Beloved Disciple Parish

Judy Henderson spent 36 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Now she works with Catholic Charities helping women, children, and families in need. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Judy Henderson

CNA Staff, Apr 27, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).

Judy Henderson spent 36 years in prison for a crime she did not commit, leaving her 3-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter behind while she was behind bars. Despite the hardship, Henderson never lost hope. Written above the sink in her cell was the Bible verse Jeremiah 29:11, which served as her daily reminder that God had plans for her future.

She didn’t wait around for that future to unfold, however; instead, she got to work helping other incarcerated mothers and still serves in this capacity today. Currently an administrative assistant for Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Henderson continues to assist mothers and families in need.

She has also written a book called “When the Light Finds Us: From a Life Sentence to a Life Transformed,” released on April 15, in which she shares her inspiring story from wrongful conviction to redemption.

Raised in a Christian household, Henderson was the oldest of eight. She grew up, got married, and had her daughter, Angel, and then her son, Chip, nine years later. Her marriage, which was physically and emotionally abusive, ended after 12 years.

Henderson, along with her children, then moved back to her hometown of Springfield, Missouri, to be closer to her parents and for a fresh start. However, within months of the move Henderson was charmed by a new man. 

“He was very suave and debonair and wore a three-piece suit and had been in the ministry and a real estate broker and just everything that you would think a woman would want,” she told CNA in an interview. 

Henderson shared that even her parents loved him because they “thought he was a good Christian.” 

One day he showed up at Henderson’s home with suitcases and told her he was moving in. Henderson was taken aback and told him she wasn’t going to live with a man she wasn’t married to, especially with her children living with her.

When questioned as to why he felt the need to move in, Henderson recalled him telling her: “‘I think you need me. I want to love you and take care of you and the children and for us to be a happy family.’”

“As a battered woman, our thinking and the way we view things aren’t from a healthy lens,” she explained. “And so I was already kind of like Pavlov’s dogs, conditioned, and to be a ‘yes,’ ‘yes sir,’ ‘I want to take care of you’ kind of woman. Never thinking that there was any side to him that was not just good. And I did not see any of the signs. I didn’t even know what to look for because back then we didn’t have the battered women syndrome. We didn’t know the definition of the different stages that battered women go through.”

Soon after, Henderson began to see his bad side, which included dealing cocaine. Unbeknownst to Henderson, her boyfriend planned to rob a jeweler in Springfield, Missouri. However, the robbery turned deadly when the jeweler refused to hand over the valuables. Henderson’s boyfriend fired his gun several times, killing the jeweler and leaving Henderson injured.

Both were charged with murder, but only Henderson was sentenced to life without parole for 50 years for capital murder. A major issue in her trial, which was later deemed unconstitutional, was that both Henderson and her boyfriend shared the same attorney. 

“The only reason he had him [the attorney] along with me is to make sure the strategy did not include him or nothing [was] being said bad about him or me taking the stand against him. It was another manipulating tool that he wanted to control,” Henderson said.

Henderson entered prison and admitted that she “was very angry with God.” 

The mother of two was able to see her daughter throughout the years; however, her ex-husband did not allow Henderson to see her son from the age of 5 until 16, causing her more anger.

“There’s two things you can do with anger — you can get bitter or you can get better. And I chose better because nobody cared that I was angry in prison. Everybody was angry in prison,” she shared.

So Henderson started to deal with her anger and “started fighting those emotions that Satan loves for us to feel.”

“I stood on the fact that I was going home because God’s promises are always ‘yes’ and ‘amen,’ and he promised in Jeremiah 29:11, ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ ‘a future,’ and my future was not prison. That’s not what God gave me.”

While in prison, Henderson became a certified paralegal and mentor for others who were incarcerated. She also worked toward legislative reform and led efforts to ensure that battered women could use their histories of abuse as legal defense. Her work in this area led to a landmark decision in Missouri that recognized battered women’s syndrome as legal defense. 

She also pioneered the PATCH (Parents and Their Children) Program, which creates a safer, less traumatic experience for children visiting their incarcerated mothers. A trailer is used outside the prison and is decorated to look like a home with a TV, kitchen, and living room, and children never see handcuffs or guards, only volunteers who escort the children to their mothers. 

“I kept very, very busy being productive,” she recalled. “I thought either you can do the time or the time can do you. And so I did the time. I got educated in every program they had to offer me.”

One program that deeply touched Henderson and brought her back to Christ was Residents Encounter Christ, a Catholic ministry that offered “lifers” — those with a life sentence — a chance at a three-day retreat to encounter Christ, which Henderson said helped her to “understand what the love of God was really about.”

On Dec. 20, 2017, Henderson received an unexpected visitor — then-Gov. Eric Greitens of Missouri. At the sight of him she dropped to her knees crying. He approached her, took her by the shoulders, and said, “I want to apologize for the state of Missouri for not looking at your case sooner, and for you having to spend 36 years of your life locked away. I’m going to, on this day, commute your sentence to life with parole to time served,” she recalled. 

“He opened the door and my daughter came running to me and my son and other family members and two of my attorneys … we were overjoyed, everybody crying.”

Today Henderson works with Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph and uses her skills and talents across departments to help veterans, women, children, and families in need.

“To see those women and those babies, and even the men, come in and be lifted up because of the work that we do is such a blessing and so inspiring for us to be able to be such great instruments for God,” she said.

Henderson recalled how she always saw God’s hand at work in her life and how “God does things in pieces, like a puzzle,” bringing people and events into your life just at the right time “if you follow his lead and let him guide you.”

“I was blessed enough to find my purpose and finding joy inside a dark, horrible, painful place. And so God is everywhere to shine his light … He shines a light for you to follow, and that’s what I did and I was blessed to be able to listen to his voice and to do what I what he created me to do. This was my purpose.”

Carlo Acutis. / Credit: carloacutis.com

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).

The unexpected death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday, April 21, postponed the much-anticipated canonization of Carlo Acutis, the Italian teenager who captivated a generation of young Catholics with his love of the Eucharist and passion for technology.

Now, as the Church prepares for a conclave to elect a new pope, tens of thousands of young pilgrims who traveled to Rome for the canonization remain in the Eternal City, holding vigil for the departed pope.

Acutis’ journey to sainthood has unfolded alongside the lives of the last three popes, each of whom has marked a different chapter in the teenager’s short life and legacy.

Carlo went on pilgrimage to see John Paul II, offered up his suffering from cancer for Benedict XVI, and was later beatified during the pontificate of Pope Francis. Now, it will be up to the next pope to canonize the Church’s first millennial saint.

A childhood inspired by John Paul II

Born in 1991 during the pontificate of John Paul II, Carlo Acutis grew up at a time when the Polish pontiff was inspiring millions with his travels and teaching. It was Carlo’s Polish nanny, herself devoted to the pope, who helped cultivate Carlo’s early faith.

In October 2000, the Acutis family traveled to Rome to attend a landmark moment of the Great Jubilee: Pope John Paul II’s act of entrustment of the new millennium to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Standing in St. Peter’s Square, the then-9-year-old Carlo witnessed a crowd united in prayer, gathered beneath Bernini’s colonnade and in front of a statue of Our Lady of Fátima.

“The Church today, through the voice of the successor of Peter, in union with so many pastors assembled here from every corner of the world, seeks refuge in your motherly protection and trustingly begs your intercession as she faces the challenges which lie hidden in the future,” John Paul II prayed to Our Lady.

Offering his suffering for Benedict XVI

When white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel in April 2005, 13-year-old Carlo Acutis watched closely as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Benedict XVI. According to his mother, Carlo was “fascinated” by Benedict XVI.

The following year, Carlo was diagnosed with leukemia. Before he died of cancer in October 2006, he offered up his suffering for Benedict XVI saying: “I offer all the suffering I will have to endure to the Lord for the pope and for the Church, in order not to go through purgatory and to go straight to heaven.”

Beatification under Pope Francis

Pope Francis declared Carlo Acutis’ heroic virtue in 2018 and recognized the two miracles attributed to Carlo’s intercession that made possible his beatification and canonization. 

Francis frequently cited Carlo as a model for youth in the digital age. In Christus Vivit, his apostolic exhortation to young people, Francis wrote that Carlo’s life stood as a witness against the temptation of “self-absorption, isolation, and empty pleasure” in the digital world.

“His witness indicates to today’s young people that true happiness is found by putting God in first place and serving him in our brothers and sisters, especially the least,” Pope Francis said the day after Carlo’s beatification in 2020.

Pope Francis had been scheduled to preside over Carlo’s canonization on April 27 during a jubilee event expected to draw 80,000 teenagers to Rome. Instead, that Mass will now be offered as one of the Novendiales — the nine days of mourning that follow the death of a pope — as part of a revised schedule for the Jubilee of Teenagers.

A saint for the next pope

Carlo Acutis’ canonization will now be one of the first major acts awaiting the next pope. The timing and location of the canonization Mass will be left to the discretion of Francis’ successor, who will likely recognize the moment as an opportunity to speak to the Church’s future and to its youth as the canonization of the Catholic Church’s first millennial saint.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates the Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2025 — the second day of mourning for the late Pope Francis. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 27, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Editor's Note: On April 27, 2025, Cardinal Pietro Parolin served as principal celebrant for the second Novendiales Mass following Pope Francis' funeral. The following homily was delivered on Divine Mercy Sunday in St. Peter's Square during the Jubilee of Teenagers, as published by the Holy See Press Office.

Dear brothers and sisters,

The risen Jesus appears to his disciples while they are in the upper room where they have fearfully shut themselves in, with the doors locked (Jn 20:19). Their state of mind is disturbed and their hearts are full of sadness, because the master and shepherd they had followed, leaving everything behind, has been nailed to the cross. They experienced terrible things and feel orphaned, alone, lost, threatened, and helpless.

The opening image that the Gospel offers us on this Sunday can also well represent the state of mind of all of us, of the Church, and of the entire world. The shepherd whom the Lord gave to his people, Pope Francis, has ended his earthly life and has left us. The grief at his departure, the sense of sadness that assails us, the turmoil we feel in our hearts, the sense of bewilderment: We are experiencing all of this, like the apostles grieving over the death of Jesus.

Yet, the Gospel tells us that it is precisely in these moments of darkness that the Lord comes to us with the light of the Resurrection to illuminate our hearts. Pope Francis reminded us of this since his election and often repeated it to us, placing at the center of his pontificate that joy of the Gospel which, as he wrote in Evangelii Gaudium, “fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew” (EG, 1).

The joy of Easter, which sustains us in this time of trial and sadness, is something that can almost be touched in this square today; you can see it etched above all in your faces, dear children and young people who have come from all over the world to celebrate the jubilee. You come from so many places: from all of the dioceses of Italy, from Europe, from the United States to Latin America, from Africa to Asia, from the United Arab Emirates… with you here, the whole world is truly present!

I address a special greeting to you, with the desire to make you feel the embrace of the Church and the affection of Pope Francis, who would have liked to meet you, to look into your eyes, and to pass among you to greet you.

In light of the many challenges you are called to confront — I think, for example, of the technology and artificial intelligence that characterize our age in a particular way — never forget to nourish your lives with the true hope that has the face of Jesus Christ. Nothing will be too great or too challenging with him! With him you will never be alone or abandoned, not even in the worst of times! He comes to meet you where you are, to give you the courage to live, to share your experiences, your thoughts, your gifts, and your dreams. He comes to you in the face of those near or far, a brother and sister to love, to whom you have so much to give and from whom so much to receive, to help you to be generous, faithful, and responsible as you move forward in life. He wants to help you to understand what is most valuable in life: the love that encompasses all things and hopes all things (cf. 1 Cor 13:7).

Today, on the second Sunday of Easter, Dominica in Albis, we celebrate the feast of Divine Mercy. 

It is precisely the Father’s mercy, which is greater than our limitations and calculations, that characterized the magisterium of Pope Francis and his intense apostolic activity. Likewise the eagerness to proclaim and share God’s mercy with all — the proclamation of the good news, evangelization — was the principal theme of his pontificate. He reminded us that “mercy” is the very name of God, and, therefore, no one can put a limit on his merciful love with which he wants to raise us up and make us new people.

It is important to welcome as a precious treasure this principle on which Pope Francis insisted so much. And — allow me to say — our affection for him, which is being manifested in this time, must not remain a mere emotion of the moment; we must welcome his legacy and make it part of our lives, opening ourselves to God’s mercy and also being merciful to one another.

Mercy takes us back to the heart of faith. It reminds us that we do not have to interpret our relationship with God and our being Church according to human or worldly categories. The good news of the Gospel is first and foremost the discovery of being loved by a God who has compassionate and tender feelings for each one of us, regardless of our merits. It also reminds us that our life is woven with mercy: We can only get back up after our falls and look to the future if we have someone who loves us without limits and forgives us. Therefore, we are called to the commitment of living our relationships no longer according to the criteria of calculation or blinded by selfishness but by opening ourselves to dialogue with others, welcoming those we meet along the way and forgiving their weaknesses and mistakes. Only mercy heals and creates a new world, putting out the fires of distrust, hatred, and violence: This is the great teaching of Pope Francis.

Jesus shows us this merciful face of God in his preaching and in the deeds he performs. Furthermore, as we have heard, when he presents himself in the upper room after the Resurrection, he offers the gift of peace and says: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:23). Thus, the risen Lord directs his disciples, his Church, to be instruments of mercy for humanity for those willing to accept God’s love and forgiveness. Pope Francis was a shining witness of a Church that bends down with tenderness toward those who are wounded and heals with the balm of mercy. He reminded us that there can be no peace without the recognition of the other, without attention to those who are weaker and, above all, there can never be peace if we do not learn to forgive one another, showing each another the same mercy that God shows us.

Brothers and sisters, precisely on Divine Mercy Sunday we remember our beloved Pope Francis with affection. Indeed, such memories are particularly vivid among the employees and faithful of Vatican City, many of whom are present here, and whom I would like to thank for the service they perform every day. To you, to all of us, to the whole world, Pope Francis extends his embrace from heaven.

We entrust ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom he was so devoted that he chose to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major. May she protect us, intercede for us, watch over the Church, and support the journey of humanity in peace and fraternity. Amen.

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at the Divine Mercy Shrine in the Philippines. / Credit: Project Lupad via Divine Mercy Shrine, Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro 

Manila, Philippines, Apr 27, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The Philippines will make history this year on April 27, Divine Mercy Sunday, by becoming the first nation in the world to consecrate itself entirely to Jesus through divine mercy.

In 2016 at the Pan-African Congress on Divine Mercy Sunday in Rwanda, bishops in Africa consecrated the continent itself to divine mercy. However, the Philippines is the first singular nation to do so.

“This is remarkable; this is really unprecedented. Never has this been done before in the history of the world — a country consecrating themselves to the divine mercy,” said Father James Cervantes of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (MIC), a congregation devoted to spreading the message of divine mercy. “I believe the bishops are being inspired by the Holy Spirit to lead our country to holiness.” 

The bold initiative began with a single spark — a heartfelt letter from Cervantes to bishops across the country calling for a nationwide consecration to divine mercy. Dioceses responded enthusiastically, and soon the idea spread like wildfire.

The Permanent Council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) gave its official approval, declaring that a national consecration to divine mercy will take place during all Masses on April 27 as part of the 2025 Jubilee Year celebrations.

Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David, president of the CBCP, issued a statement calling on all dioceses, parishes, religious communities, and Catholic institutions to participate in this landmark spiritual initiative.

“This nationwide consecration will be a profound expression of our trust in the divine mercy — a trust that remains our final refuge in these times of uncertainty and trial,” David said. “As Our Lord Jesus said to St. Faustina, ‘I desire that my mercy be worshipped, and I am giving mankind the last hope of salvation; that is, recourse to my mercy.’” 

He described the national act of consecration as a “collective response of faith and hope” amid grave challenges facing the country and global community today — such as the threat of global war, widespread corruption, the erosion of truth, and persistent opposition to Church teachings on life and family.

The consecration will take place during all Masses across the country on the second Sunday of Easter, which is also called Divine Mercy Sunday. The Prayer of Consecration to the Divine Mercy will be recited in place of the general intercessions.

“It’s not just about reciting a prayer,” Cervantes told CNA. “It’s about being properly disposed — understanding what it really means to consecrate ourselves as a nation to the divine mercy. In the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus says, ‘Gather all sinners from the entire world and immerse them in the abyss of my mercy.’”

“A consecration means to offer yourself completely and totally to God. It is an act of surrender — total surrender — to God and his will. This is very radical, it’s very transformative. It means we are denying our own selfish plans, selfish wills, and selfish desires so we can give ourselves totally and completely to God,” he said. 

“And we are doing this as a nation. A national consecration. A national offering of ourselves totally and completely to God.”

The heart of the consecration lies in radical trust — the trust Jesus repeatedly asked of St. Faustina in her revelations.

“What we are saying is that we as a nation entrust ourselves to you. We as a nation place ourselves into your hands. We as a nation are at your disposal,” Cervantes said. 

He continued: “We are doing this because this is what Jesus wants from us. In the ‘Diary of St. Faustina,’ Jesus says, ‘I desire trust from my creatures. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to me because I pour out all the treasures of my graces into them.’ So imagine an entire nation that trusts completely in God. It will receive treasures of his graces.”

To help prepare Filipinos for this sacred moment, Cervantes launched a 14-part video series on the Marian Helpers Philippines Facebook page, intending “to form the whole nation in preparation for the national consecration to divine mercy.” He emphasized the importance of preparing well for a consecration to avoid mere lip service. 

“Sad to say, many Catholics no longer receive the sacraments. Many haven’t gone to confession in years,” he said. “But If you think about the first words of the novena to divine mercy, Jesus says, ‘Today bring to me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of my mercy.’ Those are our marching orders from the Lord. He wants us to bring to him all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of his mercy so we can really be renewed as a nation, as a country.”

“Can you imagine a country that trusts entirely in God’s mercy? Can you imagine the graces that God will pour out on such a country that trusts completely in his mercy? If our nation trusts completely in God, we will be abundantly blessed with many graces from his infinite mercy,” Cervantes said.

The divine mercy message and devotion has been called the largest grassroots movement in the history of the Catholic Church — and it is especially popular in the Philippines. 

The island country hosts the largest divine mercy celebration in the world, drawing over 57,000 pilgrims from across Asia at the archdiocesan Shrine of Divine Mercy in Misamis Oriental, Philippines. For comparison, the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, receives 25,000 pilgrims from around the world, while the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where the Marian Fathers are headquartered, welcomes 20,000 to 25,000 pilgrims on Divine Mercy Sunday.

As the Philippines prepares for this historic act of consecration, it does so with extraordinary faith that the devotion to divine mercy is more than a popular piety — it is, as St. John Paul II would always say, “the answer to the world’s problems.”

Original painting of the Divine Mercy by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934; Pope John Paul II in 1996. / Credit: Wikimedia Commons 4.0; Vatican Media

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized Maria Faustina Kowalska and declared the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday. This year, we celebrate the feast on April 27.

In his devotion, Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to divine mercy two years later, when he consecrated the International Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Lagiewniki, Poland.

Standing before the image of divine mercy, the pope said: “I wish solemnly to entrust the world to divine mercy. I do so with the burning desire that the message of God’s merciful love, proclaimed here through St. Faustina, may be made known to all the peoples of the earth and fill their hearts with hope.”

He finished his homily with this prayer:

God, merciful Father,

in your Son, Jesus Christ, you have revealed your love

and poured it out upon us in the Holy Spirit, the Comforter,

We entrust to you today the destiny of the world and of every man and woman.

Bend down to us sinners,

heal our weakness,

conquer all evil,

and grant that all the peoples of the earth

may experience your mercy.

In you, the Triune God,

may they ever find the source of hope.

Eternal Father,

by the passion and resurrection of your Son,

have mercy on us and upon the whole world!

The consecration and entrustment of the world to Divine Mercy represented the fulfillment of a mission for Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905–1938). Faustina, a poor, young Polish nun, experienced visions of Jesus in which he asked her to make his message of infinite love and mercy known to the world. At the request of her spiritual director, she made a record of the visions in her diary.

In his visitations, Jesus asked her to have a painting made portraying him as he appeared to her. In her diary she recorded the vision:

“Paint an image according to the pattern you see, with the signature: ‘Jesus, I trust in you.’ I desire that this image be venerated, first in your chapel, and then throughout the world. I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish.”

In another visitation, he asked the nun that she help establish Divine Mercy Sunday on the first Sunday after Easter to offer the world salvation.

Faustina recorded Jesus’ words: “This feast emerged from the very depths of my mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies. Every soul believing and trusting in my mercy will obtain it.”

It was the mission that Pope John Paul II also felt called to help complete.

If St. Faustina was the initial receptacle for the message of divine mercy, her Polish compatriot saw to it that the requests Jesus made of the nun were fulfilled, and the devotion spread throughout the world.

As a young seminarian in Krakow in 1940, Karol Wojtyla first learned of St. Faustina’s revelations and the message of divine mercy. Later as a priest, he was a frequent visitor to the convent where Faustina lived, stopping by to pray and hold retreats. When he became archbishop of Krakow, he led the effort to put Faustina’s name before the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and defended her when the validity of her claims was questioned in Rome. 

As pope, he published his second encyclical, Dives in Misericordia (Rich in Mercy), on Nov. 30, 1980. 

The following year, while recovering from an assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II traveled to the Shrine of Merciful Love in Collevalenza, Italy, where he revealed that he felt spreading the message of divine mercy to be his greatest calling.

”Right from the beginning of my ministry in St. Peter’s See in Rome, I considered this message my special task. Providence has assigned it to me in the present situation of man, the Church, and the world. It could be said that precisely this situation assigned that message to me as my task before God,” he said.

At the beatification of St. Faustina on April 18, 1993, the pope spoke of his delight at witnessing the popularity of the devotion to divine mercy.

“Her mission continues and is yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly marvelous how her devotion to the merciful Jesus is spreading in our contemporary world and gaining so many human hearts!” the pope said.

Yet there was more to be done. On Divine Mercy Sunday, April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina Kowalska and declared the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday.

When Pope John Paul II entrusted the world to divine mercy, he shared his hope that the world would hear the message that God is merciful. Quoting from Faustina’s diary, he said:

“May this message radiate from this place to our beloved homeland and throughout the world. May the binding promise of the Lord Jesus be fulfilled: from here there must go forth ‘the spark which will prepare the world for his final coming’” (cf. Diary, 1732).

“This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world. In the mercy of God the world will find peace and mankind will find happiness! I entrust this task to you, dear brothers and sisters, to the Church in Kraków and Poland, and to all the votaries of divine mercy who will come here from Poland and from throughout the world. May you be witnesses to mercy!” he said.

Today, devotion to divine mercy is popular among Catholics around the world. Churches and shrines and religious orders have dedicated themselves to sharing the message received by St. Faustina and which St. John Paul II considered his “task before God.”

To learn more about the divine mercy devotion, visit the website for the divine mercy shrine in Poland or the National Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

This story was first published on Aug. 17, 2022, and has been updated.

Cardinal John Dew speaking during a press conference in Wellington, New Zealand / New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference

CNA Newsroom, Apr 27, 2025 / 00:01 am (CNA).

In an emotional tribute, Cardinal John Dew of New Zealand on Sunday reflected on both the late pontiff’s lasting legacy and the solemn simplicity of his funeral liturgy.

“I think for me, there was this deep gratitude for what Pope Francis has done for the Church in the 12 years that he was the Pontiff — and for the world,” Dew said in a statement released early Sunday local time.

“It’s very emotional to think of that, too, that he’s had such an effect on the world.”

The cardinal described Saturday’s funeral as “very beautifully done, very simply done,” a fitting farewell for a pope who emphasized humility throughout his pontificate.

During the nine days of mourning known as the “novendiales” — and the time headed into the conclave —, Dew explained the College of Cardinals will engage in “prayer and conversation” as they prepare for the upcoming conclave to elect Francis' successor.

Dew, whom Pope Francis elevated to the College of Cardinals in 2015, will be one of an expected 135 cardinals who will vote in this conclave.

“These will be opportunities for conversations, for people to describe the kind of person that they believe would be the right person to lead the Church, the qualities that are needed,” he said.

The prelate added that cardinals will discuss “what’s needed in the Church today and what's needed in the world today.”

Third NZ cardinal to vote in a conclave

Cardinal Dew retired as Archbishop of Wellington on May 5, 2023 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age for bishops. He is New Zealand’s fourth cardinal, following Cardinal Peter McKeefry, Cardinal Reginald Delargey and Cardinal Thomas Williams.

Dew, who turns 77 on May 5, will become the third New Zealander to participate in a papal election when the conclave begins following the conclusion of the mourning period next Sunday.

null / Credit: ArtOlympic/Shutterstock

CNA Staff, Apr 26, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Federal agents arrested a Wisconsin judge and former Catholic Charities director this week over allegations that she sheltered an illegal immigrant from being arrested by law enforcement earlier this month.

A criminal complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, alleges that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan helped hide Mexican national Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who was present illegally in the United states and who had been charged in Milwaukee with domestic battery.

Police showed up at the Milwaukee County Courthouse on April 18 planning to arrest Flores-Ruiz after a hearing in his criminal case. The hearing was scheduled to take place in Dugan’s courtroom, according to the complaint.

Upon learning of the looming arrest, Dugan reportedly became “visibly angry” and subsequently confronted the federal agents over their plans. Afterward, according to the complaint, she “escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom” through a “jury door” and to a “nonpublic area of the courthouse.” Flores-Ruiz’s case was reportedly adjourned shortly thereafter.

Agents ultimately arrested the suspect outside of the courthouse after he allegedly attempted to flee on foot.

The complaint charges Dugan with “obstructing or impeding a proceeding” of a U.S. agency as well as “concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest.”

Prior to becoming a judge, Dugan had served for nearly three years as executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, resigning in 2009, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.

The judge’s LinkedIn profile lists her as having led the Catholic charity “through board restructuring and services reorganization.”

Prior to her election to the Milwaukee circuit court, Dugan served as a civil law attorney in Milwaukee.

Dugan’s lawyer this week said during a hearing in federal court that the judge “wholeheartedly regrets and protests her arrest.”

“It was not made in the interest of public safety,” he argued.

Pallbearers process with the coffin of Pope Francis during his funeral at St. Peter’s Square, Saturday, April 26, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 26, 2025 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

The wooden coffin of Pope Francis arrived at the Basilica of St. Mary Major just after 1 p.m. local time in Rome on Saturday, completing the solemn procession from St. Peter’s Square through the streets of Rome and bringing an end to the funeral of the late pontiff.

Nearly half a million mourners gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Saturday morning, while crowds of faithful lined the route to St. Mary Major as the late pontiff made his final journey to the basilica he visited more than 100 times during his papacy.

Pope Francis meets with his longtime fellow Buenos Aires friends Rabbi Abraham Skorka and Muslim leader Omar Abboudan at Jerusalem’s wailing wall on May 26, 2014. / Credit: Vatican Media

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 26, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

With both bold gestures and strong words, Pope Francis laid out a path of fraternity that consistently challenged religious and geopolitical boundaries, often within the context of the severe tensions that surround ongoing international conflicts.

In 2021, for example, during his apostolic trip to Slovakia, the Holy Father met with the Jewish community there and referred to the “madness of hatred” that led to the murder of more than 100,000 Slovak Jews during World War II. “We are united in condemning all violence, all forms of antisemitism, and in striving to ensure that the image of God in the human person is not profaned,” he said.

In November 2023, a few weeks after the war between Hamas and Israel began, Pope Francis received the Conference of European Rabbis, a meeting in which he expressed concern and condemned “the spread of antisemitic manifestations.”

Drawing on the words of St. John Paul II, he addressed the Jewish community with the words “dear brothers” and “elder brothers.”

The dialogue between Jews and Christians, Pope Francis declared, “is more than an interreligious dialogue; it is a family dialogue” whose members are bound “to one another before the one God.”

His closeness to the Jewish community and his priority for interreligious dialogue did not begin with his pontificate but date back to his time in Argentina. 

In 1994, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires when the attack against the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA, by its Spanish acronym) was perpetrated, leaving 85 dead. There are 11 fugitives in the case still at large with active national and international arrest warrants.

The Supreme Court of Argentina found that Iran-backed Hezbollah mercenaries were responsible for the deadly bombing. 

In 2005, as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Bergoglio was the first signatory of the manifesto “AMIA, 85 lives, 85 signatures,” a document based on the demand for “a country without impunity, with a better justice system, with education and health care for all, without discrimination or exclusion, and that we may preserve the memory of the things that were done wrong so as not to repeat them,” according to La Nación.

Creation of Institute for Interreligious Dialogue

As cardinal primate of Argentina, he promoted the creation of the Institute for Interreligious Dialogue, whose co-presidents are Rabbi Daniel Goldman, the Islamic leader Omar Abboud, and the priest Guillermo Marcó.

In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, Goldman and Marcó emphasized the importance of Pope Francis in building bridges between both faith communities.

For Goldman, the success of interreligious dialogue lies not so much in institutional actions but in personal relationships that generate profound changes. He therefore believes that “the spaces of affection developed jointly by Guillermo [Marcó], Omar Abboud, and Jorge Bergoglio have been essential in bearing witness to how, despite our differences, there are so many similarities that allow us to discover in each of us what the other’s religious tradition contains in our own lives.”

In this regard, he emphasized that working together has allowed us to overcome the concept of “tolerance” and move first toward “coexistence” and then toward truly “living together in harmony,” an attitude of mutual support where “I cannot live without the other person [also] living."

Argentina, an example of interreligious harmony 

Marcó recalled that when Bergoglio first arrived in Buenos Aires, interreligious dialogue was not a priority on his agenda. However, after the attack on the Israeli Embassy In 1992 before he was appointed auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires and the 1994 attack on the AMIA, he became actively involved with the Jewish and Muslim communities, marking milestones such as his visit to the Islamic Center and officials from AMIA and the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations, a gesture that became a tradition for those who succeeded him as archbishop of Buenos Aires.

“The interesting thing about the format we developed in Argentina, which he later brought to the Holy See, is that at the institute, we proposed not to emphasize the things that divide us but rather the things that unite us," the priest noted.

Both Goldman and Marcó agree that Argentina is an example of interreligious harmony. “I can attest to that. Over the last 25 years, we have built this institute of dialogue, and I couldn’t think of anything in my life without a sense of the deep friendship and brotherhood I have developed with Guillermo and Omar,” the Jewish leader emphasized.

Marcó cited for example initiatives such as the interreligious dialogue training course, the Day for Interreligious Dialogue, and the Night of the Temples, events that demonstrate a path in the area that is “unthinkable” in other parts of the world.

During the Night of the Temples people visit the houses of worship of different religions, an opportunity to experience “the religious, historical, cultural, gastronomic, and architectural heritage” of different faith communities. 

As the key to achieving this, Marcó emphasized “that respect for others, without it weakening your own identity. No one hides anything just so others don’t feel uncomfortable.”

However, for Goldman, there is a debt in Argentina that still pains the Jewish community and society as a whole: justice for the attacks that occurred in the 1990s. “The demand for justice regarding the AMIA bombings, regarding the Israeli Embassy, ​​are issues that are very dear to us, significant, and we hopefully expect that at some point this can be resolved, but the delay in justice transforms into injustice,” he lamented.

Despite his efforts to maintain closeness and dialogue, the global context presented challenges for the Holy Father. For Marcó, the pope’s relations with the Jewish world were affected by the war in the Middle East, with gestures such as his calls to the pastor of the only Catholic church in Gaza, the Argentine priest Gabriel Romanelli, although he believes it was a “way of showing that he is keeping an eye on what is happening there.”

He acknowledged that relations might have been “a bit tense,” although he emphasized that Francis condemned terrorism and at the same time expressed his concern for the humanitarian crisis in the region. “The pope always repeated that war is a failure,” he pointed out.

For his part, the rabbi pointed out that “there are certain terms that are painful for Jews, such as the word genocide.”

“We can have our differences. If everyone thought like me, they would all be Jews, and if everyone thought like the pope, they would all be Christians,” he summarized, urging people to “know how to accept disagreement as part of the conversation.”

Despite these obstacles, both agree that Pope Francis left an indelible mark on the path of interreligious dialogue and marked “milestones, from which it is difficult to go back,” Marcó said.

“We can’t be satisfied with where we are; we have to keep moving forward,” Goldman concluded.

In a world where algorithms “tend to radicalize positions,” Marcó said, “the interesting thing about dialogue, about pluralistic thinking, is that when we dialogue with someone, we have to be willing for something to change. You have to come out changed.”

Pope Francis and Rabbi Skorka

The path of dialogue with Judaism led to a friendship between Pope Francis and Rabbi Abraham Skorka, with whom he wrote the book “On Heaven and Earth” and also shared a television program.

It was Skorka who, along with the Islamic leader Omar Abboud, shared an iconic embrace with the Holy Father in front of the Western Wall.

When Cardinal Bergoglio was elected pope, Skorka described him as “a man of integrity, a man of very deep faith, a man who, I would even say, abhors superficiality. A man of sincere simplicity, a man who constantly seeks God.”

On that occasion, the rabbi told CNA that strengthening interreligious dialogue would be one of the key focuses of his pontificate.

In May 2023, Rabbi Skorka received an honorary doctorate from the University of Trnava’s theology department in Slovakia for his contribution to advancing interreligious dialogue.

For the occasion, Pope Francis sent him a congratulatory letter for his commitment and for his positive influence on “two generations of rabbis, as well as Catholic and Protestant theologians.”

“I too have experienced your gift of friendship and wisdom, for which I thank the Lord,” the Holy Father said.

“You have rightly sought to show that people of faith can and must defend human rights in all of life’s situations,” he concluded.

On July 18, 2024, marking the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing, Pope Francis sent a letter that was read at the commemorative event in which he stated: “The memory of those who died in that dark tragedy remains alive in our prayers and in our ongoing commitment to justice.”

“Memory can be our guide. It teaches us that remembering is not only looking back but also projecting ourselves with hope toward a future where such reprehensible acts of violence will not be repeated,” he expressed.

The pontiff also encouraged people to continue fighting for “a justice that does not seek revenge or retaliation but rather truth and reparation. A justice that is essential not only for the affected families but also for the cohesion of the nation’s social fabric.”

A message of hope to the Jewish people

On Jan. 26, the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Pope Francis dedicated a message to the Jewish people, saying: “May the anniversary of the unspeakable cruelty that humanity learned of 75 years ago serve as a summons to pause, to be still, and to remember. We need to do this, lest we become indifferent.”

In this context, he condemned “the horror of the extermination of millions of Jews” and renewed the call to “eradicate the scourge of antisemitism, along with all forms of religious discrimination and persecution.”

“Let us build together a more fraternal, more just world, educating young people to have hearts open to all, in the spirit of fraternity, forgiveness, and peace,” which was his fervent desire.

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

Providence Bishop-elect Bruce Lewandowski. / Credit: The Diocese of Providence

CNA Staff, Apr 26, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

The Vatican on April 8 announced that Pope Francis had appointed Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Bruce Lewandowski as the new head of the Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.

Less than two weeks later, Pope Francis passed away, leaving behind what Lewandowski — one of the last bishops in the world appointed by the late pontiff — said is a legacy of “closeness” and missionary evangelization. 

Lewandowski told CNA he was “saddened by the pope’s death” and “caught by surprise” when he woke up on April 21 and learned of the Holy Father’s passing. 

“On Easter Sunday we could tell he wasn’t feeling well, but it looked like he was rebounding, to be able to go around in the popemobile,” the bishop said. “It was a surprise to wake up to that news on Monday morning.”

The bishop, who will be installed in Providence on May 20, said he felt a particular closeness to Francis, having met him twice, once during the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in 2015 and once when training to be a bishop in Rome. 

An auxiliary bishop of Baltimore since 2020, Lewandowski said it was “really a surprise” to be appointed to the Rhode Island Diocese. 

“I had just finished a Mass at a scouting camp, out in what I call ‘the wilds’ of Maryland,” the prelate recalled with a laugh. “I didn’t really have good cellphone reception. The phone rang, and I saw it was [Papal Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre], and I pulled over and answered the phone.”

Lewandowski said he has been “very invested” in Baltimore, having served in various ministries there for a decade. 

“But I’m a missionary and Redemptorist,” he said. “And that’s part of our lives, we move from one place to another. When the call came, I said I was willing and ready to do my best for the people of Providence. I’m looking forward to serving them.”

Asked for his thoughts on Francis’ legacy, the bishop said the pope taught the Church how to do missionary work for the world. He said that Francis continued the work done by his two predecessors.

“Pope John Paul II highlighted the missionary charism of the Church by his many travels,” Lewandowski said. “He highlighted evangelization and mission by his many travels.” Pope Benedict XVI, meanwhile, “taught what it meant to be a missionary disciple.” 

But Pope Francis “showed us how,” he said. 

“The word I’ve used over and over again to describe Francis is closeness,” he said. “He called us again and again to get close to each other, to have listening hearts, to listen to each other, and to listen to the Holy Spirit.” 

“He taught us how to evangelize. It’s through relationships. Through coming to know Jesus in a deep and meaningful way.” 

The bishop pointed out that the poor and homeless of Rome have taken part in mourning and remembrance of the late pontiff. 

“That’s telling,” he said. “He had close friends among the poor. I use the term ‘Gospel friendship’ for that. Human friendship is great, but this is an elevated type of friendship that leads us to a greater relationship with Christ and the Church.”

The Holy Father lived out the Gospel, Lewandowski said, “by being close to the poor, close to people who feel far from other people, far from the Church, and far from Jesus. He showed they could experience the closeness of the Lord through him.”

“We’ve talked a lot about evangelization and new evangelization for decades,” the bishop said. “He showed us how to do it.”