Author: Eric Deabill

(OSV News) – Catholics in the U.S. “like what they’ve seen so far” in Pope Leo XIV, with 8 in 10 viewing the new pope favorably — and significant numbers of non-Catholics agreeing, according to a new study from Pew Research Center.

On Sept. 12, Pew released results from a survey conducted July 8 to Aug. 3 in both English and Spanish among a nationally representative panel of U.S. adults selected at random. The 9,916 participants included 1,849 Catholics.

Pew found that on balance, 84% of the nation’s Catholics hold a favorable view of Pope Leo, with 4% disapproving and 11% stating they have never heard of him.

Among U.S. Catholics who attend Mass weekly, that approval rating is even higher, with 95% viewing the pope favorably. U.S. Catholics who are in the pews on a monthly or yearly basis largely approve of him (84%), and even most self-identified Catholics who seldom or never attend Mass give the pope a thumbs-up (77%).

Of the survey respondents who are Catholic, 67% said they know “a little” about the new pope, with 25% admitting they “know nothing at all” about him, said Pew. Only 7% claimed to know “a lot” about the worldwide Catholic Church’s leader.

Although respondents are still learning who he is, Pope Leo enjoys popularity on both sides of the political aisle, with Pew noting, “Vast majorities of both Catholic Democrats (89%) and Republicans (84%) view Leo favorably.”

Non-Catholics “are even less familiar with Leo than Catholics are,” according to Pew. It found 31% saying they “have never heard of him,” but a majority (56%) reported viewing the American-born pontiff favorably.

More than half (52%) of U.S. Catholics are either uncertain as to how Pope Leo’s leadership will compare with that of his predecessor, Pope Francis, or “say they don’t know anything about the new pope to begin with,” Pew said.

One third (33%) expect Pope Leo’s leadership to be “pretty similar” to Pope Francis’ style, while 13% believe the new pope will be “pretty different” from his predecessor.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – At a time when people feel powerless to help migrants and refugees, Christians must continue to insist that “there is no justice without compassion, no legitimacy without listening to the pain of others,” Pope Leo XIV said.

In a video message Sept. 12, the pope gave his full support to a bid by the people of the Italian island of Lampedusa to win UNESCO recognition for their “gestures of hospitality” to migrants as an example of an “intangible cultural heritage” that should be protected.

For decades the small island, which lies between Sicily and the northern African nations of Tunisia and Libya, has been a major arrival point for migrants from Africa, the Middle East and Asia seeking a new life in Europe. However, many migrants make the journey in unsafe vessels or without needed provisions. Shipwrecked boats and dead bodies have washed up on the island’s shores.

Pope Leo paid tribute to “the volunteers, the mayors and local administrations that have succeeded one another over the years,” to “the priests, doctors, security forces, and to all those who, often invisibly, have shown and continue to show the smile and attention of a human face to those who have survived their desperate journey of hope.”

But the pope also noted the political divisions and backlash that have accompanied the continued arrival of migrants and refugees on Lampedusa’s shores and to other nations.

“It is true that over the years fatigue can set in. Like in a race, we can run out of breath,” he said. “Hardships tend to cast doubt on what has been done and, at times, even divide us. We must respond together, staying united and opening ourselves once again to the breath of God.”

“All the good you have done may seem like drops in the sea,” Pope Leo told the island’s people. “But it’s not so — it is much more than that!”

Many of the migrants, including mothers and children, never made it to shore and from the depths of the sea “cry out not only to heaven, but to our hearts,” he said. Others died and are buried on Lampedusa “like seeds from which a new world longs to sprout.”

But, he said, “thank God, there are thousands of faces and names of people who today are living a better life and will never forget your charity. Many of them have themselves become workers for justice and peace, because goodness is contagious.”

Pope Leo said his thanks is the thanks “of the whole church for your witness,” and is meant to renew the thanks of the late Pope Francis, who made a trip to Lampedusa the first official trip of his papacy. He said he hoped he, too, would be able to visit the island soon.

The islanders’ hospitality and welcome, he said, are “a bulwark of humanity, which loud arguments, ancient fears and unjust policies try to erode.”

“The ‘globalization of indifference,’ which Pope Francis denounced beginning from Lampedusa, today seems to have turned into a globalization of powerlessness,” Pope Leo said.

Thanks to the media, people are more aware of “injustice and innocent suffering,” he said, but increasingly “we risk standing still, silent and saddened, overcome by the feeling that nothing can be done.”

People ask themselves, “What can I do in the face of such great evils?” he said.

“The globalization of powerlessness is the child of a lie: that history has always been this way, that history is written by the victors, which makes it seem that we can do nothing,” the pope said. “But that is not true: history is ravaged by the powerful, but it is saved by the humble, the just, the martyrs, in whom goodness shines and true humanity endures and is renewed.”

The antidote, Pope Leo said, is to work to create “a culture of reconciliation.”

“Reconciliation is a special kind of encounter. Today we must meet one another, healing our wounds, forgiving each other for the wrong we have done — and even for the wrong we have not done but which we still bear the consequences of,” the pope said. “So much fear, so many prejudices, so many walls — even invisible ones — exist between us and between our peoples, as consequences of a wounded history.”

While fear and evil can be passed from one generation to the next, he said, so can goodness.

“We must repair what has been broken, delicately treat bleeding memories, draw close to one another with patience, put ourselves in the place of others’ stories and suffering, and recognize that we share the same dreams and the same hopes,” Pope Leo said. “There are no enemies — only brothers and sisters. This is the culture of reconciliation.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV told 192 new bishops from around the world that they must respond promptly to allegations of inappropriate or abusive behavior by priests.

“These cannot be put in a drawer – they must be addressed with a sense of mercy and true justice toward both the victims and the accused,” the pope told the bishops Sept. 11, according to the Vatican press office.

The pope had spent the entire morning with the prelates, including 13 from the United States, who were in Rome for the Vatican’s annual formation courses for new bishops. The courses included sessions on handling abuse allegations.

Pope Leo read a prepared speech to the group, which was broadcast in the Vatican press office and published on the Vatican website. But, the press office said, he continued sharing his concerns and advice with the bishops before opening the floor to their questions.

The press office published a summary of the closed-door session Sept. 12.

Also Sept. 12 Pope Leo had his first official meeting with French Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, France, whom the pope had named president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in July.

In his meeting with the new bishops the day before, the pope asked them to be “be persevering disciples, not afraid when faced with the first difficulty, pastors close to the people and to their priests, merciful yet firm — even when it comes to making judgments –capable of listening and dialogue, not merely preaching,” the Vatican summary said.

“Be builders of bridges,” he told the bishops, including by embracing synodality, “which he described not as a pastoral method, but as ‘a style of church, of listening and of shared search for the mission to which we are called.'”

As he had done in his formal text, Pope Leo also told the bishops they must be creative in sharing the Gospel and ministering with their people, which can happen only if they are engaged and involved in the world and understand the questions people are asking today.

“Ready-made answers learned 25 years ago in seminary are not enough,” the pope told them.

The bishops must value the “pastoral and human experiences” that they have had in their local churches and allow them to “grow into a new ministry that brings bishops into contact with the universality of the church,” the summary said.

Pope Leo spoke to the bishops about the “fears, a sense of unworthiness, the various expectations each had for their lives” before being named a bishop, the summary said, and he “emphasized the necessity of staying close to the Lord, preserving time for prayer, and continuing to live with unconditional trust in the Holy Spirit, the source of their calling.”

Responding to a question about the challenge of beginning a new ministry, “the pope spoke personally about what it means for him,” the press office said.

“He urged trust in God’s grace and the grace of office, to recognize one’s gifts and limitations, including the need for help from others — perhaps relying on the valuable experience of a good emeritus bishop who can offer support or guidance,” it said. “He warned against the temptation to form one’s own group and isolate oneself.”

The bishops spoke about how some 1 million people attended the early August celebration of the Jubilee of Young People and their thirst for an authentic spiritual life, the summary said.

Pope Leo noted that young people have not found a response to that thirst in the virtual world nor “in the typical experiences of our parishes.”

Responding to a question, the pope urged bishops to be prudent in the use of social media, where “everyone feels entitled to say whatever they want, even false things.”

“There are times when reaching the truth is painful,” but necessary, he said, adding that bishops should “rely on communication professionals, trained individuals.”

He summarized his recommended approach to media by saying, “Calm, a good head, and the help of a professional.”

The Vatican said the pope and bishops also spoke about the importance of peacemaking, interreligious dialogue and safeguarding the environment.

PHILADELPHIA (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV’s fellow Augustinians have elected a Philadelphia-area native as the order’s new prior general.

The order’s Province of St. Thomas of Villanova announced in a Sept. 9 media release that Augustinian Father Joseph L. Farrell had been chosen “after much prayer and reflection” and “under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

The election took place Sept. 9 in Rome during the order’s 188th general chapter, with 73 brothers with voting rights participating, the Augustinian order noted on its main website.

Father Farrell, who had until the election served as the order’s vicar general as well as general assistant for North America, will succeed Father Alejandro Moral Antón, becoming the 98th prior general of the order, which was founded in 13th-century Italy.

Born in 1963 in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, Father Farrell attended Catholic elementary and high schools, then went on to receive his bachelor of science degree in business administration at Villanova University, one of the nation’s two Augustinian institutions of higher learning — and Pope Leo XIV’s own alma mater.

Father Farrell entered the Augustinian novitiate in 1985, the same year he graduated Villanova, professing his first vows two years later and his solemn vows in 1990. He completed his master’s degree in theology at Washington Theological Union and was ordained to the priesthood in 1991. Following studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, he obtained his licentiate and doctorate in sacred theology in 2005 and 2007 respectively.

His pastoral assignments over the years have included parish, high school and college campus ministry, along with teaching and administrative positions at Villanova. In 2010, he was elected a counselor of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, and in 2013, he became the order’s vicar general and assistant general for North America.

The St. Thomas province and “the whole order are so proud,” said prior provincial Father Robert Hagan, adding that “Father Joe has served the order in many ways for so many years.”

Now, added Father Hagan, “he leads us all as the Augustinian Good Shepherd, helping us to stay one in mind and heart intent upon God.”

“At this time, we give thanks to God for our dedicated and committed servant leader, and offer prayers for wisdom, strength, and grace as he exercises this important responsibility on behalf of our Order and the Church,” said the province in its release.

SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP – As the Diocese of Scranton continues to celebrate the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, one faith community is preparing to mark a milestone that connects the past, present and future of Catholic life in northeastern Pennsylvania.

On Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, a special Mass will be held at Saint Augustine Church in Susquehanna County to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the beginnings of the church community.

Saint Augustine Church is the oldest Catholic church in the Diocese of Scranton.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, will be the principal celebrant for the 10:30 a.m. liturgy.

“There is so much joy. Our people are really preparing to receive the Bishop,” Father Thomas Augustine, Administrator pro tem, Saint Brigid Parish, Friendsville, explained. Saint Augustine Church is a worship site of Saint Bridgid Parish.

The celebration comes as Saint Augustine Church is also recognized as one of the eight pilgrimage sites designated by Bishop Bambera for the Jubilee Year of Hope, inviting the faith to encounter Christ in historic places of worship and renewal.

“God has powerfully worked through this community,” Father Augustine added. “Since we are celebrating 200 years … this is a big blessing!”

LEGACY ROOTED IN MISSION

The roots of Saint Augustine Church stretch back to 1825, when Father Jeremiah Francis O’Flynn responded to an urgent invitation from Robert Rose, a prominent Catholic layman in the Silver Lake area.

With the blessing of Bishop Henry Conwell of Philadelphia, Father O’Flynn invested his savings into purchasing a farm at Silver Lake, on which the first Catholic church in Susquehanna County was built.

It was not until Oct. 2, 1828, that Father O’Flynn was able to celebrate the first Mass in the vestry of the partly built church of Silver Lake – but after that time the congregation increased rapidly.

Father O’Flynn died while on a sick call in Danville, approximately 80 miles from Silver Lake, on Feb. 8, 1831. His body was brought back to Silver Lake and laid to rest in the cemetery of Saint Augustine Church.

From these humble beginnings, the Catholic presence continued to grow in the region long before the Diocese of Scranton itself was officially formed on March 3, 1868, when the Pope signed a decree to separate 10 counties from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Lackawanna County was formed 10 years later, bringing the Diocese of Scranton to its current number of 11 counties.

PILGRIMS ON A JOURNEY

In anticipation of the bicentennial celebration, pilgrims from across the Diocese of Scranton have already started visiting Saint Augustine Church as part of the Jubilee Year of Hope.

On Sunday, Aug. 10, more than 50 parishioners from Saint John the Apostle Parish in East Stroudsburg made the two-hour journey from the Poconos to pray, worship, and learn about the sacred site.

Their pastor, Father Greg Reichlen, a native son of Susquehanna County, was excited to bring his parishioners to the oldest church in the diocese.

“It has been an incredible, beautiful and amazing day to celebrate our faith, to go on a journey, on a pilgrimage, to this very holy site,” Father Reichlen said.

The visit included participation in the Sunday Mass, a tour of the church grounds, and a shared parish picnic with the community.

“Parishioners are very thrilled to learn about this little piece of history,” Father Reichlen added. “Our life is a journey, and I think it has been an incredible experience for every single one of us to be together on this journey.”

OUR FAITH IS ALIVE AND LIVING

For those who made the pilgrimage, it wasn’t simply about history – it was about witnessing how the Church remains alive in small rural communities, just as much as in large parishes.

“I think it’s really nice. I like the more simple vibe,” Tha’riann Daurilas, a young adult from Saint John’s Parish who made the trip up with family members, said. “I know it’s an older church and I like to see other pretty churches around the diocese.”

Bill Montgomery, a longtime Eucharistic Minister from Saint John the Apostle Parish, shared a similar sentiment.

“It has been a very rewarding day,” he said. “My wife and I travel to a lot of shrines and different areas. It’s really nice to come to a rural area like this and to see the beauty in the older churches. They are magnificent.”

Montgomery appreciated the pilgrimage as an opportunity to grow in faith.
“There is something about the smallness and the beauty of this place, especially where our diocese grew from where it started. There is a lot of history there,” he added.

ALL ARE STILL WELCOME

Though smaller in size, Saint Augustine Church continues to be a place of active worship, prayer, and community.

“I welcome everyone to come and visit this church and receive the blessings as the Diocese has selected it as a few pilgrimage churches,” Father Augustine added.

All are especially welcome to attend the upcoming 200th Anniversary Mass celebration on Sept. 14 with Bishop Bambera to reflect on its history, mission, and the enduring presence of God.

(OSV News) – Catholic bishops and public officials are calling for prayer following the apparent assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who died after being shot Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

Kirk was 31 and a married father with two young children. He was shot in the neck, reportedly by a sniper from a campus building. The suspect is still at large, and a manhunt is underway, according to law enforcement officials.

In a statement, President Donald Trump said, “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead.”

“No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie,” Trump said. “He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, R, called the shooting a “political assassination.”

“To whoever did this, we will find you,” Gov. Spencer Cox said at a press conference.

A staunch ally of Trump, Kirk was the founder of the Republican-aligned Turning Point USA. He was being hosted by that organization’s chapter at the university for his “American Comeback Tour.”

According to multiple reports, Kirk was in the midst of discussing mass shootings in the U.S. with an individual attendee when a single shot rang out, striking Kirk and scattering the crowd.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis of Salt Lake City said in a statement shared with OSV News, “My heart goes out to the family of Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed today at Utah Valley University.”

“I will pray for the repose of his soul,” Bishop Solis said. “I am also praying for all who were affected, especially those who were present at the event on campus, the many people who admired Mr. Kirk, and most particularly his family. Meanwhile, I continue to pray for all the victims of gun violence throughout the years and their families.”

“It is appalling that senseless acts of violence such as this continue to occur,” he said. “It seems that our society has lost the sense of the sanctity of life, and I pray that our government will undertake appropriate measures to stop these horrible crimes.”

Vice President JD Vance and Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., both Catholics, were among the first officials across the aisle who offered their reactions on social media, calling for prayer and condemning political violence, respectively.

“Dear God, protect Charlie in his darkest hour,” Vance wrote prior to confirmation of Kirk’s death by the president.

Newsom called the shooting “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible.”

“In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” Newsom wrote.

Newsom and Kirk previously joined each other’s podcasts to debate their political differences.

Former President Joe Biden, also Catholic, wrote on X, “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now.”

“Jill and I are praying for Charlie Kirk’s family and loved ones,” he said.

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who survived after she was shot and gravely injured in 2011, wrote on X, “I’m horrified to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot at an event in Utah.”

“Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence,” she said.

At the press conference, Cox said Kirk was known for debates on college campuses, and that debate is “foundational to the formation of our country, to our most basic constitutional rights.”

“And when someone takes the life of a person because of their ideas or their ideals, then that very constitutional foundation is threatened,” Cox said.

Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action and a Catholic, said in a statement she was speaking at her own campus tour at the University of Montana at the time of the incident and stopped it to pray in response to hearing the news.

“As I also stood on a college campus, I was horrified to learn that my friend Charlie Kirk had been shot,” Hawkins said. “Our nation is in crisis when speaking up for preborn children and for love of country leads to violence, and that’s clearly on the rise.”

Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, was also among those who called for prayer.

Trump directed flags to be flown at half-staff as “a mark of respect for the memory of Charlie Kirk.”

The U.S. House of Representatives observed a moment of silence in response.

In a statement confirming Kirk’s death, his organization Turning Point USA said, “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that Charles James Kirk has been murdered by a gunshot that took place during Turning Point USA’s ‘The American Comeback Tour’ campus event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.”

“May he be received into the merciful arms of our loving Savior, who suffered and died for Charlie,” the statement said. “We ask that everyone keep his family and loved ones in your prayers. We ask that you please respect their privacy and dignity at this time.”

(OSV News) – The U.S. Catholic bishops have deepened their commitment to combating racism, by making permanent a subcommittee dedicated to working for racial justice and reconciliation in society.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Sept. 10 that its Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism – established in 2017 under then-USCCB president, and now retired, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo Galveston-Houston, Texas – has been made a permanent USCCB body.

The move, approved by the USCCB’s administrative committee Sept. 9, will place the committee, now named the Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation, under the conference’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

That committee’s mandate “includes Catholic social teaching on issues of domestic concern such as poverty, housing, the environment, criminal justice, and other challenges that often have a disproportionate impact on communities of color,” said the USCCB in its Sept. 10 media release.

USCCB president Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, said the subcommittee “continues the important work of the temporary ad hoc committee.”

The bishops had formed the racism ad hoc committee just days after the violent Aug. 11-12, 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, at which white supremacists protested the planned removal of Confederate statues there, following two city council votes. Amid clashes between rally participants and counterprotestors, James Fields drove his vehicle through a crowd of the latter, killing paralegal Heather Heyer and injuring dozens. Fields is now serving two life sentences.

In his Sept. 10 statement, Archbishop Broglio — who referenced the USCCB’s 2018 pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts” — said, “As we call for a genuine conversion of heart that will compel change at both individual and institutional levels, I invite all Catholics to join us as we carry forward this work to recognize and uphold the inherent dignity of every person made in the image and likeness of God.”

“I speak on behalf of the bishop members, staff and consultants of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism in expressing gratitude for the transition of our committee to a standing subcommittee so that the important work of evangelization of the faithful and the community at large may continue in the spirit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” said retired Auxiliary Bishop Joseph N. Perry of Chicago, who has been serving as chair of the committee.

With the new subcommittee set to begin work after the USCCB’s November plenary assembly, members will have plenty to do.

According to a Gallup poll released Aug. 20, 64% of U.S. adults believe racism against Black people is widespread, with 83% of Black adults and 61% of white adults expressing this view.

Police interactions are seen as the “most racially inequitable” among six possible scenarios, said respondents.

At the same time, Gallup found that “68% of U.S. adults think civil rights have improved in their lifetime.”

Human Rights Watch said that “racial justice remained a pressing human rights concern in the United States in 2024.”

While the U.S. “ratified the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination nearly 60 years ago,” the nation “has done far too little to implement its provisions,” said HRW, adding that “living legacies of slavery and the slaughter and dispossession of Native peoples remain largely unaddressed.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Crying out to God during moments of extreme trial does not mark a crisis of faith but can reflect an act of total surrender to and enduring trust in God, Pope Leo XIV said.

“In the journey of life, there are moments in which keeping something inside can slowly consume us,” the pope told thousands of people huddled under umbrellas or dressed in rain gear in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 10 for his weekly general audience.

“Jesus teaches us not to be afraid to cry out, as long as it is sincere, humble, addressed to the Father,” he said.

“A cry is never pointless if it is born of love, and it is never ignored if it is delivered to God,” he said. “It is a way to not give in to cynicism, to continue to believe that another world is possible.”

During the audience, the pope offered special greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful, especially those from the Holy Land.

“I invite you to transform your cry in times of trial and tribulation into a prayer of trust, because God always listens to his children and responds at the moment he deems best for us,” he said.

Pope Leo also asked the faithful to find inspiration in Sts. Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, the two young men he canonized Sept. 7, and, like them, “learn from Christ the cry of hope and the desire to open our hearts to the will of the Father who wants our salvation.”

In his main talk, the pope continued his series of reflections on lessons of hope from the Gospel stories of Jesus’ last days, focusing specifically on the crucified Christ’s cry to God and his death on the cross.

Before he cried out on the cross, Pope Leo said, Jesus asked “one of the most heart-rending” questions that could ever be uttered: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

“The Son, who always lived in intimate communion with the Father, now experiences silence, absence, the abyss. It is not a crisis of faith, but the final stage of a love that is given up to the very end,” the pope said. “Jesus’ cry is not desperation, but sincerity, truth taken to the limit, trust that endures even when all is silent.”

“We are accustomed to thinking of crying out as something disorderly, to be repressed,” the pope said. However, “the Gospel confers an immense value to our cry, reminding us that it can be an invocation, a protest, a desire, a surrender,” even an “extreme form of prayer, when there are no words left.”

Crying out can express “a hope that is not resigned,” he said. “One cries out when one believes that someone can still hear.”

“Jesus did not cry out against the Father, but to him. Even in silence, he was convinced that the Father was there,” Pope Leo said. “And, in this way, he showed us that our hope can cry out, even when all seems lost.”

“We come into the world crying: it is also a way of staying alive,” he said. “One cries when one suffers, but also when one loves, one calls, one invokes. To cry out is saying who we are, that we do not want to fade away in silence, that we still have something to offer.”

When the hour of extreme trial comes, he said, “let us learn the cry of hope,” which is not a cry meant to hurt or to shout at someone, “but to entrust ourselves” and “to open our hearts.”

If one’s cry is genuine, it can usher in a new beginning, he said. “If it is made manifest with the trust and freedom of the children of God, the suffering voice of our humanity, united with the voice of Christ, can become a source of hope for us and for those around us.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Department of Education will issue new guidance “protecting the right to prayer” in public schools, President Donald Trump said Sept. 8 during remarks at the Museum of the Bible for the Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission.

The Trump administration previously reduced the workforce at the Department of Education and stated its intent to scale the department back.

In a statement shared with OSV News, Savannah Newhouse, press secretary for the Department of Education, said, “Free exercise of religion is a founding principle and a constitutionally protected right afforded to all citizens of our great nation. The Department of Education looks forward to supporting President Trump’s vision to promote religious liberty in our schools across the country.”

Neither Trump nor the Department of Education offered details about what that guidance may include.

Trump in May signed an executive order creating a religious liberty commission, which includes Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota. The commissioners gathered at the Museum of the Bible in Washington to examine what recommendations they should make to the president about promoting and protecting religious freedom in a report next spring. Their second hearing focused on religious freedom in public schools.

Trump also expressed condolences for the victims of the deadly Aug. 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis during a liturgy marking the start of the school year.

“Two weeks ago in Minneapolis, a demonic killer shot 21 people and murdered two precious children at a Catholic school,” Trump said. “Can you believe that? Hard to believe.”

Trump said there have been “too many” school shootings, and “our hearts are shattered for the families of those beautiful children.”

“And I’ve made clear, Attorney General Pam Bondi is working really hard, we must get answers about the causes of these repeated attacks, and we’re working very, very hard on them,” he said.

Some of the Trump administration’s policy positions have been criticized by faith leaders, perhaps most notably on immigration. In January, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, who is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in a statement that executive orders signed by Trump upon returning to office on issues including migration, the environment and the death penalty were “deeply troubling,” but praised other actions such as one on gender policy.

Trump touted his administration’s actions on gender at the hearing, criticizing a position he called “transgender for everybody.”

“On Day One of my administration, I signed an executive order to slash federal funding for any school that pushes transgender insanity,” Trump said.

The same day as the commission hearing, Trump wrote, “Happy Birthday Mary, Queen of Peace!” on his website Truth Social, in an apparent reference to the Nativity of Mary. The Sept. 8 feast is celebrated as Mary’s “birthday” and is a significant Marian feast in the Catholic Church, although Trump is not Catholic.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the commission’s chairman, said during opening remarks that one of the other goals of the committee is to “make sure America knows their rights.”

In opening remarks, Cardinal Dolan said while he was in Rome for the conclave that led to the election of Pope Leo XIV, his fellow cardinals from other countries where religious freedom is under threat expressed their concern

“My brother cardinals from all over the world,” Cardinal Dolan said, “came up to me, and I presume other of the other American cardinals, to thank us for our strong defense of religious liberty.”

“I was fascinated by that, and asked them why, and they said, ‘Well, because you in the United States serve as a beacon for the rest of us,'” he said.

“Doesn’t this give us an added sense of responsibility?” he continued. “We’re not doing this in a self-serving way … (but in a) benevolent way to help others, because they look to us for the protection of religious liberty.”

Witnesses at the hearing included Lana Roman, a mom and petitioner in the Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor, where the high court ruled in favor of an interfaith group of Maryland parents who sought to opt their children out of classroom instruction pertaining to books containing LGBTQ+ themes to which they object on religious grounds.

Roman said, “As Christians, we teach our son that every person is loved by God and should be treated with dignity and respect.”

“We also teach him that sex is a gift from God and a natural, unchanging part of who we are. Many of these books introduced sexual concepts to children at an inappropriately young age putting children in the untenable position of having to question who to trust: their teachers, or their parents,” she said.

Sameerah Munshi, a member of the commission’s advisory board and a Muslim community advocate in Mahmoud case, acknowledged a diversity of views in her faith tradition, but urged the commission to make clear recommendations to protect religious minorities.

“Opt-out protections must be made clear, accessible and enforceable,” she said. “Oftentimes, these policies are in place on paper, but can be difficult to actualize.”

Munshi further argued that “laws on religious liberty must be implemented with transparency and consistency.”

“Public institutions need guidance and accountability to ensure that they’re not silencing only a particular viewpoint or voices on one particular issue,” she said.

Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington and one of the commissioners, argued in response to witnesses’ testimony that “it seems that there’s a certain type of public school administrator who thinks that functional, practical atheism is neutrality.”

“The founders’ vision was that Jewish students could be authentically Jewish, Muslim students could be authentically Muslim, Protestant students could be authentically Protestant, Catholics to be authentically Catholic, it would be pluralistic,” he said, adding, “I think that’s a huge problem here is that we’ve allowed ourselves to think that secularism is somehow neutral and it’s not.”

The commission’s next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 29. It will examine “religious liberty issues in education from the perspectives of teachers and coaches, as well as religious liberty issues in school funding and educational choice,” the Department of Justice said.