WASHINGTON – “Your faith matters. Your prayers matter. Your acts of love and works of justice matter,” said Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel,” he continued, and as a step toward healing, invited bishops and priests across the United States to offer a Holy Hour for Peace.

Archbishop Coakley’s full reflection and invitation follow:

Many people today feel powerless in the face of violence, injustice, and social unrest. To those who feel this way, I wish to say clearly: your faithfulness matters. Your prayers matter. Your acts of love and works of justice matter. 

I am deeply grateful for the countless ways Catholics and all people of good will continue to serve one another and work for peace and justice. Whether feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick, accompanying the lonely, visiting the imprisoned, or striving daily to love their neighbors, no work of mercy or act of justice is ever wasted in the eyes of God. While proper laws must be respected, works of mercy, peacefully assembling, and caring for those in your community are signs of hope, and they build peace more surely than anger or despair ever could. Christ reminds us that even ‘a single cup of cold water’ given in his name will not go unrewarded (cf. Mt 10:42).

The recent killing of two people by immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis and that of a detained man in Texas, are just a few of the tragic examples of the violence that represent failures in our society to respect the dignity of every human life. We mourn this loss of life and deplore the indifference and injustice it represents. The current climate of fear and polarization, which thrives when human dignity is disregarded, does not meet the standard set by Christ in the Gospel.

As a step toward healing, I invite my brother bishops and priests across the United States to offer a Holy Hour for Peace in the days ahead. Let us pray for reconciliation where there is division, for justice where there are violations of fundamental rights, and for consolation for all who feel overwhelmed by fear or loss. I encourage Catholics everywhere to participate, whether in parishes, chapels, or before the Lord present in the quiet of their hearts for healing in our nation and communities. 

May this Holy Hour be a moment of renewal for our hearts and for our nation. Entrusting our fears and hopes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, let us ask the Lord to make us instruments of his peace and witnesses to the inherent dignity of every person.

Let us pray together, confident that God hears the cry of his people and remains close to all who seek him. 

### 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Leo XIV called for an end to all antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution worldwide.

"I renew my appeal to the community of nations always to remain vigilant so that the horror of genocide never again befall any people and that a society based on mutual respect and the common good be built," he said Jan. 28.

The pope made his remarks during his greeting to Italian-speaking visitors after leading his general audience talk in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

The pope recalled the previous day's commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked Jan. 27 each year, the anniversary of the day in 1945 when Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex. The camp was the largest of the Nazi work and death camps; an estimated 1.1 million of the more than 6 million victims of the Holocaust died there. 

"On this annual occasion of painful remembrance, I ask Almighty God for the gift of a world without any more antisemitism, prejudice, oppression or persecution of any human being," Pope Leo said. 

The pope also commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day with a post on X Jan. 27, recalling "that the Church remains faithful to the unwavering position of the Declaration #NostraAetate against every form of antisemitism. The Church rejects any discrimination or harassment based on ethnicity, language, nationality or religion."

Later the same day, the pope underlined the importance of praying for peace when speaking to reporters as he was leaving the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.

When asked about the situation in the Middle East, specifically the arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, which is equipped with guided-missile destroyers, Pope Leo said, "I will just say that we must pray very much for peace."

Though regular, everyday people may seem "small" or insignificant, he said, "we can raise our voices and always seek dialogue rather than violence to resolve problems, especially on this day when we commemorate the Shoah."

"Let us fight against all forms of antisemitism," he said.

WASHINGTON – “Consecrated men and women are a witness to the hope of a life lived in Christ that is awaited to be fully received in Heaven,” said Archbishop-designate Ronald A. Hicks, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations. The committee assists bishops in promoting, supporting, and educating about the Church’s pastoral needs and concerns for the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life, and addresses issues concerning the life and ministry of bishops. Instituted by Saint John Paul II in 1997, the Catholic Church observes the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life on February 2 each year. Dioceses, parishes, and schools take the opportunity to recognize, celebrate, and pray for those in consecrated life and those discerning this state of life. 

“By responding to the vocational call such as consecrated virginity, religious life, and members of secular institutes and societies of Apostolic life, consecrated men and women reveal God’s invitation to love him with one’s whole life even now while on Earth as it will be in Heaven. Living out this love can start before one enters into consecrated life through active participation in the Mass, such as being an altar server or lector, or parish ministry, and teaching the faith to God’s people,” said Archbishop-designate Hicks.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations, in preparation for this celebration, commissions a study each year on newly professed men and women religious through the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University. The full CARA report and profiles of the Profession Class of 2025 may be found here.   

Resources on the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life are available on the USCCB’s website World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.

###

    
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Humanity must not allow technology, especially AI, to obscure, exploit or suppress human voices, needs, knowledge, talents, creativity and critical thinking abilities, Pope Leo XIV said.

Algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media can lock people into "bubbles" of easy consensus and rage, weakening people's ability to listen and think critically, and increasing polarization, the pope wrote in his message for the World Day of Communications.

"Added to this is a naively uncritical reliance on artificial intelligence as an omniscient 'friend,' a dispenser of all information, an archive of all memory, an 'oracle' of all advice," which can also further erode the ability to understand what things really mean and to think analytically and creatively, he wrote.

The pope's message was released Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists. The Vatican and most dioceses will celebrate the World Day of Communications May 17, the Sunday before Pentecost. 

The theme for the church's 60th celebration of World Day of Communications is "Preserving human voices and faces," which the Dicastery for Communication announced Sept. 29.

The theme underlines the pope's focus on the need to respect the human person and each person's God-given uniqueness and diversity.

The challenge, he wrote, "is not technological, but anthropological. Protecting faces and voices ultimately means protecting ourselves."

Humanity can embrace the opportunities offered by digital technology and artificial intelligence "with courage, determination and discernment," he wrote, without hiding or ignoring the critical issues, problems and risks they pose.

The main concern is not what "machines" or technology can or will be able to do, Pope Leo wrote, "but what we can and will be able to do, growing in humanity and knowledge, with the wise use of such powerful tools at our service."

The heart of the problem, he wrote, is the human temptation to passively accept the fruits of knowledge without being an integral part of the technological process, without doing the needed research and without being held accountable and responsible regarding their use. 

"Giving up the creative process and surrendering our mental capacities and imagination to machines means burying the talents we have received to grow as people in relation to God and others," he wrote. "It means hiding our face and silencing our voice."

Without proper safeguards, he wrote, "digital technology risks radically altering some of the fundamental pillars of human civilization" since current technology is able to simulate "human voices and faces, wisdom and knowledge, awareness and responsibility, empathy and friendship."

"There has long been ample evidence that algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media -- which is profitable for platforms -- reward knee-jerk emotions and penalize more time-consuming human expressions such as the effort to understand and reflect," the pope wrote.

"By closing groups of people into bubbles of easy consensus and easy indignation, these algorithms weaken the ability to listen and think critically and increase social polarization," he wrote, adding his warning about any naive and uncritical reliance on AI for information, remembering the past, "friendship" and advice.

"Although AI can provide support and assistance in managing communication tasks, shirking the effort to think for ourselves and settling for an artificial statistical compilation risks eroding our cognitive, emotional and communication skills in the long run," he wrote.

Pope Leo flagged the danger of letting AI systems take control of producing text, music and video, and allowing "masterpieces of human genius in the fields of music, art and literature" to become "mere training grounds for machines."

"Much of the human creative industry is thus at risk of being dismantled and replaced with the label 'Powered by AI,' transforming people into mere passive consumers of unthought thoughts, anonymous products, without authorship, without love," he wrote.

Pope Leo also highlighted the increased presence of "bots" and "virtual influencers" on people's social media feeds, and their ability to influence public debate and people's choices. 

Another danger, he added, was "anthropomorphizing" Large Language Models, which can imitate human emotions and appear "affectionate," potentially deceiving or influencing vulnerable people and exploiting the human need for relationships.

If people replace real human relationships with AI-trained systems, where "everything is made in our image and likeness," he wrote, people can build a "world of mirrors" and be robbed of the opportunity "to encounter others, who are always different from us, and with whom we can and must learn to engage."

AI and its propensity to "hallucinate" as well as its ability to fabricate "reality" make it increasingly difficult to distinguish fact and fiction, thus posing a great risk to journalism, he wrote.

"A failure to verify sources, together with the crisis in on-the-ground journalism, which involves the continuous gathering and verification of information wherever events occur, can create even more fertile ground for disinformation, causing a growing sense of mistrust, confusion and insecurity," the pope wrote.

And finally, he warned about the danger of having a "handful of companies" be in control of so much data and be able to "subtly influence behavior and even rewrite human history -- including the history of the Church -- often without us even realizing it."

What needs to be done, he wrote, is "not stop digital innovation, but to guide it, to be aware of its ambivalent nature" and to "raise our voices in defense of human beings, so that these tools can truly be integrated as our allies."

This alliance must be based on responsibility, cooperation and education, he wrote,

"Media and communication companies cannot allow algorithms designed to win the battle for a few extra seconds of attention at any cost to prevail over their professional values, which are aimed at seeking the truth," he wrote. "Public trust is earned through accuracy and transparency, not by chasing after any kind of engagement." 

"Content generated or manipulated by AI must be clearly labeled and distinguished from content created by humans," the pope wrote. Authorship, ownership and copyright must be protected.

"Information is a public good. A constructive and meaningful public service is not based on opacity, but on transparency of sources, inclusion of stakeholders and high standards of quality," he said in his message.

The pope called for increased media, information and AI literacy on all levels. "As Catholics, we can and must make our contribution so that people -- especially young people -- acquire critical thinking skills and grow in freedom of spirit."

More should be done, too, he added, in protecting people's face, image and voice from being used in "the creation of harmful content and behaviors such as digital fraud, cyberbullying and deepfakes that violate people's privacy and intimacy without their consent."

"We need faces and voices to represent people again," he wrote. "We need to cherish the gift of communication as the deepest truth of humanity, to which all technological innovation should be oriented."

WASHINGTON - On Ash Wednesday, February 18, Catholics in dioceses across the United States are invited to give to the annual Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

This collection, which is in its 35th year, continues its mission of helping churches in nearly 30 countries recover from militantly atheist communist rule, including ministry and relief efforts related to the war against Ukraine.

Bishop Gerald L. Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, chairman of the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, witnessed the collection’s work in Ukraine last March. “I visited a shelter for families whose homes were destroyed and an orphanage for children whose parents were killed. Veterans I met with expressed their gratitude for therapy they have been able to receive for their post-traumatic stress,” he said.

“An elderly man who had survived a Siberian gulag told me, ‘What gives me hope is that, in the end, evil does not win.’ He is right – but that requires all of us to follow Christ’s call to build the kingdom of God. Pope John Paul II knew that in 1990 when he urged Catholics in the United States to join the great rebuilding effort in lands newly liberated from communist oppression – lands from which many of our families had immigrated,” continued Bishop Vincke.

The Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe was the U.S. bishops’ response to that call. Many dioceses take up this annual collection on Ash Wednesday, though some dioceses have different dates. The online giving site iGiveCatholic also accepts funds for the program.

In 2024, gifts to the collection funded 547 grants totaling more than $9.5 million. Examples of how donations are used include:

• In Kokshetau, Kazakhstan, sisters of the Community of the Beatitudes expanded their mission of evangelization by establishing a day center for preschool children with Down syndrome and their families.
• In the Slovak Republic, a multi-faceted outreach to vulnerable pregnant women provides material assistance, counseling, training in prevention of abuse, and “Evenings of Mercy” a gathering featuring Mass, confessions, and healing prayers.
• One of the many projects in Ukraine trains lay leaders in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Exarchate of Lutsk to develop new skills in pastoral and social ministry so they can help bring hope and comfort to people who have lost everything.
• A thousand-year-old Benedictine monastery in Hungary is helping clergy and laity discover the teachings of Vatican II on topics ranging from liturgy to interfaith relations.
• In Bulgaria, a village church has been able to engage in digital media evangelization and now offers a post-abortion healing ministry. They were also able to send young pilgrims to the Jubilee in Rome and financed English-immersion studies for a priest in order to reach non-Bulgarians.

“For 35 years, your contributions to the Collection for the Church in Central and Eastern Europe have made a profound difference. You have rebuilt cathedrals, renewed hope, healed the suffering and brought joy where there had been despair,” Bishop Vincke said. “As these churches continue to heal from old wounds and suffer new ones, it is my hope that you give generously and become part of our ongoing and loving response.”

Additional information on grants and impact is at www.usccb.org/ccee.

### 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Peace is built on respect for all people, Pope Leo XIV said after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square Jan. 25.

The pope called for prayers for peace "in Ukraine, in the Middle East and in every region where, unfortunately, there is fighting going on for interests that are not those of the people."

"Peace is built on respect for peoples!" he said.

Greeting young people from Catholic Action who organized the annual "Caravan of Peace," the pope thanked them for helping "us adults to look at the world from another perspective: that of cooperation between people and among diverse peoples."

"Be peacemakers at home, at school, in sports, everywhere," he told the young people. "Never be violent, neither with words nor with gestures. Never!  Evil can only be overcome with good."

Speaking specifically about Ukraine, Pope Leo lamented the "continuous attacks" against the nation, which have left "entire populations exposed to the cold of winter."

"I am following the situation with sorrow, and I am close to and pray for those who suffer," he said.

"The continuation of hostilities, with increasingly serious consequences for civilians, widens the rift between peoples and pushes further back the opportunity for a just and lasting peace," he said, inviting everyone "to intensify their efforts to end this war."

WASHINGTON – Echoing the message Pope Leo XIV delivered at the Sunday Angelus today, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reminded the faithful: “Peace is built on respect for people.” 

“Today, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that ‘the Gospel must be proclaimed and lived in every setting, serving as a leaven of fraternity and peace among all individuals, cultures, religions and peoples.’ 

“It is with this in mind that I prayerfully urge calm, restraint, and respect for human life in Minneapolis, and all those places where peace is threatened. Public authorities especially have a responsibility to safeguard the well-being of people in service to the common good. 

“As a nation we must come together in dialogue, turning away from dehumanizing rhetoric and acts which threaten human life. In this spirit, in unity with Pope Leo, it is important to proclaim, ‘Peace is built on respect for people!’”

### 

Pope Leo XIV sits during the Jan. 21, 2026, general audience alongside a Swiss Guard at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media

Jan 24, 2026 / 08:00 am (CNA).

Pope Leo XIV warned of the risks that go hand in hand with information in the digital age and urged journalists never to succumb “to the temptation of the trivial” or to fake news that creates confusion about what’s true or false.

The pope made his comments in a message sent on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of “Porta a Porta” (“Door to Door”), a program on RAI 1 Italian public television, in which he addressed to the show’s host, Bruno Vespa, the editorial team, and the viewers.

Leo XIV recalled the three decades of the “Porta a Porta” program’s history as a period marked by “wars and peace agreements, crises and recoveries, joyful and sad events.”

At the same time, he emphasized that the medium itself has also changed: television and, with it, all communication. “Today we have new tools and new possibilities for informing ourselves, learning, and interacting,” the pope wrote, “but along with them, new risks have also emerged.”

Among these dangers, the Holy Father listed the exchange of fake news for real news, “compulsive channel surfing” instead of attentive listening, “doom scrolling” instead of intentional reading, superficial curiosity instead of a genuine desire to learn, and monologues instead of dialogues in which no one truly listens.

‘Quality television’

In the face of these trends, the pontiff advocated patience and a long-term perspective as necessary conditions for building lasting relationships. He also urged that technological innovations not lead to the loss of “the uniqueness of our humanity.”

“Communication challenges us all never to succumb to the temptation of the banal,” Pope Leo XIV emphasized. Finally, he encouraged television professionals to “always offer the world, which thirsts for beauty and truth, quality television.”

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

Father Bobbo Paschal from St. Stephen Parish in the Kaduna Archdiocese in Nigeria has been released after being abducted on Nov. 17, 2025, when gunmen attacked the parish. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Kaduna Catholic Archdiocese

Jan 24, 2026 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Here is a roundup of Catholic news from around the world that you might have missed this week:

Kidnapped priest in Nigeria regains freedom after 2 months in captivity

Father Bobbo Paschal, who was abducted on Nov. 17, 2025, when gunmen attacked St. Stephen Parish in the Kaduna Archdiocese, has been released after spending two months in captivity, the Nigerian Metropolitan See has confirmed, according to ACI Africa, the sister service of EWTN News in Africa.

In a statement on behalf of Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso, the chancellor of the Kaduna Archdiocese said Paschal was released on Jan. 17 and conveyed “profound gratitude” to all those who worked and prayed for the priest’s release.

Nigeria has been battling a surge of violence orchestrated by gangs, whose members carry out indiscriminate attacks, kidnapping for ransom, and in some cases, killing.

Church in Aleppo launches emergency home-repair initiative

More than 10 days after fighting subsided in parts of Aleppo, dozens of Christian families remain unable to return to their homes, according to ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. Damage sustained during recent clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish Asayish units left entire residential blocks partially uninhabitable, triggering a new wave of displacement.

In response, the Council of Christian Churches in Aleppo launched an emergency housing rehabilitation project, led by Archbishop Youssef Tobji and supported by several local Christian organizations. The initiative focuses on rapid assessments and urgent repairs to make homes safe for return.

Church leaders are urging donors and humanitarian partners to accelerate assistance, warning that prolonged displacement could further erode Aleppo’s fragile Christian presence.

Iraqi Christian bloc seeks unified voice in Parliament

Christian political representation in Iraq entered a new phase this past week with the formation of the Soyana Bloc parliamentary bloc, now the largest Christian grouping in the Iraqi Legislature. This brings together three newly elected lawmakers who say the move is meant to end years of fragmented representation and external political influence over Christian quota seats.

Bloc leader Kaldo Ramzi Oganna told ACI MENA that the initiative responds to decades of displacement, demographic pressure, and marginalization faced by Christians since 2003. He stressed that the group’s goal is not symbolic presence but active participation in national decision-making as an equal partner within Iraq’s political system.

Among the bloc’s priorities are passing a dedicated Christian personal status law, revising provisions on the Islamization of minors in the national ID law, and reforming the quota system to ensure only Christian voters elect Christian representatives. The bloc also aims to translate political representation into tangible improvements in security, services, and investment in historic Christian areas to encourage return and long-term stability.

Archaeological evidence points to early Christianity in Hatra

New attention has turned to the ancient city of Hatra, where archaeological findings suggest Christianity reached the region far earlier than commonly assumed, ACI MENA reported. Located southwest of Mosul, the UNESCO-listed site once stood as a powerful trading kingdom between the Roman and Parthian empires.

Researchers highlight a marble slab discovered near Hatra’s main temple bearing a carved cross and Syriac inscription reading “Shimona, son of the martyr.” Additional crosses etched into building stones, believed to be “masons’ marks” left by Christian craftsmen, reinforce the case for a Christian presence during the city’s later period.

Historians also cite early Syriac writings, including those attributed to Bardaisan, referencing Christian communities in Hatra. Together, the material and textual evidence points to a complex religious landscape in Mesopotamia, where Christianity took root alongside older traditions during the first centuries of the faith.

Macau Diocese in China celebrates 450th anniversary

On Jan. 23, the Diocese of Macau in China began a special jubilee year as it began a series of celebratory events to mark its 450th anniversary with a Mass in the Cathedral of the Nativity of Our Lady.

According to Fides, the Diocese of Macau has played a key role in the evangelizing mission of the Church in the Far East. Today the diocese has “nine parishes, 28 educational institutions, Caritas centers, and a publishing house that also takes care of communication. Over 70 priests and seminarians together with about 130 nuns offer pastoral service to the approximately 30,000 baptized.”

Signature of leading Russian Catholic prelate left off new statement

A recent statement published on Jan. 15 signed by representatives of the Orthodox, Protestant, evangelical, and other churches condemning alleged persecution of Christians in Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, and Armenia was not signed by the leading Catholic prelate in Russia, Archbishop Paolo Pezzi, FSCB, according to the Religious Information Service of Ukraine (RISU), and reported in the Tablet.

The spokesman for the Archdiocese of the Mother of God in Moscow, Father Kirill Gorbunov, said the archbishop “did not sign the statement because he has no authority to make official statements regarding other countries.”

Gorbunov said, according the Russian news agency RIA, that Pezzi “generally shares the position expressed in the statement, but the internal rules of the Roman Catholic Church do not allow him to make similar statements on his behalf.”

ProLife Europe volunteers staff an information table during an outreach in Freiburg, Germany. | Credit: ProLife Europe

Jan 24, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).

As European Union institutions and national governments increasingly advance policies expanding access to abortion, some observers have questioned whether the pro-life movement in Europe still exists or whether it has largely retreated from public life.

While large-scale demonstrations have become less common in some countries, pro-life advocates say a quieter, more grassroots movement is taking shape across the continent, driven largely by young people and focused less on political pressure and more on cultural engagement.

One organization at the center of this effort is ProLife Europe, a cross-border pro-life organization founded in 2019 and headquartered in Weißenhorn, Germany.

Operating on a far smaller budget than many U.S.-based pro-life organizations and funded primarily by individual donors, ProLife Europe has expanded rapidly across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Lithuania, and Poland.

The organization focuses on training young people to engage in calm, one-on-one conversations about abortion, human dignity, and the value of life, particularly in university settings and public spaces where pro-life views are often marginalized.

A response to fragmentation and polarization

While many European countries already have local pro-life initiatives, the founders of ProLife Europe said they saw a need for something more coordinated and culturally focused. They point to what they describe as the “widespread misinformation, polarization, and social fragmentation surrounding abortion” and sought to build a professional, internationally-oriented student network capable of engaging the issue at a deeper cultural level.

The organization officially launched in March 2019 shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely limited public gatherings and campus activity across Europe.

Despite those constraints, ProLife Europe adapted through online training and internal formation.

Leaders say interest among young people grew during this period, reinforcing their belief that many young Europeans are searching for new ways to think and speak about abortion beyond entrenched ideological positions.

By 2024, ProLife Europe had established 54 groups, trained 4,192 students, and conducted 285 outreaches.

A cultural, not political strategy

“Our focus is not on large demonstrations or political pressure,” said Maria Czernin, president of ProLife Europe. “It is on dialogue, meeting people where they are, and planting seeds.”

While the organization does not ignore political realities, Czernin said its work begins at a deeper level. “Laws follow culture, and without a cultural foundation, political victories remain fragile and reversible,” she explained.

Volunteers therefore prioritize personal encounters, often inviting passersby into respectful conversations that begin with open-ended questions — such as when human life begins or how society defines human dignity. Czernin explained that the aim is not to “win” arguments but to reopen moral reflection in a climate where abortion is frequently treated as unquestionable.

Addressing common misconceptions

According to its leaders, many conversations begin with assumptions that are rarely examined by most people.

“The most common misconception is that abortion is a woman’s right,” said Lucia Bardini, regional coordinator for southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. She noted that no such right has ever been declared by the United Nations.

Bardini added that abortion is often framed as a women-only issue, even though many of those involved in performing or enabling abortions are men, including physicians, hospital administrators, and partners of pregnant women.

Among male students, she said another recurring assumption is that they have no role in abortion decisions. “This relieves them of the responsibility that comes with being future fathers,” Bardini explained.

She also noted that some students view abortion as the only viable option when pursuing a university degree, particularly when academic demands, financial pressure, or time constraints seem incompatible with parenthood, an assumption she said overlooks available forms of support and alternative paths forward.

Responding without alienation

Asked how pro-life advocates can address the belief that abortion is a settled right without alienating people, Pedro Líbano Monteiro, regional coordinator for Portugal, discussed the importance of respectful questioning.

“Many rights that once seemed ‘settled’ in history were later questioned when society recognized that they involved the harm of others,” Monteiro noted.

He mentioned that conversations should begin by asking who is affected and whether the dignity of all involved is being considered. “Being pro-life is not about condemning women or ignoring hardship,” he said, but about recognizing that “both lives matter” and that society should offer better solutions than abortion, including practical support and solidarity.

Rather than accusations, Monteiro said, asking questions invites openness. Laws and social norms may change, he added, but the moral reality of human life does not.

A quiet but growing presence

While ProLife Europe does not claim to represent the entirety of Europe’s pro-life movement, its leaders see their work as part of a broader shift toward long-term cultural engagement in a highly secularized continent. “Our work is slow,” Czernin acknowledged. “But cultural change always is.”

Benjamin Famula, regional coordinator for northern Germany, said the pro-life movement’s future depends on a greater willingness to engage openly with difficult questions.

“We need more people from all walks of life who are aware of the abortion crisis not to look away but to speak out,” Famula said, adding that young people must have the courage to address these issues wherever they can.

He noted that pro-life views are often dismissed as marginal or extremist, a perception he said discourages active engagement and allows misconceptions to persist unchallenged. Famula also called for stronger leadership in public debate, urging advocates to move beyond a purely defensive posture and to highlight the social and economic pressures faced by women in crisis pregnancy situations.

For ProLife Europe’s leaders, the aim is neither immediate political change nor public visibility but something more incremental: reopening moral reflection in a culture where abortion is often treated as beyond question, one conversation at a time.