Catholic News
- Christians brutally attacked, cemetery desecrated in Pakistan (Fides)
A group of Christians was attacked, and a Christian cemetery was desecrated, in Lahore, Pakistan, on April 18. “The attack occurred when a young Christian man, Pervez Masih, intervened to defend several young Christian women who were being insulted and harassed by young Muslim men,” Agenzia Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, reported. “At least nine individuals stormed the cemetery, vandalized graves and crosses, repeatedly stabbed Pervez Masih, and assaulted Christian women, beating and stripping them.” Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 257 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim, 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu. - EU bishops' commission backs political, humanitarian support for Ukraine (COMECE)
The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) praised the efforts of the EU, under the six-month presidency of Cyprus, to “sustain political, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine and its people.” “We call on the EU and its Member States to maintain unity and to intensify diplomatic efforts towards a just, comprehensive and lasting peace, grounded in international law,” COMECE added, as it offered 13 policy recommendations, including: “embed EU security and defense efforts within a broader strategy that clearly affirms peace as the ultimate objective of European action” “develop a coherent EU approach to water resilience, prioritizing access to safe drinking water, sustainability and solidarity” “promote inclusive economic policies that combine competitiveness with social cohesion” - Pope, at press conference, weighs in on Iran, migration, same-sex blessings (CWN)
Following a farewell ceremony at Malabo International Airport, Pope Leo XIV departed for Rome this afternoon on a six-hour flight. During the flight, he delivered a brief statement and took questions from reporters, weighing in on Iran, immigration, and blessings for same-sex couples (video). - Study analyzes prevalence of 'former Catholics' in 24 countries (Pew Research Center)
The Pew Research Center published a study analyzing the prevalence of self-described former Catholics in 24 countries. Former Catholics are rare in Poland: 96% of Poles say they were raised Catholic, 92% say they are still Catholic, and 4% describe themselves as former Catholics. In the United States, on the other hand, there are almost as many self-identified former Catholics as self-identified Catholics: 30% of Americans say they were raised Catholic, 17% say they are still Catholic, and 13% describe themselves as former Catholics. - Vatican diplomat calls for use of 'cutting-edge technologies' to ensure sustainable access to food (Vatican News (Italian))
Addressing an Asia-Pacific regional conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a Vatican diplomat said that “a paradigm shift based on the inalienable human dignity conferred by God is essential, so that innovation and progress contribute to ensuring that everyone has sustainable access to food.” “This entails the introduction of cutting-edge technologies, the adoption of sustainable practices, and the development of strategies that optimize the use of natural resources throughout the entire production chain,” said Msgr. Fernando Chica Arellano. “However, innovation is not limited to the application of new technologies; it also implies a transformation of the way in which we produce, distribute, and consume food.” Msgr. Chica Arellano, the Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the FAO, also said that “a paradigm shift based on the inalienable human dignity conferred by God is essential, so that innovation and progress contribute to ensuring that everyone—particularly the poor and the most vulnerable, including newborns—has sustainable access to healthy, nutritious, and sufficient food.” - USCCB, CRS call for $26.9B in international humanitarian aid funding (USCCB)
In an April 23 letter to members of Congress, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services called for $26.9 billion in funding for various international humanitarian assistance programs. Congress appropriated $26.0 billion for these programs in the current fiscal year: President Donald Trump has proposed $11.9 billion in funding for the upcoming fiscal year. The joint letter was signed by the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration and Committee on International Justice and Peace, and by the president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services. - Jury awards $16M in abuse case against Oakland diocese (KNTV-TV)
A California jury found the Diocese of Oakland liable for abuse committed by a former priest in the 1970s and awarded $16 million to one of his victims. The former priest, Stephen Kiesle, was first convicted of abuse in 1978 and laicized in 1987. The diocese declared bankruptcy in 2023. - Peoria diocese announces pilgrimage events for Sheen beatification (OSV News)
The Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, announced a series of pilgrimage events leading up to the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen (1895-1979). The events will begin in Peoria, Archbishop Sheen’s home diocese, on September 15. The beatification Mass will take place on St. Louis on September 24. Details are available at celebratesheen.com. - Appeals court upholds posting of Ten Commandments in Texas classrooms (Religion Clause)
In a 9-8 decision, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the constitutionality of a Texas law that requires the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classroooms. The law “does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams,” Judge Kyle Duncan, appointed to the bench by President Donald Trump, wrote in his majority opinion. “It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason.” “To Plaintiffs, merely exposing children to religious language is enough to make the displays engines of coercive indoctrination,” Judge Duncan continued. “We disagree.” - Sri Lanka cardinal says the 'deep state' is obstructing investigation into Easter bombings (Fides)
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo, Sri Lanka, marked the seventh anniversary of the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, which killed 269 people and injured over 500. “For seven years, we have worked tirelessly for interreligious peace and continue to pursue transparency and truth,” Cardinal Ranjith said. “There were indications that behind the attacks were not only religious fanatics, but also politicians who wanted to sow chaos and ethnic and religious unrest through violence.” “The current Sri Lankan government, which took office in 2024, has a more positive stance” toward “searching for the truth,” he added. “However, some officials of the so-called ‘deep state’ are trying to obstruct the smooth conduct of the investigation.” - Pope, at final Mass in Africa, highlights importance of Scripture and the Eucharist (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated his final Mass in Africa this morning in a stadium in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s largest city, and highlighted the centrality of Sacred Scripture and the Holy Eucharist (video 1, video 2). - Mob attacks Christian village in Bangladesh (EWTN News)
A mob attacked a Christian village in Birganj, Bangladesh, on April 19. At least six people were injured in the attack, and a Hindu temple in the area was also destroyed. “Nearly 200 Muslims were reportedly involved in the attack and used local homemade weapons such as axes, iron rods, and bamboo sticks in an attempt to steal land from Indigenous Christians and Hindus,” EWTN News reported. Located in South Asia, Bangladesh (map) is the world’s eighth most populous nation. The nation of 170 million is 89% Muslim and 9% Hindu. - Vatican diplomat calls for culturally sensitive healthcare for indigenous peoples (Holy See Mission)
Addressing a UN forum on the health of indigenous peoples, a Vatican diplomat called for “culturally sensitive healthcare.” “The promotion of health is not merely a technical or material question; it is a profound moral imperative rooted in the inviolable dignity of every human person, created in the image and likeness of God,” said Msgr. Robert Murphy, Chargé d’Affaires of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. “Indigenous peoples have the right, without discrimination, to improved economic and social conditions, including health and sanitation.” Msgr. Murphy added: In situations of armed conflict, indigenous peoples are often among the most vulnerable and disproportionately affected. Regrettably, such violence can result in the destruction of health infrastructure, displaces families, exposes communities to trauma, infectious diseases, and malnutrition, and severs the vital link between people and the land that nourishes both body and spirit. International humanitarian law must be strictly observed; deliberate attacks on civilian populations, including indigenous communities, and the obstruction of humanitarian aid are never justifiable. - Holy See renews call for international action against human trafficking (Vatican News (Italian))
At a conference organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a delegation from the Holy See called for coordinated international action against human trafficking. “The principle of non-punishment should be upheld to ensure that victims are not unjustly punished or prosecuted for acts they may have committed as a direct consequence of being trafficked,” the delegation stated. “Migration and security policies must be reoriented through a protection-centered lens,” the delegation added. “Experience demonstrates that when trafficking cases are addressed primarily through the lens of migration control, victims are less likely to be identified and more likely to be detained or deported.” - 'A life given to God is a happy life,' Pope tells young people in Equatorial Guinea (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV addressed young people gathered in a stadium in Bata, the largest city in Equatorial Guinea (map), and told them that “a life given to God is a happy life” (video 1, video 2). - More than 1.12 million abortions in US in 2025; actual figures likely higher (OSV News)
The number of abortions in the United States rose slightly from 1,124,000 in 2024 to 1,126,000 in 2025, according to the Guttmacher Institute. The institute—named after Alan Guttmacher (1898-1974), a president of Planned Parenthood and vice president of the American Eugenics Society—reported that abortions have increased 21% in the United States since 2020. “States with total bans [on abortion] saw a spike in telehealth-provided abortions, with the figure totaling 91,000, up from the previous 74,000,” OSV News reported. The figures do not include abortions “involving drugs sourced from community networks or acquired from outside of the U.S.” - Diocese of Rome shares vocation stories of men whom Pope will ordain to the priesthood (Diocesi di Roma (Italian))
The Diocese of Rome shared the vocation stories of the eight deacons whom the Pope will ordain to the priesthood on Good Shepherd Sunday. One is a classical pianist who performed internationally; another, a worker in a liquor factory who sensed a call to the priesthood while attending a World Youth Day; another, a native of Cameroon who converted from Protestantism to Catholicism. - Cardinal Marx instructs priests to facilitate blessings of same-sex couples (Catholic World Report)
Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising, Germany, has implemented a document providing for the blessing of same-sex couples, as well as couples that have remarried outside the Church. “Priests who do not want to carry out such blessing celebrations for homosexual marriages or remarried divorced people must refer the couples to the dean or other staff,” according to the report in Catholic World Report. The document that Cardinal Marx is implementing was adopted by the German Synodal Way in March 2023. Fiducia Supplicans, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s December 2023 declaration on the pastoral meaning of blessings, stated: Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage ... One should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing. - Typical new US priest: 33-year-old cradle Catholic devoted to Rosary, Eucharistic adoration (CWN)
The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2026 is a 33-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a newly released survey of 334 of the 428 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and posted on the USCCB’s website. - Pope Leo departs from Cameroon, says his remarks there did not refer to President Trump (CWN)
Following a farewell ceremony at Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport (video), Pope Leo departed from Cameroon for Angola this afternoon. - More...