‘Open arms and outstretched hand’ - Vatican clinic aims to uphold dignity

From the outside, the Madre di Misericordia clinic may not seem like much. In fact, it’s easy to miss the clinic entirely.

Located just steps from the security lines where tourists and pilgrims wait to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, the entrance to the clinic is modest enough that a passerby could easily mistake it for a small office, or not notice it at all.

But since its inauguration at the behest of Pope Francis in 2016, the clinic has progressively expanded its services and today it serves around 2,000 patients per month – mostly people living in the streets of Rome – free of charge, with a group of almost 120 medical professionals working in the clinic as volunteers.

“We have about 60 to 70 patients per day, some days when we have many specialties available we reach 100 or 110, but the monthly average is around 2,000 patients, although there are months in which we have 3,000 patients,” Dr. Massimo Ralli, director of the clinic since 2021, told The Pillar.

The clinic was inaugurated in 2016, during the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.

“There was a small room used for pilgrims when there was a medical emergency, and then the old post office was renovated to inaugurate a proper clinic, which was finally done in January 2019,” Ralli, who was also appointed undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity on June 30, added.

San Martino, a second clinic with two additional rooms adjacent to the Madre di Misericordia clinic, was inaugurated by Pope Leo in November 2025.

Archbishop Luís Marín de San Martín, OSA, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, which is in charge of the clinic, told The Pillar that Pope Francis was moved by a desire to help people who had a difficulty in accessing healthcare services.

“These are primarily homeless people, who are often undocumented and therefore unable to access health care. Although we know that health care is legally guaranteed for everyone in Italy, for these individuals it is often limited to the management of medical emergencies, while primary care, diagnostic tests, rehabilitation, and the provision of medications are frequently denied to them,” Marín said.

Marín de San Martín said the clinic’s service is inspired by the Gospel story of the Good Samaritan.

“It is important to reflect on the figure of the Good Samaritan who, upon encountering a brother in distress, ‘approached [him], poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.’ (Lk 10:33–34). We must never forget that in the flesh of the poor, we touch the flesh of Christ.”

“It was this vision of faith—even before any charitable initiative—that gave rise to the clinic as a concrete expression of a Church that is a mother and bends down to embrace her most wounded children,” Marín added.

Ralli said that, although Italy guarantees hospital care for all, some people still face obstacles when trying to access certain healthcare services.

“When a patient comes here, in many cases these are people who have no documents, no Italian health card, and do not know how to get medical care. Approximately 40% of our patients are Italians and 60% are foreigners. Many do not know how to be assisted. We know that anyone on the national territory can go to the emergency room, and they’re treated, but we also try to give that person an embrace, we try to take care of them. We welcome them,” Ralli said.

While non-emergency services are covered by Italy’s healthcare system for patients with Italian healthcare assistance, even those enrolled in assistance programs are often required to pay a co-payment that, though modest for many, can represent a significant burden for the poor.

“Many people, even if they are poor, do not have an exemption for the co-payment in all cases. That may happen for missing documents or other bureaucratic issues. So, even if a medical visit costs just 20 euros, for them that can be the difference between eating or going to the doctor. The same happens with medicines, even if someone is enrolled in the healthcare system, they have to pay for basic medicines such as Ibuprofen, so we help them with this as a form of direct charity,” Ralli added.

Marín added that sometimes the barriers to healthcare access are not legal but social.

“Some of these people may fear judgmental stares and rejection that further wounds their dignity. For these people, our clinic represents a place they can access free of charge, without needing a referral, and where they can be certain to find qualified people who will welcome them with open arms and outstretched hands. Anyone in need who comes to us is welcome—a brother, a sister. That is enough,” the archbishop said.

“Our doctors welcome them warmly, listen to them, and are there for them. The poor are at the heart of their service. This is because they see Christ in their faces, and by healing them, they heal Christ. Many of those who come to us need to talk, to share their story. Although it would be desirable for this same welcoming attitude toward the most vulnerable to be present in all healthcare facilities and institutions, I believe we must start with ourselves,” he added.

Dr. Ralli told The Pillar that it is essential for the clinic to operate at the same standard as other Italian healthcare facilities, offering patients not only medical care but also a concrete expression of their dignity.

“Patients arrive and undergo a registration process as in any hospital, they’re asked what they need and if they’re not registered in the system, we register them. Then, they get a ticket with their name, what needs to be done, and their time of arrival.”

“For example, if someone has an x-Ray, they get their report on a CD and in a folder. It may not seem like much, but it’s important to restore dignity to people also through these gestures: the person feels listened to and cared for” Ralli added.

The doctors in the clinic seem to live by Ralli’s words. The patients call the doctors by their first names, and make jokes with them. As Ralli tours the clinic, patients stop him to ask questions, and he listens attentively, looking them in the eye.

Ralli added that treating mostly poor, homeless people is no excuse for providing sub-standard care.

“We must do everything in the best possible way for the poor. A simple example: the doctors’ coats arrive ironed and clean every day. The doctor takes the coat, uses it and then puts it to be washed. The same coat is not used every day. These are small details, but they restore dignity to the person, and this matters a great deal to us,” Ralli told The Pillar while changing the exam table paper in one of the clinic’s offices after an appointment.

While the clinic has over 120 volunteers and covers nearly every single medical specialty, the physical space is small, which means that scheduling the visits of specialists each month is a logistical operation in itself.

“Some of our doctors are retired physicians who come here as volunteers, others are doctors in active service, nurses, technicians and pharmacists that make some of their time available for us,” he said. “Every day, we have five or six doctors on duty, and the calendar is made public on the website.”

“A lot of people come here by word of mouth, but others come redirected from parishes, so the parish staff can always access the schedule and tell people when they’re supposed to come. Parishes work as our meeting point, as our bridge to the poor. While sometimes they go to parishes looking for food or financial support, in many cases, there’s also a health problem, so the parish priest himself becomes the bridge.”

Ralli said that, in fact, they have more doctors and medical professionals asking to come as volunteers than available slots each month and sometimes have doctors sharing a room to see their patients.

“Often we have more doctors asking to come on a given day than we have available spaces. So we ask them to take turns sharing a room, so as not to take away from a poor person the opportunity to have that visit. We keep order, but we try not to lose any possibility of care,” he added.

When Ralli says that nearly every single specialty and fundamental service is covered in the clinic, it’s not an overstatement.

The clinic conducts blood tests which are processed by the Vatican State’s Directorate of Health and Hygiene. “They can do all the necessary analyses, even the more difficult or specific analyses can be done in three or four days,” Ralli added.

“There are also many pregnant women who are taken care of in the Santa Marta Dispensary. They assist many pregnant women who have been in Italy for a short time, less than three months, in which they cannot get a health card while they regularize their paperwork, but pregnancy doesn’t wait for regularization, so the dispensary brings the women here and we can do all the tests necessary to accompany them.”

Ralli said the clinic also offers dental care and ophthalmological services.

“Dental care is also very important because people living in the streets only think of their teeth when they hurt. And you know how much a toothache hurts, so imagine how it is to be on the street in that kind of pain and without being able to buy medicine. We have dentists and technicians who come to make an assessment and make prosthesis if needed.”

“This is essential because someone without teeth cannot eat properly, cannot smile or present themselves well. Imagine a 30-year-old person who is trying to get a job but has no teeth, how can that person feel confident in presenting himself publicly?” Ralli added.

The clinic also has a special collaboration with a foundation which provides eyeglasses for patients who need them.

“There are a lot of patients that come asking for eyeglasses. We have seen people with five or six degrees of myopia who didn’t have glasses. It is impossible to reintegrate into work and society if you can’t even see what’s in front of you,” he said.

“We have ophthalmologists come here every week and conduct eye exams. We also have a collaboration with the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, which donated very advanced instruments to us. Thanks to the collaboration, an optician comes twice a month with all the frames so that the patient can choose their frame as you would do in an optical shop. They can come to collect them a week later,” Ralli added as he showed one pair of eyeglasses they had recently received for a patient. “They are beautiful glasses, like the ones you would choose for yourself.”

On November 16, 2025, during the jubilee of the poor, the San Martino clinic was inaugurated, where now X-Rays tests are conducted.

“We were able to do several diagnostic tests: electrocardiograms, spirometries, audiometric tests, eye exams, and ultrasounds. We had the issue of X-rays, but since the new clinic was open now we can do radiology tests, and we now also have this space so that more doctors can come and see patients when it’s not being used for X-rays,” Ralli said.

“This space is often used for oncology, we have an oncologist come every week and do assessment, blood tests, screenings, everything that is needed. And if there’s a diagnosis made, we accompany and guide them so that they’re able to get the care they need in the Italian healthcare system,” he added.

As Ralli speaks, one theme repeatedly emerges — a theme that also surfaces often in conversations and interviews with Archbishop Marín de San Martín: concrete charity.

“The location of this place is very symbolic, we’re right under the Holy Father’s window, so it feels like the Church is embracing these people in its own home. It’s under the colonnata, which is almost like two arms outstretched to embrace the poor that come to us.”

“It’s all concrete charity. It’s one thing to give two euros to a person on the street with back pain. That’s charity, of course, but it’s a completely different thing to tell them, ‘come, a doctor will see you and help you,’ it’s about giving you a concrete, direct solution to an issue you have.”

Archbishop Marín de San Martín agrees.

“True charity is not a theory, it’s concrete practice. It’s born from God. As the famous and ancient antiphon says, ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. God is present every time someone tends their hand to a needy person or sits down by a suffering person to listen to them. This is not a merely metaphoric present, but sacramental. The poor, the suffering person, is locus theologicus, a source of theological reflection and encounter with God.”

“We cannot bear witness to the Gospel without living it out in concrete acts of charity; we cannot truly celebrate the Eucharist unless we encounter Christ in our brother or sister who is suffering,” he added.

For both Marín de San Marín and Ralli, the work of the clinic is profoundly spiritual.

“There’s a social aspect, but we’re not an NGO,” Ralli said. “This is a Christian work of charity, and that permeates everything, including the way the doctors here take care of people. It’s not a mere doctor-patient relationship, the doctor here is motivated by making himself available by welcoming and listening to the patient.”

“There are many people who came here with absolutely nothing, completely lost, but with the help they received, not only the healthcare, but the accompaniment, the word of encouragement, they were able to take their lives back into their own hands, and faith helps a great deal.”

“The charity our volunteers share is not mere philanthropy,” said Marín, “it’s all for free, without looking at the clock or asking for anything in return. And many of them get this strength out of prayer and the Eucharist. Their charity is a prolongation of what they receive in the altar, it’s the love of Christ that identifies us as Christians.”

Ralli said that while the clinic doesn’t offer any specific spiritual assistance, there is a group of 12 deacons who work in the dicastery to provide that kind of accompaniment.

“The deacons work at the listening desk, in which people come asking for all kinds of help, not only healthcare, but financial assistance or simply someone that listens to them, or for spiritual accompaniment. So the deacons serve as a first contact, as a welcoming presence.”

“Saint Augustine said that Christ is present in the poor, so accompanying them and caring for them is not a mere act of charity, but an encounter with Him,” Marín added. “God’s way necessarily leads through the way of those in need, whatever their need may be: whether it be bread or the Word. The option for the poor is the concrete face of love.”

“Deep inside, the Christian person opts for the poor because he opts for Christ. If we exercise charity by looking at the eyes of the one who suffers, we return to them their dignity. The place where the poor are cared for becomes a site of sacramental encounter with Christ, where we enter into a relationship with the suffering Jesus. In this way, this service is not only human but also a profoundly spiritual act,” Marín added.

Ralli explained that it mostly functions financially through donations.

“We have many donors. This is a beautiful thing, because charity is always beautiful, and beauty attracts those who want to collaborate. Charity is a chain: I see what you are doing and I want to help you, by donating, by doing a fundraiser, by donating an instrument,” Ralli says.

“Every instrument in the clinic was donated. For example, the new ultrasound machine, which arrived a few months ago, was donated by the President of Malta during a visit to the Holy Father. Instead of bringing any other gift, the president wanted to make a gift for the poor,” he added.

The first patient to use the ultrasound machine was an unexpected surprise.

“This machine weighs about 440 pounds so instead of bringing it up to the Apostolic Palace so that the pope could see it, they brought it directly to the clinic and we started using it. Turns out, the first patient to come that morning to have an ultrasound was a lady from Chiclayo,” Ralli said.

“So, afterward, we took the picture and the president was able to present the picture and tell the story to the Holy Father during the audience,” he added.

“Ambassadors usually come and meet with the prefect and ask how they can help and sometimes we ask for equipment for the clinic. The radiology equipment was also donated by an institution that also contributed to the expenses for the renovation of the San Martino clinic. We recently received a probe for an ultrasound machine for endovaginal and endocavitary exams that was bought through a fundraiser by a local association”, he said.

Ralli also said that medications are one of the clinic’s most significant expenses, but they’re able to receive many through the intercession of the Banco Farmaceutico, an Italian foundation.

While they’re able to provide their services with donations, Ralli says the clinic also makes an effort not to waste money by overlapping its services with the Italian public healthcare system.

“We care for everyone, but we try to avoid overlapping with medicines. If one of our patients is enrolled in the Italian healthcare system and has a legal exemption, they can receive medicines, even expensive medicines for free. Just to name one example, if you have diabetes, you can get insulin for free,” he said.

“So, we’re careful to avoid paying for a medicine someone can get free of charge at a pharmacy. It would not make sense to spend i.e.100 euros on a medicine if that person can get it by going to the pharmacy.”

Ralli says he’s aware that in many cases people don’t know they have the right to get these medicines for free or are too afraid to ask.

“That happens often. In that case we assess the situation: we explain that the person can have the exemption that allows them to get the medicine for free, we accompany the person, we help. We have many general practitioners who collaborate with us to sign off on the exceptions. Naturally, these are not procedures that can be completed in five minutes; so in the meantime we accompany the person, support the person and provide the care he or she needs until he or she can exercise that right in Italy,” Ralli added.

The clinic has grown progressively with each passing year, both in space and in the variety of services it offers. Asked if he sees the clinic growing in the future, Archbishop Marín de San Martín said that “it’s not only desirable, but necessary.”

“Our clinic has grown enormously in the last few years, going from a handful of doctors that kept the clinic open once a week, to 120 volunteers today and 2,000 patients per month. We trust in God’s providence, that continues acting through the generous heart of so many benefactors,” he said.

“Our first step forward, however, lies in faithfulness to the Gospel and in communion with the Lord, who sustains the volunteers’ service each day. As part of this process, we will also seek out the appropriate opportunities for our service—with interest, patience, and perseverance,” Marín concluded.

Who’s in and who’s out? Leo’s revamp of Vatican supreme court

Pope Leo XIV appointed seven new members to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest canonical court of appeal, on July 25, including the first three non-bishops ever appointed as members of the tribunal.

The appointments by Leo also marked the conclusion of the five-year terms for Cardinals Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R., of Newark and Gerhard Ludwig Müller, prefect emeritus of the then-Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the only two non-canonist members of the tribunal.

The appointments and departures appear to close a practice by Pope Francis to appoint non-canon lawyers to the Signatura, while instead bringing in the first full members who are legal experts but not bishops.

Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone of San Francisco; Bishop Krzysztof Nitkiewicz of Sandomierz; Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, secretary emeritus of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts; Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo; Fr. Eduardo Baura, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; and Msgr. Gianpaolo Montini and Fr. Ulrich Rhode, S.J., professors at the Gregorian University were all appointed as new members of the tribunal.

Although Pope Benedict XVI changed the tribunal’s law in 2008 to permit non-bishops as members, neither he nor Pope Francis exercised the provision.

The Vatican did not immediately clarify which existing members’ terms had expired, fueling speculation and prompting mistaken reports that Pope Leo had dismissed all members Francis appointed to the tribunal in 2021.

What actually happened with the Apostolic Signatura? The Pillar takes a look.

Who is being replaced?

While Pope Leo XIV became the first modern pope to appoint non-bishops to the Signatura, he did not continue Pope Francis’ practice of appointing non-canon lawyers to the tribunal, passing the seats of Cardinals Tobin and Müller to canonists at the conclusion of their five-year terms.

In 2017, Francis appointed Cardinal Juan José Omella of Barcelona and Cardinal Edoardo Menichelli of Ancona-Osimo, who were not canon lawyers, to the Apostolic Signatura. In 2021, he appointed Tobin and Müller.

Menichelli died in 2025 and Omella previously stepped down from the court.

The Holy See press office bulletin typically announces only new appointments without identifying which existing members have had their terms renewed or extended. Members are instead notified privately by letter, either thanking them for their service or informing them their terms have been extended for another five years, until they turn 80, or that they were confirmed until their terms expire.

Complicating matters further, while cardinals must step down from other dicasteries at 80, the Signatura’s governing law contains no retirement age provision, making it difficult to determine which members had been replaced until publication of the Annuario Pontificio.

For example, Cardinals Leonardo Sandri and Giuseppe Versaldi are still members of the Signatura despite both being 82 years old.

While the online version of the Annuario Pontificio is updated almost immediately, it doesn’t provide information about which members were renewed for a full term, confirmed in their current terms, or renewed until their 80th birthday.

Responding to questions from The Pillar, the Holy See press office said that all the new members but Arrieta were appointed for a full five-year term, while Arrieta – who turned 75 in April – was appointed until his 80th birthday.

The two sole non-canonists in the tribunal, Tobin and Müller, did not have their terms renewed by Leo, along with Archbishop Fernando Monteiro Guimaraes, military ordinary emeritus of Brazil, Bishop Christoph Hegge, auxiliary bishop of Münster, and Bishop Mark Leonard Bartchak, bishop of Altoona-Johnstown.

Cardinals Giuseppe Versaldi, Leonardo Sandri, and Raymond Leo Burke, together with Bishop Jan Hendriks of Haarlem-Amsterdam, were confirmed for the balance of their current terms, which are due to expire between 2027 and 2028.

Cardinal James Harvey, archpriest of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and Bishop Celso Morga, emeritus bishop of Mérida-Badajoz in Spain, were confirmed until their 80th birthdays.

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops; Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest; Archbishop Cyril Vasil’, S.J. of Košice for Byzantine-rite Catholics; Archbishop Stanislav Zvolenský of Bratislava; Bishop Dominicus Meier, O.S.B. of Osnabrück; Bishop Ryszard Kasyna of Pelplin; Bishop Andrea Migliavacca of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro; Bishop Egidio Miragoli of Mondovì; Bishop Pierantonio Pavanello of Adria-Rovigo were all confirmed for another five-year term.

Who was appointed?

Pope Leo XIV appointed seven new members to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura on July 25.

The list includes two American bishops: San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and Bishop Edward Lohse, Bishop of Kalamazoo.

Cordileone has been the Archbishop of San Francisco since 2012 and has significant canonical experience, including having served as an assistant in the Signatura between 1995 and 2002, when he became an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Diego.

Lohse was ordained in the Diocese of Erie in 1989. After serving in various diocesan posts, he worked in the then-Congregation for the Clergy between 2010 and 2015, receiving a doctorate of canon law from the Gregorian University, before returning to Erie to work in the chancery and becoming Bishop of Kalamazoo in 2023.

The pope also appointed Polish Bishop Krzysztof Nitkiewicz of Sandomierz who previously taught canon law at the Białystok seminary. He went on to work in the Dicastery for Eastern Churches in 1992, becoming its undersecretary in 2002. He was appointed bishop of Sandomierz in 2009.

Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, one of the Vatican’s most renowned and longest-serving canon lawyers, was also named by Leo to the Signatura on Saturday. Arrieta served for nearly 20 years as secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts until his retirement this June after turning 75 years old in April.

Ordained as a priest of Opus Dei in 1977, he was the founding dean of the Faculty of Canon Law at the University of the Holy Cross between 1984 and 1993 and then from 1995 and 1999. He also served as the dean of the Institute of Canon Law Saint Pius X in Venice between 2003 and 2008, and between 2004 and 2019 he was a canon prelate of the Apostolic Penitentiary.

He has also previously served as legal secretary of the Apostolic Signatura and judge of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Vatican City State and as consultant of several dicasteries.

He currently serves as coordinator of the General Secretariat of the Synod’s commission to review the Code of Canons of Eastern Churches.

While the Apostolic Signatura could in theory have non-bishops as members since 2008, Leo is the first pope to exercise the option, naming three non-bishops as members of the tribunal: Fr. Eduardo Baura, Fr. Ulrich Rhode, S.J., and Msgr. Gianpaolo Montini.

Baura, also a priest of Opus Dei, succeeded Arrieta as dean of canon law of the University of the Holy Cross between 1999 and 2007 and currently teaches canon law at the same university and at the Institute of Canon Law Saint Pius X in Venice.

Rhode is a professor of canon law at the Gregorian University and was dean of the canonical faculty between 2019 and 2025.

He has also served as a consultant for the Dicastery for Culture and Education; Laity, Family and Life, and Legislative Texts. He had been an expert consultant of the Apostolic Signatura since 2021.

Montini is one of the preeminent experts in the Signatura’s procedures and an emeritus professor of the Gregorian University’s faculty of canon law and has taught canon law at various universities and seminaries in Italy. He also served as judge at the Lombard regional ecclesiastical tribunal between 1988 and 2000.

He worked as a referendary between 1990 and 1995, substitute defender of the bond between 2000 and 2004, substitute promoter of justice between 2004–2008, and promoter of justice between 2008 and 2019.

What is the Apostolic Signatura?

The Apostolic Signatura functions as the Church’s final court of appeal, both for canonical matters and in some cases in the civil courts of Vatican City. It is the court which hears cases appealing decisions or decrees from almost all Vatican departments treating all categories of Church life, though appeals.

Among the few exceptions to this are disciplinary cases concerning crimes reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which has its own Supreme Apostolic Tribunal delegated by the pope to handle especially sensitive criminal matters concerning crimes against the faith and sacraments.

The bulk of the Signatura’s caseload concerns appeals regarding the exercise of ecclesiastical governance through executive authority. If, for example, an individual or group with legal standing appeals against an act of governance placed by a diocesan bishop, that case is referred to the relevant Vatican department, usually the Dicastery for Clergy. Following the dicastery’s decision, either party from the original appeal can then make further, final, recourse to the Signatura.

The Apostolic Signatura also functions as a final court of appeal for cases decided by the Roman Rota, the Vatican appeals court for judicial processes throughout the global Church’s canonical system.

However, the Signatura does not rehear cases appealed from the Rota on the merits of the case — only procedural questions are considered. The court decides whether the Rota followed the rules of a proper trial, not whether its decision, if it did follow the rules, was a good one.

If procedural law wasn’t followed, the Signatura can vacate a Rotal decision and order a new hearing, but it cannot retry the case itself on the merits.

The Signatura’s decisions often primarily treat questions of administrative procedure and legal process, and rule on the proper exercise of authority in the Church. Members of the tribunal are, therefore, often appointed in recognition of their technical expertise in the practice of canon law.

Diocese moves to ease parish identity fears

Parish identity must not be lost as dioceses reorganise into larger pastoral areas, the diocesan director of parish development in Kildare and Leighlin has said in reassurance to worried parishioners.

Deacon Roche, diocesan director of parish development in Kildare and Leighlin, said he has worked with Bishop Denis Nulty and others to reorganise the diocese’s 56 parishes and 117 faith communities into 11 pastoral areas.

Bishop Nulty previously said the new model would allow parishes to “share resources, work closer together, collaborate closer together”, while still holding on to their own identity.

Deacon Roche said protecting parish identity is central to his work, particularly “making sure parishes as individual entities don’t get lost in this whole thing.”

The Leighlin based deacon said some parishioners fear that without a resident priest their parish could lose its identity or be “subsumed into a larger entity”, but insisted that “it’s the people who give the parish their identity, not the priest, not a geographic boundary, but the faith community.”

Likewise, Bishop Nulty said the biggest issue for people is often “their identity through a local parish”, noting that parish life can be associated with football, hurling and even where people want to be buried.

However, Deacon Roche said parishes must also remember that their deepest identity is found in their shared faith. “We all have a common baptism. We all have a shared faith,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what team we play for in the GAA pitch. We should be able to set our sporting differences aside and come together in prayer and in faith.”

Consultations across the 11 pastoral areas found “huge affection and respect” for local parishes, he said, with some responding to the prospect of losing a resident priest with “real devastation and sorrow”, but also “significant resilience”.

Deacon Roche said lay people will have a major role in the new model, with 25 men and women in the diocese preparing to become lay pastoral ministers after an initial period of discernment.

“The vision for those lay pastoral ministers would be at pastoral area level,” he said, adding that they may have a primary focus on their own parish while also supporting other parishes in the pastoral area.

Bishop Nulty said lay people must be “at the heart of parish and Church”, particularly in the work of evangelisation.

Vatican publishes the instructions for bishops to evaluate the implementation of the Synod in their dioceses

The General Secretariat of the Synod has published the document «Making Memory. 

Accompanying the Preparation of the Local Church Evaluation Assembly» (available in ENG – ESP – FRA – ITA – POR), a set of instructions addressed to bishops and synodal teams to prepare the diocesan and eparchial assemblies that must be held during the first semester of 2027. 

The text marks the beginning of the evaluation phase of the implementation of the Synod on Synodality in the particular Churches and establishes the procedure that dioceses must follow before the Ecclesial Assembly scheduled for October 2028 in the Vatican.

The document presents this stage as a time of spiritual discernment and not as a simple organizational review. «Making Memory» means, as it explains, recognizing God’s action in the journey of each community in order to discern the future steps of the Church’s mission.

The bishops, responsible for the process

The instructions emphasize that it is up to each bishop to lead this process in his diocese. 

To do so, he must convene the participatory bodies, especially the Presbyteral Council and the Diocesan Pastoral Council, appoint or reactivate the synodal team, and personally accompany all phases of the work until validating the final result. 

Where these teams do not yet exist, the document calls for their establishment «with urgency» to ensure adequate preparation of the assembly.

The General Secretariat stresses that the guidelines do not constitute a rigid model, but a working method that each local Church must adapt to its reality through a process of discernment.

A spiritual evaluation, not an audit

The Secretary General of the Synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, stated on the occasion of the document’s publication that «to evaluate is not a technical exercise, but an experience of gratitude and truth», because «making memory means recognizing what the Lord has brought to maturity in the journey of our communities and allowing ourselves to be guided toward the next steps».

Along the same lines, the text insists that the future Evaluation Assembly does not intend to repeat the synodal consultation begun in 2021, but to help local Churches recognize the fruits, difficulties, and transformations that have emerged during the implementation phase of the Synod’s Final Document.

A report from each diocese and a letter to the other Churches

As part of the process, each diocese and eparchy must prepare a Narrative Account, six to eight pages long, presenting the journey undertaken since the conclusion of the Synod. The document should include the experiences lived, the fruits achieved, and the processes of transformation identified in light of the three areas proposed by the Final Document: the conversion of relationships, of ecclesial processes, and of bonds.

Subsequently, during the Evaluation Assembly convened by the bishop, participants will review this report using the method known as «conversation in the Spirit». They will also draft a Letter to the Other Churches, inspired by the ancient litterae communionis of the early Church, in order to share the main fruits of the synodal process.

What the dioceses must evaluate

The instructions invite local Churches to examine specific aspects of the Synod’s implementation, including the promotion of a synodal spirituality, the participation of the lay faithful in ecclesial responsibilities, processes of discernment and decision-making, transparency and accountability, the missionary renewal of parishes and communities, ecumenical and interreligious relations, as well as formation initiatives for synodality.

The document also recalls words spoken by Leo XIV at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Consistory of June 2026:

«Synodality is not a set of meetings, nor a method of work. It is a spiritual style. It is born of encounter, grows in listening, and matures in discernment».

A process that will conclude in 2028

Once approved by each bishop, the Narrative Account and the Letter must be sent before June 30, 2027 to the national or regional synodal teams and to the General Secretariat of the Synod. 

Subsequently, the assemblies of the episcopal conferences and the Eastern Catholic Churches will be held, followed by the continental assemblies during 2028, before the celebration of the Ecclesial Assembly in the Vatican scheduled for October of that year, which will mark the culmination of the implementation process of the Synod begun in 2021.

Roche assures that Leo XIV will not reverse the restrictions on the Traditional Mass

The prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Cardinal Arthur Roche, has assured that Pope Leo XIV will not modify the restrictions on the celebration of the traditional Mass established by Traditionis custodes nor restore the regime provided for by Benedict XVI in Summorum Pontificum.

The statements were made in an interview granted to the British weekly The Tablet, in which the English prelate categorically affirmed: «Pope Leo is not going to change Traditionis custodes and is not going to return to Summorum Pontificum.»

This is the first public statement by Roche regarding the Pontiff’s position on one of the liturgical issues that has generated the most debate within the Church in recent years.

Unity as an argument

During the interview, the prefect defended that the question of the traditional liturgy must be understood from the perspective of ecclesial unity. He recalled that the Eucharist is «the sacrament of unity» and maintained that, if the celebration of the Mass becomes a cause of division, «something is seriously wrong».

Roche also rejected the claims of persecution made by some faithful linked to the traditional liturgy. According to him, when the Pope grants authorizations in accordance with current regulations and those groups continue to claim they are being persecuted, «they cannot answer what the real problem is».

Likewise, he lamented the tone of some criticisms directed against Church authorities and even wondered: «Can one honestly say that one is Catholic when one writes things so full of hatred about people and about the Church?».

Defense of the liturgical reform

The prefect clarified that he does not consider the liturgy prior to the Second Vatican Council to be erroneous, but maintained that the reform promoted after the Council responded to the need to prepare the Church for a renewed missionary task.

Among the changes introduced, he highlighted the expansion of biblical readings in the liturgy and emphasized a different understanding of the participation of the faithful in the eucharistic celebration. Whereas in the traditional form the priest acts on behalf of the assembly, he stated, the conciliar reform emphasizes that the entire baptized people actively participates in the celebration together with the priest.

The prefect’s statements do not constitute a change of position. Since the publication of Traditionis custodes, Arthur Roche has been one of its firmest defenders.

Already in January, during the extraordinary consistory convened by Leo XIV, the cardinal attempted to place the liturgical question at the center of the debate. 

Roche distributed among the cardinals an extensive document in which he defended the liturgical reform following the Second Vatican Council and justified the restrictions imposed by Francis on the celebration according to the 1962 Missal. 

Ultimately, the debate was postponed and the issue was left off the consistory’s agenda.

An ongoing debate

Roche’s statements come at a time when the future of the traditional liturgy continues to be the subject of intense debate within the Church. Since the promulgation of Traditionis custodes in 2021, numerous dioceses have restricted the celebration according to the 1962 liturgical books, while others have sought ways to maintain its pastoral continuity.

Furthermore, the liturgical debate took a turn with the episcopal consecrations carried out by the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Pius X (FSSPX) in Écône at the beginning of July.

The consecration of four new bishops without a pontifical mandate led to the decree of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that described the act as schismatic and declared the excommunication of the consecrated bishops and of those who participate directly with the FSSPX.

This event profoundly altered the climate surrounding the liturgical question. The focus ceased to be exclusively on Traditionis custodes and shifted to the rupture with the FSSPX and the consequences that decision could have for the traditional world as a whole.

At the same time, numerous communities linked to the traditional liturgy that remain in full communion with Rome expressed their concern over the risk of their situation being identified with that of the Fraternity, insisting that the vast majority of the faithful attached to the usus antiquior continue to live fully integrated into the life of the Church.

The words of the prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship contrast with those positions and point to the continuity of the line marked by Traditionis custodes, although to date Leo XIV has not personally pronounced on this issue nor published any document relating to a possible modification of the current regulations.

Voices against Traditionis custodes grow

Far from being closed, the debate has intensified in recent weeks. Some of the most direct criticisms came from Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who called for restoring full freedom for the celebration of the traditional Mass and maintained that Traditionis custodes «did not have a positive effect», but rather ended up reinforcing the positions of the FSSPX.

Likewise, Archbishop Georg Gänswein stated that Francis «was mistaken» with Traditionis custodes and defended that this error should be corrected. He also revealed the deep pain experienced by Benedict XVI upon learning of the publication of the motu proprio that limited the scope of Summorum Pontificum.

In this context, Roche’s statements appear aimed at cooling the expectations of those who hoped for a review of the liturgical policy initiated during the pontificate of Francis.

The last memories of Francis

In the interview, Roche also recalled his last meeting with Pope Francis. He recounted that he was with him the day before his death and remembered how the Pontiff insisted on going out to St. Peter’s Square to greet the faithful despite the doctors’ initial opposition.

According to the cardinal, after returning to the Vatican and being put back to bed in his room, Francis spoke his last words: «Thank you for taking me to the people».

Roche also addressed other issues related to the life of the Church, defended the importance of Sunday Mass attendance as an essential element of Catholic life, and expressed his concern about the evolution of contemporary culture in matters such as abortion and euthanasia, upholding the teaching of Humanae Vitae and the need to preserve the dignity of human life until its natural end.

For the moment, the only certainty is that Leo XIV himself has not pronounced on this issue. Arthur Roche’s words reflect the position of the prefect of the dicastery in charge of the liturgy, but any eventual modification—or confirmation—of Traditionis custodes will ultimately depend on a decision by the Pope.

German diocese of Hildesheim consults priests and laypeople before electing its new bishop

The German diocese of Hildesheim has launched a consultation process to gather the opinions of priests and faithful regarding the profile of its next bishop, following the vacancy of the episcopal see on June 21 after the transfer of Monsignor Heiner Wilmer to the diocese of Münster.

The initiative combines the advice of the Diocesan Pastoral Council, which also includes lay faithful, with a series of open meetings organized by the cathedral chapter, the body responsible for electing the new bishop.

On September 15, the eight canons of the chapter will hold meetings in eight locations across the diocese to explain to the faithful how the process will unfold until the appointment of the new pastor. 

Each meeting will begin with a liturgical celebration and continue with a space for dialogue between attendees and the members of the chapter.

The chapter will elect the new bishop

According to the German media outlet Katholisch.de, the election of the new bishop of Hildesheim is governed by the provisions of the 1929 Prussian Concordat, which continues to regulate the appointment of bishops in several German dioceses.

Under this procedure, the cathedral chapter will prepare an initial list of candidates, which will be sent to the Vatican through the apostolic nuncio. The Holy See may modify this proposal or add new names before preparing the final terna of three candidates.

It will then be the chapter itself that elects the new bishop from among those three names, with the final official appointment resting with Pope Leo XIV. Based on the experience of previous processes, the appointment could take approximately one year, during which time the see will remain vacant.

Germany applies a model now being studied by the Synod

The consultation promoted by the diocese of Hildesheim is not new in Germany. In recent years, other dioceses, such as Münster and Paderborn, have also incorporated mechanisms for the participation of the laity and consultative bodies in the preliminary phases of electing new bishops.

This model aligns with some of the proposals presented last May by one of the study groups of the Synod on Synodality. 

In the first part of its report on the figure of the bishop, the group proposed expanding prior consultations for episcopal appointments, involving not only presbyteral and pastoral councils, but also —when circumstances allow —representatives of the laity, religious, youth, and other sectors of ecclesial life.

Pope Leo XIV receives Marx and Fernández after the letter from 26 German priests

Pope Leo XIV received Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich and Freising and coordinator of the Council for the Economy, and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, in audience this Wednesday, during a day of meetings that comes just five days after the publication of the letter from 26 German priests questioning Marx’s decision to promote in his archdiocese the controversial guidelines on blessings for couples in irregular situations, including same-sex couples.

The Holy See Press Office limited itself to reporting the audiences held, without providing details on the matters discussed in each of them.

The letter that has placed Marx at the center of the controversy

The 26 priests of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising sent a letter to Cardinal Marx last May expressing their doubts about the application of the German national guidelines, considering that they contradict the Church’s teaching and go beyond what is provided for in the declaration Fiducia supplicans.

In his response, Marx proposed applying the guidelines for one year as a pilot experience before evaluating the results together with the clergy.

The signatories, however, warned that if the archbishop’s explanations are not satisfactory, they will consider going directly to the Holy See to request clarification.

The role of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith

The presence of Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández on the Pontiff’s agenda adds interest to the day, as the dicastery he heads published the declaration Fiducia supplicans in 2023, which allows spontaneous and brief blessings for people in irregular situations, excluding any rite that could resemble a marriage celebration, and which has been the source of multiple interpretations since its publication.

In addition, last May the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith made public a letter sent in November 2024 to the German bishops in which it raised various objections to the draft guidelines that the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising now intends to implement.

Leo XIV’s position

It is worth recalling that, during the press conference on the return flight from his apostolic journey to Africa, Leo XIV stated that the Holy See “does not agree with the formalized blessing of couples”, insisting that any practice that goes beyond what is provided for in Fiducia supplicans “can cause more division than unity”.

Other audiences of the day

In addition to Marx and Fernández, the Pope received the president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See (APSA), Monsignor Giordano Piccinotti; the Auditor General of the Holy See, Alessandro Cassinis Righini; and the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development, Sister Alessandra Smerilli, accompanied by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Pro-Prefect of the same dicastery.

Lawyer for Rupnik's victims denounces a trial "in the dark" and demands answers from the Vatican

After the Holy See officially denied reports of an alleged acquittal of Marko Ivan Rupnik and confirmed that the canonical process is still ongoing, lawyer Laura Sgrò made public her criticisms of the procedure’s development, denouncing the lack of information provided to the women she represents and demanding clarification on whether they will be allowed to participate as injured parties in the trial.

In statements to La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana and Crux, as well as in a letter addressed to the Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the Italian lawyer insists that she does not seek a public trial or to question the canonical order, but rather to obtain “the minimum information that guarantees the right of defense and the right of contradiction.”

“Without it, there can be no justice,” she states.

Five questions that remain unanswered

According to OSV News, Sgrò sent a letter to Cardinal Fernández on July 21 raising five specific issues: whether the trial had actually begun, its current status, the composition of the tribunal, what had happened to the request submitted by her clients to be admitted as injured parties, and why the complainants had still not been called to testify.

The following day, the Holy See Press Office officially confirmed that the judicial process is underway and denied reports of an alleged acquittal of Rupnik. 

The Director of the Press Office, Matteo Bruni, explained that, “during the trial, as in any judicial proceeding, information about ongoing activities cannot be shared out of respect for the trial itself” and also to avoid harming those involved. 

He added that, if the tribunal deems it necessary to gather more information, “it will be its responsibility to proceed independently to obtain it.”

However, the statement did not address one of the central questions raised by the lawyer: what has happened to the request for the complainants to be admitted as injured parties in the proceedings.

The issue of victims in the process

It is precisely here that Sgrò places the core of her criticism.

The lawyer denounces that her clients “have not only not been summoned,” but that the request submitted to intervene as representatives of the injured party “has not even received a response.” 

She also claims to have repeatedly attempted to contact Cardinal Fernández and the Secretary of the Disciplinary Section of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop John Joseph Kennedy, without receiving a reply.

“I have always been given the runaround; no one wants to talk to me,” she states.

The issue is not minor from a legal standpoint. Canon 1729 of the Code of Canon Law provides that the injured party may bring, within the criminal proceedings themselves, an action to claim compensation for damages suffered as a result of the offense. 

It is precisely this possibility that Sgrò requested for her clients and on which, so far, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has not given a public response.

The lawyer also maintains that her clients do not know the identity of the judges handling the case and have not even been heard as witnesses.

“How can a trial be credible when the victims do not even know the names of the judges? It is another form of violence committed against these women,” she asserts.

A debate that goes beyond the Rupnik case

Sgrò’s criticisms are not limited to the case of the former Slovenian Jesuit, but reopen a broader debate on the participation of victims in certain canonical criminal proceedings.

The lawyer denounces that the alleged victims remain on the sidelines of the process, without sufficient information about its progress and without a response to the requests made by their legal representation.  

A similar criticism was raised by the victims of the Peruvian priest Eleuterio “Lute” Vásquez, whose canonical investigation was also surrounded by complaints about the limited communication maintained with the complainants during the processing of the case.

In the letter sent to Cardinal Fernández, Sgrò asserts that her clients “feel abandoned and betrayed, victims once again of a system that never welcomed, protected, or comforted them.” In her view, the lack of communication constitutes “additional violence” against women whose wounds “remain open.”

Transparency and credibility

The lawyer concludes her letter by appealing to the credibility of the Church itself.

“The Church, like the victims, needs transparency, justice, and truth,” she writes, while requesting to be kept informed “to the extent possible” about the progress of the proceedings and reminding that her clients “must be considered a resource and not an obstacle on the path to truth.”

The canonical trial against Rupnik continues as the tribunal examines the extensive documentation gathered during the investigation. 

For the time being, the Holy See maintains confidentiality regarding the development of the proceedings, citing the need to preserve the integrity of the process, while the complainants demand to know what their role will be in a procedure whose outcome could become a reference for future cases of abuse tried by canonical justice.

Bosnian Prosecutor's Office requests pretrial detention for the suspect in the attack on the Medjugorje shrine

Early Tuesday morning, a man set fire to the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Church in Medjugorje and defaced several images of the Virgin with black paint. 

He also left messages against the alleged visionaries and other inscriptions whose meaning authorities are still investigating. The attack shocked the Marian shrine and triggered an intense police operation that ended with the arrest of a Polish citizen.

Nine years ago, Bartłomiej Włodzimierz Krakowiak walked some 1,300 kilometers from Warsaw to Medjugorje, convinced that the Virgin had changed his life. He wrote a book about his pilgrimage, gave testimony of his conversion in parishes and schools across Poland, and even appeared in a film about his return to the faith. 

Today, although Bosnian authorities have not yet officially confirmed his identity, numerous Polish media outlets identify this man as the main suspect in the vandalism attack on the shrine.

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has taken over the investigation and will request pretrial detention for the 31-year-old Polish citizen arrested for setting fire to the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Church and defacing several images of the Virgin in Medjugorje. 

A senior official from the Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed this to the Croatian agency Hina, noting that the suspect will be brought before the prosecutor, who will now lead the proceedings.

The investigation initially focuses on the alleged crime of damage or destruction of religious buildings, defined in Article 145.b of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, punishable by six months to five years in prison.

The escape ended on the way to the Croatian border

After the attack, the suspect left Medjugorje and headed toward Černo, a town near Ljubuški and the border with Croatia. His search mobilized police officers from two cantons, firefighters, members of the Mountain Rescue Service (GSS), and local residents.

The escape ended thanks to the intervention of Ivan Vučić, a security guard who recognized the suspect from images released during the manhunt.

In statements to the newspaper Dnevni avaz, Vučić explained that he was driving when he saw a man matching the photographs published by the police. He stopped the car and began to pursue him.

“I had to throw myself on him to restrain him. He was violent and tried to break free, but I had to use force to calm him down,” he recounted. According to his testimony, he even thought the fugitive might be armed, but decided to intervene anyway. Shortly afterward, officers arrived and took charge of the detainee.

A former Medjugorje pilgrim

Krakowiak has been known since 2017 in several Polish Catholic media outlets for his testimony of conversion, closely linked to Medjugorje.

As he told the portal Opoka at the time, he decided to make a pilgrimage to the shrine after being diagnosed with depression. After praying for help, he opened Google Maps and felt he had to go specifically to Medjugorje.

With little money in his pocket, he set out on a 1,300-kilometer walk from Warsaw, which he completed in 57 days. During the journey, he posted daily updates on Facebook under the title Z buta do Maryi (“On Foot to Mary”), a page that attracted thousands of followers.

After completing the pilgrimage, he published a book with the same title and began giving testimonies in parishes, schools, prisons, and rehabilitation centers. In 2024, he also appeared in the Polish film Powołany 2, where he recounted how he had overcome a deep personal crisis through faith.

In one of those interviews, he stated: “I believe that Mary appears to the visionaries. No one has to confirm it for me.”

An attack targeting the main symbols of the shrine

The evidence known so far suggests that the attack was not an act of indiscriminate vandalism, but a deliberate action against some of Medjugorje’s most emblematic sites.

The first call to the police came at 4:30 a.m., when the defacement of the image of the Virgin located on Podbrdo, the Hill of Apparitions, was discovered.

Half an hour later, a second alert was received reporting a fire at the outdoor altar of St. James the Apostle Church, where the main liturgical ceremonies of the shrine are held.

Security cameras recorded the perpetrator moving through the grounds with fuel containers before setting the altar on fire.

Several messages written in English and Polish were found next to the damaged images. On one of the statues, the phrase “Devil in skirt” could be read.

Meanwhile, a banner labeled the six alleged visionaries of Medjugorje as “frauds.”

Medjugorje responded with prayer and reparation

While the investigation progressed and the search for the suspect kept the population on edge, members of the Community of the Cenacle and volunteers at the shrine worked from early morning to clean the defaced images and the burned altar, removing the black paint and restoring the prayer sites for pilgrims.

St. James the Apostle Parish decided to maintain the full liturgical schedule as planned. That same afternoon, the rosary and Eucharistic adoration were celebrated, along with a prayer of reparation for the desecration suffered by the shrine.

In a statement released after the events, the Medjugorje Parish Office invited the faithful to respond “with prayer, fasting, and forgiveness,” also asking them to pray for the conversion of the person responsible for the attack.

Just days before the start of Mladifest, the International Youth Festival that will bring together tens of thousands of pilgrims from around the world, the shrine has already resumed its normal activities. 

Meanwhile, the suspect will appear before the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the coming hours, which will decide on the request for pretrial detention while the investigation continues to determine the motive behind the attack.

Nun speaks out for first time about being detained by ICE while walking to Mass in Texas

A nun who was taken into immigration custody last month in Texas said Thursday that she went into a cold sweat as two armed men approached her while she walked to Sunday Mass in her habit, thinking about the day’s Bible readings and carrying little more than her rosary and cellphone.

“Honestly, in that moment, I did not understand what was going on, what was happening to me,” Sister Leticia Ugboaja said at a news conference at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in McAllen, where she spoke out for the first time since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested her on June 28.

Ugboaja’s attorney says she has for years been granted protection from removal to her native Nigeria because she was likely to face torture there.

Ugboaja, 56, was released several hours after being detained while on her way to church near the U.S.-Mexico border. Parish officials’ posting about her on social media brought attention to her case, and Congress members ultimately intervened on her behalf. President Donald Trump made mass deportations a central promise of his second administration, with his immigration crackdown leading to unusually aggressive tactics that have faced scrutiny.

Ugboaja, who has a check-in appointment with ICE on Tuesday, said she wanted to speak out to help others, and pleaded for people to have the chance to be heard before being taken into custody.

“There are many others in this same situation, people who have been given some form of protection under our laws, who have followed every rule asked of them, and who still live with uncertainty,” Ugboaja said.

While she’s grateful to those who helped her, she said, that “does not mean I can stay quiet about what happened to me, or about what is still happening to others.”

Her attorney, Carlos M. Garcia, sat next to Ugboaja at the news conference and provided details about her immigration case. He said that in 2019 an immigration judge denied her application for asylum but granted her protection from removal to Nigeria because she likely would be tortured there. Garcia said Ugboaja, who is a nurse, has complied with everything required of her and had permission to work in the U.S.

When ICE detained Ugboaja in June, she wasn’t given much explanation as to why she was taken into custody, her attorney said. But the U.S. planned to remove her to a third country, he added.

The Trump administration’s third-country removal policy has been criticized by lawyers and human rights groups and has faced legal challenges. The Department of Homeland Security has said the agreements allow people seeking asylum in the U.S. to pursue protection in the other country, and that the agreements are used to try to address large backlogs in immigration courts.

DHS and ICE did not respond to a request to comment on Ugboaja’s case on Thursday and did not respond to requests for comment after her detention in June.

Ugboaja is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and volunteered as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Brownsville has said. Ugboaja is also a registered nurse at South Texas Health System and worked previously for 10 years as a certified nursing assistant in Edinburg, the spokesperson said.

Ugboaja said that on the day she was taken into custody, she begged the officers to let her attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, but was told she could not.

“For me, a nun, not to go to Mass on Sunday, not to receive Communion, it was very, very heartbreaking for me,” she said.

Polish suspect in Medjugorje vandalism detained

Locals in Bosnia and Herzegovina's famed Marian shrine Medjugorje began cleaning a vandalized statue of the Virgin Mary and repairing a burned outdoor altar, as police detained a Polish suspect and calls grew to avoid online attacks against the troubled man.

The July 28 overnight attack took place at Apparition Hill, where millions of pilgrims have prayed since six young people alleged Marian apparitions there in 1981. Photos showed a statue of Mary defaced with black spray paint and offensive messages, including the words "devil in a skirt." 

Police said an outdoor altar connected with St. James Church was also set on fire.

Despite the damage, parish workers and volunteers quickly began cleaning and restoring the site, and the shrine remained open.

"The shrine remains open to all pilgrims. The prayer program is taking place regularly, and all spaces are being rapidly cleaned and prepared so that they can once again be a place of prayer and encounter with the Lord," the St. James parish office said in a statement.

Medjugorje is one of the most visited Catholic pilgrimage sites in Europe, drawing pilgrims from around the world for prayer, confession and retreats. While the Vatican has not declared the reported apparitions supernatural, Pope Francis in 2024 approved public devotion and pilgrimages to the site.

The attack came shortly before Mladifest, Medjugorje's annual youth festival, which draws tens of thousands of young pilgrims.

As the local Catholic community responded with prayer and forgiveness, voices also emerged urging restraint in judging the suspect.

Jan Sobierajski, a Polish Catholic filmmaker who said he knew the man personally, described him as someone whose life had taken a difficult turn. The two had worked together on the docudrama Powolany 2, or Called 2, featuring personal stories of conversion and faith.

"He was in a completely different period of his life — both personally and spiritually," Sobierajski wrote in a Facebook post.

He said the man had faced serious personal difficulties, including losing his job, the breakdown of his marriage and other crises, and that he personally had encouraged him to seek help, which the man rejected. At the same time, the Catholic filmmaker stressed that such struggles do not excuse the alleged act.

"That, of course, does not justify what happened. The desecration remains something very painful," he wrote. "But before we condemn a person, it is worth remembering that behind his actions there may be a tragedy that is not visible at first glance."

Speaking to Radio Warszawa, Sobierajski said Christians should remember that while damaged religious objects can be restored, “we are fighting for something much greater — for this man's eternal life.”

The parish echoed that approach, condemning the vandalism while urging prayer instead of anger.

"We pray for the conversion of the hearts of those who committed this act, that the Lord may touch them with His grace and lead them on the path of goodness," the parish said in a July 28 statement.