The attackers were members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an Islamist militia aligned with the so-called Islamic State. For residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern provinces, this is not an isolated nightmare. It is part of a relentless cycle of massacres, abductions, and displacement that has continued despite the region’s prolonged “state of siege.”

In the days following the attack, the country’s Catholic bishops issued a statement that was both grief-stricken and accusatory. The National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) demanded answers—not only about the attack itself, but about the absence of protection for the population. “Security forces were nearby,” said Bishop Dieudonné Uringi of Bunia, “but they did not act in time. They should have intervened more quickly to protect the people.”

CENCO’s communiqué was even more pointed: “This massacre is one of many in a province under military control for years. Killings and kidnappings happen repeatedly, and no credible explanation has been offered to reassure the people. Who are these serial killers serving? Who benefits from these crimes against peaceful citizens?”

The aftermath is visible not only in the charred remains of the church but in the swelling numbers of displaced people. Many survivors fled to Bunia, where the diocese is struggling to house and feed them. “We welcome them, but we have no means to sustain them,” Bishop Uringi said, appealing for continued aid from international partners like the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.

Despite the danger, the bishop refuses to retreat from his pastoral duties. “This afternoon, I must travel over 60 kilometers into a mining zone in the jungle, just as I did in June and July. I make the journey every month to administer confirmation.” His resolve mirrors that of countless clergy and religious who have chosen to remain with their communities in one of the world’s most dangerous regions for Christians.

According to the 2025 Red List from Global Christian Relief, the DRC is now the second-deadliest country for Christians, surpassed only by Nigeria. Between November 2022 and 2024, at least 390 Christians were killed, many at the hands of Islamist militant groups like the ADF.

Beyond the numbers, the toll is human and deeply personal. Among those seeking safety are the Angelic Sisters of St. Paul, themselves uprooted by the violence but still serving others. They are part of a vast tide—nearly six million people displaced in the DRC by armed conflict. Catholic organizations worldwide are now mobilizing donations to help them not merely survive, but continue ministering to those left destitute by war.

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We now offer the text of the Holy Father’s catechesis:

***

Dear brothers and sisters,

Let us continue our journey in the school of the Gospel, following Jesus’ steps in the final days of his life. Today we will pause at an intimate, dramatic, yet also profoundly true scene: the moment at which, during the Passover supper, Jesus reveals that one of the Twelve is about to betray him: “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me” (Mk 14:18).

Strong words. Jesus does not utter them to condemn, but to show how love, when it is true, cannot do without the truth. The room on the upper floor, where shortly beforehand everything was carefully prepared, suddenly fills with a painful silence, made up of questions, suspicions, vulnerability. It is a pain we too know well, when the shadow of betrayal is cast over the closest relationships.

And yet, the way in which Jesus speaks about what is about to happen is surprising. He does not raise his voice, nor point his finger, nor utter the name of Judas. He speaks in such a way that each one can ask himself the question. And this is exactly what happens. Saint Mark tells us: “They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one, ‘Surely it is not I?’” (Mk 14:19).

Dear friends, this question – “Surely it is not I?” – is perhaps among the sincerest that we can ask ourselves. It is not the question of the innocent, but of the disciple who discovers himself to be fragile. It is not the cry of the guilty, but the whisper of him who, while wanting to love, is aware of being able to do harm. It is in this awareness that the journey of salvation begins.

Jesus does not denounce in order to humiliate. He tells the truth because he wants to save. And in order to be saved, it is necessary to feel: to feel that one is involved, to feel that one is beloved despite everything, to feel that evil is real but that it does not have the last word. Only those who have known the truth of a deep love can also accept the wound of betrayal.

 The disciples’ reaction is not anger, but sadness. They are not indignant, they are sorrowful. It is a pain that arises from the real possibility of being involved. And precisely this sorrow, if welcomed with sincerity, becomes a place for conversion. The Gospel does not teach us to deny evil, but to recognize it as a painful opportunity for rebirth.

Jesus then adds a phrase that troubles us and makes us think. “But woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born” (Mk 14:21). They are harsh words, certainly, but they must be understood well: it is not a curse, but rather a cry of pain. In Greek, that “woe” sounds like a lamentation, an “alas”, an exclamation of sincere and deep compassion.

We are used to judging. Instead, God accepts suffering. When he sees evil, he does not avenge it, but grieves. And that “better if he had never been born” is not a condemnation imposed a priori, but a truth that any of us can recognize: if we deny the love that has generated us, if by betraying we become unfaithful to ourselves, then we truly lose the meaning of our coming into the world, and we exclude ourselves from salvation.

And yet, precisely there, at the darkest point, the light is not extinguished. On the contrary, it starts to shine. Because if we recognize our limit, if we let ourselves be touched by the pain of Christ, then we can finally be born again. Faith does not spare us from the possibility of sin, but if always offers us a way out of it: that of mercy.

Jesus is not scandalized by our fragility. He knows well that no friendship is immune from the risk of betrayal. But Jesus continues to trust. He continues to sit at the table with his followers. He does not give up breaking bread, even for those who will betray him. This is the silent power of God: he never abandons the table of love, even when he knows he will be left alone.

Dear brothers and sisters, we too can ask ourselves today, with sincerity: “Surely it is not I?”. Not to feel accused, but to open a space for truth in our hearts. Salvation begins here: with the awareness that we may be the ones who break our trust in God, but that we can also be the ones who gather it, protect it and renew it.

Ultimately, this is hope: knowing that even if we fail, God will never fail us. Even if we betray him, he never stops loving us. And if we allow ourselves to be touched by this love – humble, wounded, but always faithful – then we can truly be reborn. And we can begin to live no longer as traitors, but as children who are always loved.

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The first half of 2025 has brought unprecedented numbers of international pilgrims, with 2.64 million visitors recorded between January and June. Among them, 9,290 came in officially registered groups from 24 different countries—an increase of nearly one-third over last year.

For the Metropolitan Chapter of Zaragoza, the figures confirm what many locals have sensed for months: the basilica’s plaza has never seemed so full of languages, flags, and accents from around the world.

A New Geography of Devotion

While Spain’s own faithful remain the backbone of daily worship, the real headline is the transformation of the basilica into a genuinely international pilgrimage hub. The United States now leads in numbers, sending 1,845 pilgrims this year, while the Philippines maintains a strong second place with a 28% increase. Mexico and Colombia have both posted significant growth, and Indonesia’s numbers have surged. Even more striking, China’s contingent has doubled, with 342 pilgrims making the journey.

Some of these arrivals are newcomers entirely: Uganda, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Angola joined the roster for the first time in 2025, adding a vibrancy and diversity rarely seen before.

“The Pillar is not just a Spanish devotion anymore—it belongs to the universal Church,” says Father Miguel, a canon of the basilica, standing at the edge of the nave as a group from Poland sings a Marian hymn in their own language. “When people arrive here, they’re stepping into centuries of history, but also into a living, global community of faith.”

A Shrine in Context

The Basilica of the Pillar occupies a unique place among Catholic pilgrimage sites. Unlike Lourdes or Fatima, which are associated with 19th- and 20th-century apparitions, the devotion here traces its roots to the earliest days of Christianity. Tradition holds that the Virgin Mary appeared to the Apostle James in Zaragoza around 40 A.D., standing on a pillar of jasper that is still venerated today.

This deep historical pedigree gives the basilica an allure that is at once ancient and enduring. “It’s a different kind of pilgrimage,” explains Maria Santos, a guide who has worked at both Lourdes and Zaragoza. “Here, people are not coming for healing water or a miracle story—they’re coming to touch something that connects directly to the apostles. That’s rare.”

Why 2025 is Different

May has always been a high-water mark for pilgrimages, but this year’s figures—over 3,950 international pilgrims—mark a nearly 40% increase from the same month in 2024. June followed with another dramatic jump. Only April saw a decline, likely due to calendar and climate factors.

But beyond raw numbers, the tone of pilgrimages seems to be changing. Organizers note that more groups are integrating cultural and historical tours into their itineraries, combining faith with a deeper exploration of Spain. For Zaragoza’s economy, this has meant fuller hotels, busier restaurants, and expanded tour offerings that weave together faith, art, and local gastronomy.

A Bridge Between Continents

Comparisons to Lourdes in France or Fatima in Portugal are inevitable, but Zaragoza has a distinctive advantage: geography. Located between Madrid and Barcelona, it is easily accessible to travelers visiting Spain for broader tours. The city’s AVE high-speed train makes day trips possible from major hubs, while the basilica itself, with its riverside setting and baroque towers, offers a postcard-perfect focal point for devotional gatherings.

“The Basilica of the Pillar is a meeting place of worlds,” says Dr. Elena Ruiz, a historian of Marian devotion at the University of Navarra. “Its story is ancient, its architecture magnificent, and its role today is both pastoral and cultural. That combination is rare—and very attractive to an international audience.”

With Jubilee Years on the horizon for other shrines and cities, competition for international Catholic pilgrims is intensifying. Yet Zaragoza’s 2025 performance suggests it is more than ready to hold its own.

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The turning point came in 1955, when the Holy See introduced measures limiting the number of visitors allowed to see her. Three years later, a far stricter rule followed: nothing she wrote or said could be made public without Vatican approval. Officially intended to shield her from intrusive curiosity and protect the sanctity of Carmel’s enclosure, these measures marked, in Coelho’s words, “the beginning of a long period of suffering” for the woman who had carried the Fatima message since childhood.

The catalyst was an incident known as the “Fuentes case.” In December 1957, Mexican priest Fr. Agustín Fuentes, then postulator for the cause of the canonization of Lúcia’s cousins, visited her. The following year, in a talk in Mexico, he attributed to her ominous and apocalyptic remarks about a global struggle between good and evil. The tone was sensational, the content distorted, and the Holy See reacted sharply. The resulting regulations—limiting visits and forbidding her to speak publicly about Fatima—remained in force for the rest of her life.

Her own writings record both the pain and the obedience these rules demanded. In her spiritual diary «My Path», which she kept from the 1940s until 2004 under episcopal instruction, she reflected on feeling used as an instrument—first as a child questioned by Church and civil authorities, and later as a cloistered nun whose words could be filtered or misinterpreted by others.

Yet bitterness never took root. Fr. Fuentes eventually returned to Coimbra to seek her forgiveness. Over time, Lúcia came to see the Church as “a mother,” grateful for the protection it offered even when that protection felt constraining. Writing became her primary means of fulfilling her vocation to spread the Fatima message—always in obedience to the norms imposed on her.

Coelho emphasizes that Lúcia never sought personal advantage, whether material or reputational. Even before entering Carmel, she had turned down opportunities for wealth and property, embracing instead a hidden life. For her, holiness could never be achieved in opposition to the Church. “She recognized that the Church is not perfect,” Coelho notes, “but everything she did was within the Church, in communion with it.”

The book invites readers to see beyond the familiar image of the visionary to a woman whose greatest trial was not disbelief from the outside world, but the tension between a divine mission and the limits placed upon it. For Lúcia, faithfulness meant walking that narrow path—silent when required, yet steadfast in her witness—until the very end.

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On July 31, 2025, the nation’s legislature delivered a decisive message: life in the Dominican Republic remains protected from conception to natural death—without exceptions. By an overwhelming vote of 159 to 4 in the Chamber of Deputies, and with only one dissenting senator the following day, lawmakers passed a sweeping new Penal Code that leaves the country’s constitutional prohibition on abortion untouched. President Luis Abinader signed the bill into law on August 3.

For years, abortion rights campaigners have sought to chip away at the nation’s protections for the unborn, most recently by inserting exceptions into the updated Penal Code. The proposal would have permitted abortion in cases of fetal anomaly, rape, incest, or when a mother’s “health” was at risk—a term whose broad interpretation in other nations has often paved the way for abortion on demand. But legislators rejected the measure decisively.

What makes the outcome extraordinary is not only the scale of the victory, but the imbalance of forces. The Dominican pro-life movement is modest in size, lean in resources, and largely ignored by mainstream media. Opposing them was a coalition of more than twenty national feminist organizations, well-financed regional networks like the Latin American Consortium Against Unsafe Abortion (CLACAI), and global advocacy groups including the International Planned Parenthood Federation, CLADEM, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights—each pushing for liberalization under the banner of “sexual and reproductive rights.”

“This fight has lasted decades,” said attorney Loren Montalvo of Alliance Defending Freedom in the Dominican Republic. “They tried through the Health Code, then through the Penal Code. But every attempt ran into Article 37 of our Constitution, which declares that the right to life is inviolable from conception to natural death.”

The recent campaign was backed by significant political and media pressure. International human rights bodies have repeatedly criticized the Dominican Republic’s laws, claiming they violate women’s rights under regional treaties. Yet public sentiment has consistently resisted these narratives, rooted in a deeply ingrained cultural and legal ethic that views life as non-negotiable.

Carlos Polo, head of the Latin America office of the Population Research Institute, likened the situation to a David-and-Goliath struggle. “All these groups—local, regional, and international—coordinate to push abortion in Latin America. In the Dominican Republic, they saw the Penal Code reform as their moment. They failed, but they will try again,” he warned.

The aftermath has already seen angry reactions from feminist leaders, some accusing lawmakers of endangering women’s lives. Pro-life advocates counter that abortion is never medically necessary to save a mother and that better maternal care—not abortion—protects women’s health.

In a region where several countries have loosened restrictions in recent years, the Dominican Republic stands out for its steadfastness. With a population of just 11 million, it has created a national consensus on life issues that larger nations in the Americas have struggled to achieve.

“This victory is not the end,” Montalvo stressed. “It’s proof that with perseverance, even the smallest movements can prevail against the largest campaigns.”

The message from Santo Domingo is clear: here, life is not up for negotiation.

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The reform, enacted through a General Executive Decree from the Secretariat for the Economy on August 9, implements key provisions of «Para una mejor armonización» (“For a Better Harmonization”), the motu proprio issued in January 2024. This decree builds upon the Vatican’s 2020 apostolic letter on transparency, oversight, and competition in awarding public contracts—originally promulgated by Pope Francis and later refined to better align with the evolving needs of the Church’s administration.

Signed on August 5 and comprised of eight sections and 52 articles, the new regulation represents the work of multiple Vatican departments. Officials say the goal is to preserve the principles of transparency, fair competition, and equal treatment of bidders while cutting through bureaucratic bottlenecks that can delay projects.

The updated code is not only an exercise in administrative housekeeping; it reflects the Vatican’s ongoing commitment to the values embedded in Catholic social teaching. These include fairness in economic dealings, responsible stewardship of resources, and the promotion of efficiency and value for money without compromising ethical standards.

The balance between rigorous oversight and procedural simplicity has been a recurring theme in Vatican governance reforms since the apostolic constitution «Praedicate Evangelium» came into force in 2022. The new framework draws on lessons from recent years, aiming to ensure that procurement decisions are both transparent and practically executable, avoiding excessive delays or red tape.

The decree took immediate effect on August 10, a day after its publication on the website of L’Osservatore Romano. It will also appear on the official Vatican public procurement portal ([www.bandipubblici.va](http://www.bandipubblici.va)) and in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, the Holy See’s official record.

By tightening its rules and modernizing procedures, the Vatican hopes to foster greater trust—internally among its offices and externally with contractors—while ensuring that financial and material resources serve the mission of the Church with accountability and prudence.

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The People of Life award recognizes Catholics who have answered the call outlined by Saint John Paul II in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium vitae, 1995) by dedicating themselves to pro-life activities and promoting respect for the dignity of the human person. It is bestowed in honor of their significant and longtime contributions to the culture of life.

For the past 25 years, Valerie Washington has led the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC) organization as Executive Director—guiding its mission, shaping its programs, and nurturing partnerships that have strengthened the Church’s commitment to justice and evangelization, with a strong embrace of the pro-life cause. Through Valerie’s leadership, the NBCC has organized national congresses that gather thousands of Black Catholics to celebrate faith, confront challenges, and envision a Church renewed in spirit and mission, while ensuring that the rich faith traditions of Black Catholics are supported and sustained. Valerie has been deeply impactful in supporting and highlighting a culture of life within the Black Catholic community and is a source of inspiration in her compassionate, persistent witness to the Gospel of Life.

Judy Haag has spent the last 30 years as a long-term care nurse and dedicated pro-life advocate. She served as chairperson of the New Ulm Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (NUDCCW) Reverence for Life Committee for several years, where she assisted in public education and advocacy on abortion, and was named the NUDCCW “Woman of the Year” in 2017. Judy has co-chaired her local 40 Days for Life campaign since its inception over 15 years ago; leads parish participation in commemorating the Roe v. Wade anniversary on January 22; and facilitates participation in the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) March for Life. Judy has also devoted herself to mentoring youth at her parish and sharing Catholic Social Teaching, forming the next generation of faithful pro-life leaders.

In the early 1980s, seeing the need for public action against euthanasia and assisted suicide, Rita and Mike Marker co-founded the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force. This groundbreaking organization later become the Patients Rights Council. To aid in their advocacy, Rita obtained a law degree while working and raising their family, ultimately authoring the book “Deadly Compassion” and taking on speaking engagements while Mike ran the organization’s operations. Their tireless efforts helped many dioceses, state Catholic conferences, and the USCCB, and were instrumental in shaping the existing coalition on assisted suicide. Mike Marker passed away in 2021 and Rita Marker passed away in 2023, leaving a legacy of leadership, commitment, and grit.

The awardees join 43 other People of Life award recipients since the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities established the award in 2007. To learn more about People of Life, the bishops’ pro-life action campaign in the United States, please visit: https://www.usccb.org/prolife/people-life.

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While the numbers mark a slight drop from the record 485 incidents in 2023, they remain far above levels seen just a few years ago. In 2021, only 98 churches were targeted. By 2022, that figure doubled, and since then, the pace of attacks has remained historically high.

The report, based on open-source documents, news coverage, and official records, details a spectrum of crimes: 284 acts of vandalism, 55 arson cases, 28 shootings, 14 bomb threats, and dozens of other disturbances including physical assaults and disruptions of worship services.

In some cases, the violence proved deadly. In Athens, Tennessee, a church secretary was killed before her church was set ablaze, its roof collapsing in the fire. In southern Ohio, four churches burned within days of each other in August, leading investigators to suspect a single arsonist—though no arrest has yet been made.

Financial damage has been equally sobering. One congregation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, spent \$100,000 repairing air conditioning units deliberately destroyed, just a year after replacing another system for \$40,000 following a separate act of vandalism.

The attacks appear most frequently in large states such as California (40 incidents), Pennsylvania (29), New York (25), Florida (25), and Texas (23). By contrast, several less-populated states, including Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, reported none.

The motivations behind the hostility remain varied and, in many cases, unclear. While a wave of abortion-related vandalism followed the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, those incidents have sharply declined—from 59 in 2022 to just two in 2024. Likewise, reported satanic symbols or messages fell from a dozen in 2023 to only one last year. Anti-LGBTQ+ attacks on churches also decreased slightly, from 42 to 33 cases.

Still, FRC Vice President Travis Weber warns that such crimes—whatever their origin—signal a worrying cultural shift. In an interview with The Daily Signal, he linked some of the hostility to divisive rhetoric from organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), which lists the FRC on its “hate map” alongside extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan.

The SPLC has long accused the FRC of spreading misinformation to oppose LGBTQ+ rights, a charge the council rejects. Weber argues that such public branding fosters an atmosphere where places of worship become targets. The SPLC, for its part, denies being anti-Christian and has recently added Focus on the Family to its map, citing its stance on same-sex marriage.

This is not merely a theoretical debate. In 2012, an armed attacker attempted a mass shooting at FRC’s headquarters after consulting the SPLC’s hate map—a fact the SPLC condemned at the time but which the council continues to cite as an example of the dangers of inflammatory labeling.

Despite their sharp disagreements with pro-LGBTQ+ congregations, FRC’s latest report explicitly condemns attacks against them, stressing that disagreement over theology is never a license for violence. “The solution,” Weber says, “is not to disrupt, vandalize, or steal, but to speak truth about human dignity as revealed in Scripture.”

As the data suggest, America’s churches—whether urban cathedrals or rural chapels—are facing a level of hostility that was once unthinkable in a nation proud of its religious freedoms. The reasons may differ, but the effect is the same: communities of faith left shaken, facing the question of how to protect their sanctuaries in a climate of growing cultural friction.

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Signed by Maximino Caballero Ledo, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, the Rescript builds on recommendations from the Council of the ULSA — a body bringing together representatives from various Vatican departments, the Governorate, and its workforce. Pope Leo XIV formally endorsed the proposals after a July 28 meeting with Caballero, giving the reforms his direct blessing.

At the heart of the new provisions is the recognition of fathers as active caregivers. For the first time, Vatican employees will have the right to five fully paid working days of paternity leave following the birth of a child. These days can be taken consecutively or separately, but must be used within the first month after birth. Officials emphasize that the full salary applies for the entire period, with no loss of seniority benefits.

Parents of children with severe disabilities will also see significant changes. The decree grants them three paid working days per month, which may be taken together, to devote to the care of their child — provided the child is not in full-time residential care. In an effort to ensure this time is used exclusively for family needs, outside work during these days is prohibited unless expressly authorized by the competent authority.

Determining eligibility for these benefits will fall to the Medical Board of the Vatican’s Directorate of Health and Hygiene. Its rulings, the document makes clear, are final and binding. Once a disability is recognized, the family — or in some cases Vatican pensioners — will qualify for a family allowance, extending the scope of financial support beyond active employees.

The Rescript also updates the rules for family allowances in general. Families will now be eligible for support for children over 18 who are still completing secondary school, up to the age of 20, and for those in university or equivalent studies recognized by the Holy See, up to the age of 26, provided they supply proof of enrollment.

Vatican officials describe the reforms as more than an administrative adjustment. They see them as a concrete application of Catholic social teaching, particularly the legacy of Pope Leo XIII’s 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, which defended the rights of working families and affirmed that labor should serve the good of the household. While the challenges facing 19th-century factory workers differ from the realities of today’s microstate employees, the principle remains the same: the well-being of the family is inseparable from the dignity of work.

By extending these rights within its own walls, the Vatican sends a clear signal to governments and institutions worldwide — that promoting a humane and family-friendly workplace is not just a matter of policy, but of moral responsibility.

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De Vregille, 64, had been re-elected for a second five-year term in 2023, but described the past two years as “particularly challenging,” citing both deep divisions within the community’s governing bodies and the “profound sadness” caused by abuse committed by members. His resignation came only months after the announcement of a Vatican-ordered apostolic visitation—a process the community itself had requested to review its leadership structures and conflict resolution mechanisms.

The Emmanuel Community, founded in Paris in 1972 and recognized by the Holy See in 1992, now spans 60 countries with some 12,000 members, including priests, seminarians, and consecrated laypeople. Known for its blend of charismatic spirituality, parish revitalization work, and large-scale evangelization events—especially in the French pilgrimage site of Paray-le-Monial—it has also been a significant source of priestly vocations in France.

Yet recent years have brought turbulence. In 2024, former Emmanuel priest Benoît Moulay was expelled from the clerical state after being found guilty of sexual violence against two women. The same year, prominent member Fr. Bernard Peyrous faced rape and sexual assault charges, which he denied. Internal critics, citing failures in safeguarding procedures and a lack of independent oversight, wrote to senior Vatican officials calling for intervention.

The strain has been compounded by what insiders describe as fatigue at the top. According to the French Catholic daily La Croix, De Vregille’s decision was not triggered by a single event, but by the cumulative pressure of navigating simultaneous crises while maintaining the community’s missionary momentum.

In his farewell letter, De Vregille acknowledged “blind spots” that had hindered attentiveness to victims and admitted that “ecclesial differences” had sharpened existing tensions between the International Council—which includes members from four continents—and other leadership organs.

An interim leader will be chosen in Paris by mid-August through a multi-round, secret ballot involving representatives from both the International Council and the clerical branch known as the Fraternity of Jesus. The Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life must ratify the choice before it becomes public.

Despite the upheaval, community leaders insist the mission continues. Communication director Flore Barbet-Massin stressed that governing structures remain intact and that the transition process is clearly defined in the statutes, ensuring continuity in evangelization and pastoral work.

For many Emmanuel members, the resignation marks both an ending and a reckoning—a moment to confront past failures while discerning the community’s next chapter in a rapidly changing Catholic landscape. Whether the apostolic visitation will prompt deep reform or confirm the current trajectory remains to be seen. What is certain is that the Emmanuel Community now stands at one of the most critical crossroads in its half-century history.

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