Daily News

Morning must-reads

April 10

Nuncio: Beirut in turmoil after heavy Israeli airstrikes

Says papal peace message is invitation for Hezbollah too

Vatican aid convoy in Lebanon stopped by crossfire

Headed to village with 10,000 Christians in 20 parishes

Conflict-resolution expert: Post-WWII order ruined

'Might is right' stance will have long-term negative impact

Pentagon, Vatican: Report on Pierre meeting 'distorted'

Was a 'very respectful' & 'frank exchange of ideas' on war

CDC: U.S. fertility rate has fallen 23% since 2007

Number of births in 2025: 3.606M, down 1% from 2024

Pope’s Cameroon visit puts focus on Archbishop Nkea

A gifted preacher, energetic pastor, & rising star in Church

April 9

Parolin asks Catholics to support Pope’s peace appeals

Recalls 2003 Iraq war, when JPII's pleas were 'left alone'

Augustinians report ‘Leo effect’ after Pope’s election

Midwest province sees rise in inquiries, from 50/year to 300

Archbp. Broglio wishes Lebanon was part of ceasefire

Iran may be retaliating for Israeli land-grab in Lebanon

Lebanese priest: Last Christians on border want peace

Israeli army has moved past them toward Beirut, for now

Lithuania: Building tied to Divine Mercy houses sisters

Who run hospice for over 300 sick and dying patients

Largest Hindu temple in the West is in Robbinsville, NJ

200 Dalit artisans who built it claim exploitation in civil suit

April 8

Pope welcomes ceasefire in Iran as 'sign of living hope'

Called Trump threat to destroy all of Iran unacceptable

Trump threat violates internat'l law, Christian ethics

Online post was declaration of intent to commit genocide

Is Board of Peace handing Gaza to private contractors?

Replacing aid orgs with militarized, unaccountable actors

Nicaragua: Churches packed for Holy Week amid bans

Mass-goers endure the presence of police and infiltrators

HHS favors NFP over contraception in grant program

To promote 'body literacy' on fertility, more pro-life agenda

Atlanta archdiocese makes World Youth Day 2030 bid

Expected to draw 1M youth, with Pope Leo's participation

April 7

Nigeria: Dozens of Christians killed in Easter attacks

Reports of killings, abductions, 'extensive destruction'

Lebanon faithful mark Easter far from home parishes

Ancestral churches face another in string of conquests

Russian Orthodox & Israel clash over Holy Sepulchre

Denial of Holy Fire ritual would be 'apocalyptic' offense

In Sudan, some Christians experience a 'real passion'

Bishop describes their life amid civil war in besieged city

‘Searching for Messiah’ film presents Jewish converts

Opens in Spain then goes to Mexico & Central America

KS Catholic school kids K-5 opt into 'Tin Can' phones

Which function like landline with approved contacts only

April 6

Pope, in Easter message, urges laying down of weapons

And announces prayer vigil for peace on 4/11 at Vatican

Leo celebrated Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica

Incl. Latin chant, with 6,000 faithful, 4,000 more in Square

On Good Friday, Pope carried cross for entire Via Crucis

As Pope St. John Paul II did for 15 years from 1980 to 1994

America's adult-convert surge is actually a rebound

Positive trend leads to numbers from 10-15 years ago

Cuban gov't pardons, releases 2,010 prisoners for Easter

Done 'in context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week'

Archbp. Broglio: War should always be 'a last resort'

Says it's hard to see how war with Iran can be justified

April 2

Pope, at Chrism Mass, preaches on Christian mission

'In this dark hour of history, it has pleased God to send us'

Leo to wash the feet of 12 Roman priests on Holy Thurs.

Thereby restoring custom abandoned by previous pope

Friar: Good Fri. meditations inspired by 'current reality'

Says 'zealots,' as in Jesus’ time, 'have come back in fashion'

France again has record number of non-infant baptisms

62% of adult catechumens are women, & 38% are men

Spain: Province to probe claims against Jesuits in Bolivia

Org: They used place as 'dumping ground for pedophiles'

Canada: Woman offered euthanasia at ER for back pain

And says 3 years ago her husband had been offered same

April 1

Pope makes Holy Week appeal to Trump to end war

Urges diplomacy, that peace 'might reign in our hearts'

SCOTUS strikes down Colo. conversion therapy ban

Rejects claim that law regulated only professional conduct

Pope Leo to carry Cross throughout Via Crucis in Rome

With meditations written by former Custos of Holy Land

Pro-life leaders rip another year of Title X cash for PP

White House claims grants 'were locked in' under Biden

Vatican dicastery cancels 2026 World Children’s Day

Advises events for families at diocesan or parish level

Vatican official: Nobody denounces Christianophobia

Nigerian says missionaries can help Europe recover identity

March 31

Latin Patriarch gains access to Church of Holy Sepulchre

In 'agreement' with Israel, for limited Holy Week liturgies

Pope orders biggest curial personnel change so far

Abp. Peña Parra moves from sostituto to nuncio to Italy

Will France be Leo's setting for end to TLM restrictions?

Its bishops take up issue theologically, not just pastorally

Four from U.S. named to Human Development dicastery

Tex. border institute director & three from universities

Priest: Syndicate lures African youth to fight for Russia

Says new 'exodus' follows fixed pattern of exploitation

Gaza parish had Mass with procession for Palm Sunday

Unexpected 'large turnout, despite rain & nearby gunfire'

March 30

Israeli police block Latin Patriarch from Holy Sepulchre

On way to celebrate Palm Sunday with Franciscan custos

Jerusalem Church leaders decry war's expansion

As Israel takes southern Lebanon, U.S. troops go to Iran

Pope: God ‘does not listen’ to prayers of war aggressors

'This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war'

Number of seminarians worldwide declines further

Fell 2.72%, from 106,495 in 2023 to 103,604 in 2024

Pope makes 1-day trip to Monaco, says stadium Mass

Urges wealthy nation to be a vessel of Godʼs generosity

Total no. of Catholics rises: 1.406B (2023) to 1.422B ('24)

48% live in Americas, 20.3% in Africa, 20.1% in EU, 11% Asia

March 27

Sheen beatification in Sept. at Dome arena in St. Louis

Venue chosen for size, proximity to home Peoria diocese

Finnish court finds Christian pol guilty of ‘hate speech'

In witch hunt over Bible tweet; squashing rel. freedom

U.S. bishops try to understand roots of convert surge

Cdl. McElroy describes bishops discussing their 'numbers'

Pope offers new take on ‘vulnerability’ in abuse cases

Shifts assessment from the individual to context of the act

DDF outlines traits of Anglican heritage in ordinariates

Such as distinct 'ecclesial ethos,' evangelization via beauty

Olympics org: Only ‘biological women’ in women’s sports

Prez: New policy is 'based on science'; athletes to be tested

March 26

Pope asks French bishops for ‘generous inclusion’ of TLM

May Holy Spirit 'suggest to you concrete solutions' for this

Australian bishop named to top Vatican legal post

Randazzo has served in numerous roles at home & in Rome

Scholars seek DDF reply to critique of Marian document

Say ‘Mater Populi Fidelis' departs from conciliar teachings

CHA CEO calls for more investment in palliative care

U.S. has uneven access, shortage of trained care providers

Pew: One-fourth of U.S. radio stations have faith focus

63% generic 'Christian'; 10% a specific creed; 8% Catholic

Vicar of Arabia details Iran war's ill effects in the Gulf

Sees Israel-U.S. war 'based on revenge,' Iran response legit

March 25

Catholics age 20-45 at Mass more than Boomers, Gen X

And whites are now minority of same age group in U.S.

Pope warns against children having chatbots as friends

Says AI can dull their intelligence, relationships, creativity

Pro-lifers: Trump DOJ is blocking abortion-pill lawsuits

Litigating against pro-life states trying to enforce their laws

Exorcists urge Pope to appoint one or more per diocese

Cite rise in cases linked to occult practices, spiritual distress

Abbot proposes single missal to bridge liturgy divide

As alternative to policy of restriction or mere coexistence

Synod study group issues final report on polygamy

Treats African context, proposes conditions on baptism

March 24

Jerusalem: Palm Sunday procession cancelled amid war

And Chrism Mass postponed, possibly until Easter season

Prelate explains Shia culture of martyrdom in Iran

Says Western leaders must factor it into war calculations

St. Francis’s relics returned to crypt after veneration

Over 370,000 pilgrims partook in monthlong public display

Father Flanagan of Boys Town is declared venerable

Alongside 5 others whose beatification causes advance

Abortionist/convicted serial killer Kermit Gosnell dies

In prison at 85; convicted of 3 murders among thousands

Biden CIA listed 'motherhood, homemaking' in report

On female 'racially, ethnically motivated violent extremists'

March 23

Pope: We can't stay silent on war victims' suffering

It's a scandal for all humanity, 'a cry that rises to God'

Bishop: Israeli settlers attacking West Bank Christians

Aggressions multiplying with aim to expand settlements

Belgian bishop voices plan for married priests by 2028

In move seemingly intended to pressure Pope on issue

Cdl. Müller strongly criticizes SSPX, defends Vatican II

Rips Euro prelates who give the people stones, not bread

Nigerian archbishop asks Trump for intel & weapons

Says his words inflamed the Islamists, attacks are on rise

The Catholic Bookworm podcast features NOR writer

K. Hammond on 'Tolkien’s Insights into the Feminine Soul'