Author: Eric Deabill

(OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV tops a new Gallup poll on world leaders, appealing to U.S. residents broadly in a politically divided – and divisive – nation.

The poll, conducted by telephone July 7-21 with 1,002 adults throughout the country, found that 57% of respondents viewed Pope Leo favorably, with 11% disapproving of him and 31% having no opinion.

Of that last group, 18% said they were not familiar enough with the pope to weigh in, while the remaining 13% had not heard of him.

In addition, said Gallup, Pope Leo is viewed more favorably across party lines, “unlike the political figures measured in the latest poll.”

At the same time, Gallup noted that, “consistent with the ideological differences in his ratings, he is liked better by Democrats than Republicans.”

The Gallup poll was the first time it rated the U.S.-born pope since his May 8 election. Pope Leo marks his first 100 days in the papacy Aug. 16.

Respondents gave Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a 52% approval rating, with 34% disapproving and 14% indicating no opinion. Behind him was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who was viewed positively by 49% and negatively by 38%, with 14% having no opinion.

Most Americans surveyed (57%) disapproved of U.S. President Donald Trump, with 41% approving and just 2% having no opinion. Vice President JD Vance scored a 49% disapproval rating, with 38% viewing him favorably and 13% having no opinion.

Pope Leo also led the rankings according to net favorability — which represents the difference between positive and negative percentage points — at 46%.

Gallup noted that “net favorability is most effective for these comparisons because it accounts for large differences in Americans’ familiarity with the various figures.”

Except for Pope Leo, Zelenskyy and Sanders, all of the remaining leaders on the Gallup list had negative net favorability, with French President Emmanuel Macron at -1% and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk at -28%.

Trump (-16%), Secretary of State Marco Rubio (-16%), former President Joe Biden (-11%) and current Vice President JD Vance (-11%) fell between Macron and Musk in the net negative rankings.

Gallup also compared Pope Leo’s rating with those of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI. It noted the new pope’s numbers “closely match” those of his predecessors in the early days of their respective pontificates. In 2013, Gallup found that 58% approved and 10% disapproved of Pope Francis, while in 2005 Pope Benedict was viewed favorably by 55% and unfavorably by 12%.

The polling firm clarified that it did not measure U.S. public opinion of Pope St. John Paul II as favorable or unfavorable until 1993, well after his 1978 election. However, the late pope enjoyed wide popularity among U.S. residents, with anywhere from 61% to 86% approving in a given poll over the years.

Among U.S. Catholics, Pope Leo (76%), Pope Francis (80%) and Pope Benedict (67%) “earned higher-than-average support in their initial ratings,” said Gallup.

The firm also noted that Pope Leo differs from predecessors in that his approval rating is “higher among liberals than conservatives (65% vs. 46%).”

In contrast, conservatives were more likely to view Pope Benedict and Pope Francis favorably during the early days of their pontificates.

Pope Benedict maintained that conservative approval edge through Gallup’s 2010 data, taken three years ahead of his 2013 resignation. Pope Francis’ ranking among conservatives declined, with his December 2023 Gallup numbers showing a 70% approval among liberals and 42% among conservatives.

ARCHBALD – On Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, parishioners and friends of Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Archbald are invited to gather in joyful thanksgiving as the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, returns to celebrate a special Mass marking the 150th anniversary of the church’s dedication.

The liturgy will take place at 4:00 p.m. and all are welcome.

The anniversary celebration not only marks a milestone in bricks and mortar – but also an enduring legacy of faith and community that has defined the church community since the 1800s.

“It will be 150 years plus a day,” noted Father Ryan Glenn, pastor of Christ the King Parish, of which Saint Thomas Aquinas Church is a worship site. “It was originally consecrated by the First Bishop of Scranton on Aug. 15, 1875, and it really is a testimony to the faith of the people. They were primarily coal miners.”

Saint Thomas Aquinas Church was built during a time when nearly every man in the parish worked in the mines.

Historical records show that while the church was being constructed, the mines were on “half time.” A group of those early parishioners asked the officials of the D & H Gravity Mine to operate the mines an extra week so that the money could be turned over to the parish priest to meet the congregation’s obligations.

The company agreed and approximately $7,500 was paid into the church treasury to almost wipe out the debt of construction.

“It’s amazing to think of the faith of the people who really built such a magnificent church,” Father Ryan added.

WITHSTANDING TEST OF TIME

The deep connection between the church and its people has never been more evident than in moments of hardship. That was on display most significantly 15 years ago when the ceiling of the church collapsed. At the time, the pastor was none other than Monsignor Joseph Bambera, now Bishop of Scranton.

“That always comes up when people mention him here,” Father Glenn shared with a smile. “Saint Thomas Church has been through a lot … (It) has been renovated back to its original glory.”

Today, the church stands not only as a stunning architectural landmark, but as a living home for generations of faithful.

“We have Mass every day in Saint Thomas Aquinas Church,” Father Ryan explained. “It’s amazing to think of the countless individuals who have gone through here, were baptized, confirmed, had weddings and funerals. It’s not just the beauty of the building; it’s the extraordinary community housed here.”

One of the treasures inside is a painting of the Crucifixion that hangs on the back wall behind the altar – and is nearly as old as the building itself. Generations have prayed before it, creating an unbroken thread of devotion stretching across generations.

“To think for well over 100 years, people have been praying before that same image of the crucified Christ,” Father Ryan said. “It’s really amazing to have that connection in faith with people that were here well before us.”

‘LIVING COMMUNITY OF FAITH’

Over the past 150 years, the church has seen renovations and additions, including the vibrant stained-glass windows installed in 1949 and 1950, which reflect the life and concerns of Catholics in the mid-20th century.

One depicts Saint Maria Goretti, newly canonized at the time. Another includes a sickle and hammer symbol – an artistic reflection of prayer and hope for peace during the Cold War era.

“When you go in and pray and look around, it’s reflective of a faith that is living and alive,” Father Ryan explained. “The art and architecture are reflective of a living community of faith.”

Even children are drawn into that history. During First Communion preparation, Father Ryan gives a tour of the church – and one detail always delights.

“There are two dogs depicted in the church murals,” he laughed. “One sits at the feet of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha. There is another dog in the big mural of Saint Thomas Aquinas that reflects the legend of Saint Dominic.”

HOMECOMING AND HOPE

Following the anniversary Mass, all are invited to a social in the church hall.

Father Ryan said whether a person has worshipped at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church their entire life, or moved away years ago, the upcoming anniversary Mass is a moment to come home.

“It is a nice moment for us to recognize our history – but also to realize that we keep moving forward,” he said. “The mission of the Church continues: to serve the poor, to preach the Gospel, and to worship the Lord.”

(OSV News) – Despite daunting odds, Catholic Relief Services and its on-the-ground partners have managed to deliver aid to 1.7 million people in Gaza since 2023, according to new data.

On July 29, CRS — the official relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — updated its diocesan coordinators regarding efforts to provide essential assistance to the population of Gaza, where CRS has maintained a continuous presence since 1984.

Amid “severe access limitations and aid blockades,” Baltimore-based CRS and its partners have still managed to supply basic needs as well as psychosocial support, wrote CRS diocesan engagement adviser Jesús J. Huerta in his email, with the agency “mobilizing supplies from Egypt and Jordan” following “the recent humanitarian pause.”

Israel enacted an 11-week blockade of aid starting in March, in an effort to pressure Hamas to release the remaining Israeli hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which sparked the current war. In late May, aid distribution was resumed under the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a joint initiative of the U.S. and Israel. GHF has drawn international criticism for security concerns surrounding its distribution points, which have been reported to result in numerous fatalities.

Israel has also initiated aid drops into Gaza, but humanitarian groups have described them as dangerous and inefficient.

Huerta said in his email that “decades of work with communities, the local Catholic Church and partners in Gaza and the region have enabled our (CRS’) rapid, flexible and impactful response.”

At the same, he noted that “our staff and partners continue to operate under grave risk.”

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, more than 60,000 Palestinians have died, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed and more than 5,400 injured. Of the 251 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas that Oct. 7, 50 remain in captivity, with only 20 of them believed to still be alive, with 83 of the hostages confirmed killed to date. More than 100 were released later in 2023; eight were rescued by Israeli forces.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC — a measurement initiative by a global consortium of food security organizations and agencies, including CRS — has warned that Gaza is at risk of famine, with both serious and critical levels of acute malnutrition throughout the densely populated region. “Increasingly stringent blockades” by Israel have “dramatically worsened” conditions, said the IPC.

In a fact sheet attached to Huerta’s email, CRS said that its current program priorities are safe, dignified shelter and housing; water, sanitation and hygiene; psychosocial support; and assisting church partners in Gaza, “who enjoy community trust and have strong grassroots connections.”

Noting that its Gaza church partners “serve as temporary shelters for approximately 400 people,” CRS said it has supplied “hygiene items, cash assistance, clothing, tarps and other humanitarian goods as available.”

Among the aid CRS has so far provided since 2023:

— Shelter assistance (including bedding, living supplies, tarps, tents and shelter repair kits) to 341,790 people.

— Clean water, latrines, hygiene and sanitation kits and supplies to 500,268 people.

— Psychosocial support to 10,399 children and teens, and to 1,333 caregivers.

Linked to the fact sheet was a new report produced by CRS and two global humanitarian organizations, Save the Children and Mercy Corps, titled “Markets Under Fire,” which assessed market conditions in Gaza and their impact on food security and humanitarian aid.

Led by Save the Children, the July 2025 report marks the second phase in an analysis first undertaken by the three agencies — which are “three of the main cash actors in Gaza,” the report notes — in August and September of 2024.

The latest report found that “about 70% of structures” in Gaza are damaged, and “key urban areas are largely non-functional.”

More than 86% of Gaza is within the “Israeli-militarized zone,” which has made “key market hubs inaccessible,” the report said.

In addition, 83% of cropland and 95% of farmland — the latter of which encompasses broader uses, such as livestock grazing — have been rendered “damaged or inaccessible,” said the report. Agricultural production has plummeted by more than 80%.

Livestock numbers have declined, with owners forced to kill their flocks due to the cost of fodder, the report said.

Overall, “the food system has collapsed due to blockade, destruction of productive assets, and looting,” said the report.

The data showed that as of June 2025, “food consumption, dietary diversity, and (food) access have all sharply deteriorated,” with 79% of households having “poor food consumption scores,” and 98% resorting to “extreme coping strategies like meal skipping and portion reduction.”

At the same time, “some staples have risen over 3,000% in price,” said the report, adding that “households continue to depend on markets but face severe supply shortages and unaffordable prices.”

Exponential inflation in Gaza extends to durable goods as well, with a single vehicle tire costing “up to $17,000,” the report found.

Economically, Gaza continues to experience a “multi-faceted liquidity crisis,” including “diminished purchasing power among consumers, a shortage of usable physical currency, and severe capital constraints limiting suppliers’ ability to restock,” the report said.

As a result, humanitarian organizations “increasingly use e-wallets and mobile transfers for cash assistance,” but such strategies are “only partial solutions due to Gaza’s cash-based economy, recurrent power and network outages, and the enforced isolation of its financial system,” said the report.

In response, “citizen-led price monitoring platforms and informal practices like bartering and peer-to-peer exchanges” have emerged, while formal market regulation “has collapsed under blockade and conflict,” leading to “severe inflation … price fluctuations, and reduced competition,” the report found.

“This environment exacerbates inequality and undermines market integrity,” said the report. “The absence of security, law and order and predictable access fragments the market, fuels speculation and leaves space for price manipulation.”

Energy access in Gaza “has collapsed,” with the grid down and insufficient fuel entry into the region between March and June, leaving residents to “rely on unreliable and hazardous alternatives” such as “car batteries, firewood, solar panel and burning plastic,” said the report. Most households have less than four hours of electricity per day.

Formal transport and communication systems have been undermined, with public transport now “nearly non-existent” and relying on donkey carts.

Yet the scope of such challenges has not deterred CRS or its partners, the agency said in its fact sheet.

“In a time of fear and flight, CRS works with its partners to uphold human dignity, even amid bombardment and continuous displacement,” said the agency.

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The 143rd Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus opened in Washington Aug. 5 with a call to charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism, as Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly urged members to be “heralds of hope” in a world searching for meaning.

Delegates from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Ukraine, Cuba and other nations gathered in the nation’s capital, joined virtually by viewers on EWTN, Salt + Light Television and CatholicTV.

The session began with prayer led by Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, the Knights’ supreme chaplain, invoking hope rooted in Christ’s love and the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney, the group’s founder.

“Our hope is born of love, and is rooted in the pierced heart of your Son, Jesus Christ,” Archbishop Lori prayed. “Let us, your Knights of Columbus family, be heralds of hope.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed the convention in a video message reflecting on the Jubilee Year of Hope.

He reminded the Knights that “the source of our hope is Jesus Christ,” and praised the fraternal order for being “tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”

Saying the convention’s theme, “Heralds of Hope,” is timely, Pope Leo commended the Knights’ charitable outreach, including efforts for “the unborn, pregnant mothers, children, those who are less fortunate, and those affected by the scourge of war,” which he said “brings hope and healing to many and continues the noble legacy of your founder, Blessed Michael McGivney.”

Kelly’s annual report highlighted the Knights’ global impact and alignment with the vision of Pope Leo. He recalled being in Rome at the time of the conclave and pledging the “unfailing unity” of 2.1 million Knights to the new Holy Father. He said Pope Leo’s call for missionary outreach, unity and fraternity “felt like he was speaking directly to the Knights of Columbus,” because those principles reflect the order’s founding mission.

He also paid tribute to Pope Francis, describing him as “a pope of charity,” whose example inspired the Knights’ outreach to Indigenous communities, efforts against human trafficking, and humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

“We don’t merely volunteer,” Kelly said. “We see the face of Christ in those we serve, and we sacrifice for them because that’s what Jesus did for us.”

Humanitarian work remains a hallmark of the Knights’ mission. The Global Wheelchair Mission has donated more than 158,000 wheelchairs, including 19,000 last year. Aid continues for Christians in Nigeria, where persecution persists, and for Ukrainians suffering from the ongoing war.

Kelly shared the story of Tetiana Sahaidak, a young woman in Ukraine who lost her foot in a missile attack and is now receiving a prosthetic with the Knights’ support.

The Knights of Columbus continue their longstanding support for the Special Olympics through volunteer service and financial contributions, Kelly said. Members assist at local and international events, helping athletes and families experience the joy of competition while promoting the dignity of every person with intellectual disabilities.

In the United States, Knights responded to natural disasters including the Texas floods, hurricanes in the Southeast and the California wildfires. He shared a story about one Knight’s family whose home was destroyed in California and found hope in a statue of the Blessed Mother that survived untouched. Their video singing the “Regina Caeli” went viral, inspiring millions.

The Knights of Columbus in the Philippines exemplify the fraternal group’s mission of charity, serving those in the most desperate conditions. Kelly praised the more than 500,000 Filipino Knights for their daily outreach, from operating soup kitchens in Manila to supporting hundreds of children who live in what he called a “heartbreaking place” — a giant landfill — through education and care programs.

Filipino Knights also lead the national “Guardians of Dignity” initiative to combat human trafficking in partnership with the Arise Foundation. Their work, Kelly said, reaches “beyond the peripheries,” bringing hope to abandoned children, trafficking survivors and the poorest families across the nation.

The Knights’ pro-life mission expanded through the Aid and Support After Pregnancy initiative, which provided $6 million to pregnancy resource centers last year. The Knights also reached a milestone of 2,000 donated ultrasound machines, including a new unit for a Virginia center that has already helped save more than 200 babies.

“Too many men are acting like boys,” Kelly said, emphasizing the order’s COR program for men’s faith formation. “Women need husbands, children need fathers, and we all need men to act like men.”

Spiritual renewal is central to the Knights’ work. The Sacred Heart Pilgrim Icon program has inspired more than 5,000 prayer services, drawing one-half million participants, while the Knights continue to lead Eucharistic processions and support the National Eucharistic Revival.

Vocations support also remains a priority. The Knights’ RSVP program has assisted more than 150,000 men and women discerning the priesthood or religious life and has surpassed $100 million in contributions. Kelly underscored that commitment by presenting the 2025 International Blessed Michael McGivney Medal to Pallottine Father Frank S. Donio, the Knights’ highest annual honor for priests, which recognizes chaplains whose ministry reflects the spirit of the organization’s founder.

Father Donio, a charter member and longtime chaplain of the Knights of Columbus’ council at The Catholic University of America, also serves as the state chaplain for the District of Columbia. Kelly noted that Father Donio has spent nearly two decades supporting the spiritual formation and vocational discernment of young men, including several who have entered the priesthood.

Membership in the Knights of Columbus continues to grow worldwide, with 96,000 new members in the past year, Kelly said. He emphasized outreach on college campuses and in Hispanic communities, calling Hispanic men essential to the future of the church and a natural fit for the Catholic fraternal organization.

Kelly encouraged each Knight to invite two new members in the coming year to sustain the mission.

The Knights of Columbus also support Catholic families through financial programs. The Knights provide more than $123 billion in life insurance and manage $2.4 billion in assets for dioceses, religious orders and Catholic clients, all in accordance with church teaching.

Through the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund, a donor-advised program, more than $147 million has been distributed to church and community initiatives.

Patriotism, the fourth principle of the Knights of Columbus, was emphasized in the 125th anniversary year of what is the order’s highest degree for members. It’s also known as the “Patriotic Degree.”

Kelly honored the organization’s defense of religious liberty, from supporting parental rights in education to opposing anti-Catholic persecution. He cited the sacrifice of Mexican Knights during the church persecutions of the 1920s and 1930s, the contributions of French Knights to restoring Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire and the dedication of Ukrainian Knights serving on the front lines.

“As patriots, we strongly support those who serve in uniform,” Kelly said, noting that the Knights operate 67 U.S. military councils worldwide, have distributed more than 700,000 “Armed with the Faith” prayer books and sponsor the annual Warriors to Lourdes pilgrimage for wounded military personnel.

The Knights also support veterans and their families, including funeral assistance and community outreach. Kelly praised Sgt. Lewis Reed, 91, who has volunteered at more than 25,000 veterans’ funerals, as an example of enduring patriotic service. He also thanked Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, for his partnership in ministering to military families.

“Patriotism isn’t an option. It’s an obligation,” Kelly said. “We will foster the good in our countries, work to make them better, and hand on our love of country to our children and grandchildren.”

The session concluded with a moving story of hope through the intercession of Blessed Michael McGivney. Kelly recounted the story of a toddler who fell into a pool and had no pulse for 52 minutes. After the family prayed a novena and placed a first-class relic of Blessed Michael McGivney on the child, he made a full recovery.

“We have come further than Father McGivney ever imagined, but we have only gone where Christ has called us to go,” Kelly said. “Now, let’s put our faith into action once again as heralds of hope in all we do.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The Trump administration said Aug. 1 it would revoke its predecessor’s policy rule that included abortion as a covered health benefit for veterans and their dependents, and return to a policy of fully excluding abortion and abortion-counseling.

The previous rule, implemented by the Biden administration in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its precedent finding abortion access a constitutional right, allowed the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide abortion-related counseling, as well as perform some abortions in certain circumstances, such as rape, incest or risk to the mother’s life. The federal rule was issued to be in effect regardless of state law on abortion.

But in a notice published in the Federal Register, the VA said it would revoke the Biden rule and reinstate the previous policy that had been in place since 1999.

“We take this action to ensure that VA provides only needed medical services to our nation’s heroes and their families,” a scheduled release from the department for the Federal Register said.

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, praised the decision, in an Aug. 2 statement.

“It is only fitting that an agency established to care for those who so often put their lives on the line to defend the innocent is freed from participation in procedures that do not support innocent life,” said Archbishop Broglio, who also serves as the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, church officials in the U.S. have reiterated the church’s concern for both mother and child, and called for strengthening support for those living in poverty or other causes that can push women toward having an abortion.

Archbishop Broglio said he was “deeply grateful” to Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and President Donald Trump “for returning to the prior policy that prohibits the use of federal funds to end the life of the preborn in the womb.”

Supporters of the Biden-era policy argued female service members may be assigned to states that have restricted abortion, and that their access should be protected in difficult circumstances. Opponents argued — in addition to voicing moral concerns around abortion ending the life of an unborn child — that the VA exceeded its authority in attempting to override state-level restrictions on the practice.

“After veterans put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms, the Trump administration is trying to rob them of their own freedoms and putting their health at risk,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO at the Center for Reproductive Rights, argued in a statement.

“This administration is sending a clear message to veterans — that their health and dignity aren’t worth defending,” Northup said. “To devalue veterans in this way and take away life-changing health care would be unconscionable. This shows you just how extreme this administration’s anti-abortion stance is — they would rather a veteran suffer severely than receive an abortion.”

In a statement, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America praised the administration’s decision “for restoring the rule of law and ending the Biden Administration’s illegal policy that forced taxpayers to fund abortions through VA hospitals and violated state pro-life laws.”

“Instead of prioritizing the real and urgent needs of our veterans, the Biden-Harris Administration turned VA hospitals into abortion centers — violating longstanding law and betraying the will of the American people who strongly oppose forced taxpayer-funded abortions,” the statement said. “Veterans deserve compassionate care and healing and should not be subjected to the violence of abortion. The American people should never have been made to bankroll it. Thankfully this injustice is now corrected.”

The reversal of the Biden-era rule will undergo a public comment period that ends Sept. 3.

(OSV News) – In a rare Saturday session, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Brian Burch, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, in a vote of 49-44 along party lines Aug. 2.

Burch, the former president of the pro-Trump political advocacy organization CatholicVote, was confirmed amid a day of voting on a slate of nominees after Democratic senators refused to reach a deal to advance Trump’s backlog of executive branch nominees by unanimous consent or voice votes.

Burch’s confirmation was previously blocked in May by Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who placed a blanket hold on all of Trump’s nominees to the State Department due to his concern over the Trump administration’s closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The Vatican ambassador role is meant to represent the U.S. government’s positions on many issues to the Holy See in its capacity as a nation-state in diplomatic efforts. Burch succeeds former Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-IN, who assumed the role in April 2022 and stepped down in July 2024.

Burch holds a degree in political philosophy from the University of Dallas. In 2005, he co-founded CatholicVote, an advocacy group that officially backed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, spending over $10 million to reach 2 million Catholics that year.

Burch posted on X just after the confirmation vote that he was “profoundly grateful to President Trump and the United States Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See” and expressed gratitude for “the honor and privilege of serving in this role following the historic selection of the first American pope.”

“In a remarkable coincidence, or what I prefer to attribute to Providence, Pope Leo XIV is from Chicago, which is also my hometown,” he added. “The relationship between the Holy See and the United States remains one of the most unique in the world, with the global reach and moral witness of the Catholic Church serving as a critical component of U.S. efforts to bring about peace and prosperity.”

He also asked “for the prayers of all Americans, especially my fellow Catholics, that I may serve honorably and faithfully in the noble adventure ahead.”

In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April, Burch called the relationship between the U.S. and the Holy See “unique and vital” and pledged to deepen that bond.

“It transcends traditional diplomacy, rooted instead in our shared commitments to religious freedom, human dignity, global peace, and justice,” he said at the time. “The Holy See, as the governing body of the Catholic Church, plays a critical and influential role in international affairs. We can and we must continue our strong partnership, while advancing our mutual interests in addressing an array of global challenges, including working to resolve war and conflict in multiple regions around the globe, religious persecution, the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable, the scourge of human trafficking, and the defense and promotion of human dignity and prosperity.”

When announcing Burch’s nomination, Trump posted on his social media website Truth Social that “Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote. He has received numerous awards, and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country.”

Current CatholicVote president Kelsey Reinhardt celebrated the news just following Burch’s confirmation, posting on X “CatholicVote joyfully celebrates the confirmation of Brian Burch to serve as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, the governing body of the largest and most important religious institution in the world.”

“For the past 17 years, Brian has faithfully championed CatholicVote’s mission to inspire American Catholics to live their faith in public life,” she wrote. “We are confident that he will similarly excel in this new role and are forever grateful for the foundation he laid and the impact he had on millions of Catholics across the Nation.”

“CatholicVote cannot wait to see all that Ambassador Burch will accomplish in this new mission with Pope Leo XIV,” she said. “Together, they will surely make Chicago and America proud. We are praying for his success through the intercession of St. Peter.”

ROME (CNS) – Addressing an estimated 1 million young people, Pope Leo XIV urged them to forge genuine relationships rooted in Christ rather than ephemeral online connections that can reduce individuals to a commodity.

“When a tool controls someone, that person becomes a tool: a commodity on the market and, in turn, a piece of merchandise,” the pope said during the evening prayer vigil for the Jubilee of Youth Aug. 2. “Only genuine relationships and stable connections can build good lives.”

The pope arrived by helicopter at the Tor Vergata field, roughly eight miles southeast of Rome’s city center, and was greeted with cheers from young people waving flags. Many of the youth were going to camp out overnight, sleeping in tents and sleeping bags on the dusty field, much like the World Youth Day celebration held 25 years ago in the same location.

Countless young people kicked up the dust from the field as they ran alongside the popemobile to catch a glimpse of the pontiff. Pope Leo smiled and waved at the youth, occasionally catching objects and plush toys that were hurled his way.

Exiting the popemobile, he was handed the large Jubilee year cross, which he carried to the main altar, accompanied by dozens of young people.

After beginning the vigil with prayers, the pope engaged in a dialogue with several young people who asked him three questions.

Dulce Maria, a 23-year-old woman from Mexico, spoke of the excitement of online friendships but also of the loneliness that comes from connections that are “not true and lasting relationships, but rather fleeting and often illusory.”

“How can we find true friendship and genuine love that will lead us to true hope? How can faith help us build our future?” she asked.

Pope Leo acknowledged the potential of the internet and social media as “an extraordinary opportunity for dialogue,” but warned that these tools “are misleading when they are controlled by commercialism and interests that fragment our relationships.”

Drawing from his Augustinian spirituality, Pope Leo urged young people to emulate St. Augustine, who had a “restless youth, but he did not settle for less.”

“How did he find true friendship and a love capable of giving hope? By finding the one who was already looking for him, Jesus Christ,” the pope said. “How did he build his future? By following the one who had always been his friend.”

Gaia, a 19-year-old woman from Italy, asked how young people can find the courage to make choices amid uncertainty.

“To choose is a fundamental human act,” the pope responded. “When we make a choice, in the strict sense, we decide who we want to become.”

He encouraged young people to remember they were chosen by God, and that “the courage to choose comes from love, which God shows us in Christ.”

The pope recalled St. John Paul II’s words spoken in the same place 25 years ago, reminding the youth that “it is Jesus in fact that you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you.”

The pope called “radical and meaningful choices,” such as marriage, priesthood and religious life, “the free and liberating gift of self that makes us truly happy.”

“These choices give meaning to our lives, transforming them into the image of the perfect love that created them and redeemed them from all evil, even from death,” he said.

Departing from his prepared remarks, Pope Leo expressed condolences for the deaths of two pilgrims. Pascale Rafic, an 18-year-old pilgrim from Egypt, who died due to a heart condition. Earlier in the day, the pope met with a group of Egyptian youth with whom Rafic traveled to Rome.

Maria Cobo Vergara, a 20-year-old pilgrim from Madrid, Spain, died July 30. While the cause of death was not mentioned in a statement published Aug. 1, the Archdiocese of Madrid said the young pilgrim suffered “four years of illness.”

“Both (pilgrims) chose to come to Rome for the Jubilee of Youth, and death has taken them in these days,” the pope said at the vigil. “Let us pray together for them.”

Lastly, 20-year-old Will, a young pilgrim from the United States, asked the pope how to “truly encounter the Risen Lord in our lives and be sure of his presence even in the midst of trials and uncertainties.”

Recalling Pope Francis’ papal bull for the Holy Year 2025, “Spes non confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), Pope Leo said that “hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come,” and that one’s understanding of good “reflects how our conscience has been shaped by the people in our lives.”

He urged them to foster their conscience by listening to Jesus’ word and to “reflect on your way of living, and seek justice in order to build a more humane world.”

“Serve the poor, and so bear witness to the good that we would always like to receive from our neighbors,” he said. “Adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the source of eternal life. Study, work and love according to the example of Jesus, the good Teacher who always walks beside us.”

He also invited young people to pray to remain friends with Jesus and be “a companion on the journey for anyone I meet.”

“Through praying these words, our dialogue will continue each time we look at the crucified Lord, for our hearts will be united in him,” the pope concluded.

(OSV News) – St. John Henry Newman — the 19th-century theologian, intellectual and preacher who journeyed from Anglicanism to Catholicism, powerfully shaping religious thought in both faith traditions — will be named a doctor of the church by Pope Leo XIV.

The news was announced by the Vatican shortly after Pope Leo’s July 31 audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

The Vatican press bulletin stated that the pope had “confirmed the affirmative opinion of the plenary session of cardinals and bishops, members of the dicastery” for sainthood causes, on conferring the title, which since the early church has been bestowed on saints whose doctrinal writing and teachings are held to have special authority. St. Ambrose, St. Augustine, St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome were the first four doctors of the church, and excluding today’s announcement, there have been 37 saints so named — including four women, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Hildegard of Bingen.

The move had been supported by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who at their November 2023 plenary assembly voted almost unanimously to support a request by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales that Newman be named a doctor of the church by Pope Francis.

Speaking at the 2023 plenary, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, said the USCCB doctrine committee, of which he is chair, “considered this matter back in 2019 and concluded that the writings of St. John Henry Newman are truly eminent and of great relevance for the church today, especially in the areas of the development of doctrine, the moral foundations of education, the primacy of conscience, the role of the laity and the search for the truth, amongst many others.

“The committee therefore determined that St. John Henry Newman is indeed worthy of this high honor,” said Bishop Flores at the time, who was joined in his remarks by several bishops.

According to an online biography by the Oratories of England, prepared for his canonization cause, John Henry Newman — born 1801 in London and raised in a middle-class Anglican family — displayed an early interest in Scripture.

In his “Apologia Pro Su Vita” (“A Defense of His Life”), his 1864 autobiography, Cardinal Newman recounted “a great change of thought” he experienced at the age of 15, one that enabled him to “rest in the thought of two and two only absolute and luminously self-evident beings, myself and my creator.”

With the revival sparked by John Wesley, Newman converted to evangelicalism during his final year at Great Ealing School. At 16, he went on to study at Oxford, which along with Cambridge University offered seminary formation for Anglican clergy — a vocation Newman sought out, even looking to take what for that clerical tradition was the unusual vow of celibacy. He was ordained in 1825, and dedicated himself to making pastoral visits to the sick and the poor while also tutoring college students, said the Oratories biography.

However, Newman’s zealous sharing of his faith with the students led to a clash with the administration, and deprived of the opportunity to teach, he began reading the works of the Fathers of the Church, which he described in part as “music to my inward ear” and “response to ideas … I had cherished so long.”

Newman’s preaching began to attract national attention, and a near-fatal bout of illness in 1833, contracted while in Sicily — which saw him feverishly repeat, “I have a work to do in England” — intensified his desire for the renewal of the church. Upon returning to his homeland, Newman teamed up with like-minded others who feared the Church of England had become complacent and politicized, said the Oratories. The group formed what would become known as the Oxford Movement, publishing tracts to rouse faithful from their torpor and reclaim the Gospel.

The future saint fell afoul of the university and Oxford’s bishop by arguing that the Church of England’s doctrines were more Catholic than Protestant. Newman left Oxford, and took up residence in the nearby village of Littlemore, where he pursued study and prayer. Resigning from his parish, he began to discern — albeit not without struggle, as the Oratories observed — a calling to embrace the Catholic faith.

In the canonization cause biography, the Oratories pointed out that Newman’s battle with sacred tradition on matters such as purgatory and papal supremacy spurred further historical study, leading to his 1845 “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine,” in which he described ideas and doctrines as organic, with “old principles” reappearing “under new forms.” Newman observed in the work that “in a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.”

That same year, he was formally received into the Catholic Church — making his confession right in his home to a Passionist missionary priest, Father Dominic Barberi, and speaking at such length that the priest had him resume the following morning.

Newman’s conversion led to the loss not only of his Oxford fellowship, but of most of his Anglican friends and his family. Yet, said the Oratories, he also wrote of a great peace amid the isolation — describing the conversion as “like coming into port after a rough sea.”

In 1847, Newman — having completed additional study — was ordained a Catholic priest in Rome, where he became acquainted with the Oratorians of St. Philip Neri, whose communal way of life recalled the college fellowship of his university days. A year later, with papal approval, he established the first Oratory of St. Philip in England at Birmingham, with a second founded in London the following year.

Expanding his ministry to Ireland, Father Newman became the rector of the newly established Catholic University of Ireland, now University College Dublin, under the leadership of Ireland’s Catholic bishops. Through his religious, spiritual and intellectual thought, Newman synthesized the pursuit of knowledge and of God, writing that “knowledge is one thing, virtue is another.”

The demands of his role in Dublin — which saw him make 56 sea crossings from Britain to Ireland in just seven years — proved exhausting, said the Oratories, and in 1858 he returned to the Birmingham Oratory.

The succeeding two decades were marked by struggles with both Catholics and Anglicans — with some of the former distrustful of his conversion, and the latter claiming he had never been an honest Anglican in the first place. In response, Father Newman penned his massive 1864 Apologia to “show what I am … I wish to be known as a living man, and not as a scarecrow.”

The candor of his writing helped to assuage both Anglican and Catholic fears, and Father Newman was even invited to serve as an expert theological adviser at the First Vatican Council in 1868 — although, the Oratories noted, he declined in order to complete “The Grammar of Assent,” which considers the process by which an individual espouses convictions.

In 1874, he countered Prime Minister William Gladstone’s assertion that Catholics could not be loyal subjects due to their papal allegiance, with Newman writing in an open letter that his coreligionists did not deserve “this injurious reproach that we are captives and slaves of the Pope,” quoted the Oratories.

Three years later, Father Newman returned to Oxford and received the first honorary fellowship of Trinity College. In 1879, Pope Leo XIII named him a cardinal, extolling his fidelity to the faith, and granted his request to remain in Birmingham and forego consecration as a bishop. The elevation was lauded by Catholics and Anglicans alike, said the Oratories.

In Birmingham, Cardinal Newman continued to write, pondering in one of his final works — quoted by the Oratories in the online canonization biography — that God “has provided for the creation of the Saint out of the sinner … He enters into the heart of man, and persuades it, and prevails with it, while He changes it.”

Cardinal Newman died at age 89 in 1890 and was canonized in 2019 by Pope Francis.

(OSV News) – “He is the one Englishman of that era who upheld the ancient creed with a knowledge that only theologians possess, a Shakespearean force of style, and a fervor worthy of the saints.”

This description of Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), from the 1913 edition of The Catholic Encyclopedia, captures well three of the many impressive qualities of the man: his theological knowledge, his masterful literary abilities and his holiness.

On July 31, the Holy See announced that Pope Leo XIV would soon proclaim the saint a doctor of the church, acknowledging his significant contribution to Catholic theology.

Given Cardinal Newman’s reputation during his lifetime, both for his prodigious intellect and for his personal sanctity, support for his canonization not surprisingly began at his death. An article in America magazine in 1941, along with Pope Pius XII’s support of the 1945 “Centenary of Newman’s Conversion,” played essential roles in moving the process along.

In an address to the Cardinal Newman Academic Symposium in 1975, St. Paul VI acknowledged the powerful and ongoing witness of Cardinal Newman: “He who was convinced of being faithful throughout his life, with all his heart devoted to the light of truth, today becomes an ever brighter beacon for all who are seeking an informed orientation and sure guidance amid the uncertainties of the modern world — a world which he himself prophetically foresaw.”

In fact, the Pope had hoped that he might celebrate the Holy Year of 1975 with the beatification of the English cardinal. But more research was needed before that event could take place.

Finally, in January 1991, Pope John Paul II declared Cardinal Newman to be “venerable.” He was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in London in 2010, and he was canonized by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 13, 2019.

In October 2008, Cardinal Newman’s bones were exhumed and nothing was found save a few red tassels from his cardinal’s hat. Damp conditions had led to the decomposition of the body, thus frustrating the intended move of his remains from a cemetery in Rednal, Worcestershire, to a sarcophagus at Birmingham Oratory.

Cardinal Newman had founded the oratory in the 1840s after he left the Anglican denomination to enter the Catholic Church.

It was Cardinal Newman’s dramatic conversion that captured, and still captures, the attention and imagination of so many.

Born into a family of bankers, the eldest of six children, the shy and studious Newman had a fondness for reading the Bible and the novels of Sir Walter Scott. The religion of his youth was Anglican and evangelical in nature; he described it in his biographical “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” (1864) as “Bible religion.” (It was also quite anti-Catholic.)

The future cardinal once wrote that he “had no formed religious convictions” until he was 15. “Of course,” he added, “I had a perfect knowledge of my catechism.”

The teenager experienced a profound crisis of faith in 1816, but emerged from it with a newfound fervor, evidenced by his frequent reception of communion in the Anglican Church and taking a private vow of celibacy. At 21 he was a professor at Oriel College, Oxford, and was ordained in June 1824 as a priest in the Anglican Communion.

Newman was a curate of St. Clement’s, Oxford, for two years, and then served as vicar of St. Mary the Virgin, the university church, where he overcame his shyness. Several years of impressive scholarly work followed, including his first major publication, “The Arians of the Fourth Century” (1833).

Much of that work had to do with early church history and the Church Fathers. Such study would eventually lead him to communion with Rome.

During the 1830s, Newman became a leader in the Oxford Movement, which consisted of several Oxford theologians who addressed key issues relating to the authority, nature and history of the Anglican Communion. They also sought to reinvigorate what they considered to be a spiritually lethargic institution.

Because of the many theological tracts published by Newman and others, the movement became known as Tractarianism. In Tract 90, published in 1841, Newman argued that the Thirty-Nine Articles — the defining creedal statements of Anglicanism established in 1563 — were essentially Catholic teachings.

This led to controversy and to Newman’s forced resignation from Oxford.

“From the end of 1841,” he wrote in the “Apologia,” “I was on my deathbed, as regards my membership with the Anglican Church.”

Newman retired to the village of Littlemore with a small group of followers and lived a semi-monastic life as he worked on his now-famous “Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine.” It was during his years there that he worked through his various concerns and questions about Catholic doctrine.

He preached his last sermon at St. Mary’s in September 1843, and shortly thereafter he published a retraction of his previous attacks on the Catholic Church.

On Oct. 8, 1845, with his “Essay” still not completed (he never did finish it), Newman wrote: “I am this night expecting Father Dominic, the Passionist. … I mean to ask of him admission into the One Fold of Christ.”

Blessed Dominic Barberi, an Italian, received Newman into the Catholic Church the next day.

The following October, the new convert traveled to Rome, where he was ordained a Catholic priest and given a doctorate in divinity by Pope Pius IX himself. Father Newman joined the Congregation of the Oratory and, having been given a papal brief, set up an oratory in Birmingham, England.

The years of Cardinal Newman’s life were nearly equally divided between those when he was non-Catholic and those when he was Catholic, and the second half of his life, like the first, did not lack for controversy.

“Apologia Pro Vita Sua” was published in response to personal attacks against him by novelist Charles Kingsley. In it, he defended the civic loyalty of English Catholics against the accusations of William Gladstone.

At the same time, many Catholics remained wary of the new priest, not only because he was a convert, but also because some considered him to be a liberal. This accusation stemmed in part from his concerns about the First Vatican Council’s formal definition of the dogma of papal infallibility. In his “Letter to the Duke of Norfolk” (1875), however, he affirmed that he had always believed in the doctrine.

Whatever may have been the qualms of some Catholics about his thinking, in 1879 the convert priest was named a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII.

Cardinal Newman has sometimes been called the “Father of Vatican II” because of the influence of his writings on several key areas of theology and practice. Pope Paul VI, in his 1975 address, highlighted this influence:

“Many of the problems which (Newman) treated with wisdom — although he himself was frequently misunderstood and misinterpreted in his own time — were the subjects of the discussion and study of the fathers of the Second Vatican Council, as for example the question of ecumenism, the relationship between Christianity and the world, the emphasis on the role of the laity in the church and the relationship of the church to non-Christian religions.”

In a 1990 address given on the first centenary of Cardinal Newman’s death, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote:

“The characteristic of the great doctor of the church, it seems to me, is that he teaches not only through his thought and speech but also by his life, because within him, thought and life is interpenetrated and defined. If this is so, then Newman belongs to the great teachers of the church, because he both touches our hearts and enlightens our thinking.”

Shortly before his death, Cardinal Newman asked Bishop William Bernard Ullathorne of Birmingham to bless him. Bishop Ullathorne, deeply moved by the request, later wrote: “I felt annihilated in his presence. There is a saint in that man.”

WILKES-BARRE – All families are invited to join Catholic School Services and its Parents as Teachers program for an afternoon of indoor fun and education on Aug. 2, 2025.

The free event, with a back-to-school focus, will be held from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the King’s College Scandlon Gymnasium, 150 N. Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, 18711. (Free parking is available at 133 S. Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre, 18711)

There will be face painting, free haircuts and eye exams, along with performances and demonstrations by community groups. Several dozen local organizations have committed to participating in the event.

The first one hundred children will get free water bottles and dental hygiene kits. There will also be an interactive scavenger hunt to be turned in for prizes, and interactive demonstrations by Kerri Berri kids yoga.

The Parents as Teachers program of Catholic Social Services will also be highlighting its program. The program is open for participation from conception until a child reaches kindergarten. A child must be enrolled at least one year prior to kindergarten. There are no income qualifications to participate but families must live within Luzerne County to participate in the Catholic Social Services program.

For more information on the event, or to register your community group to participate, please contact Montie Ford at MFord@cssdioceseofscranton.org.