Stories for March 2025

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Mar. 24

 Pope creates new diocese in Paraguay
 Catholic, Orthodox prelates criticize Kerala’s government over lax alcohol policy
 Cardinal Parolin sees AI as ‘exciting’ but ‘fearful’ tool
 Seoul archbishop rues climate of ‘hatred, conflict, and division’ between North, South Korea
 Renewed papal appeal for peace in Gaza, elsewhere
 Papal Angelus address: reflection on Lord’s patience, hospitalization
 Diocesan jubilee pilgrimages foster unity, faith, charity, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope returns to residence after 5-week hospitalization

Released Saturday, Mar. 22

 Pope to leave hospital Sunday

Released Friday, Mar. 21

 Papal health update, March 21
 After IVF nightmares, patients have few protections
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ decries ‘culture of death’
 Armed bandits terrorize missionary residence in DRC
 Orthodox Jewish univeristy, in policy change, allows LGBTQ student group
 Recalling Dr. Jerome Lejeune, advocate for Down Syndrome children
 Online giving cited for growth in church donations
 Synod official outlines vision for 3-year synodality implementation phase
 Italian president pays tribute to Pontiff
 At Mass for anniversary of Pope’s election, Ecumenical Patriarch renews call for common Easter date
 Archbishop encourages Christians to remain in Syria
 Influential Polish prelate retires
 Diplomat recalls 75th anniversary of Vatican-Indonesia relations
 12-year decline in worldwide priestly vocations accelerates
 Pontifical academy hosts conference on AI and children
 USCCB reacts to President Trump’s executive order closing Department of Education

Released Thursday, Mar. 20

 Vatican rediscovers lost painting by Renaissance master Mantegna
 Former Vatican auditor vows to press case for justice
 Catholic college invites Mary McAleese as commencement speaker
 Worldwide Catholic population up slightly to 1.4 billion
 Cameroon: archbishop urges talks with separatists
 Canadian bishops denounce potential loss of tax-exempt status for Catholic organizations
 Irish bishop warns against SSPX Resistance
 Nigerian film censors, bishops’ conference announce partnership
 Don’t accept donations from those who seek publicity, leading Kenyan prelate advises
 USCCB publishes guidebook for youth, young adult ministry
 Judge who invoked Jesus in questioning halts implementation of transgender military executive order
 Palermo parish vandalized and desecrated
 Devotion to Akash Bashir, Pakistan’s Servant of God, grows internationally
 30 bishops, 5 cardinals gather at Fordham to discuss ‘politics of communion and compassion’

Released Wednesday, Mar. 19

 Haitian archbishop begs for help as government loses control
 Papal message released for Day of Prayer for Vocations
 Kansas archdiocese sues to stop Black Mass
 Many dioceses in Western world report surge of adult converts
 India’s bishops plot Synodal Path through 2033
 Pope begins new series of Wednesday catechetical talks
 Vatican tribunal: ousted auditor cannot introduce evidence of corruption
 Pope off ventilator
 Churches cry foul as ‘tax war’ flares up again in Israel
 USCCB pro-life chairman recalls 5th anniversary of Walking with Moms in Need
 St. Peter’s Basilica becomes a ‘fixable,’ explorable Minecraft world
 Gaza priest reports Israeli bombing near parish
 Vatican spokesman: As Europe, world race toward World War III, Pope pleads for diplomacy
 Cardinal Parolin: Holy See displeased by European rearmament plan, backs Russia-Ukraine talks
 Amid anguish and poverty under M23 rule, Goma bishop sees renewed Christian life
 Peruvian prelate calls for stronger families to counter rise in murders

Released Tuesday, Mar. 18

 Papal health update: ‘slight improvements’
 Toronto will not fly Vatican flag on John Paul II Day
 Pope has no plan to resign: Cardinal Parolin
 Shanghai: bishop under tight government restrictions since 2013
 North Dakota bishop says Trump immigration policy may be necessary
 Pope says illness highlights the absurdity of war
 King Charles confirmed to meet with Pope on April 8
 Be pilgrims of hope, Irish primate says in St. Patrick’s Day message
 Albanian Orthodox Church elects new primate
 Be ‘persuasive apostles’ of Holy Land collection, Vatican dicastery urges world’s bishops
 Serbian cardinal backs student protestors
 Vatican calls for ‘sincere dialogue, free from any preconditions’ after conversation between Cardinal Parolin, Zelensky
 Malawi bishops, in election statement, rue corruption, handouts, dependence on foreign aid
 Myanmar soldiers set fire to cathedral
 USCCB, in action alert, urges faithful to advocate for ‘Dreamers,’ mixed-immigration status families
 In rare move, Pope permits New Jersey bishop to govern diocese until 80th birthday

Released Monday, Mar. 17

 Police arrest suspect in vandalism of Kansas church
 Papal condolences after deadly nightclub fire in Macedonia
 Lenten Sermons opened to the public
 Ukrainian Orthodox primate denounces Russian invasion
 Pope’s condition stable, still ‘complex’
 Vatican announces 3-year implementation phase of Synod on Synodality
 Vatican newspaper criticizes Trump administration’s USAID cuts
 Since papal hospitalization, Vatican has received up to 330 pounds of extra mail per day
 Amid renewed violence in Manipur, archdiocese builds homes for the displaced
 Lenten retreat for Roman Curia concludes with meditations on eternal rest, transformation
 Renewed papal appeal for prayer for peace
 Pope, in Angelus address, reflects on Christ’s Transfiguration and sickness
 3 women who allege abuse by Father Rupnik recount stories in new book
 Father Maciel’s former secretary arrested for abusing 5 girls
 At UN meeting on women, Vatican official calls for protection of unborn, ‘cultural shift’ on motherhood
 Syria adopts interim constitution that protects freedom of belief
 USCCB asks faithful to urge Congress to resume foreign aid

Released Friday, Mar. 14

 Syrian Christians tense as killing spreads
 Indonesian cardinal opposes blasphemy conviction of transgender activist
 New lighting to illumine dome of St. Peter’s
 Cardinal McElroy launches first criticism of Trump administration
 Former Archbishop of Canterbury decries wave of anti-Semitism
 First plaintiff in sex-abuse scandal killed in Louisiana
 Cardinal Parolin celebrates Mass as Vatican diplomats pray for Pope
 Ukrainian Philadelphia archbishop discusses Trump-Zelensky meeting, Major Archbishop’s visit
 Prelate takes issue with Reporter’s critique of Bishop Barron
 Seminarian killed in crossfire as Nigerian police rescue priest
 Wall Street Journal op-ed touts St. John Paul II as ‘feminist Pope’
 USCCB appeals court decision on refugee funding
 Nigerian government welcomes leading prelate’s criticisms
 Curial officials hear meditations on eternity and ‘living more’
 Vatican diplomat on migration: ‘Irregular status should not automatically be equated with criminality’
 In the hospital, Pope celebrates anniversary of election with cake

Released Thursday, Mar. 13

 Kansas governor: Black Mass must be outside capitol building
 Syrian Carmelites say ‘true genocide’ occurring
 Former Vatican editor: election of Pope Francis resulted from long-term campaign
 Luxembourg Church leaders take heat for Caritas losses
 Pax Christi archbishop deplores EU’s $860 billion rearmament plan
 On 12th anniversary of papal election, Vatican spokesman reflects on Pope’s ‘magisterium of fragility’
 Russian Orthodox Church decries killings in Syria
 Vatican diplomat encourages wealthy nations to forgive financial debts, address ‘ecological debt’
 Leading Nigerian prelate laments economic situation, corruption
 Curial officials hear meditations on rebirth
 Judge sends USCCB refugee program lawsuit to federal claims court
 President Trump formally nominates Brian Burch as ambassador to Holy See

Released Wednesday, Mar. 12

 Pope’s condition remains stable
 Cardinal McElroy installed as head of Washington archdiocese
 Cuba completes release of (some) prisoners
 Syrian archbishop pleads for international help
 145 Nigerian priests kidnapped in ten years
 Cardinal Zuppi welcomes steps toward peace between Russia, Ukraine
 Papal condolences for Argentine flood victims
 Bishop tells Jordan’s king: Catholic Church rejects Zionist reading of Scripture, applied to Palestine
 Ukrainian Catholic leader ‘appalled’ by ‘imposed ephemeral peace’
 Philippine prelate issues pastoral letter against illegal mining
 Wyoming governor signs bill to bolster religious freedom protections
 USCCB publishes guidelines for Catholic couples on reproductive technologies
 Curial officials hear meditations on death

Released Tuesday, Mar. 11

 Rupnik to face canonical trial soon: Vatican source
 Bishops in Philippines respond to ex-president’s arrest
 Curial officials hear meditations on eternal life, judgment
 Syrian Christians were killed ‘accidentally,’ bishop says
 Human rights advocate named bishop in troubled Indonesian region
 Vatican suppresses Miles Christi
 Supreme Court to hear conversion therapy ban case
 Catholic Campaign for Human Development touts advocacy for nonviolent youth offenders
 Dhaka archbishop calls for secular, inclusive Bangladesh

Released Monday, Mar. 10

 Two kidnapped Nigerian priests released
 Author details continuing martyrdom worldwide
 Cardinal McElroy defends handling of McCarrick reports
 Pope’s condition improved, doctors report [Monday PM update]
 Roman Curia begins spiritual exercises
 USCCB committee chairmen rue Senate’s failure to pass Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act
 Syrian Patriarchs plead for peace as hundreds of Alawites, Christians are killed
 On eve of election, Fides profiles Church in Greenland
 Renewed papal gratitude for hospital care and prayers, appeal for peace
 Papal Angelus address contrasts ‘market logic,’ volunteering
 Pope, in homily, reflects on Jesus’ temptations and our own
 In message, Pope thanks Italian pro-life movement for defending unborn children

Released Friday, Mar. 7

 White House arranges Ash Wednesday Mass for Catholic staff
 New Jersey court allows statewide probe of clerical abuse
 Chinese bishop arrested for celebrating Jubilee Mass
 New NIH director promises end to fetal-tissue research
 Priests of Rome asked to donate to housing program
 Kenyan bishop leery of politicians’ gifts to churches
 Vatican message for Ramadan invites Muslims to ‘walk side-by-side’
 Rabbi meets with Cardinal Parolin, calls on Vatican to describe Israel as Jews’ ‘eternal homeland’
 Vatican spokesman decries EU military aid for Ukraine
 Over 2,300 Polish nuns helped save Jews during Holocaust
 25,000 pilgrims gather for Jubilee of Volunteers
 Ukrainian Catholic leader: ‘No peace treaty can be signed without truth and justice’
 Nigerian bishops lament state government orders to close Christian schools during Ramadan
 Donate to Catholic Relief Services to help the world’s poor, USCCB committee chairman writes
 President Trump issues Ramadan message

Released Thursday, Mar. 6

 Pope issues audio message of thanks for prayers
 Parish center hit in Myanmar bombing raid
 Foreign-born nuns face problems as US visa program expires
 Nigeria most dangerous country for Christians
 Hospitalized Pope still not delegating decisions, journalist notes
 Immigrants form growing proportion of US Catholics
 Baltimore archdiocese lowering age for confirmation
 Cardinal Roche: Traditionalists are ‘quite clamorous’ small minority
 Cardinal Fernandez: weigh ‘exceptional circumstances’ for sex-change treatment
 Mongolian president praised Pope’s peace efforts
 Pope, in video, encourages forgiveness to heal family wounds
 Pope’s message to Church in Brazil links conversion, integral ecology
 Fragility and hope: papal homily for Ash Wednesday Mass
 Federal court restores funding to institutions that offer ‘gender-affirming care’
 Cambodian prelate opposes Thai border wall

Released Wednesday, Mar. 5

 Trump issues Ash Wednesday message
 Papal text concludes weekly series on childhood of Jesus
 Nigerian priest killed by kidnappers
 Priest convicted of abuse now faces deportation
 Vatican repeats caution on visions of Maria Valtorta
 20 years after her murder, slain US missionary’s legacy endures in Brazil
 Vatican newspaper editor lauds The Brutalist
 Situation in West Bank has become worse since Gaza ceasefire, Jerusalem Patriarch says
 Priest, seminarian kidnapped in Nigeria
 Catholic Relief Services: Urge Congress to reverse Trump administration’s foreign-aid termination
 Senate Democrats block bill to prevent boys from competing in girls’ sports
 Archbishop Paglia: Pope’s convalescence is reminder everyone deserves proper care
 Protect future generations from nuclear warfare, Vatican diplomat pleads

Released Tuesday, Mar. 4

 San Antonio archbishop: no conscientious objection on measles vaccine
 European bishops express solidarity with Ukraine
 Vatican Lenten Retreat to proceed without Pontiff
 Cardinal Fernández, DDF prefect, explains the senses in which man’s dignity is infinite
 Only a united global family can fix crises, Archbishop Paglia says
 Report: Father Rupnik, other ex-Jesuits are living in Benedictine convent of nuns
 Fertility rate rises slightly in South Korea
 Blessed Sacrament, monstrance stolen from church in Bangalore
 USCCB president issues message of solidarity with Ukraine

Released Monday, Mar. 3

 Build new order to address today’s ‘polycrisis,’ Pope urges
 Theme, date chosen for 111th World Day of Migrants
 Lithuanian president meets Vatican Secretary of State
 British bishop raps foreign-aid cuts, arms spending
 Hispanics in US less likely to be Catholics
 Pope stable, treatment continues [Thursday PM update]
 Canadian house speaker meets with leading Ukrainian Catholic bishops, affirms support
 NYPD chaplain arrested for patronizing prostitute, denies charges
 Iowa enacts law removing ‘gender identity’ as protected class
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ prods UN body on human rights
 Zimbabwe’s bishops welcome abolition of death penalty
 USCCB committee chairman, other Catholic leaders urge Congress to protect Medicaid
 Fátima statue to visit Rome for Jubilee of Marian Spirituality
 Pope reflects on frailty, thanks faithful for prayers, prays for peace
 Sight and taste: papal Angelus reflection on Gospel reading
 Cardinal De Donatis to take Pope’s place at Ash Wednesday procession, Mass

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Mon24 March
Lent

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

Image for Monday of the Third Week of Lent

The Liturgy today is concerned with Baptism. Water by itself cannot cleanse leprosy; but God can use it to do so. If God can cleanse the leprosy of the body with water there is no reason why he cannot use it to wash leprosy of soul. The second point which the Liturgy intends to bring home to us is that God’s…

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