St. Lawrence Parish

WASHINGTON – “Parents have a right to direct their children’s education, especially regarding subjects that touch on faith and morals,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Religious Liberty. Following the 6-3 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Mahmoud v. Taylor, he offered the following statement: 

“Public schools in our diverse country include families from many communities with a variety of deep-seated convictions about faith and morals. When these schools address issues that touch on these matters, they ought to respect all families. Parents do not forfeit their rights as primary educators of their children when they send their kids to public schools. The parents in Montgomery County did not seek to impose their religious viewpoints on others; they simply asked to opt out of a program that was offensive to their faith. 

“To be sure, children should not be learning that their personal identity as male or female can be separated from their bodies. But if a public school chooses to offer these kinds of programs, it ought to respect those who choose not to participate. The school board was wrong to interfere with the rights of the parents, and I am grateful that the Supreme Court has moved to rectify this injustice.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Priests are called to be embraced and shaped by God's boundless love, and to realize that there is no place for division and hatred of any kind, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Reconciled with one another, united and transformed by the love that flows abundantly from the Heart of Christ, let us walk together humbly and resolutely in his footsteps, firm in faith and open to all in charity," he told priests from all over the world.

"Let us bring the peace of the risen Lord to our world, with the freedom born of the knowledge that we have been loved, chosen and sent by the Father," he said in his homily during Mass in St. Peter's Basilica June 27, the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.

The Mass marked the conclusion of a week of Jubilee celebrations for seminarians, bishops and priests, where Pope Leo reiterated the need to ground one's vocation in God's love, Jesus' friendship and the Holy Spirit's transformative power, as well as the need to be united and missionary in a world thirsting for meaning and hope.

During the Mass, the pope also ordained 32 priests from Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and Oceania. 

In his homily, he told the ordinands, "What I have to say is simple, but I consider it important for your future and for the future of the souls entrusted to your care."

"Love God and your brothers and sisters, and give yourselves to them generously. Be fervent in your celebration of the sacraments, in prayer, especially in adoration before the Eucharist, and in your ministry," he told them. "Keep close to your flock, give freely of your time and energy to everyone, without reserve and without partiality, as the pierced side of the crucified Jesus and the example of the saints teach us to do."

He encouraged them to look among the many examples of holy priests in the church's history. "Learn their stories, study their lives and work, imitate their virtues, be inspired by their zeal and invoke their intercession often and insistently!" he exhorted.

"All too often, today's world offers models of success and prestige that are dubious and short-lived. Do not let yourselves be taken in by them!" he said.

Instead, look to those who, "frequently hidden and unassuming," have spent their lives in service of the Lord and their brothers and sisters, he said. "Keep their memory alive by your own example of fidelity."

Pope Leo told priests that the Sacred Heart of Jesus "is entrusted in a special way to us, so that we can make it present in our world." 

They contribute to the work of salvation in several ways, he said, first, by imitating the Good Shepherd who watches over his flock, seeks the lost, helps the wounded and strengthens the weak and sick.

"In this age of vast and devastating conflicts," he said, "the love of God has no limits. We are called to let ourselves be embraced and shaped by that love, and to realize that in God's eyes -- and our own as well -- there is no place for division and hatred of any kind."

God also exhorts his priests to "entrust ourselves, along a daily path of conversion, to the transforming power of his Spirit who dwells in our hearts," he said.

"We are called to exercise pastoral charity with a generous love, like that of the Father, and to foster in our hearts the desire that no one be lost but that everyone, also through our ministry, may come to know Christ and have eternal life in him," the pope said.

"We are called to deepen our closeness to Jesus and to be a source of harmony in the midst of our brother priests," he said. "We do so by bearing on our shoulders those who are lost, granting forgiveness to those who have erred, seeking out those who have gone astray or been left behind and caring for those who suffer in body or spirit."

Every priest must seek to "remain united with their bishop and within the presbyterate," Pope Leo said. "For the more we are united among ourselves, the more we will be able to lead others to the fold of the Good Shepherd and to live as brothers and sisters in the one house of the Father."

Pope Leo ordains priests: Be faithful!

On the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, during the Jubilee of Priests, Pope Leo XIV ordained 32 men to the priesthood and urged them to be faithful witnesses of service. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Too often, in the name of security, war is waged against the poor, Pope Leo XIV said.

The Holy Year instead indicates that safety is found in the culture of encounter, he said. The Jubilee "asks of us the restitution and redistribution of unjustly accumulated wealth, as the way to personal and civil reconciliation."

The pope made his comments during a meeting marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking June 26. Dozens of guests attended the gathering in the San Damaso Courtyard at the Vatican, including Italian government officials, individuals in recovery for substance abuse and those who assist them. 

"Today, brothers and sisters, we are engaged in a battle that cannot be abandoned as long as, around us, anyone is still imprisoned in the various forms of addiction," Pope Leo said.

"Our fight is against those who make their immense business out of drugs and every other addiction -- think of alcohol or gambling," he said. "There are huge concentrations of interest and extensive criminal organizations that states have a duty to dismantle."

However, he said, "it is easier to fight against their victims." 

"Too often, in the name of security, war is waged against the poor, filling prisons with those who are merely the final link in a chain of death. Those who hold the chain in their hands instead manage to gain influence and impunity," he said. 

"Our cities must not be freed of the marginalized, but of marginalization; they must be cleared not of the desperate, but of desperation," he said.

"The fight against drug trafficking, educational commitment among the poor, the defense of Indigenous communities and migrants, and fidelity to the social doctrine of the church are in many places considered subversive," he said.

"The Jubilee indicates the culture of encounter as the way to safety," he said, and challenges must be tackled together.

"We conquer evil together. Joy is found together. Injustice is fought together. The God who created and knows each one of us -- and is more intimate to me than I am to myself -- made us to be together," he said. 

"Of course, there are also bonds that hurt and human groups where freedom is lacking. But these, too, can only be overcome together, trusting those who do not profit from our suffering, those whom we can meet and who meet us with selfless attention," the pope said.

"Drugs and addiction are an invisible prison that you, in different ways, have known and fought, but we are all called to freedom," Pope Leo told his audience.

"St. Augustine confessed that only in Christ did the restlessness of his heart find peace. We seek peace and joy, we thirst for them. And many deceptions can delude and even imprison us in this quest," he said.

"The church needs you. Humanity needs you. Education and politics need you. Together, we will make the infinite dignity imprinted on each person prevail over every degrading addiction," the pope said.

"Let us go forward together, then, multiplying the places of healing, encounter and education: pastoral paths and social policies that start from the street and never give anyone up for lost," he said.

ROME (CNS) -- When a priest has experienced the joy of truly believing in Jesus Christ and embracing him as a friend, it shows, Pope Leo XIV told priests.

"The priest's happiness reflects his encounter with Christ, sustaining him in mission and service," he said during a meeting that was part of the Jubilee of Priests.

Hundreds of priests and people involved in priestly formation and vocations took part in a gathering at the Conciliazione Auditorium in Rome June 26, titled, "Happy Priests: 'I have called you friends,'" referring to Jesus' union with his disciples in the Gospel of St. John (15:15).

Cardinal Lazarus You Heung-sik, prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, welcomed the pope, saying, "We are here because we know that a happy priest is the best proclamation of the Gospel."  

"In the heart of the Holy Year, we want to testify together that it is possible to be happy priests," the pope said to applause. Their joy is rooted in Christ calling them and making them his friends: "a grace we want to welcome with gratitude and responsibility."

Jesus' words, "I have called you friends," are the key to understanding priestly ministry, Pope Leo said.

"The priest is a friend of the Lord, called to live with him in a personal and trusting relationship, nourished by the Word, the celebration of the sacraments and daily prayer," he said.

"This friendship with Christ is the spiritual foundation of ordained ministry, the meaning of our celibacy and the energy of the ecclesial service to which we dedicate our lives," he said. "It sustains us in times of trial and enables us to renew each day the 'yes' uttered at the beginning of our vocation."

Pope Leo underlined the importance of Pope Francis' 2024 encyclical, "'Dilexit Nos' ('He Loved Us'): on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ" for the whole church and for their vocation.

It is from this "burning" heart that "our vocation takes its origin; it is from this source of grace that we want to allow ourselves to be transformed," he said. 

"Many seem to have drifted away from faith, yet deep inside many people, especially young people, there is a thirst for the infinite and for salvation," he said.

"Therefore, we want to rediscover missionary momentum together," he said, in a mission that "boldly and lovingly proposes the Gospel of Jesus."

"Through our pastoral action, it is the Lord himself who cares for his flock, gathers those who are scattered, kneels before those who are wounded and supports those who are discouraged," the pope said. "Imitating the master's example, we grow in faith and thus become credible witnesses to the vocation we have received."

"When one believes, it shows," he said.

The pope thanked them "for who you are! For you remind everyone that it is good to be priests, and that every call from the Lord is first and foremost a call to his joy." 

"We are not perfect, but we are Christ's friends, brothers to one another and sons of his gentle Mother Mary, and that is enough for us," he said.

Speaking off-the-cuff before giving his final blessing, Pope Leo encouraged priests to know they are never alone, even if they are ministering in remote places.

Their spiritual life needs nurturing, so "when we need help, look for a good 'companion,' a spiritual director, a good confessor," he said.

"Try to live what Pope Francis so many times called 'closeness': closeness with the Lord, closeness with your bishop, or religious superior, and closeness among yourselves, too, because you really have to be friends, brothers," he said.

"Live this beautiful experience of walking together, knowing that we are called to be disciples of the Lord. We have a great mission, and together we can all do it. Let us always count on God's grace, closeness from me as well, and together we can really be this voice in the world," he said.

WASHINGTON – While commending the provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that promote the dignity of human life and support parental choice in education, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), implored Congress to be consistent in protecting human life and dignity and make changes to the bill to protect those most in need. 

Archbishop Broglio’s intervention comes as the U.S. Senate considers the budget reconciliation bill:

“The bishops are grateful that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes provisions that promote the dignity of human life and support parental choice in education. These are commendable provisions that are important priorities for the bishops. Still, Congress must be consistent in protecting human life and dignity and make drastic changes to the bill to protect those most in need. As Pope Leo XIV recently stated, it is the responsibility of politicians to promote and protect the common good, including by working to overcome great wealth inequality. This bill does not answer this call. It takes from the poor to give to the wealthy. It provides tax breaks for some while undermining the social safety net for others through major cuts to nutrition assistance and Medicaid. It fails to protect families and children by promoting an enforcement-only approach to immigration and eroding access to legal protections. It harms God’s creation and future generations through cuts to clean energy incentives and environmental programs.

“I underscore what my brother bishops said in their recent letter to find a better way forward and urge Senators to think and act with courage and creativity to protect human dignity for all, to uphold the common good, and to change provisions that undermine these fundamental values.”

The USCCB’s letter on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” proposed by the Senate may be found here.

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WASHINGTON – “South Carolina was right to deny Planned Parenthood taxpayer dollars. A group dedicated to ending children’s lives deserves no public support,” said Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in response to the ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. The case, a challenge to the state’s decision to exclude Planned Parenthood from Medicaid, turned on a specific question about the legal basis for Planned Parenthood’s claim. “Abortion is not health care,” Bishop Thomas continued, “and lives will be saved because South Carolina has chosen to not fund clinics that pretend it is. Publicly funded programs like Medicaid should only support authentic, life-affirming options for mothers and children in need.”

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A bishop is a man of deep faith who is filled with hope and stays close to his people, Pope Leo XIV said.

He is "not offering easy solutions," but rather, he is helping his flock be a community that strives "to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity," he said in a reflection with bishops celebrating the Jubilee of Bishops June 25.

The heart of a bishop "is open and welcoming, and so is his home," he said. But he "must be firm and decisive in dealing with situations that can cause scandal and with every case of abuse, especially involving minors, and fully respect the legislation currently in force." 

More than 400 bishops from 38 countries gathered for the pope's reflection at the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica after taking part in a pilgrimage through the Holy Door and concelebrating Mass presided over by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, retired prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery of Bishops. Before he was elected pope May 8, U.S. Cardinal Robert F. Prevost had succeeded Cardinal Ouellet as head of the dicastery -- a post which is still vacant.

Going through the Holy Door -- the symbol of Christ the savior -- is important, Pope Leo said, because "each of you, like myself, before being a shepherd, is a sheep, a member of the Lord's flock."

"If we are to lead the churches entrusted to our care, we must let ourselves be profoundly renewed by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in order to conform ourselves fully to his heart and to the mystery of his love," he said.

The Holy Year dedicated to a hope that "does not disappoint," he said, is a reminder that "we, as bishops, are the primary heirs of that prophetic legacy, which we must preserve and transmit to the people of God by our words and the way we live our lives."

At times, preaching that message "means swimming against the tide, even in certain painful situations that appear to be hopeless," he said. Yet, "if we are truly close to those who suffer, the Holy Spirit can revive in their hearts even a flame that has all but died out." 

"Dear friends, a bishop is a witness to hope by his example of a life firmly grounded in God and completely devoted to the service of the church," Pope Leo said. "This will be the case only insofar as he is conformed to Christ in his personal life and in his apostolic ministry."

The pope then detailed several characteristics of "the theological core of the life of a bishop," whose way of thinking, feelings and actions are formed by the Holy Spirit.

"The bishop is a man of hope," he said, "especially at moments of difficulty in people's lives."

"The bishop, by this theological virtue, helps them not to despair: not simply by his words but by his closeness," he said.

"When families are greatly burdened and public institutions fail to provide adequate support; when young people are disillusioned and fed up with empty promises; when the elderly and those with grave disabilities feel abandoned, the bishop is close to them, not offering easy solutions, but rather the experience of communities that strive to live the Gospel in simplicity and solidarity," the pope said. 

The bishop is a man of faith, much like Moses, "who, by the grace of God, sees ahead, glimpses the goal and perseveres in times of trial," interceding for his people before God, he said.

"Faith and hope then come together in him as a man of pastoral charity," he said, so that whether he is "preaching, visiting communities, listening to priests and deacons, or making administrative decisions, all that he does is inspired and motivated by the charity of Christ the shepherd."

Through God's grace, prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the bishop can be an example of "fraternal love" that is open to everyone, especially those experiencing moments of difficulty or illness, he said.

Pope Leo then told bishops their life and ministry needed to be marked by some other essential virtues: pastoral prudence, poverty, perfect continence in celibacy and human virtues.

"To bear witness to the Lord Jesus, the bishop lives a life of evangelical poverty," marked by "a simple, sober and generous lifestyle, dignified and at the same time suited to the conditions of the majority of his people," he said. "The poor must find in him a father and a brother, and never feel uncomfortable in meeting him or entering his home."

"In his personal life, he must be detached from the pursuit of wealth and from forms of favoritism based on money or power," he said, because, like Jesus, the bishop has been anointed and sent "to bring good news to the poor."

"Together with material poverty, the life of the bishop is also marked by that specific form of poverty which is celibacy and virginity for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven," Pope Leo said. 

It is not just a question of living a celibate life, he said, "but of practicing chastity of heart and conduct," which presents "the authentic image of the church" to everyone.

Pastoral prudence, the pope said, "is the practical wisdom that guides the bishop in his decisions, in his governance, in his relations with the faithful and with their associations."

"A clear sign of prudence is his exercise of dialogue as a style and method, both in his relationships with others and in his presiding over participatory bodies: in other words, in his overseeing of synodality in his particular church," he added.

Finally, he said, "the bishop is called to cultivate those human virtues which the Council Fathers also chose," which include "fairness, sincerity, magnanimity, openness of mind and heart, the ability to rejoice with those who rejoice and to suffer with those who suffer, as well as self-control, delicacy, patience, discretion, great openness to listening and engaging in dialogue, and willingness to serve."

"These virtues, which each of us possesses to a greater or lesser extent by nature, can and must be cultivated in conformity to the Lord Jesus, with the grace of the Holy Spirit," the pope said.

Before leading the bishops in reciting the profession of faith together, Pope Leo encouraged them to be "men of communion, always promoting unity in the diocesan presbyterate" and to make sure "every priest, without exception," can sense the fatherhood, brotherhood and friendship of his bishop.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When facing despair, exclusion and disappointment, do not be afraid to turn to Jesus and pray for the healing power of his love, Pope Leo XIV said.

"A very widespread ailment of our time is the fatigue of living: reality seems to us to be too complex, burdensome, difficult to face," he told thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square for his general audience June 25. It was the last public general audience Pope Leo was scheduled to lead until July 30.

"At times we feel blocked by the judgment of those who claim to put labels on others," he said, and people may be tempted to "switch off, we fall asleep, in the delusion that, upon waking, things will be different." 

"But reality has to be faced, and together with Jesus, we can do it well," he said.

The pope centered his catechesis on two accounts of miracles in St. Mark's Gospel: Jairus' daughter who awakens from death and the woman who is healed of a hemorrhage.

These two miracles "reveal the healing power born of faith in Jesus," he said.

"These two Gospel accounts teach us to be unafraid to turn to Jesus in prayer and to entrust ourselves to the healing power of his love, which can transform apparently hopeless situations and even bring life out of death," he said.

"For God, who is eternal life, death of the body is like sleep. True death is that of the soul: of this we must be afraid!," Pope Leo said. 

When Jesus revives Jairus' child, he "tells the parents to give her something to eat," which conveys an important message for parents today, he said.

'When our children are in crisis and need spiritual nourishment, do we know how to give it to them? And how can we, if we ourselves are not nourished by the Gospel?" he asked.

The woman afflicted with hemorrhages had been condemned by others to stay hidden and isolated, he said. "At times, we too can be victims of the judgment of others, who presume to put a robe on us that is not our own. And then we suffer and cannot come out of it."

But she is brave, has faith and emerges from the crowd to touch Jesus, resulting in her healing, he said. Others in the crowd who touched Jesus experienced no similar transformation because they lacked faith. 

"Perhaps today, too, many people approach Jesus in a superficial way, without truly believing in his power. We walk the surfaces of our churches, but maybe our heart is elsewhere!" the pope said. 

"This woman, silent and anonymous, conquers her fears, touches the heart of Jesus with her hands, considered unclean because of her illness. And she is immediately healed," he said, because as Jesus said to her, "your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

"Dear brothers and sisters, in life there are moments of disappointment and discouragement, and there is also the experience of death. Let us learn from that woman, from that father: let us go to Jesus," he said.

"He can heal us, he can revive us. Jesus is our hope!" he said.

Pope Leo: God can change the course of our lives!

Pope Leo XIV leads his last general audience before a summer break in July.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Do not be afraid to grapple with your innermost thoughts, feelings and problems so that your heart can be filled with God and his compassion, Pope Leo XIV told seminarians.

Also remember to listen to the "voices" of nature, music, poetry, the humanities and the cries of the poor, the oppressed and people who are looking for the meaning of life, he told them.

Learn "to live the style of welcome and closeness, of generous and selfless service, letting the Holy Spirit 'anoint' your humanity even before ordination," the pope said in a reflection June 24.

The pope led a mediation with hundreds of seminarians and those involved in priestly formation from around the world in St. Peter's Basilica as part of the Jubilee of Seminarians.

When the pope arrived and began walking down the central aisle, the men cheered enthusiastically, ending with a hand-clap chant of "Papa Leone" or "Pope Leo" in Italian. 

He thanked them for their joy and enthusiasm, "because with your energy you fuel the flame of hope in the life of the church."

Speaking in Italian, Pope Leo punctuated a few key points by repeating them in Spanish, such as thanking them for having accepted God's call to pursue the priesthood and encouraging them to "be brave and have no fear!"

Their journey is saying "yes" with "humility and courage" to Christ's invitation to become "meek and strong" in proclaiming the Gospel and to become "servants of a church that is open and a missionary church on the move."

"Jesus, you know, calls you first and foremost to an experience of friendship with him and with your fellow priests" and to deepen this experience in all aspects of life, he said.

"For there is nothing about you that must be discarded, but everything is to be taken up and transfigured in the logic of the grain of wheat to become happy persons and priests, 'bridges' and not obstacles to the encounter with Christ for all who approach you," the pope said. "Yes, he must increase and we must decrease, so that we can be shepherds according to his heart."

Pope Leo spent a large part of his reflection on the importance of caring for one's heart -- the inner workings, thoughts and feelings one keeps inside -- because that is "where God makes his voice heard and where all the most profound decisions are made." 

"As Christ loved with the heart of man, you are called to love with the heart of Christ," he said.

The heart must be continuously converted so that one's whole being "smells of the Gospel," he said.

Exploring deep inside one's heart, where God has always left his mark, can sometimes cause fear, he said, "because there are also wounds in there."

"Do not be afraid to take care of them (these wounds), let yourself get help, because it is precisely from those wounds that the ability to stand with those who suffer will emerge," he said.

"If you learn to know your heart, you will be increasingly more authentic and will not need to put masks on," he said.

The best way to enter into one's inner being is through prayer, he said, which is increasingly difficult in such a "hyper-connected" age, where it is hard to find "silence and solitude."

"Without the encounter with him, we cannot even truly know ourselves," he said.

Pope Leo invited the seminarians to "invoke the Holy Spirit frequently, that he may mold in you a docile heart, capable of grasping God's presence, even as you listen to the voices of nature and art, poetry, literature and music, as well as the humanities."

As they delve into their theological studies, "know how to also listen with an open mind and heart to the voices of culture, such as the recent challenges of artificial intelligence and social media," he told them. 

"Above all, as Jesus did, know how to listen to the often silent cry of the little ones, the poor and the oppressed, and the many people, especially young people, who seek meaning for their lives," he added.

"Have a meek and humble heart like that of Jesus," he said. "May you take on the sentiments of Christ to grow in human maturity, especially affective and relational" maturity.

It is important and necessary "to focus a lot on human maturity, rejecting every kind of masking and hypocrisy," he said.

"Keeping our gaze on Jesus, we must learn to give a name and voice even to sadness, fear, anguish, indignation, bringing everything into relationship with God," he said. "Crises, limitations and frailties are not to be hidden; rather, they are opportunities for grace and a paschal experience."

"In a world where ingratitude and thirst for power often dominate, where the logic of exclusion can prevail, you are called to witness to the gratitude and gratuitousness of Christ, the exultation and joy, the tenderness and mercy of his heart," Pope Leo said.

Pope Leo's message to seminarians

Pope Leo XIV had an audience with seminarians at the Vatican June 24, 2025, who were in Rome for the Jubilee of Seminarians.

ROME (CNS) -- Sent by his religious order to Hong Kong to share the Gospel in Asia, one Catholic priest's missionary work is raising hell -- but not with the Chinese Communist Party.

"Not a Hope in Hell" is Dominican Father James Dominic Rooney's 2025 book-length defense of eternal damnation -- a Catholic doctrine he says is increasingly debated in academic circles, and one he's frequently invited to speak on across Asia. 

"Just a couple days ago I was in Singapore to discuss hell," he told Catholic News Service June 3, adding that he receives several hell-related invitations each month, ranging from in-person talks across Asia to podcast interviews and article contributions.

People in Asia "think it's a fascinating discussion," he said, noting that atheists in particular are intrigued by the challenge of reconciling hell with Christian teachings on God's love and mercy. 

As one of Christianity's most vividly imagined teachings -- portrayed in foreboding scenes from Michelangelo's fresco "The Last Judgment" to John Milton's poem "Paradise Lost" -- hell, Father Rooney said, remains a subject of both perennial and pressing debate.

"I have a few jihads that I'm on, and this is one of them," he said.

He is not alone in seeing the doctrine of hell as under siege today. In March, Msgr. Charles Pope released his own book on the subject -- also with a tongue-in-cheek title: "The Hell There Is: An Exploration of an Often-Rejected Doctrine of the Church."

"Only 17% of Catholics go to Mass now in (the United States), and so we've got to recover some sense of urgency, which is lacking today," Msgr. Pope told CNS, explaining his motive for writing the book.

Msgr. Pope, a popular lecturer and pastor of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Catholic Church in Washington, was interviewed on EWTN in April and expressed his regret over a comment made by Pope Francis in 2024: "This isn't dogma, just my thought: I like to think of hell as being empty. I hope it is."

The comment, made on Italian television, was met with applause. A CNS social media post sharing the late pope's words has been viewed more than 42 million times.

"I think that it's unfortunate," Msgr. Pope said. "Even when they are clear, they are just expressing an opinion. I think popes need to be very careful about what they say, because it carries authority whether they want to admit it or not."

While the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms the existence of hell and refers to it as an "eternal fire" of everlasting punishment, some Catholic theologians are renewing interest in a minority view held by certain early Church Fathers: that, in the end, all will be saved and reunited with God -- a universalism they argue is more consistent with faith in an all-loving, all-powerful God. 

For example, patristics scholar Ilaria Ramelli, in her 900-page work "The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis" (from the Greek word for "restoration"), argues that saints such as Gregory of Nyssa, Isaac the Syrian and Maximus the Confessor were convinced that all people ultimately would be saved.

This view is often described as "confident" or "hard" universalism, distinguishing it from the position of figures like Swiss Father Hans Urs von Balthasar and, more recently, Bishop Robert Barron, who argue that one may hope -- but cannot know -- that all will be saved.

Jordan Daniel Wood, a theologian at Belmont University in Nashville, defended hard universalism in a livestreamed debate at The Catholic University of America in 2024.

Then, in a February 2025 lecture to students and seminarians at Mount St. Mary’s University, he argued that the principles of doctrinal development could allow for a radical revision of hell, making it temporary and its punishments remedial. 

Critics say that making hell temporary would lessen the gravity of human freedom, threaten the missionary impulse, and contradict Christ's teaching on judgment, but Wood demurs.

"I think it could do nothing but good for the church to come to a clarity, to hold out the Gospel and put its money where its mouth is, so to speak, and say: 'The only reason why we preach the Gospel to you is because we really believe it will fulfill you and satisfy you in a way nothing else can,'" Wood said.

"There's no shadow of hell whose gravity God himself might not be able to compete with," he said.

Wood is writing a book defending universalism with theologian Roberto De La Noval of Boston College.

"We really want to engage in a good faith dialogue with those who really also want to make the best sense of the tradition that we can, and ask about where it might be going," De La Noval said. 

De La Noval and Wood say the current iteration of the debate began with the 2019 publication of Eastern Orthodox theologian David Bentley Hart's "That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation," which made a case for universalism.

"Part of the reason it was a watershed was it was able to put into words what a lot of people had felt about their experience of growing up with the doctrine of hell," De La Noval said.

"What David Hart's book was able to do was to crystallize a lot of those felt tensions and give them a logical exposition, a scriptural exposition, and a philosophical and theological exposition," he said.

For his part, Hart said he thinks the debate will go on for some time.

"Right now, the debate has picked up," Hart said. "I like to think that my book, slim though it was, added some dialectical tools to the kit."

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Correction: An earlier version of this story and video referred to Mount St. Mary’s University as the oldest Catholic seminary in the United States. The oldest Catholic seminary in the United States is St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore, founded in 1791. The story and video have been corrected, and we apologize for the error.

Raising hell: Catholics debate eternal punishment

A look into the currently hot debate over whether hell is eternal or God's love and mercy mean everyone will be saved in the end.