Saint Joseph Catholic Church

“The principle of non-punishment should be upheld to ensure that victims are not unjustly punished or prosecuted for acts they may have committed as a direct consequence of being trafficked,” the delegation stated.

“Migration and security policies must be reoriented through a protection-centered lens,” the delegation added. “Experience demonstrates that when trafficking cases are addressed primarily through the lens of migration control, victims are less likely to be identified and more likely to be detained or deported.”

“Nearly 200 Muslims were reportedly involved in the attack and used local homemade weapons such as axes, iron rods, and bamboo sticks in an attempt to steal land from Indigenous Christians and Hindus,” EWTN News reported.

Located in South Asia, Bangladesh (map) is the world’s eighth most populous nation. The nation of 170 million is 89% Muslim and 9% Hindu.

“The promotion of health is not merely a technical or material question; it is a profound moral imperative rooted in the inviolable dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God,” said Msgr. Robert Murphy, Chargé d’Affaires of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. “Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to improved economic and social conditions, including health and sanitation.”

Msgr. Murphy added:

In situations of armed conflict, indigenous peoples are often among the most vulnerable and disproportionately affected. Regrettably, such violence can result in the destruction of health infrastructure, displaces families, exposes communities to trauma, infectious diseases, and malnutrition, and severs the vital link between people and the land that nourishes both body and spirit.

International humanitarian law must be strictly observed; deliberate attacks on civilian populations, including indigenous communities, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid are never justifiable.

Following a farewell ceremony at Malabo International Airport, Pope Leo XIV departed for Rome this afternoon on a six-hour flight. During the flight, he delivered a brief statement and took questions from reporters, weighing in on Iran, immigration, and blessings for same-sex couples (video).

Pope Leo XIV celebrated his final Mass in Africa this morning in a stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s largest city, and highlighted the centrality of Sacred Scripture and the Holy Eucharist (video 1, video 2).

“For seven years, we have worked tirelessly for interreligious peace and continue to pursue transparency and truth,” Cardinal Ranjith said. “There were indications that behind the attacks were not only religious fanatics, but also politicians who wanted to sow chaos and ethnic and religious unrest through violence.”

“The current Sri Lankan government, which took office in 2024, has a more positive stance” toward “searching for the truth,” he added. “However, some officials of the so-called ‘deep state’ are trying to obstruct the smooth conduct of the investigation.”

Pope Leo XIV addressed young people gathered in a stadium in Bata, the largest city in Equatorial Guinea (map), and told them that “a life given to God is a happy life” (video 1, video 2).

One is a classical pianist who performed internationally; another, a worker in a liquor factory who sensed a call to the priesthood while attending a World Youth Day; another, a native of Cameroon who converted from Protestantism to Catholicism.

The institute—named after Alan Guttmacher (1898-1974), a president of Planned Parenthood and vice president of the American Eugenics Society—reported that abortions have increased 21% in the United States since 2020.

“States with total bans [on abortion] saw a spike in telehealth-provided abortions, with the figure totaling 91,000, up from the previous 74,000,” OSV News reported. The figures do not include abortions “involving drugs sourced from community networks or acquired from outside of the U.S.”