In a statement published Jan. 3, 2025, Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of South Africa’s Mthatha Diocese weighed in on the situation of the illegal miners who have been trapped in a mine in South Africa’s North West Province since November. / Credit: SACBC

ACI Africa, Jan 7, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

The hundreds of illegal miners stuck in a disused mine in Stilfontein in South Africa’s North West Province are human beings whose dignity should be respected, said Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. 

In a statement published Jan. 3, Sipuka, bishop of South Africa’s Mthatha Diocese, weighed in on the situation of the illegal miners who have been trapped since last November. 

“The Stilfontein illegal mining saga is too complex,” Sipuka said, alluding to reports that law enforcement agencies have blocked food and water supplies to the miners to force them to resurface so they can arrest them for illegally searching for leftover gold in the abandoned mine.

The fact that most of the illegal miners are reportedly foreigners is part of the complexity, the bishop noted.

The challenge of the situation of illegal mining, Sipuka said, “includes the question of legality and law when it comes to people entering the country illegally, as it is alleged that most of the illegal miners are foreign nationals.”

“Then there is a question of syndicates that are allegedly using poor people to make huge profits,” he said, adding: “There is [also] a question of the trapped illegal miners refusing to come out of the mines or being forced to stay underground. So, it is complex and requires research to assign responsibility for it.”

In his statement, the South African bishop said that the “complexity notwithstanding, the immediate moral question is how you deal with human beings created in the image of God in a way that respects their dignity.”

“There is no one-way solution; we must agonize about all the frustrations around it but devise a humane way of dealing with them,” he emphasized.

Reuters reported on Nov. 18, 2024, that over 1,000 illegal miners had resurfaced and, based on local police information, “hundreds could still be underground.”

The Reuters report quoted South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, as saying: “The Stilfontein mine is a crime scene where the offense of illegal mining is being committed. It is standard police practice everywhere to secure a crime scene and to block off escape routes that enable criminals to evade arrest.”

Residents and human rights groups have reportedly criticized South African authorities for blocking food and water supplies to the illegal miners.

In his statement, Sipuka said the challenge of illegal mining in South Africa “involves the economic system which allegedly lets big mining companies get away with murder in the way they make maximum profits.”

As the big companies act with impunity, they destroy the environment and fail to improve “the lives of the people in the area of mining while at the same time clamping down on poor people trying to make a living,” Sipuka said.

The fact that the big companies fail to rehabilitate the mines adds to the challenge of mining in South Africa, the bishop said.

As a way forward, Sipuka urged relevant authorities in South Africa to “refrain from giving in to frustrations around this and end up disregarding the dignity of people, as expressed in some of the unfortunate utterings and actions of the government and the police.”

“While the solution is yet to be found, we need to be patient and listen to each other because human beings are involved in this situation,” he said. “I notice that the news focuses on the government, but nothing much is said about the mining companies who left these mines unrehabilitated and unclosed.”

“The possibility of introducing the use of old mines for economic and employment creation should be explored,” he said.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

People visit the St. Patrick Catholic Church, illuminated with decorative lights on Christmas Eve in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, on Dec. 24, 2024. / Credit: R. SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images

Bangalore, India, Jan 7, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).

In an appeal to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 400 Christian and civil leaders along with 30 church groups have called for “immediate and decisive action … to curb a surge in violence against Christians and especially during Christmas prayers and celebrations.”

“We cry out to you from the depths of our hearts when we are attacked in villages and towns in several states on Christmas Day,” lamented the Christian leaders of diverse denominations in their joint appeal, also sent to federal President Droupadi Murmu, on Dec. 31.

“During this Christmas season alone, at least 14 incidents targeting Christians were reported, ranging from threats and disruptions to arrests and outright attacks, underscoring an alarming trend of rising intolerance and hostility,” said the appeal signed by dozens of prominent Catholic priests, lay leaders, and advocacy groups.

Recent incidents of violence and hostility have included Hindu groups shouting ahead of Christmas services in front of a Catholic cathedral in Lucknow as well as antagonists forcing staff to remove Christmas decorations at a preparatory school in western Gujarat state.

Carol singers were also stopped and teachers threatened in central Madhya Pradesh state, while a food delivery man was stripped of a Santa dress in the city of Bangalore.

The appeal pointed out that these incidents happened “just two days after [Modi] in his address to our Catholic prelates condemned those inciting violence and spreading disharmony which caused disruption in society.”

Attending the Christmas celebration of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in New Delhi, Modi on Dec. 23 said the “teachings of Lord Christ celebrate love, harmony, and brotherhood. It is important that we all work to make this spirit stronger.”

“However, it pains my heart when there are attempts to spread violence and cause disruption in society. It is essential that we come together to fight such challenges,” Modi said at the time.

John Dayal, an outspoken Catholic columnist among the signatories to the appeal, claimed in an interview with CNA on Jan. 3 that Modi exhibited “hypocrisy” in the speech.

“After expressing his ‘pain’ over incidents of violence, Modi did not mention a single incident from daily two cases of targeted hate violence in 2024 in the country. Instead, he cited the bloody Christmas market attack in Germany as an example. This is duplicity and this is what encourages the belligerent Hindu fundamentalists,” Dayal said.

The ecumenical United Christian Forum (UCF) that monitors anti-Christian incidents reported in December that the number of acts of violence throughout 2024 had reached 745 at the end of November.

“In reality, the figures will be much higher. Many other incidents which may have happened but were not reported on our hotline are not included in the total number,” A.C. Michael, the Catholic coordinator of UCF, told CNA.

The Modi government recently sent a special government emissary to Bangladesh over recent atrocities against Hindus there, but the UCF urged the Modi government “to consider setting up a national level enquiry led by a government of India secretary to look into these incidents of Christian minority persecution within India.”

The Christians urged the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party government to “issue clear guidelines to state governments on protecting constitutional rights to religious freedom, ⁠⁠initiate regular dialogue with representatives of all faith communities, and protect the fundamental right to freely profess and practice one’s faith.”

“Inclusivity and harmony are vital not only for the moral fabric of the nation but also for its economic and social prosperity,” they said in the appeal.

Spirits were uplifted and joyful following the concluding Mass at the end of the SEEK25 conference on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, as some 3,500 young Catholics, priests, and religious poured out of the Washington Hilton in downtown Washington, D.C. / Credit: Migi Fabara/CNA

Washington D.C., Jan 7, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Some 3,500 young Catholics who gathered in Washington, D.C., for SEEK25 earlier this week said goodbye to new friends late Sunday morning as the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) conference came to an end.

Spirits were uplifted and joyful following the concluding Mass as some 3,500 young Catholics, priests, and religious poured out of the Washington Hilton in downtown Washington, D.C.

Bishop Nelson Jesus Pérez of Philadelphia delivered the homily, telling those gathered for the final liturgy: “Never, never, never underestimate the power of the spirit of God working in you, through you, and despite you.”

“It is such an incredible blessing to have seen SEEK, both in Salt Lake City as well as here in Washington, D.C., to see, combined, more than 21,000 on fire Catholics,” 40 Days for Life founder David Bereit told CNA after the Mass.

“It provides enormous hope for the current state of the Church as well as for the future of the Church,” the pro-life advocate and recent Catholic convert said. “To hear so many great speakers, to meet so many young people who are falling deeper in love with Our Lord, and to see them making commitments to go out and set the world on fire.” 

“I have great hope for where the Church is going, and it makes me so proud to be a Catholic,” he added. 

Attendees reflect on their time at SEEK: joy and revelation 

A student from Mercy University, Gina Capello, 20, told CNA that she had been struck by “seeing so many people come together with such joy, especially during adoration — just looking around and seeing people reach out to Jesus, all wanting the same thing.”

“We all want God,” she added.

Katerina Carducci, a recent graduate of Clemson University, told CNA that her experience at SEEK25 had been one of “revelation.” Carducci explained that she uses a wheelchair on account of a nerve pain disorder in her left leg, which prevents her from being able to walk for extended periods of time.

“I had a really bad flare-up yesterday and the day before,” the young woman told CNA. “I was like, ‘Why is this happening now at SEEK, when this is supposed to be a great time and everyone coming together?’”

However, at Eucharistic adoration on Friday night, which was coordinated by FOCUS to take place at the same time at the SEEK conference in Salt Lake City, Carducci said she felt that God “opened my eyes to show me that it’s like, not only is this pain the pain that Jesus feels, but it’s also how Jesus feels when we don’t turn to him.”

“As someone in a wheelchair, a lot of the time, it’s like I’m invisible almost,” she continued. “And it feels like not a lot of people, when they see someone in a wheelchair, see the person — they see the chair first.”

“God’s shown me that this is how Jesus feels sometimes, even though he’s always here with us, we just don’t see that ‘does Jesus also feel this invisible,’ so that’s something that I’ve been praying on a little bit today,” Carducci said. 

‘SEEK is for the Church’: record growth and SEEK26

This past week marked the beginning of a new chapter of growth for the FOCUS flagship event, with a record-high attendance of more than 21,000 participants between the two locations in Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C. 

Speaking to the increasing popularity of the conference, Lizzi Lugo, the FOCUS missions director and emcee for the Washington, D.C., event told CNA that FOCUS is “anticipating continued growth” from past years. Next year, SEEK will take place in three locations across the U.S.: Denver; Columbus, Ohio; and Fort Worth, Texas.

Lugo told CNA that as the event grows, FOCUS hopes to make SEEK the same experience across locations year to year.

“We really wanted to emphasize live speakers, live content, that same SEEK experience, [with] Mission Way, having our sponsors involved, having religious orders come and run booths and talk to students,” she said.

This year, several speakers, including Bereit; Monsignor James Shea, the president of the University of Mary in North Dakota; and theologian Edward Sri flew between Salt Lake City and D.C. in order to be present at both locations. 

Although Lugo noted the prominent presence of FOCUS missionaries and content catered toward them, she said “SEEK is for everyone.” Out of all of the opportunities that FOCUS offers participants, including retreats, mission trips, and summer projects, she said, “SEEK really is the widest capture point.”

“You don’t really need to be super churched, you don’t need to be super well catechized to come and experience it,” she told CNA. 

Lugo also said FOCUS leadership has witnessed “a desire for partnership with the Church as a whole” in its coordination of the event.

“Seek isn’t just the FOCUS thing,” she added. “SEEK is for the Church.”

Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon, France. / Credit: Claude Truong-Ngoc via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Rome Newsroom, Jan 7, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis accepted Tuesday the early resignation of French Bishop Dominique Rey of Fréjus-Toulon following years of Vatican scrutiny over the ordination of clerics using pre-Vatican II liturgical books and other concerns.

Bishop François Touvet, appointed coadjutor bishop of the same diocese in November 2023, now automatically succeeds Rey.

In a Jan. 7 press release, Rey, who has led the diocese since 2000, said he was recently informed by the nuncio, the pope’s ambassador in France, that Pope Francis wanted him to submit his resignation after he had encouraged him not to resign in December 2023.

While Rey added that he does not know what changed in the intervening year, “faced with misunderstandings, pressures, and polemics that are still harmful to the unity of the Church, the ultimate criterion of discernment for me remains that of obedience to the successor of Peter.”

The Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon in the south of France was able to ordain six men to the transitional diaconate last month after all ordinations in the diocese were halted by the Vatican in June 2022 following a fraternal visit by Archbishop (now Cardinal) Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille.

The ordinations of six seminarians from the traditionalist community Missionaries of Divine Mercy took place in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Martin in Lorgues on Dec. 1, 2024.

In his announcement ahead of the ordinations, Touvet said they were “the fruit of a trusting and peaceful dialogue maintained with the superior of the community [of the Missionaries of Divine Mercy] and the Dicastery for Divine Worship [and the Discipline of the Sacraments].”

Pope Francis appointed Touvet a coadjutor bishop of Fréjus-Toulon in November 2023, putting him in charge of economic and real estate management, religious communities, and the training of priests and seminarians.

The Vatican requested the suspension of ordinations in the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon in the summer of 2022 due to “questions that certain Roman dicasteries were asking about the restructuring of the seminary and the policy of welcoming people to the diocese,” according to an announcement by Rey at the time.

Known for his support of the Traditional Latin Mass, Rey had also ordained diocesan clerics using the 1962 Roman Pontifical.

After Pope Francis promulgated Traditionis Custodes, the 2021 motu proprio restricting the celebration of Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman rite, Rey highlighted the concerns of some priests and communities present in his diocese who offered Mass according to the old rite. 

Rey said in his Jan. 7 statement, posted to X, that “just as I have always tried to respond to the calls for the new evangelization of St. John Paul II, then to the encouragements of Benedict XVI to welcome and form priestly vocations, and finally to the orientations of Francis, I have agreed, in this case, to hand over the pastoral charge that had been entrusted to me in 2000 by John Paul II.”

“As I reach my 25th year of episcopate in service of the Diocese of Fréjus-Toulon, I thank God for the blessings and missionary fruits,” he added.

Rey announced he will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in the diocese on Feb. 1.

Pilgrims cross the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Dec. 25, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Jan 7, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

More than half a million people have passed through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, two weeks after its Christmas Eve opening. 

Pope Francis, the first “pilgrim of hope” to cross the Holy Door’s threshold, inaugurated the 2025 Jubilee Year by opening the papal basilica’s door on Dec. 24, 2024. 

Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization Archbishop Rino Fisichella said the great number of pilgrims marks “a very significant beginning” for the Catholic Church’s holy year, which will conclude on Jan. 6, 2026. 

“Hundreds of groups of faithful have already made their pilgrimage,” Fisichella said in a Jan. 7 media statement released by the Dicastery for Evangelization. 

“The dicastery is working tirelessly to ensure that pilgrims receive a welcome and an experience that lives up to their expectations,” he added.

Holy See and Italian authorities are collaborating to welcome an estimated 30 million people expected to come to Rome throughout the jubilee year.

“Preparations are underway all over the world to reach Rome in the coming months, with many children, young people, adults, and the elderly who have already entered the jubilee climate with the celebrations for the opening of the holy year,” Fisichella said.

Jubilees — a tradition celebrated in the Catholic Church since 1300 — are filled with special spiritual, artistic, and cultural events for people intending to come to Rome for pilgrimage. 

An important part of the jubilee is the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence — a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ to remove the temporal punishment due to sin — by passing through a “Holy Door.”

Besides the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica, the other four Holy Doors of the 2025 Jubilee are located at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Mary Major, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and in Rome’s Rebibbia prison.

“The thousands of people who filled the four papal basilicas during the days of the celebrations for the opening of the Holy Doors” reflects the “great desire” among pilgrims to participate in the Church’s jubilee festivities, according to the Dicastery for Evangelization.

The first major calendar event of the 2025 holy year is the Jubilee of the World of Communications to be held from Jan. 24–26. Thousands of journalists and media professionals from around the world are expected to come to Rome for the occasion.

Father Roberto Pasolini. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Rome, Italy, Jan 7, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Franciscan Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini is very comfortable with public speaking — it’s basically his job as a Scripture expert called on to give talks and lead retreats around Italy.

Yet, just late last year, he began a new adventure, one he finds a bit more intimidating: preaching to Vatican employees, cardinals, and the pope during Lent and Advent.

On Nov. 9 last year, Pope Francis named Pasolini the next preacher of the Papal Household, succeeding 90-year-old Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, who held the post for 44 years.

The 53-year-old Pasolini said the call to become the pope’s preacher was a big surprise and caused him “a great deal of fear.”

“The fact that God is calling me, at this moment, to go right into the heart of the Church, in front of the pope, the cardinals, the people who support the Christian institution, to speak such important, meaningful words, it scares me,” he told CNA during an interview at the Capuchin General House in Rome on Dec. 11, 2024.

“On the other hand, I also felt a great alignment with what was already happening [in my life],” he noted, “because I have always been following words, reading texts, and searching reality for the meaning that can give clarity to our existence.”

After receiving the news about the new role, Pasolini had just under a month before he gave his first Advent meditation to the Roman Curia on Dec. 6, 2024, the first of three he delivered on the December Fridays leading up to Christmas.

“During Advent, since the call was very recent, [I was] immediately trying to rummage through my pockets to find some words, some reflections that in recent years maybe I’ve already prepared a bit around the theme of the Incarnation, Advent, and Christmas,” he said about preparing his meditations.

‘I will not hold back my humanity’

The position of preacher of the Papal Household has existed in a stable way since the pontificate of Pope Paul IV in the mid-1500s. In 1743, Pope Benedict XIV established that the role should always go to a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchins.

On following the long and celebrated legacy of Cantalamessa, Pasolini said he is trying not to compare himself too much and plans to bring his own contribution, “giving catecheses that are maybe a little bit more narrative and more biblical than the theological genre that Father Raniero [Cantalamessa] used.”

“I think I will not hold back my humanity, which is the humanity of a much younger friar than Father Raniero, to communicate also through a language and a way of address that corresponds more to people of my age,” he said.

“I will try as much as possible to be natural, to remain myself,” he added, “and to continue to do what basically I have been doing until now: announce, with all my heart, with all the intelligence of which I am capable, the mystery of God.”

Return to faith

Before becoming a priest or preacher, Pasolini grew up in northern Italy, passionately following his favorite soccer team, Milan.

He grew up Catholic, but as a teenager, the priest experienced the desire to distance himself from the faith. “So I took my time off from God, and I did some years in which I sought the meaning of my life elsewhere, outside the parish and Church context in which I had grown up,” he explained.

Pasolini described those years as good, though difficult: “Because when we distance ourselves from God, on the one hand we feel a little bit free, and on the other hand we find that we still don’t know how to use our freedom well.”

“They were also years of choices that led me to suffer, to realize the darkness that was inside me,” he noted. 

The priest’s journey back to the faith began unexpectedly while studying information sciences at a university in Milan. 

Traveling one day on the city’s subway, he found a copy of the Gospel of St. Matthew, a free giveaway inside a newspaper, and started reading it. Little by little, he found his way back to the Church.

“I felt the desire to go to confession and then to participate in the Eucharist and to involve myself a little bit in my parish life, which I had hastily dismissed,” he said. “And that was kind of the time when I started to comprehend again the mystery of faith, the mystery of the Church, but especially the beauty of the Gospel, the love of Christ.”

‘A second calling’

As Pasolini was rediscovering the faith and experiencing more and more God’s love for him, he felt the growing desire to share this beauty with others.

It was during this time that he “met” St. Francis of Assisi through his writings, he said. 

“I found his style, his way of life, so beautiful, so simple, so inspired by the Gospel, that I got curious and tried to go and meet the friars in Milan,” the priest explained. “And little by little, going there, I felt my desire to live my baptism become concrete through embracing that form of life together with other brothers. And so I graduated [from university], left everything, and entered the convent.”

It was not long after entering the Capuchins that the friar’s superiors noticed the centrality of the word of God in “my life, my days, my way of speaking, my way of praying,” Pasolini elaborated. And so, after his initial formation for religious life and the priesthood, he was sent to Rome to study at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

This, he said, was the beginning of “a second calling within my first calling” to be not only a priest friar but also an expert in sacred Scripture.

During his years of biblical formation, Pasolini studied in Rome and Jerusalem and was awarded a doctorate for a thesis on the Gospel of Mark.

He described that time as “seven years of wonderful formation in the word of God … which definitely defined me as a friar and a biblical scholar, and then as a preacher, able to draw from Scripture the resources to proclaim the Gospel, the kingdom of God, to others.”

Approach to preaching

According to Pasolini, the best preparation for preaching can and should begin long before standing at the ambo.

“For years, before I started the preaching ministry, I got into the habit of meditating on God’s word every day for me first of all — for my heart, for my life,” he said. “This habit of doing ‘lectio divina,’ as we would say today, accustomed me to stand before God, every day, as one who listens to him, receives a word, and tries to respond to this word.”

“So,” he continued, “when I became a priest and started giving homilies and catechesis, I would just tell others what God and I had already said to each other during prayer. Of course, in a somewhat organized form, because maybe God and I said some things to each other in prayer that are not really good to be told to everyone.”

“But … the best preparation to give a homily, to give a catechesis, is to let God’s word touch your heart personally,” he said to priests and others who preach publicly. “Then, if we have allowed ourselves to be touched, we will surely be able to touch the hearts of others.”

Pep Borrell, a popularizer of the truth and beauty of Catholic courtship and marriage. / Credit: Courtesy of Pep Borrell

Madrid, Spain, Jan 7, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pep Borrell, born in Barcelona, ​​Spain, in 1963, is a dentist by profession, but his passion is to know and spread profound countercultural truths about dating and marriage according to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

A married father of five children with five grandchildren, he has just published the Spanish-language book “Novios 100%: Cómo tira la caña con acierto” (“All-in Couples: How To Do It Right”).

In this volume dedicated to courtship, Borrell addresses the main questions about this important stage of life with the goal of laying the foundation for a solid, happy marriage.

Using language that is familiar to young people, Borrell analyzes the phases of love, offers keys to choosing well, and takes a look at current issues such as meeting on the internet, fear of commitment, cohabitation, long-distance courtships, and the relationship with in-laws.

Speaking with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Borrell said sentimentality threatens Catholic dating relationships and the fundamental thing about this stage is “getting to know each other thoroughly” and that “attraction and falling in love come effortlessly to you, but you have to work on loving.”

He also emphasized the “supernatural meaning” of sexual relations in marriage and gave reasons for postponing this union during courtship while pointing out that “there is only one union more intimate between two bodies than the sexual union of spouses: the Eucharist.”

ACI Prensa: What is the greatest or most dangerous threat to a holy courtship in our day?

Borrell: Without a doubt, discouragement and lack of joy, thinking that it’s not possible and that forever-love doesn’t exist. Letting oneself be carried away by the prevailing sentimentalism that makes it difficult to consider things involving a future and commitment.

In today’s culture, it’s very common to talk about being “a couple” as a formula that doesn’t necessarily imply a commitment. What essential commitments does a courtship entail?

I like to say that courtship is not a “mini-marriage,” it’s a very different stage in which the fundamental thing is to get to know each other thoroughly to know if we are capable of sharing our life with the person we are dating.

It’s the most important choice of our life, for those of us who have a vocation to marriage, which is the vast majority, and too often it is made without much thought, only moved by feelings or by how much fun we have or by the things we share and we believe that with that person that we are dating things will go well for us for the rest of our lives. They enjoy the relationship, but they don’t know each other.

Although significant emotions are experienced, especially during courtship, you emphasize the importance of being rational in a love relationship. Why does being rational not mean that you’re “killing” love, which is so often portrayed as passionate, a little crazy and emotional?

That’s the crux of the matter: knowing how to distinguish between feelings and the will to love. One thing is what you feel and a very different thing is what you decide to do. That’s why in the initial stages of dating we should always ask ourselves a question: Is this a good fit for me?

Attraction and falling in love come effortlessly to you, but you have to work on loving. Because falling in love is pure feeling, the feeling “I feel wonderful” and love, wanting to love someone, is an act of will: “I will go out of my way to make you happy.”

That’s why I can commit to loving, because it depends on me, but I can’t commit to feeling because feelings come and go, we don’t control them. But the most interesting thing, and this is the wonder of love, is that when you work on it, when you make an effort to want the good of the other person, to think more about the other person than about yourself, feelings come back and are even more powerful.

The problem is that at first it’s not easy because falling in love is a hormonal explosion that often blinds our intellect. That’s why it’s good to let the tsunami subside, to get to know one another thoroughly in order to make the right decision, which, let’s remember, is the most important one in your life.

Nor can we act exclusively motivated by reason and keep our distance by rationally analyzing any decision we make. We must be in love to marry but not be foolish about it.

What if I don’t like anything at all about the other person?

The important thing is to know that there are things about the other person that you don’t like. We all have virtues and defects. It’s very important to know the defects of your boyfriend or girlfriend: You must love him or her with his or her virtues and defects.

If you don’t like anything at all, you have to decide if it’s a matter of opinion, important, or serious. If it’s a matter of opinion, you must not only respect that, but you must make an effort to accept it. If it’s important, you must talk about it thoroughly and make a decision. If it’s serious... let the person go; don’t get into a big mess.

A common mistake is wanting to change your boyfriend or girlfriend or expecting them to change, but we can only change ourselves. You have to know what things the other person doesn’t like in order to, as far as possible, try to do better at avoiding them. But everyone has their virtues and their defects, you have to know them and accept them or know them and let that person go.

You say that “courtship is not a nursery school.” Is there a lot of childish behavior at this stage? How can we remedy it?

There is a lot of laziness nowadays and I write the word with the masculine ending because there are more lazy men than women, although, as in everything, we’re getting to be more and more alike. Men who find it very difficult to make an effort, to commit, to sacrifice themselves, who are only gazing at their own navel, who only do what they feel like and when they feel like it.

It’s very difficult to maintain a relationship with this type of person, because a dating relationship requires effort, going all out, giving your very best. It should be a time of excitement, enthusiasm... If you see that your boyfriend lounges around on the couch a lot and is very inconsistent in managing his affairs, he’s not a good candidate to have a family with. Dating is not about being a nursemaid or a caregiver for anyone.

For Catholics, is whether a dating relationship brings you closer to God or draws you away from God the irrefutable proof to continue with the relationship or let it go?

Catholics should ask ourselves this question before making any decision in life, from the simplest to the most complicated: Does this bring me closer to God or draw me away from God? And obviously, when it comes to dating, which, I repeat, is the time when we will make the most important decision of our lives, of course we should ask ourselves this question, and if a dating relationship draws you away from God, you’ve got to let it go or find a solution.

A dating relationship should bring out the best version of yourself, it should not pull you from anyone, it should make you a better person, a better student or professional, a better friend to your friends, a better son or daughter. The best version of yourself.

Couples should help each other to achieve this. It‘s a time when you should be all aglow, eager to take on the world. If, instead, a relationship draws you away from God, your family and friends, makes you more apathetic or takes away your peace, it’s not for you, let it go.

In the book you maintain that “there is nothing safer than having sexual relations exclusively with the person you love, who is the one you decide to share your whole life with [in marriage].” Besides avoiding STDs, what other types of security are you referring to?

Sexuality is the language of love. We human beings need our bodies to say that we love each other. The greatest union between a man and a woman is to have sexual relations; it’s the height of intimacy. We give ourselves totally to each other, without conditions.

This surrender must be free, total, faithful, and fruitful and that can only happen in marriage. A relationship outside of marriage will be free, but it’s not total, because you haven’t given yourself body and soul to that person; it’s not faithful either, because you have not assured him or her that this relationship is forever, ’til death do us part; and for sure it won’t be fruitful because it won’t be open to life.

This doctrine of the Catholic Church is not designed to hassle people; it’s designed so that we can be happy on this earth and then be happy eternally in heaven.

It’s not a question of sin or prohibition, it’s a question of surrender and love, because if it’s not, what is in store for that one and only person with whom you are going to share your life and become one body?

Sexuality is a gift from God to human beings, only to us, because we are rational, we have intelligence and will to do things and we can enjoy it as we wish, collaborating with God in procreation and uniting our bodies as one flesh, image of the one and triune God, a community of love. Beautiful, God thought of us like this. How wonderful.

“In marriage, having sexual relations is praying.” How can we explain this truth revealed to the Catholic Church in a secularized society?

The supernatural meaning of sexual relations is something spectacular. God is love and the highest expression of love in marriage is the sexual union of spouses who become the image of God, two people who are joined together to form one flesh.

We express our love for God by loving our spouse; we use our body to express our love. A love that is the image of God’s love for the Church who is his spouse and which is also free, whole, faithful, and fruitful.

There is only one union more intimate between two bodies than the sexual union of spouses: the Eucharist. In communion we literally eat the body of Christ and become one with him, a miracle.

I know that it’s not easy for a nonbeliever to understand — you have to experience it, you have to enjoy it — living human love with this supernatural vision is taking it to a whole new level. 

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

ESPN reporter Molly McGrath interviews Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard (13) after NCAA football game action between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, on Jan. 2, 2025. “First and foremost I want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ,” Leonard told the media. / Credit: John Mersits/Cal Sport Media via AP Images

CNA Newsroom, Jan 7, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

In the midst of fierce competition during the college football playoffs, a number of team leaders have made it clear that the glory of a national championship comes only second to their relationship with Jesus Christ.

“First and foremost I’ve got to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity to be on this stage, here in the Rose Bowl,” Ohio State University quarterback Will Howard told the media after the team’s stunning upset win against No. 1 University of Oregon on Jan. 1.

“A younger me would be in awe right now,” the graduate student said. “And I just got to take it all in and enjoy this with my boys and we got two more so we’re not done yet.”

The playoffs, which changed from a four-team to a 12-team bracket this year, run from Dec. 20 to Jan. 20. 

Two semifinal games will be played on Jan. 9 and Jan. 10. The University of Notre Dame will face off against Pennsylvania State University on Thursday. The University of Texas at Austin will play Ohio State University on Friday.

‘Without him, I wouldn’t be here’

After defeating the University of Georgia on Jan. 2, Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard said: “First and foremost I want to thank my lord and savior Jesus Christ.”

“Without him, I wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t be here as a whole group,” the senior told the media after the quarterfinal game.

Leonard called the fans “incredible,” adding that the team has more work to do to prepare for its semifinal matchup against Pennsylvania State University. 

Leonard was asked about his team’s tough loss to unranked Northern Illinois University earlier in the season and Notre Dame’s subsequent undefeated run. At the time of the loss to Northern Illinois, Notre Dame was ranked No. 5.

“When you trust in the Lord, anything can happen,” he said. “This team fought every single week. That was the lowest of the low. But we had to trust beyond knowing. And we trusted this group and trusted our fans. Week in and week out we fought and it’s finally paying off.”

“Jesus bless,” he said. 

‘God the creator’

In a Jan. 1 postgame press conference, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was asked about his “clutch” performance that led to the team’s 39-31 double-overtime win against Arizona State University. Ewers threw two touchdown passes in overtime that ended in two 25-plus-yard touchdowns, which sealed the quarterfinal win for Texas. 

“How do you stay so calm?” a reporter asked the junior quarterback. 

“I think that we all stay calm,” he continued. “And for all of us to stay calm it kind of starts with me. And I just try to be that calm within the storm for all the guys. And I think that my relationship with Jesus has helped me in that specific way of knowing that no matter what happens, that he’s going to be there for me. He’s still going to love me.”

Senior defensive back Jahdae Barron was asked by a reporter about his thoughts on Ewers’ performance. 

Barron spoke of a culture-building activity that the team did prior to the game where they wrote on cards. 

Barron said he wrote that “Quinn is going to play fast and the reason he’s going to play fast is because of God the creator. He’s going to give all his worries, everything he has and doubt, and he’s just going to give it to [God], and it’s just going to allow him to play free.”

“And I think that’s what Quinn did,” Barron said. “When our backs were against the wall, he just kept fighting. He made some big-time plays in those three throws.”

Coach introduced him to Jesus

Following Boise State University’s 31-14 quarterfinal loss to Penn State on Dec. 31, Boise State head coach Spencer Danielson said: “No matter what, win, lose, or draw, I’m going to always give Jesus the glory.” 

“I’m so blessed to be the head coach here. And we do serve a champion. And I do know God never says ‘oops,’” he added at a postgame press conference with some of the players and media.

“As hard as tonight is as a competitor and as a coach, I do believe we learn and grow from everything. And the best is still to come for our team, for these players, our seniors,” he said. 

“I told every single one of them in the locker room that. God has an amazing plan for your life. Never settle for less than that,” he said.

Senior defensive end Ahmed Hassanein from Cairo, Egypt, said at the press conference: “First I want to start off and say all glory to Jesus Christ. He is the true champion.” 

Turning to his coach, Hassanein said: “Coach D., you changed my life.”

“You changed my life. I did not know God until I got to Boise State. And I serve a true champion. Jesus Christ is the only true God. He died and rose from the dead three days later. That’s the champion that I serve. Thank you Coach D. Like seriously, you changed my life,” he said.

Junior running back Ashton Jeanty, who fell just 27 yards short of breaking the NCAA all-time single-season rushing record, said: “First of all, all glory to God for bringing us this far, for helping us restore the order this year. We couldn’t have done it without him. Keeping God first is what got us here.”

“But this season has been a blessing,” he added. “God’s favor has been upon me and all my teammates all year. And I’m just thankful.”

Cardinal Robert McElroy at the Church of San Frumenzio ai Prati Fiscali in Rome on Apr. 23, 2023, when he took possession of his titular church as a cardinal. / Credit: Pablo Esparza/CNA

National Catholic Register, Jan 7, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Robert McElroy, the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., says he wishes success for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration but that he’ll be watching closely to see how Trump deals with immigrants who are in the country without legal status.

“The Catholic Church teaches that a country has the right to control its borders. And our nation’s desire to do that is a legitimate effort,” McElroy said Monday, shortly after being introduced as Washington’s eighth archbishop during an online press conference at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle amid an unusually heavy snowstorm in the nation’s capital.

“At the same time, we are called always to have a sense of the dignity of every human person. And thus, plans which have been talked about at some levels of having a wider indiscriminate massive deportation across the country would be something that would be incompatible with Catholic doctrine. So we’ll have to see what emerges in the administration.”

The Vatican announced Monday that Pope Francis has appointed McElroy, 70, as archbishop of Washington, a high-profile see that includes about 667,000 Catholics in the District of Columbia and five counties in southern Maryland.

McElroy, widely seen as a progressive and an ally of Pope Francis, was appointed by the pope to the College of Cardinals in August 2022. He has served as shepherd of San Diego since 2015.

In Washington, he replaces Cardinal Wilton Gregory, 77, who has served as archbishop there since 2019.

The appointment was immediate. Gregory was already listed Monday as among the “former archbishops” of Washington on the archdiocese’s website.

The two cardinals appeared together at the online press conference.

The press conference, which was emceed by a moderator, featured prepared statements by the two cardinals, two questions from reporters the moderator posed to McElroy, and one question from a reporter the moderator posed to Gregory.

Gregory took over the archdiocese in April 2019 when it was reeling after revelations of sexual abuse by Theodore McCarrick, the sixth archbishop of Washington, whom Pope Francis dismissed from the clerical state, and the awkward departure of the seventh archbishop, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who was sharply criticized for how he handled allegations against McCarrick and for how he handled certain clergy-sex-abuse cases when he was bishop of Pittsburgh.

Gregory, who has been seen as a lower-profile prelate than his predecessors, has worked to right the ship in Washington. But financial and other problems loom, as McElroy noted in his prepared statement.

“The journey of this Catholic community has known mountaintop moments, the visits of St. John Paul II, Pope Benedict, and Pope Francis, and it has known also moments of failure and shame — in the massive betrayal of the young to sexual abuse and the moral and financial reckoning for this betrayal which lie ahead of us,” McElroy said.

“In this mixture of mountaintop and failure, we are no different from the first disciples of the Lord. The light of Christ radiates in the Catholic community of this diocese in all of these dimensions, but most powerfully, it radiates in the lives of individual women and men who form the people of God, struggling in a world filled with turbulence, hardship, and illusion to follow the pathway of Christ,” he added.

The first question McElroy fielded was about decreasing reliance on so-called fossil fuels (such as oil and natural gas) in the Diocese of San Diego, such as through using solar panels.

McElroy, a staunch promoter of Pope Francis’ environment-focused encyclical Laudato Si’, said San Diego implemented the Archdiocese of Washington’s already-existing plan.

“So I’m here to learn as much as to bring new ideas. I think one of the great challenges for the Church in the world at this moment is that of the care for our home on this Earth, for the planet, and all of the abuse which it is suffering,” McElroy said.

“And it is a top issue in terms of our world,” he said. “How are we going to preserve the creation that God has given to us and enhance?”

The second and final question he received was about the incoming second Trump administration.

McElroy said he addressed a similar question about polarization in the United States during a panel discussion about six months ago, long before the November 2024 election that Trump won. His answer remains the same, he said.

“All of us as Americans should hope and pray that the government of our nation is successful in helping to enhance our society, our culture, our life, and the whole of our nation. And that is my prayer. It was my prayer then, not knowing who it would be, and it is my prayer now,” McElroy said.

“I pray that President Trump’s administration and that all of those state and local legislators and governors across the whole of the country will work together to make our nation truly better and to talk through the major issues that we face and make a difference,” he added. “And so our first responsibility for all of us is support for that goal, of success for our government.”

McElroy had been rumored as a likely replacement for Gregory since at least Oct. 10, 2024, when he met with Pope Francis at the Vatican, along with two other allies of the pope, Cardinal Joseph Tobin, the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, and Cardinal Blase Cupich, the archbishop of Chicago. While details of the private meeting have not been made public, some observers have suggested the men discussed high-profile archbishoprics that needed to be filled, including Washington.

Gregory, who was appointed archbishop of Washington in April 2019, served five years and nine months in the post. His successor’s tenure could be even shorter.

McElroy turns 71 next month. Under Church law, he must submit his resignation to the pope in early February 2029, about four years from now, when he turns 75. Pope Francis has allowed certain bishops to continue serving until age 80, which for McElroy would mean 2034.

Gregory answered one question during the press conference, saying that he plans to stay in the Archdiocese of Washington and assist in any way he can.

At the end, McElroy whispered to Gregory: “That was easy.”

This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner, and has been adapted by CNA.

At the 2025 SEEK conference in Salt Lake City, Isaac Smith (left), a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), and Alex Tarrios, a Pentecostal Christian, each found themselves seeking Christ, finding encouragement and support in the community they found there. / Credit: Kate Quinones/CNA

Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan 6, 2025 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

For many SEEK attendees, the multiday conference geared toward young adults is a “family reunion” of sorts, but for others it’s an introduction to the Catholic faith community and an experience that changes their lives.

At this year’s SEEK conference in Salt Lake City, held Jan. 1–5, a Pentecostal Christian and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) both found themselves seeking Christ and finding encouragement and support in the community of believers they found there.

Drawn to Christ through the Mass

Growing up a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), Isaac Smith, 19, became an atheist in his late teens and became involved in the LGBTQ community because he identified as bisexual.

“I grew up Mormon. I’ve never really had an experience outside of being Mormon,” Smith told CNA. “My family has always been very orthodox Mormon — very ‘letter of the law.’”

Smith eventually found himself drawn to the Catholic faith, and when he went to Mass for the first time, he experienced a connection to God. 

“I have Asperger’s syndrome so I’m not generally a very emotional person. I’m a very even-tempered guy all around,” he said. “But when I went to Mass for the first time, even though it was ... held in a tiny classroom with just a couple people from the university, it was one of those profound senses of peace and of coming home I’ve ever felt.” 

When Smith came to SEEK, he said he felt torn between his connections to Mormonism and the call toward Catholicism. 

Currently a student at Brigham Young University (BYU)’s Idaho campus, Smith is considering joining OCIA — but it’s a big decision that will affect many areas of his life. For instance, his BYU tuition scholarship will increase if he converts to Catholicism, meaning he may have to leave the university. Because of this, Smith — who obtained a bachelor’s culinary degree at 18 — is looking for a job with a Catholic organization as a chef. Without the safety net of staying in his parent’s home now, decisions are all the more complex.

In terms of his same-sex attractions, Smith said he has “no qualms” with following the Catholic Church’s teaching and wants to be open about his experience.

“It’s just a part of me, and I have to deal, I have to live with it,” he said. “And to me, it doesn’t affect me anymore. It’s not a huge core part of my personality and identity because, ultimately, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things because labels are useful, but labels are labels. That’s really all they are at the end of the day. And to me, I’d rather live a life that brings me joy.”

Smith said he’s received a lot of support from SEEK attendees — from book recommendations to other resources and helpful advice.

“I’m so grateful for the community that is here that has been able to help me look into future summer jobs, what my life going forward can really look like, and helping me find study materials that will ultimately help me on my journey towards Christ,” he said. 

Smith said he had been “going pretty much door to door asking for resources” at SEEK’s Mission Way — a large array of booths with resources and information about various Catholic apostolates and businesses.

“A lot of people have been very kind,” Smith continued. “I’ve told them my story, and they said, ‘You know what, just take a couple books for free.’”

Smith had an LDS Bible only, so someone at one booth gave him a copy of the Ignatius Study Bible, while others gave him their own personal copies of books.   

“I’ve got a book list, probably about 100 books long. I’ve got dozens of podcasts and everything,” Smith told CNA.

With no family home to fall back on and a looming tuition increase, Smith finds himself in a predicament, but he recalled advice that a seminarian friend gave him before attending SEEK. 

“He ultimately said not to live a lie,” Smith shared.

“But coming here, speaking to a lot of the wonderful people at the booths, listening to the keynote speeches and talks, coming to Mass every day — it has changed my perspective and it has solidified: I can’t live a lie,” Smith said.  

Adoration ‘seals the deal’  

When Alex Tarrios began college, he found himself drifting from the Pentecostal faith he was raised in and after exploring different faith options, he was drawn to Catholicism. 

A sophomore at the University of Minnesota studying computer science, Tarrios, 24, attended his first SEEK this year in Salt Lake City.

“I grew up in a very Pentecostal background. My parents are very devout,” Tarrios told CNA. “As a young teenager, I was pretty invested in the Christian faith from a very young age; but as I was growing up, I felt that there was something lacking there.”

Tarrios felt spiritually connected with his faith but less connected to Scripture and the origins of the early Church. He decided to explore various denominations of Christianity as a freshman in college but ultimately was drawn to the Catholic Church. 

“I think I felt drawn to the Catholic Church because I felt like I needed order in my life, especially as I was growing up, leaving high school,” Tarrios reflected. “I felt there was a lot of disorder in my life; I didn’t feel like I had much of a direction.”

“I was letting myself get drawn through my own passions, through my own desires, and nothing structural, nothing concrete, that I could base my life on,” he added.

Tarrios got involved in the local parish at the university during his freshman year — but he still wasn’t sure about Catholicism.  

“But something about the experience of being in the Mass really drew me in,” he recalled. 

A retreat focused on the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist — put on by the Catholic group on campus, St. Paul’s Outreach — helped “seal the deal” for Tarrios. 

Here, he attended his first-ever adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist, where Tarrios felt “captivated in his presence.” 

“I took that leap of faith at that moment that the Eucharist is actually Jesus,” Tarrios said. 

After this experience, Tarrios spoke with a priest and has been attending OCIA. He will be received into the Catholic Church this Easter. 

Drawn to “the rich history and tradition that Catholicism offers,” Tarrios said, “it’s a strong foundation that I felt like I could apply to my own life and have that order that I was seeking within my heart.”

Tarrios said attending SEEK has helped strengthen his decision to be Catholic as he is “still learning a lot about the Catholic faith.”

“Just being here, I feel like I’ve learned so much,” Tarrios said.

Attending various seminars and keynotes, he said, “has helped me be more informed, but also be more at peace with my decision.”

He said the community at SEEK and “the vast amount of people here” encouraged him.

“I see that there are so many people here who you can see within their eyes that they have that passion for their faith,” Tarrios said. “And being able to see that, I think, just reconfirms that on the other side, once I get there, once I can truly be Catholic, that is waiting for me.”