Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, asked President Donald Trump for aid to Africa an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, June 8, 2025. / Credit: François-Régis Salefran CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo is asking U.S. President Donald Trump to reinstate foreign aid to Africa. 

“Targeted humanitarian aid for Africa is urgently needed, morally good, and of great strategic value to the U.S,” Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wrote in a June 8 op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. 

“​​President Trump has made clear that he will put the needs of his country and its citizens first before attending to the needs of the world. No leader of a nation as great as the U.S. could do otherwise,” the cardinal stated. “It would be a mistake, however, for Mr. Trump to forget about Africa.”

Ambongo highlighted Africa’s rich natural resources and “bright entrepreneurial and eager young people” as important assets to the U.S., emphasizing the utility of a relationship between Africa and the United States. 

American generosity toward Africa through USAID has “transformed millions of lives for the better” in the region, Ambongo said, pointing out that American aid has helped enhance African society and avert further political and economic crises threatening the continent’s development. In the process, he noted, American economic influence in the region has been strengthened.

With the freezing of critical aid to African countries, the cardinal described Africa as “a magnet for conflicts and fights over the natural resources so important to modern technology.” 

He also noted pervasive famine and poverty plaguing many parts of the region. 

While Ambongo acknowledged the need for the U.S. to be concerned about the use of its limited resources, he noted that international adversaries will replace the U.S. if it completely withdraws all aid to Africa.

“International politics won’t tolerate a vacuum,” he predicted. “Should the U.S. abandon Africa, its place will be taken by its adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea.”

The cardinal stressed that “it isn’t too late to turn the tide” and reach a mutually beneficial solution that does not exploit U.S. resources for ideological causes that run counter to African values by providing aid that supports abortion services and contraception in the region. 

“It’s unhelpful to tie aid to ideology — to abortion or ‘population control’ — that defies the values of many African cultures,” he said. “I believe that respect for African culture can coexist with humanitarian aid. Cultural colonization needn’t be the price exacted for a moral, strategic, and humanitarian partnership.” 

Ambongo’s remarks on the politicization of humanitarian aid come after the U.S. State Department announced its plans to destroy a reserve of artificial contraceptives that was previously set aside for distribution in developing countries through foreign aid programs. 

Pleading on behalf of bishops, priests, and laypeople in Africa, Ambongo urged Trump and his administration “to reconsider aid to his friends in Africa, who have been and will continue to be important partners of the U.S.” 

“We are eager to work closely with Washington to ensure that all such aid is used well, free of the fraud and mismanagement that has occurred in the past,” he concluded. “There is too much at stake — for Africans, for Americans, and for the world.”

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, asked President Donald Trump for aid to Africa an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, June 8, 2025. / Credit: François-Régis Salefran CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 10, 2025 / 15:19 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo is asking U.S. President Donald Trump to reinstate foreign aid to Africa. 

“Targeted humanitarian aid for Africa is urgently needed, morally good, and of great strategic value to the U.S,” Ambongo, the archbishop of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, wrote in a June 8 op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. 

“​​President Trump has made clear that he will put the needs of his country and its citizens first before attending to the needs of the world. No leader of a nation as great as the U.S. could do otherwise,” the cardinal stated. “It would be a mistake, however, for Mr. Trump to forget about Africa.”

Ambongo highlighted Africa’s rich natural resources and “bright entrepreneurial and eager young people” as important assets to the U.S., emphasizing the utility of a relationship between Africa and the United States. 

American generosity toward Africa through USAID has “transformed millions of lives for the better” in the region, Ambongo said, pointing out that American aid has helped enhance African society and avert further political and economic crises threatening the continent’s development. In the process, he noted, American economic influence in the region has been strengthened.

With the freezing of critical aid to African countries, the cardinal described Africa as “a magnet for conflicts and fights over the natural resources so important to modern technology.” 

He also noted pervasive famine and poverty plaguing many parts of the region. 

While Ambongo acknowledged the need for the U.S. to be concerned about the use of its limited resources, he noted that international adversaries will replace the U.S. if it completely withdraws all aid to Africa.

“International politics won’t tolerate a vacuum,” he predicted. “Should the U.S. abandon Africa, its place will be taken by its adversaries: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea.”

The cardinal stressed that “it isn’t too late to turn the tide” and reach a mutually beneficial solution that does not exploit U.S. resources for ideological causes that run counter to African values by providing aid that supports abortion services and contraception in the region. 

“It’s unhelpful to tie aid to ideology — to abortion or ‘population control’ — that defies the values of many African cultures,” he said. “I believe that respect for African culture can coexist with humanitarian aid. Cultural colonization needn’t be the price exacted for a moral, strategic, and humanitarian partnership.” 

Ambongo’s remarks on the politicization of humanitarian aid come after the U.S. State Department announced its plans to destroy a reserve of artificial contraceptives that was previously set aside for distribution in developing countries through foreign aid programs. 

Pleading on behalf of bishops, priests, and laypeople in Africa, Ambongo urged Trump and his administration “to reconsider aid to his friends in Africa, who have been and will continue to be important partners of the U.S.” 

“We are eager to work closely with Washington to ensure that all such aid is used well, free of the fraud and mismanagement that has occurred in the past,” he concluded. “There is too much at stake — for Africans, for Americans, and for the world.”

Pope Leo XIV address papal representatives on June 10, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 10, 2025 / 14:11 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV received papal representatives at the Vatican on Tuesday, reminding them that the Church “will always defend the sacrosanct right to believe in God” and that this life “is not at the mercy of the powers of this world.”

In the June 10 speech delivered in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, he thanked the papal nuncios and international organizations around the world for their work.

The pontiff noted that “there is no country in the world” with a diplomatic corps as universal and united as that of the Holy See: “We are united in Christ and we are united in the Church.”

“I say this thinking certainly of the dedication and organization, but, even more so, of the motivations that guide you, the pastoral style that should characterize you, the spirit of faith that inspires us,” he added.

He particularly thanked them for being able to rely on the documentation, reflections, and summaries prepared by the diplomats when faced with a situation that concerns the Church in a particular country. “This is for me a cause for great appreciation and gratitude,” he reiterated.

‘Always be the eyes of Peter!’

Pope Leo XIV then shared with those present the account from the Acts of the Apostles (3:1-10) of the healing of the paralytic, a scene that, in his opinion, “describes the ministry of Peter well.”

For the pontiff, the man who begs for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple represents “the image of a humanity that has lost hope and is resigned.”

“Even today, the Church often encounters men and women who no longer have any joy, whom society has sidelined, or whom life has in a certain sense forced into begging for their existence,” he lamented.

After looking into his eyes, the pope recounted, Peter said to the paralytic: “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.”

After quoting this passage, Pope Leo noted that “to look into one’s eyes means to build a relationship. The ministry of Peter is to create relationships, bridges: and a representative of the pope, first and foremost, serves this invitation to look into the eyes.”

“Always be the eyes of Peter! Be men capable of building relationships where it is hardest to do,” the pope exhorted them, asking them to do so with humility and realism.

The Holy Father also placed his trust in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See so that “everyone may know that the Church is always ready for everything out of love, that she is always on the side of the last, the poor, and that she will always defend the sacrosanct right to believe in God, to believe that this life is not at the mercy of the powers of this world but rather is traversed by a mysterious meaning.”

He also encouraged them to “always have a blessing gaze, because the ministry of Peter is to bless, that is, always to know how to see the good, even that which is hidden.”

“Feel that you are missionaries, sent by the pope to be tools of communion, unity, serving the dignity of the human person, promoting sincere and constructive relations everywhere with the authorities with whom you are required to cooperate,” he urged.

In conclusion, he reiterated that their work “always be enlightened by the sound decision for holiness.”

After the speech, the papal representatives received a ring bearing the inscription “sub umbra Petri” (“under the shadow of Peter,” cf. Acts 5:15) from the pope as a sign of communion.

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

Pope Leo XIV address papal representatives on June 10, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jun 10, 2025 / 14:11 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV received papal representatives at the Vatican on Tuesday, reminding them that the Church “will always defend the sacrosanct right to believe in God” and that this life “is not at the mercy of the powers of this world.”

In the June 10 speech delivered in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, he thanked the papal nuncios and international organizations around the world for their work.

The pontiff noted that “there is no country in the world” with a diplomatic corps as universal and united as that of the Holy See: “We are united in Christ and we are united in the Church.”

“I say this thinking certainly of the dedication and organization, but, even more so, of the motivations that guide you, the pastoral style that should characterize you, the spirit of faith that inspires us,” he added.

He particularly thanked them for being able to rely on the documentation, reflections, and summaries prepared by the diplomats when faced with a situation that concerns the Church in a particular country. “This is for me a cause for great appreciation and gratitude,” he reiterated.

‘Always be the eyes of Peter!’

Pope Leo XIV then shared with those present the account from the Acts of the Apostles (3:1-10) of the healing of the paralytic, a scene that, in his opinion, “describes the ministry of Peter well.”

For the pontiff, the man who begs for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple represents “the image of a humanity that has lost hope and is resigned.”

“Even today, the Church often encounters men and women who no longer have any joy, whom society has sidelined, or whom life has in a certain sense forced into begging for their existence,” he lamented.

After looking into his eyes, the pope recounted, Peter said to the paralytic: “I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.”

After quoting this passage, Pope Leo noted that “to look into one’s eyes means to build a relationship. The ministry of Peter is to create relationships, bridges: and a representative of the pope, first and foremost, serves this invitation to look into the eyes.”

“Always be the eyes of Peter! Be men capable of building relationships where it is hardest to do,” the pope exhorted them, asking them to do so with humility and realism.

The Holy Father also placed his trust in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See so that “everyone may know that the Church is always ready for everything out of love, that she is always on the side of the last, the poor, and that she will always defend the sacrosanct right to believe in God, to believe that this life is not at the mercy of the powers of this world but rather is traversed by a mysterious meaning.”

He also encouraged them to “always have a blessing gaze, because the ministry of Peter is to bless, that is, always to know how to see the good, even that which is hidden.”

“Feel that you are missionaries, sent by the pope to be tools of communion, unity, serving the dignity of the human person, promoting sincere and constructive relations everywhere with the authorities with whom you are required to cooperate,” he urged.

In conclusion, he reiterated that their work “always be enlightened by the sound decision for holiness.”

After the speech, the papal representatives received a ring bearing the inscription “sub umbra Petri” (“under the shadow of Peter,” cf. Acts 5:15) from the pope as a sign of communion.

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

Young people hold crosses as they arrive for Mass during the traditional Pentecostal pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, in Sonchamp, near Paris, on June 8, 2025. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).

The 43rd annual Paris-Chartres pilgrimage concluded on Monday with a solemn high Mass at Chartres Cathedral, marking the end of a record-breaking three-day journey that drew 19,000 participants — the largest attendance in the event’s four-decade history. 

The three-day trek from Paris to Chartres represents a demanding challenge — one both physical and spiritual — that continues to attract growing numbers of young Catholics seeking deeper spiritual experiences. 

Organized by Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, the pilgrimage began on Saturday, June 7, at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris and concluded at the Gothic cathedral, which houses the sacred relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.  

Bishop Philippe Christory of Chartres delivered the homily at the closing Mass, celebrated by Abbé Jean de Massia, FSSP, the pilgrimage’s general chaplain. 

Christory reportedly told the pilgrims before Mass: “We know that Pope Leo prays for every pilgrim to live a personal encounter with Christ.”

Registration for this year’s pilgrimage closed within five days of opening, necessitating a waiting list of 2,000 additional participants. The average age of pilgrims was 20 years old, reflecting a broader trend among young Catholics who are gravitating toward traditional liturgy. 

“The enthusiasm sparked by all the pilgrimage opportunities in France — especially those for young people — is a joy for the Church and a sign of its vitality,” the French Bishops’ Conference stated. 

The event’s growth in recent years has been remarkable, increasing from 16,000 participants in 2023 to 18,000 in 2024 and now to 19,000 in 2025.  

Philippe Darantière, president of Notre-Dame de Chrétienté, indicated that organizers are already planning structural changes for 2026 to accommodate even greater numbers. 

The pilgrimage maintained its traditional character, with more than 300 Latin Masses celebrated throughout the three days. Participants walked approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) through the French countryside, praying the rosary and camping overnight at designated sites. More than 1,000 volunteers and 120 executives from Notre-Dame de Chrétienté supported the pilgrims during their journey.

The closing ceremony coincided with Chartres Cathedral’s millennium jubilee celebration, allowing pilgrims to pass through the Holy Doors and venerate the relic of the Virgin Mary’s veil.  

The Notre-Dame de Chrétienté association also consecrated itself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, marking the 350th anniversary of Christ’s apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. 

Young people hold crosses as they arrive for Mass during the traditional Pentecostal pilgrimage from Paris to Chartres, in Sonchamp, near Paris, on June 8, 2025. / Credit: STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 13:33 pm (CNA).

The three-day trek from Paris to Chartres represents a demanding challenge — both physical and spiritual — that continues to attract growing numbers of young Catholics.

Listen on: Apple | Spotify What do you get when 800 billionaires hoard more wealth than half the U.S. population combined? A rigged tax system and a society that leaves millions behind. In this episode, longtime tax and budget expert Sarah Christopherson joins us to expose the political and moral cost of extreme wealth inequality. She explains how […]

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The New York state capitol in Albany. / Credit: Nina Alizada/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 11:34 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops in New York state are warning of a looming “nightmare” there after the state Legislature passed a measure authorizing doctors to participate in assisted suicide.

Democrats in the state Senate voted Monday to pass the “Medical Aid in Dying Act,” a measure that will allow doctors to prescribe medication to terminally ill individuals that the patients may “self-administer to bring about death.” 

The measure limits the suicide option to those 18 years or older with “an incurable and irreversible illness or condition that has been medically confirmed.” The legislation is expected to be signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

‘A dark day for New York state’

New York joins 11 other states — California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia in allowing patients to take their own lives via a doctor’s prescription. 

The New York State Catholic Conference on Monday warned that the measure would bring about an “assisted suicide nightmare” similar to the suicide regime in Canada, which has expanded its own suicide program to include those who cannot consent to the procedure at the time and where violations of the law are allegedly going unreported. Euthanasia accounts for roughly 1 in 20 deaths there.

Dennis Poust, the executive director of the state Catholic conference, said on Monday that the bill’s passage marked “a dark day for New York state.”

Poust urged the governor to recognize that the law “would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.”

He noted that Hochul has worked to address suicide in the state but that the assisted suicide measure “undermines those priorities.” 

“The legislation passed in the Senate and Assembly contains no requirement for a psychological screening for depression or other mental illness, and not even so much as a brief waiting period for people who might be in despair following a terminal diagnosis,” he noted. 

Poust said the Catholic conference called on the government to “expand palliative and hospice care, mental health services, and family caregiver support” rather than allow legalized doctor-assisted suicide. 

Church leaders in the state have repeatedly spoken out against assisted suicide during the Legislature’s consideration of the measure. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, last month called the proposal “a disaster waiting to happen” and a “terrible idea” that “turns everything society knows and believes about medicine on its head.”

The state Catholic conference urged voters last year to voice their opposition to the measure, calling the proposal “another assault on human life here” and “dangerous for patients, caregivers, and vulnerable populations.”

Delaware is the most recent state to legalize assisted suicide. Last month state Gov. Matt Meyer signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live.

Earlier this month, on the other hand, a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois was not called for a vote in the Senate before the Legislature adjourned on June 1, effectively halting its progress for the session amid ardent opposition from leading Catholic voices in the state.

The New York state capitol in Albany. / Credit: Nina Alizada/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 10, 2025 / 11:34 am (CNA).

The Catholic bishops in New York state are warning of a looming “nightmare” there after the state Legislature passed a measure authorizing doctors to participate in assisted suicide.

Democrats in the state Senate voted Monday to pass the “Medical Aid in Dying Act,” a measure that will allow doctors to prescribe medication to terminally ill individuals that the patients may “self-administer to bring about death.” 

The measure limits the suicide option to those 18 years or older with “an incurable and irreversible illness or condition that has been medically confirmed.” The legislation is expected to be signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

‘A dark day for New York state’

New York joins 11 other states — California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington — as well as the District of Columbia in allowing patients to take their own lives via a doctor’s prescription. 

The New York State Catholic Conference on Monday warned that the measure would bring about an “assisted suicide nightmare” similar to the suicide regime in Canada, which has expanded its own suicide program to include those who cannot consent to the procedure at the time and where violations of the law are allegedly going unreported. Euthanasia accounts for roughly 1 in 20 deaths there.

Dennis Poust, the executive director of the state Catholic conference, said on Monday that the bill’s passage marked “a dark day for New York state.”

Poust urged the governor to recognize that the law “would be catastrophic for medically underserved communities, including communities of color, as well as for people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.”

He noted that Hochul has worked to address suicide in the state but that the assisted suicide measure “undermines those priorities.” 

“The legislation passed in the Senate and Assembly contains no requirement for a psychological screening for depression or other mental illness, and not even so much as a brief waiting period for people who might be in despair following a terminal diagnosis,” he noted. 

Poust said the Catholic conference called on the government to “expand palliative and hospice care, mental health services, and family caregiver support” rather than allow legalized doctor-assisted suicide. 

Church leaders in the state have repeatedly spoken out against assisted suicide during the Legislature’s consideration of the measure. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, last month called the proposal “a disaster waiting to happen” and a “terrible idea” that “turns everything society knows and believes about medicine on its head.”

The state Catholic conference urged voters last year to voice their opposition to the measure, calling the proposal “another assault on human life here” and “dangerous for patients, caregivers, and vulnerable populations.”

Delaware is the most recent state to legalize assisted suicide. Last month state Gov. Matt Meyer signed a bill legalizing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less to live.

Earlier this month, on the other hand, a bill to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Illinois was not called for a vote in the Senate before the Legislature adjourned on June 1, effectively halting its progress for the session amid ardent opposition from leading Catholic voices in the state.

With the passing of Pope Francis, I was frankly apprehensive about the prospect of a new pope. Who would he be? Would he carry forward Francis’ legacy, especially on Catholic-Muslim dialogue? Some of the top cardinal contenders had experience with Islam, and not all of it was positive. (I wrote about one example here back […]

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