null / Credit: Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 13:26 pm (CNA).

Pro-life activists in New York state were awarded $1 this month after a court found that a county abortion clinic rule violated their constitutional free speech rights. 

The Thomas More Society brought suit in federal district court in 2022 against New York’s Westchester County over its rule forbidding “interference” with abortion access there. 

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York found in favor of pro-life sidewalk counselors Oksana Hulinsky and Regina Molinelli, with District Judge Philip Halpern ruling on Aug. 12 that the county ordinance violated the activists’ free speech and due process rights. 

The plaintiffs were only seeking “nominal damages” in the suit, the court noted, leading Halpern to order the $1 award. The county had already repealed the ordinance in question prior to the ruling.

Thomas More Society attorney Christopher Ferrara said in a press release that the ruling sends a “powerful message to municipalities nationwide” that “vague laws targeting pro-life speech will not stand.”

“Westchester County’s pro-life sidewalk counselors seek only to offer compassionate, life-affirming alternatives on public sidewalks — as is their First Amendment right,” he said. 

“Westchester’s arrogant overreach tried to silence their voices, but this decision helps reaffirm their constitutional freedom to share the pro-life message.”

The law firm, however, noted that it would appeal an earlier court ruling that upheld parts of the law that forbid so-called “following-and-harassing” behavior.

Rules regarding conduct outside of abortion clinics have become legal flashpoints in the abortion debate around the U.S. and internationally in recent years. 

The Supreme Court earlier this year refused to hear a case involving a “buffer zone” around abortion clinics in Carbondale, Illinois. That rule criminalizes approaching within eight feet of another person without his or her consent for purposes of protest, education, or counseling within 100 feet of a health care facility.

In 2023 a Washington state county judge ordered a pro-life group to pay nearly $1 million to Planned Parenthood for gathering and praying outside of one of its abortion clinics. 

Earlier this month, a 28-year-old man was found guilty of assaulting two elderly pro-life activists in front of a Planned Parenthood facility in Baltimore, though the perpetrator was sentenced to just one year of home detention. 

Last year, meanwhile, a national “buffer zone” law went into effect across England and Wales barring protests outside abortion facilities. Officials stipulated that silently praying outside of abortion clinics is “not necessarily” a crime under the new rules.

Pope Leo XIV waves during his Wednesday audience Aug. 20, 2025. In a telegram dated the same day, he called moral theologians meeting in Colombia to “find a balanced synthesis” between “the laws of God” and the “dynamics of man’s conscience and freedom” in the spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday invited participants attending the 17th International Congress of Moral Theology in Colombia to reflect on the world’s challenges and conflicts in light of divine revelation revealed through Jesus Christ.

The theme of the two-day congress, held at the San Alfonso University Foundation in the country’s capital, Bogotá, from Aug. 20–21, is “Ethics of the 21st Century: Changes and Conflicts in Society, Gender, AI, and Integral Ecology.”

In an Aug. 20 telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Leo expressed his hope that the international congress will give theologians an opportunity to “find a balanced synthesis” between “the laws of God” and the “dynamics of man’s conscience and freedom” in the spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori.

According to the Holy Father, the Italian saint and Church doctor was a “visible sign of God’s infinite mercy” who assumed a “charitable, understanding, and patient attitude” toward others. 

At the end of the short telegram, Pope Leo invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Seat of Wisdom,” to protect the men and women from various countries participating in the conference.

The 16th edition of the Redemptorist university’s moral theology congress took place in 2023 and focused on the topic of ethical and bioethical challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pope Leo XIV waves during his Wednesday audience Aug. 20, 2025. In a telegram dated the same day, he called moral theologians meeting in Colombia to “find a balanced synthesis” between “the laws of God” and the “dynamics of man’s conscience and freedom” in the spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 12:56 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday invited participants attending the 17th International Congress of Moral Theology in Colombia to reflect on the world’s challenges and conflicts in light of divine revelation revealed through Jesus Christ.

The theme of the two-day congress, held at the San Alfonso University Foundation in the country’s capital, Bogotá, from Aug. 20–21, is “Ethics of the 21st Century: Changes and Conflicts in Society, Gender, AI, and Integral Ecology.”

In an Aug. 20 telegram signed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Leo expressed his hope that the international congress will give theologians an opportunity to “find a balanced synthesis” between “the laws of God” and the “dynamics of man’s conscience and freedom” in the spirit of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori.

According to the Holy Father, the Italian saint and Church doctor was a “visible sign of God’s infinite mercy” who assumed a “charitable, understanding, and patient attitude” toward others. 

At the end of the short telegram, Pope Leo invoked the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Seat of Wisdom,” to protect the men and women from various countries participating in the conference.

The 16th edition of the Redemptorist university’s moral theology congress took place in 2023 and focused on the topic of ethical and bioethical challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Arabian Peninsula. / Credit: NASA Images/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 20, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved the new regional calendar of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, thereby granting new patron saints for the Arabian Peninsula.

The vicariate is a territorial jurisdiction of the Catholic Church that encompasses the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Sultanate of Oman, and the Republic of Yemen. The vicariate is headed by Italian Bishop Paolo Martinelli with its seat in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

“This liturgical calendar reflects the religious history of the Church in a specific region, incorporating local saints of special significance,” the vicariate stated Aug. 19 on its official website.

Sts. Peter and Paul are the new patrons of the vicariate, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Arabia, is now the patroness of all the Gulf countries. The newly approved calendar also honors other saints directly linked to the region: the sixth-century Yemeni martyrs Arethas and Companions (Oct. 24); the Ethiopian king Caleb (Elesbaan), who contributed to the Christianization of Yemen (May 15); and Blessed Charles Deckers, a missionary priest committed to interfaith dialogue in Yemen, who was martyred in Algeria (May 8).

The calendar also includes saints from the wider region connected with the spread of Christianity in Arabia. Among these are the third-century martyrs Cosmas and Damian (Sept. 26) and the fifth-century ascetic Simeon Stylite, whose witness brought many Arabs of the interior to the faith (July 27).

Every Nov. 5, the vicariate will commemorate all deceased missionaries who served in the region. With a view to fostering ecumenism and interreligious dialogue, the calendar includes the commemoration of St. Isaac, “originally venerated within the Assyrian Church of the East and added to the Roman Martyrology by Pope Francis,” every Oct. 9 alongside the patriarch Abraham.

Moses will also be celebrated every Sept. 4 and Job every May 10, but the latter will only be observed in Salalah, Oman. “They are all figures of profound significance both in Eastern Christianity and the other Abrahamic religions,” the vicariate noted.

In addition, the Vatican approved three special days of penance and prayer for the fruits of the earth and priestly vocations, called Ember Days, traditionally celebrated at the beginning of the different seasons.

“According to the calendar, the first Friday of March (during Lent) will be dedicated to praying for the needs of the Church in the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, especially for peace and the increase of vocations,” the statement read.

“The first Fridays of June and November, marking the onset of summer and winter respectively, will be dedicated to thanksgiving for the gifts of creation, the fruits of the earth, petitions for favorable weather, and prayers for the responsible stewardship of the earth’s resources,” the vicariate added.

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 greets a young papal admirer in St. Peter’s Basilica during the general audience on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday continued his catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope” and invited Catholics around the world to dedicate the Aug. 22 feast of the Queenship of Mary to a day of prayer and fasting for world peace.

After delivering his Aug. 20 catechesis to approximately 6,000 international pilgrims gathered inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father urged his listeners to ask the Mother of God and “Queen of Peace” to intercede for those suffering due to war and violence.

“As our world continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world, I invite all the faithful to live the day of Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts,” he said.

“May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace,” he prayed.

‘Forgiveness frees those who give it’

In his Wednesday catechesis, the Holy Father emphasized the power of forgiveness shown through the example of Jesus Christ when faced with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of his 12 disciples.

“Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass ... he loved them to the end,” the pope said, citing Chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel.

“To love until the end: Here is the key to understanding Christ’s heart,” he said. “A love that does not cease in the face of rejection, disappointment, even ingratitude.”

Speaking about the link between love and freedom, the Holy Father said Jesus was not blindsided by Judas’ decision but chose to reach out to him even though “his love must pass through the most painful wound” of betrayal.

“Instead of withdrawing, accusing, defending himself ... he continues to love: He washes the feet, dips the bread and offers it,” the pope said during the catechesis.

“He knows that true forgiveness does not await repentance but offers itself first, as a free gift, even before it is accepted,” he added.

According to Leo, the gift of forgiveness is not a sign of “weakness” or “forgetfulness” but a manifestation of “the true face of hope” and salvation.

“It is the ability to set the other free, while loving him to the end,” he said. “Jesus’ love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word.” 

“This is the mystery Jesus accomplishes for us, in which we too, at times, are called to participate,” he said.

Pope Leo spent more than one hour greeting groups of pilgrims who came to the Vatican to see him on Wednesday. 

After the catechesis, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing to those gathered inside the Paul VI Audience Hall, then walked to Piazza del Sant’Uffizio and St. Peter’s Basilica to meet with pilgrims and share a condensed version of his catechesis in Italian, Spanish, and English.

Pope Leo XIV greets a young papal admirer in St. Peter’s Basilica during the general audience on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday continued his catechesis on “Jesus Christ Our Hope” and invited Catholics around the world to dedicate the Aug. 22 feast of the Queenship of Mary to a day of prayer and fasting for world peace.

After delivering his Aug. 20 catechesis to approximately 6,000 international pilgrims gathered inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the Holy Father urged his listeners to ask the Mother of God and “Queen of Peace” to intercede for those suffering due to war and violence.

“As our world continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world, I invite all the faithful to live the day of Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts,” he said.

“May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace,” he prayed.

‘Forgiveness frees those who give it’

In his Wednesday catechesis, the Holy Father emphasized the power of forgiveness shown through the example of Jesus Christ when faced with the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of his 12 disciples.

“Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass ... he loved them to the end,” the pope said, citing Chapter 13 of St. John’s Gospel.

“To love until the end: Here is the key to understanding Christ’s heart,” he said. “A love that does not cease in the face of rejection, disappointment, even ingratitude.”

Speaking about the link between love and freedom, the Holy Father said Jesus was not blindsided by Judas’ decision but chose to reach out to him even though “his love must pass through the most painful wound” of betrayal.

“Instead of withdrawing, accusing, defending himself ... he continues to love: He washes the feet, dips the bread and offers it,” the pope said during the catechesis.

“He knows that true forgiveness does not await repentance but offers itself first, as a free gift, even before it is accepted,” he added.

According to Leo, the gift of forgiveness is not a sign of “weakness” or “forgetfulness” but a manifestation of “the true face of hope” and salvation.

“It is the ability to set the other free, while loving him to the end,” he said. “Jesus’ love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word.” 

“This is the mystery Jesus accomplishes for us, in which we too, at times, are called to participate,” he said.

Pope Leo spent more than one hour greeting groups of pilgrims who came to the Vatican to see him on Wednesday. 

After the catechesis, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing to those gathered inside the Paul VI Audience Hall, then walked to Piazza del Sant’Uffizio and St. Peter’s Basilica to meet with pilgrims and share a condensed version of his catechesis in Italian, Spanish, and English.

Lebanese Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, gives a homily during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 9, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV could visit Lebanon before the end of the year, the leader of the country’s Maronite Catholics said Tuesday.

In an interview with the Saudi-based television station Al Arabiya, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, said Pope Leo XIV “will come to visit Lebanon sometime between now and December,” adding that he was not sure when the trip would be. 

“The visit will happen after a decision from the Vatican about when it will take place, so until now it’s not yet determined. But preparations for the visit are underway, though the exact timing is still unknown, waiting for the Vatican to announce it,” Raï said. 

The Vatican has not yet announced any official international trips for the new pontiff, but speculation has swirled for months about where his first journeys abroad may take him. Many expect his inaugural trip to include a stop in Nicaea — modern-day İznik in northwestern Turkey — to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The most likely date is Nov. 30, St. Andrew’s Day, when a Catholic delegation traditionally visits Turkey. 

Reports have also suggested that Pope Leo XIV could add other stops to a Turkey visit. The National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, reported last month that a papal visit to Algeria — following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, who was bishop of Hippo in what is now Annaba — was among itineraries under consideration. Lebanon has now emerged as another possible destination.

A papal trip to Lebanon was long discussed under Pope Francis, but the country’s political and economic crises complicated planning. Francis publicly expressed his desire to visit Lebanon during an in-flight press conference returning from Iraq in March 2021. A few months later, Vatican officials said a visit would depend on the formation of a government.

In April 2022, then-President Michel Aoun announced that Francis would travel to Lebanon that June, but the trip never materialized. Lebanon was also floated as a potential meeting place between Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after the start of the Ukraine war, an encounter that never happened.

Lebanon endured a prolonged political vacuum after Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. The country remained without a head of state until Joseph Aoun was elected president on Jan. 9, 2025.

The last papal visit to Lebanon was in September 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI visited Beirut and other parts of the country. Since then, Lebanon has been battered by the Syrian civil war, which brought in more than 1.5 million refugees, a financial collapse that saw the Lebanese pound lose 97% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019, and the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020. Electricity outages left citizens with power for only hours a day during the worst of the crisis.

Tensions also remain high along Lebanon’s southern border. During the Gaza war, Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs in September and October 2024. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024, heightening fears of a broader conflict with Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s population of nearly 6 million is about 68% Muslim, divided between Sunnis and Shiites, and about 28% Christian, most of whom are Maronite Catholics, according to 2020 statistics from the Pew Research Center.

While the Vatican has not responded to a request for comment on Raï’s remarks, speculation continues about where Pope Leo XIV may travel in coming years. Spanish Catholics have expressed hope that Leo could visit Barcelona, Spain, next year for the completion of the Sagrada Família. Trips to Peru and the United States have also been discussed for 2026 — a year that will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

ACI MENA correspondent Elias Turk provided the translation from Arabic of the cardinal’s remarks for this article.

Lebanese Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, the head of the Maronite Catholic Church, gives a homily during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 9, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Aug 20, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV could visit Lebanon before the end of the year, the leader of the country’s Maronite Catholics said Tuesday.

In an interview with the Saudi-based television station Al Arabiya, Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Catholic Church, said Pope Leo XIV “will come to visit Lebanon sometime between now and December,” adding that he was not sure when the trip would be. 

“The visit will happen after a decision from the Vatican about when it will take place, so until now it’s not yet determined. But preparations for the visit are underway, though the exact timing is still unknown, waiting for the Vatican to announce it,” Raï said. 

The Vatican has not yet announced any official international trips for the new pontiff, but speculation has swirled for months about where his first journeys abroad may take him. Many expect his inaugural trip to include a stop in Nicaea — modern-day İznik in northwestern Turkey — to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council. The most likely date is Nov. 30, St. Andrew’s Day, when a Catholic delegation traditionally visits Turkey. 

Reports have also suggested that Pope Leo XIV could add other stops to a Turkey visit. The National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, reported last month that a papal visit to Algeria — following in the footsteps of St. Augustine, who was bishop of Hippo in what is now Annaba — was among itineraries under consideration. Lebanon has now emerged as another possible destination.

A papal trip to Lebanon was long discussed under Pope Francis, but the country’s political and economic crises complicated planning. Francis publicly expressed his desire to visit Lebanon during an in-flight press conference returning from Iraq in March 2021. A few months later, Vatican officials said a visit would depend on the formation of a government.

In April 2022, then-President Michel Aoun announced that Francis would travel to Lebanon that June, but the trip never materialized. Lebanon was also floated as a potential meeting place between Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill after the start of the Ukraine war, an encounter that never happened.

Lebanon endured a prolonged political vacuum after Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. The country remained without a head of state until Joseph Aoun was elected president on Jan. 9, 2025.

The last papal visit to Lebanon was in September 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI visited Beirut and other parts of the country. Since then, Lebanon has been battered by the Syrian civil war, which brought in more than 1.5 million refugees, a financial collapse that saw the Lebanese pound lose 97% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019, and the devastating Beirut port explosion in 2020. Electricity outages left citizens with power for only hours a day during the worst of the crisis.

Tensions also remain high along Lebanon’s southern border. During the Gaza war, Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs in September and October 2024. Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Hezbollah, was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Sept. 27, 2024, heightening fears of a broader conflict with Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s population of nearly 6 million is about 68% Muslim, divided between Sunnis and Shiites, and about 28% Christian, most of whom are Maronite Catholics, according to 2020 statistics from the Pew Research Center.

While the Vatican has not responded to a request for comment on Raï’s remarks, speculation continues about where Pope Leo XIV may travel in coming years. Spanish Catholics have expressed hope that Leo could visit Barcelona, Spain, next year for the completion of the Sagrada Família. Trips to Peru and the United States have also been discussed for 2026 — a year that will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States.

ACI MENA correspondent Elias Turk provided the translation from Arabic of the cardinal’s remarks for this article.

The Kiruna Church on the move in northern Sweden, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. / Credit: TorbjørnS/Wikimeda (CC BY 4.0)

CNA Newsroom, Aug 20, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Sweden’s beloved Kiruna Church is concluding a carefully choreographed crawl across the Arctic mining town on Wednesday, completing a two-day, 3-mile journey that successfully saved the 113-year-old Lutheran landmark from destruction.

The mammoth move has seen the wooden structure, weighing over 600 tons, transported on specialized trailers traveling at about 1,600 feet per hour.

Located 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden’s far northern Lapland region, Kiruna is not only the northernmost city in Sweden but also sits atop one of the planet’s richest iron ore deposits, which has been mined continuously since the 1890s.

The relocation is part of Kiruna’s broader urban transformation, required because of subsidence — the gradual sinking of the ground triggered by the nearby iron ore mine.

More recently, Europe’s largest deposit of rare earths was located in the area. 

Sweden’s most beautiful building

Lena Tjärnberg, vicar of the Protestant parish, blessed the beginning of the historic relocation on Monday morning, acknowledging both the necessity and heartbreak of departing the church’s original site after more than a century of ministry.

“The church is leaving from a place where it truly belongs,” Tjärnberg told the BBC, which covered the unprecedented engineering feat.

“Everyone understands that it must be moved: We live in a mining community that depends on the mine.”

The red wooden church — voted Sweden’s most beautiful building constructed before 1950 in a 2001 national poll — was designed by architect Gustaf Wickman between 1909 and 1912 as a gift from LKAB, the state-owned mining company, to the local congregation.

LKAB’s expanding mining operations created the crisis requiring the church’s relocation.

The company announced in 2004 that mining near Kiruna’s city center threatened to damage inhabited areas and infrastructure in the coming decades.

The relocation required extensive engineering preparation spanning eight years and costing an estimated 500 million Swedish kronor ($52 million). Roads along the route were widened to 79 feet, and a viaduct was demolished to accommodate the massive structure measuring 131 feet wide, according to SVT, Sweden’s national broadcaster.

Special attention protected the church’s cultural treasures, particularly the large organ with over 2,000 pipes and Prince Eugen’s art nouveau painting called “The Holy Grove.”

An estimated 10,000 spectators are gathering to witness the historic move in the town of 18,000 residents, according to Dagens Nyheter, one of Sweden’s leading newspapers. 

King Carl XVI Gustaf is expected to attend, visiting the church during its journey and participating in ceremonial events, SVT reported.

‘Slow TV’ coverage of the move

The Swedish broadcaster provides live coverage of the entire relocation as “slow TV,” billing it as “The Great Church Move.”

The broader urban transformation affects approximately 3,000 homes, 1,000 workplaces, two schools, the city hospital, two highways, and national rail infrastructure over a 30-year period. About 6,000 residents — representing one-third of urban Kiruna’s population — must be resettled as LKAB continues mining operations.

The Svenska kyrkan (Church of Sweden) parish announced the church is scheduled to reopen to visitors at the end of 2026, following restoration work at its new location near Kiruna’s cemetery and new city center. 

The bell tower, moved separately from the church, will be reunited with the main structure.

The relocation has generated protest from within Sweden’s Sami community, with some saying traditional reindeer herding territories have been disrupted by the mining expansion, SVT reported.

The Kiruna Church on the move in northern Sweden, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025. / Credit: TorbjørnS/Wikimeda (CC BY 4.0)

CNA Newsroom, Aug 20, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

The mammoth move has seen the wooden structure, weighing over 600 tons, transported on specialized trailers traveling at about 1,600 feet per hour.