Catholic Culture Overview
Catholic Culture Overview

Stories for May 2023

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Wednesday, May. 31

 Ireland: bigger, older, less Catholic
 Notre Dame’s fire-ravaged roof rebuilt using medieval techniques
 Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to Venerable Matteo Ricci
 Suspended priest elected governor of Nigerian state
 Catholics lead protests against mining, oil drilling in Ecuadorian Amazon
 Macron meets Maronite Patriarch, calls on Lebanon to end ‘political impasse’
 222 churches, 115 villages burned down in Indian state, tribal forum says
 Dicastery for Clergy signs agreement on protection of minors
 Vatican foreign minister: Solidarity is a privileged path to peace
 Despite growing use, abortion pill not ‘safer than Tylenol’ and carries serious risks

Released Tuesday, May. 30

 Vatican launches ‘Family Global Compact’
 Anti-Catholicism now in fashion
 Pope Francis creates ecclesiastical province of Las Vegas, names metropolitan archbishop
 ‘We don’t have an agenda’ for Synod on synodality, Cardinal Grech says in new interview
 Archbishop Paglia discusses relevance of Humanae Vitae today
 Sister Wilhelmina’s body placed in glass case after solemn Rosary procession
 Syro-Malabar synod announces emergency meeting to end liturgical dispute
 3 priests arrested in Belarus
 Cardinal Becciu blasts vendettas, ‘plots against me’ in Vatican financial trial
 Nicaragua accuses Church of money laundering, freezes accounts
 Victims who were sexually abused in Bolivia’s Jesuit schools make their voices heard
 Head of Muslim World League meets with Pontiff
 In US, median age of childbirth rises to 30
 Papal prayer for cyclone victims in Myanmar and Bangladesh
 Jesus and Mary are close to you, Pope tells young cancer patients

Released Monday, May. 29

 New Vatican document offers guidance for use of social media [News Analysis]
 Pope again condemns proselytism
 Pope encourages African youth to conquer continent’s problems
 Italian president awarded Paul VI prize
 St. Louis archdiocese, Columbus diocese closing parishes
 Enormous Chartres pilgrimage captures French media attention
 The Holy Spirit frees us from fear, Pope tells pilgrims
 The Holy Spirit acts in creation, in the Church, and in our hearts, Pope preaches at Pentecost Mass
 EU bishops, other Christian leaders issue Pentecost message
 ‘Bullying destroys life,’ Pope tells Scholas Occurrentes
 Pope, in interview, describes unborn child as ‘a living being, I’m not saying a person’
 ‘Bishop of the peripheries’ named Archbishop of Buenos Aires
 Pope accepts Strasbourg archbishop’s resignation
 Pope reflects on the Catholic imagination

Released Friday, May. 26

 Ukrainian Orthodox moving Christmas celebration to December 25
 Jesuit magazine publishes partial defense of anti-Catholic group
 Archbishop Cordileone raps downgrading of vandalism charges
 Chicago’s Cardinal Cupich ‘perplexed’ by attorney general’s report on abuse
 Vatican statement boosts ‘green’ tourism
 Russia acknowledges Vatican peace effort, but no movement yet
 Pope, suffering from fever, cancels audiences
 Bolivian bishops acknowledge being ‘deaf’ to sex abuse victims
 Same-sex couples accounted for 1% of households in 2020, US Census shows
 Archbishop Coakley: ‘We have to reclaim the narrative’ on transgenderism
 After Dodgers reinstate plan to honor group, LA archdiocese calls on Catholics to support women religious
 Hundreds kidnapped from Nigerian villages as violence intensifies
 Leading Brazilian prelate elected CELAM president
 Jubilee year of Blessed Savina Petrilli begins
 Newly ordained Roman priests, deacons meet with Pope
 Volleyball players featured in series of dialogues between athletes, Vatican officials
 ‘Be united to Jesus, close to your brothers and sisters, and active in service,’ Pope tells Don Orione sisters

Released Thursday, May. 25

 Belgian bishop claims papal approval to bless same-sex unions
 Pope demands end to ‘senseless war against Creation’
 Make all welcome, shun clericalism, Pope tells Italian bishops
 Theologian cites Ratzinger’s thoughts on crisis, synodality
 Ukrainian bishop with 6 parishes under occupation: ‘I can only worry’
 Survey: Church attendance, importance of religion declines among Americans overall
 USCCB issues action alert on debt ceiling
 German bishops’ leader: Lay homilies still on the agenda
 Lawsuit claims Cardinal O’Malley, Boston archdiocese officials failed to stop school official’s sexual abuse
 Preserved body of Black Catholic nun and foundress draws hundreds to rural Missouri
 Papal encouragement for Bulgarian unity
 North Macedonian leader meets with Pope
 Pope Francis expresses closeness to Chinese Catholics who suffer

Released Wednesday, May. 24

 Baseball’s Dodgers to honor anti-Catholic hate group
 Mexican priest killed; bishop decry society of violence
 Vatican official to investigate abuse complaints in Bolivia
 Papal directive clarifies duties of Auditor General during papal interregnum
 Illinois attorney general issues report on clerical abuse
 Bishop Strickland rebuked for criticism of Pope?
 Nigerian bishop needs armed guards in diocese marked by anti-Christian violence
 Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Andrew Kim Taegon
 Agenda announced for US bishops’ June meeting
 Cardinal Zuppi, Pope’s peace envoy, talks about war in Ukraine
 Shanghai bishop leads pilgrimage to Marian shrine
 Bishops from flood-hit Emilia-Romagna region meet with Pope
 Vatican announces international meeting on human fraternity
 Cardinal Parolin: Blessed Pope John Paul I was an effective peacemaker
 ‘Torn-out land’: Vatican newspaper draws attention to plight of Brazilian city
 Pope urges Italian bishops’ assembly to address challenges of Church and world

Released Tuesday, May. 23

 Bolivian Jesuits announce archbishop was accused of rape
 Nicaragua seminary faculty closure was likely forced compromise
 Dodgers re-invite anti-Catholic group to Pride Night after uproar
 Many Catholic schools quit ‘painful tradition’ of Native mascots, but holdouts remain
 Cardinal Ladaria: Truth about humanity and sexuality doesn’t change because of changes in ideology
 Anglican prelate meets with Pontiff
 Pope Francis: May we hear the voice of the unborn through science
 Logo for 53rd International Eucharist Congress unveiled
 ‘Hands off Africa!’: Pope’s new book hits stores
 Pope to Vocationists: Always be an open space to welcome vocations
 Theme of Laudato Si’ Week 2023: ‘Hope for the Earth, Hope for Humanity’
 Pope urges Sudan’s warring sides to lay down arms as new cease-fire looms

Released Monday, May. 22

 Slovenian president meets with Pontiff
 Pope to visit Fatima on trip for World Youth Day in Lisbon
 Another priest kidnapped in Nigeria
 Justice Gorsuch warns of encroachments on civil liberties
 Confirmed: Pope sending Italian cardinal to Moscow, Kyiv as mediator
 Jesus, who ascended into heaven, intercedes for us before the Father, Pope tells pilgrims
 Foster missionary zeal: papal encouragement to Tanzania’s bishops
 Argentine sheikh meets with Pontiff
 Papal condolences following deadly Italian floods
 Italian abbey marks 900th jubilee year
 Italian priest slain by Nazis recognized as martyr; 8 other beatification causes advance
 Papal warning to young people against gossip
 Discover beauty of Christian witness and intercede for others, Pope tells pilgrims from Italian diocese
 Be embraced by Mary’s tender arms, Pope says to Monfort Missionaries
 As G7 leaders meet, Pope warns of threat posed by nuclear weapons

Released Sunday, May. 21

 Background: World Day of Communications 2023

Released Friday, May. 19

 Death rate rising among young Americans
 Australian state drops plan to take over Catholic cemeteries
 CELAM elects new leadership
 Ukrainian priests, seized by Russian troops in November, still detained
 German dioceses push ahead with lay leadership, ignoring Vatican
 Vatican withdraws postage stamp after protests
 Europe cannot accept war in Ukraine, Cardinal Parolin says
 Nicaragua closes Catholic university
 Pope sending envoys to Moscow, Kyiv?
 Archbishop Gänswein meets with Pope: to discuss new assignment?
 USCCB, CRS, Catholic Charities ask Congress not to make ‘disproportionate cuts’ in programs for the poor
 Michigan governor signs pro-abortion law
 North Carolina bishops weigh in on new pro-life law
 Hebrew Bible sells for $38.1M
 Eastern Orthodoxy gains new followers in America
 Car rushes Vatican gate, is fired on by gendarmes
 Pontifical academy establishes task force on alleged Marian apparitions
 Pope Francis, in book preface, calls for ecological transition
 Papal message to CELAM highlights synodality, service
 Pope prays for peace in Ukraine

Released Wednesday, May. 17

 Pope interrupts audience to take phone call
 North Carolina: legislators approve abortion ban over governor’s veto
 German Catholic Church could face financial collapse
 Pope Benedict predicted battle with gender ideology, theologian says
 Trump, DeSantis spar on abortion law
 Papal reflection on link between peace, development
 Pope, at general audience, pays tribute to St. Francis Xavier
 Former abbot of Montecassino acquitted of embezzlement charges
 New EWTN film about Catholic priest in hiding receives blessing from Pope Francis
 WCC general secretary visits Moscow and Patriarch Kirill
 USCCB, Catholic education leaders call on Biden administration to abandon transgender policy for school sports
 Pope Francis marks 650th anniversary of Julian of Norwich’s visions
 Caritas elects new secretary-general, vice president
 ‘Red alert for the white giant’: Vatican newspaper draws attention to melting of glacier

Released Tuesday, May. 16

 ‘Value Movers’ relocate to escape anti-Christian climates
 French bishops to issue ID cards for priests in good standing
 Sharp rise in executions worldwide in 2022
 South Carolina parish vandalized
 Indian religious urge bishops to push back against anti-Christian violence
 ‘God is trans’ exhibit remains in NY Paulist church, but with controversial title removed
 Cathedral desecrated in Tanzania
 New US report alleges religious freedom violations in China, Iran, India
 African bishops appeal for debt cancellation ahead of G7 summit
 Putin returns famed icon to Russian Orthodox Church
 USCCB committee chairman warns against over-the-counter sale of birth control pill
 8 border bishops call for compassion for migrants in need
 Tokyo archbishop elected new president of Caritas
 Papal call for pro-family policies to address poverty, demographic winter

Released Monday, May. 15

 State attorneys charge JP Morgan with bias against conservatives, Christians
 San Diego diocese plans bankruptcy filing
 Pope prays for successful ceasefire in Gaza
 Holy Land patriarchs renew call for Palestinian state
 Pope reflects on Holy Spirit’s closeness, assistance
 Jury convicts priest of sex trafficking 3 victims in northern Ohio
 UN official, Pontiff discuss Palestinian refugees
 Cardinal Parolin: Church has conservation of art and culture at heart
 Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Vatican issue joint statement condemning euthanasia, assisted suicide
 Ukrainian leader, Pope Francis discuss humanitarian situation provoked by war
 Consider the countryside a gift from God, Pope tells young farmers
 Portuguese lawmakers override president’s veto, pass euthanasia law
 Look to Mary, cultivate prayer and communion with the Church: papal call to Catholic women’s organizations
 Pontiff reforms Vatican City State’s ‘constitution’
 Pope asks new ambassadors: ‘When will we learn from history?’

Released Friday, May. 12

 Vatican cardinal urges Caritas officials to accept papal reforms
 Hong Kong bishop: Pope wants to build bridges to China
 Working document approved for October Synod dession
 Vatican financial investigators downplay internal corruption
 Having children reflects hope for future, Pope says
 Pope calls for ‘profound reform’ of multilateral bodies
 Missionary work is not humanitarianism or proselytism, Pope tells Italian missionaries
 Lingering Vatican investigation of Tennessee bishop leaves diocese demoralized
 Wisconsin rules Catholic charity is not ‘primarily’ religious
 Counselor for Maine diocese disciplined for ethics violations
 ‘I hate Catholic people’: Pro-drag students harass protesters at Loyola
 UK birth of ‘three-parent baby’ came at a high moral cost, Catholic bioethicists warn
 Catholic environmental network urges Panama to reject mining deal
 Filipino Catholics oppose LGBTQ topics in curriculum
 Bishops lend support to Save Our Sequoias Act
 Coptic Orthodox martyrs slain by ISIS to be added to Roman Martyrology, Pope Francis tells Coptic Pope

Released Thursday, May. 11

 Papal theme for World Day of Migrants: freedom to leave or stay
 Charitable works begin with God’s love, Pope tells Caritas delegates
 Unveiling of list of Catholic-run Native boarding schools allows for ‘subsequent generations to achieve healing’
 Apostolic nuncio bemoans ‘horror scenes’ in Sudan
 Poland’s Catholic church launches campaign on how to report sex abuse
 Government announces plan to nationalize Catholic hospital in Australian capital
 World Council of Churches, Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity hold leadership meeting
 Report: UN Security Council invites Pope Francis, Al-Azhar imam for joint speech
 Auckland bishop is new president of New Zealand bishops’ conference
 Pontifical abuse commission announces global and regional ‘resource people’
 Iran executes 2 people convicted of blasphemy
 Indian Catholics say harassment of orphanage driven by politics, land dispute
 Cardinal Müller, in lecture on papacy, warns against corruption, cronyism, overreach
 Author critiques ‘transgender children’s crusade’
 Pope: Rabbi Skorka shows that ‘faith and human rights are not in conflict’
 Vermont Catholic school removes Bishop Marshall’s name
 Son of jailed Hong Kong activist, US congressman slam UK, Vatican over human rights weakness
 Parents raise ‘epic’ book problem in Catholic schools
 Vatican finance inspector received 128 suspicious activity reports in 2022

Released Wednesday, May. 10

 Coptic prelate joins Pope to bless weekly audience
 War, unjust economic systems cause world hunger, Pope says
 Most Americans favor making abortion pill available, poll shows
 Sisters of Charity of NY announce ‘path to completion,’ will no longer receive new members
 Pro-life advocates ask: Where do we go from Dobbs?
 Catholic Worker movement marks 90 years
 Kerala bishops’ conference spokesman defends controversial film
 Cardinal Parolin: Vatican wants the Church to have a normal presence in China
 Leading Canadian bishops lament extension of euthanasia, assisted suicide to the mentally ill
 ‘Embracing the divine gift of freedom’ is theme of US bishops’ Religious Freedom Week
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to Sudan conflict

Released Tuesday, May. 9

 Officials learned wrong lessons from Covid, Stanford professor warns
 Pope, Coptic leader pen preface to book on ecumenical encounter
 New York archdiocese investigating ‘pro-trans’ parish art exhibit
 Chinese bishop still detained, two years after protesting illicit ordinations
 Ousted Caritas International leader rips Vatican ‘power grab’
 Vatican prelate outlines plans for 2025 Jubilee
 Cardinal O’Malley acknowledges ‘growing pains’ of papal abuse commission
 Missionaries of Charity purchase Mother Teresa’s first home for poor
 Authenticity is key to evangelization, Pope tells Hungarian Jesuits
 Canada’s Liberal Party endorses mandatory Covid vaccine
 Hospital says government backs off ultimatum to extinguish candle in chapel sanctuary
 Pope encourages Spiritans in their mission
 Fearing deportation, migrants take refuge outside El Paso parish
 Oakland diocese files for bankruptcy over child sex abuse lawsuits
 Late Jesuit’s diary reveals trail of abuse; former Jesuit provincials suspended as Bolivia launches investigation
 USCCB announces ‘strong opposition’ to Secure the Border Act, issues action alert
 Young Spanish laywoman beatified
 Never tire of being on the side of abuse victims, Pope tells pilgrims
 Renewed papal appeal for Marian prayers for peace

Released Monday, May. 8

 Jesus offers the route our heavenly home, Pope tells audience
 Rwanda priest laicized, but genocide not the reason
 1st bishop of Uruguay beatified
 Tennis and padel must not lose amateurism, Pope warns
 Your service is a testimony of your faith, Pope tells Swiss Guard
 Indiana sets the school voucher pace
 St. Peter’s Basilica hosts weekly candlelight Rosary processions during May
 Liberia may be at peace, but Catholics say reconciliation is elusive
 Hundreds commemorate slain Palestinian Catholic journalist at memorial Mass
 North Carolina legislature passes 12-week abortion ban
 Vatican newspaper weighs in on end of Covid emergency
 ‘God is Trans’ exhibit at New York City parish raises eyebrows
 Papal telegram to Ecumenical Patriarch
 Presidential proclamation for National Day of Prayer

Released Friday, May. 5

 Kidnapped priests released in Nigeria
 Over 500 attacks against Church in Nicaragua
 Judge says Pennsylvania school must allow Satanic meetings
 Pope urges abuse commission to persevere despite difficulties
 Jesus changes understanding of family, Pope tells Italian pilgrims
 English cardinal says coronation is ‘profoundly Christian’ ceremony
 Papal tribute to freedom of the press
 Rwandan priest known as ‘key genocide mastermind’ dismissed from clerical state
 Cardinal Müller’s new book focuses on what it means to be Catholic
 Georgetown opens first-of-its-kind mosque on a US college campus
 Vatican probe criticizes English bishop for ‘errors of judgment’
 Dicastery for Evangelization, pontifical abuse commission sign agreement on child protection
 Pope tells Catholic educators to forge open and humane minds
 Christianity, Islam share common commitment to good life, Pope tells participants in dialogue
 Ancient Knights of Malta get their 1st non-aristocratic head
 Archbishop Prevost, new Vatican prefect, outlines vision for Dicastery for Bishops

Released Thursday, May. 4

 Vatican Secretary of State confirms secret peace mission
 House Speaker Kevin McCarthy meets with Pope Francis
 Abortion bans fail in Nebraska and South Carolina
 Pope urges faithful to pray the Rosary for peace, entrusts Ukrainians to Mary
 Cardinal Parolin to attend coronation of King Charles
 Pope, in video, offers encouragement, caution to ecclesial movements
 Vatican hosts meeting with European Hindus
 Leading Russian Orthodox official meets with Pope Francis
 Synod of Bishops, in innovation, to include facilitators; auditors abolished

Released Wednesday, May. 3

 Kenyan police investigate suicide cult after over 100 deaths
 Papal birthday greeting to Holocaust survivor/poet
 Pope reports on Hungary trip at weekly audience
 Federal officials order Catholic hospital to remove sanctuary lamp
 Papal aide confirms ‘secret mission’ for peace in Ukraine
 United Methodist leaders meet, look to pivot after 2,400+ churches disaffiliate
 Meet the Catholic converts leading the pro-life movement
 ‘Women’s Cry,’ a photo exhibit, opens in St. Peter’s Square
 11 priests ordained for Diocese of Rome
 In Burkina Faso, Catholics disguise as Muslims to avoid abduction
 Leading Russian Orthodox official meets with Vatican prefect
 Divine Mercy, under a Venezuelan sun: 300,000 attend annual procession
 US dioceses invited to mark National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Mariners
 World Youth Day helps inspire young people to serve others, Pope writes in book preface

Released Tuesday, May. 2

 Syro-Malabar prelates to confer with Vatican on liturgical disputes
 Pope welcomes new foundation to preserve audiovisual archives
 Archbishop Chaput sees anti-intellectual crisis in faith
 British cardinal welcomes ‘lovely’ bid to swear allegiance to King Charles
 Five nations cited for infringements of religious freedom
 Federal investigators cite hospitals for refusing abortions
 Metropolitian Hilarion: no political issues in discussion with Pope
 Dialogue with the state ‘not about kowtowing’, says Hong Kong bishop
 Cuban bishops present vision for country in meeting with Communist government
 Oklahoma archbishop issues pastoral letter on gender dysphoria
 Faith leaders in South Sudanese state decry rising insecurity, condemn hate speech
 Brazilian bishops’ conference denounces impact of mega-projects on traditional fishing groups
 Ukraine says it has no knowledge of peace mission involving Vatican
 Judge in New Orleans archdiocese bankruptcy recuses himself over church donations
 American named consultor to Vatican dicastery reflects on evangelization of college students
 USCCB offers mixed reaction to updated Biden administration immigration policies
 Pope, in final Hungarian talks, emphasizes Christ’s love, warns against technocratic humanitarianism

Want more news? Visit the Archives.

Subscribe to Insights...free!
News, analysis & spirituality by email twice-weekly from CatholicCulture.org.
First name:
Last name:
Email address: