Saint of the Day

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is urging Congress to include immigration reform in the budget reconciliation package that is being negotiated by lawmakers.

The bishops seek protection of the pastoral needs of detainees and changes to enforcement practices.

“We encourage members of both parties to reject partisan appropriations funding and instead rededicate yourselves to a collaborative process that pursues the common good and promotes human dignity and flourishing,” they wrote in a letter to Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

The letter was signed by Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the USCCB, and Victoria, Texas, Bishop Brendan Cahill, chair of the USCCB Committee on Migration.

In the letter, the bishops acknowledge “the legitimate role of the state to regulate immigration, including by bringing to justice those among us who seek to inflict harm,” but raise concerns about enforcement practices.

“Enforcement of immigration laws cannot truly advance the common good without reasonable conditions that ensure respect for the God-given dignity of each person, inherent in which is the exercise of certain fundamental rights,” they wrote.

The bishops asked for enforcement to be better aligned with “the moral order,” such as avoiding enforcement near sensitive locations like churches when there are not extreme circumstances and “mandating consistent access to religious and pastoral services” for detainees.

“Rather than pursuing such measures through a bipartisan process, Congress now risks setting a concerning precedent — one in which furthering the common good is undermined for the sake of political expediency,” they wrote.

Under President Donald Trump’s administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded a rule that put limits on immigration enforcement at “sensitive locations” like churches. DHS officials still urge officer discretion and contend such enforcement would be rare.

DHS also says it encourages clergy to reach out for accommodations to ensure spiritual needs are met for detainees, although officials denied faith leaders' requests to bring the sacraments to an immigration processing facility in Illinois until a federal lawsuit was filed in November 2025 following repeated denials.

DHS recently emerged from a prolonged fiscal 2026 funding impasse, the longest DHS shutdown on record. Congress passed a bill that funded most DHS components, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) funding was left unresolved, requiring separate legislative action. The ongoing complexity may influence the fiscal 2027 appropriations timeline, and Republicans have proposed giving ICE and CBP $70 billion in additional funding, on top of $170 billion Congress already allocated last year.

The bishops requested lawmakers “limit additional funding increases for immigration enforcement after the unprecedented amounts provided through last year’s reconciliation bill.” They expressed concern over “an enforcement-only approach to immigration,” which they said “can never meet the demands of the moral law.”

“Nor does such an approach truly support the welfare and prosperity of American communities,” the bishops said.

Fifty‑four people have died in ICE custody since the start of fiscal 2025, which is 125% more detainee deaths than occurred during all four previous fiscal years combined (24 deaths), according to ICE detainee death reporting data.

In their letter to Congress, the bishops quoted a speech by Pope Leo XIV on Jan. 9 in which the Holy Father said: “To be authentic, democratic processes must be accompanied by the political will to pursue the common good, to strengthen social cohesion, and to promote the integral development of every person.”

The bishops asked Congress to follow that guidance when putting together the budget bill.

“Through this reconciliation effort and the circumstances that gave rise to it, we see the unfortunate absence of that will and therefore the failure to achieve reasonable and necessary reforms to current immigration enforcement practices,” they said.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

A group of Catholic and Christian faith leaders said it has been granted daily access to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Broadview, Illinois, since May 15 under a milestone agreement with immigration officials.

The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a Chicago-based Catholic and Christian advocacy group, said in a May 19 press release that it has struck a deal with ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that allows “daily pastoral visits.”

The temporary agreement follows a nearly 10-month-long campaign and lawsuit filed by CSPL and other faith leaders in November. CSPL faith leaders were permitted to provide pastoral care for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week but were denied entrance at Christmas.

The group noted that the agreement is not permanent and that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois requested a July status update.

“During the pendency of this federal litigation, as ordered by the court, plaintiffs may access the ICE Broadview Service Staging Area Facility,” the agreement states, according to CSPL, “to offer pastoral services on a daily basis to detainees who wish to receive pastoral care, including spiritual care, prayer, or facility-approved sacramental ministry, which may include rites tied to specific religious observances.”

Access to the facility will be allowed for up to five religious leaders per day between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. and between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., CSPL said. ICE personnel are required under the agreement to provide “sufficient space for religious services to be carried out within reasonable operational parameters,” CSPL said. The agreement also requires ICE to “make reasonable efforts” to facilitate privacy for detainees during the sacrament of confession, CSPL said.

Visits may only take place after detainees have completed intake and must be concluded with enough time for detainees to be transported out of the facility, CSPL said. ICE is permitted to limit visitation based on safety threats and operational concerns under the agreement, CSPL said.

‘Emergency room treatment’

The group provided religious services to 12 detainees at Broadview under the agreement on May 17, CSPL said.

“One detainee, facing deportation, expressed his gratitude for the visit and said, ‘Me siento como a volver a vivir,’ which loosely translates to a feeling of being brought back to life,” the organization said in the release.

“To my mind, it’s emergency room treatment,” said Father Paul Keller, CMF, the provincial for the Claretian Missionaries and a member of the CSPL Clergy Council. “Someone is there right when the trauma has happened to attend to the immediate emotional and spiritual wounds.”

“This agreement represents a recognition of the human dignity and basic human rights of our detained sisters and brothers,” CSPL Executive Director Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz said.

Another civil suit (Moreno Gonzalez v. Noem) in federal court alleged detainees at the Broadview facility faced overcrowded, “inhumane” conditions, insufficient nutrition, inadequate medical care, lack of privacy, and a squalid living environment.

Although detainees are only meant to be held at Broadview for a few hours, with the maximum being 72 hours, some alleged last year that they were held there for several days and even up to one week during ICE’s Operation Midway Blitz, which detained about 3,000 immigrants illegally residing in the state.

A DHS spokesperson said “religious organizations are more than welcome to provide services to detainees in ICE detention facilities” and disputed detainees' claims that the Broadview facility functions as a detention center, not a temporary processing facility.

“Even before the attacks on the Broadview facility, it was not within standard operating procedure for religious services to be provided in a field office, as detainees are continuously brought in, processed, and transferred out," according to a DHS spokesperson.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Last week, Israel and Lebanon agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire following two days of U.S.-hosted talks described by Washington as “very productive.” The negotiations carry major consequences for Lebanon, a country caught between Israeli pressure, Hezbollah’s weapons, and the risk of deeper internal instability.

But while diplomats discuss security arrangements, military withdrawals, and the future of the border, the damage left in southern Lebanon from the latest war triggered by Hezbollah also includes a religious wound: the desecration of Christian symbols and the destruction of places of worship.

Desecration of Christian symbols

In several southern villages, the war has not only left homes destroyed and families displaced but has also affected churches, crosses, and statues of the Virgin Mary — sacred signs that mark the Christian presence in villages where questions of return, protection, and dignity are supposed to be inseparable from the diplomatic discussions.

Recently, two incidents in southern Lebanon brought renewed attention to the desecration of Christian symbols during the war. In one case, an image circulated showing an Israeli soldier placing a cigarette in the mouth of a statue of the Virgin Mary. Before that, another widely reported image showed a soldier damaging a statue of Christ on the cross in Debl.

These incidents were not isolated, however.

During an earlier phase of the war in 2024, a video reportedly showed Israeli soldiers inside a church in Deir Mimas, turning the sacred space into a scene of mockery. In the footage, soldiers appeared to stage a mock wedding between two servicemen, with others laughing, singing, filming, and moving through the church as though it were a place of entertainment rather than worship.

Israel has said the soldiers involved in the desecration incidents were punished and that such behavior is incompatible with the army’s values. After the image of the Virgin Mary statue circulated, the Israeli military said one soldier had been sentenced to 21 days in military prison and another to 14 days, adding that it viewed the incident with “great severity.”

In the earlier Debl case, two soldiers were reportedly removed from combat duty and sentenced to 30 days in military detention after an image showed a soldier damaging a statue of Christ on the cross.

The destruction of Christian places of worship

The incidents involving individual soldiers are only one part of a wider picture. Christian places of worship and religious institutions in southern Lebanon have also been targeted and destroyed during the war.

In Yaroun, a Catholic convent and former school belonging to the Salvatorian Sisters were destroyed by the Israeli army earlier this month. Israel denied that the monastery had been demolished, but Yaroun’s mayor, Adib Ajaka, rejected the Israeli account.

The same village had already seen its church affected earlier in the war, as early as 2024. The Israeli army had also destroyed a statue of St. George.

Around the same period, in October 2024, other Christian villages in southern Lebanon were likewise hit. In Derdghaya, a church of the Melkite Greek Catholic Eparchy of Tyre was struck by an Israeli missile. A priest’s house and three-story building housing parish offices were also destroyed by another missile.

The human toll in Christian villages

Beyond the desecration of symbols and the destruction of churches, Christian villages in southern Lebanon have also mourned civilian deaths during this latest war.

On March 8, Christian farmer Sami Youssef al-Ghafri, from Alma al-Shaab, was killed in shelling. The following day, Father Pierre al-Rahi was killed in an Israeli strike on Qlayaa, prompting an outpouring of tributes online, with many portraying him as a symbol of Christian steadfastness for refusing to leave his parishioners. That same day, Lebanese Red Cross paramedic Youssef Assaf died of wounds sustained during a rescue mission after an Israeli strike in the Tyre district.

On March 12, three young men from Ain Ebel — Chadi Ammar, Elie Attallah, and Georges Khreich — were killed in an Israeli drone strike while trying to repair an internet connection.

Later, on March 28, Georges Soueid and his son Elie were killed by Israeli gunfire while traveling in a pickup truck on the road between Debl and Rmeish.

Some Christian villages in southern Lebanon were heavily damaged or emptied during the war. A few, such as Rmeish near the Israeli border, are mostly untouched. In the few where residents managed to stay, daily life remains extremely difficult: Aid is limited, infrastructure is fragile, and even basic services have been disrupted.

Local accounts point to damaged solar panels, targeted roads, and municipal equipment, including vehicles used for waste collection, destroyed or rendered unusable, making it harder for remaining families to sustain life in their villages.

Aid convoys as a lifeline

Aid convoys have been crucial for the remaining residents of southern Lebanon’s Christian villages. Local Church sources have repeatedly pointed to the role of the apostolic nuncio, who became a key figure in coordinating and encouraging aid efforts to reach isolated communities.

Organizations such as Caritas Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross, and L’Œuvre d’Orient have also played an essential role in helping residents receive basic assistance and remain in their villages despite the hardship. This weekend, the local nongovernmental organization Nawraj also reached several of the affected communities, bringing additional support to families still living under difficult conditions.

As U.S.-hosted negotiations between Lebanon and Israel continue, the protection of Christian places of worship, sacred symbols, and livelihoods should be part of the equation, according to the local Christian community.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, and has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

DIMAPUR, India — The cemetery of the Salesian province of Dimapur in northeast India was the scene of a solemn remembrance May 15 marking the 25th anniversary of the killing of three Salesian members at a novitiate in neighboring Manipur state.

Father Raphael Paliakara, the 46-year-old novitiate rector; Father Andreas Kindo, the 32-year-old newly appointed administrator; and 23-year-old Brother Shinu Joseph were shot dead at the Salesian novitiate at Ngarian Hills in Manipur on the night of May 15, 2001.

“I remember the deep pain of May 15, 2001,” recalled Father Joseph Pamplackal, Salesian provincial of Dimapur, presiding over the memorial Mass held at the cemetery with dozens of Salesian priests, including 10 who had been novices at the time and were present at the novitiate during the attack.

“Today we remember the beauty of Salesian missionary spirit. When Father Raphael was shot, Father Andreas rushed forward to protect him, and Brother Shinu too was shot. They died for the faith and inspired many to witness to the faith,” Pamplackal said at the Mass.

Twenty-eight relatives of the three slain Salesians traveled from the southern state of Kerala and from Jharkhand in eastern India for the occasion.

‘Shepherds who did not flee’

A memorial card distributed at the event described the three as “shepherds who did not flee” and summarized the events of 2001: “They laid down their lives for us … when armed militants stormed the novitiate demanding money and the novices' lives.”

“Money was handed over, but [they] refused to surrender any novice. They died as true shepherds standing between the wolf and the flock,” the card said.

Father Josekutty Madathiparambil, one of the 27 novices sheltered during the attack, told EWTN News on May 19 that the events of that night shaped his vocation.

“What happened that night influenced my life a lot. Their sacrifice has given a new meaning to life,” said Madathiparambil, who is originally from Kerala and now serves in eastern Arunachal Pradesh state.

“The militants had asked the fathers to bring out the novices, separating them as ‘locals’ [from Manipur] and ‘outsiders.’ That would have been the end of our lives. But they fulfilled what Jesus has said: ‘There is no greater love than laying down oneʼs life for others,’” he said.

After the memorial service, the Salesians — including 10 of the novices who went on to become priests — joined the family members of the slain Salesians in a two-hour gathering that included the screening of the documentary “They Laid Down Their Lives for Us” produced for the occasion.

“Today we are celebrating the silver jubilee of their martyrdom, which has not gone in vain. We are the proof for that,” said Father Anthony Kangba Rang in his testimony.

“We were heartbroken when we came here for the funeral 25 years ago,” recalled John Paliakara, elder brother of Father Raphael, who brought eight members of the Paliakara family, including three siblings, from Kerala for the anniversary.

“But it is no more a tragic memory. They saved the lives of 27 novices. We are proud of it,” he told EWTN News.

Ethnic tensions persist

As the Salesians prepared for the anniversary, they received a grim reminder of the continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur when two Salesian brothers were kidnapped on May 13.

“I was very tense hearing about this, and that too round the jubilee time,” said Father Shyjan Chemmaparappallil, another 2001 novice who was in Manipur that day.

“Our prayers were heard, and they were released unharmed the next night,” he said during the jubilee commemoration.

Father Suresh Innocent, from whose care the two ethnic Naga Salesian brothers were taken at an impromptu road checkpoint by Kuki groups, described the ordeal.

“I was shattered. Because of their ethnic [Naga] identity, they were taken away. It is reported that it was a tit-for-tat kidnapping, as some ethnic Kukis had been kidnapped earlier in the day,” Innocent told EWTN News on May 16 after bringing the brothers to the Dimapur provincial house.

“Due to prayers and high-level interventions, they were released in 24 hours,” he said.

The kidnapping took place on the same day that three Kuki Baptist pastors were killed in an ambush in Kangpokpi district, an attack that has further deepened the ethnic crisis in the state.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

San Diego Bishop Michael Pham condemned the “senseless act of violence” at a local Islamic mosque on May 18, an attack that left five people dead — three victims and two teenage suspects who died by suicide.

The city government said police responded to the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego just before noon on May 18. Three adult victims, including a security guard, were found dead outside of the center, while the two suspects — aged 17 and 19 — were found dead several blocks away with self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

The FBI is helping with the investigation, the city said. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime.

In a statement released on May 18, Pham said the local Catholic community “stand[s] united in solidarity and prayer with the Muslim community” in San Diego.

Decrying the “senseless act of violence” at the mosque, Pham said the Islamic Center of San Diego “has been a longtime partner in our collaborative work for justice, especially in accompanying immigrants.”

“Houses of worship must always be sanctuaries of peace, safety, and prayer,” the bishop said. “An attack on one faith community is an attack on the sacred dignity of all human life.”

The bishop offered his "deepest condolences, solidarity, and fervent prayers to the families of the victims and the entire Muslim community.”

As of the morning of May 19 police had not yet released information about the suspects in the shooting; their names were being withheld “pending notifications,” according to the city government.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the Islamic Center said it had lost “three pillars of our community,” including the security guard, who “gave his life protecting the children and community members” of the facility.

The three men who were killed “put themselves on the line for our [mosque] and our community,” the center said, describing them as “men of courage, sacrifice, and faith.”

In another post the mosque said it had established a victim support fund for those impacted by the tragedy.

On its website the center said it was “closed until further notice.” The facility opened in 1989 and is the largest mosque in San Diego County.

The mosque was the target of a bomb attack in 1991 when an explosive device was found in a bathroom there. The device did not explode and nobody was injured in the incident.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

A Catholic priest forced by Israel to leave the West Bank said farewell to his parishioners with a message of obedience, sorrow, and faith, saying he was returning to Jordan after serving the Christian community near Bethlehem.

“I have left Palestine, the land I loved, to return to my beloved homeland, Jordan, continuing the mission of the Gospel and justice,” Father Louis Salman wrote in a farewell message to the faithful.

Salman had served in Beit Sahour, at the Shepherds’ Field near Bethlehem, where he had become a much-loved figure among local Christians.

“In a spirit of priestly obedience, I accept all divine will and wisdom with hope and faith despite the deep pain,” the priest said in a message shared by the Bethlehem Institute for Peace and Justice. “I knew that speaking the truth is costly, and here I am paying the price. Not with regret, but with great love, like my crucified Christ.”

The priest described Jesus as his “example and teacher” and concluded his farewell by recalling the words of the Gospel: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Young priest with great pastoral potential

In comments to ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, Bishop William Shomali, vicar general of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, said Salman’s visa “was not renewed because he had made some political statements on Facebook that were considered by Israel to be incitement.”

“The Church did everything possible to resolve the situation, but Shabak [Israel’s internal security service] did not give a positive response,” Shomali said. “The Christian community in general — especially his parish and the young people he served as spiritual director — was deeply affected, especially during the farewell gathering they organized for him.”

Shomali clarified that Salman “was not physically expelled.”

“However, since his visa was not renewed, he was asked to leave discreetly to avoid any further tension,” the bishop said. “That is how the situation unfolded.”

Shomali said the priest’s future has already been arranged, adding that Salman will “soon receive a new assignment in one of our dioceses, since he is a good young priest with great pastoral potential.”

Interrogation and departure

According to sources familiar with the case cited by The Pillar in late April, the priest underwent an unusually lengthy interrogation.

Afterward, authorities of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem reportedly advised Salman to leave Palestine for his own safety. He later received official notification that his visa would not be renewed, with no formal justification provided. The deadline for him to leave was May 11.

According to The Pillar, Jerusalem sources who requested anonymity said the case may mark the first time Israel has intervened so directly in internal Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem personnel decisions.

The same sources said the patriarchate does not plan to make public statements for the time being as it prepares for a possible legal battle expected to be long and complex.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

SUNAMGANJ, Bangladesh — As Catholics around the world mark Laudato Si‘ Week, a Caritas Bangladesh project in the countryʼs remote northeastern wetlands is offering a quiet, concrete example of what the late Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation looks like in practice.

In the Jamalganj area of Sunamganj district, about 4,000 families — roughly 20,000 people — are learning to grow food year-round on previously unused land in their backyards, raise poultry without chemical pesticides, and produce organic fertilizer from earthworms and cow dung.

The project, formally known as the Livelihood Diversification and Climate Resilience Project for the Haor Region, is run by Caritas Bangladesh, the charitable arm of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Bangladesh. It began in July 2023 and is scheduled to run through January 2027.

‘The taste of the food is better now’

Rubina Begum, 30, is one of the beneficiaries. On a small patch of uncultivated land beside her home, she grows gourds, eggplant, beans, and leafy greens — all without chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

“Caritas gave me earthworms and I am preparing fertilizer by releasing them into the cow dung. I am applying that fertilizer to the vegetable garden. I am using a kind of trap to kill the insects; I am using stove ash to kill insects. I am not using any kind of chemical pesticides or fertilizers,” Begum told EWTN News.

Before joining the program a year and a half ago, she used conventional farming methods. The difference, she said, is tangible.

“When we used to farm earlier, the yield was low and the taste of the food is also better now than before. We are also selling vegetables in the market to meet the needs of our family. With this, we can do other household purchases,” Begum, a mother of three, said. “At the same time, I am farming ducks and chickens at home, but earlier, due to the use of pesticides, I could not farm ducks and chickens at home; they would die.”

Her husband, Samraj Miah, 40, is a day laborer. The Jamalganj area sits in Bangladeshʼs haor region — a basin of tectonic wetlands that floods for roughly four months each year, leaving families like theirs without work or income for extended stretches.

“I am grateful to Caritas. Because we are now able to live fairly comfortably by using the methods Caritas have taught us about vegetable cultivation and poultry farming,” Miah told EWTN News.

He added that a cow or two would allow them to produce their own dung for fertilizer rather than sourcing it from neighbors, while also supplying milk for the familyʼs nutritional needs.

A region where 90% live in poverty

According to the 2022 national census, the population of Jamalganj subdistrict is about 185,866 across an area of roughly 309 square kilometers. About 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to local government estimates.

Agriculture is the areaʼs primary livelihood, but climate change has made it increasingly precarious. Seasonal flooding eliminates crop production for four months each year, with an additional two months of knock-on disruption — meaning families can face six months without reliable income.

Caritas Bangladeshʼs response extends beyond kitchen gardening. The project also provides sewing machines and training, seed funding for small businesses, support for traditional handicraft workers, and tree-planting initiatives.

Aruna Debnath, 72, and his wife received about 5,500 taka (about $45) in startup assistance from Caritas. With the money, they buy bamboo and other materials and now earn about 2,500 taka (about $20) per week making baskets, pots, and chicken nets from home.

“We used to work as daily wage laborers, but as we get older, it becomes very difficult to work as day laborers, and many times they donʼt even want to hire us. But after receiving financial assistance from Caritas, we are working from home,” Debnath told EWTN News.

“I work at home on my own terms, take a break when itʼs hard, and then work again. With the income we earn, our family is living well,” he said.

The couple acknowledged, however, that the rise of cheap plastic alternatives has undercut the market for their biodegradable bamboo products.

'A part of Laudato Si' and environmental conservation'

Swapan Nayek, the project supervisor, told EWTN News that Caritas Bangladesh is incorporating the teachings of Laudato Si', the late Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical on the environment and human development, into every project.

“Among our various activities, we focus more on kitchen gardening so that they can produce something throughout the year on the fallow land in their backyards to meet their familyʼs needs and earn some income,” Nayek said.

Tree planting and greening are central to the haor project, he added, calling vegetable cultivation and annual tree planting "a part of Laudato Si' and environmental conservation."

But Nayek was candid about the scale of the challenges. Beyond food insecurity, the haor region faces acute problems with sanitation, healthcare, and access to clean drinking water.

“In the haor, there is not only a problem of food but also problems of sanitation, healthcare, drinking water, and these places are big challenges for us. We are providing services on a small scale, which is insufficient,” Nayek told EWTN News. He said more funding and vocational training are needed to expand the projectʼs reach.

The project also partners with the Bangladesh governmentʼs Department of Agriculture. Suman Kumar Saha, the agriculture officer for Jamalganj, praised the collaboration.

“Caritas‘ field-level farmer selection and the technology and resources they have are, in a word, extraordinary. Since Caritas is working for the socio-economic development of women here, this is also very commendable,” Saha told EWTN News. “The people of the haor are in great distress, and Caritas’ training and education are working very well to help them overcome that distress.”

For Begum, the aspirations are simpler and closer to home.

“I hope to make my children if not doctors, engineers or anything else, at least ideal farmers,” she said.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Catholic political and social thought, one of the foundational intellectual traditions of Western civilization, is poised for renewal as a new international initiative seeks to bring it back into conversation with new generations and decision-makers of tomorrow.

CatholicPOST, the Association for the Renewal of Catholic Political and Social Thought, was born from the conviction — shared by a group of European scholars during the COVID-19 lockdowns — that the health crisis had exposed not only the fragility of modern Western societies but also a deeper anthropological confusion threatening their social foundations.

That vision took concrete form at the inaugural conference of the association, titled “The Renaissance of Catholic Social Teaching,” held March 9–10 at the Ludovika University of Public Service in Budapest and attended by international academics and Vatican and Hungarian Catholic Church officials.

“COVID was a tragic moment in contemporary history, and it required thinking back again on the basics of social life,” Professor Ferenc Hörcher — a Hungarian professor of political philosophy, historian of ideas, and the association’s president — told EWTN News. “And that is something you can do best on the grounds of the Catholic tradition, pointing back to Aristotle and forward to the social teaching of the Church.”

For Hörcher — also director of the Research Institute for Politics and Government at Ludovika — the timing has only gained relevance with the election of Pope Leo XIV, whose choice of name evokes Pope Leo XIII, author of the landmark 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, widely regarded as the founding text of modern Catholic social teaching.

Neglected intellectual inheritance

One of CatholicPOST’s most urgent tasks is to restore Catholic social doctrine to its rightful place in intellectual life and academic discussion — a place it has progressively lost over the past century.

Secularization, according to the association’s founders, has pushed Catholic intellectual traditions to the margins of public discourse. Even conservative academic circles, in their view, have often drawn more from Anglo-Saxon traditions with Protestant roots than from Catholic social thought.

“Catholicism finds itself in the second row,” Hörcher said, “despite the fact that our modern and postmodern civilization is essentially built on it.”

The association presents itself as a scholarly, nonpartisan platform, open not only to Catholics but also to thinkers willing to engage seriously with the tradition.

“The Church cannot enter directly into political debate — that is not its mission,” Hörcher said. “But we, as Catholic intellectuals and practitioners in our own professions, can take that on.”

Deeper stakes

The initiative of the group, consisting of, among others, American, Swedish, Maltese, and Hungarian scholars, emerges at a moment of mounting polarization across Western societies, as clashes over gender identity, family, bioethics, and the very understanding of the human person grow increasingly confrontational — and, at times, violent.

For Hörcher, this is precisely why a recovery of serious Catholic political and social thought matters. CatholicPOST, he said, aims to reconnect contemporary debates with an intellectual tradition capable of addressing questions of philosophical anthropology that go far beyond basic politics.

That ambition also helps explain the caliber of thinkers already orbiting the initiative, from French political philosopher Pierre Manent, a leading contemporary thinker on natural law and the moral foundations of political life, to scholars at the University of Notre Dame, home to the natural law tradition developed by John Finnis, and Princeton’s James Madison Program, led by natural law theorist Robert George — a circle Hörcher is set to join for a year as a visiting scholar to Princeton’s Department of Politics.

The initiative has also attracted attention in Rome. In his keynote speech at the Budapest conference, Father Avelino Chico, head of office at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, presented Catholic social teaching as a living intellectual tradition still evolving in response to the “new things” of each age — from industrial modernity in the time of Rerum Novarum to contemporary social challenges such as artificial intelligence, migration, ecological crisis, and widening inequality.

Chico portrayed Pope Leo XIV as continuing that trajectory, seeking to integrate the legacy of Leo XIII and Pope Francis through the lens of integral human development — an approach that takes seriously not only economic realities but also the spiritual, cultural, and political dimensions of human life.

Supporting new generations

The association is already planning a second conference in Kraków, a deliberate choice honoring Poland’s enduring Catholic intellectual tradition and the legacy of St. John Paul II.

Registration in the U.S. is also underway, as CatholicPOST has roots in American educational institutions like Christendom College, as a result of its aim to strengthen its international footprint and deepen transatlantic academic ties.

For Hörcher, however, the deeper hope is not merely institutional growth but helping provide intellectual substance to what he sees as a broader spiritual movement among younger Westerners rediscovering Christianity. “We hope to give munition,” he said, “intellectual support for those young people.”

He sees CatholicPOST as part of a recurring pattern in Catholic history. “Each century brought a revival of Catholic political thought,” he said, citing the neo-scholastic revival of 16th- to 17th-century Spain, the Holy Alliance of the post-Napoleonic Age, the social teaching inaugurated by Leo XIII, and the contribution of Catholic thinkers such as Jacques Maritain to the postwar rise of the human rights framework.

“These historical precedents help us envision what a new renaissance might look like — and why it is needed now."

Saint of the Day – rosary.team