Father Robert Bedard – more commonly known as Father Bob – was a priest for the Diocese of Ottawa in Canada and the founder of the Companions of the Cross. / Credit: Companions of the Cross

CNA Staff, Jun 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Bob Bedard, a priest in the Diocese of Ottawa in Canada, was teaching his Grade 13 religion class on Oct. 27, 1975, when a lone gunman — another Grade 13 student — entered the classroom and opened fire.

Students began to throw themselves onto the floor in order to hide. Bedard immediately jumped in front of the students and began to shield them with his body. After about 10 seconds of shooting, the gunman backed out of the classroom and went back into the hallway where he took his own life. Six students were injured and one student, whom Bedard was unable to shield, was fatally shot. 

Bedard survived the shooting and went on to become the founder of the relgious order Companions of the Cross in 1985. He began hosting a weekly, evangelistic, Catholic television broadcast called “Food for Life” in 1992 alongside Father Roger Vandenakker. In 2009, Bedard’s health began to decline and he was diagnosed with Miller Fisher Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder, and dementia. On Oct. 6, 2011, Bedard died peacefully surrounded by members of his community.

The story of this beloved and heroic priest is now being told in a new documentary, scheduled to be released June 8. The film, “Permission: Fr. Bob Bedard’s Vision for the Church,” directed and produced by Kevin Dunn, looks at the life and ministry of Bedard. 

The new film delves into Bedard’s humble beginnings as a child growing up in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, his calling to the priesthood, his time spent as a high school teacher, and his creation of the Companions of the Cross, which currently has 59 members including priests and seminarians. The film features interviews with Bedard’s past students, fellow priests from his order, close friends, and colleagues. 

CNA spoke with Dunn about what inspired him to make the documentary.

Dunn grew up hearing Bedard’s name due to his mother’s involvement in the charismatic movement. However, it wasn’t until later in life when Dunn was asked to help with a mini documentary for the Companions of the Cross that he was left inspired by Bedard’s story. 

While doing research and interviewing individuals for the mini documentary, “everybody spoke about this passion for this priest who changed their lives,” Dunn told CNA in an interview. “And not just in a small way, but we’re talking about people who went into ministry, people who went into priesthood, people who changed their lives, turned their lives around from addiction. The stories are endless, and it just blew me away.”

“I thought, ‘Here’s a hero of the Church that has not been celebrated,’” he added.  

Dunn said the school shooting Bedard lived through and how he dealt with it further inspired him to make the film. 

“That for me in the story of his life was a pivotal moment that really could have taken him in a very different direction, but instead he called upon the Lord, called upon the Holy Spirit,” Dunn said. “So, when I read about those accounts of that horrific time in his life and how it kind of catapulted and strengthened his faith, I think for me that was a real poignant moment of his life and one that will speak to me especially as a father with six children.”

Dunn said Bedard lived his life by a simple motto: “Give God permission.” It’s these words that Dunn has also chosen to live his life by. 

“He’s taught me in my work and my life as a filmmaker, as a family man, as a speaker on Church issues to continually give God permission,” he shared. “That it is not my will, or my work for that matter, that really matters in the long run. It’s allowing God permission to work in my life wherever he takes me.”

“It’s calling on the Lord daily and saying, ‘Where do you want me to go?’ and he just keeps saying, ‘Just do the next great thing and give me permission, and I’m going to put you in places where you would never have dreamed of.’ That’s what he has done and continues to do and glory be to God for all that.”

As for his hopes for the film, Dunn said: “I hope people walk away feeling that the Church does have hope” and “I really pray that through watching this film, we can encourage prophets of hope to rise all over the world through the remembrance and the memory of Father Bob at his life and through the work of the Companions.”

“All we have to do is give God permission and when we do, all of a sudden despair turns to hope, and hope is active, and we can create this explosively alive Church.”

“Permission: Fr. Bob Bedard’s Vision for the Church” will be available to watch on June 8 for free directly on the film’s website. 

Father Robert Bedard – more commonly known as Father Bob – was a priest for the Diocese of Ottawa in Canada and the founder of the Companions of the Cross. / Credit: Companions of the Cross

CNA Staff, Jun 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Father Bob Bedard, a priest in the Diocese of Ottawa in Canada, was teaching his Grade 13 religion class on Oct. 27, 1975, when a lone gunman — another Grade 13 student — entered the classroom and opened fire.

Students began to throw themselves onto the floor in order to hide. Bedard immediately jumped in front of the students and began to shield them with his body. After about 10 seconds of shooting, the gunman backed out of the classroom and went back into the hallway where he took his own life. Six students were injured and one student, whom Bedard was unable to shield, was fatally shot. 

Bedard survived the shooting and went on to become the founder of the relgious order Companions of the Cross in 1985. He began hosting a weekly, evangelistic, Catholic television broadcast called “Food for Life” in 1992 alongside Father Roger Vandenakker. In 2009, Bedard’s health began to decline and he was diagnosed with Miller Fisher Syndrome, a rare autoimmune neurological disorder, and dementia. On Oct. 6, 2011, Bedard died peacefully surrounded by members of his community.

The story of this beloved and heroic priest is now being told in a new documentary, scheduled to be released June 8. The film, “Permission: Fr. Bob Bedard’s Vision for the Church,” directed and produced by Kevin Dunn, looks at the life and ministry of Bedard. 

The new film delves into Bedard’s humble beginnings as a child growing up in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, his calling to the priesthood, his time spent as a high school teacher, and his creation of the Companions of the Cross, which currently has 59 members including priests and seminarians. The film features interviews with Bedard’s past students, fellow priests from his order, close friends, and colleagues. 

CNA spoke with Dunn about what inspired him to make the documentary.

Dunn grew up hearing Bedard’s name due to his mother’s involvement in the charismatic movement. However, it wasn’t until later in life when Dunn was asked to help with a mini documentary for the Companions of the Cross that he was left inspired by Bedard’s story. 

While doing research and interviewing individuals for the mini documentary, “everybody spoke about this passion for this priest who changed their lives,” Dunn told CNA in an interview. “And not just in a small way, but we’re talking about people who went into ministry, people who went into priesthood, people who changed their lives, turned their lives around from addiction. The stories are endless, and it just blew me away.”

“I thought, ‘Here’s a hero of the Church that has not been celebrated,’” he added.  

Dunn said the school shooting Bedard lived through and how he dealt with it further inspired him to make the film. 

“That for me in the story of his life was a pivotal moment that really could have taken him in a very different direction, but instead he called upon the Lord, called upon the Holy Spirit,” Dunn said. “So, when I read about those accounts of that horrific time in his life and how it kind of catapulted and strengthened his faith, I think for me that was a real poignant moment of his life and one that will speak to me especially as a father with six children.”

Dunn said Bedard lived his life by a simple motto: “Give God permission.” It’s these words that Dunn has also chosen to live his life by. 

“He’s taught me in my work and my life as a filmmaker, as a family man, as a speaker on Church issues to continually give God permission,” he shared. “That it is not my will, or my work for that matter, that really matters in the long run. It’s allowing God permission to work in my life wherever he takes me.”

“It’s calling on the Lord daily and saying, ‘Where do you want me to go?’ and he just keeps saying, ‘Just do the next great thing and give me permission, and I’m going to put you in places where you would never have dreamed of.’ That’s what he has done and continues to do and glory be to God for all that.”

As for his hopes for the film, Dunn said: “I hope people walk away feeling that the Church does have hope” and “I really pray that through watching this film, we can encourage prophets of hope to rise all over the world through the remembrance and the memory of Father Bob at his life and through the work of the Companions.”

“All we have to do is give God permission and when we do, all of a sudden despair turns to hope, and hope is active, and we can create this explosively alive Church.”

“Permission: Fr. Bob Bedard’s Vision for the Church” will be available to watch on June 8 for free directly on the film’s website. 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Families are the cradle of the future of humanity, Pope Leo XIV said during a Mass concluding the Jubilee of Families, Children, Grandparents and the Elderly.

"Today's world needs the marriage covenant in order to know and accept God's love and to defeat, thanks to its unifying and reconciling power, the forces that break down relationships and societies," he said in his homily at the Mass celebrated June 1 in St. Peter's Square.

The day also marked World Communications Day, and in remarks after the Mass Pope Leo thanked all "media workers who, by taking care of the ethical quality of messages, help families in their role as educators." 

In the family, he said in his homily, faith "is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires our good, always."

Speaking to all married couples, the pope said that "marriage is not an ideal but the measure of true love between a man and a woman: a love that is total, faithful and fruitful," and enables them, "in the image of God, to bestow the gift of life."

"I encourage you, then, to be examples of integrity to your children, acting as you want them to act, educating them in freedom through obedience, always seeing the good in them and finding ways to nurture it," he told married couples. 

"And you, dear children, show gratitude to your parents. To say, 'thank you' each day for the gift of life and for all that comes with it is the first way to honor your father and your mother," Pope Leo said.

Speaking to grandparents and elderly people, he asked that they "watch over your loved ones with wisdom and compassion, and with the humility and patience that come with age."

The pope focused his homily on "The Prayer of Jesus" in the day's Gospel reading (John 17:20-26) in which Jesus prays to the Father that all of Christ's disciples not only follow him but also seek to be in union with the Father.

He re-read portions of the Gospel to emphasize God's plan of unity for all of humanity, particularly: "I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me."

"Jesus is telling us that God loves us as he loves him. The Father does not love us any less than he loves his only-begotten Son. In other words, with an infinite love," Pope Leo said.

"In his mercy, God has always desired to draw all people to himself. It is his life, bestowed upon us in Christ, that makes us one, uniting us with one another," he said, connecting the Gospel reflection to how it relates to celebrating the Jubilee of families.

Jesus' prayer "makes fully meaningful our experience of love for one another as parents, grandparents, sons and daughters," he said.

"That is what we want to proclaim to the world: We are here in order to be 'one' as the Lord wants us to be 'one,' in our families and in those places where we live, work and study. Different, yet one; many, yet one; always, in every situation and at every stage of life," the pope said.

"If we love one another in this way, grounded in Christ," he said, "we will be a sign of peace for everyone in society and the world. Let us not forget: Families are the cradle of the future of humanity."

By beatifying and canonizing married couples who gave exemplary witness of married life, such as Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin and the Blessed Ulma family -- mother, father and seven small children -- "the church tells us that today's world needs the marriage covenant" in order to discover and embrace God's love and to defeat that which breaks down relationships and communities, he said.

No one chose to be born, he said, but someone was there to offer care. "All of us are alive today thanks to a relationship, a free and freeing relationship of human kindness and mutual care."

However, "that human kindness is sometimes betrayed. As for example, whenever freedom is invoked not to give life, but to take it away, not to help, but to hurt," he said.

Nonetheless, the pope said, "even in the face of the evil that opposes and takes life, Jesus continues to pray to the Father for us. His prayer acts as a balm for our wounds; it speaks to us of forgiveness and reconciliation." 

More than 70,000 people from 131 countries gathered in the square after three days of jubilee events in Rome. Families of every age and size were present in the square; some were holding banners or flags, wearing matching hats or seeking shelter under umbrellas from the hot morning sun.

Pope Leo rode through the crowds before the start of Mass while temperatures were still in the high 70s. He broke from his usual blessing of infants and small children hoisted up to him when a young boy in the crowd held out his hand for a shake. The pope leaned far out from the popemobile to give him a "low five" to the cheers and fist pumps of the boy and his friends.

Before praying the "Regina Coeli" in the square, the pope prayed for all families, especially those "suffering due to war in the Middle East, in Ukraine and in other parts of the world. May the Mother of God help us to press forward together on the path of peace."
 

Pope Leo's advice for families

Pope Leo XIV offered guidance to families during the closing Mass at the Vatican June 1, 2025, of the Jubilee for Families, Children, Grandparents, and the Elderly. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

The Ascension of Jesus Christ. Giotto di Bondone, 1305. / Credit: Public domain

National Catholic Register, Jun 1, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Christ’s ascension is meant to help us to grow to full stature in Christ as we respond to his confidence in making us his missionaries, together with the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth.

The celebration of the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is an annual opportunity for us not only to focus on heaven, where the Lord Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (Jn 14:1-6) and on the joy that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor the human heart conceived,” which “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; Is 64:4), but also on the implications Jesus’ return to the Father means for each of his followers. 

Jesus could have stayed on earth until the end of time as the Good Shepherd, crisscrossing the globe after every lost sheep, saving them one by one. As he ascended, however, he placed his own mission in our hands, commanding us to “go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). 

He took the training wheels off our discipleship and removed any excuses we might have to pass the buck of sharing and spreading the faith. “You will be my witnesses,” he told us, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

His confidence and trust in us, despite all our weaknesses, is astonishing. He wanted to incorporate us into — actually entrust to us — his mission of the redemption of the world. 

But he didn’t leave us orphans (cf. Jn 14:18). 

St. Luke gives us a beautiful image and detail, that Jesus “led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk 24:50-51).

Jesus departed in the very act of blessing us. Pope Benedict XVI in his trilogy “Jesus of Nazareth” commented on how the risen Jesus in heaven is perpetually blessing us. 

“Jesus departs in the act of blessing,” he states. “He goes while blessing, and he remains in that gesture of blessing. His hands remain, stretched out over this world … [which] expresses Jesus’ continuing relationship to his disciples, to the world. … That is why the disciples could return home from Bethany rejoicing. In faith we know that Jesus holds his hands stretched out in blessing over us. That is the lasting motive of Christian joy.” 

Jesus is continuously blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (cf. Eph 1:3). He’s seeking to transform us into his incarnate benediction of the world. 

The great manifestation of that blessing is the descent of the Holy Spirit, for whose renewed coming we pray in the annual decenarium from the 40th to 50th days of Easter. St. Luke recalls Jesus’ words: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). That’s the power, the blessing, that came down upon the Church on Pentecost.

During the Last Supper, Jesus said something startling: “I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7). He was describing the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence as a blessing even greater than his own. That’s what the Church, huddling around the Blessed Virgin Mary, incessantly begs for after the Ascension.

The Holy Spirit helps us to fulfill, and not shirk, the awe-inspiring responsibility Christ has given us. This is the duty to give witness that Christ is alive, that he is the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life, that he came to give us life to the full, so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete; he came to give and leave us the peace of his kingdom in a war-torn world; he came to help us and others to change our lives, to believe wholeheartedly in the good news, and to follow him, so that where he is we also may be and so that we might recognize that God the Father loves us just as much as he loves Jesus (cf. Jn 14:6; 11:25; 10:10; 15:11; 14:27; Mk 1:15; Jn 16:27; 15:9).

That’s a message and a mission that many no longer easily receive. 

Whether they think erroneously that science has disproven faith, or the problem of evil has refuted the possibility of a good God, or the clergy sex-abuse scandals have invalidated the Church’s witness, or the frigidity with which so many secularized Christians live their faith has revealed its incapacity to inspire, or a score of other possible reasons people cite to deaden the appeal of Christian faith and life, it’s clear that proclaiming the Gospel effectively to every creature is challenging work — but so was trying to convince down-to-earth first-century pagans and Jews that a crucified carpenter had not only risen from the dead but also was the Savior of the world. The same blessing of the Holy Spirit that made their joint witness fruitful desires to give tandem testimony with us. 

One of the most effective ways to do so is through charity. 

Back in 1985, the future Pope Benedict XVI gave a radio address in which he focused on the “delightfully naive pictures” of the Ascension in which the disciples are looking upward as Jesus is passing through the clouds and all we see are Jesus’ feet, the same feet the women wanted to grasp onto after the Resurrection. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented that we need to recognize his feet and reverence them in disguise in the feet around us as we follow Christ’s example of washing the feet of others just as he cleansed the apostles’ feet in the upper room. 

“The true ascent of mankind,” he stated, “takes place precisely when a man learns to turn in humility to another person, bowing deeply at his feet in the position of one who would wash the feet of the other. It is only in the humility that knows how to bow down that can raise a person up.” 

In order to ascend, we need first to descend humbly in acts of corporal and spiritual works of mercy, including passing on the faith to those who don’t know it or who reject what they mistakenly believe it to be. 

Christ’s ascension is meant to lead us on an exodus not merely in the future, but here and now: an exodus from the self toward God and others, a journey from fear to trust, a passover from the flat earth of a world without God to the multidimensional reality of Christ’s kingdom. 

Christ’s ascension is meant to lift up our hearts as it helps us to drop to our knees. It is meant to help us to grow to full stature in Christ as we respond to his confidence in making us his missionaries, together with the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth. It is meant to fill us, even now, with lasting joy.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and then published by CNA on May 9, 2024. It has been updated.

The Ascension of Jesus Christ. Giotto di Bondone, 1305. / Credit: Public domain

National Catholic Register, Jun 1, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Christ’s ascension is meant to help us to grow to full stature in Christ as we respond to his confidence in making us his missionaries, together with the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth.

The celebration of the solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is an annual opportunity for us not only to focus on heaven, where the Lord Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (Jn 14:1-6) and on the joy that “eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor the human heart conceived,” which “God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor 2:9; Is 64:4), but also on the implications Jesus’ return to the Father means for each of his followers. 

Jesus could have stayed on earth until the end of time as the Good Shepherd, crisscrossing the globe after every lost sheep, saving them one by one. As he ascended, however, he placed his own mission in our hands, commanding us to “go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). 

He took the training wheels off our discipleship and removed any excuses we might have to pass the buck of sharing and spreading the faith. “You will be my witnesses,” he told us, “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). 

His confidence and trust in us, despite all our weaknesses, is astonishing. He wanted to incorporate us into — actually entrust to us — his mission of the redemption of the world. 

But he didn’t leave us orphans (cf. Jn 14:18). 

St. Luke gives us a beautiful image and detail, that Jesus “led them out as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he was blessing them, he parted from them and was taken up to heaven” (Lk 24:50-51).

Jesus departed in the very act of blessing us. Pope Benedict XVI in his trilogy “Jesus of Nazareth” commented on how the risen Jesus in heaven is perpetually blessing us. 

“Jesus departs in the act of blessing,” he states. “He goes while blessing, and he remains in that gesture of blessing. His hands remain, stretched out over this world … [which] expresses Jesus’ continuing relationship to his disciples, to the world. … That is why the disciples could return home from Bethany rejoicing. In faith we know that Jesus holds his hands stretched out in blessing over us. That is the lasting motive of Christian joy.” 

Jesus is continuously blessing us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens (cf. Eph 1:3). He’s seeking to transform us into his incarnate benediction of the world. 

The great manifestation of that blessing is the descent of the Holy Spirit, for whose renewed coming we pray in the annual decenarium from the 40th to 50th days of Easter. St. Luke recalls Jesus’ words: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). That’s the power, the blessing, that came down upon the Church on Pentecost.

During the Last Supper, Jesus said something startling: “I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you” (Jn 16:7). He was describing the incredible gift of the Holy Spirit’s presence as a blessing even greater than his own. That’s what the Church, huddling around the Blessed Virgin Mary, incessantly begs for after the Ascension.

The Holy Spirit helps us to fulfill, and not shirk, the awe-inspiring responsibility Christ has given us. This is the duty to give witness that Christ is alive, that he is the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection, and the Life, that he came to give us life to the full, so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be complete; he came to give and leave us the peace of his kingdom in a war-torn world; he came to help us and others to change our lives, to believe wholeheartedly in the good news, and to follow him, so that where he is we also may be and so that we might recognize that God the Father loves us just as much as he loves Jesus (cf. Jn 14:6; 11:25; 10:10; 15:11; 14:27; Mk 1:15; Jn 16:27; 15:9).

That’s a message and a mission that many no longer easily receive. 

Whether they think erroneously that science has disproven faith, or the problem of evil has refuted the possibility of a good God, or the clergy sex-abuse scandals have invalidated the Church’s witness, or the frigidity with which so many secularized Christians live their faith has revealed its incapacity to inspire, or a score of other possible reasons people cite to deaden the appeal of Christian faith and life, it’s clear that proclaiming the Gospel effectively to every creature is challenging work — but so was trying to convince down-to-earth first-century pagans and Jews that a crucified carpenter had not only risen from the dead but also was the Savior of the world. The same blessing of the Holy Spirit that made their joint witness fruitful desires to give tandem testimony with us. 

One of the most effective ways to do so is through charity. 

Back in 1985, the future Pope Benedict XVI gave a radio address in which he focused on the “delightfully naive pictures” of the Ascension in which the disciples are looking upward as Jesus is passing through the clouds and all we see are Jesus’ feet, the same feet the women wanted to grasp onto after the Resurrection. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger commented that we need to recognize his feet and reverence them in disguise in the feet around us as we follow Christ’s example of washing the feet of others just as he cleansed the apostles’ feet in the upper room. 

“The true ascent of mankind,” he stated, “takes place precisely when a man learns to turn in humility to another person, bowing deeply at his feet in the position of one who would wash the feet of the other. It is only in the humility that knows how to bow down that can raise a person up.” 

In order to ascend, we need first to descend humbly in acts of corporal and spiritual works of mercy, including passing on the faith to those who don’t know it or who reject what they mistakenly believe it to be. 

Christ’s ascension is meant to lead us on an exodus not merely in the future, but here and now: an exodus from the self toward God and others, a journey from fear to trust, a passover from the flat earth of a world without God to the multidimensional reality of Christ’s kingdom. 

Christ’s ascension is meant to lift up our hearts as it helps us to drop to our knees. It is meant to help us to grow to full stature in Christ as we respond to his confidence in making us his missionaries, together with the Holy Spirit, to renew the face of the earth. It is meant to fill us, even now, with lasting joy.

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and then published by CNA on May 9, 2024. It has been updated.

At my parish, we desire to become a people fully alive, rooted in Jesus Christ, sharing his love and mercy. I hope you do too! So ask yourself, “How am I going to share this gift with others when I leave Mass today?” We remember and celebrate the Lord’s ascension into heaven at Mass today. […]

The post Equipped and Sent to be the Lord’s Witnesses appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

ENCOUNTERING THE WORD — YOUR DAILY BIBLE VERSES And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to […]

The post Your Daily Bible Verses — Matthew 28:18-20 appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in St. Peter's Basilica, May 31, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 31, 2025 / 17:58 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has praised an international bioethics summit in Rome for advancing an “authentically human” approach to science, urging researchers to pursue truth grounded in the dignity of the human person.

In a message delivered by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed his “vivid appreciation” for the third International Bioethics Conference, held May 30–31 at the Patristicum.

The event was organized under the theme “The Splendor of Truth in Science and Bioethics.”

The pope described the initiative as “a valuable opportunity to reflect on the ethical implications of scientific progress” and encouraged “interdisciplinary dialogue grounded in the dignity of the human person,” according to the Vatican message. He expressed his hope that such efforts would “foster approaches to science that are increasingly authentically human and respectful of the integrity of the person.”

Held under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the conference brought together nearly 400 participants — including researchers, physicians, philosophers, and legal scholars — from universities across Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

‘Science must serve the truth,’ cardinal says

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk of the Netherlands opened the conference with a keynote address outlining three foundational principles for bioethics and scientific research in service of truth.

The archbishop of Utrecht, who is also a medical doctor, on Friday said the Pontifical Academy for Life should give more attention to the bioethical issues linked to “transgender” treatments and the push for “gender theory.”

Eijk emphasized that human reason must recognize its ability to know metaphysical truth, that human beings possess only relative autonomy, and that human life is an intrinsic value.

The cardinal warned: “Without metaphysics and a proper anthropology, science becomes dangerous because it loses its moral compass.”

Scholars highlight the role of philosophy in science

Spanish philosopher Juan Arana, a member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, argued that modern science too often neglects the pursuit of deeper philosophical truths. While acknowledging the empirical advances of science, he emphasized that “great truths of philosophy and the small truths of science” are still connected “by threads that, though subtle, are effective.”

Bernard Schumacher of the University of Fribourg criticized the modern scientific method for reducing reality to the mathematical and quantifiable, while French philosopher Thibaud Collin challenged assumptions within natural law theory.

Two roundtables tackled practical bioethical challenges in genetics and conscience rights. Geneticist Teresa Perucho, surgeon Emmanuel Sapin, and neonatologist Robin Pierucci discussed the moral foundations of genetic counseling and the need to support parents with compassion and clarity when faced with difficult prenatal diagnoses.

Upholding a Catholic vision of science

The conference was organized by the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune and supported by more than 40 academic institutions worldwide. Since its founding in 2023, the event has become a leading forum for Catholic engagement with contemporary bioethical issues.

Jean-Marie Le Méné, president of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, closed the gathering by recalling the late French geneticist’s legacy: “The scientist is one who admits without shame that what he knows is microscopic compared to all that he does not know — and is fascinated by the adventure of intelligence on the path toward the intelligible.”

Jérôme Lejeune, a devout Catholic and pioneer in genetics, discovered the chromosomal cause of Down syndrome and became a passionate defender of the unborn, laying the foundation for much of the Church’s engagement in bioethics today.

Pope Leo XIV concluded his message with a call for scientists to “contribute to the search for truth, so that science may remain at the service of humanity, never becoming its master.”

Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful in St. Peter's Basilica, May 31, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, May 31, 2025 / 17:58 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV has praised an international bioethics summit in Rome for advancing an “authentically human” approach to science, urging researchers to pursue truth grounded in the dignity of the human person.

In a message delivered by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the pope expressed his “vivid appreciation” for the third International Bioethics Conference, held May 30–31 at the Patristicum.

The event was organized under the theme “The Splendor of Truth in Science and Bioethics.”

The pope described the initiative as “a valuable opportunity to reflect on the ethical implications of scientific progress” and encouraged “interdisciplinary dialogue grounded in the dignity of the human person,” according to the Vatican message. He expressed his hope that such efforts would “foster approaches to science that are increasingly authentically human and respectful of the integrity of the person.”

Held under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy for Life and the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the conference brought together nearly 400 participants — including researchers, physicians, philosophers, and legal scholars — from universities across Latin America, Europe, and Africa.

‘Science must serve the truth,’ cardinal says

Cardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk of the Netherlands opened the conference with a keynote address outlining three foundational principles for bioethics and scientific research in service of truth.

The archbishop of Utrecht, who is also a medical doctor, on Friday said the Pontifical Academy for Life should give more attention to the bioethical issues linked to “transgender” treatments and the push for “gender theory.”

Eijk emphasized that human reason must recognize its ability to know metaphysical truth, that human beings possess only relative autonomy, and that human life is an intrinsic value.

The cardinal warned: “Without metaphysics and a proper anthropology, science becomes dangerous because it loses its moral compass.”

Scholars highlight the role of philosophy in science

Spanish philosopher Juan Arana, a member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences, argued that modern science too often neglects the pursuit of deeper philosophical truths. While acknowledging the empirical advances of science, he emphasized that “great truths of philosophy and the small truths of science” are still connected “by threads that, though subtle, are effective.”

Bernard Schumacher of the University of Fribourg criticized the modern scientific method for reducing reality to the mathematical and quantifiable, while French philosopher Thibaud Collin challenged assumptions within natural law theory.

Two roundtables tackled practical bioethical challenges in genetics and conscience rights. Geneticist Teresa Perucho, surgeon Emmanuel Sapin, and neonatologist Robin Pierucci discussed the moral foundations of genetic counseling and the need to support parents with compassion and clarity when faced with difficult prenatal diagnoses.

Upholding a Catholic vision of science

The conference was organized by the International Chair of Bioethics Jérôme Lejeune and supported by more than 40 academic institutions worldwide. Since its founding in 2023, the event has become a leading forum for Catholic engagement with contemporary bioethical issues.

Jean-Marie Le Méné, president of the Jérôme Lejeune Foundation, closed the gathering by recalling the late French geneticist’s legacy: “The scientist is one who admits without shame that what he knows is microscopic compared to all that he does not know — and is fascinated by the adventure of intelligence on the path toward the intelligible.”

Jérôme Lejeune, a devout Catholic and pioneer in genetics, discovered the chromosomal cause of Down syndrome and became a passionate defender of the unborn, laying the foundation for much of the Church’s engagement in bioethics today.

Pope Leo XIV concluded his message with a call for scientists to “contribute to the search for truth, so that science may remain at the service of humanity, never becoming its master.”

The faithful march in the Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, Tulsa, Friday, May 30, 2025. / Credit: 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrims

CNA Staff, May 31, 2025 / 17:15 pm (CNA).

Eucharistic pilgrims in Oklahoma are being urged by leaders to respond to anti-Catholic protests during pilgrimages and processions with peace, humility, and prayer.

The Diocese of Tulsa this week was host to the St. Katharine Drexel Route of the 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which launched in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis on May 18 and is set to finish in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in late June.

On Friday, Eucharistic pilgrims marching through Tulsa were met at multiple points by counter-protesters shouting anti-Catholic rhetoric and slogans at the faithful, including through amplifiers.

At times protesters appeared to follow the crowd while chanting at them. Footage showed the faithful ignoring the demonstrations and continuing to follow the Blessed Sacrament. 

Organizers of the national pilgrimage said the protest began with a few demonstrators following the procession and slowly grew over time to a reported 50 people regularly walking alongside the route.

Jason Shanks, the president of National Eucharistic Congress, said in a statement: “We know that bringing Christ to the streets will be met with resistance, and our prayerful message to them is one of conversion and hope.”

Organizers estimated that between 17,000 to 20,000 participants have traveled the procession so far. Images of the procession shared on social media showed a large turnout in downtown Tulsa on Friday. 

“A beautiful evening in the [Diocese of Tulsa] as we welcomed pilgrims from the National Eucharistic Procession to the cathedral,” diocesan priest Father Brian O’Brien wrote on X. 

The procession will next head to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City before heading through Texas and then on through the Southwest.