Catholic News
- Nicaraguan regime bans ordinations in four dioceses (The Tablet)
The regime of Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega has banned ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate in four of the nation’s nine dioceses. The bishops of the four affected dioceses—Jinotega, Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí—are all in exile. - Pope encourages virtuous ecological practices, sustainable development research (Vatican News)
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name to the 17th International Forum for Information on the Safeguard of Nature. In the message, Cardinal Parolin wrote that Pope Leo encourages “sustainable development research projects.” “Ecological responsibility is not fulfilled by technical data alone,” the Pope cautioned. “Such data are necessary, but not sufficient. What is needed is an education that engages the mind, the heart, and the hands; new habits, communal lifestyles, and virtuous practices.” - Belgian bishop announces plan to ordain married men as priests (Pillar)
The bishop of Antwerp, Belgium, wrote in a pastoral letter that he will “make every effort to ordain married men as priests for our diocese by 2028.” “The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests, but when it will do so, and who will do it,” Bishop Johan Bonny wrote on March 20. “It is an illusion to think that a serious synodal-missionary process in the West still has a chance without also ordaining married men as priests.” “There is a historical shortage of local priests in many dioceses,” he added. “The number of unmarried men who want to become priests has fallen to just above zero.” - Vatican diplomat decries 'selective termination' of unborn children with Down syndrome (Holy See Mission)
Speaking at an event commemorating World Down Syndrome Day, a Vatican diplomat said that “discriminatory and eugenic practices linked to prenatal screening and the selective termination of pregnancies targeting babies diagnosed with Down syndrome must be firmly rejected.” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said that “persons with Down syndrome are more than a diagnosis, more than a condition, and certainly more than the limits others may imagine.” “All of them, like all of us, possess the same inherent dignity and sacred value, intentionally and lovingly imprinted by the Creator from the very first moment of conception,” he added. “Consequently, like everyone else, they hold the same fundamental rights.” - Over 300,000 Germans left the Church in 2025 (Catholic Herald)
307,117 Germans formally left the Catholic Church in 2025, down slightly from the previous year’s figure of 321,659 and down significantly from the 2022 figure of 522,821. The Mass attendance rate increased slightly, from 6.6% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2025. The number of baptisms and weddings declined; the number of confirmations and First Communions rose slightly. - Papal preacher devotes third Lenten sermon to evangelization (CWN)
Father Roberto Pasolini, the Preacher of the Papal Household, devoted his third weekly Lenten sermon to “The Mission: Proclaiming the Gospel to Every Creature” (full text, video). - Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries (AP)
The undersecretary of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development announced a campaign to encourage divestment from the mining industry. “In many regions of the world, the expansion of the mining industry has generated profound social tensions and severe environmental impacts,” Cardinal Fabio Baggio, C.S., said at a press conference on March 20. “We know that minerals are essential for numerous aspects of contemporary life,” he added. “However, we also know that, all too often, their extraction has been carried out without listening to local communities, without respecting the rights of indigenous peoples, and without regard for the limits of the ecosystems that sustain life.” - English bishops lament Parliament's approval of abortion to moment of birth (CBCEW)
Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, lamented a House of Lords vote that decriminalized abortion to the moment of birth. “This move is likely to lead to more late-term abortions putting pregnant women and their babies at risk,” he said. “Many women could likely also face even greater risks of isolation, coercion, and pressure.” “This is a truly tragic moment for our nation,” added Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark. “How can this frightening legislation, which, following Royal Assent, will permit the abortion of children right up until the moment of birth for any reason, have any place in a civilized society? In 1967, Parliament passed the Abortion Act, which has permitted abortion through the 28th week of pregnancy. - US bishops back commission on Indian boarding schools (USCCB)
In letters to members of House of Representatives and the Senate, the chairmen of four committees and subcommittees of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lent their support to Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. “The forced removal of children from their tribal lands and communities as part of federal boarding school policies was a moral failure that disregarded the unique culture and dignity of Indigenous peoples,” the bishops wrote. “Accounts from this era illustrate lasting trauma among those who were involuntarily brought to these schools.” “As we continue to encourage greater access to and understanding of this painful history, the Catholic Church in the United States remains committed to transparency, to listening, and to humility,” the bishops added. “We remain dedicated to working with Native communities, government actors, and other religious traditions in efforts to bring about authentic healing and reconciliation.” - Leading Nigerian bishop issues goodwill message to Muslims (Nigeria Catholic Network)
The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria issued a goodwill message to Muslims for Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of Ramadan. “Your discipline in fasting, prayer, and almsgiving stands as a compelling witness to faith, self-restraint, and devotion to God, offering a timely and much-needed example in a world often marked by excess, distraction, and division,” Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Kaduna wrote in his March 20 message. - 'A tragedy beyond all imagination': Vatican newspaper laments plight of displaced Lebanese (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
In the most prominent front-page article in its March 20 edition, the Vatican newspaper lamented the plight of “over a million persons in Lebanon displaced because of the war, 350,000 of whom are children.” “They live in constant dread, unsure of what life will bring the next day—where to find shelter, what to put on the table for their children, or whether those children will be able to continue attending school,” staff journalist Roberto Paglialonga wrote in his op-ed. “The plight of the displaced in Lebanon is a tragedy beyond all imagination.” - In Iceland, priest under police investigation for remarks on homosexuality (Zenit)
The chancellor of the Diocese of Reykjavík, Iceland, is under police investigation for remarks that he made about homosexuality. Msgr. Jakob Rolland said on a radio program that “some individuals with same-sex attraction seek spiritual guidance within the Church, including those who wish to change aspects of their lives,” ZENIT News reported. “He emphasized that the Church does not engage in what are commonly termed ‘conversion therapies,’ but offers pastoral accompaniment through prayer, sacramental life, and personal dialogue.” Police are investigating whether Msgr. Rolland’s remarks violate a 2023 law that criminalizes attempts to alter sexual orientation. Violators face up to three years in prison. - Cardinal Parolin sees three 'defining traits' in Pope Leo's pontificate (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, said that he sees three “defining traits that are currently shaping” Pope Leo’s “style of governance.” Speaking in the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament on the occasion of the presentation of a new book on the Pope, Cardinal Parolin listed the traits as “disarmed and disarming peace,” “unity in the Church,” and the Pope’s synodal style of listening. Commenting on the Church’s unity, Cardinal Parolin said: In Augustine’s time, it was the Donatists who caused division within the Church, for they considered themselves superior to others—the only ones who had remained faithful to the Gospel. Today, different reasons drive many to divide the ecclesial body. On one side are those who, in the name of indiscriminate openness, risk compromising Tradition and reducing the Church to the ways of the world; on the other are those who, in the name of Tradition, reject all progress, reviving the image of a besieged fortress that pits the Church against the world. - New president of Amazon ecclesial conference vows to promote Pope Francis's vision (Vatican News)
Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, O.F.M., of Manaus, Brazil, was elected to a four-year term as president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon (CEAMA) at the body’s sixth general assembly. Cardinal Steiner vowed “to give continuity to that dream of Pope Francis to go to the Churches of the Amazonia and to be an ecclesial Church. We want to carry forward that dream of Pope Francis, implementing especially the four dreams he addressed to us in Querida Amazonia,” the 2020 apostolic exhortation on the Amazon. CEAMA is an ecclesial conference (rather than an episcopal conference), and non-bishops hold significant leadership roles. Accordingly, one of CEAMA’s four new vice presidents is a priest from Peru; one is an indigenous layman from Bolivia; one is a laywoman from Guyana; and one is a religious sister from Cardinal Steiner’s archdiocese. - Pontifical commission president emphasizes importance of listening to abuse survivors (Vatican News)
As the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concluded its spring meeting, its president emphasized the importance of listening to survivors of sexual abuse. Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, France, spoke of the “need for attentive listening” to abuse survivors, as well as “humility and shared responsibility” in assisting dioceses around the world. - Spanish king, queen meet with Pontiff (Vatican News)
Pope Leo XIV received King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain on March 20, the day of the king’s installation as proto-canon of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Following the papal audience, the king and queen met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a statement from the Holy See Press Office, the parties discussed “a number of current issues concerning the situation in the country and the Church’s mission in society,” as well as “some topics of a regional and international nature, highlighting the importance of constant commitment in support of peace and the reinforcement of the principles and values that underpin international coexistence.” Pope Leo is scheduled to visit Spain from June 6-12. The nation of 47.3 million is 85% Christian (81% Catholic) and 3% Muslim. - 'We must not live by lies,' Philippine bishop tells lawmakers (CBCP News)
Preaching at a Mass celebrated in the Philippine House of Representatives, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan told lawmakers that “we must not live by lies.” “Even if telling the truth is difficult, even if it is embarrassing, even if it costs us something—it is always better than a lie,” he said. - Refrain from disrespectful speech, leading Kenyan bishop urges politicians (AMECEA)
The chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops called upon political leaders to refrain from disrespectful speech. “The children listening to you are shocked,” Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba said on March 19. “The young people listening to you are traumatized because, in you, they see the collapse of their aspirations for leadership. The adults listening to you are embarrassed. You are a poor representation of our generation, and we are struggling to identify with you.” - Record number of converts reported in Richmond (The Catholic Virginian)
The Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, is preparing to receive a record number of converts into the Church at Easter. The number of new converts (900) is up 38% from last year. - Cardinal Gugerotti says civilization faces catastrophe, laments plight of Middle East Christians (Vatican News)
The prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches said that “I have the impression that most of the world does not realize the catastrophe that is striking our civilization.” “Those who promote war today are destroying everything that has been built since the Second World War,” said Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti. “I am not speaking only of ideals, but also of people and things—even historical monuments of immense value.” Cardinal Gugerotti made his remarks in an interview devoted to the annual worldwide Good Friday collection for the Church in the Holy Land. Lamenting the plight of Christians in the Middle East, the prelate said: Christian communities, which have always had the sense of being merely tolerated, now fear that they may no longer be tolerated at all. As a result, they want to flee. - More...