Catholic News

  • Pope Leo: Iran war ceasefire is 'sign of deep hope' (CWN)
    Pope Leo XIV this morning welcomed news of a ceasefire in the Iran war and renewed his appeal for prayer for peace.
  • Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on universal call to holiness, evangelical counsels (CWN)
    Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV spoke today about the universal call to holiness, as well as the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
  • Pope encourages beleaguered Lebanese Christians not to lose heart (CWN)
    Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in the Holy Father’s name to the beleaguered residents of the Christian village of Debel, Lebanon.
  • Ecumenical Patriarch issues Easter encyclical, denounces war (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
    The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople today released an Easter encyclical by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who holds a primacy of honor among the Orthodox churches. “The joy of the Cross and the Resurrection has preserved the people of God from identifying themselves with the spirit of this world, while at the same time safeguarding them from barren insularity and a spirituality devoid of dynamism and hope-bearing breath,” he wrote. “The message of the Cross and the Resurrection resounds today as a Gospel of peace, reconciliation, and justice.” The Ecumenical Patriarch added: War, hatred, and injustice stand opposed to the fundamental Christian principles for whose realization and establishment the people of God pray and labor each day. In the light of the Resurrection, we beseech the Lord on behalf of the victims of wartime violence, the orphans, the mothers who mourn their children, and all those who bear in body and soul the effects of human cruelty and callousness. “Christ is risen” is a denial and condemnation of violence and fear and an invitation to a life of peace. War brings forth lamentation and death; the Resurrection conquers death and bestows incorruptibility. Before the daily images of the cruelty of war, the Church raises her voice and proclaims the sacredness of the human person—of every concrete human being anywhere on earth—and the duty of absolute respect for that dignity.
  • Archbishop Rudelli begins work as new Sostituto (CWN)
    The Holy See’s Secretariat of State announced that Archbishop Paolo Rudelli begins his work as the new Sostituto today, only nine days after his appointment to the powerful position.
  • Indian nuns detained on trafficking suspicion, released (Catholic Connect)
    Eight Indian religious sisters and two religious-order candidates were detained at the train station in Indore after being accused of human trafficking. They were released after Church officials intervened. “There are many elements who are often critical of the Church,” said Bishop Thomas Mathew of Indore. “We may be proved innocent later, but the loss of time, money, and peace of mind remains.”
  • Blessed Sacrament stolen, faithful attacked during adoration in Mexican chapel (EWTN News)
    The Blessed Sacrament was stolen, and members of the faithful robbed and beaten, during Eucharistic adoration on the morning of April 4 in San Lucas Cuauhtelulpan, Mexico. “We deplore this incident, above all for the lives and physical and spiritual well-being of the people who suffered this outrage,” said Bishop Julio César Salcedo Aquino, M.J., of Tlaxcala. “These events wound us deeply, for among the offenses committed against the Catholic faith, the theft of the Eucharist constitutes one of the most grave.”
  • Ukrainian Catholic seminary established in London (The Tablet)
    Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop of London, has established a seminary there. “The creation of this seminary is a direct response to the growing needs of our eparchy,” said Bishop Nowakowski. “By establishing a house of formation here in London, we are investing in the future of our parishes and ensuring that our candidates for the priesthood are prepared to serve within the unique pastoral context of Great Britain.”
  • Dominican sisters challenge New York gender-identity law in court (EWTN News)
    The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a New York statute, The Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and People Living with HIV. The sisters, who care for terminally ill cancer patients, filed the lawsuit after state officials accused the sisters of “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity,” “prohibiting a resident from using a restroom available to other persons of the same gender identity,” and “willfully and repeatedly failing to use a resident’s preferred name or pronouns after being clearly informed of the preferred name or pronouns.”
  • Pope Leo: The threat against the entire Iranian people is unacceptable (Vatican News)
    Speaking with journalists at the conclusion of his weekly visit to Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo XIV asked “all people of goodwill to always search for peace and not violence, to reject war—especially a war which many people have said is unjust, which is continuing to escalate and which is not resolving anything.” “Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran,” Pope Leo said, referring to comments made by President Donald Trump. “And this is truly unacceptable! There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more, it is a moral question concerning the good of the people as a whole, in its entirety.” “We have a worldwide economic crisis, an energy crisis, and a situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,” the Pope continued. “Come back to the table. Let’s talk. Let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.” The Pope added: Let’s remember, especially, the innocent: children, the elderly, the sick, so many people who have already become, or will become, victims of this continued warfare—and to remind all that attacks on civilian infrastructure are against international law, and that they are also a sign of the hatred, division, and destruction that the human being is capable of. “We all want to work for peace. People want peace,” Pope Leo concluded. “I would invite the citizens of all the countries involved to contact the authorities—political leaders, congressmen—to ask them, to tell them, to work for peace and to reject war and violence.”
  • USCCB president urges President Trump to 'step back from the precipice of war' (CWN)
    Stating that “the threat of destroying a whole civilization and the intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure cannot be morally justified,” the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops today called upon President Donald Trump to “step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost.”
  • Dozens killed in Easter attacks across Nigeria (CWN)
    Dozens of Christians were killed in Easter attacks across Nigeria.
  • Cardinal Pizzaballa: 'We have no other weapon than this empty tomb' (Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
    In his Easter Sunday homily, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, preaching in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, said that “we have no other weapon than this empty tomb.” The Risen Christ is “the only hope that can still open, here and now, the gates of peace,” said Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M. “He is not merely to be contemplated; he is to be followed. He is not to be held back; we must allow him to lead the way.” Cardinal Pizzaballa added: The stone has been rolled away. The passage is open. But we must decide whether to stay inside or go out. In practical terms, stepping out means choosing forgiveness when it would be easier to harden our hearts; choosing truth when it would be more comfortable to conform; choosing hope when everything suggests the opposite; choosing to do good, just as Jesus “went about doing good,” even if it goes unnoticed, even if it brings no recognition.
  • Pope announces April 11 peace vigil at St. Peter's (EWTN News)
    Pope Leo XIV announced that a prayer vigil for peace will take place on Easter Saturday (April 11) in St. Peter’s Basilica. “Let us make heard the cry for peace that springs from our hearts,” he said while delivering his Easter message urbi et orbi (to the city and the world). “For this reason, I invite everyone to join me in a prayer vigil for peace that we will celebrate here in Saint Peter’s Basilica next Saturday, April 11.”
  • Maronite Patriarch decries humanitarian law breach as aid to Christian village halted (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
    Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, the Patriarch of the Maronite Church, condemned the cancellation of a humanitarian convoy intended for a beleaguered Christian village in southern Lebanon. The apostolic nuncio, joined by UN peacekeepers and Catholic organizations, organized the convoy to assist the residents of Debel amid the Lebanon war. “The cancellation of a humanitarian convoy—even for security reasons—constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law” and represents “an affront to the defenseless inhabitants of southern Lebanon, trapped in the crossfire of the war between Hezbollah and Israel,” the Patriarch said in his statement. (L’Osservatore Romano did not state whether Israeli forces or others had cancelled the aid.)
  • New DNA research confirms Shroud of Turin's passage through the Middle East (Vatican News)
    DNA research on the Shroud of Turin “suggests the likelihood that the cloth passed through the Middle East,” according to a summary of new research provided by Vatican News, the news agency of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. The principal author of the research was Gianni Barcaccia, professor of Genetics and Genomics at the University of Padua. She and her coauthors wrote: Over 55.6% of the human DNA corresponds to lineages from the Near East, while Western European lineages account for less than 5.6%. The presence of 38.7% of the overall human genomic data from Indian lineages is unexpected and is potentially linked to historical interactions associated with importing linen or yarn from regions near the Indus Valley.
  • Zambia's bishops deplore mob killing of woman (AMECEA)
    The Zambia Conference of Catholic Bishops strongly condemned the mob killing of Eneless Kamutumbe, a 46-year-old woman. The Zambia Monitor reported on the accusation that led to the mob violence, as did the Zambian Observer.
  • Bishop, in Vatican newspaper, calls for peacemaking, criticizes American Protestant fundamentalism (CWN)
    In a front-page op-ed in today’s edition of the Vatican newspaper, an Italian bishop described peacemaking as the third way between “naive pacifism” and “vulgar militarism.”
  • Logo, motto released for papal journey to Spain (Vatican News)
    The Holy See Press Office released the logo and motto of Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Spain, which will take place from June 6-12. The motto of the apostolic journey is “Lift up your eyes” (Jn. 4:35); the logo is displayed here.
  • Cardinal Nichols ponders why more people are becoming Catholic (Catholic Herald)
    Cardinal Vincent Nichols, until recently the archbishop of Westminster, England, reflected on the reasons behind the increasing number of conversions. He listed four: the search for belonging, the search for meaning, the beauty of Catholicism, and the Eucharist. He concluded: One day, I asked a woman, married to a Catholic for over twenty years and now seeking full communion, what had taken her so long. Her answer: “Nobody ever asked me!” This, too, is well worth pondering.
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