In the News
Cardinal Marx Expands Gay Blessings, Defying Vatican Line
Cardinal Reinhard Marx has moved decisively to normalise the blessing of same-sex couples in his Archdiocese of Munich and Freising—an intervention that lays bare the deepening doctrinal confusion at the heart of the Catholic Church in Germany.…
Pope Leo meets Equatorial Guinea’s dictator, quoting St. Augustine’s ‘City of God’
Pope Leo XIV arrived April 21 in Equatorial Guinea, the fourth and final country of his 11-day apostolic journey in Africa, where the pope met the country’s longtime ruler and urged the country’s civil authorities to choose justice over power,…
U.S. saw more than 1.12 million abortions in 2025, but actual figures likely higher
New data estimates show the number of abortions in the U.S. remained stable in 2025, totaling some 1.126 million, with apparent declines in out-of-state travel for abortions offset by increasing access to telehealth abortions. The actual number…
Pope Leo XIV visits elderly home, says Mass for 60,000 in Angola
Pope Leo XIV continued his apostolic journey in Africa on April 20 in Angola, flying to Saurimo, where he visited a home for the elderly and celebrated Mass for more than 60,000 faithful. The post Pope Leo XIV visits elderly home,…
Savannah bishop urges Catholics to draw courage from Georgia martyrs
The Bishop of Savannah has called on Catholics to become “joyful witnesses” to the faith as the Church in the American South prepares for the beatification of the Georgia Martyrs later this year. Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Bishop Stephen…
Pope Leo XIV Leads Rosary at Beloved Muxima Marian Shrine in Angola
Pope Leo XIV led tens of thousands of Angolan Catholics in praying the rosary April 19 at southern Africa’s most visited Catholic shrine, calling the pilgrimage site a place where “the heart of the Church” is “alive and beating.” …
China pressures underground Catholics to join state church, rights group says
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is increasing its pressure campaign on underground Catholics, according to a report from Human Rights Watch. “A decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China…
Pope Leo XIV rejects media ‘narrative’ that his Africa remarks targeted Trump
Pope Leo XIV pushed back against the media narrative that has pitted him against President Donald Trump since the start of his 11-day apostolic journey to Africa, telling journalists aboard the papal flight to Angola April 18 that “there has…
Federal funding cut threatens future of Catholic Charities program for migrant children in Miami
The Trump administration has canceled an $11 million federal contract that helps shelter and care for migrant children who enter the United States without a parent or legal guardian — putting a decades-long program in South Florida at risk of…
Pope Leo XIV meets Augustinians in Annaba in fraternal visit
Pope Leo XIV met privately Tuesday with fellow members of the Augustinian order, sharing lunch with the local community in what the order described as a “beautiful and pleasant” fraternal encounter. The post Pope Leo XIV meets…