GUEST COLUMN By Father Anthony D. Andreassi In this continuing series on the origins of Catholicism in the 50 states, the story now turns to the lower South and the states of Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. What began as a fragile missionary presence with the Spanish and French would only gradually develop into a more established Church. Catholic roots in Georgia reach back well before the English colonies, to the era of Spanish mission activity along the southeastern coast.
A file photo shows the historic chapel of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche at Mission Nombre de Dios in St. Augustine, Fla., with the statue of the nursing and watchful mother of Jesus. (OSV News photo/St. Augustine Catholic)
Nearly two decades before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Franciscan missionaries left Spain to evangelize and minister to the Indigenous peoples of the region. Living among the Guale along the Georgia coast, they preached the Gospel and celebrated the sacraments, while insisting on Christian norms of marriage in contrast to the practice of polygamy.
Their faithfulness brought them into conflict with local leaders, and in September 1597, five friars were killed, in part for upholding Church teaching against polygamy. Recognized now as the Georgia Martyrs, these brave missionaries are set for beatification on October 31 of this year, and their witness stands as the earliest chapter in the Catholic story of Georgia.
The creation of the Diocese of Charleston in 1820, encompassing the Carolinas and Georgia, underscored how limited Catholic life remained in the region. In Georgia, the first parish, Most Holy Trinity in Augusta, had been founded only a decade earlier.
Moving down the coast to Florida, the Catholic story begins earlier than anywhere else in what would become the United States. Spanish expeditions in the first half of the sixteenth century sought to establish colonies, but a lasting presence only came in 1565 with the founding of St. Augustine, the first permanent European settlement in what is now the United States.
There, the mission of Nombre de Dios was established with a secular priest as its first pastor. The missionary impulse quickly expanded, leading to the founding of the first Catholic hospital in 1598 and a Franciscan seminary in 1605. In 1606, Bishop Juan de las Cabezas de Altamirano of Cuba became the first bishop to set foot in territory that would one day be part of the United States.
As was true in most other places in the Americas, missionary life was often difficult in what would become the state of Florida. At times, Mass could not be celebrated for months due to the lack of bread or wine. Yet the work continued. A Franciscan missionary who arrived in 1595 labored among the coastal Timucua and produced a grammar and dictionary of their language, aiding the spread of the faith.
Over the centuries, as colonial control shifted, the Church in Florida was administered in various ways, often under bishops in Cuba and elsewhere, until 1870, when the Diocese of St. Augustine was established to encompass the entire state. Today, with its rapid growth in the twentieth century, Florida is home to seven dioceses serving a diverse Catholic population of over 1.9 million.
Moving west along the Gulf Coast, the Catholic story in Alabama began to take shape in the early eighteenth century, when much of the Mississippi Valley, including present-day Alabama, formed part of the French Empire.
The first parish was established in Mobile in 1703, with Father Henri Roulleaux de La Vente, a priest from the Diocese of Bayeux in France, serving as its first pastor after arriving by way of Canada.
In these early years, Mass and other sacraments were celebrated in the chapel of Fort Louis until a parish church was built outside the fortifications in 1708.
For much of the next century and a half, Catholic life remained largely confined to the Gulf Coast, with limited expansion inland. A more stable institutional footing came in 1829 with the establishment of the Diocese (today Archdiocese) of Mobile.
For much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Alabama remained overwhelmingly Protestant, and Catholic growth was slow. Parishes gradually spread inland, with foundations in Tuscaloosa in 1844 and Birmingham in 1872 marking that expansion. In recent decades, however, the rise of the Sun Belt and immigration from outside the United States have strengthened the Church’s presence, and today about 6.8 percent of Alabamians are Catholic.
Just to the west, Mississippi presents a closely related but distinct chapter in the Catholic story of the Gulf South. Catholic beginnings in Mississippi date to 1682, when French explorers descended the river to its mouth and claimed the region for France, accompanied by Father Zenobius Membré, an Augustinian Recollect, who celebrated what is likely the first recorded Mass in what would become the nation’s twentieth state.
FORT ADAMS – On Easter Sunday 1682, the first recorded Mass on Mississippi soil took place in Wilkinson county. St. Patrick’s Church was built in 1900 on Fort Adams town square. (Photo by Mary Woodward)
French settlement followed in 1699 at Old Biloxi, where priests ministered to the first European colonists. Missionary work quickly extended to Native peoples, where a chapel was built among the Houma, and Father Jacques Gravier performed what is likely the first recorded baptism in Mississippi.
In 1779, control of the region passed to Spain, and in 1788, a church dedicated to the Holy Savior was built in Natchez, on the site where St. Mary Basilica stands today. Despite this early foundation, Catholic life remained fragile. By the time Pope Gregory XVI established the Diocese of Natchez (today Jackson) in 1837, encompassing the entire state, there was not a single Catholic church or resident priest, and the first bishop named to the see declined the appointment.
Stability came only in 1841, when John Joseph Chanche of Baltimore accepted the role, becoming the first bishop to establish a lasting Catholic presence in Mississippi. Like neighboring Alabama, Mississippi has seen significant Catholic growth in recent decades, and today about 110,000 Catholics are served by the Dioceses of Jackson and Biloxi.
The Catholic story of the lower South reflects a long journey from mission to a mature presence. Early efforts by Spanish and French missionaries laid foundations that would only slowly develop into a stable Church. Today’s growing Catholic communities stand as a testament to that enduring, if often overlooked, history.
(Father Anthony D. Andreassi, a priest of the Brooklyn Oratory of St. Philip Neri, holds a doctorate in history from Georgetown University. His research and writing have focused on the American Catholic community. He is on the staff of the Oratory parishes of Assumption and St. Boniface in Brooklyn, New York.)
FROM THE HERMITAGE By sister alies therese At breakneck speed, Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe completed the London Marathon in 1:59:30, becoming the first person to finish the 26-mile trek in under two hours. Closely behind was Ethiopian runner Kejelcha, just 11 seconds later. That is traveling one mile in 4:33, 26 times! Seriously moving, those fellas put a new stamp on the word – traveling.
Birds travel, butterflies travel, glaciers travel and indeed people travel. I have a friend, soon to be 80, who wants us to do Route 66! Why not, you ask? Well, she lives far away and would have to travel a considerable distance before we could even begin. Anyway, Route 66, being a famous road with sites and motels, food and people, has welcomed travelers for years. A secular sort of pilgrimage. A good icon for that might be the original drawing of Winnie-the-Pooh (on sale for $12,000) tracking the Woozles all over the place. (He will be 95 this year. Oh my.)
There are lots of variations in travel, as you well know. For example, being caught in traffic – moving and not moving, i.e., stranded – long lines at the airport or even being stuck in a grocery line behind people with long questions or a new checker.
How many times have you been stuck? Your inner life feels empty, your home life is boring and you are going nowhere. Or, on the other hand, with some excitement, consider graduation, the NFL draft or entering a monastery! All these cause us to go from one place, one kind of life, into another that is only vaguely familiar. We learn the rules of the road – a Green Book of sorts – and begin to be transformed by our new way of life, at least if we stay long enough … or maybe we move on. Perhaps we will travel the road to St. James?
Historically, we know of those who traveled under duress – on the Trail of Tears or the long trek of slavery. People ripped from their former lives and forced into another, miles from home. Think too of the troubles of travel – bandits, wrecks and weather. Our journeys are not all that easy, even when we don’t seem in harm’s way.
When we read, we travel. When we pray, we travel. When we write, create art or music or when we imagine, we travel. What takes you from one place to another? Well, a truck, a cart, a horse or a car moves us forward, but many in our world today are traveling away from war and violence in tiny boats or struggling to walk on foot. If you have ever been near the border, say south of Tucson, you might have noticed something thrown away, hidden in bushes and trees – traveling clothes discarded, especially shoes, often those of small children. One must realize that the only way people are moving toward safety and some sort of economic or social improvement away from violence is by traveling on foot. I can’t even walk to the DG to get a bottle of milk. How far, you ask? Well, maybe 10 blocks or so … ugh.
Traveling is also a favorite advertisement for most new cars and uses the beauty of America on wide-open roads, or a flight to Paris, or that moon shot and back to entice us to move from the comfortable zones where we consider ourselves safe and in place, to explore the universe God has so generously created. In the Hebrew Bible we discover the long trek of the Israelites – 40 years of wandering in the desert, looking for a promised land. A journey that could have been traveled on foot in about 11 days took 40 years. There are plenty of Scriptural references to traveling, but my favorites are the flight into Egypt with the tiny Child, the walk to Emmaus and the care of the Good Shepherd who walks with us, leads us and brings us to safety.
There are also other kinds of traveling – disease, for example. We go one day from being quite well to having broken bones, a tumor or the flu. Indeed, one of the most pernicious diseases that causes us to travel from well-being into uncertainty is dementia. It is even called a disease of progression and is, no doubt, a difficult trip not only for the traveler, but for friends and family close by.
Finally, a woman named Melissa Lucio has been on death row – a horrid place to travel to – in Texas for 17 years and four years ago was to be executed. However, she received a stay after the trial judge recommended overturning her conviction and death sentence. There is a long travel from cell to death chamber … and indeed from guilty to innocent! However, here is the question: Why is she still there? She is in the hands of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and they will decide whether to accept the judge’s recommendation and overturn her wrongful conviction and death sentence. Why has it taken them four years, to date, to reach a favorable decision? Their traveling seems ever so slow …
As you plan your vacation, travel sports event or visit to Granny in Maine, remember our lives are one long walk to Emmaus, one pilgrim adventure after another toward our final place of welcome. We need to pay attention, however, to what St. Gregory the Great had to say about travelers: “Don’t be a foolish traveler, distracted by the pleasant meadows you are passing and forgetting where you are going.”
I had a novice mistress once who frequently said, “Be a constant and joyful companion on the journey.” Here is our opportunity, as we travel together with Jesus, to comfort and console, to be a source of cheer and joy and to be attentive to our odometer as it clocks up the miles.
Happy trails … blessings.
(sister alies therese is a canonical hermit who prays and writes.)
ORDINARY TIMES By Lucia A. Silecchia As April exploded into the exuberance of a long-awaited spring, many welcomed her arrival with great joy.
Truly, the glory of Easter, buds bursting from their hiding places, ever brighter evenings and the return of birds and butterflies are all great signs of good things to come. After what was, for much of the country, an extra-cold winter, the coming of spring seems particularly appreciated. April also heralds the arrival of a new baseball season.
This occasion is neither a liturgical event nor a wonder of nature. It is fanatically observed by some, unnoticed by others, and a mystery to others. With post-season games lengthening the baseball season long into the fall, Opening Day seems to have arrived very quickly for some, while others lament that it has taken so long to arrive.
Yet, when a new season begins – for baseball or, indeed, for any other sport – there is a feeling like no other that also has something to teach about life.
There is a wonderful sense that anything is possible in the months ahead. As the season begins, no team has yet fallen behind. No players have yet been injured. The hope of being a World Series champion seems possible in a way that it does not after the season moves on and standings start to settle.
More importantly, the past does not seem to matter. The errors, missed chances and wasted opportunities of last season are left behind and injuries have had several months to heal. As someone who roots loyally for a team that consistently pulls defeat from the jaws of victory, the ability to put last season behind is a refreshing reset.
Perhaps there is something to be learned about life from America’s favorite pastime.
The willingness to start anew and to let go of the past is a challenge and a blessing that God gives us each day, indeed, each moment of our lives.
Like a baseball team rebounding from a bad year, we all have the chance to look forward to the future and not only to the past. Certainly, there is always much to learn from past mistakes and bad judgement. Certainly, there is much we can do to make tomorrow better than yesterday. But in the constant care of a loving God, we can, like the teams we root for, start anew – not merely once a year, but anytime.
Crowds of fans may not cheer when we succeed. Headlines will not proclaim our victories. Championship rings and celebratory parades will not be ours. Indeed, for many of us, the pasts we leave behind and the new beginnings we forge for the future may be known only to ourselves and to God.
And that is good. For we have a far better hope in a God who promises that “whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor. 5:17) What better time than this Easter season to celebrate that all is new, that what is old has passed away and that the new has come!
To my favorite team, good luck!
To my sisters and brothers, may you be blessed with many new beginnings every day of your ordinary times.
(Lucia A. Silecchia is Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)
By OSV News Pope Leo XIV concluded his first trip to Africa April 23, capping a four-country visit marked by urgent calls for peace, direct engagement with conflict zones and a backdrop of international political tension.
Traveling April 13–23 through Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea, the pope met civil and religious leaders, celebrated public Masses and encouraged Catholics to remain steadfast witnesses to the Gospel.
His visit brought him into regions scarred by violence, including Cameroon’s separatist conflict, while also addressing inequality and corruption in Angola, promoting interreligious dialogue in Algeria and a just society in Equatorial Guinea.
PLeo XIV looks on as dancers perform as he attends a meeting with young people and families at Bata Stadium in Equatorial Guinea April 22, 2026. (OSV News photo/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)
– Algeria – Pope Leo’s 11-day trip began with an unexpected controversy after U.S. President Donald Trump criticized him in a late-night April 12 post on Truth Social.
Trump called the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” accusing him of believing “it’s OK for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” The remarks followed the pope’s criticism of the Iran war and his repeated calls for peace.
Journalists aboard the papal flight quickly pressed for a response.
“I have no fear, neither of the Trump administration nor of speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do,” Pope Leo said.
“We are not politicians,” he added. “We are not looking to make foreign policy … but I do believe in the message of the Gospel: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’ is the message that the world needs to hear today.”
The remarks sparked backlash from religious and political leaders, but the pope declined to escalate tensions.
“I don’t want to get into a debate,” he said, emphasizing that his mission is to proclaim peace.
“I don’t think that the message of the Gospel is meant to be abused in the way that some people are doing.”
Despite the dispute, Pope Leo struck a positive tone before landing, saying he was “very happy to visit the land of St. Augustine again.”
In Algiers, he visited the Great Mosque, calling the encounter a sign “that we can learn to respect one another, live in harmony and build a world of peace.”
Later, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa overlooking the Mediterranean, he honored Algeria’s Christian martyrs and highlighted interreligious dialogue in the Muslim-majority nation.
The basilica, he said, is a “sign of our desire for peace and unity,” symbolizing “a Church of living stones, where communion between Christians and Muslims takes shape.”
On April 14, the pope traveled to Annaba, near the ruins of ancient Hippo Regius, where St. Augustine spent his final years. The visit held personal significance; Pope Leo has often described himself as “a son of Augustine.”
Celebrating Mass at the Basilica of St. Augustine, he urged Christians to follow the saint’s example, “fervently seeking the truth and serving Christ with ardent faith.”
“Be heirs to this tradition, bearing witness through fraternal charity … as a hope of salvation for the world,” he said.
Addressing Algeria’s small Christian community, he praised their quiet witness.
“Your presence in this country is like incense,” he said. “A glowing grain that spreads fragrance because it gives glory to the Lord and joy and comfort to so many.”
– Cameroon – During his flight to Cameroon, Pope Leo reflected on Algeria as “a special blessing,” noting that St. Augustine’s life offers a vision of unity and respect across differences.
That message carried into Cameroon, a country scarred by separatist violence. Addressing authorities in Yaoundé, the pope acknowledged the suffering caused by conflict in the English-speaking northwest and southwest regions.
Since 2017, fighting between separatist militias and government forces has killed more than 6,500 people and displaced over 500,000.
“Lives have been lost, families displaced, children deprived of schooling and young people no longer see a future,” he said. “Behind the numbers are the faces, stories and shattered hopes of real people.”
Days before his arrival, separatist groups declared a three-day ceasefire to allow safe travel during the visit.
The highlight of the April 15–18 stop was the pope’s visit to Bamenda, in the heart of the conflict zone. Addressing Catholics at St. Joseph’s Cathedral, the pope was met with enthusiasm after declaring, “I am here to proclaim peace.”
After hearing testimony from local residents – including a chief imam who described a deadly attack on a mosque – the pope strongly condemned violence carried out in God’s name.
“But woe to those who manipulate religion and the very name of God for their own military, economic and political gain,” he said, warning against dragging what is sacred “into darkness and filth.”
Celebrating Mass for 20,000 people at Bamenda’s airport, he urged hope rooted in faith.
“This is the moment to change, to transform the story of this country,” he said. “The time has come, today and not tomorrow.”
He called on Cameroonians to “restore the mosaic of unity” by embracing the country’s diversity.
On April 17, he celebrated Mass in Douala for an estimated 120,000 faithful, urging Africans to share God’s love by feeding the hungry and offering spiritual nourishment.
Though the visit brought hope, media coverage continued to frame the trip through the lens of tensions with Trump – something the pope later addressed directly.
– Angola – While the pope’s warning to those who use God to justify violence resonated with suffering Cameroonians in Bamenda, several media outlets ran headlines insinuating that Pope Leo was making an indirect dig at Trump.
En route to Angola, Pope Leo clarified that his remarks in Cameroon had been prepared weeks earlier and were not directed at the U.S. president.
“My speeches were written well before the president ever commented,” he said. “It is not in my interest to debate,” adding “there has been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all its aspects.”
Arriving in Luanda, he shifted focus to Angola’s challenges and the Church’s role in offering hope. Home to more than 20 million Catholics, Angola has deep Christian roots but continues to struggle with inequality, corruption and the legacy of a civil war that claimed up to 800,000 lives.
Addressing government leaders, the pope urged them to prioritize the common good.
“Place the common good before every particular interest,” he said. “Never confuse your own part with the whole.”
He warned that the people have suffered when power is abused.
“They bear the scars not only of material exploitation, but also of the presumption of imposing an idea upon others,” he said.
On April 19, Pope Leo celebrated Mass for about 100,000 faithful in Kilamba. Reflecting on the Gospel story of the road to Emmaus, he cautioned against despair in societies marked by prolonged suffering.
“When one is long immersed in a history characterized by pain, one can risk losing hope and remaining paralyzed by discouragement,” he said.
Afterward, he traveled to the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, southern Africa’s most visited Catholic shrine, where tens of thousands had gathered – many camping for days in intense heat.
Calling the shrine a place where “the heart of the Church” is alive, he noted its enduring role in Angola’s spiritual life.
“For centuries, many have prayed here in joy and sorrow,” he said. “Mama Muxima has quietly kept the heart of the Church alive and beating.”
On April 20, the pope flew east to Saurimo, near Angola’s largest diamond mine. There, he visited a nursing home housing 74 elderly residents, many rejected by their families due to superstitious beliefs.
“The care of the weakest is a sign of the quality of a nation’s social life,” he said. “The elderly must not only be assisted, but listened to, because they preserve the wisdom of a people.”
Celebrating Mass for tens of thousands, he also addressed exploitation linked to the diamond industry.
“How often the hope of many is frustrated by violence, exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich,” he said.
“We were not born to become slaves,” he added. “Every form of oppression, violence and dishonesty negates the resurrection of Christ, the supreme gift of our freedom.”
– Equatorial Guinea – The final leg of Pope Leo’s 11-day journey took him to Equatorial Guinea. Upon landing on the island of Malabo, the pope was welcomed by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has ruled the oil-rich Central African nation since seizing power in a 1979 coup and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most authoritarian leaders.
Pope Leo XIV prays in front of a statue of Mary and the Christ Child as he celebrates the final Mass of his apostolic journey to Africa at Malabo Stadium in Equatorial Guinea April 23, 2026. (OSV News photo/Matteo Pernaselci, Vatican Media)
Nevertheless, in his address to the country’s civil authorities, the pope appealed for justice and ethical governance in a country long criticized for corruption and human rights abuses.
Drawing from St. Augustine’s classic work “The City of God,” Pope Leo noted that the “city of God” is characterized by love, especially for the poor, while the “earthly city … is centered upon the proud love of self, on the lust for power and worldly glory that leads to destruction.”
“Every human being can benefit from the ancient realization of living on earth as a pilgrim,” he said. “It is essential to discern the difference between that which lasts and that which passes, remaining free from the pursuit of unjust wealth and the illusion of dominion.”
Celebrating Mass April 22 at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the eastern city of Mongomo, the second-largest Catholic Church in Africa, the pope renewed his call to the country’s leaders and citizens to prioritize the common good.
“May the Lord help you to become a society in which everyone, each according to their respective responsibilities, works ever more fully to serve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged,” he said.
In his final Mass in Malabo Stadium April 23, Pope Leo offered a word of hope to the country’s Catholics, urging them to seek strength, justice and hope from the Gospel and the sacraments.
Encouraging the faithful to “joyfully proclaim” that “Christ is everything for us,” Pope Leo reminded Christians that in Jesus, “we find the fullness of life and meaning.”
“Our problems do not disappear in the Lord’s presence, but they are illuminated,” he said. “Just as every cross finds redemption in Jesus, so too the story of our lives finds its meaning in the Gospel.”
As the Mass concluded, the pope bid farewell to the African continent, saying that his visit was “an invaluable treasure of faith, hope, and charity.”
Highlighting the continent’s significance, the pope said that “today, Africa is called to contribute significantly to the holiness and missionary character of the Christian people.”
“I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, to whom I commend myself wholeheartedly, as well as your families, your communities, your nation, and all the peoples of Africa,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV greets people as he arrives at the Pontifical Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary of Pompeii near Naples, Italy, before celebrating Mass in the piazza outside May 8, 2026, on the first anniversary of his election as the first American pontiff. He visited 400 sick and disabled people inside the shrine. (OSV News photo/Mario Tomassetti, Vatican Media)
NATION WASHINGTON (OSV News) – President Donald Trump on May 5 continued his series of social media and verbal attacks on Pope Leo XIV, accusing him in a radio interview of “endangering” Catholics through his opposition to the Iran war. Trump claimed in an interview that aired May 5 with Hugh Hewitt, a conservative talk radio host, that “the pope would rather talk about the fact that it’s okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.” Trump has repeatedly claimed that the U.S.-born Pope Leo supports Iran having nuclear weapons; however, the pontiff never made any such statement and has consistently called for the rejection of nuclear weapons. The president accused the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people” by opposing the war with Iran. Pope Leo has been a staunch critic of war generally, including those initiated by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28. In comments May 5 to journalists in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Pope Leo said that ever since his election, “I said, ‘Peace be with you,’ and the Church’s mission is to preach the Gospel, to preach peace.” He said, “If anyone wishes to criticize me for proclaiming the Gospel, let them do so with the truth. The Church has spoken out for years against all nuclear weapons, so there is no doubt about this, and I simply hope to be heard for the sake of the Word of God.”
CHICAGO (OSV News) – A lighthearted story about a customer service call from Pope Leo XIV is drawing widespread attention and offering many Catholics a glimpse of the pope’s ordinary side. Augustinian Father Tom McCarthy, the incoming provincial superior of the Midwest Augustinians, said he has been surprised by the reaction since sharing the anecdote at an April 29 gathering for fathers and sons at Sts. Peter and Paul Parish in Naperville, outside Chicago. According to Father McCarthy, the former Cardinal Robert Prevost – now Pope Leo XIV – called his Chicago bank several months after his election to update his phone number and account information. After answering multiple security questions, the pope was reportedly told the changes could not be made unless he appeared at the bank in person. Father McCarthy said Pope Leo explained that would be difficult because he was “out of town.” When he finally added, “Would it matter if I tell you I’m Pope Leo?” the customer service representative hung up on him. The issue was later resolved after a fellow Augustinian contacted the bank president, who agreed to make the change rather than risk losing “the account of the pope.”
VATICAN POMPEII, Italy (OSV News) – Pope Leo XIV marked the first anniversary of his election May 8 with a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Pompeii, entrusting his pontificate to the Virgin Mary. Celebrating Mass before an estimated 20,000 people, the pope recalled that his election in 2025 coincided with the feast of Our Lady of Pompeii. “I therefore had to come here to place my ministry under the protection of the Blessed Virgin,” he said. The Augustinian pope’s first year included international trips, canonizations and Jubilee events. In his homily, Pope Leo spoke at length about the importance of the rosary and urged Catholics to place their hope in Christ. “Brothers and sisters, no earthly power will save the world, but only the divine power of love,” he said. Pope Leo also honored St. Bartolo Longo, the former Satanist turned saint who founded the Marian shrine and its charitable works for orphans and prisoners’ children. The pope closed with a renewed appeal for peace amid ongoing global conflicts. He was scheduled to continue his pastoral visit with a trip to the nearby city of Naples before returning to Rome by helicopter in the evening.
The site of Marian apparitions in 1877 in Gietrzwald, Poland, is seen in a 2022 photo. Two young visionaries reported the Virgin Mary appeared to them some 160 times over the course of two months. The Marian sanctuary in the Polish village of Gietrzwald is the only Vatican-recognized apparition site in the country. (OSV News photo/Paulina Guzik)
WORLD WARSAW, Poland (OSV News) – A Marian sanctuary in Gietrzwald – often called the “Polish Lourdes” – could soon draw global attention, as Pope Leo XIV has been invited to visit the site where the Virgin Mary reportedly appeared about 160 times. As the Church enters May, the Marian month, preparations are underway for the 150th anniversary of the 1877 apparitions. Polish bishops and President Karol Nawrocki have extended the papal invitation, raising hopes of a major pilgrimage moment. The apparitions, experienced by two young girls, are among the most intense in Church history – and Poland’s only Vatican-recognized Marian apparition site. Unlike Lourdes or Fatima, they included extended conversations with Mary. “That’s a unique aspect,” filmmaker Jan Sobierajski said. The message from Mary centered on prayer and conversion: “Pray the rosary every day,” Sister Anna Wojciechowska said, adding Mary’s assurance: “Do not be afraid, for I will always be with you.” The story of Gietrzwald is inseparable from the two young visionaries at its center: Barbara Samulowska and Justyna Szafrynska. Both were children – Samulowska was just 12 years old – when they reported seeing the Virgin Mary. In March, the Church recognized the heroic virtues of Sister Barbara, granting her the title venerable and advancing her sainthood cause.
DEBEL, Lebanon (OSV News) – A photo showing an Israeli soldier appearing to desecrate a statue of the Virgin Mary in Lebanon has sparked renewed outrage over anti-Christian incidents tied to the ongoing regional conflict. The image, shared online May 6, appears to show an Israel Defense Forces soldier holding a cigarette to the mouth of a Marian statue. IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani condemned the act, saying the soldier’s behavior “completely deviates from the values expected” of military personnel. He said the incident, reportedly photographed weeks earlier in the Lebanese village of Debel, is under investigation. The controversy follows another recent incident in the same area in which a soldier was photographed striking a statue of Jesus with the blunt side of an axe. Poland’s foreign ministry sharply criticized the latest episode, saying such actions offend Christians’ religious sentiments and undermine peace efforts in the Middle East. The incident also comes days after an Israeli settler was charged in the assault of a French nun near the Cenacle in Jerusalem, traditionally revered as the site of the Last Supper.
By Staff Reports JACKSON – As Catholics across the country observe Leave a Legacy Month in May, the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Jackson is encouraging families to take an important step in planning for the future while also considering how their faith can continue to make an impact for generations.
Most Catholics intend to create a will, but many delay the process, according to Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation.
“Creating a will is one of the simplest and most important ways to care for your loved ones,” Harris said. “It ensures that your wishes are clearly known and provides peace of mind for your family.”
The Catholic Foundation has partnered MyCatholicWill.com to provide Catholics in the Diocese of Jackson with access to a free online platform that allows users to create a simple and legally valid will in about 20 minutes.
Harris said the process is not only about financial planning, but also about faith and stewardship. “Planned giving is not only about finances. It is about faith,” Harris said. “It is a way to continue living out the Gospel values of generosity and stewardship for generations to come.”
The Foundation is also encouraging Catholics to consider including charitable giving in their estate plans. Through a will, individuals can establish a perpetual trust or named endowment through the Catholic Foundation to support a parish, school or diocesan ministry long into the future.
“These funds are invested and a portion is distributed each year, providing ongoing support for the ministries that matter most to you,” Harris said.
The Foundation noted that gifts of any size can help sustain ministries such as Catholic education, vocations, youth ministry and parish outreach efforts.
In addition to the free will resource, the Foundation has released a short video about the importance of leaving a legacy of faith. The video can be viewed on the Diocese of Jackson’s YouTube channel or by scanning the QR code provided.
“Your family deserves clarity. Your faith can leave a lasting mark,” Harris said. “This May, consider making your will and your legacy a reflection of both.”
SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT GRENADA – St. Peter, Teatime with Mother Mary, Sunday, May 31 at 3 p.m. All girls, young and old, mothers, daughters, single women are invited to attend including non-practicing Catholics, friends of parishioners, etc. Details: contact Cecilia at (662) 688-3024.
OXFORD – St. John the Evangelist, Catechist Workshop, Saturday, Aug. 1, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with speaker, Dr. Tom Neal. Details: register at https://bit.ly/oxford-catechist-event-26.
PILGRMAGE – Travel with Father Carlisle Beggerly to Italy/Greece, Oct. 7-20, 2026. Cost: $5,999 per person. Details: Contact Proximo Travel (855-842-8001) or visit proximotravel.com (enter Fr. Carlisle in search box). Travel with Father Raju Macherla to Portugal, Spain and France, July 6-17, 2026. Cost: $5,500 per person (sharing room), with departure from Memphis. Details: visit https://bit.ly/4efWoql.
MADISON – Millions of Monicas will transition from St. Joseph Church to praying at St. Catherine’s Village chapel. Meetings will now take place on the second Tuesday of each month, with the first gathering scheduled for May 12. Please note that our meeting time will change to 6 p.m. The Chapel is located at 200 Dominican Drive, Madison. When you arrive at the gate, let the team know you are joining the Millions of Monicas ministry, and you will be directed to the chapel. After entering through the roundabout, the chapel will be on your left. Please, mark your calendars for the following meeting dates: May 12, June 9, July 14, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13, Nov. 10 and Dec. 8, 2026. Details: call (601) 613-8526.
YOUNG ADULTS – Young adults are invited to join the Archdiocese of New Orleans on a Pilgrimage to Seoul, South Korea, August 1-10, 2027. Details: contact James Behan at (504) 836-0551 ext. 3228 or email: yam@arch-no.org.
PARISH & YOUTH EVENTS CLINTON – Holy Savior, Baby Bottle Drive, Get a bottle, fill it with coins, cash, or a check, and return it in the coming weeks. Every donation will help support pro-life ministries and life-affirming services for mothers, babies, and families in our community. Volunteers are needed to distribute and collect bottles. Details: call Chris at (601) 757-9910.
JACKSON – Holy Family, Pentecost Cultural Diversity Picnic, on Saturday, May 23, from 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear red, bring tents and lawn chairs. Personal fans are also recommended. Music and games will be provided. Details: call Joyce at (601) 214-6123.
VBS GLUCKSTADT – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, Monday, June 22 through Friday, June 26, 2026, from 5:15 to 8 p.m. in the Parish Hall. Dinner and games are from 5:15-6 p.m. Open to all children entering K-6th grade, Cost: $15 per child/$30 Max per family. Details: https://giving.parishsoft.com/app/stjosephgluckstadt and select one-time donation and then VBS to make your payment.
STARKVILLE – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, Calling all 4 year olds through fourth graders – Save the date: June 1-4, 2026.
HOLLY SPRINGS – St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, June 16–18, 2026. Details: call Teri (Teresa) Mason at (815) 729-4219.
DIOCESE EVENTS ENGAGED ENCOUNTER 2026, Aug. 28-30; and Oct. 2-4. Details: couples may register at https://jacksondiocese.flocknote.com/signup/230073 or email debbie.tubertini@jacksondiocese.org.
PERMANENT DIACONATE ORDINATION: Six men will be ordained to the Permanent Diaconate on Saturday, July 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Jackson. Blessings to Enrique Amador, Donald Clinton Coker, Jeff Cook, Pablo Garcia, Christopher Halliwell, William Griffith Vautrot, and Hunter Yentzen.
PASTORAL MINISTRIES WORKSHOP, July 31 through Aug. 2 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond. Cost is $300, which includes room, meals, and course materials. (Commuter rate: $125) Registration deadline is July 10. Register at https://bit.ly/pmw2026. Details: fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.
Por Joanna Puddister King JACKSON – Una nueva iniciativa diocesana centrada en fortalecer el liderazgo laico y la formación en la fe en toda la Diócesis de Jackson se está tomando forma a través del recién establecido Centro Bishop William R. Houck para la Formación Laica, un esfuerzo que los líderes de la iglesia afirman surgir directamente de las sesiones de escucha realizadas durante el proceso diocesano de Reimaginación Pastoral.
La página web del Centro Obispo William R. Houck para la Formación de Laicos constituye un nuevo recurso diocesano dedicado a la formación en la fe, la capacitación en liderazgo y el apoyo ministerial para los líderes laicos de toda la Diócesis de Jackson. Este portal en línea incluye oportunidades de formación, recursos ministeriales y programas de capacitación disponibles tanto. (Ilustración foto de Joanna King)
Dirigido por la Oficina Diocesana de Formación en la Fe bajo la dirección de Fran Lavelle, el centro está diseñado para ofrecer oportunidades accesibles de formación y capacitación ministerial para líderes parroquiales y escolares, catequistas, ministros juveniles y otros líderes laicos en toda la diócesis.
“La mejor parte de mi ministerio es trabajar con la gente”, dijo Lavelle. “La segunda mejor parte de mi trabajo es buscar formas de servir mejor a nuestras parroquias y escuelas, especialmente con respecto a la formación en la fe.”
Lavelle dijo que la idea del centro surgió después de que las sesiones de escucha parroquiales y del decanato identificaran repetidamente la necesidad de una formación más fuerte en el liderazgo laico. “Una mejor formación para los líderes laicos fue uno de los llamamientos más claros tanto de las parroquias individuales como de los decanatos”, dijo. “Cuando preguntas a la gente cómo puede la Iglesia servirles mejor, es importante actuar según lo que oyes.”
Un comité asesor formado a finales de 2024 comenzó a reimaginar cómo la diócesis podría apoyar el ministerio laico y el desarrollo del liderazgo. Ese proceso llevó finalmente a la creación del Centro del Bishop William R. Houck para la Formación Laica.
El centro lleva el nombre en honor al ex-obispo William R. Houck, quien sirvió a la Diócesis de Jackson desde 1984 hasta 2003 y fue ampliamente reconocido por su compromiso con la educación católica, la evangelización y el ministerio laico. Durante su mandato, Houck fue presidente del Comité de Obispos de EE. UU. sobre Evangelización, que publicó el documento histórico de 1992, Ve y haz discípulos: un plan nacional y estrategia para la evangelización católica en Estados Unidos. El documento, que aún se utiliza hoy en día, sigue animando a los católicos a aceptar la misión del discipulado.
“El obispo Houck era un estimado educador y un devoto defensor del ministerio laico”, dijo Lavelle. “Su visión y voz afirmaron las bases para la formación de liderazgo laico en la Diócesis. Esperamos ampliar su visión para ofrecer capacidad y formación de alta calidad en cada parroquia, misión y escuela.”
Según la página web del centro, su misión es “proporcionar educación, capacidad y formación a líderes laicos en la Diócesis de Jackson con énfasis en aplicaciones catequéticas, pastorales y eclesiales.”
La iniciativa se basa en tres pilares fundamentales: educación, evangelización y el desarrollo de líderes laicos bien formados. El sitio web señala que la formación continua en las Escrituras y la enseñanza católica enseñan los discípulos a cumplir su llamado, mientras que las comunidades parroquiales fuertes dependen de líderes preparados que puedan servir con “conocimiento, confianza y compasión”.
A diferencia de un instituto diocesano tradicional, es que el Centro Houck no se encuentra en un edificio físico. Si no en un lugar, que funciona como un centro de recursos en línea alojado a través del sitio web diocesano. Los participantes pueden acceder a talleres diocesanos, cursos en línea, recursos ministeriales y oportunidades de desarrollo de liderazgo en diversas áreas ministeriales.
“Realmente queríamos algo accesible para la gente sin importar dónde vivan en la diócesis”, dijo Lavelle. “Se trata de reunirse con los líderes parroquiales donde están y ayudarles a seguir creciendo en confianza y fe.”
Las áreas actuales de formación incluyen el ministerio universitario, la formación de catequistas, el ministerio familiar, el ministerio intercultural, la liturgia, la OCIA, el ministerio penitenciario, el ministerio juvenil y el ministerio de adultos jóvenes, junto con oportunidades de formación en liderazgo, consejos pastorales y equipos de ministerio parroquial.
Una de las primeras grandes iniciativas del centro es un Taller de Ministerios Pastorales rediseñado, un programa de liderazgo diocesano de larga trayectoria que ahora ha sido reestructurado para acomodar mejor a los voluntarios parroquiales y líderes ministeriales con tiempos limitados. Anteriormente ofrecido como un programa de cuatro años que requería que los participantes asistieran a una sesión de verano de una semana cada año, el taller se ha transformado en un modelo intensivo de un fin de semana más flexible.
“El tiempo que se tardaba en completar el antiguo programa, junto con la dificultad que muchos voluntarios tenían para escaparse toda una semana, nos hizo darnos cuenta de que necesitábamos un formato más accesible”, dijo Lavelle. “Queríamos preservar la riqueza de la formación haciéndola realista para quienes sirven en el ministerio parroquial.”
El nuevo programa de dos años consta de seis sesiones de cuatro horas centradas en la oración, la teología, el liderazgo pastoral y habilidades prácticas del ministerio. Los cursos se ofrecerán simultáneamente en inglés y español, reflejando la diversidad de la diócesis y el énfasis del centro en la desarrollada facilidad.
Los temas de los talleres de este año incluyen los fundamentos del ministerio pastoral católico, la identidad pastoral y espiritualidad, y la comunicación y la construcción de relaciones en el ministerio. Los participantes explorarán temas como el liderazgo de servicio, la comunicación intercultural, la transformación de conflictos y las prácticas espirituales que sostienen el ministerio.
Lavelle afirmó que el taller está destinado no solo a nuevos ministros y catequistas, sino también a líderes parroquiales experimentados que buscan apoyo y renovación en su formación.
“Nuestro objetivo principal es proporcionar una fundación en el ministerio pastoral católico a través de la oración, la teología, las experiencias prácticas y la reflexión”, afirmó.
El taller de este año se celebrará del 31 de julio al 2 de agosto en el Eagle Ridge Conference Center de Raymond. La inscripción está abierta hasta el 10 de julio. Se puede encontrar más información sobre el Centro Bishop William R. Houck para la Formación Laica en jacksondiocese.org/bishop-houck-center-for-lay-formation.
(Para preguntas sobre el Centro o el próximo Taller de Ministerios Pastorales, contacte a fran.lavelle@jacksondiocese.org.)
Por OSV News El Papa León XIV concluyó su primer viaje a África el 23 de abril, poniendo fin a una visita a cuatro países marcada por llamados urgentes a la paz, un compromiso directo con las zonas de conflicto y un contexto de tensión política internacional.
Durante su viaje del 13 al 23 de abril por Argelia, Camerún, Angola y Guinea Ecuatorial, el Santo Padre se reunió con líderes civiles y religiosos, celebró misas públicas y animó a los católicos a seguir siendo testigos firmes del Evangelio.
Su visita lo llevó a regiones marcadas por la violencia, incluido el conflicto separatista de Camerún, al tiempo que abordó la desigualdad y la corrupción en Angola, promovió el diálogo interreligioso en Argelia y una sociedad justa en Guinea Ecuatorial.
– Argelia – El viaje de 11 días del Papa León comenzó con una controversia inesperada después de que el presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, lo criticara en una publicación de la madrugada del 12 de abril en Truth Social.
Trump calificó al Papa de “débil ante el crimen” y “terrible en política exterior”, acusándolo de creer que “está bien que Irán tenga un arma nuclear”. Los comentarios se produjeron tras las críticas del Papa a la guerra de Irán y sus repetidos llamamientos a la paz.
Los periodistas a bordo del vuelo papal buscaron obtener una respuesta rápidamente.
“No le tengo miedo a la administración de Trump, ni de hablar en voz alta del mensaje del Evangelio. Creo que es a lo que estoy llamado, y a lo que la Iglesia está llamada”, dijo el Papa León, respondiendo en inglés.
“No somos políticos”, dijo el Papa León. “No buscamos hacer política exterior… pero sí creo en el mensaje del Evangelio: ‘bienaventurados los que trabajan por la paz’ es el mensaje que el mundo necesita escuchar hoy”.
Las declaraciones provocaron reacciones de líderes religiosos y políticos, pero el Papa se negó a agravar las tensiones.
“No quiero entrar en un debate con él”, dijo, haciendo hincapié en que su misión es proclamar la paz.
“No creo que se deba abusar del mensaje del Evangelio como algunos están haciendo”, añadió.
A pesar de la controversia, el Papa León adoptó un tono positivo antes de aterrizar, diciendo que estaba “muy contento de visitar nuevamente la tierra de san Agustín”.
En Argel, visitó la Gran Mezquita y calificó el encuentro como una señal de “que podemos aprender a respetarnos unos a otros, a vivir en armonía y a construir un mundo de paz”.
Más tarde, en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de África, con vistas al Mediterráneo, rindió homenaje a los mártires cristianos de Argelia y destacó el diálogo interreligioso en este país de mayoría musulmana.
La basílica, dijo, es un signo de nuestro deseo de paz y unidad, que simboliza “una Iglesia de piedras vivas donde, bajo el manto de Nuestra Señora de África, se construye la comunión entre cristianos y musulmanes”.
El 14 de abril, el Papa viajó a Annaba, cerca de las ruinas de la antigua Hippo Regius, donde San Agustín pasó sus últimos años. La visita tuvo un significado personal; el Papa León se ha descrito a sí mismo a menudo como “un hijo de Agustín”.
El papa León XIV asiste a un encuentro por la paz en la catedral de San José de Bamenda, Camerún, el 16 de abril de 2026. (Foto de OSV News/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)
Al celebrar la Misa en la Basílica de San Agustín, instó a los cristianos a seguir el ejemplo del santo, “buscando la verdad con pasión y sirviendo a Cristo con fe ardiente”.
“Sean herederos de esta tradición, dando testimonio en la caridad fraterna de la libertad de quien nace de lo alto como esperanza de salvación para el mundo”, dijo.
Dirigiéndose a la pequeña comunidad cristiana de Argelia, elogió su silencioso testimonio.
“La presencia de ustedes en el país trae a la mente el incienso”, dijo. “Un grano incandescente, que esparce perfume porque da gloria al Señor y alegría y consuelo a tantos hermanos y hermanas”.
– Camerún – Durante su vuelo a Camerún, el Papa León reflexionó sobre Argelia como una bendición especial, y señaló que la vida de San Agustín ofrece una visión de unidad y respeto más allá de las diferencias.
Ese mensaje llegó a Camerún, un país marcado por la violencia separatista. Dirigiéndose a las autoridades en Yaundé, el Papa reconoció el sufrimiento causado por el conflicto en las regiones de habla inglesa del noroeste y el suroeste.
Desde 2017, los enfrentamientos entre milicias separatistas y fuerzas gubernamentales han causado la muerte de más de 6.500 personas y han desplazado a más de 500.000.
“Vidas perdidas, familias desplazadas, niños privados de la escuela, jóvenes que no ven un futuro”, dijo, detallando el sufrimiento causado por este conflicto. “Detrás de las estadísticas hay rostros, historias y esperanzas heridas”.
Días antes de su llegada, los grupos separatistas declararon un alto el fuego de tres días para permitir un desplazamiento seguro durante la visita.
El punto culminante de la parada del 15 al 18 de abril fue la visita del Papa a Bamenda, en el corazón de la zona de conflicto. Al dirigirse a los católicos en la Catedral de San José, el Papa fue recibido con entusiasmo tras declarar: “Estoy aquí para anunciar la paz”.
Tras escuchar los testimonios de los residentes locales –incluido un imán que describió un ataque mortal contra una mezquita–, el Papa condenó enérgicamente la violencia perpetrada en nombre de Dios.
“Ay de quienes doblegan las religiones y el mismo nombre de Dios a sus propios intereses militares, económicos o políticos”, dijo, advirtiendo contra arrastrar lo que es sagrado “hacia lo más sucio y tenebroso”.
Al celebrar una Misa para 20.000 personas en el aeropuerto de Bamenda, instó a la esperanza arraigada en la fe.
“Este es el momento de cambiar, de transformar la historia del país”, dijo. “Hoy y no mañana, ahora y no en el futuro, ha llegado el momento de reconstruir”.
Hizo un llamado a los cameruneses a “componer nuevamente el mosaico de la unidad” al abrazar la diversidad del país.
El 17 de abril, celebró una Misa en Douala ante unos 120.000 fieles, instando a los africanos a compartir el amor de Dios alimentando a los hambrientos y ofreciendo alimento espiritual.
Aunque la visita trajo esperanza, la cobertura de los medios de comunicación siguió enmarcando el viaje a través del prisma de las tensiones con Trump, algo que el Papa abordó más tarde directamente.
– Angola – Aunque la advertencia del Papa a quienes utilizan a Dios para justificar la violencia tuvo gran resonancia entre los cameruneses que sufren en Bamenda, varios medios de comunicación publicaron titulares que insinuaban que el Papa León estaba lanzando una indirecta a Trump.
El papa León XIV observa a los bailarines mientras asiste a un encuentro con jóvenes y familias en el Estadio Bata de Guinea Ecuatorial el 22 de abril de 2026. (Foto de OSV News/Guglielmo Mangiapane, Reuters)
De camino a Angola, el Papa León aclaró que sus comentarios en Camerún habían sido preparados semanas antes y no estaban dirigidos al presidente de Estados Unidos.
“Mis discursos se habían preparado dos semanas antes, mucho antes de que el presidente comentara sobre mí”, dijo. “Se interpretó como si estuviera tratando de debatir” con el presidente, “algo que no me interesa en absoluto”, y añadió: “Se ha difundido cierta narrativa, no del todo exacta”.
Al llegar a Luanda, centró su atención en los desafíos de Angola y el papel que tiene la Iglesia para poder ofrecer esperanza. Angola, hogar de más de 20 millones de católicos, tiene profundas raíces cristianas, pero sigue luchando contra la desigualdad, la corrupción y el legado de una guerra civil que cobró hasta 800.000 vidas.
Dirigiéndose a los líderes del Gobierno, el Papa los instó a priorizar el bien común.
“Antepongan el bien común al interés particular”, dijo. “Sin confundir jamás la parte de ustedes con el todo”.
Advirtió que el pueblo ha sufrido cuando se abusa del poder.
“Llevan las cicatrices tanto de la explotación material como del intento de imponer una idea sobre las ideas de otros”, dijo.
El 19 de abril, el Papa León celebró una Misa para unos 100.000 fieles en Kilamba. Reflexionando sobre el relato evangélico del camino a Emaús, advirtió contra la desesperanza en sociedades marcadas por un sufrimiento prolongado.
“Cuando se lleva mucho tiempo sumergido en una historia tan marcada por el dolor, se corre el riesgo de sufrir la misma suerte que los dos discípulos de Emaús: perder la esperanza y quedarse paralizado por el desánimo”, dijo.
Posteriormente, viajó al Santuario de Mama Muxima, el santuario católico más visitado del sur de África, donde se habían reunido decenas de miles de personas, muchas de las cuales acamparon durante días bajo un calor intenso.
Al referirse al santuario como un lugar donde “el corazón de la Iglesia” está vivo, destacó su papel perdurable en la vida espiritual de Angola.
“Durante siglos, muchos hombres y mujeres han rezado, en momentos de alegría y también en circunstancias tristes y muy dolorosas”, dijo. “Mama Muxima interviene silenciosamente para mantener vivo y palpitante el corazón de la Iglesia”.
El 20 de abril, el Papa voló hacia el este, a Saurimo, cerca de la mina de diamantes más grande de Angola. Allí visitó un hogar de ancianos que alberga a 74 residentes de la tercera edad, muchos de ellos rechazados por sus familias debido a creencias supersticiosas.
“El cuidado de las personas frágiles es un indicador muy importante de la calidad de la vida social de un país”, dijo. “A las personas mayores no sólo hay que asistirlas, ante todo hay que escucharlas, porque custodian la sabiduría de un pueblo”.
Al celebrar la Misa ante decenas de miles de personas, también abordó la explotación vinculada a la industria del diamante.
“Muchos deseos de la gente son frustrados por los violentos, explotados por los prepotentes y engañados por la riqueza”, dijo.
“No hemos nacido para convertirnos en esclavos”, añadió. “Toda forma de opresión, violencia, explotación y mentira niega la resurrección de Cristo, don supremo de nuestra libertad”.
– Guinea Ecuatorial – La última etapa del viaje de 11 días del Papa León lo llevó a Guinea Ecuatorial. Al aterrizar en la isla de Malabo, el Papa fue recibido por el presidente Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, quien ha gobernado esta nación centroafricana rica en petróleo desde que tomó el poder en un golpe de Estado en 1979 y es considerado por muchos como uno de los líderes más autoritarios del mundo.
No obstante, en su discurso ante las autoridades civiles del país, el Papa hizo un llamado a la justicia y al gobierno ético en un país criticado desde hace tiempo por la corrupción y los abusos contra los derechos humanos.
Basándose en la obra clásica de San Agustín “La ciudad de Dios”, el Papa León señaló que la “ciudad de Dios” se caracteriza por el amor, especialmente hacia los pobres, mientras que la “ciudad terrena se centra en el amor orgulloso de sí mismo (amor sui), en la sed de poder y gloria mundanos que conducen a la destrucción”.
“Todo ser humano puede apreciar la ancestral conciencia de que la vida en la tierra es sólo un paso”, dijo. “Es fundamental que perciba la diferencia entre lo que perdura y lo que pasa, manteniéndose libre de la riqueza injusta y de la ilusión del dominio”.
Al celebrar la Misa el 22 de abril en la Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción, en la ciudad oriental de Mongomo, la segunda iglesia católica más grande de África, el Papa renovó su llamado a los líderes y ciudadanos del país para que prioricen el bien común.
“Que el Señor los ayude a convertirse cada vez más en una sociedad en la que cada uno, según sus respectivas responsabilidades, trabaje al servicio del bien común y no de intereses particulares, superando las desigualdades entre privilegiados y desfavorecidos”, dijo.
Pope Leo XIV prays in front of a statue of Mary and the Christ Child as he celebrates the final Mass of his apostolic journey to Africa at Malabo Stadium in Equatorial Guinea April 23, 2026. (OSV News photo/Matteo Pernaselci, Vatican Media)
En su Misa final en el Estadio de Malabo el 23 de abril, el Papa León ofreció una palabra de esperanza a los católicos del país, instándolos a buscar fuerza, justicia y esperanza en el Evangelio y los sacramentos.
Al animar a los fieles a “exclamar con alegría” que “”¡Cristo lo es todo para nosotros!”, el Papa León recordó a los cristianos que en Jesús “encontramos plenitud de vida y de sentido”.
“Con la compañía del Señor, nuestros problemas no desaparecen, pero son iluminados”, dijo. “Así como toda cruz encuentra redención en Jesús, así en el Evangelio la historia de nuestra vida encuentra sentido”.
Al concluir la Misa, el Papa se despidió del continente africano, diciendo que su visita fue “un tesoro inestimable de fe, de esperanza y de caridad”.
Destacando la importancia del continente, el Papa dijo que “hoy África está llamada a contribuir significativamente a la santidad y al carácter misionero del pueblo cristiano”.
“Confío esta intención a la intercesión de la Virgen María, a quien los encomiendo de corazón, así como a vuestras familias, a vuestras comunidades, a vuestra nación y a todos los pueblos africanos”, dijo el Papa.
Por Obispo Joseph R. Kopacz, D.D. Durante el corazón de la temporada de Pascua, celebré mi 49º aniversario del sacerdocio. Desde el santuario de la Catedral de San Pedro en Scranton el 7 de mayo de 1977, hasta el santuario de San Pedro Apóstol en Jackson el 6 de febrero de 2014, hasta este momento presente, he estado atrapado, en palabras del Papa San Juan Pablo II, en este “don y misterio” del sacerdocio de Jesucristo.
De hecho, mi primera celebración de ordenación ocurrió el 23 de abril de 1976, con la llamada al diaconado. Por eso, durante más de 50 años, por la gracia de Dios, he luchado la buena batalla y mantenido la fe, pero aún no he terminado la carrera. Que queden muchos años más en el plan de la providencia de Dios.
De hecho, demos gracias por todos nuestros sacerdotes, pasados y presentes, conscientes de quienes celebran sus aniversarios en esta época del año. ¡Ad multos annos!
La Diócesis de Jackson celebra este fin de semana la ordenación sacerdotal de Will Foggo, quien celebrará su primera misa en St. Paul en Flowood.
Durante la Pascua, la Iglesia también se regocija en el derramamiento del Espíritu Santo en el Sacramento de la Confirmación. Nuestros catecúmenos y candidatos que ingresaron en la Iglesia durante la Vigilia Pascual fueron los primeros en recibir el regalo del espíritu amoroso de Dios, seguidos por candidatos en muchas parroquias de toda la diócesis.
De hecho, los viajes de un obispo a través de su diócesis en la temporada pascual reflejan los viajes misioneros retratados en los hechos de los Apóstoles, cuando los apóstoles y los primeros evangelistas recorrieron todo el mundo mediterráneo para llevar el Evangelio atreves del mundo mediterráneo y fortalecer las primeras comunidades cristianas. La proclamación del Evangelio a las naciones y la santificación de las comunidades existentes y de los creyentes individuales es obra del Espíritu Santo, inicia en Pentecostés y que continúa hasta que Cristo vuelva.
Con Pentecostés en el horizonte, que haya una marea ascendente en nuestro interior para suplicar un derramamiento del Espíritu Santo sobre la Iglesia. Que también conozcamos y comprendamos el poder de la presencia del Espíritu Santo y la pobreza de su ausencia. Estamos invitados por lo tanto a profundizar nuestra relación con el Espíritu Santo, tanto en la oración como en la vida cotidiana, escuchando su voz dentro de nosotros.
“El Espíritu Santo, aliento de Jesús y atmósfera del cielo, es también el aliento de su cuerpo, la Iglesia. Y somos conscientes de su presencia si la Iglesia es ella misma en el sentido completo; es decir, si es el reino de Dios, el cielo desciende a la tierra, por la unidad. Se nos recuerda que, sin el Espíritu Santo, Dios está lejos, Cristo permanece en el pasado, el Evangelio es letra muerta, la Iglesia es una mera organización y la ‘misión’ es mera propaganda. Pero al estar en el Espíritu Santo, el mundo se glorifica y suplica en la gestación del reino de Dios, el Cristo resucitado está presente, el Evangelio es el poder de la vida, la Iglesia significa comunión trinitaria y la ‘misión’ es un Pentecostés.” (Chiara Lubich, Escritos esenciales)
“Ven, Espíritu Santo, llena los corazones de tus fieles y enciende en ellos el fuego de tu amor.”
