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A Louisiana man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he pleaded guilty to the 2022 slaying of a priest and a parish worker.

Antonio Tyson will serve two life sentences and a 40-year sentence for the murder of Father Otis Young and Ruth Prats, according to a June 8 press release from the office of Judicial District Attorney J. Collin Sims.

Young and Prats were found murdered in Covington, Louisiana, in November 2022; the bodies of both victims were burned after the victims themselves had been stabbed and beaten.

Young, 71, had retired in July of that year after serving as pastor for approximately 10 years at St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington. Prats had been a parish employee at that church.

Tyson was arrested shortly after the murders. Sims' office said in its release that he pleaded guilty to the murders on May 5. Part of the plea deal included Tyson waiving “all present and future rights to pursue sentence reductions, administrative corrections, judicial reviews, or release mechanisms.”

Tyson will also “be incarcerated within specialized state facilities under conditions identical to capital inmates awaiting execution,” the prosecutorʼs office said.

The severe imprisonment conditions and the appeal waiver “fulfill the explicit desire of the Prats and Young families that Tyson experience the maximal physical restrictions warranted by his heinous offenses, while simultaneously shielding the families from years of appellate delays and litigation associated with a capital trial,” the office said.

Sims in a statement said the sentencing “brings a permanent closure to a deeply painful chapter in our community’s history.”

The prosecutorʼs office was initially prepared to seek the death penalty, Sims said, but “recent disclosures regarding historical childhood IQ testing, [along with] a traumatic brain injury discovered in MRI scans,” meant such a sentence would likely have been subject to “meaningful challenges” at appeal.

“Rather than exposing these grieving families to potentially decades of litigation and the meaningful possibility that an execution could never legally be carried out, this negotiated resolution guarantees that Tyson will remain removed from society for the rest of his natural life under maximum-security, death-row conditions,” the prosecutor said.

Tyson had reportedly been released from prison just a few months prior to committing the murders. His latest sentences will run consecutively to each other, the prosecutorʼs office said.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

As the world prepares for the spectacle of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — the first World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — billions of fans will once again gather around a game that transcends language, politics, and borders. Yet few realize that the tournament’s origins are intertwined with the Catholic faith.

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events with roughly 5 billion people tuning in to the tournament that brings together soccer’s best athletes from around the world.

This year’s men’s tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19 and will be held in all three host countries. The last time the U.S. hosted a World Cup was in 1994, while Mexico has hosted the event in 1970 and 1986, and this will mark the first time Canada will host the prestigious soccer tournament. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the 23rd edition of the quadrennial international menʼs soccer tournament.

Long before the World Cup became the globe’s most-watched sporting event, its founder, Jules Rimet, was shaped by a vision deeply influenced by his faith and a belief in the dignity and unity of humanity.

Rimet was born on Oct. 14, 1873, in the village of Theuley in France to a devout Catholic family. He was known to have a heart for the poor and was inspired by Catholic social teaching.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII issued the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which addressed the harsh conditions, poverty, and labor exploitation brought on by the Industrial Revolution. This encyclical inspired Rimet to help create an organization that provided social and medical aid to the poor. He was 17 years old.

The Catholic Frenchman also had a love for sports and believed it could unite people from all different races and social classes. At 24 years old he started a sports club called Red Star, which was open to anyone regardless of social class. He also included soccer in the club despite the sport being looked down upon as being only for Englishmen and the lower class.

In 1904, Rimet helped establish the Fédération Internationale de Football Association — International Federation of Association Football, or FIFA. After serving in World War I, he returned to FIFA and became its president in 1921.

Nine years later, the first World Cup was held in Uruguay. He viewed the World Cup as an opportunity to bring nations who may be at war together, promote universal fraternity and solidarity among all people, and prevent future global conflicts. He also worked hard to professionalize soccer so that working-class athletes could earn a living doing what they loved.

Rimet served as the president of FIFA for 33 years. From 1930 to 1970, the championship trophy was named the Jules Rimet Trophy.

He died in 1956 and was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize due to his part in creating the World Cup tournament.

In the book “A History of Football in 100 Objects,” Rimet’s grandson, Yves, remembered his grandfather as a “humanist and idealist who believed that sport could unite the world. Unlike many others in his time, he realized that, to be truly democratic, to truly engage the masses, international sport must be professional.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

A major spiritual event in the Czech Republic and the biggest day in the history of the Diocese of Brno drew thousands of people and the attention of national media in one of Europeʼs most secular societies.

The beatification Mass of two priests killed by the communist regime in Czechoslovakia was not “the Church moralizing” but “an offer of forgiveness and hope,” as the martyrs showed that “conscience is not luxury.”

That is what Cardinal Michael Czerny said in a homily on June 6 in his hometown of Brno, where, as papal legate for Pope Leo XIV, he declared Jan Bula and Václav Drbola the first beatified of the diocese and the first martyrs of the past totalitarian regimes on the territory of todayʼs Czech Republic. The two will be commemorated annually on June 17 in the Churchʼs liturgical calendar.

“Blessed Jan and Václav call us not to sell truth for comfort or to avoid conflict, not to exchange faith for the approval of others, not to choose silence where witness should be given, not to sacrifice conscience for comfort, career, or conformism,” the cardinal stressed.

“These all look like good sense,” the prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development admitted, yet they “are really foolish betrayals of human dignity, freedom, and integrity.”

The priests Jan Bula (1920–1952) and Václav Drbola (1912–1951) were popular with their parishioners, active in community life, and loyal to the bishops. They were imprisoned without cause and accused of complicity in the killing of three communists, although they were already in prison at the time. They were executed after a staged trial in the early 1950s.

“Their guilt, in the eyes of the regime, did not consist in violence but in the fact that they refused to betray their priestly conscience. They did not wish to become instruments of ideology and repression,” the cardinal clarified.

“Each of us is invited to identify with them, with their time and place,” he suggested, adding that “when they were martyred, I was a 5-year-old boy with my family who had fled [communist Czechoslovakia] in 1948 and taken refuge in Montreal, Canada.”

Czerny was born in Brno 80 years ago and was naturalized in Canada. As he told EWTN News, celebrating Mass for the occasion in his hometown was “very moving.”

He even practiced Czech in recent months to read the homily in the Slavic language. The Mass drew 13,000 people and was widely covered by national media in one of the most secular countries in Europe.

Asked by a local outlet whether other Czech priests killed by communists might be beatified, the cardinal responded that “you can assume that it will happen, but we cannot comment,” referring to the strict criteria for beatification, which fall to the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on more than 100 Nicaraguan officials associated with the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship following the death of political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera.

“Today the Trump administration took decisive steps to impose additional visa restrictions on more than 100 dictatorship officials and their family members,” Rubio said in a June 8 statement.

“With this new set of restrictions, the U.S. government has now taken steps to impose visa restrictions on over 2,350 Nicaraguan officials and their family members for their complicit role in Rosario Murillo and Daniel Ortega’s dictatorship,” Rubio said.

Since 2007, Ortega and Murillo, his wife and co-president, have established an authoritarian regime in the country, repressing opposition through arrests, exile, and violence, suppressing civil rights, canceling elections, and persecuting the Church.

The move comes in response to the dictatorship’s "responsibility for the horrific death of political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera,” according to the statement.

Rivera, an Indigenous leader and political prisoner, died at 73 after being held incommunicado by the Murillo-Ortega regime for more than 970 days.

“Despite the enormous and intense medical efforts undertaken to restore the health of our Brother Brooklyn, whose physical and neurological deterioration was the result of a bacterial infection triggered by the COVID-19 virus, we regret to confirm that unfortunately he has departed this plane of existence,” asserted a communiqué dated May 31 from Nicaragua’s Ministry of Health.

Rubio alleged the direct involvement of U.S.-sanctioned Lumberto Ignacio Campbell Hooker, a loyal member of the oppressive regime, in denying medical care to Rivera and with preventing Rivera’s family from burying his remains.

The visa restrictions place increased pressure on the dictatorship, which has carried out systematic persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua for years.

Religious persecution at the hands of the dictatorship has included restrictions on the sacraments and the celebration of the Mass; heightened surveillance; forced disappearances and detentions; exile for bishops, priests, and religious; and the forced closure of Catholic institutions. The regime has also banned the ordination of priests and deacons in dioceses with exiled bishops.

In a social media post, Rubio further described the Murillo-Ortega regime as “an enemy of humanity,” noting that “the Trump administration will not ignore their crimes and brutality.”

Tweet

At least six of Riveraʼs relatives remain in detention, according to the U.S. Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

MANILA, Philippines — Catholic Church leaders, various religious congregations, and associations have called for prayers and support for all those affected by the powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao, southern Philippines, on June 8 leaving many communities in fear and uncertainty.

The offshore earthquake severely impacting General Santos City on Mindanao, the Philippines' main southern island. The tremor caused casualties and structural damage and triggered tsunami warnings.

As of this writing, at least 32 people have been killed, 12 are missing, and 200 others have been injured due to building damage and a 1-meter (3-foot) tsunami hitting nearby coasts.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos suspended school classes in affected areas of Mindanao and urged people in coastal areas to evacuate immediately. He also assured citizens that the government will provide necessary aid to people in need.

Bishops call for immediate assistance

Expressing his solidarity with victims and all those impacted, Cardinal Jose Advincula of Manila said: “With deep sorrow, I join our brothers and sisters in General Santos City and the surrounding communities who have been affected by the recent earthquake.”

He appealed for help for survivors. "In these difficult moments, may we draw strength from our faith and from the solidarity of one another,” he said. “I also encourage all people of goodwill to extend whatever assistance they can to those in need.”

In addition, Bishop Leo Dalmao of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan issued a pastoral letter calling for a second collection during Masses on Sunday, June 14. The collection will be sent to Caritas Philippines for relief assistance.

“The prelature joins the nation in prayer for the victims, the injured citizens, displaced families, and those people on the front line,” the prelate said.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic Church in the United States, is coordinating with its partners to assess humanitarian aid in Mindanao.

Churches damaged

At least three parishes in the Diocese of Marbel, which comprises the civil provinces of South Cotabato, Sarangani, and parts of Sultan Kudarat, reported damage following the earthquake.

An outdoor statue of Jesus at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, was also partially damaged. The pilgrimage site was temporarily closed due to the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, shrine authorities said.

At Holy Cross Parish in Calumpang, General Santos City, parts of the church ceiling fell during the tremor, said Brother Jerson Nunez, a member of the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

Damage was also reported in some parts of the exterior structure and ceiling of Santa Teresita del Niño Jesus Parish in Tupi, South Cotabato, in Davao Occidental.

Civil authorities are still assessing the impact of the earthquake that was felt in several provinces in Mindanao.

Meanwhile, officials of the Church and local authorities have yet to give a full assessment of the damage in the areas affected.

Calls for prayer

In a separate social media post, Archbishop Alberto S. Uy of Cebu said: “An earthquake reminds us how small, fragile, and vulnerable we truly are.”

“Our lives can be taken away in an instant. That is why there is no reason for us to be proud, arrogant, or abusive towards others,” he added.

The Archdiocese of Cebu also issued a prayer petition for all to recite in families and churches since June 8. Prayers were also included for authorities, rescuers, and volunteers that they may be guided and given strength, safety, and understanding to help those in need.

“In the aftermath of an earthquake, we all are called to remain strong in faith and express solidarity, support, and compassion to every family affected in Mindanao,” Michael Vildal, a Catholic from the Diocese of Marbel, told EWTN News.

“We all unite in prayer for those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in compassion, offering comfort and hope to those who are suffering,” he added. “It is time to unite in generosity, sharing our blessings with those who have lost so much.”

Meanwhile, in a social media post, the Dominican Province of Philippines, the Order of the Preachers, said: “We stand helpless against earthquakes, and we call upon the mighty name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit to save us. Please protect our families, our homes, the cities and towns we live in, as well as all the infrastructure within them.”

The Conference of Major Superiors in the Philippines also made an appeal.

“In this difficult time, let us come together in prayer for the safety, protection, and healing of all those affected,” a statement released on June 8 said. “May the Lord strengthen rescue workers, comfort displaced families, and grant wisdom to leaders and responders as they provide aid and assistance. Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Mindanao — not only through our prayers but also through acts of compassion and support,” the press note added.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Before a packed Santiago Bernabéu stadium and a crowd fully swept up in the moment, a figure dressed in white made his entrance. Yet it was neither Mbappé nor Cristiano Ronaldo nor any other Real Madrid soccer team legend but Leo XIV.

It was a particularly significant moment for the pope at the arena where the team he loves — though, as pontiff, he’s for everyone — has achieved its greatest sporting feats. No match was being played, but the faithful of the Archdiocese of Madrid, together with the suffragan dioceses of Alcalá de Henares and Getafe, welcomed Leo with a euphoria comparable to that of a decisive goal in a World Cup final.

“For a soccer player, scoring a goal in this stadium is a moment that leaves a bit of a mark on your life. Today, the Church in Madrid has scored a spectacular goal for all time," the pope said before beginning his address.

The event brought together representatives from parishes, movements, and consecrated life, as well as priests and pastoral workers, with a special presence from parish pastoral councils. Young people performed a short play for the pope modeled after a soccer match, and David Bustamante, a famous Spanish singer, also performed. There were also deeply moving personal testimonies, such as that of a 33-year-old man who shared with the gathering that he had been baptized last year and is now preparing to get married.

When he addressed the priests, consecrated persons, and bishops of Madrid, the pope told them: “Your joy will be contagious if, moving from being just a fleeting emotion, it becomes a stable way of being, a deep sentiment that renews individuals, groups, and the diocesan community.”

“Baptism truly changes one’s life … thereʼs no need to fear the fact that it never produces uniformity,” the pontiff stated during his second to last gathering in the Spainʼs capital city, prior to beginning the second leg of his journey, which will take him to Barcelona on Tuesday, June 9.

To illustrate this idea, he referenced the New Testament as an antidote to uniformity, thanks to the “testimony of the variety of its voices.” He also drew attention to the episode of the Tower of Babel, where, according to the biblical account, people in a "totalitarian and merely human project ended up unable to understand their neighbor.”

In contrast to this, and in line with the proposals in his recent encyclical Magnifica humanitas, he presented the figure of Nehemiah who involved the entire community in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

The pope used this gathering with some of the faithful of the diocesan community in the Madrid region to outline the keys to effective evangelization in the twenty-first century. He emphasized the importance of “not scattering or shutting ourselves away in the group or environment where we already feel secure among people who always sing the same tune.”

“To reach the heart of the city, we must cultivate the awareness that truth is symphonic and always transcends us, and cultivate the desire to encounter the Risen One, who always goes ahead of us, preceding us and perhaps already present where we have not yet sought him,” he noted.

Therefore, he continued, “seeking and following him is the condition for proclaiming him; otherwise, there is no evangelization, and today we can understand this better than in the past.”

Quoting St. Teresa of Avila, he said, “‘Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you!’ Together, as a diocesan Church, you can offer the Gospel witness that unleashes the best strengths of a humanity bombarded by images and words, yet hungry for justice and thirsty for truth,” he added.

He also highlighted the special relationship between the Church and the city, which, as he explained, takes shape “among flesh-and-blood people, in workplaces and close relationships, but also within the different communities, associations, and neighborhood organizations,” and which gains even greater significance “amidst the change of epochs we are currently experiencing.”

“When we reduce ecclesial life to a routine where everyone remains locked within their own habits and roles, what we lack is the Spirit,” he stated.

His words seemed to resonate in the testimony of Sister María San José of the Congregation of the Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus. She is an educated, independent woman with two careers and two masterʼs degrees who left a comfortable life at Santander Bank to consecrate herself to religious life, demonstrating how God’s call reaches into every walk of life.

“I realized that there was something more that fulfilled me — beyond everything I had and everything I had built — and that was this consecrated life, this total dedication to the Lord,” she explained to EWTN News while on her way to the gathering.

“God knows the hearts of his people individually. He knows them as only he can — that is, in love and, therefore, in freedom,” the pope said, underscoring that God is “infinite mercy and wants everyone to be saved.” “He desires this to the point of becoming flesh and taking upon himself all the sin, evil, and negativity of the world,” he emphasized.

Among those present at Bernabéu stadium was Father Antonio Sánchez, a priest of the Diocese of Getafe ordained last October. He shared with ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, the deep emotion he felt participating along with the pope in the Corpus Christi procession following the Mass celebrated in the Plaza de Cibeles on Sunday, June 7.

It was, in his words, “a privilege to be selected without any merit; all they said was that the priests of the ecclesiastical province should be at the procession,” he explained.

“With an attitude of adoration, seeing the pope who was a great witness, because being close to the procession during such a unique moment was truly special. We were on the same [ground] level as the pope, and seeing him in the procession, adoring and focused on Christ … it was a moment of realization: amidst all the commotion, we were focused on Christ, to whom we have consecrated our lives,” he told ACI Prensa shortly before the pontiff entered the stadium where he was welcomed with tremendous enthusiasm.

Prior to this gathering, the pope visited Santa María la Real de la Almudena Cathedral, which became the setting for one of his most touching moments in Madrid.

The Holy Father placed the Golden Rose at the feet of the image of the Virgin of Almudena as a symbol of his filial love, a gesture reflecting the pope’s deep Marian devotion. This marks the fourth Spanish image of the Virgin to receive this gift; the other three are the Virgin of Hope Macarena, the Virgin of La Cabeza and the Virgin of Montserrat.

This pontifical distinction is a recognition of the popular piety and Marian devotion of Madrid. It has ancient roots and symbolizes the papal blessing.

The tradition dates back to Pope Leo IX, who established it in 1049. Over the centuries, it has been bestowed upon monasteries, shrines, sovereigns, and prominent figures in recognition of their commitment to the faith and the common good. In the past, the Golden Rose was also awarded to queens, including Isabella the Catholic Monarch, who was the first queen to receive it in 1493, granted by Innocent VIII.

In the solemn act, Pope Leo climbed the steps leading to the base of the image to lay the floral offering and pray.

His most notable previous visit to the Almudena Cathedral took place on the occasion of the 2002 canonization of Alonso de Orozco, an Augustinian who died in Madrid, in the convent that occupied the site of the current Senate building. The saint’s remains now rest in the chapel of the Contemplative Augustinian Nuns’ convent on La Granja street.

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

Peruvian President José María Balcázar stated on Sunday, June 7, that Pope Leo XIV will arrive in the country on Nov. 10.

When asked — while in the northern city of Chiclayo — about the date of the Holy Fatherʼs arrival in Peru, the president replied that the trip “is scheduled to begin on Nov. 10,” according to RPP.

However, the Vatican has not yet made an official announcement regarding the apostolic visit, which could also include Uruguay and Argentina.

In April, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, archbishop of Montevideo, Uruguay, stated that the Holy Father might visit Uruguay between "late November and early December."

Pope Leo XIV in Peru

Then-Father Robert Prevost arrived as a missionary in Chulucanas, in the Piura department of northern Peru, in 1985. He remained there until 1986.

He returned to the country in 1988 — specifically to Trujillo, also in northern Peru — where he remained until 1999. He served as a formator and superior for the Augustinians as well as director of studies and rector of the San Carlos y San Marcelo Seminary.

After serving two terms as superior general of the Augustinians in Rome, Pope Francis appointed him apostolic administrator of Chiclayo in November 2014; he became the bishop of that diocese in September 2015. That same year, he acquired Peruvian citizenship.

In April 2020, he was appointed apostolic administrator of Callao and served in that role for one year. Prevost remained in Peru until January 2023, when he was called to work at the Vatican to head the Dicastery for Bishops.

Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected successor of St. Peter on May 8, 2025. In his first words to the world, he included a special greeting to his “beloved Diocese of Chiclayo in Peru.”

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

Pew Research Center profiled the U.S. adult Catholic convert population and noted some of the differences between converts and lifelong Catholics.

Converts to Catholicism account for 1.5% of U.S. adults. Converts make up 8% of the nation’s Catholics, and the remaining 92% of Catholics are “cradle Catholics,” who were raised in the faith and still identify with it today.

Pew detailed “key facts about converts to and from Catholicism” in the U.S. drawn from the center’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) and previous pew reports.

The RLS is a study intended to provide estimates of the U.S. population’s religious composition, beliefs, and practices. It was conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024, with a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents.

The survey’s margin of error for results for the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points and had a 20% response rate.

While Catholic converts account for a small share of the country’s adult population, the number of converts to Catholicism is on par with, or larger, than the number of Americans who identify with some Protestant groups, including Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Reformed Christians.

The research found that the most common reason converts joined the faith was due to a Catholic spouse or a desire to get married in the Church. In the U.S., 1 in 4 married Catholics are married to a non-Catholic, including 1% who are married to someone from a non-Christian religious background.

The RLS found that about two-thirds of Catholic converts were of a different Christian tradition before converting.

More than half (59%) of converts told Pew that they were raised Protestant, and 9% were raised in another Christian tradition, such as Orthodox Christianity or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

About 1 in 5 Catholic converts (22%) did not have any religious affiliation as a child.

Characteristics and practices of cradle Catholics versus converts

Pew noted differences between converts and cradle Catholics, including that converts are more likely than those raised in the faith to be Republican.

Among Catholic registered voters, 60% of converts identified as Republican or leaned toward the Republican Party as of Pew’s 2023-24 study. Of lifelong Catholics, 52% said they identify the same.

Of cradle Catholics, 43% identified as Democratic or Democratic leaning, compared with 35% of Catholic converts who reported the same.

Most Catholic converts who responded are white (67%), compared with 20% who are Hispanic, 3% who are Black, and 4% who are Asian.

In contrast, 53% of cradle Catholics are white and 37% are Hispanic.

The research also found that 79% of converts were born in the U.S. and 18% were born outside of the country, compared with 67% of cradle catholics who were born in the U.S. and 30% who were born outside the nation.

Pew also found that Catholic converts attend Mass more regularly than cradle Catholics.

Of adults, 38% of converts attend Mass at least weekly and 58% receive Communion every time they go to Mass, compared with 28% of cradle Catholics who attend at least weekly and 34% who receive Communion every time.

Converts also go to confession slightly more, with 29% reporting they go at least once a year compared with 23% of cradle Catholics.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The day after 12 people were wounded by gunfire at a festival in Toledo, Ohio, Bishop Daniel E. Thomas lamented that one of the city’s “most beloved community traditions was suddenly shattered by senseless violence.”

On the evening of Saturday, June 6, at the 53rd annual Old West End Festival, 12 people were wounded in an apparent dispute between two shooters who have yet to be identified, according to local police.

Police said all 12 injured were in "stable condition” as of Sunday afternoon. Organizers canceled the festival, which was to continue through Sunday.

The shooting took place just a few blocks from Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral during the vigil Mass on the solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

Thomas issued a statement on June 7, saying: “For those of us who live in the Old West End, this tragedy is literally close to home.”

Despite the “eerie quiet” in the neighborhood Sunday morning following the festival’s cancellation, Thomas said the faithful gathered and “carried Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of the Old West End in the annual Eucharistic procession.”

“The Lord of Life was borne through the very neighborhood that had witnessed violence only hours before,” he said. “In that sacred procession, we proclaimed a message radically opposed to hatred and violence: a message of peace, unity, love, and respect for every person.”

The bishop said he remembers in prayer “the hundreds of innocent festival attendees whose sense of security was violated.”

“While these tragic acts have shaken our neighborhood, they have not shaken our faith in humanity, nor have they shaken our faith in the Lord of Life,” he said. “We remain committed to building a culture in which every person is valued, protected, and treated with dignity: a culture not of death but of life.”

Thomas also referenced Pope Leo XIV’s recent encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, in which the pontiff states that “human rights are inviolable, since they are ‘inherent in the human person and in human dignity.’"

Thomas said: “Every act of violence is a failure to recognize the God-given dignity of the human person.”

“Together with the people of the Old West End and our 19-county diocese, I lament and decry the indiscriminate violence that has so deeply affected this neighborhood,” the bishop wrote, saying: “Gun violence has taken center stage in our community, leaving suffering and fear in its wake.”

Investigative Lt. Dan Gerken said at a news conference Saturday that local police, who have not identified the shooters or made any arrests, are reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses and victims.

"Iʼm feeling good about where we are right now, but weʼll need the communityʼs help. Weʼll take all the information we can,” he said.

“As far as violence, this is over the top,” Gerken said. “Twelve people is a lot. This is way over the top.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

On Monday, June 8, the third day of his apostolic journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV met with six victims of abuse committed “by members of the clergy and the Church” in the country.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed the meeting, noting that it took place in the afternoon at the apostolic nunciature in Madrid.

The victims, the Vatican stated, were “accompanied by Church personnel engaged in supporting and accompanying victims.”

The meeting lasted nearly an hour, during which the victims shared their “painful personal experiences” with the Holy Father, and each person presented him with “proposals to make the Church’s response to such tragic cases more effective.”

The pope, the Holy See Press Office noted, “listened with affection and attention and assured them of his closeness” as well as that of “the entire ecclesial community.”

In addition, he pledged his commitment to ensuring that the proposals offered by the victims “serve as a foundation for future efforts, so that the Church may truly be a safe and spiritually healthy place where [those wounded] can find comfort and healing.”

A call to address the ‘scourge’ of abuse

Shortly before meeting with victims, during his encounter with the Spanish bishops, the Holy Father urged them to respond to the “scourge” of abuse in the Church “with listening, truth, justice, reparation, and an ever-more-determined commitment to prevention and a culture of care.”

“Every wounded person must be able to find sincere listening, welcome, protection, and real paths to healing,” Pope Leo said.

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