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Pope Leo XIV marked the centenary of the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology by issuing an apostolic letter today on the importance of archaeology.

In the apostolic letter—the sixth of his pontificate—Pope Leo wrote that archaeology “reminds us that God chose to speak in a human language, to walk the earth and to inhabit places, houses, synagogues and streets.”

“By concentrating on the physical traces of faith, archaeology educates us in a theology of the senses: a theology that knows how to see, touch, smell and listen,” he said. “By examining stones, ruins and other artifacts, it teaches us that nothing touched by faith is insignificant ... In this sense, archaeology is also a school of humility.”

The Dicastery for the Clergy has overturned Bishop Michael Fisher’s decision to close three parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, according to Save Our Buffalo Churches, which has advocated on the parishes’ behalf.

Following the discovery of a procedural error, the bishop revoked a decree closing an additional parish.

Addressing a session of the International Organization for Migration, a Vatican diplomat said yesterday that states “have both the right to protect their borders and the duty to respect the rights of those who arrive at their borders.”

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said that “it is essential to remember that each person on the move is first and foremost a human being whose rights and God-given dignity must be at the care of international cooperation and migration governance. Regrettably, today’s debates are all too often clouded by stereotypes and polarized narratives.”

The vice president of the Haitian bishops’ conference said in an interview that the nation needs “new moral leadership.”

Bishop Pierre-André Dumas, who was severely wounded in an assassination attempt and is recovering in the United States, spoke with Vatican News about a “lack of vision and moral leadership. The state is often paralyzed and leaves the violent control of a large part of the territory to gangs.”

Haiti’s people cry out in pain “because of the wounds of poverty, gang violence, insecurity, and the fragility of institutions that should be rebuilt,” the prelate said. Despite the pain, he has hope that is “rooted in Christ: the certainty that evil will not have the last word.”

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities USA, and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network said that they “strongly oppose” the Trump administration’s decision to end the automatic extension of employment authorization for migrants.

In a 14-page letter to an official of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the organizations argued that the decision “will guarantee widespread employment-authorization gaps; destabilize fragile households; generate severe backlogs and administrative burdens for affiliates; impede the functioning of state agencies, such as Departments of Motor Vehicles; and impose substantial costs on US employers and local economies.”

William Quinn, the USCCB’s general counsel, signed the letter on behalf of the bishops’ conference.

The US Department of Justice’s Religious Liberty Commission heard testimony yesterday from the vicar general of the Archdiocese for the Military Services about the US Army’s cancellation of contracts for help at military chapels.

“A military that preserves the sacramental life of its Catholic members is one that respects their dignity, supports their resilience and reinforces the moral fabric essential to honorable service,” said Msgr. Anthony Frontiero.

President Donald Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission in May; its members include Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron.