Our Lady of Czestochowa

Pope Leo XIV greets members of the Vatican Secretariat of State on June 5, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2025 / 14:51 pm (CNA).

In his audience with members of the Vatican Secretariat of State on Thursday, Pope Leo XIV thanked them for their support in the first month of his pontificate.

Among those present was Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, who introduced the meeting with a brief address. Also participating was Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, substitute for general affairs of the Secretariat of State.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary of relations with states within the Secretariat of State, did not participate in the audience because he is in Cuba for the 90th anniversary of relations between that Caribbean country and the Holy See.

At the outset of his speech, Pope Leo thanked the Secretariat of State for assisting him in the “first steps” of his pontificate and for “carrying forward the mission” entrusted to him.

“It comforts me to know that I am not alone and that I can share the responsibility of my universal ministry with you,” he said.

Then, extemporaneously, he said that “it is evident that the pope cannot continue alone and that it is very necessary to be able to count on the collaboration of many in the Holy See” and especially with the Secretariat of State.

He also recalled the beginnings of this institution, which date back to the end of the 15th century, and its evolution over the years, highlighting that currently almost half of the Secretariat of State is made up of laypeople and more than 50 women.

For the pope, this development reflects “the face of the Church: We share together the questions, difficulties, challenges, and hopes of the people of God present throughout the world,” always expressing “two essential dimensions: incarnation and catholicity.”

“We are incarnated in time and history, because if God has chosen the path of humanity and the languages ​​of humanity, the Church is also called to follow this path, so that the joy of the Gospel may reach all and be mediated in today’s cultures and languages,” he emphasized.

He also reflected on the “Catholic” and universal perspective, which allows for the appreciation of different cultures and sensibilities, serving as “a driving force committed to forging communion between the Church of Rome and the local Churches” as well as with the international community.

For the Holy Father, these two dimensions “have become increasingly constitutive of the Curia’s work,” marking a path that has guided the reform of the Roman Curia carried out by St. Paul VI.

The pope also explained that incarnation “refers to the concreteness of reality and to the specific and particular themes addressed by the various bodies of the Curia.”

On the other hand, he emphasized the Church’s universal character, recalling that “the mystery of the Church’s multiform unity demands a work of synthesis that can assist the pope’s action.” This bond of unity, he explained, is carried out by the Secretariat of State.

Pope Leo XIV cited Praedicate Evangelium, Pope Francis’ apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia and its service to the Church in the world.

“I know that these tasks are very demanding and, at times, may not be fully understood. Therefore, I wish to express my closeness to you and, above all, my deep gratitude,” he said.

The pope also expressed his gratitude for their “hidden work” in the service of the Church and for “the evangelical spirit that inspires it” while asking them that this place “not be contaminated by ambitions or antagonisms.”

“Be, instead, a true community of faith and charity, of brothers and sisters and sons and daughters of the pope,” who give their all generously for the good of the Church, the pope urged.

After entrusting them to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, he thanked them for their prayers for their ministry and imparted his blessing.

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

The Archdiocese of New York superintendent of schools announced the launch of a school renewal plan and the final results of a school viability study on June 4, 2025. /  Credit: alexkich/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 5, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).

Archdiocese of New York Superintendent of Schools Sister Mary Grace Walsh, ASCJ, announced this week the launch of a school renewal plan and the final results of a school viability study.

On June 3, the archdiocese laid out the first part of the Elementary School Renewal Plan based on the results of the School Viability Study (SVS), which assessed every elementary school in the archdiocese between October 2024 and January 2025 in order “to ensure the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of Catholic education within the community.” 

The two-part school renewal plan, according to a press release, will evaluate four key areas for each school: mission and Catholic identity, governance and leadership, academic excellence, and operational vitality. The second part of the plan will be released in September.

“All schools, whether strong or in need of additional support, will work together with the archdiocese to implement these renewal efforts,” Walsh said. 

Schools will address each of the four focus points of the renewal plan by engaging in reflection and planning throughout the fall. If needed, schools will receive direct support from external consultants to help with future planning and will receive feedback and approval. 

“The renewal process is not always easy, but it brings with it the promise of transformation and growth,” Walsh said.

“Let us hold onto the promise of Revelation 21:5, trusting that God’s continual work of renewal and transformation is at the heart of everything we do,” she said. “Together, we will continue to nurture faith, knowledge, and community in our students, confident that God is with us as we move forward in this time of renewal.”

The SVS was conducted “across 77 parish and regional elementary schools along with two Archdiocese of New York Initiative campuses to assess their alignment with the National Standards and Benchmarks for Effective Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools (NSBECS).”

Eighteen staff members from the Superintendent of Schools Office in the archdiocese visited the schools to hold conversations with each principal, gather data, observe, and then report on their findings. 

The study found that Catholic schools in the Bronx present a “diverse educational landscape, with schools experiencing varying levels of sustainability.” 

While “several schools are thriving, supported by strong finances, academic excellence, and active parish partnerships,” some other schools “were determined to be unsustainable and recommended for closure.”

In February, the archdiocese announced that Our Lady of Refuge and St. Lucy School in the Bronx and St. Mark the Evangelist in Manhattan would close at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. In May, the archdiocese shared that Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary School in Manhattan would close at the same time. 

“Parish-based schools are a particular strength in Manhattan,” the study reported. The area was found to have some of the highest-performing schools in the archdiocese. 

Ultimately, however, the two Manhattan schools were recommended for closure due to enrollment and financial considerations. 

“We understand the emotional impact these closures have on the students, families, and communities, and we trust in God’s providence to guide us to new opportunities,” Walsh said.

The Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion on Thursday, June 5, 2025, saying Wisconsin violated the First Amendment protections of Catholic Charities. / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 5, 2025 / 12:05 pm (CNA).

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously held that the state of Wisconsin had violated the First Amendment when it denied a tax exemption to a Catholic charity after claiming that the group’s charitable undertakings were not “primarily” religious.

The high court said in its Thursday decision that the First Amendment “mandates government neutrality between religions” and that the state had run afoul of that principle when it refused to extend the tax break to the Catholic Charities bureau operated out of the Diocese of Superior.

The state allows organizations “operated primarily for religious purposes” to be exempt from paying into the state’s unemployment system. But the Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission had claimed that the Catholic charity was not operated primarily for a religious purpose because it offers charitable services to people of all faiths and does not focus its efforts on converting the people it serves to Catholicism.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court had ruled last March against the Catholic charity. On Thursday, however, the Supreme Court reversed that order in a unanimous ruling.

“It is fundamental to our constitutional order that the government maintain ‘neutrality between religion and religion,’” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the decision. “There may be hard calls to make in policing that rule, but this is not one.”

“When the government distinguishes among religions based on theological differences in their provision of services, it imposes a denominational preference that must satisfy the highest level of judicial scrutiny,” she said.

“Because Wisconsin has transgressed that principle without the tailoring necessary to survive such scrutiny, the judgment of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is reversed,” she said.

The case “is remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion,” Sotomayor added.

In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas said the Catholic charity is not a “distinct organization” separate from the Diocese of Superior where it is chartered.

The charity and its affiliates “are corporate entities that the diocese has created to carry out its religious mission,” Thomas wrote.

“Both the basic principles of church autonomy and the history of religious corporations establish that religious institutions are more than the corporate entities that they form,” he said.

“It follows that the government may not use such entities as a means of regulating the internal governance of religious institutions,” he wrote. 

Diocese of Superior Bishop James Powers on Thursday said the “heart of Catholic Charities’ ministry is Christ’s call to care for the least of our brothers and sisters, without condition and without exception.” 

“We’re grateful the court unanimously recognized that improving the human condition by serving the poor is part of our religious exercise and has allowed us to continue serving those in need throughout our diocese and beyond,” the bishop said.

Steve Dorsey, U.S. head of communications and public affairs for the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaks about civilian suffering in Gaza with “EWTN News Nightly” host Erik Rosales on June 4, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”

CNA Staff, Jun 5, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).

The International Committee of the Red Cross said its 60-bed field hospital in Rafah, Gaza Strip, was nearly overwhelmed by a mass casualty event on Tuesday that brought 184 patients through its doors.

The aid group said Tuesday’s influx of patients was the highest the hospital has seen in one day since its opening more than a year ago. Nineteen of those patients were dead on arrival, and an additional eight died shortly thereafter, mostly from gunshot wounds. 

The same day, International Committee of the Red Cross President Mirjana Spoljaric told the BBC that Palestinians have been stripped of their human dignity and international humanitarian law is being ignored, saying “humanity is failing” and the situation in Gaza is “worse than hell on earth.”

After responding to five mass casualty events in Gaza in the last week — four of them in the last 96 hours alone — the group is calling for the “respect and protection of civilians,” who should not have to confront danger when trying to reach humanitarian assistance. 

Steve Dorsey, the U.S. head of communications and public affairs at the Red Cross committee in Gaza, spoke with “EWTN News Nightly” anchor Erik Rosales on Wednesday evening, telling him the situation in Gaza “is unbearable. We are at a breaking point.” 

Dorsey told Rosales that Tuesday’s mass casualty incident is the “latest illustration” of the Palestinian people’s desperation to access aid and relief, including food and medical care.

Those who survived Tuesday’s attack said they were trying to reach an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the aid organization backed by the U.S. and Israel and the only one currently allowed to operate in Gaza.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops fired on civilians who were “deviating from the designated access routes,” leading IDF to designate the distribution site as a “combat zone.”

The distribution site was closed on Wednesday for “update, organization, and efficiency improvements works,” according to IDF. It reopened on Thursday.

Distribution site closures have prevented the delivery of the former popemobile-turned-ambulance for children donated by Pope Francis before his death. 

According to Dorsey, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza are “entering a new dangerous time.” He told Rosales the Red Cross’ limited access to the region and dwindling supplies have forced them to shut down the majority of community kitchens that fed thousands of people a day. 

Millions of Palestinians are at risk for starvation, according to the United Nations. 

On June 4, the head of humanitarian relief at the U.N., Tom Fletcher, condemned IDF’s attacks on civilians who were “simply trying to eat.”

Fletcher also called for independent investigations into the attacks near aid distribution sites, urging Israel to allow more aid and relief into Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV in the first general audience of his pontificate last month appealed for an end to hostilities in Gaza and for the entrance of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

In addition to providing medical care and food, Dorsey said his organization has been rebuilding sanitation and water systems in the area.

The International Committee of the Red Cross serves as the custodian of the Geneva Conventions, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention, adopted in 1949 after the atrocities of World War II. 

It focuses on protections for civilians, including those in occupied territories, prohibiting acts like torture, collective punishment, and attacks on civilian infrastructure. It also mandates humane treatment for displaced persons, access to medical care, and the right to family communication.

Eighteen thousand pilgrims make their way to Chartres through the French fields at sunrise during the 2024 Paris to Chartres pilgrimage. / Credit: Notre-Dame de Chrétienté

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2025 / 11:15 am (CNA).

Over 19,000 young Catholics will walk from Paris to Chartres this weekend in what has become France’s largest traditional pilgrimage — but this year’s journey unfolds under unprecedented Vatican scrutiny.

Organized by the French Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association, the three-day walking journey — set to take place this year from June 7–9 from the French capital to the ancient cathedral — attracts thousands of pilgrims every year, many of them drawn by the Latin Mass.

While the pilgrimage saw a record turnout of around 18,000 participants in 2024 (up from 16,000 in 2023), this year’s registration filled up in just five days, with over 19,000 pilgrims signing up, a “record level of participation,” according to organizers.

The average age of pilgrims this year is 20 years old, according to the latest numbers. 

“The enthusiasm sparked by all the pilgrimage opportunities in France — especially those for young people — is a joy for the Church and a sign of its vitality,” the Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) told Aleteia earlier this month.

Summoning those drawn by tradition, the pilgrimage helps pilgrims “to grow in faith and hope” by “bringing them back to basic fundamentals: prayer, the Eucharist, and penance” and to “encourage them to live out Christianity in their daily lives,” Notre-Dame de Chrétienté told the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, last year. 

Changes to this year’s pilgrimage

The surge of young pilgrims and the rapid closure of registrations signal for many a vibrant faith among youth drawn to the Traditional Latin Mass, which is celebrated along the pilgrimage.

At the same time, the pilgrimage has been under heightened scrutiny since the publication of Pope Francis’ 2021 motu proprio Traditiones Custodes that restricts and regulates the use of the Traditional Latin Mass, placing its celebration under the strict oversight of local bishops and the Holy See.

In December 2024, the French Catholic daily La Croix first reported that the pilgrimage was under Vatican review, as the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments believed that it was not adhering to current regulations for celebrating Mass as set out in the papal decree.

At the beginning of last month, Bishop Philippe Christory of Chartres asked that the organizers of the pilgrimage allow priests who wish to do so to celebrate Mass in the current rite within his diocese, even though the pilgrimage has traditionally maintained exclusive use of the old Mass.

In addition, “all priests have to celebrate the sacrament of penance according to the ritual reformed by the council,” according to a decree issued in the name of the Bishops’ Conference of France in consultation with the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

“It is not up to the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association to limit the form of the rite within the territory of a diocese,” the bishop of Chartres told the French Press, citing Pope Benedict XVI in his letter to bishops accompanying the publication of Summorum Pontificum.

“[I]n order to experience full communion, the priests of the communities adhering to the former usage cannot, as a matter of principle, exclude celebrating according to the new books. The total exclusion of the new rite would not in fact be consistent with the recognition of its value and holiness,” the late pope wrote at the time. 

Restrictions on traditional pilgrimages worldwide

While it has not seen any further major modifications, the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté pilgrimage would not be the first “traditionalist” pilgrimage to face restrictions imposed by Rome. 

Since 2023, the annual Summorum Pontificum pilgrimage in Rome was denied permission to celebrate Holy Mass in the Tridentine rite in St. Peter’s Basilica.

In July 2024, the Vatican prohibited the celebration of the Latin Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Covadonga, which customarily takes place at the conclusion of the annual Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad pilgrimage — a Spanish reproduction of the Paris-Chartres Pilgrimage.

Despite rumors that the Vatican might prohibit the closing Mass, as happened in Spain, the final Mass in Chartres, which will mark the cathedral’s millennium jubilee, remains confirmed.

This year, the solemn high Mass will be celebrated by the general chaplain of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, Abbé Jean de Massia, FSSP. Christory will deliver the homily.

At the beginning of the closing Mass, Notre-Dame de Chrétienté will consecrate itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray-le-Monial. The pilgrims will be able to pass through the Holy Doors of the cathedral opened for its celebration and venerate the relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.

In addition, Bishop Athanasius Schneider will celebrate the solemn high Mass on Pentecost Sunday along the road to Chartres. Further, 327 Latin masses are scheduled to take place in tents and fields throughout the pilgrimage. 

Eyes turned to Rome

Looking ahead, Christory has emphasized that any final decision rests with Rome, with the prelate stating that “if anyone is to decide anything, it is the pope.”

With the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, recently drawing attention for its proposed norms regarding the Latin liturgy, many eyes have turned to Rome, awaiting a clearer sense of where Pope Leo XIV stands on the future of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM).

Many have taken note of Leo XIV’s constant calls for unity and the sense of openness to tradition and liturgical pluralism — at least toward other Catholic rites — that he conveys. 

“It would be a lie to say that we don’t have expectations for this new pontificate,” Philippe Darantière, president of the Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association, said at the press conference presenting the 2025 edition of the Chartres pilgrimage on May 12.

Pope Leo XIV meets with European Council President Antonio Costa on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Jun 5, 2025 / 10:43 am (CNA).

Follow our live coverage of the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV, first U.S.-born pope in history.

South loop area of Chicago. / Credit: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 5, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is using a lobbying firm that supports pro-abortion political candidates and lobbies for abortion providers, raising concerns that the relationship could amount to cooperation with evil by the charitable entity.

Since 2022, Catholic Charities of Chicago has contracted with Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies to lobby on its behalf before the State of Illinois. Cozen O’Connor is a national lobbying firm with offices in major cities across the country, including New York; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago.

According to the Illinois State Board of Elections, Cozen O’Connor donated $3,500 in 2024 to Personal PAC, a political action committee in Illinois that supports pro-choice candidates at the state and local levels. The firm donated $3,000 in 2023 and $3,500 in 2024, while an individual employee of the firm donated $1,000 in 2024 and an additional $1,000 in 2025 to the pro-abortion organization. 

Cozen O’Connor also gave $1,500 to Preckwinkle for President, the campaign fund for Cook County Board of Commissioners president and vocal abortion supporter Toni Preckwinkle. The firm also lobbies the state government on behalf of Rush University Medical Center, which performs abortions, according to a May 12 report by the Chicago Sun Times.

Catholic Charities of Chicago, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and Cozen O’Connor all declined to comment about the arrangement.

According to Cozen O’Connor’s website, the firm’s lobbyist assigned to the Catholic Charities of Chicago account is Patrick G. Martin, who is also a member of the Catholic Charities of Chicago Mercy Society and on its government advisory committee. According to public records, Martin himself does not appear to do any pro-abortion lobbying work.

Prior to hiring Cozen O’Connor, from 2016 to 2022, Catholic Charities of Chicago had employed Illinois lobbyist Nancy Kimme of Advantage Government Strategies. In 2019, Kimme, a pro-life Republican, brought on former Illinois Rep. Lou Lang, a Democrat, as a partner in the firm. While serving in the state Legislature, in 2017 Lang co-sponsored a bill that, among other things, removed language from state law describing an unborn child as a human being and allowed abortion to be covered by the state’s Medicaid program.

According to public records over the past five years, Lang also made multiple donations to Personal PAC.

Catholic Charities of Chicago is the official charitable arm of the Catholic Church in the third-largest city in the U.S., which is home to more than 2 million Catholics and is the birthplace of Pope Leo XIV. It operates with a budget of $180 million, according to its website, and has more than 1,200 employees, providing critical services that support children, families, and immigrants.

Catholic teaching on cooperation with evil

Catholic moral theology and the Church’s definitive teaching that human life is sacred from conception to natural death raise the question about whether it is considered cooperation with evil, and subsequently ethically problematic, for Catholic Charities to contract with a lobbying firm that supports abortion. 

Catholic moral theology distinguishes between formal and material cooperation with evil. Formal cooperation is when someone who participates in an immoral act intends the same evil as the main person carrying it out. Material cooperation, however, is when a person participates in an evil act without intending the evil. The Church teaches that formal cooperation is always wrong, while some forms of material cooperation may be considered permissible.

The Church further distinguishes between immediate and mediate material cooperation. Immediate cooperation is when a person is involved in the essence of the act, even though he or she does not intend it, and is not permissible. Mediate cooperation is when a person’s actions are not necessary to the sinful act and which can be either remote or proximate to the act. The Church teaches that some forms of mediate cooperation can be permissible if the intended good outweighs the evil.

“The first thing you have to ask is whether it is the intention of Catholic Charities to promote abortion,” Benedictine College moral theology professor John Rziha told CNA.

“If the intention is to promote abortion, it is formal cooperation and evil, and it’s always wrong,” he continued. “I don’t think that’s the case here.” 

The partnership between Catholic Charities and Cozen O’Connor, according to Rziha, is remote mediate material cooperation because Catholic Charities does not directly give its money to support abortion. In the context of the arrangement, Catholic Charities is significantly removed from the act of abortion itself.

“But that’s not the end of the diagnosis,” he said. 

According to Rziha, in this case the level of cooperation with evil is “pretty low,” and therefore “it wouldn’t take a huge good to outweigh it, even though it is a bad action.”

However, he continued, “it’s a legitimate question whether Catholic Charities is actually undermining what they’re doing by contributing to a culture which goes against what the Church teaches.” 

Morally permissible for a proportionally grave reason

The Catholic University of America moral theology professor John Grabowski told CNA that some cases of material cooperation can be morally permissible “if there is a proportionally grave reason to tolerate the cooperation with evil.” 

One factor Grabowski said could be “morally relevant” in terms of Catholic Charities of Chicago’s decision to engage Cozen O’Connor is that the Illinois state government is Democrat-controlled. 

“They might make a prudential judgment and say, ‘This firm has a much better chance of being effective in its lobbying because they have definite connections to the people who are in positions of power in state government,’” he explained.

Potential for scandal

Because Catholic Charities provides many health-care-related services, Rziha pointed to the USCCB’s Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, in which U.S. bishops call on Catholic health care providers to consider whether particular collaborative arrangements with non-Catholic institutions entail material collaboration with evil that would give rise to scandal or undermine the Church’s witness.

“The bishops, and I think they’re right about this, would say … Catholic Charities should come out and attempt to explain what’s going on if this is becoming scandalous,” he said. “Because if they’re not witnessing to the faith and transforming culture as Catholic Charities, then they’re actually not doing nearly as much good as they think they are.” 

Considering the issue, Rziha distinguished between direct scandal, when a person’s actions directly lead somebody else to do evil, and indirect scandal, when a person’s actions “contribute to a culture which is anti-Catholic or anti-Christian by its nature.”

Ultimately, Catholic Charities engaging a pro-abortion firm can be justified, according to Rziha, so long as the organization can overcome the issue of scandal and ensure that it is not undermining its pro-life witness. “I could understand,” he said, echoing Grabowski, that “this is a liberal state government: If [Catholic Charities] trusts this particular lobby firm, this may be the most effective way for it to lobby.”

However, he added, “I think that to address the issue of scandal, Catholic Charities should explain why they are choosing this firm and say that they are equivocally against abortion: ‘We work against it, and we’re trying to transform our culture by helping women to be empowered within the confines of Church teachings.’”

Illinois Right to Life’s position

As Illinois Right to Life President Mary Kate Zander sees it, however, Catholic Charities of Chicago has “a responsibility to due diligence” in selecting a lobbying firm that is aligned with the pro-life cause. 

Zander told CNA that Catholic Charities of Chicago CEO Sally Blount had personally assured her of her commitment to life issues when they met several years ago. “If I had the chance, I would encourage her to consider what that commitment looks like in action,” she added. 

“Catholic Charities serves pregnant women in need every day,” Zander said, adding: “We are failing them if we are contributing to the proliferation of abortion in our state in any capacity.”

Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux Bishop-elect Simon Peter Engurait. / Credit: Courtesy of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux

Vatican City, Jun 5, 2025 / 08:54 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday named Uganda-born Father Simon Peter Engurait, a former business analyst who became a priest at age 41, to lead the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in southeastern Louisiana.

The 53-year-old priest, ordained for the diocese in 2013, has acted as diocesan administrator since the death of Bishop Mario Dorsonville in January 2024.

“While I am still shocked by the news that the Lord has asked me to be a bishop, I must admit that knowing the people of this diocese brings me great comfort in saying yes,” the bishop-elect said in a statement published to the Houma-Thibodaux Diocese’s website on June 5.

“South Louisiana is home, and I love the people here. It is a privilege to say yes to you as much as I am saying yes to God. I love you, and I consider it a great honor to serve you as your bishop,” he added.

Engurait, who was also the diocesan vicar general and served as pastor of St. Bridget Parish since 2017, was ordained a priest on May 25, 2013, after entering seminary in the diocese in 2007 at the age of 36.

The Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in southeastern Louisiana has an estimated 90,000 Catholics, around 38% of the total population of the territory.

The diocese has many foreign-born priests. The diocese’s most recent bishop, the late Dorsonville, was also born outside of the U.S., in Bogotá, Colombia.

Bishop-elect Engurait was born in Ngora in the eastern region of Uganda on Aug. 28, 1971. He is the seventh of 14 children, one of whom is a female religious in the Franciscan order and another a diocesan priest.

He was raised Catholic and attended both junior high and high school minor seminaries. He started major seminary before dropping out midway to pursue a bachelor’s degree in political science and public administration at Makerere University in Kampala.

After graduation, Engurait worked for 11 years for the government of Uganda in the department for the reform and divestiture of public enterprises. He later pursued a graduate degree in business administration in the Netherlands and went on to work in human resources, procurement, and business analysis, holding positions from entry level to management.

While in major seminary as a young man in Uganda, he had a life-changing encounter with the Catholic charismatic renewal, leading him to get involved and hold leadership positions in the movement.

Through the charismatic renewal, he met Bishop Sam Jacobs, then the bishop of Houma-Thibodaux (bishop emeritus since 2013), in 2003. After years of prayer and discernment, Engurait was accepted into seminary in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux by Jacobs in 2007.

Since his ordination in 2013, he has served as associate pastor in several parishes, including St. Bridget since 2017.

His various diocesan roles have included moderator of the curia and coordinator of Christian formation, vicar general for administration, and vicar general and moderator of the curia. He has also been a board member for Catholic Charities.

After the sudden death of Dorsonville on Jan. 19, 2024, Engurait was elected to administer the diocese until the appointment of a bishop. Bishop-elect Engurait will succeed Dorsonville as the diocese’s sixth bishop.

The Council of Nicaea in 325 as depicted in a fresco in Salone Sistino at the Vatican. / Credit: Giovanni Guerra (1544-1618), Cesare Nebbia (1534-1614) e aiuti, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 5, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

In the summer of A.D. 325, more than 300 bishops gathered in Nicaea — located in modern-day northern Turkey — to promulgate a common Christian creed, settle Christological disputes that arose from the Arian heresy, and promote unity in the Church.

The first ecumenical council, known as the Council of Nicaea, is still accepted as authoritative by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many Protestant denominations. The common beliefs still offer a strong element of unity in an otherwise fractured Christianity 1,700 years later.

During the council, the bishops established the initial formulation of the Nicene Creed, which is the profession of faith still recited at the Catholic Mass, Orthodox liturgies, and some Protestant services. It also rejected heretical Arian claims that Christ was a created being who lacked an eternal divine nature and rather confirmed that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.

The council was called by Emperor Constantine — a convert to Christianity — less than 15 years after the empire halted the persecution of Christians and granted them the freedom to worship. It came just 20 years after the reign of Emperor Diocletian, who brutally persecuted Christians for their rejection of paganism.

“That council represents a fundamental stage in the development of the creed shared by all the Churches and ecclesial communities,” Pope Leo XIV said two weeks ago, acknowledging the 1,700th anniversary.

“While we are on the path towards the reestablishment of full communion among all Christians, we recognize that this unity can only be unity in faith,” the pontiff said.

The Arian heresy

The primary purpose of the council was to settle a major question about Christ’s divine nature and address Arianism, which was a heresy promoted by the priest Arius asserting that Jesus Christ was a created being and not eternal.

“Arius began to preach something that was scandalous to many Christian believers and [which] seemed incompatible to the Christian faith as witnessed to in Scripture and transmitted through the tradition of the Church,” Dominican Father Dominic Legge, the director of the Thomistic Institute and professor of theology, told CNA.

Arius wrote in “Thalia” that he believed the Father “made the Son” and “produced him as a son for himself by begetting him.” He wrote that “the Son was not always [in existence], for he was not [in existence] before his generation.” He asserted that Christ was not eternal but “came into existence by the Father’s will.” Arius contested that Christ “is not true God” but was rather “made God by participation.”

Legge said that Arius understood that “there’s an infinite gap between God and creatures,” but where he was mistaken was that “he thought that the Son was on the ‘creature’ side of that gap” and “not equal in divinity to God.”

“Therefore, he considered him to be the highest creature,” Legge added. “The first creature, but nonetheless a creature.”

Legge said that at Nicaea there was “a consensus of bishops with very different approaches to the mystery of God and they could see that Arius had to be wrong and so they condemned him and they affirmed that the Son is ‘God from God, true God from true God.’”

The language adopted at Nicaea expressly contradicted Arius, affirming Christ is “true God from true God, begotten not made, of one substance with the Father.” It condemned Arius’ view as heresy. The vote was nearly unanimous with more than 300 bishops voting in favor of this text and only two siding with Arius.

St. Athanasius, one of the most outspoken opponents of Arianism at the council and in its aftermath, wrote in his First Discourse Against the Arians in the mid-fourth century that “the Scriptures declare the Son’s eternity.”

Athanasius notes, for example, the Gospel of St. John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He also cites Chapter 8 of the same Gospel in which Christ declares “before Abraham was, I am,” invoking the divine name used by God to indicate his eternity when appearing to Moses as the burning bush.

“The Lord himself says, ‘I am the Truth,’ not ‘I became the Truth,’ but always, ‘I am — I am the Shepherd — I am the Light‘ — and again, ‘Call me not, Lord and Master? And you call me well, for so I am,‘” Athanasius wrote. “Who, hearing such language from God, and the Wisdom, and Word of the Father, speaking of himself, will any longer hesitate about the truth, and not immediately believe that in the phrase ‘I am,‘ is signified that the Son is eternal and without beginning?”

Legge noted that Athanasius also warned that Arius’ position “threatened the central truth of Christianity that God became man for our salvation.”

Unifying the Church in the fourth century

Prior to the Council of Nicaea, bishops in the Church held many synods and councils to settle disputes that arose within Christianity.

This includes the Council of Jerusalem, which was an apostolic council detailed in Acts 15, and many local councils that did not represent the entire Church. Regional councils “have a kind of binding authority — but they’re not global,” according to Thomas Clemmons, a professor of Church history at The Catholic University of America.

When the Roman Empire halted its Christian persecution and Emperor Constantine converted to the faith, this allowed “the opportunity to have a more broad, ecumenical council,” Clemmons told CNA. Constantine embraced Christianity more than a decade before the council, though he was not actually baptized until moments before his death in A.D. 337.

Constantine saw a need for “a certain sense of unity,” he said, at a time with theological disputes, debates about the date of Easter, conflicts about episcopal jurisdictions, and canon law questions.

“His role was to unify and to have [those] other issues worked out,” Clemmons said.

The pursuit of unity helped produce the Nicene Creed, which Clemmons said “helps to clarify what more familiar scriptural language doesn’t.”

Neither the council nor the creed was universally adopted immediately. Clemmons noted that it was more quickly adopted in the East but took longer in the West. There were several attempts to overturn the council, but Clemmons said “it’s later tradition that will affirm it.”

“I don’t know if the significance of it was understood [at the time],” he said.

The dispute between Arians and defenders of Nicaea were tense for the next half century, with some emperors backing the creed and others backing Arianism. Ultimately, Clemmons said, the creed “convinces people over many decades but without the imperial enforcement you would expect.”

It was not until 380 when Emperor Theodosius declared that Nicene Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. One year later, at the First Council of Constantinople, the Church reaffirmed the Council of Nicaea and updated the Nicene Creed by adding text about the Holy Spirit and the Church.

Common misconceptions

There are some prominent misconceptions about the Council of Nicaea that are prevalent in modern society.

Clemmons said the assertion that the Council of Nicaea established the biblical canon “is probably the most obvious” misconception. This subject was not debated at Nicaea and the council did not promulgate any teachings on this matter.

Another misconception, he noted, is the notion that the council established the Church and the papacy. Episcopal offices, including that of the pope (the bishop of Rome), were already in place and operating long before Nicaea, although the council did resolve some jurisdictional disputes.

Other misconceptions, according to Clemmons, is an asserted “novelty” of the process and the teachings. He noted that bishops often gathered in local councils and that the teachings defined at Nicaea were simply “the confirmation of the faith of the early Church.”

Chapel built on the remains of the old church where, in 1649, the apparition of the Child Jesus took place in a consecrated host in Eten, Peru. Currently, it is not under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Chiclayo but is administered by the so-called Multisectoral Committee of Eten City. / Credit: Diego López Marina/EWTN News

Lima Newsroom, Jun 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

As bishop of Chiclayo in Peru, Pope Leo XIV sought to build a basilica at the site of a Eucharistic miracle, currently a chapel. However, that goal has been impeded by a dispute over who owns the land and marred by the fact that non-Catholic liturgies have been held there.

The Peruvian government recently declared the site to be “of national interest,” introducing another factor into the matter.

Jesús León Ángeles, coordinator of the group 1649 Eucharistic Miracle in Peru, explained the situation to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

“In 2021, Pope Leo XIV — then bishop of Chiclayo — began a crusade for the construction of the Eucharistic Shrine of Peru on an 11-hectare [27-acre] plot of land he obtained in the Ciudad Eten district [of the Lambayeque region of Chiclayo province], where the country’s only Eucharistic miracle occurred in 1649,” León said.

León, who worked with then-Bishop Robert Prevost on the project, said that “Pope Leo XIV’s heart is full of love for our country,” which is why he dedicated part of his pastoral mission to promote the development of the shrine.

However, she explained that there are multiple obstacles to the construction of the Eten shrine. Just as the story of the Eten miracle “traces back to a sacrilege in Quito,” she said, today it also “has sacrilege and the desecration of the sacred place as stumbling blocks.”

The miracle of 1649: When the Divine Child appeared in the host

On Jan. 20, 1649, ciboria and consecrated hosts were stolen from the St. Clare Convent in Quito. When the sad news reached northern Peru, Masses of reparation were offered. Then on June 2, 1649, the eve of Corpus Christi, residents of Ciudad Eten claimed to see the Divine Child Jesus in a consecrated host. 

A month later, on the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, four Franciscan priests claimed to have witnessed the same apparition. Later, the image of the Child on the host disappeared, and in its place were three hearts, a symbol of the Holy Trinity.

“In 1649, people wept, the bells rang, and that grief spread throughout Peru. We are in the northern region, and the Franciscan priests were here at that time,” León explained.

This event, which is recorded in the Vatican Library in Rome, in the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain, and in the library of St. Francis Convent Convent in Lima, was also celebrated by Blessed Carlo Acutis, who included it in his famous compilation of Eucharistic miracles.

In 2019, Prevost, as bishop of Chiclayo, initiated a process with the Vatican for the recognition of the Eucharistic miracle. The prelate told ACI Prensa that the miracle is well documented by “the history, the data, the continuous devotion over these 370 years” in the city of Eten and that in that sense “the miracle is approved.”

Multisectoral Committee opposes Church authority

One of the main obstacles to the construction of the long-awaited Eten shrine has been the opposition of the so-called “Multisectoral Committee of Eten City,” a group of residents who claim to have owned the land for more than 50 years. “Multisectoral” means “representing a broad section of society.” 

“Unfortunately — and I say this with shame — there is a group of fellow countrymen, my fellow countrymen from here in Eten, called the Multisectoral Committee, who have taken over the chapel and are bringing in false priests,” lamented Christian Pulcan, a member of the Catholic group 1649 Eucharistic Miracle in Peru.

Italo Chafloc, president of the committee, defended their position: “We just want them to respect our ownership of the land we have occupied for more than 50 years,” he said. “We have never closed the gates; we have always been open to dialogue.”

Chafloc further indicated that “there is a legal issue that has been in process for some time.” However, he maintained that “the role of the justice system takes a long time and is a process that is dragging on.”

However, the problems go beyond a legal dispute between the diocese and the committee.

Non-Catholic ceremonies and fake priests

In July 2018, Bishop Prevost was prevented from entering the chapel after learning that a supposed Mass was being celebrated without permission. Police intervened and found four men dressed as priests who later identified themselves as Anglicans. However, upon consulting with the official Anglican Church, that institution denied that they were members.

“I am a servant appointed by Pope Francis, the bishop of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Chiclayo. I came to this chapel and they closed the gates on me,” Prevost declared at the time, making a statement to the authorities.

According to Pulcan, Prevost was celebrating Mass at the St. Mary Magdalene Parish in Eten. “After Mass, he was informed that there was another liturgical celebration taking place here in this chapel. The [future] pope was celebrating alongside the parish priest of Eten, and therefore, there could not be another simultaneous celebration without his authorization,” he explained.

Upon learning of this, the then-bishop of Chiclayo went to the Eten chapel.

“Unfortunately, the group closed the iron gates and did not allow them to enter,” Pulcan added.

Similar situations have also taken place recently, including some witnessed by the team from the Spanish-language edition of EWTN News when they visited the site. On May 11, a man named Fernando Hoyos Ortega presided over a ceremony in which he distributed Communion without being a priest. He claimed to be an Episcopalian and said he had been invited by the Multisectoral Committee.

“Those who invited me to celebrate Mass were the people of Eten, not the diocese. That’s why you don’t need a special permit for that,” Hoyos stated.

In 2019, the diocese had specifically addressed Hoyos’ situation with a statement signed by then-Bishop Prevost, saying: “Fernando Hoyos is not a priest, nor does he have any type of authorization from the Diocese of Chiclayo to celebrate any liturgical act.”

Despite that statement, the president of the Multisectoral Committee recently stated that he was unaware that Hoyos was not Catholic: “Of course, now that you’ve just... let’s say, practically clarified it for me, well, yes,” Chafló said when asked by EWTN News.

According to Pulcan, another man named Héctor Urteaga has also gone to the chapel to celebrate non-Catholic ceremonies, supposedly as a bishop. “David Peña also came, who claimed to be a bishop. And currently, Mr. Fernando Hoyos, president of the Chiclayo Autism Association, is coming,” he added.

“It’s important for people to know all of this, because many are unaware of it. Valid liturgical celebrations in Eten take place at St. Mary Magdalene Parish. All celebrations must take place there,” the layman noted.

Pope Leo XIV’s objective: A basilica and a hospital

Despite the obstacles, in 2022 the Diocese of Chiclayo succeeded in obtaining a land lease from the regional government for use of an 11-hectare plot of land that includes the site of the miracle. Prevost’s original plan included a basilica, a pilgrim guesthouse, a hospital, and an artisan park for crafts, food, and performances. 

However, the project’s progress has been curtailed by legal disputes. The diocese’s lawyer, Ulises Damián, explained that there are currently two legal proceedings to determine ownership of the land.

The occupants of the site claim continuous possession for more than a decade, while the Church maintains that it is a cultural heritage site, meaning the state can only grant temporary use, not ownership.

“Legally, over time, they have attempted to access the property... however, that area has been declared a cultural heritage site,” Damián said. “When the Ministry of Culture prepared a report, it was determined that there are not just old but pre-Hispanic vestiges.”

For this reason, according to the lawyer, usage rights of the land are claimed not only by the diocese but also the Lambayeque regional government itself, the current legal owner of the property.

Damián also referred to the Multisectoral Committee that currently occupies the site, indicating that, although it has been formalized as an organization, it does not have the authority to administer churches or religious assets.

“Initially, they helped the priest during the feast of the Child of the Miracle, but over time, this became distorted. At one point, they even brought in people outside the Catholic Church who pretended to be priests,” he lamented.

Despite the conflict, the lawyer reiterated the diocese’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the occupiers. However, he insisted that communion with the Church requires respect for its authority. “The Church does not impose; the Church is a mother and teacher. But whoever wants to be within it must respect its hierarchy and doctrine,” he emphasized.

Both national and pending Vatican recognition

On May 17, the Peruvian government declared Ciudad Eten a “Eucharistic City of National Interest” and announced on May 21 that it would be part of the country’s “Paths of Pope Leo XIV” tourism route. Nonetheless, while the legal status of the land remains unresolved and the sacrileges continue, construction of the basilica shrine cannot move forward.

When he was prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, then-Cardinal Robert Prevost sought Vatican recognition for the Eucharistic miracle. In 2019, he presented Pope Francis with a document detailing the history of the devotion, which compiles 20,000 testimonies of faith. Since then, the Holy See has retained the documentation.

Today, with Prevost having become Pope Leo XIV, official recognition of the miracle is in his hands.

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