The Palazzo del Sant’Uffizio, the seat of the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. / Credit: Jim McIntosh via Wikimedia (CC BY 2.0)

Vatican City, Jul 29, 2025 / 10:47 am (CNA).

The Vatican’s doctrinal office has expressed reservations about an alleged Marian apparition site in southern Italy, permitting only private devotion and warning that claims that a deceased woman has communicated messages through a guardian angel “require further study.”

Sant’Onofrio is a mountain in the southern Italian region of Molise, close to the town of Agnone. Since 2009, a resident  of the area, Michelino Marcovecchio, has claimed to receive visions of the Virgin Mary and messages from her.

He has also claimed to hear the voice of his deceased mother-in-law, Livia Casciano, through his guardian angel.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) gave the alleged supernatural experiences at Mount Sant’Onofrio a judgment of “prae oculis habeatur” (“let it be held before the eyes”), meaning there are “important positive signs” but “some aspects of confusion or potential risk are also perceived,” and “doctrinal clarification might be necessary.”

The DDF said “private worship is permitted,” including personal visits in pairs or small groups to the cross or Stations of the Cross erected on Mount Sant’Onofrio.

Acts of public worship, however, are not allowed, including pilgrimages, pastoral events, and the celebration of Mass in places linked to the alleged spiritual experiences. Information about the phenomenon and its alleged messages may also not be disseminated without approval from Church authorities.

In a letter to Bishop Camillo Cibotti of Isernia-Venafro and Trivento, DDF prefect Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández wrote that there is value to the content of some of the messages received by Marcovecchio and “signs of the action of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this alleged supernatural phenomenon.”

However, he added, “some aspects of confusion or potential risks are also perceived that require the diocesan bishop to engage in a careful discernment and dialogue with the recipients of a given spiritual experience.

The cardinal also drew attention to two aspects of the alleged manifestations requiring particular care on the part of the bishop. 

First, some members of the local clergy had failed to observe the previous bishop’s decision to prohibit any form of public or private worship related to the alleged apparitions and even appeared to urge disobedience.

The second potential issue was the “unusual fact that some souls of the deceased are said to manifest themselves to the alleged visionary through the work of his guardian angel.”

Fernández said the alleged apparitions experienced on Mount Sant’Onofrio follow the Church’s teaching on the relationship between the living and the dead but “in a manner that shows its originality with respect to spiritual tradition and which would therefore require further study.”

The prefect invited the bishop to ensure those who follow and promote the spiritual experiences at Mount Sant’Onofrio keep in mind “that the line between lawful and risky practices is rather thin.”

A jubilee attendee snaps a shot of a fellow jubilee-goer in Rome during a broadcast of “EWTN News Nightly,” Monday, July 28, 2025. / Credit: “EWTN News Nightly”

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 29, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

As 500,000 people gather in Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, the crowds are also joined by pilgrims on a mission to evangelize with the help of social media and the internet.

Jonathan Strate, the president and CEO of Catholic media and publishing company Ascension, said the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries is “an exciting moment for the Church.” He added: “This is the first time that they’ve done something like this.”

Speaking to “EWTN News Nightly” on July 28, Strate said the digital jubilee, held July 28–29, is “expecting about 1,000 people from maybe 40 to 50 different countries, all who feel called to digital evangelization,” which is important for the Catholic mission, as “the Church exists to evangelize.”

Ascension, which is known for the “Bible in a Year” podcast among numerous other digital offerings, became involved in the two-day event to bring its nearly 25 years of digital media experience to the table. The organization is “very familiar with using the digital world to reach everyone,” Strate said.

The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries was not necessarily intended to coincide with the Jubilee of Youth, but since the young generation is so active online, Strate said it “makes a lot of sense.”

In Rome, the digital missionaries “will get together to share best practices and just really spur the conversation and be influenced by each other.” Strate shared that a number of Ascension contributors, including podcaster Katie McGrady, will attend to discuss the matter and then share the key takeaways.

It is “so important” to have these discussions because “digital evangelization” helps us to “meet people where they are, and where they are is existing online,” Strate said. “That’s where they’re doing their own searching.”

“So if the Church isn’t there, then the Church doesn’t have a voice in all of that. So you really want to use this to reach people where they are in as personal of a means as you can.”

“When this started, maybe 20-plus years ago with the advent of the internet, it was easy to start to bring things that were traditionally in print and put them online. You can make infinite copies, in effect, and have that all available and reach people that you never were able to reach.”

“But 20 years later … it’s switched, I’d say probably to a more personalized kind of faith formation. So something where ... it feels like somebody’s speaking with me. The content is coming out on a daily, many-times-a-day basis and so you can really feel more connected with somebody.”

The Jubilee of Digital Missionaries is only the start of the evangelizing mission, Strate said.

“In the future, getting to bring … AI into the picture, starting to think about, ‘Well, how can that really help deliver the right message to the right person at the right time?’ It’s really a lot to look forward to.”

A performer during the Catholic Music Awards in Rome on July 27, 2025. / Credit: Screenshot “EWTN News Nightly”

CNA Staff, Jul 29, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Musicians from around the world came together for the first-ever Catholic Music Awards on July 27 at the Auditorium Conciliazione in Rome. Nicknamed the “Grammys of Catholic Music,” the international event aims to promote, encourage, and recognize the talent of Catholic singers by not only celebrating the Catholic faith but also honoring artists who evangelize through music.

Finalists were evaluated based on content, artistic value, and technical professionalism, with the final decision made by an international jury of more than 60 experts. Winners were chosen across 19 categories in four languages: Spanish, English, Italian, and Portuguese.

Among the winners was Nathali Paredes Lozano, singer-songwriter and anchor for “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, who won Best Praise-Worship Song in the Spanish category.

Lozano won for her song titled “Te Pertenezco,” which translates to “I Belong to You.”

She explained at the event that the song was “composed to the heart of Jesus, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is my greatest devotion. It is that heart that reaches out to take our hearts,” according to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. 

“It is a song of Eucharistic worship, he who is present in the Eucharist, so I am very happy about it too. It’s a song that I love very much and that, I tell you and confess, every time I sing it I also break down,“ she added.

When speaking about the award show she said: “This is the first event of its kind held at a global level, and it’s so important because it values, rewards, and above all highlights the music of so many, many Catholic musicians around the world who offer their voices, who offer the gifts the Lord has given us to praise him, to praise God, our beloved Jesus. What could be better than valuing and supporting this kind of music, which is sometimes lacking?“

Opera singer Luciano Lamonarca, founder and CEO of the Saint Pio Foundation, won for Best Male Singer in the English category. He won for the song “The Song of Saint Pio,” which was written in honor of St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio) as a gesture of gratitude for the saint’s intercession for the birth of Lamonarca’s son Sebastián.

In 2010, Lamonarca and his wife, Valentina, were expecting their first child — a daughter whom they named Alma. Suddenly, their whole life changed when Alma was delivered stillborn and Valentina had to undergo additional surgeries due to complications from the delivery. Due to those surgeries, it was unlikely that Valentina would ever be able to conceive again.

In their despair, the couple spent their first wedding anniversary in San Giovanni Rotondo, the hometown of Padre Pio. It was here that they were blessed with an opportunity to pray with a first-class relic — a handkerchief with blood stains from Padre Pio. The couple grew closer to the beloved saint and turned to him for his intercession.

Despite suffering multiple more miscarriages, they continued praying and on Dec. 25, 2014, Valentina discovered she was pregnant. Their son Sebastian was born in September 2015.

“When you sing, expressing faith, the emotions you give is much more than anything else. You don’t do this because you have been paid. You don’t do this because you have been rewarded by some things. You do this because you feel a connection with God, with those who love, you feel the faith expand,” Lamonarca said.  “So this is the best music that everybody will ever experience.”

Francesco Lorenzi, lead singer of the Italian band The Sun, accepted the award won by his group for Best Italian Catholic Band.

“Never would I have thought 20 years ago that today we would be here near St. Peter’s, awarded as the best Italian Catholic band. And this is something extraordinary: how the Lord can truly guide our lives, heal them, and lead us to where we are called to be, because each of us has a mission,” the Italian singer told the crowd. 

Lorenzi is known for his powerful conversion story and was awarded the Pontificated Medal in 2016 by Pope Francis “for the contribution given to Christian humanism in the world.”

U.S. Office of Personnel Management headquarters building in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 29, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has issued new guidance to safeguard the right of federal employees to express religion in the workplace, including the display of religious imagery on desks, voluntary conversations, and prayer.

The new guidelines, issued by U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, were sent to the heads of all federal departments and agencies on Monday, July 28. The guidance is meant to clarify the religious liberty protections guaranteed in the First Amendment and already enshrined in federal law.

“Federal employees should never have to choose between their faith and their career,” Kupor said in a statement. “This guidance ensures the federal workplace is not just compliant with the law but welcoming to Americans of all faiths. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring constitutional freedoms and making government a place where people of faith are respected, not sidelined.”

Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Michael Ross praised the memo in a statement to CNA, saying that “no American should have to check their faith at the door when they walk into the workplace.”

“We’re grateful for President Trump’s leadership in reaffirming every federal employee’s right to exercise their religious beliefs at work to the fullest extent permitted by law,” he said. “This is a critical step in restoring a workplace culture that respects and promotes religious freedom for every American.”

Protected religious expressions

The federal guidance clarifies religious liberty protections in five specific categories: display and use of items for religious purposes, expressions by groups of federal employees, conversations between federal employees, expressions directed at members of the public, and expressions in areas accessible to the public.

For the first category, the guidance states that employees can display and use religious items at their desks, on their person, and in assigned workplaces. This applies to a variety of items, such as Bibles, rosaries, jewelry, artwork, crosses, and mezuzahs.

The second category guarantees that federal employees can “engage in individual or communal religious expressions in both formal and informal settings alone or with fellow employees” when the employees are not on duty.

On the subject of conversations between employees, the guidance states that a person “may engage in conversations regarding religious topics.” This includes voluntary conversations that seek to “persuade others of the correctness of their own religious views” as long as it is not harassing in nature.

The protection of religious conversations also extends to an employee encouraging a co-worker to participate in prayer or other expressions of faith “to the same extent that they would be permitted to encourage co-workers [to] participate in other personal activities.” An employee cannot be disciplined in any way for not wanting to participate.

When engaging with members of the public as a private person — as long as the employee is not making a statement as part of his official duties — his or her religious expression must “not be suppressed,” according to the guidance. It states that constitutional rights “are not limited by the venue or the hearer.”

Additionally, the guidance states religious expressions, when done in an employee’s personal capacity, are permitted “in areas accessible to the public.” It states such religious expressions must “be treated in the same manner as if those expressions are made in areas inaccessible to the public.”

Examples of protected activities

The guidelines offer the heads of federal departments and agencies several examples of religious expressions that are protected.

In one example, it notes that an employee could keep a Bible on his or her desk to read during breaks or an employee could keep a rosary at his or her desk to pray during breaks. Employees can wear crosses or other clothing that displays a religious message.

The guidelines explain that a group of employees could form a prayer group or a group to study the Bible or other religious texts at the office, as long as they are not on duty. Employees should be allowed to use empty conference rooms for such activities, according to the guidance.

An employee is allowed to engage in a “polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should rethink his religious beliefs,” invite a member to church, or post a bulletin that advertises a religious service. Yet, conversations must be voluntary. If a co-worker does not want to continue the conversation, “the employee should honor the request.”

Other protected activities listed include a park ranger leading a tour through a national park joining a group in prayer or a doctor praying over his or her patient for recovery. It would also permit a security guard to display a crucifix, among many other protected activities.

When the encyclical Laudato Si’ (On Care for our Common Home) was released in 2015, I had high hopes that the Catholic Church in the United States would finally embrace environmental justice and care for creation. I remember the morning after its release, expecting to hear a moving homily at daily Mass about Pope Francis’ […]

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A Daily Quote to Inspire Your Catholic Faith “There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a matter for you.” -St. Josemaría Escrivá, The Way, #121 Image (inset) credit: “St. Josemaría Escrivá” (detail) | […]

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ENCOUNTERING THE WORD — YOUR DAILY BIBLE VERSES Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  –John 8:12 Please help spread the Gospel. Share this verse with family and friends on Facebook and other […]

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Church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs in Paris, which arsonists set fire to the day after an electrical fire damaged the church. / Credit: Julien Jean Zayatz/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:54 pm (CNA).

Notre Dame des Champs, a Catholic church in Paris, was targeted in an arson attack just 24 hours after an accidental fire broke out in its choir loft.

null / Credit: Andy - Rock News/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:34 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication reiterated its long-standing call for recognition of Palestine statehood amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict after France announced last week it would recognize the region’s statehood.

The editorial manager for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli, called for a “two-state solution” and recognition of Palestine as a state in a July 27 editorial. 

In the editorial, Tornielli cited France’s recent movement toward recognition. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in a post on X that France would recognize Palestine as a state — a plan that was quickly rejected by various Western countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Australia. 

In addition to affirming Palestine as a state, Macron called for the demilitarization of the terrorist group Hamas that runs the government of Gaza. He demanded the release of the hostages, called for humanitarian aid for Gaza, and said that Palestine must accept demilitarization and fully recognize Israel.

In 2015, the Vatican signed its first treaty with the “State of Palestine.” Tornielli recalled the “comprehensive agreement” between the two parties, noting that the treaty affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to an “independent, sovereign, democratic, and viable” state.

While Pope Francis was the first of the popes to use the term “State of Palestine” upon his 2014 visit to the Holy land, Tornielli pointed out that Pope Benedict XVI affirmed both that “the State of Israel has the right to exist and enjoy peace and security” and that “the Palestinian people have the right to an independent and sovereign homeland.”

Before Benedict, in the early 1990s, Pope John Paul II established relationships with both the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, according to Tornielli. 

“It is to be hoped that the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Resolution of the Palestinian Question and the implementation of the two-state solution, grasping the urgency of a common response to the Palestinian drama, will decisively pursue a solution to finally guarantee this people a state with secure, respected, and recognized borders,” Tornielli wrote in the editorial.

Notably, the Vatican’s support of the “two-state solution” runs counter to the stances of many Western countries. The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and Australia rejected Macron’s Palestine statehood plan outright, while President Donald Trump dismissed Macron, telling reporters at the White House: “What he says doesn’t matter. It’s not going to change anything.” 

Macron said in his post that he plans to announce the recognition at the United Nations General Assembly in September. 

While U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected the plan, he explained in a statement he supported the “two-state solution” but said it must ensure “lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis.”

On a local level, the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France called the decision a moral failure and said it risks security for Jews worldwide, while top American Jewish groups declined to attend a meeting with the French government after his statement. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “strongly” condemned Macron’s decision, saying the move “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.” 

“A Palestinian state in these conditions would be a launch pad to annihilate Israel — not to live in peace beside it,” Netanyahu said. “Let’s be clear: The Palestinians do not seek a state alongside Israel. They seek a state instead of Israel.”

null / Credit: sergign/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 28, 2025 / 18:03 pm (CNA).

A federal judge blocked a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was aimed at defunding Planned Parenthood and ordered the federal government to resume Medicaid reimbursements to the abortion giant while litigation over the law continues.

The legislation, signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, included a one-year freeze on some abortion facilities receiving Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortive services. Judge Indira Talwani ruled on Monday, July 28, that the provision likely targets Planned Parenthood, which violates the Constitution.

Per the order, federal agencies and employees must “take all steps necessary” to ensure that Planned Parenthood facilities receive Medicaid reimbursements “in the customary manner and time frames.” Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit against the federal government is still ongoing, but the ruling is meant to prevent “irreparable harm” to the abortion giant while the matter is under review in court.

In her ruling, Talwani found that even though the bill does not mention Planned Parenthood “by name,” it is written in a way to ensure that the defunding provision only affects facilities that are affiliated with Planned Parenthood while leaving other entities untouched.

The ruling states the defunding provision is likely in violation of the bill of attainder clause in the Constitution, which prohibits Congress from writing bills that single out entities for punishment. It also found the rule likely violates the equal protection clause and the First Amendment right to freedom of association.

“This order … prevents [the government] from targeting a specific group of entities — Planned Parenthood Federation members — for exclusion from reimbursements under the Medicaid program where [Planned Parenthood has] established a substantial likelihood that they will succeed in establishing that such targeted exclusion violates the United States Constitution,” Talwani ruled.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill praised the ruling in a statement Monday.

“As this case continues, patients across the country can still go to their trusted Planned Parenthood provider for care using Medicaid,” she said. “We will keep fighting this cruel law so that everyone can get birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and other critical health care, no matter their insurance.”

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields criticized the ruling in a statement provided to CNA, saying the bill was “legally passed by both chambers of the legislative branch and signed into law by the chief executive.”

“The judge’s decision to grant the injunction on the basis that defunding an entity is an unconstitutional criminal punishment is not only absurd but illogical and incorrect,” he said. “It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch. We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue.”

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a statement provided to CNA that “we strongly disagree with the court’s decision.”

“States should not be forced to fund organizations that have chosen political advocacy over patient care,” the spokesperson added. “This ruling undermines state flexibility and disregards long-standing concerns about accountability.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America (SBA), which has long urged the government to defund Planned Parenthood, condemned the ruling and referred to Talwani as “an activist judge.”

“Every day this order stands, Planned Parenthood continues to rake in millions of our tax dollars, fueling thousands of unborn lives ended daily and putting women at unacceptable risk of serious harm and even death,” SBA President Marjorie Dannenfelser said.

“Women have better and more comprehensive alternatives with community health centers outnumbering Planned Parenthood facilities 15 to 1,” she said. “We look forward to the Trump administration swiftly stopping this lawfare and restoring the historic victory secured through the One Big Beautiful Bill.”

In recent months, more than two dozen Planned Parenthood facilities across the country announced they would shut down amid funding concerns. Several facilities made announcements earlier this year in anticipation of the defunding effort. Last week, another five northern California facilities announced they would shut down. On July 28, the organization announced the closure of two of its six clinics in the Houston area, including its Prevention Park location, which was known as the largest abortion facility in the Western Hemisphere.

On July 1, ahead of the bill’s passage, Planned Parenthood Federation of America claimed the defunding provision could force 200 clinics — about 60% of its facilities — to close.

Planned Parenthood facilities take in hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money every year, a large portion of which stems from Medicaid reimbursements. According to Planned Parenthood’s annual report for July 2023 through June 2024, about 40% of its revenue came from taxpayer funds, which accounted for nearly $800 million.

Long-standing federal law prohibits taxpayer funding for most abortions. Yet, until the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law, Medicaid funds could broadly cover non-abortive services at abortion facilities.