Father Frans Bouwen, a missionary with the African Missionary Society, has been in Jerusalem for over 50 years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Bouwen

Vatican City, Apr 16, 2025 / 15:27 pm (CNA).

Father Frans Bouwen, a missionary with the African Missionary Society — better known as the White Fathers for the color of their habit — and one of the most renowned Catholic voices in ecumenical dialogue, holds that “there are no real theological reasons” to justify Christians celebrating Easter on different dates.

Catholics and Protestants commemorate the resurrection of Jesus following the Gregorian calendar, while the Orthodox follow the Julian calendar. However, this year will be different. Thanks to the two calendars coinciding, all Christians will celebrate Easter together on Sunday, April 20.

“There are no real theological reasons for celebrating Easter on different dates, but sometimes the calendar seems to have become sacred,” the priest told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, noting that the desire to share the Easter holiday is especially felt in areas where Catholic and Orthodox communities coexist.

In Jerusalem, a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims, there are currently some 591,000 Jews and barely 13,000 Christians. However, the small Christian community is made up of different churches: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Armenian, and Protestant.

In this sense, in the Holy Land, “almost all Christian families are made up of Catholic and Orthodox faithful who wish to celebrate together and form a community united in witness, most often remaining small numerical minorities amid a majority of believers of other religions, Muslims, or Jews,” explained Bouwen, who was a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

In fact, nowhere else in the world do Eastern and Western Christian traditions coexist as closely as in the small space that delimits the Old City of Jerusalem, the place where Christ died.

The Belgian priest, who has lived in Jerusalem since 1969, emphasized that ecumenism “already exists as a primarily local reality,“ alluding to the “sensus fidei,“ that spontaneous instinct of the faithful that drives communities to seek unity naturally, without theological diatribes.

“Thanks to recent advances in ecumenical relations, the diversity of liturgical traditions is no longer seen as a scandal but as a living testimony that the Gospel has been able to reach many different languages ​​and cultures, which have been able to perceive, express, and celebrate the Christian faith and life according to their own innate genius,” he explained.

“The fact that they all gather around Calvary and the tomb of Christ manifests their common roots and fundamental belonging,” added the priest, who has served on international commissions for theological dialogue with Orthodox churches.

The Gregorian and Julian calendars coincide periodically. Thus, the Status Quo, the unwritten law governing holy sites shared by two or more Christian communities, also determines the scheduling of celebrations for Easter at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.

“It rigorously stipulates how liturgical celebrations should be carried out by the various churches, fully respecting the rights of each. The fraternal spirit that currently marks these celebrations shows that, also around the holy sites, there has been notable ecumenical progress in recent years,” he noted.

Attempts at a common celebration

In fact, both in Jerusalem and in other areas of the Holy Land, “there have been several attempts to achieve a common celebration of Easter at the local level,” due primarily to the influence of their neighbors.

“For several decades, in Egypt, Jordan, and Cyprus, Catholics have celebrated Easter with the Orthodox of these countries — that is, according to the Julian calendar,” he explained.

After noting the positive results of the common celebration of Easter, “many faithful and pastors in the Holy Land began to promote the desire to do the same in the Holy Land,” Bouwen added.

Specifically, there were two attempts in 1995 and 2016, thanks to a joint initiative of the Catholic bishops and the Anglican and Lutheran churches. However, the results were not as hoped for.

“Many international Catholic religious congregations preferred to continue celebrating Easter together with their brothers in Western countries. The Maronite community also did not join this initiative,” Bouwen explained.

These past attempts did not include a joint celebration at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher because there was no time to address the complexities imposed by the Status Quo.

In fact, as new divisions arose within the Catholic Churches, the idea of ​​celebrating Easter in the Holy Land together with other Christian churches “has been abandoned for the time being,” Bouwen said.

The holy places pose an obstacle

The presence of the holy places poses an additional obstacle. “Following the Julian calendar at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in years when the dates do not coincide with the Gregorian calendar would mean that Holy Week pilgrims from Western countries would not find any Holy Week celebrations in Jerusalem,” the Belgian missionary pointed out.

Thus a common celebration of Easter would impose “certain time and freedom of movement limitations on the celebrations of the different churches within the Holy Sepulcher.”

“Extending this arrangement to all years would require careful negotiations, as it would imply a change in the Status Quo. Therefore, a worldwide agreement would undoubtedly help enormously,” Bouwen commented.

Similarly, if the holy places were excluded, Catholics in the Holy Land would end up celebrating Holy Week on different dates at the Holy Sepulcher and in the rest of the parishes.

In any case, at this time, there are some parishes north of Jerusalem where Catholics, Anglicans, and Lutherans continue to celebrate Easter with the Orthodox, that is, according to the Julian calendar.

Possible joint celebrations for Pentecost

Furthermore, due to the difficult situation in the Holy Land, with the war between Hamas and the Israeli army, “it has not been possible this year to plan joint celebrations to rejoice together with the calendars coinciding.”

“Some plans had been considered, but the situation remains too volatile to organize extraordinary events beyond the traditional celebrations, which already require great efforts on the part of the churches. Joint celebrations, however, are being planned for the time of Pentecost,” Bouwen explained.

Nonetheless, Bouwen assured that local Christians are “happy and eager to show their joy at the opportunity to bear witness to their faith together and celebrate Holy Week and Easter together in their mixed faith families.”

The Council of Nicaea, held in 325, attempted to unify the calculation of the date of Easter with a single criterion, and in fact Easter was celebrated jointly for 1,300 years.

However, in the 16th century, the calendar reform introduced by Pope Gregory XIII marked a new division among the Christian churches.

Oriental Orthodox view changing the date of Easter as a ‘threat’

In Oriental Orthodox Christianity, particularly in the Middle East, due to historical and political circumstances, “the different churches have often lived isolated from one another due to communication difficulties,” Bouwen explained.

Furthermore, he noted that “living as minorities and facing oppression or even persecution in certain periods, the churches were able to preserve their identity and faith thanks to their fidelity to traditions.”

For this reason, liturgical and popular traditions “have become markers of identity that kept the community united in a hostile environment.”

Both the date and the ways of celebrating Easter are an integral part of these traditions, which is why the Oriental Orthodox Churches have historically felt “that they must hold fast to them in order to remain faithful, as individuals and as communities.”

“Changing customs and dates has historically been perceived as a threat,” Bouwen pointed out.

According to the priest, the opportunity to celebrate Easter simultaneously, thanks to the Gregorian and Julian calendars coinciding, serves to strengthen the hope and commitment “for a growing communion in faith and life.”

He pointed out that the commemoration of the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea constitutes “a symbolic and practical opportunity for rapprochement among the Christian churches,” recalling the foundations of the Christian faith.

Bouwen concluded that despite “many advances in ecumenical dialogues, most of the fruits of these dialogues still await effective acceptance by the churches.”

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

Pope Francis meets with doctors and staff from Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, thanking them for their work during his recent stay, on April 16, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 16, 2025 / 12:57 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday morning met with medical teams who cared for him at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and thanked them for their work and prayers for his health and recovery.

In his first private group meeting held in the Vatican since being discharged from the hospital several weeks ago, the 88-year-old Holy Father greeted approximately 70 men and women representing leadership and staff from the A. Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation, the Sacro Cuore Catholic University, and Vatican City’s Directorate of Health and Hygiene inside a room near the Paul VI Audience Hall.

Entering the room in a wheelchair, the Holy Father blessed all those present before conveying his heartfelt gratitude to those who cared for him during the longest hospitalization of his 12-year pontificate.

“Thank you for your service in the hospital; very good, keep it up!” he said smiling, but with some breathlessness, toward the end of the 20-minute group meeting.

During the meeting, the Holy Father particularly addressed Sacro Cuore Catholic University rector Elena Beccalli, saying: “When women are in charge, things go well!”

Daniele Franco, chairman of the board of directors of the Gemelli Foundation, spoke with the pope on behalf of the group and conveyed his special greetings for Easter and his recovery to health. 

The pope was discharged from Gemelli Hospital more than three weeks ago, on March 23, after nearly 40 days of ongoing treatment for complex respiratory infections, including double pneumonia.

According to Holy See Press Office director Matteo Bruni, the pope uses supplemental oxygen at night and when needed and is showing signs of improvement with continued respiratory and physical therapies.

The Holy Father was prescribed a monthslong convalescence in his Casa Santa Marta home but continues to dedicate some time to work, prayer, and occasional meetings with Holy See officials.

Using Rembrandt’s oil painting “Return of the Prodigal Son” as a source of inspiration for his April 16, 2025, catechesis, the Holy Father said God’s love is like that of a father who goes out in search of his lost children. / Credit: Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Apr 16, 2025 / 10:13 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Gospel is a “message of hope” founded on the belief that God is a merciful father and not a slave master.

Using Rembrandt’s oil painting “Return of the Prodigal Son” as a source of inspiration for his April 16 catechesis, the Holy Father said God’s love is like that of a father who goes out in search of his lost children. 

“In this we find the heart of the Gospel of Jesus, namely God’s mercy,” the pope said in his written reflection on the parable of the merciful father with two sons.

“The Gospel is intended to give us a message of hope, because it tells us that wherever we are lost, and however we are lost, God always comes looking for us!” he added.

In his catechesis, the Holy Father said the eldest son who “does not share his father’s joy” in the parable “represents those for whom the parable is told” — those who judge others and do not realize that they are also lost.

“He is the son who always stayed at home with his father yet was distant from him, distant in heart,” he said. “This son may have wanted to leave too, but out of fear or duty he stayed there, in that relationship.” 

“When you adapt unwillingly, however, you begin to harbor anger within you, and sooner or later this anger explodes,” he added. "Paradoxically, it is precisely the eldest son who in the end risks being left out.”

Reflecting on the situation of the younger son who “hits rock bottom” after squandering his inheritance, the pope said his father did not refuse to welcome him back home even though his son “got tired of being in a relationship that he felt was too demanding.”

In his written catechesis, the Holy Father added that it was the merciful father’s gratuitous love that freed his son from the “distorted belief” that he needed to earn back his father’s respect or beg for his affection when he returned home.

“Only those who truly love us can free us from this false view of love,” the pope said. “In the relationship with God, we have precisely this experience.”

“The young man’s head is shaven, like that of a penitent, but it also looks like the head of a child, because this son is being born again,” the Holy Father said, commenting on Rembrandt’s painting.

Asking his readers to “take a position” and ask “where am I in the story?” the pope prayed: “Let us ask God the Father for the grace that we too can find our way back home.”

Archbishop Charles Scicluna (left) and Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu (right). / Credit: Claudio Reyes/AFP/Getty

Lima Newsroom, Apr 15, 2025 / 13:31 pm (CNA).

The Vatican announced Tuesday that the suppression of the Sodality of Christian Life and all the institutions founded by Luis Fernando Figari has been formalized as a result of an investigation ordered by Pope Francis.

The Sodality of Christian Life (SCV by its Latin acronym) was officially dissolved Monday after its superior general, José David Correa, signed the decree of suppression at the headquarters of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in the Vatican.

The sodality reported in a statement that the act took place “in the presence of Sister Simona Brambilla, prefect of the dicastery.”

It also reported that “Monsignor Jordi Bertomeu Farnós has been appointed as apostolic commissioner to oversee matters related to the suppression of the sodality.” Bertomeu, along with Archbishop Charles Scicluna, was part of the special mission that Pope Francis sent to Peru in July 2023 to investigate allegations of abuse within the apostolate.

In its text, the SCV affirmed that its members accept “with sorrow and obedience” the decision “specifically approved by Pope Francis, which brings our society to an end.”

With the signing of this decree, all the institutions founded by Figari are dissolved, including the Marian Fraternity of Reconciliation, the Servants of God’s Plan, and the Christian Life Movement.

The Marian Fraternity of Reconciliation announced its dissolution on April 2, the Servants of God’s Plan did the same on April 4, and the Christian Life Movement announced its dissolution on April 14.

The Marian Fraternity of Reconciliation explained that the decree’s suppression “is motivated by the lack of a charism of divine origin in the founder [Figari] as well as by the abuses and improper and abusive behavior of Figari and many of his collaborators.” The fraternity “recognizes that it was not immune to psychological and conscience abuse within its leadership.” 

Figari was sanctioned by the Vatican in February 2017 following the sexual abuse and abuse of power he engaged in over several years. In August 2024, Pope Francis expelled him from the SCV, which the sodality had requested in 2019.

In its statement April 15, the sodality thanked God for the vocation to which its members were called “without any merit of our own to serve in the Church.”

“We treasure the fact that, through his loving action, many people from various countries have shared with us a genuine experience of faith, fraternity, and apostolic fervor, which has borne much fruit,” the text stated.

The SCV also reiterated its request for forgiveness from the victims for the “mistreatment and abuse committed within our community ... We also ask forgiveness from the entire Church and society for the pain caused.”

It also thanked those who formed its spiritual family and the bishops who welcomed them into their dioceses.

The SCV was founded by Figari in Lima, Peru, in 1971 and was also present in Italy, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.

Its dissolution was announced to its members in January during the plenary assembly held by the SCV in Aparecida, Brazil.

Regarding the assets of the suppressed institutions, the decrees shared by the fraternas and the servants indicate that the consolidated amount should be used to “compensate the victims and, subsidiarily, will be donated proportionally to guarantee the financial support of the members of the entities founded by Luis Fernando Figari.” 

On Jan. 21, the sodality reported that between May 2016 and December 2024, it provided reparations to 83 people who were victims of sexual and psychological abuse as well as the abuse of power through out-of-court settlements.

The SCV stated that of the total cases for which reparations were made, 15 involved sexual abuse of minors between the ages of 11 and 17, 18 involved abuse of adults, and 50 involved other types of abuse.

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

Pope Francis kisses the foot of one of the 12 women whose feet he washed at the Rebibbia Women’s Prison in Rome on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2025 / 10:38 am (CNA).

For Holy Week, Pope Francis has delegated three cardinals to celebrate the Vatican’s Holy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies as the state of the pontiff’s health continues to steadily improve, the director of the Holy See Press Office said Tuesday.

The 88-year-old pope, who is recovering from a prolonged case of double pneumonia, has delegated Italian Cardinal Domenico Calcagno to celebrate the chrism Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on the morning of Holy Thursday.

Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, will lead the Passion service in the Vatican basilica on the afternoon of Good Friday, and the same evening, the vicar general of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, will preside over the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum with meditations written by Francis.

It has not yet been decided who will celebrate the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening and the Easter Sunday Mass, Holy See spokesperson Matteo Bruni said Tuesday.

How much Pope Francis will participate in Holy Week and Easter liturgies at the Vatican is also unclear after the 88-year-old pontiff made a surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square during Palm Sunday Mass on April 13.

For the first time since his 39-day hospitalization earlier this year, the pope was not wearing nasal tubes for breathing help during his brief appearance at the end of the public Mass.

According to Bruni, Francis is now able to go for longer periods without supplemental oxygen, except as needed at night. The pontiff’s mobility and voice are also improving, and he is holding short work meetings to discuss important Church business with the heads of Vatican dicasteries.

Pope Francis has no public schedule while convalescing from multiple respiratory infections that landed him in the hospital in February, but he has made several unexpected appearances in the last week, including a visit to pray before his favorite Marian icon, “Salus Populi Romani,” at the Basilica of St. Mary Major on April 12.

The pope also surprised tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 10 when he was wheeled into the Vatican basilica wearing a white undershirt and black pants while draped in a blanket instead of being dressed in his usual white cassock and zucchetto.

Now just over three weeks since his release from hospital, the appearances mark the pope’s gradual resumption of public life during a convalescence expected to last several more weeks.

The new statue by Timothy P. Schmalz titled “Be Welcoming” is displayed in St. Peter’s Square, Tuesday, April 15, 2025. / Credit: Victoria Isabel Cardiel/EWTN News

Vatican City, Apr 15, 2025 / 10:07 am (CNA).

A new Vatican-commissioned sculpture by Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz titled “Be Welcoming” was installed in St. Peter’s Square on Tuesday in the hopes of inspiring people to open their hearts to the poor.

Schmalz’s bronze statue — located near the Showers for the Poor and the Mother of Mercy Clinic in the colonnade of St. Peter’s Square — depicts a man seated on a bench “who appears to be a homeless person” carrying only two possessions: a full backpack on his shoulder and a stick in one hand.

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Service of Charity said on Tuesday: “This stranger turns into an angel when you look at the other side of the sculpture: the roughness of his clothes becomes smooth, the bag he carries turns into wings and the hood turns into hair.”

Known for creating artworks that interact with its viewers, Schmalz’s Be Welcoming statue “invites you to sit next to him,” to contemplate the word of God and inspire people to carry out works of charity. 

Be Welcoming — the Canadian sculptor’s latest installation in St. Peter’s Square — is another “visual interpretation of a verse from the Letter to the Hebrews: ‘Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some have unknowingly entertained angels’ (Heb 13:2),” the Vatican statement said.

The same Scripture verse also inspired Schmalz’s Angels Unawares sculpture — also located within St. Peter’s Square — which depicts 140 migrants of different ethnicities and nationalities standing on a boat. 

On Sept. 29, 2019, Pope Francis blessed that statue on the occasion of the Church’s 105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees.

“We are all invited to open our hearts because only then will we have the opportunity to see others as they really are, people with their humanity,” the Vatican statement read. “Touching a poor person, assisting a poor person, is a sacrament in the Church.”

“We give ‘a concrete face to the Gospel of love,’” the statement continued, quoting Pope Francis. “‘By offering them shelter, a meal, a smile, holding out our hands without fear of dirtying them’ we restore ‘dignity,’ and this touches ‘the heart of our often indifferent world.’”

Be Welcoming is the third Schmalz installation located in the vicinity of St. Peter’s Basilica. The Canadian artist’s “Homless Jesus” statue, inaugurated in March 2016 during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, is located in the square in front of the Vatican’s apostolic charity offices.

Christians processing through the Old City of Jerusalem. / Credit: Adi Marer/Rossing Center

Vatican City, Apr 14, 2025 / 16:02 pm (CNA).

The annual report by the Rossing Center, a Jerusalem-based organization dedicated to interfaith coexistence, documented 111 cases of harassment and violence against the Christian community in Israel and East Jerusalem in 2024.

The report revealed a climate of hostility that, according to one of the study’s authors, Federica Sasso, only represents “the tip of the iceberg of a much larger phenomenon.”

“Many more attacks occur, but they are very difficult to monitor,” she told ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

She also noted that the Holy Land “has currently been devoid of Christian pilgrims” due to the war unleashed after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which somewhat mitigates the situation.

“If we were in a normal period of the flow of pilgrims, the number of attacks would probably be much higher,” she explained.

Sasso, who attributed the situation in part to the “growing polarization and radicalization within Israeli society,” emphasized that, although there is some widespread skepticism regarding the effectiveness of making a report, the center is observing a positive trend as religious “are increasingly willing to report incidents.”

Partly due to a “proven track record of dismissing them or releasing suspects without appropriate consequences,” they preferred not to make it public, she said.

47 physical assaults, mostly spitting

Of the 111 reported cases of assault, 47 were physical assaults primarily through “spitting,” a behavior that has evolved from subtle acts to openly aggressive displays. In several areas, especially in the Old City of Jerusalem, priests, nuns, friars, and monks “being easily identified are exposed to these attacks on a daily basis,” Sasso explained. 

According to the report, Christians have reported a “further increase in the frequency and aggressiveness of such episodes [spitting], and, according to the testimonies compiled, priests and nuns living in certain areas of Jerusalem ... now face an almost certain risk of experiencing this type of harassment every time they go out.”

In addition to harassment and spitting, the Rossing Center has certified other violations of the right to religious freedom. For example, Christian religious leaders have been told to remove crosses from public spaces.

The identified attacks include incidents of physical aggression such as spitting, direct assaults, and vandalism against churches and monasteries as well as cases of verbal harassment, which has left the Christian community feeling “increasingly threatened in their own homes,” Sasso said. 

Last year, 35 cases of vandalism and desecration in churches and monasteries were documented, including graffiti on church walls, stone throwing, arson, and defacing Christian imagery. In one particularly serious case, a Catholic retreat house in northern Israel was reported to have been raided, an incident in which “sacred objects were damaged and replaced with Jewish religious objects,” according to the report.

The report notes that responsibility for these acts falls exclusively on individuals identified as Jewish, “primarily young men from ultra-Orthodox and national-religious circles.”

According to the investigation, the climate of radicalization is motivated by “a mixture of nationalist fervor and religious extremism” that drives these groups, especially within the Hardal movement, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sector with a nationalist tendency.

The report also cites ignorance of Christianity or prejudice as a reason. In this regard, Sasso pointed out that this is one of the underlying problems in the historical background of Jewish-Christian relations forged over millennia.

“Israel is the only place in the world where Jewish-Christian relations are completely different from those we have in the West; that is, it is the only place where the Jewish population is the majority and Christians are the minority, so it is a completely inverted minority relationship compared to the West,” she explained.

This context contributes to the continued perception of Christianity among Israeli Jews, which is characterized by “certain stereotypes that have been perpetuated even in school curricula.”

That’s why the report’s recommendations make it clear that education is truly essential. “It’s necessary to explain that Christianity is, above all, a religious identity, which must be separated from the historical memory of the Shoah [Holocaust],” Sasso added.

Almost half of Christians under 30 want to emigrate

Beyond the episodes of physical violence, the daily harassment of the Christian community has had a devastating effect, creating a feeling of insecurity and abandonment.

The data show that “pressure” is becoming increasingly evident and has caused nearly 48% of young Christians under 30 to consider emigrating. Of these, 77% attribute their decision to “increasing discrimination and violence” exacerbated by socio-political instability.

In an environment where Christians, who represent just 1.8% of the Israeli population and a modest 4% in Jerusalem, feel increasingly marginalized, the study warns of the possible permanent erosion of their religious rights and freedoms.

In fact, the Rossing Center report warns of their progressive “Judaization” through new settlement policies such as “the plan to build 11,500 housing units in East Jerusalem.” 

According to the report, minority religious denominations also suffer from taxation policies because, although their places of worship benefit from them, their schools, youth centers, and pilgrim hostels are not exempt. Jewish ones are. This has led to numerous disputes between Christian communities — especially the Custody of the Holy Land — and municipal authorities.

In addition to other factors, the Rossing Center report warns of another problem in northern Israel. Organized crime there committed 230 murders last year, particularly affecting Christians in Galilee, who are known for being particularly law-abiding but lack state protection from crime.

The analysis concludes that, without strong measures to promote inclusion and respect, the historic Christian presence in the Holy Land could experience a “significant” decline in the coming years, affecting not only the local community but also the interfaith dynamics in the region, with global repercussions.

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

The Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain, designed by architect Antoni Gaudí. Pope Francis on Monday, April 14, 2025, declared Gaudí “venerable,” bringing him one step closer to sainthood. / Credit: Public domain; r.nagy/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Apr 14, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Monday declared Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí “venerable,” bringing the designer of Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia basilica one step closer to sainthood.

The Vatican announced April 14 that Pope Francis has formally recognized Gaudí’s “heroic virtue,” a key step in the canonization process. Two miracles attributed to Gaudí’s intercession are now required for his canonization.

Known as “God’s architect,” Gaudí died in 1926 at age 73. A leading figure in modernist and naturalist architecture, he is best known for designing the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, a massive basilica still under construction more than 140 years after work began.

The basilica, with its distinctive spires and blend of Gothic and modernist styles, has become one of the most visited churches in the world. It was consecrated as a minor basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. At the dedication, Pope Benedict praised Gaudí for uniting nature, Scripture, and liturgy in a way that “brilliantly helped to build our human consciousness, anchored in the world yet open to God, enlightened and sanctified by Christ.”

Though not initially devout, Gaudí is said to have undergone a spiritual conversion while working on the Sagrada Familia. As the work on the basilica progressed, Gaudí became known for his fasting, asceticism, and devotion to God. In the final 14 years of his life, he devoted himself entirely to the basilica and rejected all other commissions. He was struck by a tram in Barcelona on June 7, 1926, while walking to confession and died three days later.

Gaudí is buried in the crypt of the Sagrada Familia. Of the basilica’s three main facades, only the Nativity Façade was completed during his lifetime. The Passion Façade was built later based on his designs, and the Glory Façade remains unfinished. 

The basilica is expected to be completed next year in 2026, marking the centenary of Gaudí’s death. 

Efforts to advance his sainthood cause began in 1992, led by a group of lay Catholics. The Vatican officially opened the cause in 2003. In 2015, Pope Francis reportedly expressed support for advancing the process, calling Gaudí “a great mystic,” according to the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí. 

The pope’s Monday decree came following a meeting with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, amid the pontiff’s ongoing recovery from illness. 

Miracle, martyr, and heroic virtue

In the same decree, Pope Francis also recognized a miracle attributed to Eliswa Vakayil (1831–1913), an Indian religious sister later known as Mother Eliswa of the Blessed Virgin Mary who founded the first Indigenous Carmelite congregation for women in Kerala in 1866.  

Before entering religious life, Vakayil was married and had a daughter named Anna. After her husband suddenly fell ill and died when her daughter was 18 months old, Vakayil dedicated herself to a life of silent prayer and service.  

Praying before the Blessed Sacrament more than a decade later, Vakayil felt called to consecrate her life to God. Her daughter Anna and her sister felt inspired to join her and the three family members were officially received together into the Carmelite order four years later. 

The recognized miracle paves the way for Vakayil’s beatification. 

The pope also recognized the martyrdom of Italian missionary priest Father Nazareno Lanciotti, who was killed in Brazil in 2001. Lanciotti spent 30 years in missionary work near Brazil’s Bolivian border, founding a hospital, a home for the elderly, a school, a minor seminary, and 57 rural faith communities where he instituted daily Eucharistic adoration. 

Lanciotti was known for opposing injustice, including drug trafficking and exploitation, which reportedly made him a target. On Feb. 11, 2001, two masked assailants entered his rectory and shot him. He died 11 days later after forgiving his attackers. 

The Vatican recognized his death as martyrdom, citing both his forgiveness of his killers and the premeditated nature of the killing. His beatification may now proceed, though canonization will require a confirmed miracle. With the recognition of his martyrdom, Lanciotti can now be beatified, but a miracle attributed to his intercession is still required for him to be canonized as a saint. 

In addition to Gaudí, the Vatican also recognized the heroic virtue of three more priests: Canon Petrus Joseph Triest (1760–1836) of Belgium and Italians Father Agostino Cozzolino (1928–1988) and Father Angelo Bughetti (1877–1935).

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for Korean Catholics before the statue of St. Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn was blessed by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, on Sept. 16, 2023. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Apr 13, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

The Vatican’s Dicastery for the Clergy issued a decree updating the Church’s norms governing Mass intentions and stipends, emphasizing both proper spiritual understanding and practical solutions for modern pastoral challenges.

Pope Francis approved the document — published so far only in Italian — on Palm Sunday, April 13. It will take effect on Easter Sunday, April 20.

The decree, which replaces the 1991 instruction Mos Iugiter, maintains Canon 945 of the Code of Canon Law, affirming that priests may receive offerings for celebrating Mass according to specific intentions, while introducing significant provisions for “collective intentions.”

According to the updated norms, bishops’ conferences or provincial councils may now permit priests to accept multiple offerings from different donors for a single Mass with a “collective intention” but only when all donors have been explicitly informed and freely consented.

“Such consent of the donors can never be presumed,” the document states firmly.

“In the absence of explicit consent, it is always presumed that consent has not been given.”

The decree also reaffirms that offerings for Mass intentions must never be treated as commercial transactions, noting that such practices would constitute simony — the forbidden buying or selling of spiritual things.

Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, explained that the new regulations came after “profound consideration” and extensive consultation with bishops, clergy, and faithful worldwide.

The document addresses the growing challenge of clergy shortages in many regions, making it difficult to fulfill all requested Mass intentions while preserving their spiritual significance.

Bishops are instructed to properly educate clergy and faithful about these regulations and maintain accurate records of Masses, intentions, and offerings. The decree emphasizes that priests should celebrate Mass for the intentions of the faithful, “especially the poorest, even without receiving any offering.”

The norms also prohibit substituting promised Masses with simple mentions during liturgies, categorizing such practices as “gravely illicit.”

A notable pastoral provision allows diocesan bishops to redirect surplus Mass intentions to parishes or mission territories in need, promoting solidarity within the universal Church.

A smiling Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's Square on April 13, 2025, in a surprise visit at the end of the outdoor Palm Sunday Mass. / Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/CNA

Vatican City, Apr 13, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).

Marking another in a series of recent surprise public appearances, Pope Francis on Sunday briefly greeted thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate Palm Sunday.

“Happy Palm Sunday and beginning of Holy Week!” the Holy Father said with some difficulty to the cheers of the large crowd that filled the square and spilled out along the Via della Conciliazione.

Unable to participate in the Palm Sunday Mass, the 88-year-old pontiff, still convalescing after a serious bout of double pneumonia that kept him hospitalized for 39 days, arrived in a wheelchair toward the end of the outdoor liturgy, smiling and without nasal tubes as he passed by clergy, religious men and women, and laypeople standing near the altar.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, vice dean of the College of Cardinals, presided over the Mass as the pope’s delegate and read the Holy Father’s written homily to crowds of people waving palms and olive branches under overcast skies.

In his prepared homily, the pope exhorted Christians to “experience the great miracle of mercy” by accompanying Jesus in his journey to the cross.

“Let us decide how we are meant to carry our own cross during this Holy Week: if not on our shoulders, in our hearts,” the pope shared. “And not only our cross but also the cross of those who suffer all around us.”

Pope Francis’ homily focused on Simon of Cyrene who, in St. Luke’s Gospel, “unexpectedly found himself caught up in a drama” of Christ’s crucifixion.

“As we make our own way toward Calvary, let us reflect for a moment on Simon’s actions, try to look into his heart, and follow in his footsteps at the side of Jesus,” the pope observed.

Though the man from Cyrene did not take up Jesus’ cross and follow him out of “conviction” but, rather, of “coercion,” the Holy Father praised him for being present to help the suffering Jesus and, in an “unexpected and astonishing way,” becomes “part of the history of salvation.”

“Between him and Jesus, there is no dialogue; not a single word is spoken. Between him and Jesus, there is only the wood of the cross,” the pope wrote.

“When we think of what Simon did for Jesus, we should also think of what Jesus did for Simon — what he did for me, for you, for each of us: He redeemed the world,” he added.

Placing emphasis on Christ’s infinite love that, “in obedience to the Father,” bore the sins of all humanity, the pope highlighted that Christians believe in a God who “suffered with us and for us.”

“Let us remember that God has made this road a place of redemption, for he walked it himself, giving his life for us,” the pope urged.

Pope’s Angelus message

In his Palm Sunday Angelus address released by the Vatican, the Holy Father asked Christians to continue to pray for those who are suffering in the world because of war, poverty, and disasters.

“The 15th of April will mark the second sad anniversary of the beginning of the conflict in Sudan, in which thousands have been killed and millions of families have been forced to flee their homes,” he said in his message.

“The suffering of children, women, and vulnerable people cries out to heaven and begs us to act,” he added.

On Friday, Sudanese paramilitaries killed the entire nine-member staff of the last medical clinic in a refugee camp in the western region of Darfur, Sudan, according to a report in the New York Times, citing aid groups and the United Nations. In all, at least 100 people were killed in an assault on the camp, which is populated by a half-million people displaced by the country’s civil war, the report said.

Noting other ongoing civil wars affecting populations in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia, the pope asked people to pray for peace in Congo, South Sudan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar.

In his address, the Holy Father also asked people to remember the victims and families of the Santo Domingo disaster in the Dominican Republic that killed more than 200 people after a nightclub roof collapsed on April 8.

“May Mary, Mother of Sorrows, obtain this grace for us and help us to live this Holy Week with faith,” Pope Francis said.