Stories for February 2025

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Friday, Feb. 28

 Pope’s condition worsens
 Papal message stresses bishop’s role in liturgy
 Cardinal McElroy: no plans for meeting with Trump
 Trump administration cancels USCCB refugee programs
 Robert George urges new State Department approach to human rights
 Caritas International rips government funding cuts
 Mexican bishop: lawmakers who support abortion are excommunicated
 Vance highlights Trump support for pro-lifers, peace efforts
 Papal letter to grieving mother: ‘Always ask for Mary’s intercession’
 Albanian bishop recalls his secret baptism, catechesis
 Jesuit Refugee Service warns foreign aid pause could harm efforts combating Christian persecution
 Civil courts can decide dispute over Catholic organization’s bylaws, Connecticut court rules
 Papal message encourages Korean missionaries to proclaim faith boldly
 German archdiocese condemns carnival float linking Jesus to abuse
 In Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks pray for Pope’s health
 March papal prayer intention: for families in crisis
 USCCB publishes Lenten calendar
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ calls for international arms agreements, ‘before it may be too late’

Released Thursday, Feb. 27

 Austrian bishop names female vicar
 Catholic priest collapses after conviction on abuse charge
 Cardinal Müller: don’t suppress Latin Mass
 Irish archbishops in Rome to discuss diocesan mergers
 New church in Ur will be sign of harmony, says Iraqi prelate
 Indianapolis archdiocese investigates possible Eucharistic miracle
 Pope, in message, reflects on AI and abuse of minors
 Mexico’s bishops express concern about Trump’s policies
 Traditionalist order to leave Scottish diocese
 Focus on abortion has harmed women’s advancement, Vatican diplomat argues
 Missionaries plead for ceasefire, humanitarian aid for Sudan
 Church retirement plans sidestep federal oversight—and employees pay the price
 Jesus loves you and awaits you in Confession, USCCB committee chairman tells those who have committed abortion

Released Wednesday, Feb. 26

 Armed attackers beat missionaries in Mozambique
 Decline in US Christian population slowing?
 Pope’s text, planned for audience, speaks of Presentation
 Church leaders issue joint plea for global debt relief
 Vatican: do not publish lists of ‘credibly accused’ clerics
 Pope sets up new Vatican fundraising panel
 Ukrainian Orthodox priest sent to Russian labor camp
 Papal condition update
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ renews call for debt relief, abolition of death penalty
 At outdoor Mass for Pope, Buenos Aires archbishop rues ‘lies and slander’ against Pontiff
 Holy See again calls for cessation of hostilities in Ukraine
 Hindu nationalist influencer in India calls for attacks on Christians on March 1
 ‘Little by little, hope is being reborn’ in Central African Republic amid civil war, bishops say
 ‘We are grateful that we are still alive’: faithful in Bukavu give thanks
 USCCB publishes ‘Life Matters: Reproductive Technologies’
 Cardinal Tagle leads Rosary for Pope’s recovery

Released Tuesday, Feb. 25

 Pope’s Lenten message: ‘Let us journey together in hope’
 Changes loom among the world’s cardinals, Vatican journalist notes
 Two secretaries-general named to Vatican City Governorate
 Father Kapuan, heroic US Army chaplain, approved for beatification
 Former Archbishop of Canterbury could face sanctions
 Are lawyers, not bishops, setting diocesan policies?
 In India, demographic change raises religious tensions
 Leading official at Synod on synodality named bishop
 Ukraine Catholic leader describes change in US policy as an ‘earthquake’
 US Supreme Court declines abortion clinic buffer zone challenge
 Vandalism, arson attack on Bavarian church
 Catholic Charities: ‘Tell your representative to oppose budget cuts to Medicaid and SNAP’
 2 priests kidnapped in Nigeria
 Preserve Religious Freedom Restoration Act, religious leaders urge Congress
 Faithful unite in St. Peter’s Square, praying for Pope’s health

Released Monday, Feb. 24

 Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople strongly backs Ukraine
 English bishop resigns, cites personal reasons
 Vatican prayer vigils as Pope’s condition remains critical [updated Tues PM]
 Federal court sides with transgender ex-employee against Liberty University
 Ukrainian Catholic leader meets with White House official, discusses Russian persecution of Church
 70 Christians killed in Islamist massacre in DR Congo church, local sources confirm
 Archbishop Stanovnik, key figure in Zanchetta affair, retires at 75
 USCCB publishes parish leader kit on IVF, other assisted reproductive technologies
 Papal homily for Jubilee of Deacons: Be ‘apostles of forgiveness,’ ‘selfless servants,’ and ‘builders of communion’
 Papal Angelus address: encouragement for deacons, gratitude for his doctors
 Ukraine war anniversary is ‘painful and shameful,’ Pope writes

Released Saturday, Feb. 22

 Pope’s condition ‘critical’

Released Friday, Feb. 21

 Doctors’ briefing: Pope not out of danger
 Bishop, staff robbed by soldiers in Democratic Republic of Congo
 British court backs Vatican in ‘trial of the century’ lawsuit
 In setback for USCCB, judge declines to reinstate refugee resettlement program funding
 Vatican releases official medal for Jubilee year
 Ecumenical Patriarch sends message of support to ailing Pope
 Jerusalem’s Christian leaders back Armenian Patriarchate as Israel threatens to confiscate property
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: Russian ideology, not NATO expansion, led to war
 Father Spadaro: Pope’s health situation is ‘delicate’ but not cause for alarm
 IVF destroys human life, USCCB committee chairmen warn following Trump executive order
 Vatican cardinal visits Lebanon to convey Pope’s closeness

Released Thursday, Feb. 20

 Vance offers profession of faith at DC conference
 HHS pronounces: sex cannot be changed
 RFK Jr. promises study of abortion-pill safety
 Bishop Burbidge decries Trump support for IVF
 Peruvian cardinal latest to be sentenced without trial
 Church leaders discuss evangelization through culture at Vatican meeting
 Catholic Charities agencies across country cut funding, lay off staff amid funding freeze
 Archbishop sees progress in Mosul
 Kansas lawmakers override governor’s veto, protect minors from ‘transgender’ interventions
 New jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso
 Police thwart attacks on Kinshasa churches by political activists
 USCCB publishes document on religious liberty, migration, and the border
 Governments should promote and foster family life, Vatican diplomat says at UN
 Cardinal Cupich: USAID freeze ‘could actually cause death’

Released Wednesday, Feb. 19

 Gerald Ridsdale, notorious abuser, dies in prison at 90
 Refusal to sell same-sex wedding cake violates state law, California court rules
 USCCB issues note for clergy on addressing IVF
 Synod study group leaders meet; faithful have until March 31 to contribute
 Holy hour for Pope’s health scheduled for all of Rome’s parishes
 Italian Premier Meloni visits Pope in hospital, says he’s in good spirits
 New York Times exposes shoddy practices at Planned Parenthood
 Pillar journalist’s talks cancelled in Chicago
 US bishops’ conference sues Trump administration over refugee funding
 European bishops’ conference: support Syrian Christians
 Canadian bishop resigns; denies abuse charge
 Polish priest’s murderer confesses
 Trump executive order promises support for IVF
 Pope’s catechetical message: imitate the Magi

Released Tuesday, Feb. 18

 Cardinal Fernandez rips claims of gender ideology
 US dioceses vary widely in attracting seminarians
 Turmoil in the Diocese of Rome
 Pope’s hospital stay lengthened [updated Fri. AM]
 Federal judge halts Trump’s cutoff of federal funds for ‘gender-affirming care’ for minors
 French bishops’ commission produces video series to counter abusers’ manipulation of Bible
 New UK immigration bill ‘punishes’ refugees, say Catholic bishops and Jesuit Refugee Service
 Peace without justice is ‘empty,’ Ukrainian Catholic leader warns
 Pakistani Christian discusses challenges faced by converts from Islam
 Holy See condemns M23 military offensive in eastern DR Congo
 Abducted Nigerian priest released
 Cardinal Pierre: Work for world peace, just treatment of migrants, abolition of death penalty

Released Monday, Feb. 17

 Should US bishops refuse federal funds?
 Political clerics should respect province of laity, priest argues
 Female Anglican priest ‘concelebrates’ at Brazilian archbishop’s installation
 Pope, from hospital, continues daily calls to Gaza
 Rising costs decimate Catholic schools in New York City
 Two Irish dioceses to be headed by a single bishop
 Church leaders in Holy Land reject Trump plan for Gaza
 Pope’s doctors report ‘complex clinical picture’
 Pope appoints religious sister to run Vatican City State
 Priest brutally murdered in Myanmar
 Connecticut diocese reaches $31M settlement with abuse victims
 Kansas governor vetoes ban on ‘transgender’ interventions for minors
 Build bridges by ‘organizing hope,’ Vatican official tells Catholic social ministry gathering
 Pope calls artists to be ‘custodians of the beatitudes’ during Jubilee
 Report: Cardinal Gregory cleared of harassment allegation
 Pope’s health stable as he continues treatment in hospital

Released Friday, Feb. 14

 Archbishop Cordileone restates key principles on immigration
 Slovak prime minister meets with Pontiff
 Russia sees room for ‘humanitarian cooperation’ with Vatican on Ukraine
 Burkina Faso: 2 catechists brutally killed in a road attack
 Catholic woman named to 7-member committee drafting Syria’s new constitution
 Vatican newspaper sees ‘glimmer of hope for peace’ in Ukraine following Trump phone calls
 Sent to South America: Did German bishops hide abusers?
 Federal judge prevents Pittsburgh from designating closed church as historic structure
 Salvation is ‘not an escape hatch but a rescue plan,’ Bishop Tyson says in social ministry keynote
 Cardinal Gregory regrets his response to the Covid pandemic
 Pope Francis hospitalized for bronchitis treatment, Vatican says

Released Thursday, Feb. 13

 US bishops’ migration chairman: Vance ‘clearly doesn’t know me’
 Church leaders meet with rebel chieftain in Democratic Republic of Congo
 Vatican exhibit will show inmates’ portraits on outer jail wall
 UK Mass attendance rising, but still far short of pre-lockdown figure
 Caritas president decries suspension of AID funding
 Church groups file suit against Trump immigration-raid policy
 Cardinal Parolin: Wealthy nations are obliged to aid developing nations
 Anglican church rejects fully independent handling of abuse complaints
 59-year-old Argentine bishop resigns; turnover continues
 USCCB president welcomes Vatican’s decision to inscribe Mother Teresa on General Roman Calendar
 UK police target pro-life volunteer for standing silently in abortion clinic ‘buffer zone’
 Missionary describes brutality, chaos in Goma
 Cardinal Cupich welcomes papal letter on immigration, issue of ‘preeminent urgency’

Released Wednesday, Feb. 12

 Lingering bronchitis curbs Pope’s talk at audience
 Illinois officials vote to remove Henry Hyde’s name from courthouse
 European bishops call attention to Congo crisis
 Pope repeats weekly prayer for peace
 Miami archbishop criticizes Biden’s ‘ineptness’ on immigration, says border walls should have doors
 Archbishop Gomez laments mass deportation, recalls that Obama deported more than 5 million
 Trump border czar knocks papal criticism: ‘Fix the Catholic Church’
 New Mumbai archbishop speaks of Church of joy
 Archbishop Broglio writes Pope, expresses US bishops’ ‘profound gratitude’ for ‘prayerful support’
 USCCB National Marriage Week statement: Commitment to fidelity and love in marriage is a source of hope
 Pope, at general audience, reflects on Christ’s Nativity, visit of the shepherds

Released Tuesday, Feb. 11

 Background: World Day of the Sick
 Bishop Zanchetta expected back in Argentina to serve prison sentence
 Filipino bishop asks prayers for ‘sick’ environment
 Caritas International blasts ‘reckless’ closing of US AID
 Mother Teresa’s feast day formally set: September 5
 Cardinal Tobin orders investigation of Seton Hall/McCarrick connection
 AI must serve human dignity, Pope reminds French President Macron
 Pope denounces Trump immigration plans [News/Analysis]
 US bishops’ conference lays off 50 migration staffers
 President Trump establishes White House Faith Office
 Man jumps onto high altar in St. Peter’s Basilica
 Cardinal Schönborn: ‘What is currently happening in the USA is extremely dangerous’
 Kansas archbishop praises Trump, criticizes Biden, ‘saddened’ by Vance remarks on immigration
 Proposed legislation will harm indigenous peoples, Philippine prelates warn
 Church builds culture of encounter through schools, other institutions, Vatican diplomat says
 USCCB committee chairmen welcome executive order keeping men out of women’s sports

Released Monday, Feb. 10

 Singapore Catholics shaken by assaults on priests
 Regime bombers damage cathedral in Myanmar
 Israeli Jesuit protests Trump plan for Gaza
 Vatican cardinal decries Trump plan to eliminate AID
 Nicaraguan foreign ministry lashes out at Vatican
 Cincinnati’s Archbishop Schnurr recovering from surgery after fall at home
 Pope’s breathing problems continue
 Cardinal McElroy rips Trump’s ‘war of fear and terror’
 Pope urges preservation of indigenous cultures
 Papal message: Vocation means perceiving the needs of others
 Papal encouragement to confraternities: be ‘crazy with love,’ in heartful prayer
 President Trump issues executive order ‘eradicating anti-Christian bias’
 Police and soldiers, like Jesus, ‘see, go aboard, and sit down’: papal homily for Jubilee Mass
 Renewed papal appeal for prayer for peace
 Pope upholds use of armed forces for legitimate defense
 Catholic Charities had $4.9M operating deficit in 2023-24

Released Friday, Feb. 7

 Another Nigerian priest kidnapped
 St. Louis archdiocese rebukes pastor for support for ‘transgender’ treatment
 New urgency needed against human trafficking, Pope says
 Pope lauds nuns who fight human trafficking
 New Jersey diocese blocked attorney general’s probe
 Mass attendance returns to pre-lockdown levels
 Ailing, Pontiff moves audiences to residence
 Pope praises midwives, ob-gyns who welcome babies with ‘humanity’
 NC court upholds lifting of statute of limitations for abuse cases
 Connecticut teacher booted from classroom over crucifix sues district
 French mayor disobeys order to remove Nativity scene
 With Myanmar’s military occupying cathedral, bishop holds ‘Jubilee in exile’
 Philippine bishops decry Chinese aggression, warn against appeasement
 USCCB committee chairman deplores human trafficking, calls on lawmakers to bolster survivor services

Released Thursday, Feb. 6

 Pope extends terms of elderly dean, subdean of College of Cardinals
 Argentine court denies Bishop Zanchetta’s appeal
 The story behind the pro-life pardons
 Vance cites Church fathers in speech on religious liberty
 Spokane bishop urges opposition to bill threatening confessional seal
 Be messengers of hope, Pope urges in Mission Day message
 Vatican approves statutes for Regnum Christi
 Nicene Creed, mutual love are bases for ecumenism, Pope tells Orthodox clerics
 Editor recalls Vatican Jubilee event as ‘strange,’ ‘politicized’
 Moscow Patriarch pushes for canonization of general whose troops massacred Polish civilians
 Papal condolences follow school shooting in Sweden
 Vatican meeting brings together Israeli, Palestinian youth
 New cardinal pleaded with Pope to work to repatriate kidnapped Ukrainian children
 God still calls young people to priesthood, religious life, Pope says in video
 French prosecutors won’t investigate Abbé Pierre abuse allegations, possible cover-up
 Maryland court upholds lifting of statute of limitations in abuse cases
 USCCB publishes Catholic primer on IVF

Released Wednesday, Feb. 5

 Filipino bishop applauds impeachment of vice president
 Spanish diocese bans parish course for blessing of same-sex unions
 Ailing Pope curtails weekly audience talk
 Pope, at general audience, reflects on Mary’s Visitation
 Ukrainian Catholic bishops call on President Trump to continue US assistance
 Court halted New Jersey’s investigation of state’s dioceses
 In defeat for Catholic Charities, federal judge upholds Michigan’s ban on ‘conversion therapy’
 Work for human fraternity, Pope tweets on anniversary of document’s signing
 Timor-Leste’s leader recalls papal visit, lauds Document on Human Fraternity
 Theme announced for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly
 Missal published in Zou language
 Visiting bishops lament plight of Christians in West Bank

Released Tuesday, Feb. 4

 Russian Orthodox spokesman ‘bewildered, concerned’ by Vatican statements on sexuality
 Archbishop Broglio praises Trump move to end funding for abortion-related travel
 New Orleans archbishop denies demanding funds from food charity
 Fear reigns despite ceasefire in Goma, Congo bishop reports
 Cardinal Becciu’s brother and Sardinian bishop indicted for embezzlement
 New York attorney general challenges Trump on gender treatment for children
 Pope announces he will write apostolic exhortation on children
 In victory for Maine diocese, state court invalidates lifting of statute of limitations
 Syrian archbishop warns of threats against Christians, torture
 Arson at 17th-century Milan church
 Be patriotic and defend Ukraine, Pope Francis tells Ukrainian youth
 Italian Holocaust survivor meets with Pontiff
 There is no greater work than evangelization, Pope tells Scandinavian pilgrims
 USCCB prelates offer Lunar New Year greetings

Released Monday, Feb. 3

 NFL football team coached New Orleans archdiocese on abuse coverage
 Taiwanese leader protests exclusion in message to Pope
 Priest pulled off altar in latest Syro-Malabar violence
 Top investigator confirms suppression of Peruvian lay movement, SCV
 Ex-Vatican bank employees challenge dismissal for marriage
 Pope decries neglect, mistreatment of children
 Pope stumbles as walker breaks at audience
 Trump ends taxpayer funding for abortion travel in military
 USCCB committee chairman welcomes President Trump’s executive order on parental choice in education
 14 months after unexpected resignation, Argentine prelate named to new position
 Shaolin monks meet with Pontiff
 Special papal Jubilee audience: Let us, like St. Mary Magdalene, ‘convert more than once’
 Renewal takes place in silent Eucharistic adoration, Pope preaches to religious
 Yes to children, no to war: papal comments after Angelus address
 ‘Jesus is salvation, Jesus is light, and Jesus is the sign of contradiction,’ Pope tells pilgrims

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Fri11 July
Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot

Image for Memorial of St. Benedict, Abbot

Today is the Memorial of St. Benedict (480-547), who was born at Nursia in Umbria in about 480 and was sent to Rome to be educated, but soon left the world to live a solitary life at Subiaco. After living in a cave in the mountains for two years as a hermit, he had acquired such a reputation that disciples…

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