Catholic News
- Russian attack damages historic Catholic monastery in Lviv (CWN)
Russia launched a drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Lviv, far from the frontline of the Russo-Ukrainian war, and damaged the historic Bernardine church and monastery. - Australian prelate named prefect of Dicastery for Legislative Texts (Vatican Press Office)
Pope Leo XIV named Bishop Anthony Randazzo of Broken Bay, Australia, as prefect of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts, one of the 16 dicasteries of the Roman Curia. The Pontiff also raised him to the dignity of an archbishop. Archbishop Randazzo succeeds Archbishop Filippo Iannone, O. Carm., who was appointed prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops in September. Born in 1966, Randazzo (bio) was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Brisbane in 1991. He studied canon law at Pontifical Gregorian University and worked for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for five years. After becoming a seminary rector, he was named auxiliary bishop of Sydney in 2016 and bishop of Broken Bay in 2019. Randazzo was also appointed apostolic administrator of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in 2023. In that capacity, he approved the online publication of the Ordinariate’s Daily Office. - The Church's hierarchy is of divine institution, Pope emphasizes in audience on Vatican II (CWN)
Continuing his series of Wednesday general audiences on the Second Vatican Council and its documents, Pope Leo XIV emphasized on March 25 that the Church’s hierarchy is divinely instituted and not of human origin. - Pope, in world prayer day message, reflects on interior dimension of vocation (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV reflected on the “interior dimension of vocation, understood as the discovery of God’s free gift that blossoms in the depths of our hearts,” in his message for the 63rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations. - Pope encourages Christian organization dedicated to dialogue with Muslims (Dicastery for Communication)
Pope Leo XIV offered encouragement to the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa (PROCMURA), which describes itself as the “one and only Pan-African Christian organization with a specific focus on Christians’ constructive relations with Muslims in witness and for peace and peaceful co-existence.” “In a world increasingly marked by religious radicalization, division, and conflict, your common witness shows that it is possible to live and work together in peace and harmony, despite cultural and religious differences,” Pope Leo said to a delegation from the organization, during a March 25 audience. - Pope Leo praises spiritual adoption of unborn children (CWN)
At the conclusion of his March 25 general audience, Pope Leo praised the practice of spiritual adoption of unborn children. - Authorities must pursue ceasefire and peace through dialogue, Pope tells journalists (Vatican News)
Speaking with journalists as he departed from his weekly visit to Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said, “I wish to renew the appeal for a ceasefire, to work for peace, but not with weapons—with dialogue, truly seeking a solution for everyone.” “Hatred is increasing, violence keeps getting worse, more than a million people are isolated, and there are so many dead,” the Pope said on the evening of March 24. “We want to pray for peace, but I urge all authorities to truly work through dialogue to resolve problems.” - Mothers' Call representatives meet with Pontiff (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Women who belong to Mothers’ Call met with Pope Leo at his March 25 general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, and just a few days before Holy Week, we embrace Mary’s free ‘yes’ as an example to follow amidst the difficulties of everyday life—to defend all the families of the Middle East and to build a future of peace,” said Catherine Shomali and Hyam Tannous, one an Israeli Christian and the other a Palestinian Christian. Shomali and Tannous were joined by 15 other women who belong to the organization, which has organized barefoot peace marches in 30 countries. Fifty Ukrainian mothers also met with the Pontiff. - Conversions surge in Los Angeles (Angelus News)
Conversions are surging in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the most populous diocese in the United States. 8,598 converts are expected to be received into the Church there at Easter—up from 3,462 in 2023, 3,596 in 2024, and 5,587 in 2025. - US National Eucharistic Pilgrimage begins May 24 (OSV News)
The president of the National Eucharistic Congress organization announced details of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which will take place from May 24 to July 5. The pilgrimage, whose theme is “One Nation under God,” will begin in St. Augustine, Florida, and end in Philadelphia. - Catholic Health Association CEO calls for greater investment in palliative care (National Catholic Reporter)
Stating that the “rapid expansion” of assisted suicide in the United States is a “cause for deep concern and urgent action,” the CEO of the Catholic Health Association called for greater investment in palliative care. “We have not invested nearly enough in palliative care,” Sister Mary Haddad wrote in an op-ed published today. “The United States faces a serious shortage of trained palliative care professionals. Access is uneven, with people in rural communities, communities of color and lower-income households far less likely to receive guideline-level care.” She added: Coverage policies remain fragmented. And public awareness is startlingly low—the majority of Americans have never heard the term “palliative care.” These gaps are not inevitable. They are the result of policy choices, funding priorities, and a cultural reluctance to talk honestly about serious illness and death. We can change them. - Report finds 747 incidents of anti-Christian violence in India in 2025 (Catholic Connect)
The Evangelical Fellowship of India issued its latest annual report on anti-Christian violence in India. Catholic Connect, a website of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, noted that “the findings point to continuing patterns of challenges faced by Christian communities in several parts of the country. These include interruptions of prayer meetings and church services, threats directed at pastors and believers, legal complaints linked to allegations of religious conversion, and instances of social coercion and physical violence.” - Synod issues reports on polygamy, listening to the cry of the poor; LGBTQ+ community included (CWN)
The General Secretariat of the Synod, led by Cardinal Mario Grech, released the fourth and fifth of 15 final reports of the study groups established by Pope Francis during the synod on synodality. - Pontifical academy reaffirms moral permissibility of organ transplants from animals (CWN)
At a March 24 press conference (video), the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life announced the publication of a document on organ transplants from animals. - Luxembourg's Cardinal Hollerich says women's ordination essential to Church's future (EWTN News)
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., of Luxembourg said that he “cannot imagine in the long run how a Church can survive if half of the people of God suffers because they have no access to ordained ministry.” The prelate, who served as relator-general at the synod on synodality, made his remarks at a symposium in Germany on synodality and Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia. - Vatican newspaper warns Tigray war could reignite, decries indifference to refugee deaths (CWN)
The Vatican newspaper warned that the Tigray war could reignite and decried the world’s indifference to the displaced persons who were among its victims. - Solesmes abbot proposes single Roman Missal to bridge liturgical divide (National Catholic Register)
Abbot Geoffroy Kemlin, O.S.B., of Solesmes has proposed to Pope Leo XIV that both the ordinary form and the extraordinary form of the Roman rite be available in a single Roman Missal with a single calendar. Under the proposal, “priests could reintroduce elements from the older missal, such as the prayers at the foot of the altar or the traditional Offertory, while celebrations according to the older structure could benefit from developments of the reform, including the vernacular, the expanded lectionary and the newer Eucharistic prayers,” the National Catholic Register reported. Solesmes Abbey is renowned for its Latin liturgy and Gregorian chant in the ordinary form; some monasteries that are members of the Solesmes Congregation celebrate the liturgy in the extraordinary form. - Archbishop Caccia calls for equal access to justice for women (Holy See Mission)
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the new apostolic nuncio to the United States, called for equal access to justice for women. Addressing a UN commission, Archbishop Caccia said that “poverty and its consequences pose significant barriers to accessing justice.” “Poor women and girls often lack the resources to secure legal representation, and many legal aid organizations are inadequately resourced and overwhelmed,” he explained. “Moreover, those in rural areas are further impeded by a lack of transport and reliable communication networks.” Archbishop Caccia’s mandate as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations officially ceased on March 7. However, no replacement has been named, and he has continued to represent the Holy See at the UN. - US Eastern Catholic bishops issue 'cry for peace and justice' (Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix)
At the conclusion of a recent meeting, the Eastern Catholic bishops of the United States issued a “cry for peace and justice” on behalf of beleaguered Eastern Catholics in their native lands. “We are anguished by the passion they are enduring on account of war, persecution, assault against human dignity, and violation of personal and religious liberty,” the bishops said. Referring to “those victimized by escalating hostilities and autocratic rule, from India to the Middle East, from Ukraine to the Caucasus,” the bishops added: What we are witnessing in our home communities could easily bring us to despair: churches bombed; clergy and faithful killed; innocent millions forced from their homes. Houses and apartments, hospitals, schools, and roads are destroyed, entire cities wiped out, children abducted. Hundreds of thousands slain, countless maimed, millions traumatized. Torment, rape, and massacre. The menace of genocide. And yet, together with them, we do not lose hope! Instead, we find inspiration in those who are overcoming great hardships. - US bishops, evangelicals launch dialogue on immigration (USCCB)
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals launched a dialogue on immigration on March 24. Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, the chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, said that he saw the dialogue as “a means of growing in Christian unity with our evangelical brothers and sisters, while also furthering our shared goal of bringing the message of the Gospel to bear on one of the most pressing issues of our time.” “Whatever theological differences exist between us, Catholics and evangelicals across our country are navigating many of the same complex realities—political and social—and the issue of immigration is an important example. Together, we place our hope in Jesus Christ, and we seek to live out his teaching in relation to this challenging topic,” Bishop Cahill added. - More...