Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro is the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. / Credit: ACI Stampa

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).

The new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, says the Church has plans to address a number of pressing matters surrounding human dignity, including artificial intelligence (AI), health systems, and the environment. 

When Pegoraro stepped into his new role, he said Pope Leo XIV recommended the academy continue a dialogue “with experts from various disciplines on the challenges facing humanity on the theme of life and the quality of life in different contexts.”

The academy will also continue its focus on “issues related to the beginning and end of life as well as environmental sustainability, equity in health care systems, the right to care, health, and essential services.”

In an interview with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Catholic News Service, Pegoraro said as “we live in a difficult landscape … and human life on the planet is truly challenged,” the Catholic Church “has a wealth of wisdom and a vision to serve everyone in order to make the world a better and more livable place.”

Technology and AI

Pegoraro said that “all facets of society” must be involved in the “debate” regarding technology. 

“Really, everything can be addressed if all of society — policymakers, governments, the Church, different organizations — put the issue of the use of technology at the forefront,“ Pegoraro said. “And the media also have a very important role in disseminating information and subject matter on this.”

As AI advances at fast rates, Pegoraro said, the Pontifical Academy for Life “can make an important contribution to the development of the papal magisterium, in line with all the dicasteries.”

The academy, with Catholic Physicians Throughout the World, will organize an international meeting in Rome in November on “AI and Medicine: The Challenge of Human Dignity.” The conference will “confront the changes introduced by AI” and “enhance the ‘Rome Call for AI Ethics,’” a 2020 document that lays the foundations for an ethical use of AI.

The progress of AI and robotics, especially in the health field, is “extraordinary,” but “we must never forget that the needs of the person who is sick and in need of help are the priority,” Pegoraro said.

Health systems

Pegoraro shared that the Church “will address the sustainability of health systems in February 2026, with examples from five continents and detailed studies.”

Leaders will ensure that “ethical framework” will be a theme at the international congress. 

“We want to end up with a strong call to understand that ‘health’ and health systems must provide answers centered on life in all contexts, in all social and political realms,” Pegoraro said. 

“In addition to scientific knowledge, there is a need for an ethical point of view and an awareness of the questions that come from patients, from those who are sick.” 

Pegoraro highlighted the importance of supporting the sick through end-of-life care. The academy “promotes palliative care, always and especially in the final and fragile phases of life, always asking that there be attention to and respect for the protection and dignity of people who are frail.”

When asked about “aggressive treatment and the requirement to provide food and hydration to individuals in a vegetative state,” Pegoraro said it is “very complex.” But, he said, “we need to understand how to interpret treatments so that they may support and care for sick people.”

“Every situation is to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis so that they support the sick person and are not a source of further suffering,” Pegoraro said. “There are no ready-made solutions; instead, an approach of constant dialogue between doctor, patient, and family members must be fostered.”

Most urgent matters

According to Pegoraro, the most urgent bioethical and AI-related issue to tackle is “data management, its use, and storage, the objectives of the so-called ‘Big Companies,’” including Google, Apple, Facebook, and others. 

“The topic of human life must be posed by looking at all dimensions of its development, at different social and political contexts, at its connection with respect for the environment, and by scrutinizing how technologies either help us live more fully and better or [hurt us by] providing terrible tools for control and manipulation.”

The topic of data is key, because “today, the wealth of big industries is the data we ourselves put on the internet,” Pegoraro said. 

“We need a public debate on a global scale,” he said, “a grand coalition aimed at the respect of data … The framework is clear and Pope Francis gave it to us with Fratelli Tutti, expanding on Vatican II: We are one human family, and the issues of development and life affect every one of us.”

Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. / Credit: Joe Bukuras/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, expressed approval of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments recognizing starvation in Gaza. 

“I commend President Trump for acknowledging that starvation is happening in Gaza, especially affecting children,” Zaidan wrote in a July 31 statement, adding: “And I urge him to demand the immediate expansion of humanitarian assistance through all channels in Gaza.” 

Zaidan, who leads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, has remained outspoken in his calls for “lasting peace” in the Holy Land.

The Lebanese bishop’s comments come after Trump told reporters during a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland: “We’ll be helping with the food ... We’re also going to make sure that they don’t have barriers stopping people ... We can save a lot of people. That’s real starvation. I see it, and you can’t fake that.”

Zaidan further cited remarks by the Holy Father during the Angelus last Sunday: “Reflecting Christ’s mandate in the Gospel to love one another, Pope Leo XIV’s challenge to us is clear: ‘We cannot pray to God as “Father” and then be harsh and insensitive towards others. Instead, it is important to let ourselves be transformed by his goodness, his patience, his mercy, so that his face may be reflected in ours as in a mirror.’”

Leo’s appeal came after an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic parish left three dead and 15 wounded, including the parish’s pastor, Father Gabriel Romanelli. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said the strike was incidental, with Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein expressing the country’s “deep regret over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualties.” 

Zaidan expressed solidarity on behalf of the bishops’ conference with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Gazan Christians; “and all men and women of goodwill in the Holy Land, especially those suffering from unprovoked violence.” 

“Let us pray that the Holy Spirit, creator and vivifier, may infuse fraternal love into the hearts and minds of peoples of all faiths living in the lands of Our Lord’s life, death, and glorious resurrection,” Zaidan concluded.

Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. / Credit: Joe Bukuras/CNA

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).

Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, expressed approval of U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments recognizing starvation in Gaza. 

“I commend President Trump for acknowledging that starvation is happening in Gaza, especially affecting children,” Zaidan wrote in a July 31 statement, adding: “And I urge him to demand the immediate expansion of humanitarian assistance through all channels in Gaza.” 

Zaidan, who leads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, has remained outspoken in his calls for “lasting peace” in the Holy Land.

The Lebanese bishop’s comments come after Trump told reporters during a meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland: “We’ll be helping with the food ... We’re also going to make sure that they don’t have barriers stopping people ... We can save a lot of people. That’s real starvation. I see it, and you can’t fake that.”

Zaidan further cited remarks by the Holy Father during the Angelus last Sunday: “Reflecting Christ’s mandate in the Gospel to love one another, Pope Leo XIV’s challenge to us is clear: ‘We cannot pray to God as “Father” and then be harsh and insensitive towards others. Instead, it is important to let ourselves be transformed by his goodness, his patience, his mercy, so that his face may be reflected in ours as in a mirror.’”

Leo’s appeal came after an Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic parish left three dead and 15 wounded, including the parish’s pastor, Father Gabriel Romanelli. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said the strike was incidental, with Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein expressing the country’s “deep regret over the damage to the Holy Family Church in Gaza City and over any civilian casualties.” 

Zaidan expressed solidarity on behalf of the bishops’ conference with Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem; Gazan Christians; “and all men and women of goodwill in the Holy Land, especially those suffering from unprovoked violence.” 

“Let us pray that the Holy Spirit, creator and vivifier, may infuse fraternal love into the hearts and minds of peoples of all faiths living in the lands of Our Lord’s life, death, and glorious resurrection,” Zaidan concluded.

A priest listens to a penitent during confession during a reconciliation event at the Circus Maximus, Rome, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Thousands of Jubilee of Youth pilgrims headed to the Circus Maximus in Rome on Friday to receive the Church’s sacrament of reconciliation.

While patiently waiting in long and winding queues to have their confessions heard at the ancient site — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — pilgrims told CNA why seeking God’s forgiveness is important for them.

Touched by Pope Leo XIV’s reminder to young people that “hope does not disappoint,” Canadian Angie Alvarez Salinas from the Archdiocese of Toronto said she believes “the love of God triumphs” over any sin.

“Confession is that renewal,” she said. “Like how Jesus said, ‘I make all things new’ ... You’re made clean and you’re made a ‘new creation.’”

“It gives you hope knowing that no matter what you have done previously or whatever your path, your struggles, or your sufferings are,” she said, “God knows you at the deepest level and he just wants to shower you with his love.”

Braving the Roman heat to get to the Circus Maximus by midday, Australian Louis Shu, who joined a 70-person international delegation organized by the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, said he was surprised and moved to see so many people lining up to talk one-on-one with a priest.

“Confession is something that young people might shy away from,” he told CNA. “I think especially in the last few years that there’s been a change or something in the air that’s really bringing young people back into the Church.”

“People are searching for meaning, people are searching for God, for Jesus,” he said. “And I think this Jubilee Year of Hope is definitely a way of bringing young people back in.”  

“I think it shows that the Church is alive and that young people still go to Church,” he added.

Iraqi Nicholas Dastafkan told CNA he believes confession is the most important sacrament after baptism as it makes you feel like “a reborn baby without any sins.”

“There is no church in the city I’m living in Turkey,” he said. “But whenever I find a Catholic church or even a Catholic priest on the street I go to confession.”

Grateful for the spiritual advice he has received from priests, Dastafkan said their words are like a “charger” that reenergizes Christians to live their faith in their daily lives.

For Filipino seminarian Vinnize Rey Pilapil, who is accompanying a youth delegation from the Philippines, seeing the “enormous number of people” at the Friday jubilee event dedicated to prayer and penance was a surprise.

Emphasizing that it is Jesus Christ himself — not the priest — who absolves sins, Pilapil said the desire of wanting to go to confession is a sign of grace that someone is being “called by God.”

“You are telling your story and you’re confessing your sins to Jesus himself,” he told CNA. “As we know in the Gospel, he listens, he welcomes you, he embraces you, and, most especially, he pardons all your sins.”

A priest listens to a penitent during confession during a reconciliation event at the Circus Maximus, Rome, Friday, Aug. 1, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 13:45 pm (CNA).

Thousands of Jubilee of Youth pilgrims headed to the Circus Maximus in Rome on Friday to receive the Church’s sacrament of reconciliation.

While patiently waiting in long and winding queues to have their confessions heard at the ancient site — where Christians were once martyred for their faith — pilgrims told CNA why seeking God’s forgiveness is important for them.

Touched by Pope Leo XIV’s reminder to young people that “hope does not disappoint,” Canadian Angie Alvarez Salinas from the Archdiocese of Toronto said she believes “the love of God triumphs” over any sin.

“Confession is that renewal,” she said. “Like how Jesus said, ‘I make all things new’ ... You’re made clean and you’re made a ‘new creation.’”

“It gives you hope knowing that no matter what you have done previously or whatever your path, your struggles, or your sufferings are,” she said, “God knows you at the deepest level and he just wants to shower you with his love.”

Braving the Roman heat to get to the Circus Maximus by midday, Australian Louis Shu, who joined a 70-person international delegation organized by the Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, said he was surprised and moved to see so many people lining up to talk one-on-one with a priest.

“Confession is something that young people might shy away from,” he told CNA. “I think especially in the last few years that there’s been a change or something in the air that’s really bringing young people back into the Church.”

“People are searching for meaning, people are searching for God, for Jesus,” he said. “And I think this Jubilee Year of Hope is definitely a way of bringing young people back in.”  

“I think it shows that the Church is alive and that young people still go to Church,” he added.

Iraqi Nicholas Dastafkan told CNA he believes confession is the most important sacrament after baptism as it makes you feel like “a reborn baby without any sins.”

“There is no church in the city I’m living in Turkey,” he said. “But whenever I find a Catholic church or even a Catholic priest on the street I go to confession.”

Grateful for the spiritual advice he has received from priests, Dastafkan said their words are like a “charger” that reenergizes Christians to live their faith in their daily lives.

For Filipino seminarian Vinnize Rey Pilapil, who is accompanying a youth delegation from the Philippines, seeing the “enormous number of people” at the Friday jubilee event dedicated to prayer and penance was a surprise.

Emphasizing that it is Jesus Christ himself — not the priest — who absolves sins, Pilapil said the desire of wanting to go to confession is a sign of grace that someone is being “called by God.”

“You are telling your story and you’re confessing your sins to Jesus himself,” he told CNA. “As we know in the Gospel, he listens, he welcomes you, he embraces you, and, most especially, he pardons all your sins.”

Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah. / Credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Salt Lake City on Thursday said it had deemed “credible” several allegations of sexual misconduct made against a Colombian-born priest, with the alleged misconduct dating to the 1990s. 

A press release from the diocese said that in December it had received allegations against Father Heriberto Mejia, a priest from the Diocese of Villavicencio in Colombia who served in Utah in the early 1990s. 

The diocese opened a formal investigation into the allegation, using an independent investigator who interviewed “numerous witnesses” connected to the case. The diocese received the report in July.

After reviewing the report and following a recommendation from the diocese’s review board, Bishop Oscar Solís “determined the victim’s allegation of abuse against Father Mejia is credible,” the press release said. 

The diocese said it offered counseling to the victim and family members and would also share the allegations with law enforcement. 

Mejia’s home diocese in Colombia “will be informed of the outcome of this investigation,” the diocese said; as well, the diocese said it would notify the two Utah parishes at which Mejia served during his time in the state. 

The report would be submitted to the U.S. papal nuncio in Washington, D.C., the diocese said, as well as Las Vegas Archbishop George Thomas. The Salt Lake Diocese is a suffragan diocese of the Las Vegas Archdiocese.

Solís in the press release said he “apologize[d] to [the victim] for the sexual abuse” inflicted by the priest. 

“No one should experience such trauma, especially from any member of the clergy,” the bishop said. “I personally pray and hope for your complete healing, peace, and that of your family.”

In its press release the diocese noted that Mejia “was permanently removed from ministry in the diocese” prior to leaving Utah in 1992. 

The diocese did not immediately respond to a query on Friday seeking more information about the removal of Mejia’s ministry privileges in the diocese in the 1990s. 

The Salt Lake Tribune, however, reported this week that Mejia had his faculties stripped in the diocese after an abuse allegation in August 1991.

The paper noted that Mejia had been included on a list of credibly accused priests in 2019.

The Tribune reported that Mejia’s victim, who had been considering the priesthood, said he felt “isolated [and] unsafe” for years after the abuse and that the traumatic event led him to turn away from the priesthood.

“I’m sure there are a lot of victims like me who are still devout Catholics with a complicated relationship to the Church because of this,” he told the paper, “who didn’t lose their faith over it and want to still stay connected.”

Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City, Utah. / Credit: Ritu Manoj Jethani/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 13:15 pm (CNA).

The Diocese of Salt Lake City on Thursday said it had deemed “credible” several allegations of sexual misconduct made against a Colombian-born priest, with the alleged misconduct dating to the 1990s. 

A press release from the diocese said that in December it had received allegations against Father Heriberto Mejia, a priest from the Diocese of Villavicencio in Colombia who served in Utah in the early 1990s. 

The diocese opened a formal investigation into the allegation, using an independent investigator who interviewed “numerous witnesses” connected to the case. The diocese received the report in July.

After reviewing the report and following a recommendation from the diocese’s review board, Bishop Oscar Solís “determined the victim’s allegation of abuse against Father Mejia is credible,” the press release said. 

The diocese said it offered counseling to the victim and family members and would also share the allegations with law enforcement. 

Mejia’s home diocese in Colombia “will be informed of the outcome of this investigation,” the diocese said; as well, the diocese said it would notify the two Utah parishes at which Mejia served during his time in the state. 

The report would be submitted to the U.S. papal nuncio in Washington, D.C., the diocese said, as well as Las Vegas Archbishop George Thomas. The Salt Lake Diocese is a suffragan diocese of the Las Vegas Archdiocese.

Solís in the press release said he “apologize[d] to [the victim] for the sexual abuse” inflicted by the priest. 

“No one should experience such trauma, especially from any member of the clergy,” the bishop said. “I personally pray and hope for your complete healing, peace, and that of your family.”

In its press release the diocese noted that Mejia “was permanently removed from ministry in the diocese” prior to leaving Utah in 1992. 

The diocese did not immediately respond to a query on Friday seeking more information about the removal of Mejia’s ministry privileges in the diocese in the 1990s. 

The Salt Lake Tribune, however, reported this week that Mejia had his faculties stripped in the diocese after an abuse allegation in August 1991.

The paper noted that Mejia had been included on a list of credibly accused priests in 2019.

The Tribune reported that Mejia’s victim, who had been considering the priesthood, said he felt “isolated [and] unsafe” for years after the abuse and that the traumatic event led him to turn away from the priesthood.

“I’m sure there are a lot of victims like me who are still devout Catholics with a complicated relationship to the Church because of this,” he told the paper, “who didn’t lose their faith over it and want to still stay connected.”

Google offices in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York. / Credit: MNAphotography/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

A Florida woman has secured the last of her Google data after the tech company disabled her account following emails pertaining to pro-life advocacy.

With the help of the Thomas More Society, Trudy Perez-Poveda sued Google in 2024 when the company allegedly blocked her from her account after she sent an email attempting to plan a Catholic Mass and prayer event outside of a local abortion clinic.

The lawsuit claimed that “approximately one hour” after she sent the email, Google suspended Perez-Poveda’s account with no explanation. After several days of trying to recover her account, Google informed her that it had “permanently disabled” it for violating the company’s “acceptable use policy.”

Since filing the lawsuit in July 2024, Perez-Poveda has been able to retrieve some of her messages and data in small quantities with the help of third-party tech experts. But with no assistance from Google, the majority of it remained inaccessible.

In a July 31 press release, the Thomas More Society reported that the last of Perez-Poveda’s data suddenly became “inexplicably accessible for the first time since this controversy began,” within just days of a court-imposed settlement deadline in the lawsuit.

An IT expert confirmed that action taken on Google’s end allowed the data to return. Perez-Poveda recovered the data one year and 10 months after Google first locked her out of her account.

“Google claimed that certain tools existed online to allow her to retrieve the remaining data despite tech experts proving those tools to be unworkable,” the Thomas More Society said. “At another point, Google even falsely claimed the data never had been withheld from her at all.”

“Google has dragged Trudy Perez-Poveda through a land of smoke and mirrors, apparently  because she was a pro-lifer who had the fortitude to stand up to Google and demand what belonged to her,” attorney Matt Heffron said.

Trudy “was not going to let a big-tech behemoth shut down her lifesaving mission to protect the unborn,” Heffron said.

“I was able to regain access to more than a decade worth of personal data and continue my mission to save lives in our Jacksonville community,” Perez-Poveda said in the press release.

She added: “Big tech companies cannot be allowed to decide what speech is acceptable.”

null / Credit: ivanko80/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 11:45 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.

Texas man files lawsuit against California abortionist who sent abortion drugs across state lines 

A Texas man filed a federal lawsuit against a California abortionist who shipped drugs across state lines, enabling his girlfriend to end the lives of two of their unborn children. 

The lawsuit takes place amid ongoing legal and political debate over the soundness of abortion shield laws — laws that protect abortionists in their home state even if they break abortion laws in other states. 

Legal experts have noted that this is the first lawsuit filed in a federal court to run up against the shield laws.

In the Texas lawsuit, California’s shield laws could protect the abortionist, Remy Coeytaux, who sent drugs to Jerry Rodriguez’s girlfriend, leading to the death of two of their unborn children. 

While California law protects Coeytaux, Rodriquez alleged that the abortionist broke Texas law by aiding the abortions in 2024. Abortion is largely illegal in Texas with narrow exceptions. 

Prominent pro-life lawyer Jonathan Mitchell, formerly the solicitor general of Texas from 2010 to 2015, is seeking an injunction in the suit on behalf of “fathers of unborn children.”

Texas attorney general files lawsuit over New York abortion shield laws

In a similar case, Texas Attor­ney Gen­er­al Ken Pax­ton is taking legal action after New York employed its abortion shield laws to protect an abortionist who shipped abortion drugs into Texas.

The legal dispute began in December 2024 when Paxton sued New York abortionist Margaret Carpenter for sending abortion drugs to Texas. The drugs led to the death of an unborn child and serious medical complications for the mother.

A Texas judge ordered Carpenter to stop prescribing abortion pills to Texas residents and gave her a $100,000 fine. Paxton this week, meanwhile, filed a legal petition against Acting County Clerk for Ulster County Taylor Bruck to enforce the judge’s ruling in New York.

The Ulster County Clerk’s office “plainly rejected any attempt by Texas to enforce the judgment and authorize collection of the penalty,” Paxton’s office said in a press release. 

Paxton called Carpenter “a radical abortionist who must face justice.” 

“No matter where they reside, pro-abortion extremists who send drugs designed to kill the unborn into Texas will face the full force of our state’s pro-life laws,” Paxton said.

Oklahoma governor directs state agencies to withhold funding from abortion providers

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday issued an executive order directing state agencies to “cease all public funding” for abortion providers and affiliated organizations.

“Oklahoma is a pro-life state, and our policies should reflect that at every level of our government,” Stitt said in the release. “We won’t allow tax dollars to indirectly subsidize and flow into the abortion industry under the guise of women’s health.”

The directive will require providers who want to access state Medicaid dollars to affirm whether or not they are involved with any “abortion-related activities.” Providers who take part in such activities will see their state contracts terminated, the order says.

The measure “also prohibits all state agencies from providing grants, contracts, or funding of any kind to abortion-affiliated providers directly or indirectly.”

Thousands fill St. Peter’s Square for the Jubilee of Youth welcome Mass on July 29, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.

2 Syrian girls share ‘moving testimony’ at Jubilee of Youth event

During a vocation-themed evening in Rome, two young Syrian women, Olga Al-Maati and Christine Saad, moved hearts with their testimony about living faith amid war, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA, reported on Thursday. 

Representing the Marian youth of Damascus, they told fellow attendees that their presence wasn’t about recounting suffering but spreading hope. They spoke of growing up amid bombs and despair yet clinging to Christ and discovering deep meaning in faith. 

Their testimony, rooted in the Vincentian spirit of charity and perseverance, received a heartfelt response. “Love is stronger than death,” Saad declared, highlighting the role of Syrian youth in helping others find light in darkness through acts of service.

Thai diocese provides shelter to those displaced by border clashes with Cambodia

The Diocese of Ubon Ratchathani in northeast Thailand activated its emergency shelters on Tuesday for those fleeing ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia, according to a report from Fides.

Despite a Trump administration-brokered ceasefire agreement on Monday, tensions between the two countries remain high, the report said, prompting the diocese to open its shelters, which took in roughly 200,000 displaced people. Bishop Stephen Boonlert Phromsena has opened donation sites across the diocese, while Caritas and other local Catholic agencies are providing food, water, clothing, and other basic necessities to refugees of the conflict.

South Sudan bishop calls for end to protracted violence 

In a moving letter to the South Sudan government shared this week with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, Bishop Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala of the Tombura-Yambio Diocese pleaded for bold action to end the protracted violence occurring within his episcopal see. 

“Our people live under plastic sheeting, drink unsafe water, walk in fear, and bury their loved ones in silence,” he wrote, adding: “This is not a political inconvenience, this is a humanitarian tragedy and a moral failure.”

Ethnically-driven violence between the Azande and Balanda communities has plagued Tombura as conflicts over political representation, traditional authority roles, and land access continue to escalate.

In Rome, Lebanese youth kneel for peace in their homeland

Hundreds of Lebanese youth gathered at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome during the Jubilee of Youth to pray for peace in Lebanon, lifting their country in prayer, asking for strength, reconciliation, and a renewed spirit of responsibility among their fellow citizens.

According to ACI MENA, Bishop Jules Boutros, who heads the Syriac Catholic youth committee, urged participants to model their hearts after Christ’s and be beacons of unity and love. Also present, Armenian Catholic priest Father Bedros Haddad invoked prayers for Lebanon’s recovery from its many crises, remembering the victims of the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion and the country’s ongoing political and economic turmoil.

Kenyan bishop says government plan to end free education funding will cause crisis

Bishop Joseph Obanyi Sagwe of the Kakamega Diocese called out the Kenyan government’s reported plans to scrap free education in the country, warning that the move would trigger a crisis in the education sector by shifting the financial burden to already struggling parents. 

Speaking to journalists on July 28, Obanyi said that should government capitation in schools in Kenya be removed, most learning institutions in the East African nation will not be able to operate, ACI Africa reported on Wednesday. “If capitation is removed from schools, there’s going to be a crisis. I’m aware that many of the institutions, even when they were not getting this capitation on time, some of them were taking overdrafts, awaiting the capitation,” he said.

Munich and Freising bishop encourages citizens to run in local elections in Bavaria

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the archbishop of Munich and Freising in Germany, has encouraged the people of Bavaria to vote in the next local election in the free state on March 8, 2026, and to run in the elections. 

Marx published the appeal together with the state bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria, Christian Kopp, on Friday, according to CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner.

“The two Christian churches in Bavaria encourage all people to run for a local political mandate with a democratic party or association,” the appeal said. Even if federal and state politics often play a more prominent role in the media, Marx and Kopp emphasized the importance of local politics.

“It takes care of services of general interest, [including] water, energy, garbage disposal, or fire protection,” they continued. “It decides on the weighting of the areas of economic development, construction, social affairs, and education, sport, health, and care.” 

Catholic health giant pledges $500M to build hospital in the Philippines

Bon Secours Mercy Health, a U.S-based Catholic health care provider, has announced plans to invest up to $500 million to build a major hospital in the Philippines. 

“If realized, it would mark one of the largest private-sector health care investments by a U.S.-based system in the Philippines,” the Philippine government task force that oversees foreign investments said in a statement, according to an Inquirer.net report. 

According to its website, Bon Secours Mercy Health’s mission “is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of our communities.” Commitment to “uphold the sacredness of life,” integrity, compassion, stewardship, and service are also listed as its core values.