The mosaics decorating the interior dome of St. Peter’s Basilica depict the Blessed Virgin Mary next to Christ the Redeemer and the Apostles. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 18:27 pm (CNA).

EWTN’s “Crushed by the Woman” — set to air on the Aug. 15 solemnity of the Assumption at 5:30 p.m. ET — aims to answer common questions Protestants ask regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The 30-minute program features a lineup of notable Church figures who explore the beliefs Catholics hold regarding the Blessed Mother and the many misconceptions non-Catholics have about her.

The program addresses questions such as: Does devotion to Mary take away from Jesus or offend Our Lord? What does the angel Gabriel’s “Hail, full of grace” greeting mean? Is the assumption of the Blessed Virgin contrary to the Bible? Why do Catholics pray to Mary? Why do Catholics say Mary did not have other children? How is Mary our perfect mother? 

Father Dwight Longenecker, who was raised a fundamentalist and ordained an Anglican priest before converting to Catholicism, and Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and president of the International Marian Association, are joined by several other Church leaders to provide answers to these questions. 

“Quite often, our Protestant brothers and sisters will say: You believe in something called the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that she was taken up into heaven and that she was crowned as the queen of heaven,” Longenecker says in the program. “That’s nowhere in the Bible. Why do you believe these things?”

“Catholics are not Bible-only Christians. You are,” Longenecker continues. “We believe in the inspiration of the Bible, but we also believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Church… speaks through the lives of the saints… speaks through the teaching of the Church. Therefore, we’re not Bible-only Christians. We’re not obliged to prove our religion according to your terms.”

Miravalle points out that nowhere in Scripture does it say that Scripture is the only source of revelation. “[T]o hold that is an unscriptural position,” he says. 

Ann-Marie Altomare, director at Our Lady of Guadalupe Family Life Center in Ave Maria, Florida, provides further examples: “[W]e also know there are a lot of things about the apostles, how they were beheaded or how they died as martyrs, that are not written in Scripture.”

Addressing the question of why Catholics pray for Mary’s intercession, Longnecker says: “We need a mother to intercede, to protect us from external dangers. We need a mother to remind us of our personal dignity, that we’re all made in the image and likeness of God. One mother united Jesus and her other children, you and me, together.”

“[W]ithin the Catholic understanding, she stands for motherhood,” he adds. “She stands for fertility. She stands for children. She stands for family, and this is exactly where, in our society today, Catholics are being attacked, because we still stand up for virginity, for chastity, for family, for marriage, for children. We stand up against abortion, we stand up against the sexual immorality in society, and so, we will be attacked for that.”

“Crushed by the Woman” can also be watched online here.

The mosaics decorating the interior dome of St. Peter’s Basilica depict the Blessed Virgin Mary next to Christ the Redeemer and the Apostles. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 18:27 pm (CNA).

EWTN’s “Crushed by the Woman” — set to air on the Aug. 15 solemnity of the Assumption at 5:30 p.m. ET — aims to answer common questions Protestants ask regarding the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The 30-minute program features a lineup of notable Church figures who explore the beliefs Catholics hold regarding the Blessed Mother and the many misconceptions non-Catholics have about her.

The program addresses questions such as: Does devotion to Mary take away from Jesus or offend Our Lord? What does the angel Gabriel’s “Hail, full of grace” greeting mean? Is the assumption of the Blessed Virgin contrary to the Bible? Why do Catholics pray to Mary? Why do Catholics say Mary did not have other children? How is Mary our perfect mother? 

Father Dwight Longenecker, who was raised a fundamentalist and ordained an Anglican priest before converting to Catholicism, and Mark Miravalle, a professor of theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville and president of the International Marian Association, are joined by several other Church leaders to provide answers to these questions. 

“Quite often, our Protestant brothers and sisters will say: You believe in something called the assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that she was taken up into heaven and that she was crowned as the queen of heaven,” Longenecker says in the program. “That’s nowhere in the Bible. Why do you believe these things?”

“Catholics are not Bible-only Christians. You are,” Longenecker continues. “We believe in the inspiration of the Bible, but we also believe that the Holy Spirit speaks through the Church… speaks through the lives of the saints… speaks through the teaching of the Church. Therefore, we’re not Bible-only Christians. We’re not obliged to prove our religion according to your terms.”

Miravalle points out that nowhere in Scripture does it say that Scripture is the only source of revelation. “[T]o hold that is an unscriptural position,” he says. 

Ann-Marie Altomare, director at Our Lady of Guadalupe Family Life Center in Ave Maria, Florida, provides further examples: “[W]e also know there are a lot of things about the apostles, how they were beheaded or how they died as martyrs, that are not written in Scripture.”

Addressing the question of why Catholics pray for Mary’s intercession, Longnecker says: “We need a mother to intercede, to protect us from external dangers. We need a mother to remind us of our personal dignity, that we’re all made in the image and likeness of God. One mother united Jesus and her other children, you and me, together.”

“[W]ithin the Catholic understanding, she stands for motherhood,” he adds. “She stands for fertility. She stands for children. She stands for family, and this is exactly where, in our society today, Catholics are being attacked, because we still stand up for virginity, for chastity, for family, for marriage, for children. We stand up against abortion, we stand up against the sexual immorality in society, and so, we will be attacked for that.”

“Crushed by the Woman” can also be watched online here.

The August 2025 Youth Jubilee in Egypt is taking place in two phases this month. The jubilee is under the patronage and presence of apostolic vicar of the Latins in Egypt, Bishop Claudio Lurati, organized by his deputy Monsignor Antoine Tawfiq and Sister Chiara Latif of the Franciscan Elizabethan Sisters. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Apostolic Vicariate of the Latins in Egypt

ACI MENA, Aug 14, 2025 / 18:07 pm (CNA).

After the conclusion of the Catholic Jubilee of Youth in Rome, which saw a strong presence of Middle Eastern Christians including a delegation from Egypt, the city of Alexandria has launched its own Catholic Youth Jubilee, organized by the Latin Church there.

The initiative aims to include young people who were unable to travel to Rome and is being held in two phases: The first took place from Aug. 9–12 and the second from Aug. 12–15, which primarily involved the Sudanese and Eritrean communities at St. Mark House in Borg El Arab.

The jubilee is under the patronage and presence of apostolic vicar of the Latins in Egypt, Bishop Claudio Lurati, organized by his deputy Monsignor Antoine Tawfiq and Sister Chiara Latif of the Franciscan Elizabethan Sisters. It has been carried out in collaboration with the Egyptian and Sudanese-Eritrean youth committees alongside Comboni Father Deus Gratias.

Participants in the events include youth from various Egyptian governorates as well as others from African and European countries, including a delegation from Como, Italy, who came to assist in organizing the event.

The jubilee days opened with a celebratory Mass at St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Alexandria, presided over by Lurati and marked by the reception of the relics of Blessed Carlo Acutis.

Before the Mass, attendees were given a brief presentation on the life of Acutis to encourage them to follow his example of holiness and prayer, especially as he is close in age to many of them. After the Mass, participants were blessed with the relics.

In a symbolic gesture, youth returning from Rome handed over the “Great Cross” to their peers who could not travel, who then presented it to Lurati.

On the feast of St. Clare of Assisi on Aug. 11, participants visited the King Mariout area, home to one of the monasteries of the Poor Clares, the order founded and led by St. Clare in the 13th century. They met with seven sisters, prayed with them, and listened to story of St. Clare. There, Lurati explained the meaning of the jubilee and the plenary indulgence that can be obtained, and spoke about the importance of walking with God and others in joy, peace, and hope.

The jubilee program also included a penitential service, talks on the meaning of the jubilee, youth life, and the Bible as well as a presentation of the Latin Church’s achievements in Egypt and its future plans. Organizers place a special emphasis on prayer, introducing new devotions such as the “Rosary of Hope” and the “Way of Light.”

Participants from both phases of the event also gathered for a shared day, during which Tawfiq and Sister Latif shared their experiences from the Jubilee of Youth in Rome. 

The second phase concludes on Aug. 15 with a Mass at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Alexandria, where several young people will receive the sacrament of confirmation.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated for and adapted by CNA.

From left to right: Daniel Marker, Susan Young, Bishop Chad W. Zielinski of New Ulm, Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Judy Haag, and Valerie Washington. / Credit: United States Catholic Conference of Bishops

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:47 pm (CNA).

Longtime anti-euthanasia activists Rita and Mike Marker were honored Aug. 11 at the 2025 “People of Life” awards by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities during the Diocesan Pro-Life Leadership Conference in Arlington, Virginia. 

The awards recognize Catholics who have answered St. John Paul II’s call in Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”) by dedicating themselves to promoting the dignity of the human person and taking part in pro-life activities.

The Markers established the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force — later renamed the Patients Rights Council — in the early 1980s. Rita served as the executive director of the organization and in her role wrote the 1995 book “Deadly Compassion: The Death of Ann Humphry and the Truth About Euthanasia” about the high-profile suicide of an euthanasia advocate whom Rita came to embrace as a friend. 

Mike largely took charge of the organization’s operations. Rita traveled internationally and domestically to speak out against euthanasia and assisted suicide and frequently appeared on radio and news programs. Realizing the importance of legal expertise in advocating against assisted suicide, she also obtained a law degree while raising a family and used it to analyze legislation and develop strategies to oppose assisted-suicide laws.

The Catholic couple were married for six decades and were appointed to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on the Family by St. John Paul II. Mike died in 2021 and Rita died in 2023. 

About 100 diocesan Catholic figures and guests attended this year’s awards dinner, including Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia. Two other pro-life advocates were also honored at the event: Valerie Washington and Judy Haag. 

Washington has led the National Black Catholic Congress organization as its executive director for the past 25 years. During her time with the organization, she has shaped its programs, has nurtured partnerships that have strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice and evangelization, and has taken a prominent role in fostering a culture of life within the Black Catholic community. 

For the past 30 years, Haag has been a long-term care nurse and pro-life advocate — serving as co-chair to her local 40 Days for Life campaign, leading her parish in commemorating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and facilitating participation in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life March for Life. She also served as chairperson of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW) Reverence for Life Committee for several years. Here she assisted in public education and advocacy on abortion and was named the NUDCCW “Woman of the Year” in 2017.

This year’s recipients join 43 other pro-life advocates who have received this award since it was established in 2007 by the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities.

Partial panoramic view of Vatican environs. / Credit: 7777777kz, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 14, 2025 / 17:27 pm (CNA).

The Vatican issued an update to its public procurement regulations to streamline steps in the Holy See’s contracting processes while maintaining integrity and transparency. 

The new general executive decree was signed on Aug. 5 by the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, Maximino Caballero Ledo, and took effect on Aug. 10. 

The decree contains the implementing regulation from Pope Francis’ 2020 apostolic letter in the form of motu proprio regarding “Norms on Transparency, Control, and Competition in the Procedures for the Award of Public Contracts of the Holy See and the Vatican City State.” The apostolic letter was later amended by the subsequent 2024 motu proprio titled “To Better Harmonize,” which updated the Holy See’s code of contracts.

Composed of eight sections and 52 articles, the decree applies the provisions of “To Better Harmonize” to outline specific rules that must be followed in the procurement process to ensure contracts are awarded fairly.

The document involves collaboration between various Vatican departments to foster greater trust among Vatican internal offices and its external contractors.

The decree reaffirms the Vatican’s mission to provide equal treatment to operators and to prevent discrimination among bidders. It also aims to promote cost effectiveness and to simplify bureaucratic steps to avoid delays.

In line with Pope Francis’ 2022 apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, Church teachings, and Church law, the regulations draw from past experiences to emphasize transparency and responsible use of resources and ethical business practices in the execution of financial decisions and transactions.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. / Credit: Maxim Elramsisy/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 16:57 pm (CNA).

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is investigating reports that a local public school facilitated and funded abortion procedures for minors without informing the parents.

Staff at Centreville High School, part of the Fairfax County Public Schools district, arranged abortions for two pregnant high school girls in 2021, according to a report by Walter Curt Dispatch Investigations from earlier this month.

Youngkin said in a press release on Wednesday that he is “deeply concerned with the allegations” and is opening “a full criminal investigation into this matter immediately.”

According to the investigative report, one of the girls, who was 17 years old at the time, had an abortion after a school official brought her to the abortion facility.

The other girl, who was five months pregnant, ran from the clinic after a social worker brought her there and allegedly told her she “had no other choice.”

Virginia has a parental-notification law for abortion procedures. Virginia code requires a physician to certify that at least one parent has been notified before performing an abortion on a minor. While there are exceptions if a minor obtains a judicial bypass, investigator Walter Curt said that “no bypasses appear in either case file” that was provided to him.

The girls also alleged that the principal knew about the abortions and used school funds to pay for them.

“Reports allege school officials may have arranged and paid for abortions for multiple minors without parental notification,” read the Aug. 13 press release. “Reports also indicate that the school administration may have known this was happening, and that school funding may have been used, which could include local, state, and federal funds.”

Fairfax County Public Schools said in a statement earlier this month that it is “launching an immediate and comprehensive investigation” into the reports.

A handwritten note from an 11th-grade ESOL (English for speakers of other languages) student, translated by the investigators, said the abortion took place in November 2021, when she was 17.

“Last year I went to see social worker Carolina Diaz. She helped me with the termination of my pregnancy — that is, an abortion,” the girl wrote in a note dated Nov. 19, 2022.

The social worker, the girl said, “scheduled the appointment for me at the abortion clinic in Fairfax, paid the costs of that medical procedure, and kept everything quiet without informing my family.” 

The school addressed the claims in a statement, saying they recently learned of the allegations, though Walter Curt Dispatch Investigations said in a follow-up report that school officials “have been aware for months.”

Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose commented on the investigation in a post on social media, calling the situation “horrific.”

“Every person involved must be held accountable,” she said in a Thursday post on X.

Greek Catholic Bishop Maksym Ryabukha of the Exarchate of Donetsk, Ukraine. / Credit: Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 15:57 pm (CNA).

Maksym Ryabukha, Greek Catholic bishop of the Exarchate of Donetsk, Ukraine, frequently travels to visit what remain of his war-torn parishes.

Before the Angelus on July 13, 2025, Pope Leo XIV celebrated a Mass for local Catholics, religious leaders, and civil authorities at the 17th-century Pontifical Parish of St. Thomas of Villanova in Castel Gandolfo’s main square. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 13:22 pm (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV called for a peaceful resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine ahead of the upcoming summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin.

The Cathedral of St. Paul in Birmingham, Alabama. / Credit: R. Wellen Photography/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 12:42 pm (CNA).

A high-ranking priest in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama is on leave amid allegations that years ago, he began a relationship with a young woman who was a minor at the time.

Vicar General Father Robert Sullivan, 61, went on a personal leave of absence on Aug. 4, according to an Aug. 13 letter from Bishop Steven Raica obtained by CNA.

In his letter, Raica said that per internal policy, the diocese did not initially provide a public reason for Sullivan’s leave. But the bishop said an Aug. 13 report in the Guardian made it “necessary and appropriate” to clarify why the priest had left his post.

The Guardian report alleged that Sullivan reportedly “traded financial support for ‘private companionship’” with a woman, Heather Jones, now 33, “including sex, beginning when she was 17.”

Raica confirmed that the diocese had received the allegation, describing it as a report of “a relationship that began when the woman reporting the allegation may have been under the age of 18.”

The diocese reported the allegation to the Alabama Department of Human Resources, the bishop said, though that agency found that it did not merit a state-led investigation. The age of consent for sexual activity is 16 in Alabama.

The diocese, however, opened its own investigation. Since the early 2000s, in response to the global clerical abuse scandal, the Church has classified individuals under 18 as minors and deemed any sexual contact with them as abusive.

The allegations have been provided to the diocesan review board, Raica said. A report is also being developed for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, according to Vatican protocol.

Sullivan is currently “removed from all priestly service” while the investigation continues, the bishop said. 

“We do not know the time frame for completion of the work of the dicastery in Rome nor of that which will be further required within our diocese,” he said. 

Raica said it was “not [his] intention” to disclose the information of the allegation prior to the results of the investigation. 

“[T]he initial work of any investigation does not lend itself to a definitive determination,” he said, “and anyone accused in the Church possesses a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, equivalent to the right granted in civil law.”

The bishop asked for “continued prayers for all involved” and called for strict adherence to diocesan youth safety guidelines. 

In its Aug. 13 report, the Guardian said Jones came forward with the claims because Sullivan, as pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Homewood, Alabama, “had continued working closely with families and their children,” leaving her “fearful that ‘others may be vulnerable to the same type of manipulation and exploitation.’”

The paper said Jones alleged that Sullivan met her when she was 17 years old while working at an “adult establishment” he allegedly visited regularly and that the priest took her “shopping, dining, drinking,” and to hotels for sex.

Jones alleged that Sullivan and his attorney “eventually had her sign a nondisclosure agreement in return for $273,000,” the paper said. 

She also allegedly received around $120,000 from “a Venmo account under Sullivan’s name,” according to the Guardian.

A parish bookkeeper in Lincroft, New Jersey, is alleged to have stolen more than $1.5 million in a lawsuit filed by the Church of St. Leo the Great. / Credit: Neal Bryant/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Aug 14, 2025 / 10:53 am (CNA).

A New Jersey church is alleging in a lawsuit that its bookkeeper stole more than a million dollars over several years and spent it on personal items including wedding expenses and cigars. 

The Church of St. Leo the Great in Lincroft, New Jersey, said in the Aug. 8 filing that its former finance director, Joseph Manzi, “systematically, secretly, and dishonestly utilized parish funds for his own personal benefit.”

The total amount that Manzi allegedly stole “appears to exceed $1,500,000,” the parish said. He has “not reimbursed St. Leo’s” for any of the alleged stolen funds, according to the lawsuit.

Manzi was hired at the parish in 2014 and was fired from that position on June 26, the suit says. The filing does not disclose why he was fired, but it said an auditor discovered financial irregularities in the parish accounts on July 31, several weeks after Manzi was dismissed. 

A subsequent investigation allegedly uncovered more than six years of financial malfeasance by Manzi, including using parish funds “to pay for tickets to sporting events; personal vehicles, construction projects on his personal home; landscaping, gift cards; expenses related to his daughter’s wedding; his own personal taxes; meals and cigars,” and other things.

His alleged use of parish funds constituted “widespread fraud and theft,” the parish said, alleging that the bookkeeper diverted funds to fraudulent accounts and utilized automatic payments from the church to cover personal expenses.

The lawsuit is seeking financial damages from Manzi, including the return of his compensation during his employment at the parish. It is also seeking a “constructive trust” over Manzi’s home in Atlantic Highlands, with the parish alleging that the home’s mortgage and repairs were financed with funds stolen from the parish.

On its website, the parish said it had reported the alleged crimes to local and state law enforcement while pursuing the civil lawsuit.

On Aug. 13, meanwhile, the Diocese of Trenton said in a statement that it is cooperating with law enforcement and that its own investigation had “confirmed a basis” for the allegations.