Credit: Quisquilia/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 11:16 am (CNA).

A group of Orthodox churches has joined the Catholic bishops of Washington state in suing the government over its requirement that clergy either violate the seal of confession or face jail time.

The Orthodox Church in America, the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, and numerous other Orthodox jurisdictions on Monday sued dozens of public officials in the state challenging the constitutionality of its mandatory reporter law.

Signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 2, the law goes into effect July 27 and adds clergy to Washington’s list of mandatory reporters for child abuse but explicitly denies them the “privileged communication” exemption granted to other professionals, such as nurses and therapists.

Priests who fail to report abuse learned in confession could face up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine.

In a lawsuit filed last month in federal district court, the Catholic bishops of the state emphasized the Church’s commitment to child protection while defending the inviolability of the confessional seal.

The Orthodox leaders in their lawsuit similarly argued that Orthodox priests “have a strict religious duty to maintain the absolute confidentiality of what is disclosed in the sacrament of confession.”

“Violating this mandatory religious obligation is a canonical crime and a grave sin, with severe consequences for the offending priest, including removal from the priesthood,” the suit says.

The state’s law explicitly allows for numerous other exemptions for those otherwise required to report child abuse. Washington “is now the only state whose mandatory reporter law explicitly overrides the religious clergy-penitent privilege” while allowing the other exemptions, the lawsuit says.

The Orthodox leaders said they “do not object to alerting authorities when they have genuine concerns about children that they learn outside of confession.” Rather, they are demanding that the state “give the clergy-penitent privilege the constitutional protection it is due as a fundamental religious obligation.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court, claims the state’s law violates the First and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution. It asks the court to block the law and declare it unconstitutional. 

Spokane Bishop Thomas Daly in a statement last month vowed that clergy would not break the seal of confession, even if it meant jail time.

“I want to assure you that your shepherds, bishops and priests, are committed to keeping the seal of confession — even to the point of going to jail,” Daly said in his message to the faithful. “The sacrament of penance is sacred and will remain that way in the Diocese of Spokane.”

The U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the law on May 6, calling it an “anti-Catholic” measure.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon described it as a “legislative attack on the Catholic Church and its sacrament of confession,” arguing it singles out clergy by denying them privileges afforded to other professionals.

The New Jersey State House. / Credit: Felix Lipov/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Jun 17, 2025 / 10:37 am (CNA).

The New Jersey government will be allowed to assemble a grand jury to investigate allegations of clergy sexual abuse there, the state Supreme Court said Monday.

In a unanimous ruling, the New Jersey Supreme Court said a lower court had erred when it held the state could not empanel the jury, with the high court stating that the government “has the right to proceed with its investigation and present evidence before a special grand jury.”

The lower court had said in part that any findings from the grand jury could be “fundamentally unfair” because any priests accused in it would lack the ability to adequately challenge the allegations.

But the Supreme Court said it was up to judges to decide if any report complied with prevailing legal standards. Courts “cannot and [do] not decide the ultimate question in advance,” the ruling said.

The court’s decision comes just over a month after the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, said it would drop its fight against the state’s efforts to empanel the grand jury.

Camden Bishop Joseph Williams last month said he intended to “do the right thing” for abuse victims. The Camden Diocese had been embroiled in a yearslong fight with the state over the potential grand jury empanelment.

Williams’ abandonment of the fight came just several weeks after he assumed the bishopric there on March 17.

The diocese had previously argued in part that New Jersey “cannot convene a grand jury to return a presentment unless it addresses public affairs or conditions, censures public officials, or calls attention to imminent conditions.” Years-old clergy abuse allegations did not meet these standards, the diocese had said.

In a letter in the Catholic Star Herald last month, Williams said he was “new to being a diocesan bishop and new to the complex legal arguments and proceedings involved” in the ongoing case. Prior to his March 17 appointment, he served as coadjutor bishop of the Camden Diocese.

A grand jury was famously empaneled in Pennsylvania from 2016 to 2018 to investigate abuse allegations in multiple dioceses of that state.

That report, released in August 2018, revealed allegations of abuse against more than 300 priests involving more than 1,000 children in the state.

Remarking on that data, the jurists said in their report: “We believe that the real number — of children whose records were lost, or who were afraid ever to come forward — is in the thousands.”

Bernardo García is executive director of the Casablanca Declaration. / Credit: “EWTN Noticias”/Screenshot

Lima Newsroom, Jun 17, 2025 / 09:42 am (CNA).

Bernardo García, executive director of the Casablanca Declaration, a coalition that calls for the universal abolition of surrogacy, said that in reality the practice amounts to “the exploitation of poor women and the sale of children.” The Casablanca Declaration takes its name from a conference on the subject held in Casablanca, Morocco, in 2023.

García spoke to “EWTN Noticias,” the Spanish-language broadcast edition of EWTN News, during the coalition’s third summit, held last week in Lima, Peru, with specialists in bioethics, law, and communications participating.

García emphasized that the Casablanca Declaration “is an NGO [nongovernmental organization] that informs about the risks and dangers of surrogacy worldwide and actively promotes an international treaty at the United Nations level to abolish this practice.”

“We believe that the authorities, as well as the public, need to be aware of the reality of this market, because it is often presented as an alternative fertility technique, as an alternative adoption technique, but this is really the exploitation of poor women and the sale of children,” he emphasized.

García pointed out the importance of banning surrogacy, a practice in which several Latin American countries have become the center of operations in recent years.

According to García, the Casablanca Declaration brings together specialists from more than 80 countries and was launched in response to the global growth of surrogacy, an industry valued at $22.4 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights.

A practice that violates the rights of women and babies

Lorena Bolson, dean of the Institute of Family Sciences at Austral University in Argentina, explained that surrogacy “involves a violation of all kinds of rights, both for the woman who carries the child and, above all, for the child, who ends up being the most forgotten one.”

Commissioning parents are the ones who contract for the baby. María Carrillo, a professor at Pan American University in Mexico, noted: “There are homosexual couples who resort to this practice because they naturally cannot have children. There are also heterosexual couples with infertility problems, and even single people... As long as they can afford it, they can access it.”

In Mexico, the states of Tabasco and Sinaloa allow surrogacy. Carrillo noted that it also is done in other states, although illegally. The majority of those seeking Mexican women for this purpose are primarily from the United States, Spain, and Asia.

Mexico “is a country with very high poverty rates, and there are women who are truly in desperate, vulnerable situations who seek this practice as a means to support their families,” Carrillo indicated.

Argentina and Uruguay

Women who agree to become surrogates often sign contracts imposed by intermediary companies. Verónica Toller, national director of the Fight Against Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Argentina, follows these contracts closely.

“We are talking about human trafficking with contracts that [make the surrogate] absolutely subservient,” Toller said. “The Argentine justice system considers women bound by these contracts to have been reduced to servitude where there was economic violence, health-related violence, where the woman is abandoned if she loses the baby, for example, by not being responsible for her subsequent medical care.”

Sometimes, she continued, “by order of the commissioning parents, babies are selectively discarded and aborted.”

In Uruguay, surrogacy is legal under certain conditions. As Sofía Maruri, a lawyer and human rights consultant, explained: “It is permitted for women who demonstrate that they cannot become pregnant due to fertility issues and can ask a relative, such as their mother or sister, to bear a child in their place, as long as the condition is that no money is involved.”

This case is known as “altruistic” surrogacy, in which the commissioning parents must cover the surrogate’s medical and food expenses.

Tragedy of surrogacy in Ukraine

One of the countries where surrogacy is legal is Ukraine. According to data from Casablanca, the cost of surrogacy in Ukraine ranges between $60,000 and $80,000, while in the United States it can reach $150,000. Therefore, many commissioning parents seek Ukrainian women, even in the midst of the conflict there.

In poor countries, surrogate mothers typically receive between $10,000 and $20,000. They must be between 25 and 35 years old and have had at least one child previously.

Faced with the pain of couples who want to have children but cannot, specialists at the Casablanca Declaration encourage them to opt for adoption.

In 2024, during the Second Casablanca Conference in Rome, the organizers met with Pope Francis, who encouraged them to continue defending human rights.

In the United States, surrogacy is governed by laws that vary from state to state. 

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

The Vatican Gardens at Castel Gandolfo is located on the wooded slopes of the Alban Hills, overlooking the blue waters of a small volcanic crater lake. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Jun 17, 2025 / 06:47 am (CNA).

The town of Castel Gandolfo has said Pope Leo XIV will again partake in the centuries-long tradition of spending a summer vacation at the lakeside papal residence in the Alban Hills south of Rome.

A spokeswoman for the small town, Giulia Agostinelli, told CNA on Tuesday morning Leo will arrive sometime during the first week of July. The Vatican confirmed shortly afterward that the pope will spend July 6–20 and Aug. 15–17 in the pontifical villas at Castel Gandolfo.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household also announced that on July 13 and 20, and on Aug. 15, Leo will celebrate Mass at the local parish of Castel Gandolfo before leading the Angelus from Liberty Square in front of the main papal residence. On Aug. 17, the pontiff will also lead the Angelus before returning to the Vatican.

For most of July, the pope will not hold any private or public audiences. The Wednesday general audiences will resume on July 30.

Pope Francis in 2013 broke with the papal practice of escaping the Roman heat in Castel Gandolfo, with its extensive gardens, preferring to remain at his Vatican residence, Santa Marta, even during the summer.

Francis opted to turn the papal summer residence into a museum. It opened to the public in 2016.

The gardens of the papal residence, called the Barberini Gardens, were opened to the public in 2014 as a way to increase revenue for the town, which thrived on tourism brought by visitors who came to see the pope during his stay.

For Benedict XVI, the villa was a favorite summer getaway during his pontificate. It was conceded to the Holy See as one of their extraterritorial possessions under the Lateran Pact of 1929.

The villa served as the papal summer residence since the pontificate of Urban VIII during the 17th century. It has a small farm created by Pope Pius XI, which produces eggs, milk, oil, vegetables, and honey either for local employees or for sale in the Vatican supermarket.

This story was updated on June 17, 2025, at 8:35 a.m. ET with the confirmation of the Vatican.

null / Credit: HoneySkies/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 17, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Nearly 50% of adults in the U.S. have some connection to the Catholic faith, according to new data from Pew Research. 

“Catholicism’s roots in the United States run deep,” Pew stated in a new report titled “U.S. Catholicism: Connections to the Religion, Beliefs and Practices.” 

Pew reported that 47% of U.S. adults have Catholic ties: 20% identify as Catholic, 9% as “culturally Catholic,” 9% as ex-Catholic, and 9% report a connection through a Catholic parent, spouse, or past Mass attendance.

The survey, conducted Feb. 3–9 among a nationally representative sample of 9,544 U.S. adults, including 1,787 Catholics, “was designed to explore Catholic life in the United States,” the report stated. “It was completed prior to the hospitalization of Pope Francis on Feb. 14 and his death in April, and well before the conclave that elected his successor, Pope Leo XIV.” 

In addition to demographics, the survey asked what American Catholics believe is most essential to their identity, listing 14 items and asking them to rate them as “essential,” “important but not essential,” or “not important” to their Catholic identity.

The large majority of respondents, 69%, said “having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ” was essential to being Catholic. 

The second item most commonly selected as essential was “devotion to the Virgin Mary” at 50%. “Working to help the poor and needy” came in third at 47%, and 46% selected “receiving the Eucharist.”

Getting married in the Church, opposing abortion, caring for migrants, papal primacy, going on pilgrimages, and celebrating feast days were also among 14 items concerning belief and identity that Pew asked respondents to rank.

The survey found that overall, about 3 in 10 Catholic participants surveyed attend Mass weekly. Compared with those who do not attend Mass regularly, those who do were more likely to affirm that all 14 items in the survey were essential to their practice of the Catholic faith.

According to Pew, only “some” of the 20% who identified as Catholic are “deeply observant,” with about 13% saying they pray daily, attend Mass at least weekly, and go to confession at least once per year. Alternately, 13% said they “seldom or never” pray, attend Mass, or go to confession.

“The largest share of Catholics (74%) fall somewhere in the middle of this spectrum of observance. They may pray. They may attend Mass. They may go to confession. But they don’t regularly do all three,” Pew noted.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem (pictured) and Cardinal Dominique Mathieu of the Archdiocese of Tehran–Isfahan in Iran asked for prayers on June 16, 2025, as the conflict between Iran and Israel escalated. / Credit: Courtesy of Custos of the Holy Land

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 16, 2025 / 18:40 pm (CNA).

Catholic leaders in both Iran and Israel are praying for peace as violence between the two nations continues to escalate following Israel’s assassinations of Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists and Israeli airstrikes against Iranian military facilities and nuclear sites.

Israel launched its initial attack on June 13, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating Israel’s goal is to halt Iran’s nuclear program. In response, Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, the majority of which Israel has successfully shot down. More than 200 Iranians and at least 24 Israelis have been killed.

Cardinal Dominique Mathieu of the Archdiocese of Tehran–Isfahan in Iran as well as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in Israel, are both praying for peace at a time when many worry that the military conflict could expand.

In an interview with AsiaNews, Mathieu said hours after the initial attack that “it is with regret that we observe … once again that peace is sought through preventive attacks instead of committing to dialogue around the negotiating table.”

“We pray that peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail,” he said. “May the Holy Spirit guide this process.”

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem posted a prayer “for a just peace” on its official X account just hours after the initial attack.

“O God of peace, ‘You are the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Heb 13:8),” the prayer reads. “You have said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid’ (Jn 14:27).”

“We lift our weary hearts to you, Lord, longing for your light amid the shadows of fear and unrest,” the prayer continues. “Teach us to be peacemakers, for ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God’ (Mt 5:9). Sow in us the seeds of reconciliation, and make us instruments of your peace in a wounded world.”

“Grant us the grace to live as you have commanded: ‘If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all’ (Rom 12:18). Let there be in our cities and lands: ‘Peace within your walls and security within your towers’ (Ps 122:7). In the midst of trouble, we proclaim: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear?’ (Ps 27:1). ‘I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Ps 4:8).”

“We trust in your everlasting promise: ‘Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Mt 28:20). Amen.”

Pope Leo XIV also spoke about the escalating violence over the weekend, saying “the situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated” and appealed to “responsibility and reason.”

“Our commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue,” Leo said.

It is the “duty of all countries” to pursue “paths of reconciliation” and promote solutions that are grounded in justice, fraternity, and the common good to build lasting peace and security in the region, the pontiff said.

Israel’s attack came amid ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Iran concerning a nuclear deal that would avoid military conflict. American and Iranian officials were scheduled to meet on June 15 in Oman, but Iran canceled the talks after the attack.

Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï. / Credit: Courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 16, 2025 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, lamented the decline of the Christian population in the Middle East, noting that the Christian presence in the region exerts a moderating influence on Islam.

“If this Middle East is emptied of Christians, then Muslims will lose their moderation,” the cardinal warned in an interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

“Many have had to leave Syria, because no one can live under war, under bombardment,” the patriarch stated from the episcopal see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch in Lebanon.

In Syria, the economic, financial, and security situation combined with war has caused a large Christian exodus. “The positive side is that they have been able to restart their lives and have taken their faith around the world. The negative side is that the country is emptying of Christians,” said Raï, who called on states to change their perspective and take measures to stop this from taking place.

“It’s not about looking at the number of Christians but rather at the value that the presence of Christians brings,” he pointed out.

In Lebanon — the only country in the region where the Christian community is not a small minority — Christians have become a beacon of hope for believers in the Middle East, unlike Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, where Christians are considered second-class citizens.

“There are Christians and Muslims all over the world, but in Lebanon their presence is guaranteed by the constitution, and if a government were to act against this coexistence it would be outside the law. The Lebanese constitution guarantees a Christian presence,” the cardinal explained.

The prelate expressed his hope for this kind of coexistence in Syria and Iraq, “because this life together creates Muslim moderation,” he said.

According to ACN, in Lebanon, many Muslim families send their children to Catholic schools, “because they are models of coexistence.” Raï noted that in southern Lebanon, all the students in Catholic schools are Muslim, which represents an opportunity “to contribute the value of communal life, the value of moderation.”

“These schools are doing everything possible to remain open, especially in the mountains, for the good of the citizens,” the Maronite patriarch added.

The hard reality of Lebanese Christians

ACN noted that in May 2024, the World Bank warned that poverty in Lebanon went from 12% to 44% in 2022 across surveyed areas. The cardinal said the consequences of this reality are suffered equally by Christians and Muslims.

“Muslims get help from other Muslim countries, but the Christians in Lebanon can only count on the Church,” which has far fewer resources, and “that’s why they are destitute,” he lamented. “The Christians are poor, and that affects issues such as access to food, medication, and hospital care,” he added.

Despite the difficulties, the Maronite patriarch said that “our people are a people of prayer, a God-fearing people. Our churches are full of youth, of people who pray, and thanks to this prayer, Lebanon can rise again.”

“The Christians of the Middle East have a mission in the Middle East, to bear witness to Christianity in the Middle East, along with the Muslims, for this martyred Middle East. This is where our mission is, and this is where we will stay,” the patriarch affirmed.

Finally, he pointed out that Middle Eastern Christians are guardians “of the roots of Christianity in the Holy Land” and that the first communities to adopt the Christian faith are found in the region. “We should help them to remain and not leave,” he emphasized.

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

A makeshift memorial for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, is seen at the Minnesota State Capitol building on June 16, 2025, in St. Paul, Minnesota. / Credit: Steven Garcia/Getty Images

CNA Staff, Jun 16, 2025 / 17:40 pm (CNA).

A suspected shooter faces federal charges after he was arrested for the murders of Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman — a Catholic who once taught Sunday school — and her husband, Mark, in their home this weekend.  

After a two-day manhunt involving more than 20 different SWAT teams, authorities apprehended the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, on June 15 in Sibley County. Boelter now faces federal murder charges, which could allow for the death penalty, federal officials announced Monday. 

Boelter is also suspected of shooting state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home the same day before he murdered the Hortmans. Yvette Hoffman said in a statement that they are “incredibly lucky to be alive” after she was shot eight times and he nine. 

Melissa Hortman, a well-known politician in the state, had served as Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House for six years. 

She and her husband “had been a part of the St. Timothy Parish community,” according to Father Joe Whalen, the pastor of the Blaine, Minnesota, parish, who shared the community’s grief in a statement over the weekend.

“Our parish community feels deeply this loss and we offer our prayerful support and condolences to the Hortman and Hoffman families,” Whalen said on June 14. 

Melissa Hortman had volunteered in the parish children’s faith formation program, according to Whalen. 

“This attack on dedicated public servants deeply wounds our entire community,” the priest continued. “Those who dedicate themselves to public service should be acknowledged for their generosity and commitment to service.”

Both politicians also met regularly with the local Catholic bishops, according to Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, as previously reported by CNA. 

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester, Minnesota, recalled meeting both Hortman and Hoffman at the state capitol a few months ago during a meeting of bishops with state leaders.

“I was deeply impressed by both,” he said in a statement. “Rep. Hortman listened to us with sharp intelligence and acute attention.” 

Barron also recalled having a “wonderful conversation” with Hoffman — an alum of St. Mary’s University, a Catholic university in Barron’s diocese — during which the senator “shared his passion for Catholic social teaching.”

Barron urged people to pray for the recovery of Hoffman and his wife as well as for the souls of Hortman and her husband.

“God knows we are a divided society, but our political differences must never, ever give rise to violence,” Barron said. 

As previously reported by CNA, Hebda called Hortman “an honorable public servant” and recalled that though the two “disagreed on some issues, we worked collaboratively to find common ground.”

He also praised Hoffman as “a strong advocate for the most vulnerable” and urged people to pray for the recovery of him and his wife. Hoffman represents Minnesota Senate District 34 as a Democrat. 

At the time of his arrest, Boelter had a list of 70 potential targets including public officials, top business leaders, and abortion businesses. 

Multiple agencies banded together on foot and in a helicopter to apprehend the suspect in what Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley described as the “largest manhunt in the state’s history.” 

The first shooting took place at the Hoffmans’ residence in the early hours of Saturday in the suburbs of Minneapolis. According to Minnesota authorities, Boelter dressed in police-style tactical gear and wore a rubber mask, announcing himself as a police officer to gain entrance to the victims’ homes. Yvette Hoffman reportedly shielded her adult daughter from the shooter, protecting her from harm. Her daughter alerted the authorities. 

When the Brooklyn Park Police learned that the first shooting had targeted a politician, they went to check on the Hortmans, who lived nearby. When they arrived at 3:35 a.m., officers witnessed Boelter shooting Hortman and her husband through the open front door. He fired at authorities before escaping on foot, according to the authorities. 

Boelter was taken into custody late Sunday evening. Authorities said they found no evidence that he was working with anyone else. Inside Boelter’s vehicle, authorities found a list of names and addresses of other public officials along with three AK-47 assault rifles and a 9mm handgun. His bail was set at $5 million.

Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025. / Credit: Red Confidential/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 16, 2025 / 17:01 pm (CNA).

Islamist Fulani militants swooped into the town of Yelewata in Nigeria’s Benue state and killed up to 200 Nigerian Christians on Friday in what international aid organizations are calling the “worst killing spree” in the region yet.

The attackers targeted Christians living as internally displaced people in the June 13 attack, setting fire to buildings where families were taking shelter and assaulting with machetes anyone who attempted to flee, according to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

“Militants stormed in, shouting ‘Allahu Akhbar’ (‘God is great’), before killing people at will,” ACN reported, adding that the attackers “used fuel to set fire to the doors of the displaced people’s accommodation before opening fire in an area where more than 500 people were asleep.”

“What I saw was truly gruesome. People were slaughtered. Corpses were scattered everywhere,” Father Ukuma Jonathan Angbianbee, a local parish priest, told ACN shortly after the attack.

The priest, along with several other witnesses, affirmed that the Fulani herdsmen were behind the massacre. The militants attacked the town from several angles and used heavy rain as cover, he noted.

Angbianbee narrowly escaped being killed himself, dropping to the floor when the militants began firing shots. “When we heard the shots and saw the militants, we committed our lives to God,” he continued. “This morning, I thank God I am alive.”

The militants attempted first to attack a local parish, St. Joseph’s Church in Yelewata, where 700 displaced people were being sheltered earlier in the evening. However, after local law enforcement fought off the initial attack, the militants moved on to the town’s market square, where they carried out the brutal assault on several buildings that had been repurposed into housing for displaced people.

Although initial reports estimated nearly 100 deaths, data collected by the Diocese of Makurdi Foundation for Justice, Development, and Peace found that a total of 200 people were killed.

“The death toll makes it the single-worst atrocity in the region, where there has been a sudden upsurge in attacks and increasing signs that a concerted militant assault is underway to force an entire community to leave,” ACN stated.

Another clergy member, identified as a leading priest in the Diocese of Makurdi, criticized Nigerian law enforcement for failing to arrive on the scene until the next morning. “Where were they the previous evening when we needed them?” he asked, adding: “This is by far [the] worst atrocity we have seen. There has been nothing even close.”

“Some 200 people were murdered, with extraordinary cruelty,” Pope Leo XIV said during his Angelus address on Sunday.

“Most of the victims were internal refugees who were hosted by a local Catholic mission,” he lamented, adding that he would be praying for “security, peace, and justice,” especially for “rural Christian communities of the Benue state who have been relentless victims of violence.”

During Lent and Holy Week, Fulani herdsmen killed more than 170 Christians in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, with 72 of the deaths reported in the Benue state alone during the Easter Triduum between April 18–20.

The ongoing attacks continue to raise serious concerns about religious persecution and government inaction in the West African nation.

Cardinal Raymond Burke gives the final blessing during the Summorum Pontificum Pilgrimage Mass in Rome on Oct. 25, 2014. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Jun 16, 2025 / 16:31 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Raymond Burke said he has asked Pope Leo XIV to remove measures restricting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) in dioceses. 

Burke spoke at a London conference organized by The Latin Mass Society of England and Wales, telling attendees that he hopes the new pontiff will “put an end to the persecution” of Catholic faithful who want to celebrate Mass using the “more ancient usage” — “usus antiquior”  — of the Roman liturgy. 

The prefect emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura and former patron of the Order of Malta was one of seven guest panelists invited to speak at the faith and culture conference held on June 14. 

Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, who has written extensively on the Eucharist and Church tradition, also spoke at the weekend conference held to mark the 60th anniversary of the U.K.-based society. 

“I certainly have already had occasion to express that to the Holy Father,” Burke said via video link. “It is my hope that he will, as soon as is reasonably possible, take up the study of this question.”

After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI promulgated the Novus Ordo Missae in 1969. This liturgy, celebrated in the vernacular, largely replaced the TLM in dioceses worldwide.

During the conference, Burke expressed his desire for Pope Leo to overturn Francis’ 2021 Traditionis Custodes moto proprio and restore Benedict XVI’s 2007 Summorum Pontificum, the Catholic Herald reported.

“It is my hope,” Burke said at the conference, “[Leo will] even continue to develop what Pope Benedict XVI had so wisely and lovingly legislated for the Church.”

Besides criticisms leveled against Traditionis Custodes, the U.S. cardinal has been publicly critical of other initiatives led by Pope Francis.

In 2016, Burke and three other cardinals submitted “dubia” — formal requests for clarification — regarding interpretations of the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

The prelate also criticized the 2019 Synod on the Pan-Amazon Region convened by Pope Francis, saying parts of the agenda appeared “contrary” to Catholic teaching.