Catholic News
- At Rosary for peace, Pope speaks of importance of prayer, urges leaders to stop waging war (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the holy Rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica this evening (booklet, video) and emphasized the importance of prayer as he called upon national leaders to stop waging war. - Pope calls on Chaldean bishops to elect a 'man of the Beatitudes' as Patriarch (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received the members of the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church as they prepared to elect a new Patriarch and urged them to elect a “father in faith” and “man of the Beatitudes” who seeks to build communion in charity. - Pope Leo laments international poverty, recalls papal teaching on the welfare state (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV received directors and staff members of Italy’s National Institute for Social Security (video) and lamented the extreme poverty that affects hundreds of millions of the world’s people. - French President Macron meets with Pontiff (National Catholic Register)
Pope Leo XIV received President Emmanuel Macron of France on April 10. President Macron said after the audience that he and Pope Leo share a “common conviction: in the face of the world’s divisions, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.” The French president also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “important international issues, with an exchange of views on conflict situations in the world, hoping that peaceful coexistence can be reestablished through dialogue and negotiation.” - Cardinal Parolin previews Pope's journey to Africa (Vatican News)
In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, discussed Pope Leo’s upcoming apostolic journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, which will begin on April 13. “The common thread of this apostolic journey lies in the Holy Father’s choice to bring the presence of the Church to places where human suffering is most acute,” said Cardinal Parolin. “Africa is a young continent, rich in faith and vitality, and the Pope’s visit is an act of trust in its future—a future that the Church intends to continue accompanying with dedication and hope.” - Nigerian bishop recounts Easter attacks, says 500 parishioners are still in hiding (Vatican News (Italian))
Bishop Bulus Dauwa Yohanna of Kontagora, Nigeria, spoke of the Easter attacks that ravaged his diocese—among the series of attacks that took place in the African nation that day. “The bandits emerged from their hideout within the Borgu Game Reserve in Niger State,” Bishop Yohanna recalled. “Over the following hours, they traveled more than 100 kilometers on a convoy of over 50 motorcycles, stopping along the way to sleep and resupply—all without facing any interference whatsoever from Nigerian security forces.” After they attacked a village and three settlements, “the Catholic church and the catechist’s home in Debe were razed to the ground; the catechist, his wife, and his family barely managed to escape with their lives, while the Pentecostal pastor of the Redeemed Church, also in Debe, was massacred.” “The bandits remained in Debe until just two days ago, making it impossible to bury the bodies,” the bishop added. “The death toll is likely at least 24. Meanwhile, there are still approximately 500 people hiding in the parish of Yauri—on the other side of the Niger River—as well as elsewhere within the diocese.” The prelate also said that since July, Fulani “bandits have seized control of an area spanning over 10,000 square kilometers. Aside from the presence of army and police units in the villages of Babana, Papiri, and Agwara, the entire region remains under the dominion of bandits, rather than that of the Nigerian authorities.” - Russia and Ukraine agree to Orthodox Easter truce (BBC)
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a truce for Orthodox Easter, commemorated this year on April 12. The truce begins at 4:00 PM today. “People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well.” - Leading Pakistani prelate demands safety for Christian girls after court validates marriage of minor (EWTN News)
The president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference demanded safety for Christian girls after a court validated the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a 30-year-old Muslim man. The girl’s father said that his daughter was abducted, forced to convert to Islam, and did not consent to the marriage. Under Pakistani civil law, the minimum age for marriage is 18, but the court cited Islamic law in validating the marriage. “The Church is not in favor of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances,” said Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad. “We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion.” - Vatican spokesman backs up Pentagon on tone of January meeting with Cardinal Pierre (The Hill)
The director of the Holy See Press Office supported the Pentagon’s dismissals (1, 2) of a report that Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy, used threatening language during a January meeting with Cardinal Christophe Pierre, then the apostolic nuncio to the United States. The meeting was part of the nuncio’s “regular duties and provided an opportunity for an exchange of views on matters of mutual interest,” said Matteo Bruni. “The account offered by certain media outlets regarding this meeting does not correspond to the truth in any way,” - Ghana's leading prelate reminds president of promise to sign family-values legislation (CWN)
The president of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued a statement emphasizing the importance of the national debate over Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill after the nation’s president, John Mahama, said that the legislation is “not the most important issue we face as a nation,” and after the nation’s Minister of Government Communications described the debate as a “waste of time.” - Priest arrested in Belarus; whereabouts unknown (Forum 18)
Father Anatol Parakhnevich, a priest who has ministered in Vileyka, Belarus for nearly 20 years, was arrested on March 16. “We know he was detained and his home was sealed, but we don’t know where he is being held or what any accusations against him might be,” said Father Yuri Yasevich, spokesman for the episcopal conference. Belarus, an Eastern European nation of 9.5 million (map), is 82% Christian (63% Orthodox, 17% Catholic). An autocratic president, Alexander Lukashenko, has led the nation since 1994. - Leading French prelate deplores Israeli attacks on Lebanon (Église catholique en France)
The president of the Conference of Bishops of France deplored Israeli attacks on Lebanon. “On this day of mourning for the Lebanese people, I would like to express my sadness, indignation and full solidarity,” Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille said on April 9, the day after Israel’s Operation Eternal Darkness left at least 357 dead. “I condemn in the strongest terms this intolerable operation, perversely called ‘eternal darkness,’ as well as the cynicism of its unfolding, at the very moment when a ceasefire between the belligerents was coming into effect,” Cardinal Avelline added. “The spiral of violence must stop and international law must be respected. History teaches us that the security of one people cannot be obtained by maintaining hatred of the other.” The prelate concluded by inviting “all Catholics in France to respond to Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to gather to pray for peace on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 6:00” and by encouraging donations to the aid organization Œuvre d’Orient. - Indian state revokes Catholic school's recognition over conversion allegation (UCANews)
The Indian state of Rajasthan (map) revoked its recognition of a Catholic school and ordered its 500 students transferred elsewhere following an allegation of forced conversions. Parents of 100 of the students at St. Paul Secondary School in Dungarpur district sent a letter to the state’s chief education officer stating the allegation was false. Father Sanjay Dodiyar, the school’s administrator, said that the school is challenging the “absolutely illegal” order in court. - Pope names chancellor of Pontifical Academy for Life (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV named Father Andrea Ciucci the new chancellor, or second-ranking official, of the Pontifical Academy for Life. - Partial reopening of Christian churches in Dubai (The National)
Eight days after Dubai’s government closed Christian churches in the United Arab Emirates’ largest city until further notice, churches were permitted to reopen today with restrictions. The National, a newspaper based in Abu Dhabi, reported that only adults who register in advance are permitted to attend. The April 3 directive came amid Iranian strikes on the United Arab Emirates. - Coadjutor named for Bishop Zanchetta's former diocese (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV named Auxiliary Bishop Claudio Pablo Castricone, of Orán, Argentina, as the diocese’s coadjutor bishop. Bishop Castricone will succeed Bishop Luis Scozzina, O.F.M., 74, upon his retirement. In an unusual move, Pope Francis appointed Castricone as auxiliary bishop of the small diocese in 2023. From 2013 to 2017, the diocese was governed by Bishop Gustavo Zanchetta, who had worked closely with the future Pope Francis at the Argentine Episcopal Conference. In August 2017, Pope Francis accepted Bishop Zanchetta’s resignation for “health reasons”; four months later, the Pope appointed him assessor of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, which manages the Holy See’s real estate and other assets and investments. It later emerged that diocesan priests had complained to the Vatican that Bishop Zanchetta had pornographic images of youths on his phone; they also alleged financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and the sexual abuse of seminarians. In 2022, an Argentine court convicted Bishop Zanchetta of sexually abusing two seminarians. - Islamabad archbishop lauds Pakistan's mediation efforts in Iran war (UCANews)
As Iranian and U.S. delegations—the latter led by Vice President JD Vance— arrived in Pakistan for peace negotiations, the archbishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi praised the “constructive role of Pakistani leadership in promoting peace and stability.” “War and conflict bring immense suffering to humanity and threaten the fragile peace of the entire world,” said Archbishop Joseph Arshad, whose see is headquartered in Pakistan’s capital. “Peace is not merely a political state but a sacred gift that must be protected through active justice rather than military might.” The prelate also called on the faithful of his archdiocese to engage in a “counter-offensive of prayer” for peace. - California Catholic college names Rep. Pelosi its commencement speaker (Notre Dame de Namur University)
Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, announced that Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, will be its May 2026 commencement speaker. Five of the 15 members of the university’s board of trustees are Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the university has 306 students, 33 of them undergraduates. In 2022, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco barred Rep. Pelosi from receiving Holy Communion because of her support for abortion. The university is located within the archdiocese. - In Paris, Latin liturgy helps draw new generation to the Church (National Catholic Register)
The Church of Saint-Roch in Paris, where daily Mass is offered in Latin as well as in French, had more adult converts (55) this Easter than any other parish in the city. “All our newly baptized, except for a few exceptions, are between 20 and 30 years old,” said Father Thierry Laurent, the parish’s pastor. The National Catholic Register described the parish as “one of the city’s traditional Latin Mass hotspots.” Paris’s second-ranking parish in the number of conversions, Saint-Eugène–Sainte-Cécile, also has Sunday Latin Masses, in both the ordinary and extraordinary forms. - Times asks: Should Father Rupnik's art be removed from churches? (New York Times)
A New York Times article explored the question of whether Father Marko Rupnik’s art, which is found in over 210 churches, should be removed. The Slovenian priest and artist has been accused of abusing two dozen women. In May 2020, Father Rupnik was declared excommunicated for the canonical offense of absolving an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment; the excommunication was lifted that same month. - More...