Father Andrii Stebivka, a priest of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, was forcibly detained by recruitment officers and taken to a military training camp from where he could potentially be sent to the front lines of the war with Russia, his family stated.

The incident took place on Oct. 12 at a checkpoint in the Rivne region of northwestern Ukraine. The 38-year-old priest, who was ordained two years ago, was returning from participating in a spiritual retreat, according to his parents, Bohdan and Natalia Stebivka.

Stebivka was recently transferred to a different parish, but administrative delays inherent in this change of pastoral assignment created a temporary gap in the state registry that formally certifies the pastoral work and ministerial service of priests in Ukraine.

Despite repeated efforts to provide proof of his active clergy status and ongoing pastoral service to the faithful, recruitment authorities rejected his documentation and sent him to a military training center. According to his family, he has already been assigned to a special assault unit and is expected to enter combat in the near future.

The bishop of the Eparchy of Mukachevo, Teodor Matsapula, and the apostolic nunciature in Ukraine are taking formal steps with government authorities to clarify the priest’s status and secure his reinstatement to his parish duties. So far, these requests have gone unanswered.

Stebivka, who was ordained a priest in June 2024 at the Cathedral of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, is also noted for his artistic work as an iconographer.

Throughout his ministry, he has created sacred compositions and apse murals in churches in Dublin, Boston, and various Ukrainian cities, such as Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Rivne, and Uzhhorod.

Faced with the imminent risk of being sent to the battlefield, the priest’s parents have made a public appeal to civil, military, and diplomatic authorities, requesting that the pastoral nature of his vocation be recognized and that he be permitted to continue carrying out his priestly ministry in Mukachevo.

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

France's bishops condemned "unacceptable violence" that "gripped" the country over the Oct. 17-18 weekend, saying the scenes of rioting "plunged the country into shock, fear, and despair, raising numerous questions about the root causes of this crisis," the bishops wrote in their Oct. 19 statement.

"We urge everyone not to be drawn into the spiral of this deadly violence: our country deserves better," the bishops wrote, expressing their outrage at law enforcement officers being attacked and injured, shops looted, public property damaged, and buildings representing state institutions vandalized.

"We wish to express our support and solidarity with all those who have suffered injuries, as well as with the many shopkeepers who have been victims of this vandalism," the bishops said.

Other Church leaders and commentators joined the bishops in their appeals for peaceful solution to the crisis, urging that it's time for citizens to become peacemakers and reject growing division, with Pope Leo XIV's recent apostolic visit to the country remembered as a signpost to follow.

Tragic violence that destroyed historic buildings

Initially called to protest the rising cost of living, the Oct. 17 demonstrations came amid a high school student protest movement that had evolved into a wider urban uprising since late September. Joined by far-left activists and masked rioters, some demonstrators clashed with police, leaving hundreds of officers injured, and carried out attacks on schools and other public property.

Rioters smashed storefronts to loot shops, with desperate owners trying to protect their property, and set cars on fire in numerous cities across France.

City halls and public buildings were attacked, severely damaged or completely destroyed. Limoges City Hall, a historic 19th-century building in central France, was almost entirely ravaged by a spectacular fire.

Cardinal Aveline: France deserves better

The president of the bishops' conference, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, also condemned "unacceptable violence" in his Oct. 18 statement.

"Let us not get caught up in the spiral of this violence," Cardinal Aveline said. "Our city and our country deserve better than this. Together with all believers, let us pray for an end to these disturbances and for peace to return."

Cardinal Aveline, who witnessed the violence in Marseille, France's second-largest city, wrote that "our city, like many others in France, has been the victim of unacceptable violence."

"On the sidelines of planned demonstrations, shops were looted, churches were broken into, the town hall was invaded and vandalized, a police station was ransacked, and members of the security forces were attacked," he said.

"Along with the entire Church of Marseille, I wish to express my support and solidarity with those who were injured and with the shopkeepers who were victims of this vandalism," Cardinal Aveline said.

Archbishop of Lyon points to a 'society in crisis'

Archbishop Olivier de Germay deplored the destruction that took place in Lyon, another major city, of which he is the archbishop.

"The violence that occurred in Lyon on Oct. 17 goes far beyond the scope of a protest in which legitimate grievances can be expressed," he wrote on X on Oct. 18. "The city was the scene of clashes, hatred, destruction, and looting -- all of which are unacceptable. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the shop owners, law enforcement, and all those who were victims of these excesses, including those who wanted to demonstrate peacefully."

For Archbishop de Germay, the urgent need now is to act as "peacemakers."

"I am well aware that this violence is a sign of a society in crisis," he stated. "But I want to reiterate emphatically that it is a dead end and can only lead to further injustices and divisions. It is not by pitting one group against another, but by working together, that we will be able to meet the challenges facing our society."

Reactions of deep dismay were evident throughout France on Oct. 18, with commentators expressing the "shame" of seeing the country so disfigured by looters and rioters bent on compulsive destruction. "What is happening to us?" wrote Jérôme Chapuis, editor-in-chief of the Catholic daily La Croix. "The outburst of violence on that fateful October 17 is disheartening, disturbing, and a source of shame for us."

Chapuis pointed out to "the architects of chaos, influencers, or political parties engaged in the race toward extremes," as those responsible for the damages as much as violent rioters themselves. He also called for accountability as Paris and other major cities witnessed post-warzone scenes on the morning of Oct. 19.

Voices of those tired of unrest highlight pope's message to lawmakers

From the arrogance of protesters, Chapuis wrote, rose another form of anger in France, not even a month after a much successful papal visit in the country.

"It is the peaceful anger of men and women of good will who, in the diversity of their opinions and the ways they engage in political action, contemplate the ruins."

"Faced with the image of the burned-out Limoges City Hall, the recent echo of a speech comes to mind," Chapuis said, referring to the words of Pope Leo XIV at the Élysée Palace, the seat of the French presidency, on the day of his arrival in France on Sept. 25.

"Liberty, equality and fraternity are not simply words emblazoned on the front of your public buildings; they refer to universal ethical imperatives that also find in the Gospel message an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fulfillment," the pope said that day, addressing President Emmanuel Macron and the officials present.

For Chapuis, the papal words "would do well to be heard again by all those who cherish civil peace -- those who know its value and its fragility."

President Macron: how the French could do this to France

In Paris, where entire streets had been ravaged, the violence was still ongoing on the evening of Oct. 18 as President Macron addressed the nation on television.

"Watching these images, we all asked ourselves how the French could do this to France," Président Macron said. "How could they have come to this? Nothing justifies it; nothing explains it." He referred to the many shop owners who had to "defend their stores themselves against criminals," attributing responsibility for this "unbridled violence" to "troublemakers from far-left fringe groups joined by numerous criminals."

Macron concluded his address by referring to the upcoming presidential elections, which will take place in April and May 2027.

"All those who are telling you today that the urgent need is to take to the streets, to protest, to create disorder have only one goal: to undermine the Republic and hijack the debate," he lamented.

"Debates must take place in public meetings. They must take place with the political parties, not in the streets through violence," Macron continued. "They must take place in newspapers, on television programs, and at peaceful gatherings, where people speak and explain themselves with respect -- never amid chaos and destruction. Our country deserves a great presidential election in six months."

"With all believers," he said, "we pray that these disturbances will cease, that legitimate demands will be heard and addressed, and that, through dialogue and respect for justice, peace may return."

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Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno, California, warned that immigration raids in California’s Central Valley are instilling “unrest, anxiety and even fear” in the community and that many of his priests are reporting that their parishes have been affected.

“Even if you have not been personally affected by the increased immigration enforcement in our region, many of those who sit alongside you in the pews have been affected, with some already having been detained,” wrote Brennan, whose diocese covers a large portion of the southern Central Valley.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have not announced any specific operations targeting California or its Central Valley. However, local media have reported a surge in enforcement in recent weeks.

In his pastoral letter, Brennan said pastors reported to him that “members of their congregations have been taken away abruptly and with little or no information coming from federal agents.” He said he has been in contact with priests and interfaith and advocacy partners about ways to “help, comfort and accompany our people” amid the reported surge.

“It breaks my heart,” the bishop wrote. “... Many of those caught up in this recent immigration enforcement in our Valley are not strangers to us — they are family, neighbors, and parishioners who are being uprooted from the lives they have built over many years among us.”

‘Indiscriminate’ raids

Brennan noted that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) voted 216-5 to approve a special message that the bishops oppose “the indiscriminate mass deportation of people” during the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly. He then expressed concern that Central Valley raids appear to be indiscriminate.

“These people are valued and beloved, they are part of the fabric of our community,” he said. “It is frightening to them and disturbing to us that these current operations seem to have taken on an indiscriminate nature with little regard for the dignity of the human person.”

“Our Church teaches that every human person possesses an inherent dignity,” the bishop continued. “This dignity is not granted by governments, economic status, citizenship, or legal documentation. It is given by God.”

A spokesperson for DHS did not confirm any specific operation targeting California.

“For operational security and the safety of our officers, ICE will not disclose or discuss law enforcement operations,” the spokesperson said. “Every day, DHS enforces the laws of the nation across the country including in California.”

The spokesperson defended ongoing immigration enforcement: “To most Americans our ICE officers are heroes as they put their lives on the line to arrest murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists.”

The spokesperson provided a list of five people they labeled as “public safety threats” arrested in California, which included people convicted of vehicular manslaughter, aggravated assault with a gun, burglary, homicide, and selling drugs.

Church ‘will not be silent’

In his pastoral letter, Brennan said the Church “will not be silent” and “will accompany our vulnerable neighbors in concrete, sustained ways.”

“We will strive to be a loving presence in our society for our brothers and sisters,” Brennan said.

“Our parishes will be present to them for healing and comfort,” he said. “Accompaniment might take the shape of walking with families through long and complicated legal proceedings, showing up at immigration court, organizing transportation and childcare, and refusing to let anyone face this situation alone. We will speak up for them and will encourage one another to see this work of justice as a part of our baptismal call.

Accompaniment might take the shape of walking with families through long and complicated legal proceedings, showing up at immigration court, organizing transportation and childcare, and refusing to let anyone face this situation alone. We will speak up for them and will encourage one another to see this work of justice as a part of our baptismal call.”

The bishop called for “real change and real reform,” saying “our country and our elected officials must do better,” calling for “tangible results that reflect meaningful and just immigration reform.”

“Until such reform is achieved, the dignity of our immigrant brothers and sisters must remain in the forefront of whatever shape our efforts might take,” he wrote. “In the midst of those efforts, to be sure, we are navigating in a chaotic and emotionally charged time. I encourage the faithful to pray for one another and to act out of a spirit of communion in all things, bridging divisions and treating one another peacefully and with compassion.”

“We are in this together,” Brennan wrote. “God bless you and those you love, always and in every way.”

The post Fresno bishop's pastoral letter argues against 'indiscriminate' ICE raids first appeared on Angelus News.

A priest in Ecuador was struck and killed by a falling crucifix while celebrating Mass, a tragedy captured during a livestream of the service on Oct. 17.

Redemptorist Father Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, 53, was standing behind the altar at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, when a large crucifix tipped forward and fell, striking the priest directly on the head. He collapsed behind the altar after being struck.

Shouts of, "Padre!" ("Father!") could be heard from the congregation as people rushed to assist him. It's uncertain why the crucifix fell during the service.

The livestream of the Mass and a recording of the tragic incident went viral across the world, with the parish taking down the original video with sensitive content.

The Archdiocese of Guayaquil confirmed Father Sánchez's death in a short statement posted Oct. 17 to its Facebook page. A post from the San Lorenzo de Vinces Parish, 65 miles north of Guayaquil, where Father Sánchez previously served as pastor, read, "As the Redemptorist family, we join in prayer for the eternal rest of his soul and we ask the Lord to grant comfort to his family, his brother priests and all the faithful who cherish his legacy and memory with gratitude."

A Mass remembering the life of Father Sánchez was celebrated Oct. 18 at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church.

In his final homily, Father Sánchez urged parishioners to prioritize God above all else and to spend their time wisely.

"In our lives, sometimes we fail to give that time, that space, to God. ... God should come first: before money, before work, and before the activities of our family and our home," Father Sánchez said just minutes before being mortally wounded, according to a transcript in the Guayaquil newspaper El Universo.

"One day, all of us here will also die, and sometimes the time we have spent on certain things does not hold as much meaning as the time we have spent with God," he continued. "The quality time we dedicate to God, to our brothers and sisters, to our spouse, to our children, and to our family, that is time spent in the best possible way."

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