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Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Eusebio Ramos Morales of Caguas as the new archbishop of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

As announced by the Holy See on Aug. 6, the pontiff also accepted the resignation of Archbishop Roberto Octavio González Nieves, OFM, who has led the archdiocese since 1999.

González concludes nearly 30 years of service

González concludes his service in Puerto Rico having led the archdiocese through challenging times, including Hurricane María in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

He was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1977 and served as auxiliary bishop of Boston before becoming bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas. Notably, he replaced Bishop René Gracida at Corpus Christi, who signed his name to a “filial correction” criticizing Pope Francis’ 2016 encyclical Amoris Laetitia.

Assigned to Puerto Rico by St. John Paul II, in 2023 González was honored with the Spirit of Francis Award by the Catholic Extension Society in recognition of his service in helping Puerto Rico recover from Hurricane María.

Bishop Ramos: A theologian with pastoral work

Ramos was born in Maunabo, Puerto Rico, on Dec. 15, 1952. After completing studies in biology and theology in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Rome, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Caguas in Puerto Rico in 1983.

After more than 20 years as a parish priest and professor, he was named bishop of Fajardo-Humacao in 2008. He was transferred to Caguas in 2017 and was subsequently nominated as president of the Puerto Rican Episcopal Conference.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) may summon hemispheric foreign ministers for an emergency session on Nicaragua after President Daniel Ortega’s vow to end elections and deepening concerns over crackdowns against the Catholic Church.

At a special meeting on Aug. 5, the formal U.S. representation at the OAS presented the draft resolution, titled “Convocation of a Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs to Consider the Situation in Nicaragua.” The Permanent Mission of the United States’ resolution was cosponsored by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The Permanent Mission of the United States called for the meeting to take place before Sept. 1, when the Ortega regime is set to codify its latest policy reforms. 

The move would invoke one of the OAS’ highest‑level diplomatic tools, signaling that member states view Nicaragua’s political rupture as a regional concern with direct human rights implications. Ortega’s announcement, paired with constitutional changes aimed at blocking opposition figures from power, prompted the United States and Paraguay to request the extraordinary meeting.

Commissioner Rosa María Payá, rapporteur for Nicaragua at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, expressed concern at the OAS Permanent Council meeting over ongoing human rights abuses against Nicaraguans, including arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances.

She noted that about 838,363 Nicaraguans have fled the country since 2018 and that many face transnational repression. Representatives for several member states said during the meeting that the forced migration of Nicaraguans constitutes a migration crisis and a threat to national security.

Payá, a Catholic of Cuban descent, also highlighted persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, citing the disappearance of Bishop Emeritus Juan Abelardo Mata Guevara of Estelí, Nicaragua. Mata was detained by police on two occasions in late June after praying for the persecuted Church in Nicaragua during a Mass he celebrated on Sunday, June 28.

“We are very concerned about the situation of the persecution of the Catholic Church in Nicaragua and the persecution of the faith in general, and the practice and the exercise of the faith,” Payá told EWTN News. “We have been very vocal about our concerns and alarm about the disappearance of Monsignor Abelardo Mata Guevara.”

In October 2023, the Permanent Council unanimously approved the resolution “Rejection of the Repressive Measures of the Government of Nicaragua Against Educational Institutions and the Catholic Church in Nicaragua.” Nicaragua withdrew from the OAS in November 2023.

“When we talk about the Nicaraguan regime, we actually see a systematic continued behavior in the direction of violating freedom of religion, from the situation that took place with Monsignor [Rolando] Alvarez years ago — heʼs now forced to live in exile — to the situation of Monsignor Mata and many other priests and members of the Catholic communities that are afraid to practice their faith,” she said.

Payá said the Ortega regime’s suspension of elections has prompted a “collapse of democracy,” which she said “creates an environment of fear that impacts people of faith.”

“Iʼm Catholic myself and I also come from a society that has suffered the violation of human rights,” she said. “So I deeply understand what it is to to be afraid to speak your mind, what it is to be afraid of practicing and voicing your faith, which is a very primary human exercise.”

Payá is the daughter of Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, a Catholic dissident who founded the Christian Liberation Movement (CLM), a peaceful democratic movement inspired by Catholic social teaching in 1988. He was killed during the Cuban Spring in 2012.

“All of my solidarity is with the Nicaraguan people,” Payá said. “And I believe that also all the solidarity of the commission is too, and we will keep following the issue and we will keep engaging in the political dialogue with the member states.”

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

The Diocese of Chiclayo has confirmed the principal locations Pope Leo XIV will visit in the city during his Nov. 11–17 apostolic visit to Peru. The Holy Father’s visit will mark his return to the diocese where he exercised his episcopal ministry for several years.

According to a diocesan press release, the pontiff will visit Chiclayo Cathedral, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Peace, Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo Catholic University, the districts of Santa Cruz and Zaña, and the open grounds of the Reque Industrial Park, where the main gatherings and celebrations of his visit to the region will take place.

The diocese noted that the return of Leo XIV will represent a moment of great significance for the people, “who will welcome the successor of Peter with faith, hope, and a spirit of unity.” The visit to Chiclayo will be part of his overall apostolic journey to Peru, which will also include the cities of Lima, Cusco, and Pucallpa.

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP, by its Spanish acronym) has expressed its “immense joy” at the official confirmation of the apostolic visit and is inviting the faithful to prepare themselves spiritually for it.

“His presence among us will be a true gift for our people and an opportunity to renew our faith, strengthen hope, and walk united as a Church in the service of the Gospel,” conference president Bishop Carlos García Camader stated.

The country’s bishops specifically called upon all the faithful and people of goodwill to join in prayer as a form of preparation.

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Carlos Castillo, archbishop of Lima and primate of Peru, said the pontiff’s upcoming trip is generating “enormous anticipation” among Peruvians.

“We receive this news not only with great pleasure but also with a vital surge of encouragement that prepares us to commit ourselves generously to our faith, so that we may welcome him and better invigorate our Christian and Catholic experience,” Castillo remarked.

The president of Peru, Keiko Fujimori, wrote on her X account that she received “the confirmation with profound joy,” adding that it is “news that fills millions of Peruvians with excitement.”

Fujimori added that the pontiff’s arrival “will be a moment of encounter for our faith and a message of hope for our country.”

“Holy Father, we await you with open hearts to welcome you back to your home, Peru,” she said.

Castillo also noted that the papal visit is taking place during a time marked by challenges such as insecurity, violence, and social difficulties, and that the Holy Fatherʼs presence could foster a necessary reflection.

“May the Holy Father disarm us and make it possible for a peace that is both unarmed and disarming to unfold with full clarity,” Castillo concluded.

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

If you want to strengthen marriages in your community and drive down the divorce rate, Mary Rose Verret has a simple piece of advice: “Start with your own marriage.”

Verret and her husband, Ryan, have for years run the marriage ministry Witness to Love; in 2024 Pope Francis named them as consultants to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life.

Since 2012 the Verrets have used that ministry to reach both engaged and married couples in a variety of formats. And their work has occurred amid an encouraging shift in U.S. marriage culture: declining divorce rates for new marriages.

Data compiled by the Institute for Family Studies shows that couples who married in the 2010s have markedly lower divorce rates than couples who married in earlier decades.

That trend has been part of an overall decline in divorce since roughly the 1980s onward: While 30% of first marriages in the 1970s ended in divorce after 10 years, just 18% of first marriages from 2010–2012 did so, with the divorce rate for the rest of the latter decade remaining roughly similar so far.

Mary Rose Verret told EWTN News there’s “not a lot of data” to indicate reasons why that rate is trending downward. Yet some of the explanations, she said, could be that people “are taking marriage a little more seriously” and are entering into the institution more prepared.

She said that half of the work of their ministry involves engaged or recently married couples, while the other half is with couples who have been married longer and who serve as mentors of younger husbands and wives.

When looking to keep divorce rates low, Verret said, ministering to those who have been married for years is just as critical a component as preparing couples for marriage.

“The more we can do to strengthen existing marriages, that’s what going to lower the divorce rate and increase the number of happily married couples that are really being witnesses,” she said.

The beginning point, meanwhile, is close to home, she said: “Start with your own marriage. Start with investing in your church community. Invest in your diocese.”

“There’s nothing more important than preparing the next generation of couples and families,” she said.

The 50% divorce myth

A pop culture talking point for years has been the contention that half of all marriages will end in divorce. Yet the Institute for Family Studies argues that that statistic is outdated, having been popularized “during the heyday of hippies through the MTV era” amid massive shifts in the institution of marriage.

Decades of data, on the other hand, indicate that only first marriages that began in the 1970s had a more-than-50% likelihood of ending in divorce by their 50th anniversary. In the 1950s the rate hovered around 30%; in the 1960s it was slightly over 40%.

Other decades thus far have trended higher or lower, though none have topped 50%.

Grant Bailey, the deputy director of the Get Married Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, told EWTN News that the decline of divorce rates from their peak in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s can be explained in part by “later marriages.”

“The divorce revolution of the 1960s and 1970s saw rising divorce rates across the board, with the highest divorce rates among couples who married in their early 20s,” he said. “Adults began marrying later, bringing lower divorce risks, and as a result we saw the aggregate divorce rate fall from the 1980s onward.”

Yet more recent data show divorce rates trending downward “regardless of what age couples marry.” Later marriages, he said, “no longer explain why divorce rates are falling.”

Peter and Sheila Oprysko, the North America secretariat ecclesial team of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, said declining divorce numbers are in part due to a greater “intentionality” about marriage among younger people.

“We know that people are getting married later in life,” Peter told EWTN News. “So when they make a decision, they’ve spent the time living with it, thinking it out, and coming out in the end with it. So there’s a more permanent decision there.”

Sheila said many young Catholic couples getting married today are “coming back to the Church” with a greater awareness of its implications.

“They’re understanding what our faith is, and they’re beginning to understand marriage is a sacrament,” she said.

Marriage Encounter advertises itself as a “marriage enrichment program.” Peter said the program itself is “not a crisis hotline” for marriages but one that helps husbands and wives develop a “lifelong communication framework” that actually prevents crises from arising in the first place.

He said that the statistics of successful marriage “don’t happen by accident.”

“They happen when couples invest in their relationship and learn the skills to communicate deeply,” he said. Marriage advocates in recent years are “seeing a greater intentionality in nourishing that commitment,” he said.

Sheila said the program teaches not just communication but prayer as a couple. “They also have a community (of married couples) afterward, too, so they realize they have even more support.”

Though divorce numbers are promising, overall marriage rates remain anemic in recent decades. A Heritage Foundation report in May found that over the past 50 years, marriage rates have declined from more than 90% of Americans having married by ages 30-35 in 1962 to 55% as of 2025.

In October, the Vatican will host a meeting of bishops focused on marriage and childbearing, among other issues. The Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life said discussions will include “walking with families in complex situations” such as “abandonment, separation, and divorce.”

Worldwide Marriage Encounter was recognized by the Vatican this year as an official international association of the faithful, Peter Oprysko told EWTN News. Peter and Sheila attended the reading of the decree in Rome and afterward had an audience with Pope Leo XIV.

At the event, both Cardinal Kevin Joseph Farrell and Pope Leo XIV “talked about the importance of marriage, for the family and for the Church,” Sheila said.

Though the decline in divorce is a welcome development for marriage advocates, Bailey said the “at least some of the decline in divorce rates is due to a more select population,” which he called “the admittedly dark side to an otherwise positive finding.”

“Fewer adults are getting married today, but couples who do marry appear to be more committed than those from recent decades,” he said. He said the public should be taught that “a successful marriage is not a coin toss and that it is possible to form a stable and happy family life in the present day.”

Ryan Verret argued that in his extensive writings on the topic, Pope John Paul II positioned marriage and family as a counterrevolution to destructive modernist tendencies.

“Maybe in some ways we’re in the counterrevolution now,” he said. “There definitely seems to be a substantial movement of young people coming back to faith and things that are transcendent.”

Sheila Oprysko said that married couples should treat their marriage like anything else that needs regular upkeep to stay healthy.

“You bring your car in for maintenance,” she said. “Priests go on for retreat once a year. You do something for yourself spiritually. You’ve got to do something for your marriage as well.”

Peter Oprysko argued that marriage advocates “can’t be complacent” even as divorce trends look promising. “We have to keep reaching out,” he said. “We’re trying to change the narrative.”

Mary Rose Verret, meanwhile, stressed that husbands and wives in happy, thriving unions need to serve as vital witnesses to a culture in need of healthy marriage.

“If you don’t see happy married couples around, you’re not going to want to get married,” she said.

“If we get it right, the marriage rate will go up and the divorce rate will go down,” she said.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Mexico’s bishops have released a message in which they state that the centennial of the Cristero War, an uprising in defense of religious freedom that gave the Church numerous martyrs, “is not merely an anniversary; it is a time of grace.”

The Aug. 4 video message was presented by the president of the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Ramón Castro Castro, and the CEM’s secretary-general, Bishop Héctor Mario Pérez Villarreal.

“A hundred years ago in Mexico, the bells of the churches were silenced,” the prelates recalled, but “their blood spoke instead.”

“For two years, the churches were closed, and the religious conflict pitted Mexicans against one another,” they stated.

The bishops lamented that “what happened in Mexico a century ago bears that tragic face. It was not a nation invaded by outsiders but a people divided against itself.”

“On both sides of the trenches and the battalions were children of the same land — baptized in the same parishes, heirs to the same culture, and sharing the same mother in their hearts: the Virgin of Guadalupe,” they added.

“Today, a hundred years later, we, the bishops of Mexico, wish to address everyone, not to reopen wounds but to heal them; not to judge the dead but to serve the living,” the prelates stated.

“A people that does not remember is at the mercy of those who write history for them,” they warned, going on to emphasize that “Christian memory is not nostalgia for the past; it is strength for the present.”

The bishops further stated: “We are not commemorating a war, we are not celebrating a victory.” They continued: “We do not exalt arms, nor do we idealize violence. We do not call for revenge, and we do not fuel resentment.”

Rather, they said, “we commemorate the fidelity of a believing people who kept the faith alive when the churches fell silent. We commemorate our martyrs, who did not kill for Christ but died for him. And we remember a lesson learned at a very high price,” the bishops pointed out.

In this regard, Mexico’s bishops emphasized that “religious freedom is not a privilege of the clergy but the right of every human person.”

The prelates underscored that “the martyrs remind us that there are truths worth living for and, if necessary, dying for — because whoever lays down their life out of love does not lose it; they sow.”

“Today, we defend religious freedom as a right for all — believers and nonbelievers alike — because no conscience should be coerced, manipulated, or silenced,” they emphasized.

This “time of grace,” the country’s bishops noted, represents “a call to build a Church that listens before speaking, that journeys together, and that awakens in every baptized person the awareness of living out their faith within the family, at work, and in public life.”

“May this time find us reconciled — capable of speaking the truth without hatred, of forgiving without forgetting, and of building together a nation where no conscience is coerced and no life is deemed disposable,” the bishops affirmed.

“May Christ reign in our hearts, and may St. Mary of Guadalupe protect our homeland,” they concluded.

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

Thousands of Knights from across the globe gathered for the Knights of Columbus’ 144th Supreme Convention focused on the theme “In the One, We Are One,” with an emphasis on the virtues of unity and charity.

The Catholic fraternal organizationʼs annual convention is being held Aug. 4–6 in Denver. It includes Masses, prayer services, an awards session recognizing member and council achievements, and a summary of the organizationʼs annual report.

The event, focused on the order’s principles of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism, opened with Mass celebrated by Archbishop James Golka of Denver along with dozens of bishops, hundreds of priests and deacons, and thousands of Knights and families.

In his homily, Golka shared his personal relationship with the Knights, as he is a fourth-degree Knight, his six brothers are Knights, and his late father was a Knight. In 2021, the year Golka was named bishop of Colorado Springs, his family was named Family of the Year by the Knights of Columbus Nebraska State Council.

“The Knights of Columbus exists to help our men grow in their faith, and they sure did for my dad,” Golka said.

“God wants the Knights of Columbus to help him care for his children. God wants the Knights of Columbus to help carry out Godʼs purposes. God wants the Knights of Columbus to live for God and Godʼs purposes, not ours,” he said.

“And when we do that, we care for the people of God,” he said.

“The Knights of Columbus empowers Catholic men to live their faith and serve their family, parish, community, and country,” he said.

“But I think if I step back and look at the Knights of Columbus, along with many other apostolates doing such good work, I think weʼre all part of a bigger mission. The Knights of Columbus exist because God wants his world back,” he said.

In order to further this mission, we must “listen to God” and “beg God for clarity,” Golka said.

“He already has a plan for the Knights of Columbus. He has a plan for your council. He has a plan for your marriage and your family. We need to be experts in listening to him so we know what his plan is,” he said.

“And brothers and sisters, whenever I look at Jesus to find out his plan, he is never anxious. He is never afraid. Heʼs excited to show us who he is,” Golka said.

Supreme Knight presents Knights’ annual report

During the convention, Knights and observers also gathered for Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly’s presentation of the Knights’ report on Aug. 4, which highlighted the Knights’ work aiding the most vulnerable, and its growing membership.

“Just as Christ came to serve, we devote our lives to serving others, especially the vulnerable,” Kelly said. “All of our charity reflects the love of God. It’s a charity that evangelizes.”

Kelly’s address included a comprehensive summary of the Knights of Columbus’ work over the past year, highlighting initiatives that have advanced the mission of the organizationʼs founder, Blessed Michael McGivney.

“We are not just another charitable organization. We are not a social club,” Kelly said. “We are a global brotherhood of Catholic leaders and we are united in Jesus Christ. He is the true source of our strength. And as we reflect on our service over the past year, we give all the glory to God.”

“Last year, our brother Knights devoted more than 48 million hours to volunteering,” Kelly said. “Thatʼs 130,000 hours of volunteer service every day. And around the world, we donated more than $200 million. And thatʼs a new record.”

Addressing some of the specific efforts, Kelly shared that “California Knights delivered more than 800 wheelchairs to the Philippines last year, and through this program, weʼre serving refugees fleeing war, soldiers injured in the line of duty, and children with nowhere else to turn.”

“We also serve children who need a warm jacket to get through the winter, and our Coats for Kids program is growing faster than ever. Last year, we gave more than 300,000 coats to children in need. Thatʼs the most ever,” he said.

He also detailed the Knights’ work aiding those affected by natural disasters, including the earthquakes in Venezuela in June and those in Jamaica.

Kelly discussed the growing number of men joining the Knights and how the organization is reaching new groups.

“More than 2.2 million men now count themselves as Knights of Columbus, and last year we welcomed more than 105,000 new members. Thatʼs the most growth weʼve had in more than a century since the surge that followed the first world war,” he said.

“Last year, 15% of new members who joined in the United States and Canada were Hispanic, and our commitment to Latino communities has never been stronger,” he said.

“Father McGivney also wanted to reach young men. The fastest-growing group of Knights is men under the age of 35. And we continue to reach young men during their college years. We now have more than 37,000 college Knights at 320 college councils,” he said.

Looking ahead, the Supreme Knight also shared new initiatives by the Knights intended to continue McGivney’s mission and further guide the fraternity’s members.

“For years, weʼve heard … from Knights about the need for a retreat for men,” Kelly said. The Knights responded by creating “Heart of the Gospel” in collaboration with ACTS XXIX.

“It gives councils everything they need to hold a retreat for the men of the parish,” Kelly said. “This retreat will help you grow in your faith so you can witness to others.”

To advance Knights’ faith, the Knights of Columbus also launched “Cor,” a small-group program “to give young men exactly what they are looking for — a community centered in Jesus Christ.”

He also announced a new video series, "Encountering the Poor,” which is in partnership with Denver-based Christ in the City, to better equip Knights to serve the homeless.

Supreme Knightʼs Awards Session

To acknowledge the works of the fraternity councils, more than 2,100 Knights and their families also gathered for the Supreme Knight’s Awards Session.

Presented by Kelly, the awards recognize individual Knights, councils, assemblies, and jurisdictions throughout the world who have carried out McGivney’s mission.

The annual Blessed Michael McGivney Medal went to Father Robert F. Higgins, who serves as the parochial vicar of St. John Neumann Parish in Columbia, South Carolina, the South Carolina Knights of Columbus district friar, and the South Carolina Knights of Columbus state chaplain — a role he has held for 19 years.

Following in the footsteps of McGivney, Higgins is the diocese’s first vicar of prisons, ministering in four federal prisons, 24 state prisons, and 48 county jails.

Other winners included a council in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, which won “Faith Program of the Year” for coordinating a pilgrimage to Poland for the more than 45 widows and orphans of Ukrainian men who died defending their country.

Kelly also awarded “Family Program of the Year” to a council in the Philippines, recognizing its work restoring the marriage of 18 couples, who were previously only civilly married or living together unwed. The council worked to bring the couples to full communion with the Church through the sacrament of matrimony.

Kelly honored a council in Carbonear and Labrador, Newfoundland, as the “Community Program of the Year” for aiding 50 firefighters and volunteers during the 2025 Kingston, Newfoundland, wildfire.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Since July 30, the Spanish city of Ceuta has become the epicenter of one of the most significant border crises driven by migratory pressure in recent decades, as at least 70,000 people swam illegally into Spanish territory.

Below are four facts that can help shed light on the scale of the crisis.

1. It is a Spanish territory on the North African coast.

Ceuta is a Spanish city located on the North African coast, at the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar. Together with the city of Melilla, it forms the European Unionʼs only land border with Africa and is a point of critical geopolitical importance.

Conquered by Portugal in 1415, it became part of Spain under the 1668 Treaty of Lisbon. Morocco claims that both Ceuta and Melilla belong to its territory, even though both were Spanish outposts before Morocco existed as a nation.

2. It is a multicultural society.

Ceuta has a registered population of over 80,000. The majority are Spanish nationals of diverse backgrounds. In addition to a Catholic majority, some 35,000 people practice Islam, and there are also significant Jewish and Hindu communities.

Most of the city’s foreign population, which accounts for 6% of the total, is of Moroccan origin.

Although Spanish is the official language, Hindi, English, Haketia (a North African dialect of Ladino or Judeo-Spanish), and Darija (the Moroccan variety of Arabic) are also commonly spoken.

3. It has been a border crossing for African migration to Europe.

The Ceuta border, like that of Melilla, separates two radically different socioeconomic realities; this disparity is evident in everything from wages to public services, such as education, healthcare, and transportation.

People arrive at this boundary intending to cross it — not only Moroccans but also individuals from across Africa who have traveled thousands of miles, driven largely by the desire for prosperity and peace. During the arduous journey, many fall prey to migrant-smuggling rings or human traffickers.

These movements have reportedly been used as a demographic weapon, a claim recently made by the president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello.

Additionally, these movements overwhelm support services, such as the city’s Temporary Immigrant Stay Center. The facilityʼs capacity of over 500 places is routinely stretched to the breaking point. Prior to the latest surge of people, the center was already serving 200 individuals beyond its capacity, while another 500 were waiting nearby for assistance.

4. There have been tensions between Morocco and Spain.

Ceuta and Melilla have been at the epicenter of diplomatic tensions between Morocco and Spain for decades, with Morocco’s ambition to annex the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara serving as the backdrop.

In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the Spanish governmentʼs stance on this issue.

In April 2021, Spain admitted Sahrawi leader Brahim Ghali for COVID-19 treatment, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Morocco that culminated in a surge of migration into Ceuta in May of that year, with over 10,000 people entering the city. Many of them were children.

In an unexpected move that departed from the diplomatic stance Spain had maintained for decades, in March 2022 it was revealed that the Spanish government, in a letter sent to King Mohammed, supported Moroccoʼs claims regarding Western Sahara.

Then, in May 2022, the Spanish government publicly acknowledged that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s phone had been intercepted between May 19 and May 31, 2021 — right in the midst of the diplomatic crisis with Morocco. This sequence of events could explain why the Spanish government has chosen to keep a low profile regarding Morocco following the arrival of more than 70,000 people in Ceuta within the span of a few hours last week.

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

Voters in Missouri overwhelmingly rejected a proposal this week that would have eliminated the state’s income tax, a measure the Missouri Catholic bishops had warned could adversely impact the state’s poorest residents.

Results from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office on Aug. 5 showed 83% of voters rejecting Amendment 5, which if passed would have reduced and eventually eliminated Missouri’s income tax while allowing lawmakers to expand sales taxes.

Missouri’s four Catholic bishops in July had urged voters to consider “the moral principles that should guide us in pondering any tax proposal.” They had warned that the “most vulnerable” of the state’s residents could face undue burdens if sales taxes increased there.

The bishops had acknowledged that supporters of the income tax repeal had “a sincere desire to promote the long-term prosperity” of Missouri. But such aims should be “weighed alongside the potential effects on those who are most vulnerable,” they said.

The measure had been touted by state Republicans including Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Catholic, who said after the ruling’s defeat that the measure’s advocates “made the case that Missouri should think boldly about its future, challenge the status quo, and pursue policies that make our state more competitive.”

“I remain committed to working with the General Assembly in the years ahead on ways to continue cutting taxes, growing our state’s economy, and pursuing conservative policies that help Missouri families keep more of what they earn,” the governor said.

Advocates, meanwhile, hailed the defeat of the measure. The Washington, D.C.-based Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy described the measure in a blog post as “a blank check to raise or expand sales taxes,” one the group said would “enable enormous income tax cuts for the state’s wealthiest households.”

Voters who rejected the measure “set a positive example for states around the country, turning away from what would have been one of the most damaging tax policy changes in any state in recent years,” the group said.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

KIGALI, Rwanda — Pope Leo XIV called on Catholic communicators gathered this week in Kigali, Rwanda, to use digital communication platforms available to them to promote the common good, human dignity, truth, and environmental stewardship.

The pope’s message was delivered by the apostolic nuncio in Rwanda, Archbishop Arnaldo Sánchez Catalán, during the opening ceremony of the first-ever SIGNIS World Congress to be held in Africa, taking place in Kigali under the theme “Digital Communication for Cultural Harmony and Environmental Well-Being.”

In the message, sent through Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Leo XIV expressed his spiritual closeness to participants and said he hoped their deliberations would provide “a new impetus” for ensuring that communication platforms serve the common good of the human family.

The pope warned against a communication culture increasingly shaped by algorithms rather than genuine human encounter.

He noted that the digital age has transformed everyday life, emphasizing that online communication goes beyond the transmission of information.

In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV observes that digital communication contributes to the creation of culture because it shapes how people perceive the world and consequently influences the collective conscience.

Against this background, the Holy Father encouraged participants to explore communication strategies and tools inspired by the pursuit of truth and respect for human dignity. He said such efforts should contribute to a culture rooted in Gospel values, particularly communion, peace, and environmental stewardship.

Addressing participants through a recorded message, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, warned that technological advances, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), must not come at the expense of human relationships and responsibility.

Ruffini acknowledged the transformative potential of AI but said the central question confronting society is not technological but human: what kind of people humanity chooses to become while using these technologies.

AI, he said, can calculate, organize information, and emulate language, but it cannot replace wisdom born from freedom, personal experience, responsibility, and love.

“We must never allow algorithms to write our story,” Ruffini cautioned, stressing that human beings must remain in control of the technologies they create.

He called on communicators to safeguard human voices and faces in an increasingly digital environment, emphasizing that doing so requires cultivating critical thinking, preserving spaces for dialogue, and ensuring that technology remains at the service of the human person.

Ruffini also challenged SIGNIS to strengthen its role as a global network connecting professionals working in journalism, cinema, and communication.

He described communication as a public good that needs to be protected, urging the organization to build alliances with professionals, entrepreneurs, and information engineers committed to creating a better digital communication ecosystem.

According to the prefect, SIGNIS should remain a network of people united by faith rather than becoming merely an ecclesiastical bureaucracy.

He envisioned the organization as a space where relationships of trust can flourish, reliable information can be shared, and projects can be developed to promote a different model of communication.

Such a network, he said, should create room for dialogue amid diversity and disagreement while ensuring that differences do not destroy fraternity.

Ruffini further challenged Catholic communicators to resist a communication model driven primarily by profit or the pursuit of consensus, insisting that the ultimate purpose of communication must remain at the service of truth.

“The future of communication will not ultimately depend on the power of our technologies. It will depend on the strength of our commitment and on the nature of our relationship,” he said.

He urged participants to use their faith-based network to build bridges and create meaningful encounters in a world increasingly mediated by digital platforms.

Ruffini called for greater space for human voices and faces in digital communication, encouraging SIGNIS members to help shape a communication ecosystem that places human dignity and relationships at its center.

“The greatest innovation we can still offer our society is not as much a machine but a more human way of communicating,” he said.

Participants in the Aug. 3–8 congress are exploring a wide range of topics, including digital communication for communion, religious and cultural praxis in the digital age, artificial intelligence in contemporary media, media literacy, youth engagement, environmental communication, and the role of Catholic communicators in promoting reconciliation and cultural harmony.

Among the African countries represented at the congress are Rwanda (the host country), Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Benin, South Africa, and Mozambique.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa, and has been adapted by EWTN News.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), reflected on “the virtue of patriotism” at the opening dinner for the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in Denver.

In the address, Coakley drew a clear distinction between authentic patriotism and distorted nationalism, emphasizing that true love of country must be rooted in virtue. “Patriotism is not first and foremost a political virtue; itʼs a religious one,” he said at the Aug. 4 dinner, which opened the 144th Knights’ convention at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center.

The archbishop of Oklahoma City, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, said patriotism naturally “flows from the Fourth Commandment,” which commands honor toward one’s mother and one’s father. He said “it can rightly be understood as a form of familial love extended outward.”

Coakley cited St. Thomas Aquinas’ writings on piety from the “Summa Theologica,” in which the theologian explained the duties that one has for his or her nation, comparing them to the duties owed to one’s parents.

"The principles of our being and government are our parents and our country that have given us birth and nourishment,” Coakley quoted from the “Summa.” “Consequently, man is chiefly debtor to his parents and his country, after God. … Just as it belongs to religion to worship God, … so it belongs to piety in the second place to give honor to our parents and to our country.”

The archbishop explained that a person owes unique debts to family that he or she would not owe to a stranger “not because our family is objectively more valuable than other people, but because of the unique relationship we have with them.”

“So too, patriotism is a recognition of a similar debt of gratitude owed to our country — a debt of gratitude,” he said. “It is not a claim that our nation is superior to every other nation on earth. It is a claim that this nation, with all its imperfections, is the one through which God chose to give us life, language, liberty, and the countless ordinary gifts that make everything in our lives possible.”

This virtue, Coakley said, applies to “all people of every nation” and cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The love and service of oneʼs country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity.”

Catholic patriotism

The archbishop said a proper Catholic understanding of patriotism is not “blind allegiance” or “some sort of tribal pride” but rather “gratitude,” which is “the same virtue that should animate a son toward the mother who raised him.”

“The Church has never asked us to love our country instead of loving God or to love it more than we love the truth,” Coakley added. “She has simply recognized that what most people already know: that we owe something real to the place that gave us life and that ignoring this debt is a form of ingratitude.”

He said most people “do not choose our country,” just as they do not choose their parents, but “our country has shaped so much of who we are” for better or for worse, and that “none of this is accidental” but instead “divine providence.”

“Our Heavenly Father positioned each of us at this moment in these circumstances and in this place where we find ourselves for a reason,” Coakley said. “Our love of country and our desire for it to be more just and more perfect is not merely sentiment. Itʼs a participation in Godʼs providential plan for our lives and the lives of those who will come after us.”

Patriotism vs. nationalism

“A love of country can go wrong and go wrong badly,” Coakley said. Patriotism “is not the same as nationalism,” Coakley said.

“Patriotism, as the Knights of Columbus have always understood it, is not a matter of uncritically affirming everything our country has done in its history, excusing its injustices, or treating its power or prestige as ends in themselves. Nationalism, by contrast, tends to elevate the nation to the status of an idol, something owed a total and unconditional loyalty that properly belongs only to God. It resents correction. It rejects the suggestion that the nation could ever be wrong.”

“Patriotism, by contrast, is more like the love of a good son for his mother,” Coakley said. “He honors her. He defends her. He is grateful to her. And precisely because he loves her, he also tells her the truth when she has strayed and he works to help her become the woman God intended her to be.”

He said a patriot can “grieve his countryʼs sins without ceasing to love his country,” which is “often the clearest sign that love is real.” He said patriotism and Christian conscience “were never meant to be enemies.”

“Love of country should impel us toward peace, toward justice for the poor and the vulnerable, and toward the kind of civic friendship that has always been harder to sustain than either indifference or tribalism, which today often takes the form of an extreme partisanship,” he said.

In practice, Coakley said this means voting with a properly formed conscience, being engaged civilly, and being there for one’s neighbors. For some, he said, it has meant “risking your lives in the uniform of your country.”

The archbishop warned that patriotism is sometimes neglected or treated with suspicion and encouraged Catholics to instill properly ordered patriotism into their children and grandchildren.

“We are called to love our country,” he said. “Honor your country as you honor your parents with gratitude, with loyalty, and with honesty that never mistakes flattery for love. Put God first and let your patriotism flow from that priority rather than compete with it.”

Patriotism is one of the four pillars of the Knights of Columbus, with the other three being charity, unity, and fraternity.

Saint of the Day – rosary.team