Browsing News Entries
Paris Grand Mosque rector proposes to Pope Francis a meeting between Muslims and Christians
Posted on 02/11/2025 18:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 13:35 pm (CNA).
The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, proposed to Pope Francis organizing a meeting between Christians and Muslims in the French capital this year to promote interreligious dialogue and fraternity.
Hafiz made the proposal on Feb. 10 at Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican during an audience with the pope, which was also attended by a delegation from the European Coordination Council AMMALE (Alliance of Mosques, Associations, and Muslim Leaders), an organization aimed at improving the integration and practice of Islam in Europe.
Inspired by the encyclical Fratelli Tutti, the initiative seeks to promote fraternity and justice through interreligious dialogue.
During the meeting, the second between the two after one held in 2022, the pontiff apologized for not receiving him at the Apostolic Palace.
“I have bronchitis. I live here and I can’t go out,” he explained in a video posted on the website of the Grand Mosque of Paris.
Despite the illness, the 88-year-old Holy Father has not canceled his schedule and continues to work. However, in recent days he has shown difficulty reading texts aloud.
During the meeting, the rector gave the pontiff a message on the fraternity of Christians and Muslims in Europe in which he proposed the idea of organizing a new international meeting to promote this fraternity on a continental scale.
Specifically, in the letter published on the website of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Hafiz proposes holding a major interreligious meeting in the French capital in 2025, inspired by the Assisi meetings of 1986, with the aim of reaffirming friendship between Christians and Muslims.
Although the Vatican Press Office has not given details in this regard, the Holy Father entrusted this task to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, according to the Grand Mosque of Paris.
In the letter he delivered to Pope Francis, Hafiz reflected on the shared history between Christians and Muslims, highlighting the fruitful encounters and challenges they have faced together over the centuries.
The Muslim leader said that despite their differences, both communities are united by the same divine origin and must strengthen fraternity in Europe.
Growing fear and rejection of Muslims
Hafiz also warned of the growing fear and rejection of Muslims in Europe fuelled by hate speech and stereotypes that associate Islam with violence.
In this regard, he highlighted the role of Pope Francis in combating these prejudices and promoting unity, as demonstrated by his meetings with Muslim leaders and his commitment to interreligious brotherhood.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
27 religious groups sue White House over ‘sensitive location’ immigration policy
Posted on 02/11/2025 18:05 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).
A coalition of more than two dozen religious groups is suing the White House over its policy allowing immigration officers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants in houses of worship and other “sensitive locations.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under President Donald Trump last month rescinded Biden-era guidelines that required Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to seek their superior’s approval before arresting people at or near “sensitive locations” such as churches, hospitals, or schools.
The repealed rules, earlier versions of which date to 2011, precluded ICE agents from carrying out immigration enforcement actions in locations like hospitals, places of worship, schools, or during events such as weddings or parades unless there is an urgent need, such as a person who poses an imminent threat or if the agents have sought higher approval to do so.
A DHS spokesman said last month that the repeal of the policy meant that “criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
In their lawsuit, filed Tuesday at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the 27 religious groups, including the Mennonite Church, the Episcopal Church, the Friends General Conference, and several Jewish groups including the New York-based Rabbinical Assembly, argue that the enforcement of immigration arrests in churches is “substantially burdening the religious exercise” of the plaintiffs’ congregations and members.
“Congregations are experiencing decreases in worship attendance and social services participation due to fear of immigration enforcement action,” the suit says.
“For the vulnerable congregants who continue to attend worship services, congregations must choose between either exposing them to arrest or undertaking security measures that are in direct tension with their religious duties of welcome and hospitality.”
The suit further argues that DHS “flout[ed] legal constraints on agency action” by rushing to repeal the rule too quickly, a move the plaintiffs claim violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
The suit, which names DHS, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, argues that the DHS action violates the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as the First Amendment and the federal administrative rule.
The Trump administration has moved quickly to implement far-reaching and aggressive immigration policies upon President Donald Trump’s taking office last month, a move that has drawn criticism from some Catholics.
On Tuesday Pope Francis wrote to the U.S. bishops arguing that immigration laws and policies should be subordinated to the dignified treatment of people, especially the most vulnerable.
The letter, which was widely viewed as a rebuke to the Trump administration, acknowledged that the just treatment of immigrants does not impede the development of policies to regulate orderly and legal migration.
But “what is built on the basis of force and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being begins badly and will end badly,” the pope argued.
Following Trump’s executive orders on immigration, numerous U.S. bishops have responded by similarly calling for a more comprehensive and humane approach to immigration policy that respects the dignity of migrants and refugees.
Bishops have continued to speak out on immigration periodically over the last few weeks. Minnesota’s Catholic bishops, for instance, released a statement Feb. 7 advocating “comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken system” while urging the Trump administration to refrain from deporting migrants without criminal records.
The bishops of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, meanwhile, last week issued a joint statement acknowledging “room for disagreement and discussion with respect to immigration policy” while arguing for “the recognition that immigrants, as members of God’s human family, are deserving of and must be granted the appropriate dignity as our brothers and sisters in the Lord.”
Google Calendar removes Pride Month, cultural heritage months
Posted on 02/11/2025 17:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 11, 2025 / 12:35 pm (CNA).
Google Calendar removed references to Pride Month, Black History Month, and all cultural heritage months on its web and mobile applications, instead opting to display only public federal holidays and national observances on its calendars.
The shift appears to coincide with similar moves from federal departments and agencies under President Donald Trump’s administration. However, a Google spokesperson said in a statement that the decision was made in mid-2024 and did not indicate ideological or cultural motivations for that change.
“For over a decade we’ve worked with timeanddate.com to show public holidays and national observances in Google Calendar,” a spokesperson for Google said in a statement provided to CNA.
“Some years ago, the Calendar team started manually adding a broader set of cultural moments in a wide number of countries around the world,” the statement read. “We got feedback that some other events and countries were missing — and maintaining hundreds of moments manually and consistently globally wasn’t scalable or sustainable. So in mid-2024, we returned to showing only public holidays and national observances from timeanddate.com globally, while allowing users to manually add other important moments.”
Before the change, Google Calendar users would automatically have the start of “Pride Month” listed on their calendars for June 1. In June, the secular observance celebrates homosexuality and transgenderism. For Catholics, the month of June is dedicated to celebrating the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Other observances that are no longer automatically displayed on Google Calendar include Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Month, and Holocaust Remembrance Day, among others. It also included other celebrations unrelated to cultural identities, such as Teachers’ Day, which are no longer automatically listed on calendars.
A spokesperson for Google told CNA that the company will continue to celebrate and promote cultural moments in its products and specifically referenced Black History Month and the Lunar New Year.
The holidays still automatically displayed include Christmas, Christmas Eve, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Independence Day, among others, for American users.
Users can still manually add any holidays or observances to their calendars on the web and mobile applications.
The Google spokesperson told CNA “it’s easy for Calendar users to customize which categories of holidays they show.”
This week, Google Maps also changed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America for American users to reflect the name change ordered by Trump. For Mexican users, Google still labels the body of water as the Gulf of Mexico. Users in other countries see both names.
“We’ve received a few questions about naming within Google Maps,” the company said in a post on X before the name change was official. “We have a long-standing practice of applying name changes when they have been updated in official government sources.”
Late last month, the Department of Defense’s intelligence agency ended all observances of Pride Month and other cultural heritage months. This occurred after Trump signed an executive order to end all “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) practices in the federal government.
The Department of State banned embassies from flying the “pride” flag and other ideological flags, establishing a policy that only the flag of the United States can be flown. The Department of Justice (DOJ) also ended the DOJ Pride office.
Pope Francis appoints Tucson Bishop Weisenburger as new archbishop of Detroit
Posted on 02/11/2025 16:05 PM (CNA Daily News)

CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 11:05 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Tucson Bishop Edward Weisenburger as the new archbishop of Detroit, accepting the resignation of current Archbishop Allen Vigneron.
Vigneron, who has led the Michigan archdiocese since 2009, had submitted his resignation in October 2023 upon turning 75 as required by canon law. In a Tuesday statement he “extend[ed] to Archbishop-elect Weisenburger a heartfelt welcome to his new home.”
“I offer the assurance of our prayerful support as he comes here to take up the mission being given to him by our Holy Father Pope Francis,” Vigneron said.
Weisenburger, meanwhile, said he was “humbled to be called to serve such a noble Church,” describing the Detroit Archdiocese as “steeped in rich history, vibrant ministries, and known for a committed clergy with a great passion for evangelization.”
“Despite the challenge of leaving my happy home in the Diocese of Tucson, I promise the good people of the Archdiocese of Detroit my all,” the archbishop-elect said.
Weisenburger was born in Illinois on Dec. 23, 1960. He attended Conception Seminary College in Missouri and graduated in 1983, after which he studied at the American College Seminary at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, earning degrees in theology, religious studies, and moral and religious sciences.
After being ordained to the priesthood in 1987 in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Weisenburger attended the University of St. Paul in Ottawa, Canada, graduating with a pontifical licentiate in canon law in 1992.
He served a variety of roles in the Oklahoma City Archdiocese, including as vice chancellor and on the diocesan tribunal; he also did prison ministry for several years. He also notably served as an on-site chaplain at the site of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
He was appointed bishop of Salina, Kansas, by Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 6, 2012, and ordained on May 1 of that year. Pope Francis subsequently appointed him bishop of Tucson on Oct. 3, 2017, where he was installed on Nov. 29 of the same year.
In addition to his ministries and bishoprics, the archbishop-elect has served at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on the migration committee as well as the subcommittee on the Catholic Communication Campaign.
Pope Francis appoints new auxiliary bishop for Archdiocese of Sydney in Australia
Posted on 02/11/2025 15:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 10:35 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Father Anthony Gerard Percy as a new auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Sydney and as bishop of the titular see of Appiaria, Bulgaria.
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP, welcomed the news of Percy’s appointment, saying: “I’m grateful to the Holy Father for choosing another good and faith-filled priest to serve as a bishop in our archdiocese and to work alongside me in the vineyard of Sydney.”
A parish priest of St. Gregory’s Parish in Queanbeyan since 2023, Percy, 62, was born in Cooma, southern New South Wales, and ordained a priest in 1990 for the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn.
Since his priestly ordination, he has ministered to Catholics in six parishes: St. Mary’s Parish in Young; St. Gregory’s Parish in Queanbeyan; Our Lady Help of Christians in Ardlethan; Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ariah Park; St. Therese Parish in Barellan; and Mary Queen of Apostles in Goulburn.
From 1999–2003 Percy studied at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was awarded a doctorate specializing in marriage from the university’s Pontifical John Paul II Institute.
The bishop-elect was appointed rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary in Sydney from 2009–2014 by the late Cardinal George Pell and afterward made vicar general of the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn from 2014–2023.
In a Tuesday interview with The Catholic Weekly, Percy said Pell had “placed a lot of trust in me and in the formation team” at the seminary, adding: “We had a great seminary and we had some really great young students who then became great priests.”
Percy also shared with The Catholic Weekly his anticipation for the 54th International Eucharistic Congress set to take place in Sydney in 2028.
“The love you have for the Eucharist drives you to want to go out and serve people who are less fortunate than we are. One would hope that the Eucharistic Congress will really release that sort of grace in the Church once again.”
Percy’s episcopal consecration will take place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney on May 2.
Pope Francis to Paris AI Action Summit: ‘Love is worth more than intelligence’
Posted on 02/11/2025 15:05 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 10:05 am (CNA).
Pope Francis in his message to leaders participating in the Feb. 10–11 Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris reiterated his stance that technological innovations must ultimately serve and defend humanity.
The Holy Father quoted French philosopher Jacques Maritain in his Feb. 11 message, saying: “Love is worth more than intelligence” and expressing his concern that an overemphasis on data and algorithms can dangerously manipulate the truth and undermine human creativity.
“In my most recent encyclical letter Dilexit Nos, I distinguished between the operation of algorithms and the power of the ‘heart,’” the pope shared.
“I ask all those attending the Paris summit not to forget that only the human ‘heart’ can reveal the meaning of our existence.”
The two-day summit, co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in France’s Grand Palais, brought together hundreds of government officials, business executives, scientists, and artists to discuss the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on global governance and the economy.
Vatican Secretary for the Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher was a guest speaker at the international meeting’s Feb. 10 discussion panel on the topic “Harnessing AI for the Future of Work.”
In his message, the pope asked summit participants to have the “courage and determination” to defend humanity through their work.
He stressed that global leaders should not use AI to impose “uniform anthropological, socioeconomic, and cultural models” that reduce reality to “numbers” and “predetermined categories.”
Describing AI as “a powerful tool” that can find innovative solutions to promote environmental sustainability, the Holy Father also warned of its potential to undermine human relationships and further disadvantage people living in developing nations.
“In this regard, I trust that the Paris summit will work for the creation of a platform of public interest on artificial intelligence,” the pope said, “so that every nation can find in artificial intelligence an instrument for its development and its fight against poverty but also for the protection of its local cultures and languages.”
The pope concluded his message by repeating his call for a person-centered approach to the use of AI, saying: “Our ultimate challenge will always remain mankind. May we never lose sight of this!”
On Jan. 28, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education released Antiqua et Nova, a note outlining the Church’s position on the relationship between AI and human intelligence.
Pope Francis to U.S. bishops amid mass deportations: Dignity of migrants comes first
Posted on 02/11/2025 14:35 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 09:35 am (CNA).
Pope Francis addressed the bishops of the United States on Tuesday about the country’s ongoing mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants, urging Catholics to consider the justness of laws and policies in light of the dignity and rights of people.
In a letter published Feb. 11, the pope — while supporting a nation’s right to defend itself from people who have committed violent or serious crimes — said a “rightly formed conscience” would disagree with associating the illegal status of some migrants with criminality.
“The act of deporting people who in many cases have left their own land for reasons of extreme poverty, insecurity, exploitation, persecution, or serious deterioration of the environment damages the dignity of many men and women, and of entire families, and places them in a state of particular vulnerability and defenselessness,” he said.
“All the Christian faithful and people of goodwill,” the pontiff continued, “are called upon to consider the legitimacy of norms and public policies in the light of the dignity of the person and his or her fundamental rights, not vice versa.”
‘Respectful of the dignity of all’
Pope Francis penned the letter to U.S. bishops amid changes to U.S. immigration policy under President Donald Trump’s administration, including the increased deportation of migrants, which numerous bishops have criticized.
The pope’s letter recognized the “valuable efforts” of the U.S. bishops in their work with migrants and refugees and invoked God’s reward for their “protection and defense of those who are considered less valuable, less important, or less human!”
Asking Our Lady of Guadalupe to protect all those living in fear or pain due to immigration and deportation, he prayed for a society that is more “fraternal, inclusive, and respectful of the dignity of all” and exhorted Catholics and other people of goodwill “not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”
Francis emphasized that immigration laws and policies should be subordinated to the dignified treatment of people, especially the most vulnerable.
“This is not a minor issue: An authentic rule of law is verified precisely in the dignified treatment that all people deserve, especially the poorest and most marginalized,” he underlined. “The true common good is promoted when society and government, with creativity and strict respect for the rights of all — as I have affirmed on numerous occasions — welcomes, protects, promotes, and integrates the most fragile, unprotected, and vulnerable.”
He said the just treatment of immigrants does not impede the development of policies to regulate orderly and legal migration, but “what is built on the basis of force and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being begins badly and will end badly.”
The ‘ordo amoris’
In his letter, Pope Francis also weighed in on the Catholic concept of “ordo amoris” — “rightly ordered love” — which was recently invoked by Vice President JD Vance in the ongoing debate over immigration policy.
“Christian love,” the pope wrote, “is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups. In other words: The human person is not a mere individual, relatively expansive, with some philanthropic feelings!”
“The human person is a subject with dignity who, through the constitutive relationship with all, especially with the poorest, can gradually mature in his identity and vocation,” he continued.
“The true ordo amoris that must be promoted,” the pontiff wrote, “is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the ‘good Samaritan,’ that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.”
Jesus the refugee
“The Son of God, in becoming man, also chose to live the drama of immigration,” the pope wrote.
Francis pointed out the social doctrine of the Church, that even Jesus Christ experienced the difficulty of leaving his own land because of a risk to his life and of taking refuge in a foreign society and culture.
Calling it the “Magna Carta” of the Church’s thinking on migration, Francis cited a passage from Pope Pius XII’s apostolic constitution on the care of migrants, Exsul Familia Nazarethana, which says: “The family of Nazareth in exile, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, emigrants in Egypt and refugees there to escape the wrath of an ungodly king, are the model, the example, and the consolation of emigrants and pilgrims of every age and country, of all refugees of every condition who, beset by persecution or necessity, are forced to leave their homeland, beloved family, and dear friends for foreign lands.”
“Likewise,” Pope Francis commented, “Jesus Christ, loving everyone with a universal love, educates us in the permanent recognition of the dignity of every human being, without exception.”
St. Teresa of Calcutta added to Church calendar as optional memorial
Posted on 02/11/2025 14:05 PM (CNA Daily News)

Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 09:05 am (CNA).
Pope Francis on Tuesday added the Sept. 5 feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta to the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar as an optional memorial.
The decree issued Feb. 11 by the Vatican noted the influence of St. Teresa’s spirituality around the world and said her name “continues to shine out as a source of hope for many men and women who seek consolation amid tribulations of body and spirit.”
The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, which denotes the dates of holy days and the feast days of saints commemorated annually.
The Sept. 5 memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta will now appear in the Church’s calendars and liturgical texts with specific prayers and readings to be used at Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.
Memorials rank third in the classification of feast days on the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar. The memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta will be an optional memorial, which means it is voluntary whether to observe it.
Popularly known as Mother Teresa, St. Teresa of Calcutta was an Albanian sister who founded the Missionaries of Charity. She died in 1997 at the age of 87 after spending most of her life serving the poor in Calcutta, India. She was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016.
The decree, signed by Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, said: “Radically living the Gospel and boldly proclaiming it, St. Teresa of Calcutta is a witness to the dignity and honor of humble service. By choosing not only to be the least, but the servant of the least, she became a model of mercy and an authentic icon of the Good Samaritan.”
“Jesus’ cry on the cross, ‘I thirst’ (Jn 19:28), cut St. Teresa to the quick,” the decree continued. “Thus, for her whole life she dedicated herself completely to satiate the thirst of Jesus Christ for love and souls, serving him among the poorest of the poor. Filled with the love of God, she radiated that same love in equal measure to others.”
The decision to add the memorial of St. Teresa of Calcutta to the General Roman Calendar was approved by Pope Francis on Dec. 24, 2024.
On Feb. 11, the liturgy dicastery published the decree and issued Latin texts for the new optional memorial to be translated by bishops’ conferences into the local languages and approved for publication by the dicastery.
According to a note from Roche, the first reading chosen for Mass for the Sept. 5 memorial of Mother Teresa is taken from Isaiah 58 on the fast that is pleasing to God. The Psalm for the Mass will be Psalm 33: “I will bless the Lord at all times.”
The Gospel, he said, will be taken from St. Matthew, “which, after enumerating the works of mercy, contains the following words brought wonderfully to life in Mother Teresa: ‘Whatever you have done to the very least of my brothers and sisters you have done also to me’ (Mt 25:40).”
Can a Catholic attend a same-sex wedding?
Posted on 02/11/2025 12:00 PM (CNA Daily News)

Puebla, Mexico, Feb 11, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).
Being invited to the wedding of a family member or friend is often a cause for joy, but for many Catholics, being invited to a same-sex wedding can precipitate a deep internal conflict. How can one reconcile loyalty to family or a friendship with the teachings of the Church? Is it possible to show love and respect without compromising one’s faith?
This dilemma, increasingly common in our society, puts one’s conscience to the test and raises complex questions about the practical application of Catholic doctrine in delicate personal situations.
The Catholic Church is clear on its position on marriage and homosexuality, but applying these teachings to personal situations can be challenging. On the one hand, the Church affirms that marriage is an exclusive union between one man and one woman.
On the other hand, it calls on followers of Christ to treat homosexuals with respect and compassion, raising difficult questions for those faced with the invitation to a same-sex marriage ceremony.
So, out of “charity,” can a Catholic attend a homosexual “wedding”?
For Father Hugo Valdemar, who a few years ago was a penitentiary canon — a priest with the power to absolve the most serious sins, with the exception of those reserved to the Holy See — “if one has an upright conscience, the answer is no.”
“Above blood or emotional ties is the truth, and even more so the revealed truth in which God has decreed that marriage can only take place between one man and one woman,” he explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
Father Mario Arroyo, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and is the author of “La Iglesia y Los Homosexuales: Un Falso Conflicto” (“The Church and Homosexuals: A False Conflict”), stated that this situation “is not a dogma of faith; that is, it’s a question of prudence, of an application of a moral criterion that does not necessarily have to be followed.”
“This case, that of attending the gay wedding of a loved one, can be classified within what is known as cooperation with evil. In this case, it would be a matter of material cooperation in evil,” he explained.
“In principle, we must try to avoid cooperating with evil, because we have an obligation, conversely, to cooperate with good within society. In that context, the first attitude is one of reluctance, that is, trying to avoid participating as long as it does not cause irreparable harm to family life or friendship,” he added.
“It seems to me that the criterion that can be used in the case of same-sex weddings is analogous to that of second civil marriages or weddings that are only civil and not religious,” he said.
“If participation can be avoided, it’s better, by explaining the reasons to the people, in this case to the contracting parties, why it goes against a person’s conscience and beliefs,” he said but warned that “if that attitude is going to cause great harm, a total break, a complete breakup of family life, exceptions can be considered.”
In such a case, he said, this cooperation with evil would have to “be material, never formal. That is, never express joy or happiness at the fact that two people of the same sex get married, but simply attend a ceremony taking into account that the great harm of cutting off all communication cannot be avoided.”
“In this sense, he warned that “there are differences between attending as a simple spectator and having an active role,” so “it is preferable to avoid having an active role as godfather or as a witness.”
Valdemar is more blunt in this regard. “Neither of the two things is [something] licit, but it is even worse to participate as a witness to a pseudo marriage such as one between persons of the same sex.”
The danger of scandal
Valdemar, who for more than 15 years was director of communications for the Archdiocese of Mexico under Cardinal Norberto Rivera, the problem with attending a ceremony like this is that of causing scandal.
“Participation in such an act cannot be neutral,” he said. “It is a validation and justification of an act that in itself is intrinsically immoral and contrary to the law of God,” he added.
Arroyo agrees with this risk, which is why “in general terms, participation in these ceremonies should be avoided.”
“If it is impossible to do so because the rupture that would occur would be irreparable, the rupture of family communion or communion of friendship, one can participate in the ceremony, but knowing that the price is that some people may be scandalized,” he said.
In the case of choosing not to participate in the ceremony, Arroyo advised “to explain with charity to those interested and to show in some way or another a gesture of closeness with the person who is one of your relatives and who is involved in the ceremony.”
“You can give them a rosary, you can give them a Bible, you can invite them over for dinner. That is, some or another form of participation in interpersonal communion that does not include the legitimization of sexual cohabitation between two people of the same sex.”
Valdemar said he agrees with this approach: “There are many moments in daily or occasional times together to show closeness and affection. The loved one must be made to understand that even though you can’t attend an event such as a civil marriage, this does not mean that you reject the person and that he or she can count on your closeness and support.”
What to do when faced with the dilemma?
When faced with the dilemma of attending or not attending a ceremony of this type, Arroyo advises “taking the matter to prayer, to your personal prayer, to weigh things calmly, serenely, dispassionately, the pros and cons of this participation.”
“The cons are very clear: It can cause scandal and give the impression that you’re blessing or agreeing with two people of the same sex getting married,” he said.
“On the other hand, it is necessary to assess whether this break in the relationship, whether this absence at the ceremony would not be understood by those involved and would be interpreted as totally breaking off relations, which would prevent these people from coming closer to communion with God in the near future or later on,” he added.
Valdemar encouraged Catholics who find themselves in this situation not to be “led only by their feelings or by social and family pressure, [because] Christian principles are more important. In the long run, preserving these principles is what can help the most.”
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Pastor of Medjugorje’s parish church to skeptics: ‘Come and see’
Posted on 02/11/2025 11:00 AM (CNA Daily News)

Madrid, Spain, Feb 11, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
Father Zvonimir Pavicic, OFM, the pastor of the parish church at the Marian shrine of Medjugorje, welcomed the recent Vatican recognition of the spiritual phenomenon there as a call to make this recognition more widely known. To skeptics, he says: “We never argue about Medjugorje, but I tell everyone: Come and see.”
The Franciscan was in Spain last week for the 15th Ibero-American Congress on the Queen of Peace organized by the Medjugorje Center Foundation with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope Guided by the Queen of Peace.”
During a brief break from the event’s busy schedule, the priest took some time to speak to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.
ACI Prensa: What does it mean to be a priest and pastor of Medjugorje and what is the particular grace that you have found there?
Pavicic: Being a parish priest at Medjugorje is very demanding, because you are at the same time the pastor, the rector, and the guardian. Because the three duties are not yet separated and the pastor is the one who does everything.
As a pastor, I take care of the parishioners and everything that parish life entails. But the pastor is also responsible for all the pilgrims who come. Although it is a very difficult and demanding task, at the same time it is very beautiful, because you meet people who come to encounter God and who want to live with Mary, and that makes your work easier. And I have to emphasize that I am not alone there, but the Franciscan brothers are there and they make all my work easier.
The grace that I discovered in Medjugorje is precisely the grace of the priestly vocation. What the priest means to the Church, how much people need priests, how much they seek him and, in reality through him, they seek the grace of God. And I discover this more and more in Medjugorje every day.
What has Rome’s recognition of Medjugorje as a place of extraordinary grace meant and what does it bring to the Church?
Before the recognition of the “nihil obstat” (“nothing stands in the way”), Medjugorje brought a lot to the Church. It brought people to conversion, the faithful to conversion. And these people, in turn, prayed for others, converted others, moved people to prayer in their cities. So Medjugorje is a gift to the Church. And the Church has recognized this.
And the “nihil obstat” has opened the doors to Medjugorje and also to all those who want to go to Medjugorje. It has recognized the spirituality of Medjugorje as sound and that it can help the Church in today’s world. And that is why the declaration states that this spirituality must be proclaimed in the Church, so that the greatest number of people will hear about this spirituality and that, by the grace of God, the greatest possible number of people will be converted. And I would conclude that Medjugorje was, is, and will be a gift for the Church.
You are a Franciscan. St. Francis was commissioned by the Lord to restore the Church in Porziuncola. What fruits has Medjugorje been bearing in these 44 years for the restoration and edification of the Church?
It’s the same task. How did St. Francis renew the Church? With a holy life. With prayer. Living in the Church. Not criticizing the pope, the bishops, or the priests. And at that time he had reason to criticize them!
But he loved the Church and lived in it. And that is the true reform of the Church. And that is what Medjugorje does today. We have always been within the Church and for the Church. We have been waiting for the “nihil obstat” and we continue to serve the Church humbly, because we have not created ourselves. We say that God has granted us this grace and we only collaborate with it: for the Church and in the Church.
Many priests experience a profound renewal of their ministry when they go to Medjugorje. What do you think the experience brings to priests?
It’s the grace of God. It can’t be described simply. It can’t be described, because it would not be divine if it could be described. But God acts in Medjugorje. And this is very visible in every priest and in every member of the faithful who goes to Medjugorje. I think it’s not necessary to describe it but to live it.
And not only in Medjugorje but in any other parish. Medjugorje is only an image and a model of what any other parish should be like. Any parish should offer God to men. And the opportunity to go to confession, to pray the rosary, the Eucharist, adoration, and many other devotions. Everything is very simple and God acts in all of this. And this is what priests discover in Medjugorje. In reality, they discover that God is hidden in simplicity.
What do you say to those who are hesitant, who even look with suspicion at the phenomenon of Medjugorje, who do not feel called to that place?
I wouldn’t say anything to them. I never argue with people about Medjugorje. Those who believe, should continue to believe. Those who do not believe, should live with it. God reaches out to each person in different ways. He has touched millions through Medjugorje through the Blessed Virgin Mary. Others have been touched through something else.
The Spirit blows where he wants and how he wants. We never argue about Medjugorje. But I tell everyone: Come and see. Only those who come to Medjugorje and participate in the evening program in the parish will reach a conclusion and make a judgment about Medjugorje.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.