St. John's Catholic Church

Devout Catholic and pro-life advocate Congressman Chris Smith will be honored at the 2025 National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the office of Rep. Chris Smith

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 13, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

Devout Catholic and pro-life advocate Congressman Chris Smith will be honored at this year’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast held in Washington, D.C.

The New Jersey representative will receive the organization’s annual Christifideles Laici Award at the 20th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Feb. 28. Previous recipients of the award include religious freedom advocate Jimmy Lai; legal scholar Helen M. Alvaré; attorney and policy expert Mary Rice Hasson; and former U.S. Attorney General William Barr.

The Christifideles Laici Award was founded in 2019 by the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast to highlight the “good works” of those in service of the Church, according to the organization’s website. The award itself is an original work commissioned by the organization from the classical artist Isaac Dell and is inscribed with the words “In Honor and Gratitude for Fidelity to the Church, Exemplary Selfless and Steadfast Service in the Lord’s Vinyard.”

Smith is currently in his 22nd term in the U.S. House of Representatives for New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and has been a tireless defender of those suffering from religious persecution and human trafficking.

A staunch advocate of the pro-life cause, Smith is among the confirmed speakers at the March for Life this year along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Live Action Founder Lila Rose.

Late last year, Smith told CNA in an interview following a Mass celebrated in the U.S. Capitol that he and his wife, Marie, share a particular devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and that his office “places all of our pro-life and human rights work under her mantle.” 

“I do a lot on the human rights issue,” he said at the time, “and every bit of it, we turn to her and pray, you know, and ask her for guidance.” 

Smith told CNA he has a life-sized replica of the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe hanging in his office. “I’m amazed at how many people I meet — because I meet with diplomats all the time because of my human rights work and my committee assignments — they always take note of [the tilma].”

“I find there’s such devotion, particularly with the Latin Americans who come in — they look at [the tilma] and it’s instant,” he said. “And so this is, of course, a celebration of her, [and] the whole story of Juan Diego, and the whole story of, you know, 8 to 9 million people converting from human sacrifice and worshipping gods is such an amazing story of conversion and repair of souls.”

The New York State Capitol in Albany, New York. / Credit: Beyond My Ken, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Jan 13, 2025 / 14:50 pm (CNA).

New York’s Catholic bishops are supporting a proposal from Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to increase the state’s child tax credit — an effort to address New York’s stubbornly high child poverty rate, which has exceeded the national average for over a decade.

In an announcement last week, Hochul proposed an annual tax credit of up to $1,000 per child under age 4 and up to $500 per child from 4 through 16, roughly doubling the average credit disbursed by the state to families from $472 to $943. The existing state credit provides up to $330 per child.

Kristen Curran, director of government relations for the New York State Catholic Conference, expressed support on behalf of the state’s Catholic bishops for the proposal, saying it would provide “important relief” to an estimated 1.6 million families.

“For more than 20 years, the New York State Catholic Conference has championed the issue of child tax credits. This initiative is a powerful way to walk with moms in need, support working families, and help lift children out of poverty,” Curran said in a Jan. 7 statement.

“Working class families will be better positioned to navigate the cost-of-living crisis and provide for their children. It is critical that the child tax credit apply to babies, starting at birth. We are glad to see that coverage as part of this proposal.”

In 2022, the latest year figures are available, the child poverty rate in New York was nearly 19% — a figure that exceeds the national average and has since 2011. The figure is also at least six percentage points higher than any state it borders and ranks New York in the top 10 nationwide for child poverty, according to the state comptroller. 

Curran urged lawmakers to pass the increased child tax credit, framing it as a vital step toward strengthening the community and state.

“Now more than ever, it is imperative that we address the affordability crisis to help parents as they raise their children. We urge all lawmakers to support this initiative,” she concluded.

“When we join together to lift up the most vulnerable, we are strengthened as a community and as a state. The governor can count on the strong support of the New York State Catholic Conference for this pro-family proposal.”

At the federal level, the current child tax credit allows parents and guardians to claim their dependent children on their tax forms, granting a tax break of up to $2,000. Up to $1,600 of that credit may be “refundable,” meaning taxpayers can receive cash payments for the credit.

A bipartisan effort to increase the tax credit from the current refundable amount of $1,600 to $2,000 per child in 2025 failed to pass the Senate in August. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has been a staunch advocate for the bill’s passage, sending a message ahead of the vote encouraging the faithful to urge senators to vote in favor of the measure.

The 2021 American Rescue Plan briefly expanded the credit to $3,600 and made it fully refundable; that law also allowed parents to claim half of the refundable sum in advance monthly payments. Those new rules expired after that year.

The Dominican House of Studies has a bell in its Washington, D.C., priory for the first time in 120 years. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Dominican House of Studies

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jan 13, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA).

The Priory of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., celebrated an exciting new addition this past weekend.

One hundred and 20 years after its founding in 1905, the Dominican House of Studies finally has a bell for its tower.

The friars celebrated the blessing of their new bell on Sunday morning in the Academic Courtyard of the priory. A Mass for the Baptism of the Lord followed the blessing, according to the priory’s website.

The roughly 980-pound bell was cast in 1929 in Watervliet, New York, by the Meneely Bell Foundry, according to Father Gregory Schnakenberg, OP, and is set to be installed in the coming weeks.

“Whether friars thought it unnecessary (we do live across the street from one of the most beautiful bell carillons in America) or we simply lacked the resources, today we dedicated our new bell,” Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, wrote in a post on Instagram. 

Briscoe also revealed in the post that the new bell has been named after St. Gabriel and is inscribed with the words “I sing to the honor of St. Gabriel the Archangel, who announced the Word of God to the Immaculate Virgin Mary.”

“During the blessing ceremony, Father Gregory pointed out that we need the bell today more than ever, to call us out of our distractions and summon us to prayer and contemplation,” Briscoe recalled, adding: “I couldn’t agree more! Bells are evangelizers, calling us all to the joy and hope that the Gospel alone brings.”

The Dominican House of Studies’ next major project will be the restoration of its St. Catherine of Siena and St. Rose of Lima altars, which are both located in the main chapel. 

Knights of Columbus process with the new Knights of Columbus Sacred Heart Pilgrim Icon during a Mass and Sacred Heart Holy Hour at St. Mary Church in New Haven, Connecticut, Jan. 3, 2025. / Credit: Paul Haring

CNA Staff, Jan 13, 2025 / 12:20 pm (CNA).

For more than 45 years, the Knights of Columbus Pilgrim Icon Program has brought sacred images to Catholic parishes around the world for prayer and devotion. On Jan. 3, the Knights launched a new Pilgrim Icon of the Sacred Heart of Jesus program during a Holy Hour at St. Mary Church in New Haven, Connecticut.

During the Holy Hour, an icon depicting the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus painted by Pompeo Batoni in 1767 was displayed. This reproduction of the original image is one of more than 300 icons, each bearing the apostolic blessing of Pope Francis, that are now traveling around the world as part of the Knights’ Pilgrim Icon Program.

The original image is currently venerated in the Church of the Gesú in Rome.

The prayer service to launch the new icon included readings from Scripture and reflections from Pope Francis on the Sacred Heart as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet, prayers to the Sacred Heart, and time for prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The launch of the new icon program coincides with the release of Pope Francis’ fourth encyclical, Delixit Nos, which is devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“In many ways, Dilexit Nos can serve as a mission statement for the Knights of Columbus in today’s world,” said Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly in a press release. “The pope observes that we live in a fragmented and divided society, but the heart of Christ is a unifying center. It is the source of truth and goodness that we all need.”

Kelly met with Pope Francis in a private audience on Dec. 20, 2024. During their meeting, Kelly presented the Holy Father with an icon and booklet for the Sacred Heart Holy Hour and shared updates on notable activities of the Knights of Columbus in the past year. 

Both the Knights’ new Pilgrim Icon Program and the Holy Father’s encyclical coincide with the Catholic Church’s commemoration of the 350th anniversary of the visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the French nun who received the 12 promises of the Sacred Heart and the First Friday devotions. 

Founder of the Knights of Columbus Blessed Michael McGivney had a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart. The McGivney family had a devotional plaque of the Sacred Heart in their home that is still in the Knights’ possession. Additionally, it was discovered that McGivney was buried with a cloth image of the Sacred Heart when his body was exhumed in 1981.

The Knights’ Pilgrim Icon Program has allowed more than 23 million people to honor Our Lord, Our Lady, and the saints through 191,000 prayer services featuring icons including Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Holy Family, and St. Joseph. The Sacred Heart of Jesus icon is the 20th icon venerated through the program since 1979.

Kelly has called upon the Knights to “bring reproductions of this beloved image to parishes around the world and invite their families — and all families — to consecrate their homes and themselves to the Sacred Heart.”

The beatification cause of Sister Clare Crockett, an inspirational young Irish religious sister who died in 2016, formally opened Jan. 12, 2025, with a ceremony at the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid, Spain. / Credit: Courtesy of Servants of the Home of the Mother

Vatican City, Jan 13, 2025 / 11:50 am (CNA).

The beatification cause of Sister Clare Crockett, an inspirational young Irish religious sister who died in 2016, formally opened Sunday with a ceremony at the Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares in Madrid, Spain.

The ceremony marked the beginning of the diocesan phase of the process, in which an elected tribunal will investigate her life, virtues, and reputation for holiness. 

Crockett, who died in a 2016 earthquake in Ecuador at the age of 33, is now titled “servant of God,” the first step in the Catholic Church’s path to sainthood.

More than 100 people traveled from her hometown of Derry, Northern Ireland, to attend the event, including Bishop Donal McKeown. South American Cardinal Fernando Chomalí Garib, the archbishop of Santiago de Chile, also attended.

In Derry, approximately 500 people gathered at a movie theater to watch the ceremony broadcast live.

“The people of Derry are so proud of her,” McKeown told The Irish News. Crockett’s story “is a very striking example of someone who had a conversion experience and dedicated their life to Jesus.”

Crockett was born on Nov. 14, 1982, in Derry. As a charismatic and fun-loving teenager, she had a gift for acting and was contracted to present a television show on Channel 4 in the U.K., attracting interest from Nickelodeon. Already in her early teens she was frequently partying, drinking, and smoking.

But her life changed when she attended a Holy Week retreat in Spain at the age of 17 with the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother, a community founded in 1982 with a focus on the Eucharist, Marian spirituality, and outreach to youth.

She recalled later in her personal testimony that when she arrived in Spain she was “very superficial and a wild child.” But that began to change when she took part in the Good Friday adoration of the cross, kissing the feet of Jesus. 

“I do not know how to explain exactly what happened. I did not see the choirs of angels or a white dove come down from the ceiling and descend on me, but I had the certainty that the Lord was on the cross, for me,” she remembered. 

“And along with that conviction, I felt a great sorrow … and prayed the Stations of the Cross. When I returned to my pew, I already had imprinted in me something that was not there before. I had to do something for him who had given his life for me.”

It was the start of a long journey of conversion and healing that led to her joining the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother.

Despite initial struggles to leave behind a life of “superficiality and sin,” she entered religious life in 2001 in Spain, making her first vows in 2006 and her final vows in 2010. 

Known for her infectious joy and dedication to others, she served in Spain, the United States, and Ecuador.

Sister Clare died on April 16, 2016, when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck the school in Playa Prieta, Ecuador, where she was teaching music. Five postulants also lost their lives in the collapse.

A documentary about her life, “All or Nothing: Sister Clare Crockett,” has amassed over 4 million views on YouTube in Spanish and English, and her story continues to inspire vocations and deepen faith worldwide. 

In the years since her death, stories of graces and miracles attributed to Crockett have poured in from around the world, according to Sister Kristen Gardner, the postulator of her cause. 

“Desperate souls on the verge of suicide have regained hope, university students lost in vice have found strength to return to the Lord,” Gardner said during the ceremony on Jan. 12.

“There is a very characteristic common note in the messages received,” she said, “and that is that many describe Sister Clare as their friend, even without having met her, she is their friend.”

Her family, present at the ceremony, expressed pride and gratitude for the recognition of Sister Clare’s life. 

“Never in a million years did we think she was going to be a nun, never mind make her way to sainthood,” Shauna Gill, Crockett’s sister, told BBC News in Northern Ireland.

More than 13,000 people had watched the livestream of the ceremony on YouTube within 24 hours of the event.  

The opening of the beatification process is the first step in what could be a long journey toward sainthood. Bishop Antonio Prieto Lucena of Alcalá de Henares, who presided over Sunday’s ceremony, noted that the process will examine Crockett’s heroic virtues and any graces or favors attributed to her intercession. 

According to Gardner, the sisters have received “messages and mail from more than 50 countries” with testimonies of how Crockett’s story has inspired, including from young people who have decided to embrace religious life after learning more about her life. 

“Countless seminarians and religious have said that Sister Clare has saved their vocation, just when they were thinking that they had no other option but to turn their backs on God,” Gardner said.

The postulator added that Crockett’s overflowing joy and coherence of life has led many souls “to discover that true happiness is found only in God.”

The opening of her cause “is not motivated by human reasons but by the desire to give glory to God, which is manifested in the testimony of dedication to Christ that shines in the lives of his servants,” she said.

Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of the Archdiocese of Saurimo in Angola. / Credit: Radio Ecclesia

ACI Africa, Jan 13, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Archbishop José Manuel Imbamba of the Archdiocese of Saurimo in Angola has revealed that he was once on a list of people targeted for assassination for defending truth and justice.

In an interview with Radio Ecclesia on Jan. 7, the day he turned 60, Imbamba recalled the dangers he faced in 2003 following Angola’s post-election conflict. 

“My priestly life has been full of misunderstandings. I was ordained during a time of intense war in Luena, and I faced many difficulties,” the archbishop recounted.

“In 2003, during the post-electoral conflict, I was on a list of people to be eliminated,” he said.

Angola’s first elections in 1992 were marred by violence, leading to a civil conflict that ended in 2002. 

“I have been threatened face to face by people due to my forthright discussions. These threats aim to intimidate and tarnish my image and that of the Church. However, I take full responsibility for everything I say. I am not anyone’s mouthpiece,” said Imbamba, who also serves as the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Angola and São Tomé and Príncipe.

He emphasized his mission to advocate for the rights of the marginalized and uphold human dignity, saying: “For the poor, marginalized, and those deprived of their rights, I will continue to fight in the name of the Gospel, of which I am a servant.”

Despite the sacrifices and challenges he faced in his 33 years of priesthood, Imbamba described the ministry as a “beautiful and rewarding vocation.” 

However, he admitted that much work remains to be done in combating societal injustice and fostering fraternity in the country. 

“We have not fully awakened consciences or presented the truths needed to purify the inhuman tendencies we carry,” he said.

As Angola approaches its 50th independence anniversary, the archbishop expressed disappointment in the direction the country was taking.

“This is not the Angola our nationalist founders envisioned,” he said. “The bloodshed and sacrifices made were not for this reality.”

Imbamba faulted the dominance of partisan interests over patriotism, calling for national unity.

“Patriotism should prevail. Angola’s interests must come before party interests,” he said. “Today, we serve political parties more than we serve our nation. It is time for our leaders to foster harmony and guide us out of this state of disarray, helping us rediscover our social, cultural, and national identity.”

“It is time to rethink our country, citizenship, ideologies, and vision for a just and inclusive nation,” he said.

Born in Boma, Moxico province, on Jan. 7, 1965, Imbamba was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lwena in December 1991.

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Father Ibrahim Faltas, vice custodian of the Holy Land, meets with Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of Syria’s new administration, in Damascus. / Credit: CTS

ACI MENA, Jan 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

More than a month after Syria’s political shift, Christians there are vocalizing a sense of relief as initial assurances for their safety and security by the de facto government have reportedly been provided. Christians continue to seek more concrete guarantees, although opinions differ on what form these guarantees should take.

For some Christians, the Church remains their primary safeguard, as it has been since Ottoman rule. In this view, clergy are in charge of representing their communities in political and legal arenas.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch, John X (Yazigi), is the most visible Christian leader in Syria, alongside the Latin apostolic vicar, Bishop Hanna Jallouf. The latter enjoys a longstanding and strong relationship with the new authorities. He recently visited his hometown and parish (Al-Qaniya, Idlib countryside) for the first time since his episcopal appointment, where he was warmly received.

Despite an important meeting between church leaders and representatives with Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of Syria’s new administration, three patriarchs based in Damascus were notably absent. The absence was reportedly due to the customary visit of Patriarch Yazigi to congratulate the new leader — a visit that traditionally precedes any other meetings with clergy.

Laity and the Syrian brothership

Another group of Christians believes that clergy should not be the sole guarantors of their rights, but laity also plays a crucial role. 

This stance has been echoed by prominent figures such as the apostolic nuncio to Syria, Cardinal Mario Zenari, and the Syriac Catholic archbishop of Damascus, John Jihad Battah.

Aligning with this vision, many Christians expressed reservations regarding a recent statement by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who expressed France’s support for “civil society and Christian representatives in Syria.” Jesuit Father Murad Abu Seif addressed Barrot directly, stating: “We don’t want to be mere coexisting groups; we aspire to be brothers living with and for one another. Today, Christians seek to defend all Syrians so we can all live in freedom and dignity.”

Al-Sharaa’s remarks on Pope Francis

Father Ibrahim Faltas, vice custodian of the Holy Land, who visited Damascus near the end of the year, highlighted in an article for the Vatican’s L’Osservatore Romano that Al-Sharaa expressed admiration for Pope Francis, calling him a man of peace and commending his advocacy and actions for the people.

Meanwhile, the Christian community recently witnessed sharp criticism of the patriarch for the absence of Syria’s new flag in the patriarchal salon. The backlash, driven by a group calling themselves the “Antiochian Movement for Change,” escalated to accusations that he was a remnant of the previous regime, with demands for his resignation. This attack was widely condemned by both the Church and the public, who viewed it as politically motivated.

Daily life for Christians

Over the past month, Christians have largely been spared from targeted incidents, with a few isolated exceptions. For example, in Aleppo’s predominantly Christian Sulaymaniyah neighborhood, a man used loudspeakers to urge women to wear hijabs and avoid mingling with men. Authorities have generally handled these incidents with wisdom.

All Syrians, including Christians, are experiencing some relief, particularly with the Syrian pound stabilizing against the U.S. dollar and prices dropping by up to 40%. Bread, gas, and diesel — scarce for years — have become more accessible. Additionally, the director general of Electricity Transmission and Distribution announced that two ships arrived from Turkey and Qatar to aid in power generation.

This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Pope Francis baptizes a baby at the feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Sistine Chapel, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jan 12, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated the feast of the Baptism of the Lord by baptizing 21 babies in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. 

Before baptizing the babies of Vatican staff and Swiss Guards on Sunday morning, the Holy Father said parents must serve children with sacraments and prayers.

“Today, each of you parents and the Church herself give the greatest, greatest gift: the gift of faith to children,” he told families gathered inside the Sistine Chapel.

“Let us ask the Lord that they grow in faith, a true humanity, in the joy of the family,” he prayed.

In his Jan. 12 Angelus address, the Holy Father said Christians should know and celebrate the date of their baptisms as a “new birthday” that commemorates their “birth in the Spirit of God.” 

“This is very important! Think: On what day was I baptized? If we don’t remember, when we get home, let’s ask our parents and godparents the date of our baptism,” he said to hundreds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“Don’t forget! This is a job to do at home: the date of my baptism,” he insisted.

Recalling Sunday’s liturgy of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father said during his Angelus address: “In revealing himself as Father through the Son, God establishes a privileged place to enter into dialogue and communion with humanity. It is the face of the beloved Son.”

The pope said Christians should be able to recognize God by contemplating “the face and voice of God” through the humanity of Jesus Christ and through other baptized people.

“So let us ask ourselves: Do we feel loved? Do I feel loved and accompanied by God or do I think that God is distant from me?” he asked pilgrims. “Are we capable of recognizing his face in Jesus and in our brothers and sisters?”

After praying the Angelus with pilgrims from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope asked people to continue their prayers for those in need around the world.

“I am close to the inhabitants of Los Angeles County, California, where devastating fires have broken out in recent days. I pray for all of you,” he said.

“Let us also invoke his intercession as we pray for peace in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and throughout the world,” he added.

Pope Francis baptizes a baby at the feast of the Baptism of the Lord at the Sistine Chapel, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Jan 12, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated the feast of the Baptism of the Lord by baptizing 21 babies in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and praying the Angelus with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. 

Before baptizing the babies of Vatican staff and Swiss Guards on Sunday morning, the Holy Father said parents must serve children with sacraments and prayers.

“Today, each of you parents and the Church herself give the greatest, greatest gift: the gift of faith to children,” he told families gathered inside the Sistine Chapel.

“Let us ask the Lord that they grow in faith, a true humanity, in the joy of the family,” he prayed.

In his Jan. 12 Angelus address, the Holy Father said Christians should know and celebrate the date of their baptisms as a “new birthday” that commemorates their “birth in the Spirit of God.” 

“This is very important! Think: On what day was I baptized? If we don’t remember, when we get home, let’s ask our parents and godparents the date of our baptism,” he said to hundreds of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“Don’t forget! This is a job to do at home: the date of my baptism,” he insisted.

Recalling Sunday’s liturgy of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, the Holy Father said during his Angelus address: “In revealing himself as Father through the Son, God establishes a privileged place to enter into dialogue and communion with humanity. It is the face of the beloved Son.”

The pope said Christians should be able to recognize God by contemplating “the face and voice of God” through the humanity of Jesus Christ and through other baptized people.

“So let us ask ourselves: Do we feel loved? Do I feel loved and accompanied by God or do I think that God is distant from me?” he asked pilgrims. “Are we capable of recognizing his face in Jesus and in our brothers and sisters?”

After praying the Angelus with pilgrims from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope asked people to continue their prayers for those in need around the world.

“I am close to the inhabitants of Los Angeles County, California, where devastating fires have broken out in recent days. I pray for all of you,” he said.

“Let us also invoke his intercession as we pray for peace in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and throughout the world,” he added.

null / Credit: Deemerwha studio/Shutterstock

ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

The International Association of Exorcists has expressed concern over several erroneous practices, including those carried out by some priests, which confuse the faithful who seek help when possibly facing extraordinary actions of the devil.

The association, which has some 900 exorcist members worldwide, issued its warning in a Jan. 6 article on the organization’s website in order to “offer necessary clarifications to be able to act well in providing divine mercy through the ministry of exorcism.”

The association published the article because “some pastoral practices have been noticed that, instead of rendering a service to the wounded body of Christ, increase its suffering and cause disorientation.” The exorcists ask Catholics to take these observations into account “to avoid attitudes and methods that do not correspond to the authentic work of the Lord Christ.”

The text also points out that in recent years the number of those seeking out exorcists has increased due to people wondering or being convinced that they are “victims of an extraordinary action of the devil,” whether it be vexation, obsession, possession, or infestation.

However, the exorcists warn that there are cases in which this belief — which requires confirmation with a rigorous examination — is often held “by people who, without any specific training in the matter and without a mandate from the competent ordinary, act inappropriately, causing confusion among the people of God.”

The International Association of Exorcists thus warns about the following nine erroneous pastoral practices that disorient people who seek to be freed from the extraordinary action of the evil one.

1. Improvisation and sensationalism

The association begins by criticizing the attitude of some priests, consecrated persons, and laypeople who, without adequate training and without an episcopal mandate, “instead of referring cases of possible extraordinary action by the evil one” to an exorcist, employ “arbitrary methods of liberation” that are not authorized by the bishop.

“Even more serious is when they dissuade the faithful from turning to the official exorcist of their diocese, suggesting that they look for other notable exorcists considered ‘more powerful’ or [claiming] alleged extraordinary demonic activity that they have detected.”

2. Focusing on the work of the devil and not on the Gospel

The association points out that “it is deplorable that some, instead of announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that frees man from the slavery of evil and sin, focus their attention exclusively on the presence and work of the devil,” making those seeking help believe that “liberation depends solely on a compulsive repetition of prayers and blessings,” when the peace of Christ “can only be obtained through a life of charity, nourished by the word of God, through prayer, through frequenting the sacraments of the Eucharist and confession, and through an authentic devotion to the Immaculate Virgin.”

3. Negligent discernment

The association laments that some priests, including exorcists, neglect “the serious and rigorous discernment prescribed by the Praenotanda (directives) of the Rite of Exorcisms” and use “criteria foreign to the Catholic faith, validating concepts of esoteric or New Age origin.” The article warns that this is an approach that is “unacceptable and contrary to the faith and doctrine of the Church.”

4. Superstitious practices

The association also criticizes those who use superstitious procedures, such as requesting “photographs or clothing to identify possible evils,” as well as touching “certain points of the body of the member of the faithful to ‘diagnose the presence of malignant entities’ or to ‘expel negativity,’” or suggesting an improper use of sacramentals such as water, salt, or blessed oil “that some call ‘exorcised.’”

The article warns that “these are incorrect attitudes that feed a superstitious mentality and practice, are injurious to the dignity of the body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, and give rise to a magical use of blessed objects.”

5. The involvement of inappropriate persons

The article states that “it is unacceptable that some priests or pastoral workers collaborate with so-called ‘psychics’ or supposed charismatics” by sending to them the suffering person instead of putting them in contact with exorcists appointed by the bishops.

“Even worse, when it is the diocesan exorcist himself who delegates to these figures the task that the Church has entrusted to him, i.e., the authorized discernment of genuine extraordinary demonic activity.”

The association reminds that the exorcist must take responsibility for the suffering of others and “not omit taking the time for personal discernment … to verify the possible extraordinary action of the devil” and thus provide pastoral care for his victims.

6. Excluding medical and psychological sciences

The association explains that the exorcist not only follows traditional criteria to determine whether a person is suffering from an extraordinary action of the devil but also relies on the experience of established exorcists and, in some cases, “on the advice of people who are experts in medicine and psychiatry.”

The exorcists thus emphasize that one cannot “exclude a priori consulting the psychological and psychiatric sciences, and of other positive disciplines, which in some cases can help to understand the origin of ills that are not necessarily of preternatural origin.”

“This attitude is not only misleading, but it exposes people to unnecessary risks, ignoring the sometimes decisive contribution of modern medical and psychological disciplines.”

7. Reckless and harmful statements

The association calls on people to not fall into “the anxious desire to identify at all costs an extraordinary demonic action as the operative cause of [someone’s] suffering,” especially without having previously made a serious discernment.

8. Regarding witchcraft

In its article, the association notes that although the practice of witchcraft has become widespread, one must not fall into “the fearful attitude” of seeing in it the origin of all the evils and misfortunes that can befall a person.

The exorcists point out that “common sense and experience also teach that when an evil could have really been caused by witchcraft, concentrating on its identification” and assuring people that they have been victims is useless and irrelevant for their liberation, as well as harmful, since they may begin to pour out “feelings of hatred” toward the presumed authors of the curse.

On the contrary, it is important to focus the person’s attention “on the remedies of grace offered by the Church and on the Christian path to follow,” teaching the certainty that “God does not abandon his creature who is going through a trial but in some way suffers with him and at the same time supports and consoles him with his grace.”

Likewise, teaching “the conviction that all suffering, caused by any evil that may strike us in life, if accepted with love and offering to God, turns evil into good.”

9. Intergenerational healing (healing the family tree)

The association also warns about the error of so-called “intergenerational healing” and laments that “some priests and even some exorcists” carry out this practice “as a ‘sine qua non’ (absolutely necessary) condition, without which there can be no healing or liberation, without realizing the harm to their faith and to that of people, as well as the consequences that the latter may suffer on an existential level.”

“Several local ordinaries and bishops’ conferences have already intervened in this area, giving doctrinal reasons that demonstrate how this practice has no biblical and theological foundations.” The association gives as an example the recent doctrinal note on the subject of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference.

Banishing fear

Apart from the above practices, the association’s article also reminds readers that exorcists are called to let Christ’s peace dwell in them, rejecting all forms of fear because “whatever the reason that provokes it, when it is cultivated it leads to the weakening of faith and the loss of trust in God.”

The devil uses fear “to reduce man to slavery”; therefore, a priest who feared the devil “in the exercise of his ministry or in his daily life could not exercise the ministry of exorcism without exposing himself to serious dangers for his spiritual life, especially if instead of cultivating trust and total abandonment of oneself in the merciful hands of God, he sought to address it with more or less superstitious practices.”

“In the Bible, God’s invitation to not be afraid resounds at least 365 times,” the association notes.

Exorcism is an experience of God and of joy

The article points out that certain films have contributed to creating “a dark, disturbing, and terrifying idea of ​​the sacramental of exorcism” as well as feeding “a morbid curiosity about the supernatural.”

However, the association assures that experience shows that this ministry “is imbued with profound joy,” since its members are witnesses of “the powerful action of the risen Christ” and the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin, of the saints and blessed, and of the angels who are “faithful servants of the Most High.”

“The main task of every exorcist will therefore be to give peace and hope, avoiding any gesture or behavior that causes confusion and fuels fear, following the invitation of the Apostle Paul: ‘Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ,’” the International Association of Exorcists notes.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.