Daily News

Morning must-reads

March 21

Worldwide Catholic population up slightly to 1.4 billion

Africa is home to 20% of all Catholics, poised to pass EU

Pro-lifer Ekeocha: USAID came with strings attached

Namely, of culture of death & ideological colonization

Decline in worldwide priestly vocations accelerates

No. of major seminarians fell 11.7% over 12-year period

PP facility in Manhattan closes after decades of prayers

Org cites 'social/political obstacles, structural challenges'

Catholics to speak at Natal Conference in Austin, TX

On effect of religion, prioritizing motherhood, fatherhood

Bishop Barron is latest bugbear of lefty NCReporter

He's a popular, effective, mainstream orthodox Catholic

March 20

Canada's bishops warn about loss of tax-exempt status

Catholic charities won't survive gov't committee proposal

Louisiana uses nitrogen gas for execution for first time

Catholics, including Baton Rogue bishop, aimed to halt it

Kansas City archdiocese sues to stop Black Mass

Says Satanists stole Blessed Sacrament to be used

Maryland passes bill to collect $25M to pay for abortions

Funding program will be first of its kind in the U.S.

St. Mary’s College picks dodgy commencement speaker

Former prez of Ireland McAleese pushes culture of death

University of Dallas community battles casino project

As giant corp sets sights on land parcel next to college

March 19

Parolin: Holy See displeased by EU rearmament plan

Says, 'Sooner or later, the weapons must be used, right?'

Pastor of Gaza's Catholic parish reports bombing nearby

Renewed attacks leave over '350 dead, a thousand injured'

Fargo bishop: Trump immigration policy may be needed

Says Church 'has never advocated for wide-open borders'

Pope's docs reduce his use of mechanical ventilation

Report slight improvements in respiratory, motor functions

U.S. & UK dioceses' Rite of Election figures spike up

E.g.: Detroit reports 977 adults; Westminster, England: 500

Pope sends his U.S. Medal of Freedom to Buenos Aires

Given by Biden; to cathedral, to be exhibited in museum

March 18

Nicaraguan regime now surveils Catholic priests

Police visit, check cellphones, demand weekly reports

Myanmar soldiers set fire to cathedral amid civil war

Civilians protest ethnic militias & forced recruitment

War between Ethiopia, Eritrea could begin any time

Further destabilizing already volatile East Africa region

Immigrant religious worker visa program extended

Used by sisters, religious orders to secure residence

Vatican asks bishops to promote Good Fri. collection

Which is 'essential resource' for Church in Holy Land

OR gov marks 'Abortion Provider Appreciation Day'

Abp. laments 'how far culture can drift from reality'

March 17

Vatican: 3-year 'implementation phase' for Synodality

More diocesan, national, continental meetups in '27-'28

Pope's photo released, first since entering hospital

He's seated before chapel altar after concelebrating Mass

Patriarch: 1054 church division ‘not insurmountable’

'Full of hope' of resolving 1,000 years' worth of problems

UN: Vatican official urges ‘cultural shift’ on motherhood

Children are widely seen as 'obstacle to women’s lives'

Liturgy experts weigh future of 'Traditionis custodes'

After 'conciliatory tone' of recent Cdl. Roche interview

St. Josemaría Escrivá’s ‘The Way’ tops Amazon charts

Due to exposure in Hallow app’s Lent Pray40 Challenge

March 14

Curial retreat preacher calls Francis papacy 'complete'

Says over 12 years he's expressed himself 'in fullness'

Idaho's default execution method now is firing squad

Boise bishop decries offense against human dignity

Luxembourg Church leaders grilled on Caritas losses

Diocese remained hands-off after $66M embezzlement

14 U.S. states now protect churches against shutdowns

And 15 more, post-COVID, offer some level of protection

Senate committee okays pro-life Makary to head FDA

Key vote advances his nomination to full U.S. Senate

Why did King Charles highlight Ramadan & ignore Lent?

No British royal appeared at any church on Ash Wednesday

March 13

Slight improvement to Pope's lungs, x-ray confirms

Francis spends 12th anniv. of his papal election in hosp.

Trump admin. prevails over USCCB in court battle

Judge sends refugee-program lawsuit to fed. claims court

Nominee for NIH head praised by Catholic bioethicists

Will seek alternatives to use of aborted fetal cells in jabs

Bishop: Steubenville's main problem is demographic

Diocese lacks neither money nor priests, but people

Scholar argues birth dearth is greatest threat to West

Feminism spawned fertility crisis worse than WWII, plague

Syrian archbp. pleads for international peacekeepers

To protect religious minorities, watch border with Israel

March 12

Cdl. Zuppi lauds steps toward Russia-Ukraine peace

Calls for new multilateralism, bypassing now hollow UN

Mexico: Cathedrals, churches vandalized by feminists

Who mark International Women’s Day by wreaking havoc

Youth flock to Ash Wednesday Masses in France

Urban and rural parishes report remarkable influx

Senators press Small Business Admin. on COVID funds

Demand to know why Planned Parenthood got $120M

USCCB publishes guidelines on repro technologies

Written by Sister Hannah Klaus, MD, with the NCBC

U.S. bishops appear united at McElroy installation

Past tensions, divisions give way to 'ecumenical air'

March 11

Pope's condition has remained stable for a week

Docs lift guarded prognosis, voice more positive view

Syria: Massacres were slaughters of Alawite Muslims

Few Christians were caught up in gov't-rebel violence

Indian state to bring death penalty for conversions?

Will harm Christians persecuted via false accusations

Dhaka archbishop urges secular, inclusive Bangladesh

As political figures discuss drafting new constitution

U.S. Supreme Court to hear ‘conversion therapy’ case

Counselor: Ban constitutes viewpoint discrimination

Is there a limit on number of cardinals in conclave?

120 has evolved to be min., not max., of eligible voters

March 10

Syrian Patriarchs plead for peace after massacres

Hundreds of Alawites and Christians killed by jihadists

Pope improves slightly; follows Curia's Lenten retreat

Docs: Condition is 'stable within a complex framework'

Humanitarian crisis in Dem. Rep. of Congo worsens

Bishops in Central Africa urge regional leaders to act

State Dept. funds 2 Jesuit Refugee Service programs

$1.9M program in S. Sudan; $5M program in Colombia

Iraqi archbishop ‘categorically denies’ lawsuit claims

Of complicity in 2014 kidnapping of businesswoman

Fed. court: Seattle-area church must fund abortions

Rules it lacks standing to challenge pro-abort state law

March 7

Vatican spokesman decries EU military aid for Ukraine

$867B proposed, but no diplomatic efforts for peace

Pope, in audio message, thanks faithful for prayers

With weak & hoarse voice, while noticeably out of breath

Nigerian bishops reject school closures for Ramadan

Gov't proposal would affect Christian students, schools

Vatican suppresses Argentine Miles Christi order

After laicization of founder, brief attempt at reform

DDF repeats warning on Italian mystic Maria Valtorta

Says her many writings are not 'of supernatural origin'

USAID pushed population control from its inception

World's largest supplier of birth control, pop-con schemes

March 6

Judge halts Trump ban on trans surgeries for kids

Enforcement on hold until legal challenges settled

Pope is stable on day 21 at Rome's Gemelli hospital

Continues some work activities alongside treatment

U.S. visa program used by thousands of nuns to end?

Policy's expiration affects entering, gaining residency

Baltimore archdiocese lowers Confirmation age

To reduce disaffiliation & involve family in formation

Supreme Court: Trump admin. must pay out $2B in aid

Incl. tens of millions to CRS, Jesuit Relief Services, Caritas

Cardinal Roche says he's not 'against the Latin Mass'

Most days he celebrates the Novus Ordo Mass in Latin

March 5

Jerusalem patriarch: West Bank situation is worse

After Gaza ceasefire, IDF turned to operations there

Pope's condition remains stable on Ash Wednesday

Cardinal presides over liturgy at Basilica of Santa Sabina

Senate Dems block bill to ban boys from girls’ sports

Nine votes short of 60 needed; House already passed it

UK: Assisted suicide may be outsourced to private firms

To ease pressure on NHS & avoid 'hugely complex task'

India's supreme court takes Dalit Catholics' case

'Untouchables' claim active discrimination within Church

Trump defunds UN population control agency UNFPA

Bulk of the funding, 48 grants worth $377M, discontinued

March 4

Pope twice suffers 'acute respiratory insufficiency'

After setback & treatment, prognosis 'remains reserved'

Rupnik, other ex-Jesuits live in Benedictine convent

Nuns still there but recently evicted by Cdl. de Donatis

Conn. Catholics protest theft investigation of priest

Archdiocesan spokesman: Robin Hood claim is 'absurd'

Broglio: Solidarity with ‘martyred people of Ukraine'

USCCB president prays U.S. presses for 'a just peace'

Canada: Search for mass graves at Church schools ends

After three years and $216M spent, none were found

One in nine Christian colleges is still linked to PP

Jesuit Boston College gets 'F' from Students for Life