Catholic News
- 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.” - 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). - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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.” - Cardinal Hollerich suggests female subdiaconate (Catholic Herald)
The prelate who served as relator general for the synod on synodality said in an interview that he could “imagine a subdiaconate for women.” “While this would not involve ordination, it would still represent participation in the liturgy and assist with the Church’s diaconal ministry,” said Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, S.J., of Luxembourg. In his 1972 apostolic letter Ministeria Quaedam, Pope St. Paul VI noted that the subdiaconate was a major order, along with the diaconate and the priesthood. “The functions heretofore assigned to the subdeacon are entrusted to the reader and the acolyte; consequently, the major order of subdiaconate no longer exists in the Latin Church,” St. Paul VI declared. “There is, however, no reason why the acolyte cannot be called a subdeacon in some places, at the discretion of the conference of bishops.” - 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.” - Successor of Peter returns to Africa as a missionary of peace, Vatican spokesman writes (Vatican News)
A Vatican spokesman described the Pope’s apostolic journey to four African nations as that of a missionary of peace. “How can one fail to reflect on the resentment being generated among younger generations by the massacres of civilians in Gaza and now in Lebanon?” asked Andrea Tornielli, editorial director of the Dicastery for Communication. “And how can the same question not be asked with regard to the war in Ukraine and the many other regions scarred by hatred and violence?” Tornielli added: The voice of peace of the Successor of Peter, the Vicar of the defenseless Son of God who chose the nonviolent path of self-sacrifice on the Cross, resonates even more powerfully when it rises from this land [Algeria], where the Church is an absolute minority and where the witness of the very few Christians is all the more essential—grounded in service and in sharing the joys and sufferings of all. - Social media image depicting President Trump as Christ figure removed after uproar (USA Today)
President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself on social media that appeared to depict him as Jesus. The image—published after a lengthy social media post blasting Pope Leo XIV—provoked a backlash, leading to its removal. “The graphic exploitation of sacred imagery is deeply offensive and undermines the reverence owed to what believers hold most dear,” said Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark. “The image is blasphemous, and we condemn it,” CatholicVote.org, whose founding president is now the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, said in a brief social media post. “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor,” President Trump said to reporters today. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better.” - Pope Leo: 'I have no fear of the Trump administration' (CWN)
Responding to a reporter’s question on the papal flight from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo XIV said this morning that he has “no fear of the Trump administration.” - President Trump blasts Pope Leo in lengthy social media post; USCCB responds: Pope Leo is not a politician (CWN)
In a lengthy social media post last night, President Donald Trump offered strong criticism of Pope Leo XIV. - 'The future belongs to men and women of peace,' Pope says in first Algerian address (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria this morning and emphasized in his first address that “the future belongs to men and women of peace.” - Pope visits Great Mosque of Algiers, recalls St. Augustine's search for truth (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV visited the Great Mosque of Algiers this afternoon (video) and, in impromptu remarks, spoke about St. Augustine’s search for truth. - Pope calls on Algeria's leaders to promote 'vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society' (CWN)
Pope Leo XIV spoke to Algeria’s civil authorities during his second address in the North African nation today and called upon them “to promote a vibrant, dynamic and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all” (video). - US cardinals criticize Iran war, ICE deportations (CBS News)
In a joint interview, Cardinals Blase Cupich, Robert McElroy, and Joseph Tobin—the three cardinals who currently govern archdioceses in the United States—criticized the Iran war and ICE deportations. “In the Catholic teaching this is not a just war,” Cardinal McElroy said of the Iran war. “The Catholic faith teaches us there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can’t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace.” The Iranian regime is “an abominable regime, and it should be removed,” Cardinal McElroy continued. “But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it’s embedded in a wider moment in the United States that’s worrying, which is this: we’re seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war.” Asked why he called ICE a “lawless organization,” Cardinal Tobin said: I didn’t say that they were people without law. But when people act in this way, when they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well I think somebody’s got to call that out and I’m not the only one. - I am 'very happy' to visit the land of St. Augustine, Pope says on flight to Algeria (CWN)
Addressing journalists on the flight from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo XIV said this morning that “I am indeed very happy to visit once again the land of Saint Augustine.” - Pope departs for Africa (CWN)
Pope Leo departed from Rome this morning for Algeria, the first of four nations he will visit during a ten-day apostolic journey. - More...