Catholic News
- Pope urges world's cardinals to shift from maintenance to mission (CWN)
In a letter to the world’s cardinals, Pope Leo XIV called for a “shift from a pastoral approach of maintenance to one of mission”: a mission that is “Christ-centered and kerygmatic, “born of an encounter with Christ that is capable of transforming lives and spreading through attraction rather than conquest.” - Pope bids farewell to Algeria, departs for Cameroon (CWN)
Following a farewell ceremony in Algiers (video), Pope Leo XIV departed this morning on a five-hour flight to Cameroon (map). - Pope Leo reflects on power, democracy, and the international order (CWN)
“Catholic social teaching regards power not as an end in itself, but as a means ordered toward the common good,” Pope Leo XIV wrote in a message to members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. “This implies that the legitimacy of authority depends not on the accumulation of economic or technological strength, but on the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised for the common good.” - VP Vance says Pope should be more careful when talking about theology (New York Times)
Vice President JD Vance said that “in the same way that it’s important for the vice president of the United States to be careful when I talk about matters of public policy, I think it’s very, very important for the Pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” Addressing a gathering organized by Turning Point USA at the University of Georgia, Vice President Vance took issue with a papal tweet that “anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.” The vice president said, “Was God on the side of the Americans who liberated France from the Nazis? I certainly think the answer is yes.” “I have a lot of respect for the pope. I like him. I admire him. I’ve gotten to know him a little bit,” Vance added. “It doesn’t bother me when he speaks on issues of the day—frankly, even when I disagree with how he’s applying a particular principle.” - Church leaders, including Cardinal Müller, unite behind Pope following President Trump's criticism (National Catholic Register)
Following President Donald Trump’s social media post blasting Pope Leo, prelates around the world have come to the Pontiff’s defense. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 2012 to 2017, said that “in this specific case, it must be clearly stated that no one has the right to criticize the Pope when he faithfully follows the mission he received from Christ to bear witness to the Gospel of peace.” “Christ’s message transcends political interests, and God is our judge,” he added. “And no mortal may presume to exploit the name of God for his own interests. Even a good end does not justify bad means. We can only work and pray for peace, but not at any price; rather, for a just peace—including for the Iranian people, that they may be freed from a reign of terror.” - Hate-crimes bill threatens religious freedom, Canadian bishops warn (Catholic Register)
Echoing an earlier statement by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Frank Leo of Toronto expressed concern about legislation that could lead to hate-crimes convictions for religious speech. “There is a way, and I pray the Senate will endeavor to discover it, whereby legislative mechanisms are introduced to eliminate the dreadful expressions of hatred all while assuring that violation of acquired and recognized freedoms, especially of people and communities of faith, are preserved and enshrined, honored and protected,” Cardinal Leo wrote in a letter to Canadian senators. - Indian bishops back papal call for peace in the Middle East (CCBI)
In a statement of prayerful solidarity with Pope Leo, India’s Latin-rite bishops called for peace in the Middle East. “Differences must be resolved through dialogue and mutual respect, not through aggression or inflammatory rhetoric,” the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) said in its statement. The CCBI summarized the statement in a press release, but did not provide the full text. - Amid consolidation, Iowa archdiocese halts Sunday Mass at 84 parishes (National Catholic Register)
The Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, is halting Sunday Mass at 84 of its parishes as it consolidates parishes into 24 pastorates. “The number of faithful attending Mass has declined by 46% in 20 years, and the number of priests available for ministry has been decreasing,” said Archbishop Thomas Zinkula. “Demographic realities, the decline in the number of priests and religious, and the need for priests to serve more than one parish aren’t signs of failure. They are signs of change.” According to The Official Catholic Directory (2025 edition), the archdiocese has 163 parishes, 69 diocesan priests in active ministry, and 23 religious-order priests. - Phoenix diocese brings Vatican model of synodality to local level (National Catholic Reporter)
In the wake of the synod on synodality, the Diocese of Phoenix—the nation’s second largest in Catholic population—has established an Office of Synodality and Planning. The diocese is also using the “methodology of the conversation in the Spirit” to make decisions, said Bishop John Dolan. “We were trying to not go conservative or liberal on this. We were just trying to open up the doors for a conversation.” - Vatican announces contemporary art exhibit inspired by St. Hildegard of Bingen (Dicastery for Culture and Education (Italian))
The Dicastery for Culture and Education announced that the Holy See’s pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale will feature works of art inspired by St. Hildegard of Bingen. The Biennale, a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place every two years, will begin on May 9 and conclude on November 22. The curators of the Holy See’s exhibit, entitled “The ear is the eye of the soul,” are Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers. - Pope spends day in Annaba, emphasizes 'Christians are truly born from above' (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV celebrated Mass today (video) at the Basilica of Saint Augustine in Annaba, Algeria, and preached that “Christians are truly born from above.” - Pope emphasizes prayer, charity, unity in address to Algerian Catholics (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV concluded the first day of his apostolic journey to four African nations with an address to Algerian Catholics in the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa in Algiers, the capital of Algeria (video). - Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary shed light on suffering, Pope writes to Pontifical Biblical Commission (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV encouraged members of the Pontifical Biblical Commission to “unite scientific research and attention to the common experiences of life” in their biblical exegesis on suffering. The Commission, an advisory body at the service of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, is devoting its plenary assembly this year to the theme of suffering and sickness in the Bible, as it did in 2023 and 2024. The 2025 assembly was cancelled because of Pope Francis’s death. “In Christ, suffering and illness are no longer a cruel destiny before which we must bow without understanding,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated March 27 and released on April 13. “With Jesus, pain is transformed into love, into redemption, and into fraternal help. Let us, then, welcome Christ into our lives: He is the only physician who can heal the illnesses of the soul forever.” The Pope added: Let us contemplate in particular the Sorrowful Mother together with Jesus at the foot of the Cross: as Mother, she suffers on Calvary the sufferings of her Son and shares in them with a heart full of faith, offering her piercing sorrow for the good of all. In this way, her intercession acquires for us a unique value. The example of the Mother invites every believer, not only to pray for their brothers and sisters, but also to imitate the humble offering of their own sufferings in union with the Sacrifice of Christ. - President Trump says he won't apologize to Pope Leo (AP)
President Donald Trump told reporters that he will not apologize for a social media post blasting the Pope. “He was very much against what I’m doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran. Pope Leo would not be happy with the end result,” the president said on April 13. “I think he’s very weak on crime and other things.” - Imitate the faith and ardor of Spanish martyrs of the 1930s, Pope writes in message (Dicastery for Communication (Spanish))
In a message for an Easter Saturday festival attended by 85,000 in Madrid, Pope Leo XIV recalled the martyrs slain out of hatred for the faith in Spain in the 1930s. The martyrs were “witnesses of Jesus; in them, Christ’s victory over death became fidelity, strength and surrender,” Pope Leo wrote in his message, dated April 8 and released on April 11. “You are called not only to remember them, but to draw strength from their example so that Christ may walk your streets once more, so that the Church may regain her zeal, so that the truth of the Gospel may open those tombs into which so many hearts have turned, and thus Easter may become present here and now through Christian lives that are light, courage, and a joyful proclamation,” the Pope added. - Church and state leaders react to tensions between President Trump, Pope Leo (Pillar)
Following President Donald Trump’s social media post blasting Pope Leo, The Pillar compiled reactions from bishops and political figures in the United States and abroad. - Vatican cardinal recalls 40th anniversary of St. John Paul's historic visit to Rome's synagogue (Vatican News)
The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity marked the 40th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s historic visit to the Great Synagogue of Rome. “The visit of Saint John Paul II to the Rome synagogue on April 13, 1986, was an extraordinary event,” said Cardinal Kurt Koch. “For the first time in history, a Bishop of Rome entered a synagogue to bear witness before the world to his appreciation for the Jewish religion and the Jewish people.” “The Pope emphasized that the Catholic Church has a relationship with Judaism unlike that with any other religion,” Cardinal Koch added. “In particular, through this visit to the Rome synagogue forty years ago—as well as through many of his other important statements on Catholic–Jewish dialogue, various eloquent gestures, and the personal friendships he maintained with members of the Jewish people—Pope John Paul II charted a significant course for the future of reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Judaism.” - Vatican spokesman: 'God cannot be with those who massacre civilians' (Vatican News)
In a reflection on Pope Leo’s April 11 Rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica, a Vatican spokesman said that “God cannot be with those who massacre civilians.” “Faced with massacres and wars caused by the idolatry of power—by those who even presume to ‘enlist’ God on their side, offering religious justification for the killing of innocents—Pope Leo XIV has appealed to the overwhelming majority of people throughout the world who want peace, believe in peace, pray for peace, and build it day by day,” wrote Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication. Tornielli added: The words of the Pope, who has made peace the hallmark of his magisterium, are unequivocal both in identifying the ultimately diabolical root of war and in rejecting outright any revival of the claim that “God is with us.” No, God cannot be with those who massacre civilians. God is with those who suffer, with those who die beneath the rubble. - VP Vance downplays image of President Trump as Christ figure, weighs in on Pope-Trump controversy (New York Times)
In an interview with Fox News (transcript), Vice President JD Vance downplayed President Donald Trump’s decision to post an AI-generated image of himself on social media that appeared to depict him as Jesus. The president “was posting a joke” and removed the post because he “recognized that a lot of people weren’t understanding his humor in that case,” the vice president said. Vice President Vance also weighed in disagreements between the Trump administration and the Pope, following President Trump’s social media post blasting the Pope. “Stick to matters of, you know, what’s going on in the Catholic Church,” Vance said of the Pope. “And let the president of the United States stick to dictating American public policy.” “When they are in conflict, they are in conflict,” he added. “I don’t worry about it too much. I think it’s a natural thing. I’m sure it will happen in the future and it’s not that big of a deal that it happened in the past.” - 57 men ordained for Heralds of the Gospel after Vatican moratorium lifted (Catholic Herald)
Thirty-one deacons and 26 priests were ordained in Brazil for Virgo Flos Carmeli, the clerical branch of Heralds of the Gospels, after the Vatican lifted a seven-year moratorium on ordinations. The Heralds were founded in 2001 in Brazil. The Vatican ordered an apostolic visitation of the association in 2017 and named Cardinal Raymundo Damasceno Assis as pontifical commissioner. Ordinations were halted in 2019. “The interruption directly affected candidates who had completed their formation but were unable to proceed to ordination,” The Catholic Herald reported. “No detailed public explanation was given at the time for the suspension, and the situation persisted for several years without a clear timeline for resolution.” - More...