Pope Leo XIV appoints Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to the Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

Pope Leo XIV Appoints U.S. Archbishop Cordileone to Church’s Highest Judicial Tribunal

Abigail JamesJuly 28, 2026

 Archbishop Salvatore Joseph Cordileone in 2021 

 Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV as a member of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, one of the highest judicial bodies in the Catholic Church. The appointment was announced by the Holy See Press Office on July 5. The Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura serves as the Church’s highest judicial authority after the Pope, overseeing important matters of canon law and the administration of justice within the Church.

Following the announcement, Archbishop Cordileone publicly expressed his gratitude for the appointment.

“I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, for appointing me as a member of the Supreme Apostolic Signatura,” he wrote in a post on X.

Reflecting on the responsibility entrusted to him, the archbishop added, “I receive this responsibility with a profound sense of stewardship, recognizing that every office in the Church is entrusted for the service of Christ, His people, and the mission of the Gospel.”

Archbishop Cordileone also connected the appointment to the spiritual example of St. Francis of Assisi as the Church marks the 800th anniversary of the saint’s Transitus.

“As we commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Transitus of our patron, St. Francis of Assisi, I pray that his example of humble fidelity to Christ and joyful service to others will continue to shape my ministry,” he said.

He concluded by asking the faithful to pray for Pope Leo XIV, the Church, and his own ministry.

Pope Leo XIV also appointed several other bishops and canon law scholars to the tribunal. Among them are Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo, Michigan; Bishop Krzysztof Nitkiewicz of Sandomierz, Poland; Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru, former Secretary of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts; Opus Dei Father Eduardo Baura de la Peña of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross; Father Gianpaolo Montini, professor emeritus of canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University; and Jesuit Father Ulrich Rhode, also a canon law professor at the Gregorian University.

The appointment comes just days after Archbishop Cordileone marked the 14th anniversary of his appointment as Archbishop of San Francisco by Pope Benedict XVI on July 27, 2012. 

Border wall policies of Trump administration requires seizure of pilgrimage site in New Mexico

 

Court battle continues as lawmaker intervenes to save pilgrimage site from Trump seizure

written by Gina Christian 

A man prays with a child in front of an image of Our Lady at Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, N.M., during a pilgrimage Nov. 23, 2024, for the feast of Christ the King. The Trump administration is continuing its efforts to seize the New Mexico pilgrimage site, as a Texas lawmaker introduces a bill to preserve the spiritual landmark. (OSV News photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters)

(OSV News) — The Trump administration’s move to seize a New Mexico pilgrimage site for border wall construction — despite religious liberty objections — continues to be contested in court, as a Texas lawmaker has introduced legislation to stop the takeover.

An attorney working to protect the site called the federal government’s claim, which seeks to dismiss any consideration of religious freedom, “a stunning and legally untenable position.”

The Diocese of Las Cruces, New Mexico, has for several weeks been battling the administration’s efforts to gain control over a 14-acre parcel that includes Mount Cristo Rey, located in Sunland Park, New Mexico.

Century-old shrine

The 4,675-foot peak, capped by a 29-foot limestone statue of Jesus Christ the King, has served as a shrine for Catholic faithful for close to a century. 

Each year, thousands trek up the rugged path to the image, which depicts a robed Christ with arms stretched out against the cross, overlooking El Paso, Texas, and southern New Mexico landscapes.

The federal government filed a May 7 lawsuit, claiming eminent domain — or government power to seize private property for public use, with “just compensation” as required by the Fifth Amendment — over the land.

The diocese has invoked its rights under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the latter of which expands protections for religious exercise beyond those covered under the former.

RFRA prohibits the government from placing a substantial burden on a person’s exercise of religion without compelling government interest, and even in those circumstances, requires that they do so by the least restrictive means.

An aerial view shows a cross atop Mount Cristo Rey near the U.S.-Mexico border in Sunland Park, N.M., Aug. 8, 2025. (OSV News photo/Paul Ratje, Reuters)

Mount Cristo Rey Protection Act

As the case plays out in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, introduced the “Mount Cristo Rey Protection Act” July 20. 

The measure would recognize the property as a holy site, while prohibiting the use of federal funds for both building the intended border wall at Mount Cristo Rey and for litigating against the Las Cruces Diocese.

The same day Escobar announced the proposed protection act, the Trump administration told the court that the diocese’s religious freedom argument was “wrong and unsupported by any case law.”

“The First Amendment is not a shield from condemnation; it does not grant churches or newsrooms or places of assembly immunity from condemnation,” said the federal government — using the synonymous legal term for eminent domain — in a July 20 filing. 

Instead, said the Trump administration, the “only constitutional limitation” is the Fifth Amendment’s just compensation requirement.

“The Diocese is not the first religious institution from whom the federal government has condemned land,” but “at least the sixth,” said the federal government in its filing.

But such “complete disregard of the protections afforded by the First Amendment and RFRA” is “a stunning and legally untenable position,” said Jonathan Backer, senior counsel at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University and one of the attorneys representing the Diocese of Las Cruces in the case.

Religious liberty objections to be heard

In a July 27 email to OSV News, Backer noted that while the federal government has already taken the title to the land — following a June 15 ruling by U.S. District Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales — “the court has not authorized the government to come onto the property and begin constructing a border wall.”

“The court has made clear that the diocese will be heard on its religious liberty objections,” said Backer.

Those objections include the diocese’s assertions that the federal government’s plan would “deface” Mount Cristo Rey, and “profane” the site with the presence of a border wall segment that would in turn likely “damage or restrict access to this sacred space.”

In addition, the diocese said in that filing, the Trump administration’s move to condemn the land and take immediate possession would “deprive” the diocese of its stewardship responsibilities, which ensure that “successor landowners do not use Diocesan property in ways that are inconsistent with Catholic values and teachings.”

Just compensation disputed

The diocese has also demanded a jury trial to settle the amount of the legally required just compensation, determined by the fair market value of the property, which the federal government currently estimates to be $183,071.

But in its July 6 filing, the diocese rejected that amount, noting that the federal government “has not conducted a site visit” to assess the property.

In addition, said the diocese, the federal government assessed a much higher value for a nearby state-owned 7.3-acre site it also wishes to seize for the border wall, valuing that parcel at $798,500.

On June 28, Bishop Peter Baldacchino of Las Cruces led more than 500 faithful from the dioceses of Las Cruces and El Paso, along with the Archdiocese of Santa Fe, in pilgrimage and prayer to protect the shrine.

In his homily at the Mass he concelebrated on the mountain with Auxiliary Bishop Anthony C. Celino of El Paso, Bishop Baldacchino prayed that civil leaders would uphold religious liberty, which he noted is regarded by the Church as “not an optional charity,” but rather as “a basic right” that “protects the Church’s ability to serve publicly.”

Gonzales has given the diocese until Aug. 3 to reply to the federal government’s latest filing, with the Trump administration subsequently due to respond by Aug. 10.

Summer Vacation comes to an end for Pope Leo XIV

 

Pope

• Pope Leo XIV
• Castel Gandolfo

Pope Leo XIV concludes period of rest in Castel Gandolfo

Pope Leo XIV leaves the Apostolic Palace in Castel Gandolfo and returns to the Vatican after over three weeks of rest, greeting those gathered outside the residence and blessing several children as he departs.

By Tiziana Campisi

Pope Leo XIV left Castel Gandolfo just after 8:30 p.m. on Monday evening, 27 July, returning to the Vatican after a period of rest that began on 5 July.

As his car departed from the papal residence, the Pope greeted a group of people who had gathered to see him off and blessed several children waiting with their parents.

He will return to Castel Gandolfo on Wednesday, 29 July, to attend “Canticle of Peace” (Cantico di Pace), a gathering of prayer and fraternity.

Promoted by the Laudato Si’ Centre for Higher Education and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, the event forms part of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi. It will begin at 7 p.m. in the gardens of the Pontifical Villas.

Days in Castel Gandolfo

During his 23-day stay in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo devoted time to prayer, reading, and some sport.

The small town, which overlooks Lake Albano in the Alban Hills outside Rome, is listed among Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages.

In addition to four Sunday appointments with the faithful—on 5, 12, 19 and 26 July—when he led the Angelus from the entrance to the Apostolic Palace, Pope Leo took part in two other public events.

On 11 July, he shared lunch in the pontifical gardens with 200 people from the Diocese of Rome living in situations of social vulnerability, including 35 children.

A week later, on 18 July, he attended a concert organized by the Diocese of Albano in the courtyard of the Apostolic Palace.

The Pope also made two outings for three private visits during the final week of his stay.

On 20 July, he visited the Benedictine Abbey of Montecassino. On 22 July, he travelled to the Sanctuary of the Most Holy Trinity at Vallepietra before visiting the Monasteries of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica at Subiaco.

Saint of the Day for Tuesday

 

St. Innocent I

Innocent was born at Albano, Italy. He became Pope, succeeding Pope St. Anastasius I, on December 22, 401. During Innocent's pontificate, he emphasized papal supremacy, commending the bishops of Africa for referring the decrees of their councils at Carthage and Millevis in 416, condemning Pelagianism, to the Pope for confirmation. It was his confirmation of these decrees that caused Augustine to make a remark that was to echo through the centuries: "Roma locuta, causa finitas" (Rome has spoken, the matter is ended). Earlier Innocent had stressed to Bishop St. Victrius and the Spanish bishops that matters of great importance were to be referred to Rome for settlement. Innocent strongly favored clerical celibacy and fought the unjust removal of St. John Chrysostom. He vainly sought help from Emperor Honorius at Revenna when the Goths under Alaric captured and sacked Rome. Innocent died in Rome on March 12. His feast day is July 28th.

Despite Dobbs, sadly, abortions still rising due to mail-order chemical abortions

 

Abortion count rises as women turn to chemical abortions, per new data

The abortion count is rising as women rely more on mail-order chemical abortions, according to the most recent data.

Credit: Yta23/Shutterstock

By Kate Quiñones

July 24, 2026, at 2:31 PM ET

The U.S. abortion count continues to rise even as travel abortions decrease, a recent study found.

The Guttmacher Institute, a data group that openly supports abortion access, documented a decrease in people leaving their own state to get abortions in other states. Instead, abortion seekers turn toward mail-order abortions, which have seen a surge in recent years.

The group tracks abortions monthly, following trends “in the post-Dobbs era” since 2023, according to Guttmacher data scientist and study lead Isaac Maddow-Zimet.

The data indicated an overall increase in abortions from 2025 to 2026.

“In the first three months of 2026, there were 296,130 abortions as compared to 292,590 in the first three months of 2025,” data scholar Michael New told EWTN News. “This is an increase of just over 1%.”

New said this fact has gone underreported.

“Most media outlets that are reporting on the Guttmacher data have not reported on this, but the number of abortions continues to rise,” said New, who is a senior associate scholar at Charlotte Lozier Institute, a group that studies data relating to the pro-life cause.

“These rising abortion numbers are an important reason why pro-lifers are frustrated with the Trump administration’s lack of action on telehealth abortions,” continued New, who also works as a professor at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America.

The Trump administration has neglected to enforce various regulations — such as the Comstock Act or in-person prescription requirements — that could be groundbreaking for protecting unborn children from chemical abortions.

From 2024 to 2025, travel abortions declined by nearly 8%. Scholars agree that mail-order abortion is the reason for the decline in abortion travel.

“Currently, we are seeing a major shift in where and how people access abortion,” Maddow-Zimet said. “While travel remains a critical pathway to care, we have seen a decrease in people leaving their state of residence, likely due to both the growth of telehealth access and fewer options for in-person care in the South and Southeast.”

New also cited chemical abortions as the draw away from travel abortions.

“The main reason for this decline in out-of-state travel is because of the rising number of telehealth abortions,” New said. “The most recent data from the Society for Family Planning shows that approximately 27% of all abortions are done by telehealth.”

In Florida, the study also found a near tripling of abortion travel by Floridians after the state passed a heartbeat law to protect unborn babies; at the same time, fewer people traveled to Florida to obtain abortions due to this law.

“The national decline [in travel abortions] might have been even larger had Florida not started enforcing a Heartbeat Act in 2024,” New said. “Because of this strong pro-life law, far fewer women residing in southern states traveled to Florida for abortions.”

Texas has also seen a decline in Texans traveling to get abortions.

“This trend is seen at the state level,” New continued. “Between 2024 and 2025 the number of Texas women obtaining abortions in other states fell by 19%.”

Mail-order abortion is pro-life priority

Advocates for unborn children highlighted the importance of opposing chemical abortions and protecting unborn children across state lines.

Abortion continues to rise with the increase in mail-order abortions.

Kelsey Pritchard, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America spokeswoman, called for protections of unborn children across state lines.

“We need a national minimum standard to ensure children across America have basic human rights and the chance at life, regardless of their zip code,” Pritchard told EWTN News.

“Nine states and the District of Columbia still have no gestational limits whatsoever on abortion, allowing abortion up to the moment of birth, with late-term abortion centers purposely located within range of pro-life state borders,” Pritchard said. “This is barbaric and extreme, and it places the United States in the same category as communist countries like China and Vietnam on abortion.”

“While stopping the ‘Wild West’ of unregulated abortion by mail is our immediate priority, both issues underscore the urgent need for national action to protect unborn children and their mothers,” Pritchard said.

“Abortion travel is down overall, but mail-order abortions are surging and driving the national total up to an estimated 1.1 million abortions per year — more than the day Roe was reversed,” Pritchard said. “Every single month, approximately 15,000 babies in the womb die from mail-order abortion drugs in states with pro-life laws, while women and girls are poisoned and coerced by abusers who obtain these drugs online without so much as an ID check.”

Kristi Hamrick, Students for Life spokeswoman, questioned the data, noting that there is no reporting requirement for abortion.

“I find it extraordinary that the abortion industry reports so much data that is accepted as gospel, despite the fact that we canʼt verify it,” Hamrick said. “We have no national abortion reporting law, and while this data will be broadly reported, every point of data from pro-life sources is treated as suspect.”

Guttmacher collects monthly data from brick-and-mortar facilities and telehealth providers, according to the study methodology.

The nature of mail-order abortion pills makes it harder to accurately track the number of the abortions in the U.S. as the pills are highly unregulated and some companies operate outside of the U.S. healthcare system.

“The landscape of abortion is shifting, from brick-and-mortar abortion vendor to online pill pushers, so less driving, if that is true, does not mean less abortion,” Hamrick said.

For Students for Life, “fighting chemical abortion pills” is a priority.

Through pregnancy help centers, maternity homes, and other programs, the pro-life movement continues to encourage women to choose life.

“But what is happening in real time is that many are reaching out to women online and in their communities to encourage and support them in choosing life, while we also have to confront a new abortion cartel,” Hamrick said.

The Vatican explores a Papal visit to Ukraine

 

Vatican weighing papal trip to Ukraine

The Holy See’s foreign minister said it is evaluating the timing and conditions for a possible visit to the country by Pope Leo XIV.

Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on July 20, 2026. | Credit: Embassy of Ukraine to the Holy See.

By Victoria Cardiel

July 24, 2026 at 10:30 AM ET

The Vatican will study the conditions needed for a possible trip by Pope Leo XIV to Ukraine, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher said following a six-day pastoral and diplomatic mission to the war-torn country.

Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states and international organizations, said the possibility of a papal visit was among the questions he heard most frequently during his stay.

“Almost everyone I met asked me that question. My answer is very simple. The Holy Father takes this invitation very seriously,” Gallagher told Vatican Media in Kraków, Poland, before returning to Rome.

“For our part, we will continue to study the conditions necessary to determine the right time and the most appropriate way for such a visit to bear the greatest possible fruit for Ukraine and for peace in the world,” he said.

Gallagher spent six days in Ukraine, which has been at war since 2014 and has endured Russia’s full-scale invasion since February 2022. He held political, institutional, and Church meetings and took part in several pastoral events.

He met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on July 20. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the Holy See’s continuing support for Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

The principal purpose of Gallagher’s visit was to participate in celebrations marking the 35th anniversary of the restoration of the Latin Catholic Church’s structures at the Marian shrine of Berdychiv. Thousands of faithful attended the celebrations July 19.

Gallagher said Ukrainian authorities had expressed appreciation for the Holy See’s support.

“In our meetings with the authorities, we encountered profound gratitude for the Holy Father’s appeals and his words, and that is a source of encouragement for us,” he said.

“They feel supported by the closeness shown first by Pope Francis and now by Pope Leo. This encourages the Holy See to renew its commitment to dialogue with the international community and with the Russian authorities, and to continue its humanitarian efforts, such as the mission entrusted to Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, who continues working for the return of children, prisoners, and civilians.”

Pope Leo XIV has received several official invitations to visit Ukraine. Zelenskyy renewed the invitation during a conversation with the pope on Good Friday.

During that exchange, Pope Leo expressed his closeness to the Ukrainian people amid the suffering caused by the war and emphasized the urgency of ensuring humanitarian assistance. He also expressed his hope for an end to hostilities and a just and lasting peace with Russia.

A just and lasting peace

Asked about the prospects for a ceasefire, Gallagher said he had seen a strong willingness on the Ukrainian side to work toward that goal.

“During these days I have seen a strong determination on the Ukrainian side to work towards that goal. It is difficult for me to say whether this can be achieved in the immediate future, but we must continue to work in that direction,” he said.

“At the same time, as we saw at the shrine of Berdychiv — and as the history of this remarkable place of Marian devotion reminds us, renowned for many reported healings — we should never rule out the possibility of a miracle.”

Gallagher also reflected on what he had witnessed during the mission.

“For me, this has been a profoundly positive experience. Beyond the logistical effort and the long journey required to reach Ukraine, it has allowed me to touch the reality of today’s world with my own hands,” he said.

“We must remember that not everyone lives as we do in Italy or in my native England. There is a dark and troubling reality in our world today. We must not give in. In our own way, we too are called to strive, doing our part with the means available to us, in order to build peace.”

Zuppi’s humanitarian mission

Gallagher’s visit followed Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi’s second mission to Ukraine as Pope Leo XIV’s special envoy.

The archbishop of Bologna completed four days of meetings in Lviv and Kyiv focused on prisoner exchanges, the return of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, and the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Zuppi met civil and religious authorities, officials responsible for prisoner exchanges and relatives of military personnel and civilians being held in Russia.

Among his principal meetings was an encounter with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who thanked the Holy See for its humanitarian efforts and requested its support in achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace.

Sybiha also raised Kyiv’s concerns about civilians detained in Russian territory and called for a humanitarian corridor to assist thousands of people in the Russian-occupied communities of Oleshky and Hola Prystan in the Kherson region.

Prisoners were a central focus of the mission. Proposals discussed included a possible comprehensive exchange of prisoners of war, continued efforts to locate missing people, and measures to facilitate the return of civilians.

The parties also discussed the situation of Ukrainian children taken illegally to Russia, an issue in which the Holy See has been involved for years through diplomatic and humanitarian initiatives.

Another topic was the protection of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has recently been damaged amid attacks connected to the war. Ukrainian authorities consider its preservation and restoration a priority.

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.