed to give visitors an opportunity to experience Korean family life, parish communities and local hospitality while staying with host families.

While World Youth Day is primarily intended for young people ages 14–30, all who wish to participate are welcome, organizers say.

Advice for prospective WYD pilgrims

Across the world, parishes and dioceses have already started preparing young people to participate in the pilgrimage to South Korea — which despite being the first non-Christian majority country to host World Youth Day — has a unique Catholic history with the witness of thousands of Christian martyrs who were killed for their faith.

Father Michael Duck Young Kong, a parish priest at St. Mary of the Cross Catholic Parish in Mordialloc, Australia, has been giving talks to the Catholic Youth Australia group and Melbourne’s archdiocesan preparation team on the history and culture of Catholicism in Korea.

He has also turned to social media to help young people prepare, drawing on his Korean heritage to share language tips and what young pilgrims can look forward to when visiting to one of Asia’s largest cities.

“I think the first impression many young Catholics will have when they arrive in Korea is the sheer energy of Seoul — its pace, scale and intensity,” he told OSV News. “Seoul is a vibrant, modern city, and that can feel overwhelming at first, but I actually see that as part of the gift of pilgrimage. It is an invitation to receive what is unfamiliar with an open heart and a spirit of gratitude.”

Father Kong said he is hopeful that “God will awaken something deep and lasting in the hearts of young people through World Youth Day in Seoul” through an encounter with “a living Church, a universal faith and holiness,” adding that World Youth Day could become “a moment for every young participant to respond to the vocation to which they have been called.”

A pilgrimage in the footsteps of Korea’s martyrs

The Catholic Church in Korea has a distinct identity shaped by “the witness of lay believers, by martyrdom and by a long history of perseverance under pressure,” he said.

With no priests at first, the early Church in Korea was led by young lay believers who gathered in secret to study Scripture and live out the Gospel. They strived to continue their life of faith even amid harsh persecutions that spread over one hundred years, leading to many martyrs. Pope Francis beatified 124 Korean martyrs during his apostolic journey to Seoul in 2014 and Pope John Paul II canonized 103 martyr saints.

“Pilgrims will feel a strong sense of piety, communal faith, and public witness,” Father Kong said, expressing hope they will leave Seoul “with a stronger faith, and with a greater desire to say ‘yes’ to God in their daily lives.”

In Spain, a group of young Catholics from Seoul are giving pilgrims along the Camino de Santiago a taste of Korean culture by offering traditional Korean dance and Kpop performances Aug. 4-12 to promote World Youth Day. Another group from the Archdiocese of Seoul traveled this month to the Diocese of Fukuoka in Japan to raise awareness about the major event happening next year.

World Youth Day theme song gets a pop release

Organizers marked the one-year countdown to World Youth Day 2027 with the release of the event’s official theme song, “Confidite, Ego Vici Mundum,” meaning “Take courage! I have overcome the world.” The song, selected from 434 entries, including 294 from outside Korea, was written by Korean composer Francis Jiyoon Kim.

The World Youth Day 2027 anthem was released in a both a pop version and a classical version and can be heard online on YouTube. The international version of the hymn has lyrics in six languages.

The official World Youth Day prayer can also be found online in multiple languages. The prayer includes a line asking the Lord to “Kindle the flame of the Korean martyrs’ faith in our hearts, making us into disciples who live out the Gospel of peace, love, and truth.”

Volunteering opportunities at WYD Seoul

Volunteering opportunities are available during the upcoming World Youth Day. Organizers anticipate about 30,000 volunteers, including 10,000 serving in central operations in roles such as pilgrim assistance, interpretation, event management, medical services and safety, along with 20,000 parish volunteers across the Archdiocese of Seoul.

So far, 378 volunteers, including foreign residents in South Korea and international long-term volunteers, are already involved in preparations. Registration for additional short-term volunteers in South Korea and abroad will begin alongside pilgrim registration in October. Organizers said volunteers will receive training and spiritual formation.

Youth ministers to visit Korea in September

About 250 Catholic youth ministry representatives from bishops’ conferences around the world will travel to Seoul to get an introduction to Korean culture at the Second International Preparatory Meeting Sept. 14-17.

The meeting, jointly organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the World Youth Day organizing committee, will coordinate planning to take into account the needs of international delegations, while giving the Catholic youth ministers a taste of Korean culture.

For young people still undecided about making the journey to Seoul for World Youth Day, Father Kong’s advice is simple: “Go and see.”

“So many young people today are carrying real questions and anxieties about their lives and their futures. I would encourage them that this gathering could become a moment where they glimpse a light in the midst of that,” he said, adding that it is an opportunity “not only for believers, but also for young people without faith to encounter the presence of God.”

He said the invitation reflects the World Youth Day 2027 theme, “Take courage, I have conquered the world” (John 16:33).

(OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV traveled to Assisi Aug. 6 to celebrate the Jubilee Year of St. Francis with 2,500 young people, urging them to become the “new saints” the world needs today.

The pope celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord for participants in the “Go! Franciscan Youth Meeting,” a four-day gathering of young people ages 18 to 33 from across Europe. The basilica was built on the site where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.

“Dear young people, today Europe and the whole world are looking to you to be new saints. Dare to believe in the word of the Gospel; become fully human with the freedom of Jesus Christ,” Pope Leo said in his homily in the basilica that encompasses the small chapel where St. Francis founded the Franciscan order.

“Unite the best energies of your magnificent humanity: your studies, skills, work, friendships, love and prayer, so that you can bring Saint Francis’ vision to life in many different ways,” he added.

The pope’s visit is part of the Church’s celebration of the 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ death and coincides with the annual August celebration in which pilgrims flock to the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels to receive a plenary indulgence linked to a mystical experience of St. Francis.

The pope flew from Vatican City to Assisi by helicopter in the morning. Before Mass, he met young people gathered in the piazza in front of the basilica and answered some of their questions, offering advice about vocations and discernment.

He told them that “the deepest vocation, written in every human heart, is a call to communion,” a truth he said sin can obscure. Thankfully, he added, every vocation is also a journey toward redemption and healing.

“Jesus’ invitation to follow him reveals our own dignity and teaches us to honor the dignity of others by placing our trust in them and proving ourselves worthy of their trust,” Pope Leo said. “This dynamic is so liberating that it deserves the wholehearted commitment of our lives.”

Pope Leo also reflected on the instability of modern life, saying “the stability that once characterized traditional societies is disappearing” and that a confused sense of freedom can leave people feeling nothing is ever truly settled. In that environment, the pope said, “the courage to make a definitive choice may well be the most revolutionary act of all.”

“Faith unmasks the illusion that our problems can be solved by running away, or abandoning our commitments, or taking a few steps along ever-changing roads without ever truly arriving anywhere,” he said. “We may multiply our experiences, our acquaintances and our possessions, yet remain in exactly the same place. The human cost is immense, and the inner emptiness that follows is profound.”

Saying “yes” to forever, the pope added, “is a grace which God himself enables us to respond to through our own fidelity, so that we may attain the fullness of life.”

Reflecting on his own personal vocation, Pope Leo said, “Looking back on my own life, I can say that the Lord has never left me alone. He has always accompanied me, often by placing people beside me with whom I could share the journey.”

“As a priest, as a member of the Augustinian community and as a missionary, I found a light that has guided me to this very day.”

After speaking with young people in the piazza, the pope greeted representatives of the Franciscan orders in the basilica’s cloister before celebrating Mass. The opening procession began outside, where the pope blessed young people who followed the Mass from the piazza under the summer sun.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, were among the concelebrants.

The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, built in the 16th century, encloses the Porziuncola, a small chapel considered the birthplace of the Franciscan order, which St. Francis founded in 1209.

The Porziuncola is one of the old chapels St. Francis worked to rebuild after a mystical vision in which Christ, speaking from the crucifix at San Damiano, told him to repair his Church. It was given to St. Francis to be the motherhouse of the new order in 1211.

Each year during the first week of August, pilgrims to the basilica can receive a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions linked to a mystical experience St. Francis reported there in 1216, when he asked Christ to grant full remission of sins to those who repented, confessed and prayed in the church. Pope Honorius III granted that indulgence at St. Francis’ request, and Pope Sixtus IV extended it to all Franciscan churches in 1480.

Pope Leo lauds St. Francis’ “revolutionary” choice to follow Jesus

During his homily, Pope Leo recited the well-known prayer “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,” noting that although it is often attributed to St. Francis, it actually dates only to the last century.

He said St. Francis continues to draw people to him eight centuries after his death because of the courage he showed in leaving familiar ways behind to follow a path more consistent with that of Jesus, a choice that seemed “revolutionary” even in a city that had been Christian for centuries.

“This is the energy of Christianity — the energy of its beginnings and of its many new beginnings,” the pope said.

At the end of the Mass, Pope Leo entered the small Porziuncola chapel for a moment of silent prayer before processing out of the basilica. He then returned to Vatican City by helicopter.

Before departing, the pope told the young people he hoped their days in Assisi would stay with them, and that their return home to their countries across Europe would be marked by reflection and renewed commitment to Christ.

Assisi’s Bishop Felice Accrocca reflected, “We experienced an extraordinary day thanks to the Holy Father’s visit.”

The pope’s invitation,” the bishop added, “urges us to reach out to others, to become an ever more ‘outgoing Church,’ especially toward young people, seeking them out in their own places, at their own times, and in their own language, so that together we may discover the power of Jesus and the Gospel and help them understand that Christ is the only true hope.”

ROME (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV will make the first apostolic journey to South America of his pontificate Nov. 6-17, visiting 10 cities in Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, the Vatican has announced.

The trip will take him from one of Latin America’s least religious countries to the homeland of the late Pope Francis before culminating in Pope Leo’s return to Peru, where he served as an Augustinian missionary and later bishop of Chiclayo. It will be his first return to the continent since his election as pope.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed Aug. 5 that the pope will visit Montevideo, Paysandú and Florida in Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Luján in Argentina; and Lima, Chiclayo, Cusco and Pucallpa in Peru. Here is a look at the cities that Pope Leo will visit:

Uruguay (Nov. 6-8)

The pope’s first stop will be Uruguay, where Christians only make up 44% of the population, the lowest percentage in Latin America, according to the Pew Research Center.

Montevideo

Montevideo is Uruguay’s capital and largest city. It is home to the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the historic Montevideo Metropolitan Cathedral.

Paysandú

Paysandú, a cultural and economic hub on Uruguay’s western border with Argentina, was founded in 1772 by a priest, Policarpo Sandú, and Christianized Indigenous families. The city is home to the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, known for its large pipe organ.

Florida

The Uruguay visit will likely conclude in Florida, home to the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, the patroness of Uruguay. A yearly pilgrimage is held every second Sunday of November, which falls this year on Nov. 8. The basilica preserves an 18th-century Guaraní image of the Virgin Mary before which 33 of Uruguayans prayed before fighting for independence.

St. John Paul II consecrated the shrine during his 1988 visit, the last papal trip to Uruguay. “Almost 40 years ago, we experienced the unforgettable visit of St. John Paul II. Now we welcome Pope Leo with enormous anticipation. It is a joy for the Church, but also for all of Uruguay,” Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo said.

Argentina (Nov. 8-11)

The second leg of the trip will be Argentina, the homeland of Pope Francis, who served as archbishop of Buenos Aires before becoming pope, but never returned during his pontificate. About 58% of adults in Argentina identify as Catholic, according to Pew.

Buenos Aires

In Buenos Aires, the pope will likely meet President Javier Milei, who welcomed the announced visit as “an event of enormous spiritual and institutional significance for our country and for all Argentines.”

The capital is also home to the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, where the tomb of Argentina’s first female saint, known as Mama Antula, is located.

Córdoba

Córdoba, Argentina’s second-largest city, is known for its Spanish colonial architecture. Its historic Manzana Jesuítica, “Jesuit Block,” includes one of South America’s oldest universities and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Luján

Luján is home to the Shrine of Our Lady of Luján, patroness of Argentina and one of the country’s leading pilgrimage sites. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis led pilgrimages there, while St. John Paul celebrated Mass at the shrine during his 1982 visit and consecrated Argentina to Our Lady of Luján.

Peru (Nov. 11-17)

The final and longest portion of the trip will bring Pope Leo back to Peru, where he first arrived as an Augustinian missionary in 1985. He was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo in 2014 before becoming its bishop. He obtained Peruvian citizenship in 2015 before being transferred to the Vatican in 2023.

Lima

Lima is Peru’s capital and largest city. The city is home to the Basilica and Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as the Convent of Santo Domingo, where St. Rose of Lima and St. Martin de Porres are buried. Keiko Fujimori, whose victory in Peru’s presidential election was declared July 4, is expected to welcome the pope to the country.

Chiclayo

Chiclayo is expected to be one of the most closely watched stops of the trip because of the pope’s ties to the local church. Pope Leo served as bishop of the diocese from 2015 to 2023.

Cusco

Pope Leo will also visit Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire. One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere, Cusco remains one of Peru’s foremost cultural centers in the Andes with an average elevation of 11,150 feet.

Pucallpa

The pope will not leave Peru without stopping in Pucallpa, a city on the Ucayali River in the Amazonian rainforest that has long served as a center for Catholic missionary outreach in Peru’s rainforest.

The Diocese of Chiclayo celebrated the Vatican’s announcement saying that the pope’s visit will bring “a message of faith, hope, and closeness to millions of Peruvians.”

“It will be a historic visit that will unite us as a people and as a Church,” the diocese said in a social media post.

“With joy and hope, we prepare to welcome the Successor of Peter and to experience this time of grace together.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Catholic bishops are getting ready a nationwide call to prayer and action, with an official launch date of Aug. 18, to mobilize Catholics to address the rising abortion rate and the increased availability of an abortion-inducing drug.

“Every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother. Now with easier access to abortion pills, the abortion rate is tragically climbing, along with increased health risks,” Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said in joint remarks.

According to an estimate from Guttmacher Institute, a research firm for the abortion industry, 1.12 million abortions took place in 2025, marking a 21% increase from 2020. Guttmacher said 2020 marked “the last year of comprehensive national estimates” before the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision. Dobbs overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and its related abortion precedents, returning the matter of abortion back to the legislative branch.

Guttmacher found the figures for 2025 were largely unchanged from the prior year, but suggested abortion numbers overall may be an undercount due to people acquiring abortion pills in advance or obtaining them by means other than U.S. abortion clinic providers.

Abortion rates in the U.S. bottomed out in 2017, when they were estimated to be just over 862,000, and began increasing again in the first Trump administration, which also approved the first generic for mifepristone, commonly called “the abortion pill,” in 2019. The pill is commonly used in combination with misoprostol for early abortion, although the same combination is also used in some miscarriage care protocols that were more recently recommended for consideration by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

More than six of 10 abortions in the U.S. are performed through a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol, according to recent estimates.

A federal policy permitting distribution by mail of mifepristone was first issued by the Biden administration following the Dobbs decision. The policy has thus far been left in place by the second Trump administration, which approved a second generic for mifepristone in 2025 to the shock of pro-life groups.

The Department of Justice, under the current Trump administration, has also sought to block state challenges to the policy pending a promised safety review by the Food and Drug Administration. But the status and timeline of the FDA review are unclear.

Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Thomas stated that the FDA “has enabled a nationwide mail-order abortion industry by allowing abortion pills to be prescribed in telehealth appointments and sold both at neighborhood pharmacies and online, circumventing state laws that protect life in the womb.”

“This leaves women vulnerable to suffering an abortion alone at home, without any medical supervision,” they said. “It also sets up additional opportunities for exploitation by violent partners or human traffickers.”

The bishops said that from the official start of the campaign through the end of October, when the Church in the U.S. marks Respect Life Month, “the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is inviting Catholics to join a focused effort of prayer and action to stop the spread of abortion pills.”

They urged Catholics to seek “the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life” as well as to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies that are involved.

The USCCB is gearing up to mobilize Catholics all over the U.S. with resources in time for the Aug. 18 launch of the campaign.

“We are setting up a simple on-line platform allowing users to click and send one message that will go to multiple entities, such as brick-and-mortar pharmacies and online pharmacies, distributors, and pharmaceutical companies,” Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the USCCB’s Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, told OSV News. “We are also developing educational resources about the abortion pill, which will help explain distinctions between miscarriage care versus ending the life of a child in an abortion.”

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. Following the Dobbs decision, U.S. Church officials have reaffirmed the Church’s concern for both mother and child, and have called for enhancing support to those made vulnerable to abortion through poverty and other factors.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Returning to his weekly general audiences after a monthlong summer break, Pope Leo XIV urged Catholics to embrace the Liturgy of the Hours more fully in their daily lives, saying the church’s public prayer is an antidote to a world shaped by technology, consumerism and an efficiency-driven mindset.

“Every week and every day, the Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours are the breath of the life of the Church, which makes the Holy Spirit circulate through her Body,” he said Aug. 5.

Because of Rome’s summer heat, the pope held the audience inside instead of St. Peter’s Square; however, this time it was held in St. Peter’s Basilica rather than in the Paul VI Hall. As he processed to the altar, he stopped to shake hands with attendees and bless babies and rosaries.

Continuing his series on the documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on ‘Sacrosanctum Concilium,’ the Constitution on the liturgy. He said “it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us to pray,” and that Christians unite themselves with Christ in offering praise and thanksgiving to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Bound to the Eucharist, the Liturgy of the Hours sanctifies the rhythm of the day, the pope said, beginning with morning prayer, continuing at midday and evening, and ending with night prayer as the faithful entrust themselves to God’s peace.

“Each hour is an act of hope,” he said.

The Liturgy of the Hours is the church’s official daily prayer, consisting of psalms, Scripture readings, hymns and prayers recited at designated times throughout the day. Pope Leo said the tradition of prayer is “no longer passed on” even in many Christian families, even though prayer is a “fundamental dimension of our humanity.”

In societies “dominated by an efficiency-driven and consumerist mindset,” prayer can seem “pointless and trivial,” the pope said. In a world “where science and technology claim to provide all the answers,” he added, prayer may appear to be a form of escapism.

“Brothers and sisters, may we find the spiritual nourishment necessary on our earthly pilgrimage by joining with the whole Church in her liturgical prayer as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” the pope said in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims.

“Far from avoiding the world and its needs, all prayer, especially in the entire liturgy, is the essential dimension of our humanity,” he added.

The pope’s encouragement comes after the Vatican approved a new English-language edition of the Liturgy of the Hours in November 2025. After 13 years, the U.S. bishops produced a translation that more closely reflects the original Latin texts. The first volume is expected to be released ahead of Lent 2027.

In his greeting to French-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo encouraged those on summer vacation to deepen their interior life by spending more time with the Lord in prayer. Even leisure and rest, he said, “belong to him” and “can be sanctified by his presence.”

OKLAHOMA CITY (OSVNews) – “He didn’t go back to Guatemala to die. He went back to Guatemala to live.”

Msgr. Don Wolf, rector of the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine and a cousin of Blessed Rother, shared these words in a documentary “American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story.”

This scene still makes Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City choke up every time he sees it.

“He knew that death awaited him, but he knew that not going back would mean a different kind of death, and only by going back there would he live life to the full, the life that the Lord had called him to, even though that meant laying down his life,” Archbishop Coakley said during a panel discussion. It followed the documentary’s world premiere at the Regal Warren Moore Theater in Moore, Oklahoma, a suburb of Oklahoma City, on July 28, the feast day of Blessed Stanley Rother.

More than 600 people filled three theaters to watch the documentary — one for the English version narrated by award-winning actor Martin Sheen, and two for the Spanish version.

Sheen narrated the documentary for free, said Maria Scaperlanda, one of the executive producers of the documentary and promoter for the cause. Sheen “fell in love with Father Stan,” she told OSV News.

“I want to help you get Blessed Stanley across the line, have him become a saint. And this is my way of helping,” she recalled Sheen — himself a devout Catholic — telling her.

“We showed up at his house, finished all the audio with him. It’s his gift to the cause,” she said.

Scaperlanda, who also wrote the definitive biography on Blessed Rother, “The Shepherd Who Didn’t Run: Father Stanley Rother, Martyr from Oklahoma,” said that people often ask her when a movie will be made.

“There’s a lot of people, very excited, who have been waiting for something visual. God is putting me where he wants me,” she said. “I hope that more and more people will be able to hear the story.”

“American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story” is scheduled to be released in theaters nationwide Aug. 25-27.

Archbishop Coakley told OSV News that he hopes by spreading the word about Blessed Rother, more people will turn to him in prayer.

“The Church needs saints, and we have a Catholic priest missionary martyr who’s on the threshold of being declared a saint. But in order for people to have the confidence to turn to him — to seek his intercession — they have to know his story,” he said. “My primary interest and concern is to introduce people to the life of this heroic missionary priest, so that they might imitate his faith in turning to the Lord in seeking what they need.”

Bishop Edward J. Burns of Dallas hadn’t planned on attending the premiere a month ago. Archbishop Coakley’s classmate from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, the same seminary Blessed Rother graduated from, Bishop Burns told the archbishop he planned to visit the shrine on July 28, not knowing it was Blessed Rother’s feast day. The archbishop, in turn, invited him to concelebrate the Mass at the shrine that day.

“Then, I later learned that there was the premiere of this wonderful documentary. I said, ‘Wow, what a coincidence,’ but in actuality, it’s just a little gift from Blessed Stanley Rother,” Bishop Burns told OSVNews.

Like Archbishop Coakley, Bishop Burns was completing his final year at Mount St. Mary’s when the students learned of their alumnus’ martyrdom. As a leader of the student body, he took the responsibility of welcoming Blessed Rother’s parents and sister, Sister Marita Rother, an Adorer of the Blood of Christ, to the campus.

“In those moments, for me to sit and speak to the parents of a martyr moved me in such a powerful way, to speak to a mom of a martyr and the anguish that she went through, it touched my heart,” Bishop Burns recalled.

He described Blessed Rother as a “model of what it is to give everything for the Gospel” and said that he hopes to spread devotion in his own diocese.

“The opportunity to grow closer to Christ is exactly what Stanley did. You look at his life on the farm, through school, in the seminary, and then into his priesthood. He just grew closer and closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. And that same Lord Jesus Christ is the one who welcomed him into the community of saints, angels and martyrs,” he said.

Among the attendees at the premiere were 27 members of Blessed Rother’s family who were recognized during the panel.

“It’s very stirring to see his family with both simple memory of just a man but with deep devotion that now their brother is beatified because he’s martyred,” said the Rev. Nathan Carr, vicar of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City and missioner for strategic development for the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma.

Rev. Carr, who also serves as the headmaster of the Academy of Classical Christian Studies — a K-12 school with a 17% Catholic enrollment — said his school’s Schola Cantorum choir has led music at the shrine every year since its opening. He said Blessed Rother provides inspiration for everybody and plans to encourage his parishioners to see the documentary.

“We are dying on the vine in a dearth of local exemplars — and suddenly, out of God’s perfect grace, we are given an exemplar of the holy life, the life of virtue, and the life of holiness, a life being poured out for others,” Rev. Carr said. “Every kind of Christian — and every kind of person, for that matter — will be able to experience what sacrificial love truly and finally and forever is in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

For Blessed Rother to be canonized, there must be a verified miracle attributed to his intercession before God.

The Rome-based postulator for Rother’s cause, Cristiana Marinelli, said that while she can’t provide details, there are active investigations.

“I can say that what I experienced today is that the devotion, the veneration, is still alive, is still growing. And this is something that’s very important, because only through prayer will we be able to get a sign of God,” she said.

Marinelli, who has served as postulator for three years, said she views her work as a vocation.

“Having the possibility to study the life of this candidate has given me the opportunity also to not only to increase my intellectual, professional knowledge but also my spiritual life,” she said.

Deacon Jan Latta from St. Eugene Parish in North Oklahoma City and his wife, Mary, were excited to see the beatification Mass from 2017 featured in the documentary, because they had both volunteered as ushers before he had entered deacon formation. Deacon Latta said he found inspiration from the fact that Blessed Rother had initially failed his courses in a Texas seminary, Latin in particular, and transferred to the Emmitsburg seminary.

“I grew up on a farm in Iowa, and I’m not that intellectual. I had trouble even in deacon formation with some of the classes,” reflected Deacon Latta. “Even if somebody tells you you’re not intelligent enough or smart enough to be a priest, he didn’t settle for that, and he followed his heart, and he was able to become a priest and go to Guatemala, and he followed his heart down there.”

The documentary features several scenes dramatizing Blessed Rother’s life. Actor Ryan Francis hadn’t heard of Blessed Rother but happened to check his email — something he doesn’t normally do — when he noticed a call for someone to perform historical reenactments.

At the time, Francis had a full beard with some gray for another role he’d done. After sending in a headshot, he was invited to participate in the project.

“When this chance came up, as I was going through it, and then I got to a picture of Father Apla’s, and I go, ‘Oh, my gosh, I can do this,'” he said. “I never even click on these emails, but I happened to click on this one and see it, and it just, it all just happened. Next thing I knew, I was on a plane to Guatemala.”

Although he doesn’t consider himself religious, Francis said he found inspiration from Blessed Rother’s life.

“It was quite interesting to visit the places and reenact these actual photos at the actual place where these photos were taken and actually get a crash course on the history on Father Apla’s,” Francis said, noting the similarity between his last name and Blessed Rother’s middle name, for which “Apla’s” is the Tz’utujil translation. “His whole story — especially, just his selflessness, his sacrifice, his commitments — those things just really resonated with me on a level that was very impactful.”

During the panel discussion, Archbishop Coakley said that the message Blessed Rother offers is that there’s “nothing really extraordinary about him at all. He was just an ordinary guy from Okarche, a farmer who became a priest, who became a missionary, who became a martyr, who has become a saint. God calls us all to holiness, and he calls us right where we are.”

He said he hopes the documentary will inspire people to live a life of holiness and to share their gifts in a way that they, too, can become everyday saints.

“We don’t have to go out of our way looking for it. We don’t have to travel across the world. It’s right here at home. It’s in our homes, in our families, in our parishes, in our places of work. That’s where we’re called to flourish and to become saints,” he said.

Blessed Rother baptized Felipe Coche Pablo in Santiago Atítlan, Guatemala, who was only 2 when the martyrdom occurred. Watching the documentary helped him understand what life was like during that time period.

During the panel, Coche — who is also involved in the cause in Guatemala — said through a translator that the people of Santiago Atítlan love Blessed Rother, even today.

“For my people, Father Apla’s is already a saint. He has been loved before and now even more. It’s a blessing for my people Tz’utujil,” he said.