Stories for April 2023

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Saturday, Apr. 29

 Background: World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Released Friday, Apr. 28

 Arriving in Hungary, Pope stresses European unity
 Reflections on the 50th anniversary of death of Jacques Maritain
 Jesuit superior frowns on Father Rupnik’s ownership of corporation
 Papal praise for Billings Method ‘revolution’
 Religious sisters lead the revolution against the climate crisis, Vatican newspaper says
 Pope pays tribute to the religious vocation of brother
 NY archdiocesan official analyzes Supreme Court’s abortion pill decision
 Priest kidnapped in Nigeria
 US bishop testifies before House subcommittee on foreign aid appropriations, strategy
 Disgraced founder of Institute of Divine Word dies at 82
 Be close to God, fellow bishops, priests, and people, Pope tells Mexico’s bishops
 Cardinals Parolin, Erdő preview papal journey to Hungary

Released Thursday, Apr. 27

 Catholic group sues FBI, Justice Department, over inquiry into traditionalists
 Cardinal Hollerich reflects on synodality
 Progress made protecting minors, but adults remain vulnerable to clergy abuse, say experts
 Ukrainian PM meets with Pope Francis, renews invitation to visit Ukraine
 Mass attendance has fallen 78% since 1990, Erie bishop says, as he plans for parish restructuring
 Sandinista crackdown on Church continues
 Canadian parents push back against gay pride flag in Catholic school district; police called
 US bishops, other Catholic leaders call on Congress to increase funding for programs in new Farm Bill
 ‘Do not forget to pray for martyred Ukraine,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Papal encouragement for work of Catholic Extension Society

Released Wednesday, Apr. 26

 Pope will allow lay voters at Synod of Bishops
 Vatican quietly tones down Pope’s remarks
 Oregon woman fights state’s adoption requirement on gender transition
 Pope’s statement for 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations
 Vatican preparing document on divorced-remarried couples
 Monasteries are ‘beating heart’ of evangelization, Pope tells audience
 Council of Cardinals discussed war and peace
 Kenyan bishops call for tighter regulations on new religions after ‘starvation cult’ deaths
 In China, Marian shrines reopen after 3 years
 Reports: Russian forces in Ukraine have seized a Catholic parish
 Priest who administered Diocese of Limburg resigns over handling of abuse claims
 Typical new US priest: 33-year-old who prays Rosary, takes part in Eucharistic adoration
 Cardinal McElroy formalizes bond with Rome parish with Mass, high-fives
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to plight of Afghan women

Released Tuesday, Apr. 25

 German bishop questions ban on sacraments for Catholics who avoid ‘church tax’
 Leading Indian nun warns of vocation decline, ‘lazy’ missionaries
 Pilot who offered women flights to abortion-friendly states fired from job teaching at Catholic seminary
 Negotiation in conflict requires courage, Pope says
 Wisconsin national shrine given new name
 Vatican prefect, leading Mideast prelates gather in Cyprus
 Pope discusses upcoming Hungary visit
 Grammy Award winning producer: Sacred music has come to life again
 US House passes Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act
 Twitter removes ‘blue checks’ from Pope Francis, USCCB, other Catholic accounts
 ‘Tremendous disappointment’: US bishops’ pro-life chairman reacts to Supreme Court abortion pill decision

Released Monday, Apr. 24

 Western Christians have destabilized Middle East, Vatican prefect says
 Vaccine mandates, Kreeft lectures led Dutch commentator to Catholicism
 Former Pope’s secretary must leave Rome, Pope says
 Pope plans visit to Argentine homeland next year?
 Council of Cardinals meets, with new membership
 Vatican archbishop open to decriminalization of assisted suicide
 Papal appeal for dialogue over ‘grave’ Sudan situation
 ‘Care for the Earth is a moral obligation’: papal Earth Day tweet
 5 Paris Commune martyrs beatified
 Make a daily examination of conscience, Pope advises pilgrims
 ‘Generativity, apostleship and consecration in the world’: papal tribute to Blessed Armida Barelli
 Pope outlines vision for lay ministry; Vatican to publish document on those who have remarried outside the Church

Released Friday, Apr. 21

 Coptic prelate to offer liturgical celebration at St. John Lateran
 Boston archdiocese plans quiet ‘intense prayer’ in response to Satanist convention
 Catholic charity leaders urge ‘climate emergency’ status for Philippines
 Pope praises Papal Foundation, warns against division
 African Anglican leaders challenge Archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership
 Vatican cannot surrender internal messages, lawyer tells London court
 Irish archbishop recalls relationship with IRA leader
 German archbishop returns national honor, citing failure to curb abuse
 Theme of Vatican message to Buddhists: ‘Healing Wounded Humanity and the Earth through Karuna and Agape‘
 Following visitation, leader of Australian ordinariate resigns
 Holy See and Italy hold bilateral meeting on 2025 Jubilee
 Judge’s donations cloud rulings in New Orleans archdiocesan bankruptcy case
 ‘Failure in communication’ led to Anglican service at Lateran Basilica, bishop says
 The Supreme Court fight over an abortion pill: What’s next?
 Continental stage of Synod officially concludes
 Work for the release of Bishop Álvarez, USCCB committee chairman urges international community
 Prelates lament Senate vote on abortion benefits for veterans and their dependents

Released Thursday, Apr. 20

 Vatican ousts controversial French archbishop
 Washington state legislatures split on confessional seal
 Vatican revives apprenticeships at St. Peter’s basilica
 Wisconsin suit challenges religious identity of Catholic Charities
 Environmental, social problems are linked, Pope says
 Suffering can be an encounter with God, Pope tells Biblical Commission
 Georgetown hosts discussion on ‘unfinished’ question of women’s ordination
 Hong Kong’s bishop for closer ties with mainland Chinese churches
 Cardinal Parolin: Vatican probe on Orlandi case to continue
 Animosity among Church members is ‘like a time bomb,’ vicar general in South Sudan warns
 Alleged victim of Theodore McCarrick says ex-cardinal abused him for years
 Another decisive Vatican ‘no’ for German reformers: lay participation in archbishop’s election
 Supreme Court maintains full access to abortion pill mifepristone until at least April 21
 Pope to award Italian president the Paul VI Prize
 Vatican newspaper highlights plight of Haitian refugees in Mexico

Released Wednesday, Apr. 19

 Korean bishop excommunicates exorcist priest for accepting payments
 Exiled Nicaraguan bishop: Ortega shows desperation
 More martyrs today than ever before, Pope reminds audience
 Papal tribute to Missionaries of Charity killed in Yemen
 Papal gift for King Charles’ coronation: fragments of True Cross
 Two Catholic governors veto legislation to protect abortion survivors
 Feature film on life of Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s Catholic rights activist
 Australian legislative inquiry calls for crackdown on Catholic hospital over ‘limited reproductive health care’
 Ukrainian Orthodox leader calls for legislation against rival Ukrainian Orthodox body
 Former German bishops’ chairman faces ‘Vos estis’ probe over abuse cover-up
 Vatican releases European synod report
 Priest smashes idols in Togo
 USCCB weighs in on federal funding for migrants and refugees
 Pope Francis encourages journalists to cover the abuse scandal with ‘openness and integrity’
 Sudan faces massive humanitarian crisis, Vatican newspaper emphasizes

Released Tuesday, Apr. 18

 Pope offers best wishes to French hosts preparing for 2024 Olympics
 Father Zollner explains resignation from papal commission on abuse
 Bishop Stika admits blaming rape victim
 Indian archdiocese ends requirement to marry inside community
 Dutch euthanasia law extended to primary-school children
 WSJ columnist on New York campaign against yeshivas
 Tunisian archbishop laments plight of African refugees there
 Hong Kong bishop visits Beijing on historic trip
 Police relax bail conditions stopping Catholic woman from praying in public
 Glasgow City Council member calls for review of Catholic school curriculum on sexuality
 Oceania synod document notes ‘tensions’ between wealthier, poorer countries
 Colorado bishops deplore enactment of pro-abortion laws
 Catholic Patriarchs discuss impending ‘total collapse’ of Lebanon
 Rate of church membership declines in Midwest, rises along southern border
 $929M in donations received to restore Notre-Dame de Paris
 Pope: Wars continue to sow death in stark contrast with the Easter message
 Rio archdiocese works to preserve city’s centuries-old churches
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman weighs in on court ruling on chemical abortion drug

Released Monday, Apr. 17

 McCarrick faces another criminal charge
 Jesuit spokesman declines comment on rumor Rupnik will be sent from Rome
 Pope ends voting for Eastern Catholic patriarchs over 80
 Pope encourages Community of the Beatitudes
 In Lviv, Moscow-allied clergy no longer lead Orthodox Easter celebration
 Pope seeks prayers for peace in Sudan
 Cardinal Cupich places curbs on Eucharistic pilgrimage in Chicago
 Seek the Lord in the Church, Pope tells Sunday audience
 DePaul University, largest Catholic university in US, faces $56M budget gap
 Croatian cardinal resigns at 74
 Virginia senator defends FBI investigation, compares traditionalist Catholics to radical Muslims
 Pope pays tribute to martyr, calls for prayers for Myanmar
 Pope Francis calls insinuations against St. John Paul II unfounded
 At Easter liturgy, Moscow Patriarch describes Ukraine as part of ‘historical Russia’
 In Jerusalem, Orthodox Christian faithful celebrate ‘holy fire’ under restrictions
 Good vs. evil: Exorcism becomes hot topic for film, books this Eastertide
 63 persecuted Chinese Christians arrive in Texas
 Gov. DeSantis signs 6-week abortion ban
 Supreme Court grants 5-day administrative stay of Texas district court’s abortion pill order

Released Friday, Apr. 14

 Chinese Archbishop Lin, head of divided archdiocese, dead at 88
 Pope thanks Italian airline for furnishing papal flights
 The Biden administration’s assault on religious liberties
 Iraqi Kurdish leader meets with Pope
 Seeking visibility, Pope’s commission on sex abuse gets a new home
 Miami archbishop criticizes immigration bill for ‘criminalizing empathy’
 Theme announced for World Day of Grandparents and Elderly
 Week of counseling offered at University of Wisconsin for those upset by Catholic speaker’s presence
 Over 50,000 massacred in Nigeria for being Christian in the last 14 years, report says
 The Christian presence in the Holy Land is in danger, Palestinian president warns
 USCCB committee calls on EPA to adopt strict soot standard
 John Paul II insinuations in ‘Vatican Girl’ case create dilemma for Francis
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to ‘world’s most dangerous maritime crossing’
 Nicaragua expels 2 nuns in latest crackdown on Catholic Church and opposition
 Catholic leaders in Bangladesh ask for easier missionary visas
 Pope tells women religious superiors to keep bringing hope to our lost world

Released Thursday, Apr. 13

 Orthodox in Jerusalem protest Israeli restrictions on Easter ceremony
 Abortions drop in US after Dobbs decision
 Chinese priest missing; brainwashing feared
 Religious hospitals should care for those left behind, Pope says
 Latino Catholic population dropping
 Adhere to arms control treaties, Vatican diplomat urges
 ‘The truth that has been given to us’: Norway’s Bishop Varden on speaking about sexuality
 Israel cancels travel permits for Gaza Christians for Orthodox Easter
 Catholic social doctrine is not a left v right issue, head of pontifical academy says
 Appeal for peace after 3 Indian churches razed
 Synod’s ‘messy,’ ‘joyful’ North American phase concludes with call to mission, moves to Rome
 +Bishop Jacques Gaillot, 87
 Justice Department appeals Texas abortion pill order
 Read and heed the message of Pacem in Terris, Pope urges

Released Wednesday, Apr. 12

 Pope again amends administration of Vatican court system
 Arizona court ruling upholds confessional seal
 Walter Reed: Catholic chaplains will be available
 Justice Department asks no jail time for church vandal
 Pope rips ‘keyboard warriors’
 Leading bishop: Calling the Church in Hungary conservative is more of a compliment than an insult
 Do not be distracted from the Risen Christ: Uganda’s bishops in Easter message
 In 2023, 63 communities of the Moscow Patriarchate have joined the OCU
 Researcher documents the periti of Vatican II
 Missing girl’s brother meets with Vatican prosecutor
 In Newfoundland, mayor backs parishioners’ blockade to prevent sale of church
 Pope was unconscious at beginning of recent hospital visit, friend says
 Oklahoma officials deny Catholic public charter bid, for now
 On 60th anniversary of Pacem in Terris, Pope Francis calls for disarmament
 Pray ‘against the agents of death,’ Myanmar cardinal writes in Easter message

Released Tuesday, Apr. 11

 Milan archbishop responds to drop in seminary candidates
 Arrest in vandalization of Nebraska church
 Pope reflects on demons, exorcisms, in new interview
 Catholic Relief Services ‘devastated’ after 2 staff shot and killed in Ethiopia
 ‘We can reclaim our country,’ Nigerian archbishop says in Easter message
 Wisconsin Catholic college closes after 86 years
 20% of Baltimore archdiocese’s weddings take place outdoors
 Guam archdiocese to list names of abusive priests, allow survivors to tell their stories
 Documents reveal FBI sought to develop sources in local Catholic churches
 UN official welcomes Vatican’s rejection of ‘Doctrine of Discovery’
 75% of Catholics back same-sex marriage, survey finds

Released Monday, Apr. 10

 Cardinal Müller raps German bishops’ support for Synodal Path
 Chinese Catholics celebrate Easter Triduum after three-year lockdown
 Cardinal Burke encourages German priests to keep the faith
 Pope at Regina Caeli: May we be joyful proclaimers of the Gospel
 Owo Catholic church reopens 10 months after terrorist attack killed 41
 India’s PM Modi visits Delhi cathedral on Easter Sunday
 Pope Francis presides over Easter Sunday Mass
 Walter Reed National Military Medical Center terminates Catholic pastoral care contract during Holy Week
 Ukrainians celebrate Palm Sunday in church marred by dispute
 Contradictory orders from 2 district courts on FDA’s approval of abortion pill
 Good Friday in St. Peter’s Basilica: Cardinal Cantalamessa preaches on the ‘apotheosis of life’ in a time of nihilism

Released Sunday, Apr. 9

 Pope Francis: Easter Message Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World)

Released Saturday, Apr. 8

 The Easter Vigil in Jerusalem: Homily of the Latin Patriarch
 Let us return to the ‘Galilee of first love,’ Pope Francis preaches at Easter Vigil Mass

Released Friday, Apr. 7

 Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum: full text of meditations
 Pope to miss Good Friday observance

Released Thursday, Apr. 6

 Pope Francis: Homily at evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
 Pope answers questions from young adults in Disney documentary
 Pope Francis: Homily at Holy Thursday Chrism Mass
 Jerusalem Patriarch: Homily for Holy Thursday 2023
 Report details ‘staggering’ sex abuse in Archdiocese of Baltimore

Released Wednesday, Apr. 5

 French archbishop, himself under investigation, dismisses vicar general
 Israeli police raid Al-Aqsa mosque; Hama rockets respond
 Russian man jailed for opposing war on religious grounds
 Pope issues update of penal law for Eastern Catholic churches
 Shanghai bishop installed; auxiliary under house arrest
 Hope grows from the Cross, Pope tells Wednesday audience
 Ukrainian Catholic leader blasts alliance between Putin, Russian Orthodox Patriarch
 Florida senate advances 6-week abortion ban with increased pregnancy center funds
 Vatican dicastery launches restricted social media platform
 Baltimore archbishop addresses clergy child abuse ahead of expected public report
 Amid Myanmar’s civil war, hundreds in archdiocese seek God’s mercy in Confession every day
 ‘I have forgiven them’: Women kidnapped by Boko Haram met with Pope Francis
 With major fundraising effort, Catholic college works to cut ties with ‘intrusive’ federal aid
 Current situation in Holy Land is ‘dramatic,’ Custos says
 Life in ‘El Chipote’: A Nicaraguan priest’s story of prison, torture and exile
 Catholic groups back UN resolution for international court to act on climate change
 One of Father Rupnik’s victims breaks her silence
 Vatican cardinal, star soccer coach say sports must emphasize formation

Released Tuesday, Apr. 4

 Wisconsin diocese clarifies after pastor urges pro-life vote
 Brazilian politicians angered by Pope’s comments
 Polish bishops set limits for clerics’ social media
 China installs bishop without Vatican approval [News Analysis]
 Nebraska parish vandalized
 Finnish legislator, prosecuted for quoting Bible, fears ‘time of persecution’
 Dutch bishop rips German Synodal Path
 The risen Christ is the hope of the abandoned, WCC leader says in Easter message
 Ex-Catholic Charities worker pleads guilty to $550K Social Security fraud
 New Myanmar bishop says half his parishes have been evacuated
 Crisis pregnancy centers suffer record attacks
 Ghanaian bishop calls on nation’s president to clarify position on LGBTQ agenda
 Chile’s president honors Catholic human rights advocates from Pinochet era
 Pope names Dominican sister to lead Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences
 ‘Let us make nonviolence a guide for our actions,’ Pope says in video
 Papal praise for Italian peace caravan in Ukraine
 Vatican spokesman reflects on papal requests for prayer

Released Monday, Apr. 3

 Bosnian leader meets with Pope
 Social security must be sustainable, Pope says
 Resignation highlights decline in influence of papal abuse commission
 Pope extends appeal period for those dismissed from religious life
 Burkina Faso police accidentally kill missionary
 Pope to return to juvenile prison for Holy Thursday celebration
 Papal interview with Argentine television network
 Palm Sunday marked in Jerusalem in shadow of escalating attacks on Christians
 Maltese chaplain gets £10,000 after being sacked by UK’s National Health Service
 Jordanian, Vatican foreign ministers discuss Middle East peace
 In Poland, marchers defend John Paul II against abuse cover-up claim
 As Pope leaves hospital, he comforts couple, jokes with reporters
 Pope at Palm Sunday Mass: Love the abandoned Christ, love Christ in the abandoned
 Papal preacher concludes Lenten sermons
 April papal prayer intention: for a culture of peace and nonviolence

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