Posted on 07/18/2025 16:30 PM (CNA Daily News)
null / Credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).
A federal court on July 18 blocked a controversial Washington state reporting law that would require priests to violate the seal of confession, siding with the state’s Catholic bishops who brought suit against the measure earlier this year.
The law, passed by the state Legislature earlier this year and signed by Gov. Robert Ferguson, added clergy to the list of mandatory abuse reporters in the state. But it didn’t include an exemption for information learned in the confessional, explicitly leaving priests out of a “privileged communication” exception afforded to other professionals.
In the ruling, District Judge David Estudillo said there was “no question” that the law burdened the free exercise of religion.
“In situations where [priests] hear confessions related to child abuse or neglect, [the rule] places them in the position of either complying with the requirements of their faith or violating the law,” the judge wrote.
Estudillo noted that the measure as passed “modifies existing law solely to make members of the clergy mandatory reporters with respect to child abuse or neglect.”
As written, the law is “neither neutral nor generally applicable” insofar as it “treats religious activity less favorably than comparable secular activity,” he said.
The state could have made clergy mandatory reporters while allowing a narrow exception for confession, Estudillo said, as more than two dozen other states already have.
The order bars the Washington state government from enforcing the law.
The ruling comes after the bishops sued Ferguson, state Attorney General Nicholas Brown, and more than three dozen prosecutors over the controversial reporting law.
On July 15 those prosecutors filed a motion in the court promising not to appeal the injunction against the law or any final judgment of the court in exchange for largely being excused from the ongoing legal proceedings. Ferguson and Brown are still subject to the suit.
The lawsuit argued that the law violated the free exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment by infringing on the sacred seal of confession as well as both the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and the state constitution.
The Washington bishops’ effort drew support from a broad variety of advocates, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the U.S. Department of Justice, a coalition of Orthodox churches, and Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.
Barron earlier this month argued to the court that a penitent who is “aware the priest might (let alone must) share with others what was given in the most sacred confidence” of confession
“would be reluctant indeed to ever approach” the sacrament.
The Department of Justice, meanwhile, said the law “appears to single out clergy as not entitled to assert applicable privileges, as compared to other reporting professionals,” including lawyers, doctors, and social service workers.
The law even drew international rebuke when the Confraternity of Catholic Clergy — which represents over 500 Roman Catholic priests and deacons from the U.S., Australia, and the United Kingdom — last month issued a statement criticizing the passage of laws “which attempt to compel ordained priests to disclose the identity and content of what a penitent has confessed.”
The group criticized governments for specifically targeting priests while at the same time “respect[ing] and uphold[ing] the institutions of attorney/client and doctor/patient privilege.”
Though the Washington bishops had mounted an aggressive challenge to the state law, Church leaders there assured the faithful that the seal of confession would remain inviolate regardless of any legal stipulations one way or the other.
“[S]hepherds, bishops, and priests” are “committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail,” Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly said in May.
Church canon law dictates that a priest who directly violates the seal of confession is automatically excommunicated. Barron earlier this month told the court that “few religious practices are more misunderstood than the sacred seal of confession in the Catholic Church.”
Catholics believe that penitents who seek the sacrament of confession are “speaking to and hearing from the Lord himself” via the priest, the prelate wrote.
As a result, “absolutely nothing ought to stand in the way of a sinner who seeks this font of grace,” Barron said.
Posted on 07/18/2025 16:26 PM (U.S. Catholic)
Andor Created by Tony Gilroy (Lucasfilm, 2022–present) Critically acclaimed “Star-Wars-for-adults” hit Andor concluded its spectacular two-season run with a hard look at the cost of rebellion—and the greater cost of complicity. Creator Tony Gilroy earned considerable respect for his work on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), which introduced Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as […]
The post ‘Andor’ reminds us of the deadly price of inaction appeared first on U.S. Catholic.
Posted on 07/18/2025 16:09 PM (CNA Daily News)
Pope Leo XIV called Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa on Friday, July 18, 2025, just before the cardinal entered Gaza following the July 17 attack on Holy Family Parish in Gaza. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 12:09 pm (CNA).
“It is time to stop this slaughter.” With these words, Pope Leo XIV on Friday expressed his firm condemnation of the Israeli army’s July 17 attack on the Catholic Church of the Holy Family in a call to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa.
As reported by Vatican News, the pontiff placed the call to Pizzaballa as the cardinal was traveling to the Gaza Strip with Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III.
The two religious leaders entered the area — whose borders remain blocked — with hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to assist Gazan families regardless of their religion. They also offered their comfort to the families of the victims of the attack, which directly hit the roof of the church and left three dead and 10 wounded, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
As the two made their way to Gaza to visit the stricken parish, families of the victims, and the entire community, Pizzaballa said they received the call from Pope Leo, who, as the cardinal described it, “called us to express his closeness, care, prayer, support, and desire to do everything possible to achieve not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy.”
According to the prelate, during the conversation, the pope repeatedly expressed his outrage at the violence of the Israeli armed forces. “He repeatedly stated that it is time to stop this slaughter, that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims,” he explained.
Pope Leo XIV has repeatedly expressed his concern about the situation in Gaza since the beginning of the military offensive. His call on Friday added to a series of gestures of solidarity toward local Christians and the entire Palestinian people.
On Thursday, as soon as he learned of the attack, he sent a telegram signed — as is customary — by the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to lament the loss of life and injuries “caused by the military attack” and to demand a ceasefire.
For its part, the Israeli government expressed its regret over the attack on the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza, attributing it to “a stray projectile” during the fighting in the Strip.
In a message on the social media platform X, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated his government was investigating what had happened and expressed his commitment to protecting civilians and holy sites.
The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem described the attack as a “crime” against a holy site. At the time of the bombing, the Catholic parish complex was housing some 600 displaced people, including many children and people with disabilities.
Among the dead were the groundskeeper and two elderly women who were being cared for by Caritas at the time of the attack. The parish priest, Romanelli, suffered minor injuries to his leg.
This is not the first time Holy Family Parish has been attacked. In December 2023, two women inside the compound were killed by an Israeli sniper. Seven people were also injured during that shooting. At the time, the Jerusalem Patriarchate condemned the “cold-blooded” attack on the parish perimeter, where there were “no combatants.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 07/18/2025 13:30 PM (CNA Daily News)
Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. / Credit: Salvador alc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Puebla, Mexico, Jul 18, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).
The Metropolitan Cathedral’s communications office in Mexico City expressed its dissatisfaction with the projection of pro-abortion messages on the façade of the church during a show organized by the capital city’s government.
The show, titled “Luminous Memory: Mexico-Tenochtitlan 700 Years,” takes place every night July 11–27 in the capital’s Zócalo (central square). It transforms the National Palace and the cathedral into monumental screens to visually narrate the history of the capital, from its Aztec origins to the present day.
According to the Mexico City government, the narrative includes episodes such as independence, the Mexican Revolution, and “recent events such as the arrival of the first LGBTIQ+ Pride March to the Zócalo, the decriminalization of abortion, the election of two female heads of government, and the consolidation of a city of rights and freedoms.”
Among the images projected onto the façade of the cathedral are women with green neckerchiefs, symbols of the feminist movement, and a sign reading “safe abortion.”
In a statement released July 15, the cathedral reported that it had not been previously consulted about the content of the show. It clarified that the Memoria Luminosa has no connection to the Archdiocese of Mexico, is produced by others, and specified that no religious authority “has participated in the pre-production or the script of said show.”
The statement points out that while the cathedral property belongs to the federal government—as established by the Law of Religious Associations and Public Worship for churches built before 1992, the year in which relations between the state and the Catholic Church were reestablished — its use and administration belong exclusively to the Primatial Archdiocese of Mexico, including responsibility for the messages disseminated on its façade and atriums.
However, the religious authorities stated that they were informed only that both the cathedral façade and the adjacent Assumption Parish church “would serve as canvases for said projection, taking into account the colonial and baroque periods that would supposedly be projected on these spaces.”
Therefore, they deplored the inclusion of “various captions and images that deeply wound and injure the faith and fundamental principles that we Catholics profess.”
“Regardless of the fact that, given the division between religious freedom and public policies, both protected by our constitution, the free expression of ideas is respected within their respective premises and spaces, it is objectionable that messages specifically contrary to Catholic principles should be projected on this holy cathedral,” the statement pointed out.
Finally, the cathedral’s communications office called on Mexico City authorities, in the exercise of their powers, to provide the necessary instructions so that on the façade of the church “it is avoided at all times projecting messages contrary to the Catholic faith, which in the deepest way are hurtful to the devotion of the Mexican people.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Posted on 07/18/2025 10:00 AM (CNA Daily News - US)
In a scene marked by deep sorrow and righteous anger, churches across Syria held funeral services for the victims of the suicide bombing that targeted St. Elias Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left dozens injured. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:
Christian communities in Syria continue to experience escalating violence, with one church severely damaged and another narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal car bombing attack, according to CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA.
Vandals desecrated the altar at Mar Michael (St. Michael) Church in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, smashed Christian symbols, and set fire to its ceiling and walls, charring the upper icons and the central cross above the altar.
In a parallel development, security forces thwarted an attempt to bomb the Maronite Church of Mar Elias (St. Elias) in eastern rural Tartus. Three individuals who planned to detonate a car bomb loaded with roughly 44 pounds of explosives have been arrested. The attacks come amid escalating armed clashes in southern Syria between Druze and Bedouin militias.
Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako has issued an urgent appeal to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, calling on him to avert the threat of encroachment on sacred Christian historical sites in Najaf province dating back to the sixth century, ACI MENA reported.
In a July 15 statement, Sako cited “trusted sources in Najav” who warned of “attempts to allocate historic Christian cemeteries for investment” despite their status as archeological sites. The Chaldean patriarch further noted that “oil will one day run out,” and the historic sites could one day become a destination for religious tourism, bringing in substantial revenues.
Among them are the al-Manathira Cemetery, burial site of great patriarchs of the Church of the East, and Umm Khishm Cemetery, which dates back to the time of the kingdom of al-Hira.
In a wedding Mass homily on July 13, Archbishop Paul Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan invited the faithful to abandon the still-widespread custom of wedding dowries, a practice that has caused couples in rural areas to break up due to the financial burden it places on families, according to a report from Fides.
Meng reportedly described the sacrament of marriage as “a union of free, mutual self-giving blessed by God” and “called on spouses to accept one another, support each other in the Christian upbringing of their children, and care for one another, following the example of the good Samaritan.”
The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, delivered in a homily on July 13 a sharp criticism of the government for promoting online gambling addictions, according to a local Catholic news report.
“We fail to see the real culprit: a government that grants licenses and expands online gambling platforms just to earn revenue for public spending — spending that often becomes a tool for political power,” he declared, adding: “The Word opens our eyes to see the hidden victims on these digital highways. … It urges us to take concrete steps to help these vulnerable ones whom society often ignores.”
Bishop Joseph Nguyen Dec Cuong of Thanh Hóa, president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, is celebrating the country’s decision to end the death penalty for crimes against the state, bribery, and drugs.
“The decision marks an encouraging step forward in legal awareness, in line with the spirit of international treaties,” the bishop said, adding that the occasion marked a significant step toward “a modern constitutional state, in which life is protected, human dignity is respected, and opportunities for rehabilitation are open.”
The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Spain has called on the president of the European Commission to create a special coordinator position to combat anti-Christian hate crimes, according to a Christian Daily report.
“It is imperative that the European Commission act with the same commitment it shows in the fight against other forms of religious hatred,” observatory President María García said in a press statement. Equivalent positions exist to combat anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the EU already.
The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN) has expressed its commitment to continue supporting the formation of priests in Nigeria, where the foundation has observed exponential growth in vocations, ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, reported.
ACN said on Monday it would move forward in its support for one more year for the 76 members of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy, who are currently studying to be priests.
“Nigeria is a dangerous country for priests,” the organization stated. “In the last 10 years, more than 150 have been kidnapped and more than a dozen murdered. However, the number of vocations has not decreased, but has even increased, and many young men aspire to become diocesan or religious priests.”
Posted on 07/18/2025 10:00 AM (CNA Daily News)
In a scene marked by deep sorrow and righteous anger, churches across Syria held funeral services for the victims of the suicide bombing that targeted St. Elias Church in the Syrian capital, Damascus. The attack claimed the lives of 25 people and left dozens injured. / Credit: Mohammad Al-Rifai/ACI MENA
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed:
Christian communities in Syria continue to experience escalating violence, with one church severely damaged and another narrowly escaping what would have been a fatal car bombing attack, according to CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA.
Vandals desecrated the altar at Mar Michael (St. Michael) Church in the southern Syrian province of Sweida, smashed Christian symbols, and set fire to its ceiling and walls, charring the upper icons and the central cross above the altar.
In a parallel development, security forces thwarted an attempt to bomb the Maronite Church of Mar Elias (St. Elias) in eastern rural Tartus. Three individuals who planned to detonate a car bomb loaded with roughly 44 pounds of explosives have been arrested. The attacks come amid escalating armed clashes in southern Syria between Druze and Bedouin militias.
Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako has issued an urgent appeal to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, calling on him to avert the threat of encroachment on sacred Christian historical sites in Najaf province dating back to the sixth century, ACI MENA reported.
In a July 15 statement, Sako cited “trusted sources in Najav” who warned of “attempts to allocate historic Christian cemeteries for investment” despite their status as archeological sites. The Chaldean patriarch further noted that “oil will one day run out,” and the historic sites could one day become a destination for religious tourism, bringing in substantial revenues.
Among them are the al-Manathira Cemetery, burial site of great patriarchs of the Church of the East, and Umm Khishm Cemetery, which dates back to the time of the kingdom of al-Hira.
In a wedding Mass homily on July 13, Archbishop Paul Meng Ningyou of Taiyuan invited the faithful to abandon the still-widespread custom of wedding dowries, a practice that has caused couples in rural areas to break up due to the financial burden it places on families, according to a report from Fides.
Meng reportedly described the sacrament of marriage as “a union of free, mutual self-giving blessed by God” and “called on spouses to accept one another, support each other in the Christian upbringing of their children, and care for one another, following the example of the good Samaritan.”
The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David of Kalookan, delivered in a homily on July 13 a sharp criticism of the government for promoting online gambling addictions, according to a local Catholic news report.
“We fail to see the real culprit: a government that grants licenses and expands online gambling platforms just to earn revenue for public spending — spending that often becomes a tool for political power,” he declared, adding: “The Word opens our eyes to see the hidden victims on these digital highways. … It urges us to take concrete steps to help these vulnerable ones whom society often ignores.”
Bishop Joseph Nguyen Dec Cuong of Thanh Hóa, president of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Episcopal Conference of Vietnam, is celebrating the country’s decision to end the death penalty for crimes against the state, bribery, and drugs.
“The decision marks an encouraging step forward in legal awareness, in line with the spirit of international treaties,” the bishop said, adding that the occasion marked a significant step toward “a modern constitutional state, in which life is protected, human dignity is respected, and opportunities for rehabilitation are open.”
The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Spain has called on the president of the European Commission to create a special coordinator position to combat anti-Christian hate crimes, according to a Christian Daily report.
“It is imperative that the European Commission act with the same commitment it shows in the fight against other forms of religious hatred,” observatory President María García said in a press statement. Equivalent positions exist to combat anti-semitism and Islamophobia in the EU already.
The pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need International (ACN) has expressed its commitment to continue supporting the formation of priests in Nigeria, where the foundation has observed exponential growth in vocations, ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, reported.
ACN said on Monday it would move forward in its support for one more year for the 76 members of the Sons of Mary, Mother of Mercy, who are currently studying to be priests.
“Nigeria is a dangerous country for priests,” the organization stated. “In the last 10 years, more than 150 have been kidnapped and more than a dozen murdered. However, the number of vocations has not decreased, but has even increased, and many young men aspire to become diocesan or religious priests.”
Posted on 07/18/2025 08:30 AM (USCCB News)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu telephoned Pope Leo XIV, who urged Israel's leader to revive negotiations and enact a ceasefire.
The morning call to the pope's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo July 18 came the day after the Israeli army struck the Holy Family Church compound, the only Catholic Church in the Gaza Strip. At least three people were killed and 10 more were injured from the shelling and falling debris, including the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli.
"During the conversation, the Holy Father renewed his call for renewed momentum for negotiation efforts and for a ceasefire and an end to the war," the Vatican press office said in a communique.
"He again expressed his concern for the tragic humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, a heartbreaking price being paid especially by children, the elderly and the sick," it said.
"Finally, the Holy Father reiterated the urgency of protecting places of worship and especially the faithful and all people in Palestine and Israel," the communique said.
The pope had called for an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and peace in the region in a telegram July 16.
About 600 men, women and children had been sheltering at the church, including about 50 people with disabilities and ill children cared for by the Missionaries of Charity, when the early morning raid hit the church.
Pope Leo also telephoned Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, July 18, telling him, "It is time to stop this slaughter," Vatican News reported.
Cardinal Pizzaballa and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem were leading a delegation into Gaza to bring hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid into the enclave.
As they were crossing the border, Pope Leo telephoned the cardinal to "express his closeness, love, prayer, support and desire to do everything possible for there to be not only a ceasefire but also an end to this tragedy," the cardinal told Vatican News.
"Pope Leo said repeatedly that it is time to stop this slaughter, and that what has happened is unjustifiable, and that we must ensure there are no more victims," he said.
The Vatican press office said the pope also told the cardinal that he intends to do "everything possible to stop the needless slaughter of innocents."
"With the patriarch (Cardinal Pizzaballa), the pope turned his thoughts to all the innocent victims, those of yesterday's attack and all those of this time of sorrow in the Holy Land and throughout the Middle East," the press office said in a brief statement.
The pope also asked the cardinal about those who had been injured in the attack and their condition, it said.
Pope Leo then telephoned Father Carlos Ferrero, the provincial superior of the Institute of the Incarnate Word -- the religious order Father Romanelli belongs to -- to express "his closeness to those in the community -- faithful and religious -- who were with him."
The pope "assures everyone of his prayers and unceasing commitment to peace, the only way that protects humanity on all sides," it said.
Everyone in Gaza "will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned," the patriarchate said in a written statement July 18.
"In the aftermath of the grievous strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza," Cardinal Pizzaballa and Beatitude Theophilos entered Gaza as part of a church delegation, "expressing the shared pastoral solicitude of the churches of the Holy Land and their concern for the community of Gaza," it said.
"At the request of the Latin patriarchate, and in coordination with humanitarian partners, access was secured for the delivery of essential assistance not only to the Christian community but also to as many families as possible," it said.
"This includes hundreds of tons of food supplies as well as first aid kits and urgently needed medical equipment. In addition, the patriarchate ensured the evacuation of individuals injured in the attack to medical institutions outside Gaza where they will receive care," it added.
"During their stay, the delegation will meet with members of the local Christian community, offer condolences and solidarity, and stand alongside those affected by the recent events," the statement said. The cardinal "will personally assess the humanitarian and pastoral needs of the community, to help guide the church's continued presence and response."
"We thank His Holiness Pope Leo XIV who called Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilos upon entrance to Gaza to offer his support, closeness and prayers," the patriarchate said.
"We pray for the safety of the delegation and the suspension of military activities during the visit," it added.
"The Latin Patriarchate remains steadfast in its commitment to the Christian community and the entire population of Gaza. They will not be forgotten, nor will they be abandoned."
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III visit the area around the Holy Family Church in Gaza City July 18, 2025. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Church, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III visit the Holy Family Church in Gaza City July 18, 2025, the day after it was struck by the Israeli army in a deadly attack. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, visits people in a medical facility in Gaza City July 18, 2025. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem (right), lights a candle July 18, 2025, while visiting people taking refuge in churches and nearby medical facilities in Gaza City. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem (the third standing in the front), Father Gabriel Romanelli (right of the cardinal) and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III (the first in the front) pose for a photograph in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius July 18, 2025, while visiting people taking refuge in churches in Gaza City. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family Church, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III pose for a photograph in front of the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Porphyrius July 18, 2025, while visiting people taking refuge in churches in Gaza City. (CNS photo/courtesy Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Posted on 07/18/2025 08:10 AM (CNA Daily News)
Holy Mass at the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, led by the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli during the Advent season in December 2024. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Gabriel Romanelli
CNA Staff, Jul 18, 2025 / 04:10 am (CNA).
A reported strike on the only Catholic Church in Gaza killed three people and injured nine others July 17, according to a statement from Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Among the injured was the parish priest, Father Gabriel Romanelli. Pictures showed damage to the church’s roof and windows.
Amid the ongoing war in Gaza, the parish has been a refuge for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Here are eight things to know about Holy Family Church in Gaza:
Holy Family Parish was built in the 1960s. Before it became a shelter, the were about 130 Catholics in Gaza, according to the National Catholic Reporter.
Christians are a minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim territory, numbering only 1,000, according to the 2024 U.S. State Department’s international religious freedom report. Most Palestinian Christians are Greek Orthodox, though other Christians such as Roman Catholics, Melkite Greek Catholics, and some Protestant denominations have a presence in Gaza and the West Bank. Christians represent less than 1% of Gaza, according to the Latin Patriarchate website.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with about 5,000 people per square kilometer. The area is also highly impoverished with a high level of unemployment. Children under 15 make up about 50% of the population, per a 2022 Palestine Ministry of Health report.
The parish complex is a makeshift home to over 500 people: mostly Orthodox, Protestant, and Catholic Christians but also some Muslim families as well as children with disabilities. The parish complex was converted to an improvised shelter at the beginning of the war between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel, which began more than a year and a half ago when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing over 1,200 men, women, and children, and kidnapping more than 250 hostages. About 20 living hostages still remain in Gaza.
In addition to the church, the parish has a Latin Patriarchate school. Built in 1974 by the Latin Patriarchate, the Holy Family School has more than 600 students, both Christian and non-Christian. It is considered the best school in Gaza, according to the patriarchate website.
Romanelli, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, a branch of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word, is the pastor of the church and is a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was injured in the leg by shrapnel in Israel’s recent attack on the parish. Romanelli came to the Middle East as part of his missionary vocation as a seminarian. After his ordination, the priest spent two years in Egypt learning Arabic and then went to Jordan. In 2019, he arrived in Gaza as the parish priest. In 2023 (when the Israel-Hamas war started) he was evacuated to Jerusalem but decided to return to minister to his flock and support the community there.
The Missionaries of Charity, founded by St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), have been in Gaza for more than 50 years, since 1973. Several sisters care for the elderly and disabled at a convent in the parish complex. In December 2023, their convent was hit by rockets, creating a fire that made the convent uninhabitable. Two women were killed in the attack on the convent, which the patriarchate alleged was targeted by Israel Defense Forces (IDF), but IDF denied responsibility.
The Holy Rosary Sisters also have a presence in the Tal Al Hawa neighborhood in Gaza. The sisters founded a school in 2000 with more than 800 students, 10% of whom are Christian. But early on in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the school — which was evacuated days before — was severely damaged. The two Rosary sisters now reside at Holy Family Parish.
The Servants of the Lord the Virgin of Matará (SSVM), also known as the “Servidoras,” also have a presence in Gaza as well as throughout the Middle East. Along with Romanelli, the Servidoras are part of a larger religious family known as the Family of the Incarnate Word. Two Servidoras — who are also biological twins — decided to stay in Gaza at the start of the conflict and continue to minister to the people there.
In the last year and a half of his life, even after being hospitalized, Pope Francis called the Holy Family Parish almost daily. The last call Francis made to the parish was on Easter Vigil on April 19, just two days before his death. The calls were simple check-ins via WhatsApp, usually lasting about a minute. The parish grew to expect the nightly calls and the children called the Holy Father “grandfather.”
The parish has directly come under attack before, including a bombing that occurred about 1,000 feet away from the church in March. In April, Romanelli called Gaza a “prison” and urged world leaders to seek peace. This week’s attack on the church was reportedly by an Israeli tank. The Israel Foreign Ministry expressed “deep sorrow” at the damage and casualties and said the IDF is examining the incident, adding that Israel “never targets churches or religious sites.”
In response to the recent attack, Pizzaballa said he is “always” trying “to reach Gaza in all possible ways,” noting that “we will never leave them alone,” according to Vatican News.
The sentiment is one that Pizzaballa has consistently highlighted and practiced. He visited the parish in May 2024 and again in December 2024. Last month, the cardinal stressed the “utmost importance” of supporting the parish community there. “Our primary concern is our community in Gaza: to support them, to be present for them, to not abandon them,” he told ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner.
Posted on 07/18/2025 01:00 AM (Integrated Catholic Life™)
“Let’s not be too hasty to set up Martha as the bad sister, nor judge her service as the problem.” Martha, Martha… Familiar words greet us in this Sunday’s Gospel. You know the scene. Jesus and his Apostles have stopped by Bethany to find respite at the home of their friends. We know Jesus loved […]
The post Defending Martha appeared first on Integrated Catholic Life™.
Posted on 07/17/2025 23:30 PM (CNA Daily News - US)
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 17, 2025 / 19:30 pm (CNA).
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is asking a federal district court to block the government from enforcing any portion of an abortion “accommodation” rule against them while they appeal a court order that provided only partial relief from the rule.
Under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) abortion accommodation rule, the USCCB can deny workplace accommodations for employees who obtain purely elective abortions, but they may still have to provide accommodations for abortions related to treating medical conditions.
Qualifying medical conditions are broad. According to the EEOC rule, conditions include “modest” or even “minor” anxiety, depression, nausea, dehydration, and changes in hormone levels that result from a pregnancy.
Because of this, the USCCB asked the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana to fully block the EEOC’s abortion accommodation rule during their appeal. The rule comes from the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, passed under President Joe Biden, which requires employers to offer reasonable workplace accommodations for women with limitations from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
Although the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act itself makes no mention of abortion, the EEOC regulation states that “having or choosing not to have an abortion” qualifies as a related medical condition. The rule provides for religious exemptions only on a case-by-case basis, which would be determined after the accommodation request was made and denied.
Daniel Blomberg, the lead attorney for the bishops, told CNA that the case-by-case exemption is “facially inadequate.” He said USCCB policy is to never provide accommodations for an abortion and warned that the USCCB would need to change its policy to comply with the mandate, which the bishops have not done and will not do.
Numerous Catholic and other religious organizations have also sued the EEOC for its abortion accommodation rule and were given full relief from the mandate. Blomberg said the USCCB is the only entity that was denied full relief.
“They cannot change their policy,” Blomberg said. “They cannot violate the faith that animates what they do.”
Blomberg, who serves as vice president and senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act itself ensures that “religious organizations are protected.” He contested that the EEOC’s implementation regulations go against the text of the law and Congress’ intent.
“Congress did not intend to force the bishops or any other religious groups to accommodate abortions at any time,” he added.
In addition to arguing that the EEOC regulations are an improper implementation of the law, the lawsuit also appeals to the religious liberty protections in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment guarantee of the free exercise of religion.
Andrea Lucas, the new EEOC chair appointed by President Donald Trump, has vocally criticized the final rule. However, because Trump removed two Democrat-appointed commissioners from the EEOC, the body lacks the necessary quorum to issue new guidelines.
Trump nominated Brittany Panuccio, a Republican lawyer, to serve on the commission. If she is confirmed by the Senate, the commission would have the necessary quorum.
Blomberg said the commission is likely “months away from any prospect of getting [a quorum]” right now, which means the rule will stay in place for the time being.