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Stories for May 2025

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Saturday, May. 31

 Background: World Communications Day

Released Friday, May. 30

 Catholic share of Peru’s population declines
 Washington bishops challenge state law that threatens confessional seal
 Egyptian government denies plan to seize historic monastery
 Vatican Library to digitize 80,000 rare manuscripts
 Eighth Buddhist-Christian Colloquium issues joint statement
 German archdiocese claims no knowledge of outrageous performance in cathedral
 Future Pontiff urged Bishop Martin to slow changes in Charlotte
 Papal message to participants in the commemoration of 500 years of the Anabaptist movement
 Letter to young people for the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’
 Pope visits papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. Will he summer there?
 New Ge’ez missal presented to Ethiopian, Eritrean churches
 Pontiff’s pectoral cross contains relics of St. Leo the Great, St. Augustine, 2 Augustinian saints
 Pope Leo pays tribute to Blessed Cardinal Wyszyński
 Russian foreign minister pledges that Russian Orthodox Church will regain ‘central place’ in Ukrainian life
 To bring at least one person to Baptism: Ukrainian Catholic leader assigns a personal missionary task to the faithful
 Holy Land’s Catholics celebrate the Ascension of the Lord
 Communicating hope in a time of crisis: Reflection from the Holy Land
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to ‘martyred Sudan’
 Renewed papal plea for Gaza, release of hostages
 Dozens killed in new wave of attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt

Released Thursday, May. 29

 CWN closed for Ascension Thursday

Released Wednesday, May. 28

 Germany’s priestly ordinations hit record low
 Pray for peace in Ukraine, Pope urges
 Pope, at audience, says personal encounters show who we are
 New president not likely to bring change at Pontifical Academy for Life
 Cardinal Ranjith hopeful new government in Sri Lanka will pursue justice
 Can Leo XIV help the Swiss Church out of its crisis?
 Togo’s bishops lament end to presidential term limits
 Polish order appeals for prayers as priests face draconian sentences in Belarus
 Charlotte priests urge bishop to reconsider decision to end traditional Latin Mass in parishes
 In loss for religious-freedom advocates, Supreme Court rejects Apache appeal of mine on sacred land
 Vatican City issues postage stamps with Pope Leo’s photo
 Filmmaker tells life of Cardinal Czerny
 Missionary assesses situation in Myanmar, lauds faith of nation’s Catholics

Released Tuesday, May. 27

 New president named for Pontifical Academy for Life
 Pope issues ‘conclave bonus’ for Vatican employees
 Vatican releases message for World Tourism Day
 Cardinal Parolin: Israel’s attacks on Gaza ‘unacceptable’
 Milwaukee Catholic Charities, in suit, charges employee stole millions
 Cardinal Becciu meets with Pontiff
 Pope meets Italian soccer league winners
 Peruvian abuse victims say future Pope Leo helped when others didn’t
 Supreme Court gives relief to Maine lawmaker who was denied vote over transgender views
 Vatican diplomat deplores targeting of civilians, hospitals in war
 Buddhist-Christian dialogue focuses on peacemaking
 Cardinal Grech: We walk with the wounded because we are wounded
 Paterson, New Jersey—largest Peruvian community outside Peru—elated following papal election
 Ethiopian leader, Pontiff discuss education, peace
 Pope Leo ‘reflects the wisdom of the ages,’ North Macedonian leader says following meeting
 Jerusalem cardinal hails Jordan as ‘beacon of peace, coexistence, and prosperity’
 Be signs of hope, Pope tells African Catholics

Released Monday, May. 26

 Pope Francis’ choice to live in ‘modest’ residence imposed heavy costs
 Supreme Court decision on Oklahoma charter school: only a temporary setback?
 Archbishop Paglia steps down from Pontifical Academy for Life
 Russia rejects Vatican site for Ukraine peace talks
 Cardinal Kasper: Women’s diaconate would be ‘sensible pastoral step’
 Priest shot, in critical condition in Benue State, Nigeria
 Leo’s Peruvian goddaughter shares testimony
 Papal visit to Santa Maria Maggiore highlights Marian devotion
 US bishops offer prayers, solidarity following shooting at Capital Jewish Museum
 Pope Leo XIV installed as Bishop of Rome, emphasizes listening to God and others
 ‘With you I am Roman’: reviving tradition, Pontiff receives homage of Rome’s mayor
 Pontiff encourages prayer for Church in China, recalls Laudato Si’
 Father Stanislaus Streich, martyr of Communism, beatified in Poland
 God’s indwelling helps us become compassionate Christians: papal Regina Caeli address
 Pope Leo emphasizes memory, mission in address to Curia

Released Friday, May. 23

 Cardinal Grech stresses synodality in talk to religious superiors
 Why Anglicans cannot select a new worldwide leader
 Vandalism against Catholic churches rising in Germany
 Delaware legalized assisted suicide
 North Carolina bishop bars Traditional Mass in parishes
 YouTube drops channel featuring fake sermons of Pope Leo
 Connecticut diocese emerges from bankruptcy
 Cardinal McElroy decries killing of Israeli Embassy staff members as ‘act of anti-Semitic hatred and murder’
 Michigan man charged with hate crime following vandalism, attack on priest
 30% of Americans consult astrology, tarot cards, or fortune tellers
 Priests murdered in Kenya
 Celebratory Mass held in Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, in thanksgiving for Pope Leo’s election
 ‘In Gaza, there is no more time,’ Vatican newspaper warns
 Supreme Court splits 4-4 in Oklahoma Catholic charter school case

Released Thursday, May. 22

 Pope appoints woman religious as secretary of Dicastery for Religious
 Federal court rules employers not required to accommodate workers’ abortions
 Pope lauds work of Pontifical Mission Societies
 Singapore cardinal: new Pontiff will bring clarity
 Augustinian colleague describes leadership style of Pope Leo
 Four German bishops refuse involvement in Synodal Committee
 Vatican advances beatification cause of missionaries killed in Ecuador
 Former Vatican spokesman reflects on Pope’s linguistic skills
 Vatican News warns against fraudulent video of Pope Leo
 Cardinal Kasper says Pope Benedict, Cardinal Sarah blocked change on celibacy
 Bipartisan support for legislation to speed renewal of visas for priests, ministers
 Vice President JD Vance discusses his faith, Pope Leo
 Over 50 ecumenical, interreligious organizations sent representatives to Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass
 Pope Leo, Curial cardinals recall Pope Francis, 1 month after his death
 USCCB president expresses ‘grave concerns’ about federal budget proposal, warns of ‘real and substantial harms’
 Papal video message encourages efforts for ‘ecological, social, and environmental justice’
 Vatican diplomat welcomes WHO pandemic agreement, emphasizes health care is human right
 French bishop resigns from 2nd see, nearly 300 miles from his diocese
 Recalling Nicaea’s anniversary, Cardinal Pizzaballa calls for bold, clear proclamation of faith in Christ
 Invoking Our Lady of Fátima, Pope Leo encourages daily Rosary for peace

Released Wednesday, May. 21

 Wide variations in diocesan statistics on Catholic marriages
 Pope to celebrate public Mass every Sunday in June
 Pope urges opening for humanitarian aid for Gaza
 Pope Leo, at audience, continues series that Pope Francis began
 Chaldean Patriarch tells Pontiff: ‘we’re counting on you’
 Irish public opinion
 Italian premier offers help with Vatican mediation on Ukraine
 Ukrainian Orthodox Church declares independence from Moscow
 Vatican diplomat offers principles to address debt crisis, right to development
 Cardinal Parolin, Vatican’s Secretary of State, awarded Path to Peace Foundation prize
 Brazilian bishop resigns at 60
 Georgia’s president meets with Pope, grateful for Holy See’s support for nation’s territorial integrity
 Pope receives Australia’s prime minister, who invites him to visit nation
 USCCB president pays tribute to Laudato Si’ on its 10th anniversary
 Over 150 nations, international organizations sent representatives to Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass
 Major Archbishop: Pope Leo’s heart ‘beats in unison with the hearts of Ukrainians’
 Vatican newspaper highlights Panamanian villagers’ opposition to reservoir

Released Tuesday, May. 20

 Pontiff prays at basilica of St. Paul
 Vance conveyed invitation for Pope to visit White House
 Trump says Vatican agreed to host Ukraine peace talks
 New Pope makes surprise visit to old dicastery
 Leo has ‘great desire’ to visit Argentina, foreign minister says after audience
 Recalling suffering Ukrainian children, Zelensky gives Leo an icon of Madonna and Child
 Cardinal Parolin in New York: Holy See reaffirms ‘unwavering support’ for UN’s mission
 Emotional meeting between Pontiff, faithful from his former Peruvian diocese
 Ecumenical Patriarchate: Pope Leo to visit Turkey in November
 New Pope, who has visited China, will continue Pope Francis’s approach, Cardinal Chow believes
 Pope Leo ‘has the mentality of a mathematician’ and ‘knows how to govern,’ confrère says
 Bishops applaud House efforts to defund abortion, ‘gender transition’
 Leo calls on Church to be ‘a little leaven’ of unity and love, Vatican spokesman writes

Released Monday, May. 19

 Colombia’s president meets with Pontiff
 Pope calls for ecumenical unity based on shared faith
 Kidnapped priest released in Cameroon
 India’s Cardinal Gracias urges lasting peace accord with Pakistan
 Cardinal Reina to replace Archbishop Paglia as John Paul II Institute chancellor
 Vance, Rubio meet with Pope Leo
 South Carolina Supreme Court interprets state’s fetal heartbeat abortion ban
 End use of child soldiers, Vatican diplomat urges
 Priest remembered as ‘father of orphans’ beatified in France
 Thousands attend Jubilee of Confraternities
 The Church’s social doctrine ‘does not claim to possess a monopoly on truth,’ Pope tells Vatican conference
 Do not forgot those who suffer from war, Pope Leo tells crowd in St. Peter’s Square
 Emphasizing love and unity, Leo XIV installed as 267th Pope

Released Friday, May. 16

 Senate Democrats block approval of Trump ambassador to Holy See
 Pope to diplomats: Church serves peace, justice, and truth
 Budget bill could be opportunity to defund Planned Parenthood
 Vatican highlights opening of new churches in China
 Trump picks Archbishop Cordileone for religious-liberty panel
 Iraqi Patriarch says controversial interview was a fraud
 Georgia law banning abortion cited in case of ‘brain-dead’ mother
 Pope Leo makes 1st episcopal appointment
 Jubilee of Eastern Churches concludes with gratitude for Pope Leo’s encouragement
 USCCB publishes overview of Trump administration’s actions on immigration
 L’Osservatore Romano pays tribute to Rerum Novarum
 Vatican diplomat renews call for ethics, governance mechanisms for AI
 Russian Orthodox Patriarch receives Cuban president, recalls meetings with Castro brothers, Pope Francis
 Ukrainian Catholic leader invites Pope Leo to visit Ukraine
 Vatican newspaper laments ‘the tears of mothers and blood of innocents’ in Gaza

Released Thursday, May. 15

 Help youth fight loneliness, relativism, Pope urges teaching brothers
 Nashville diocese: Sunday Mass not required if attendance would risk safety
 Kennedy orders review of abortion pill effects
 European, African bishops join to question European priorities
 Cardinal Parolin speaks on peace talks, papal trip to Nicea
 Volunteer force helps Vatican ward off computer hackers
 US Catholic population shifting to West and South
 Texas bishop expects attack on Church’s tax exemption
 Louisville archbishop issues new norms for posture during Mass
 Vance, Rubio will head US delegation to Pope’s installation
 Cardinal Müller: Pope Leo can ease divisions within Church
 Can an American Pope vote? Must he pay taxes?
 Filipino bishops rap election irregularities
 Vatican foundation hosts conference on Catholic social thought, polarization
 Opus Dei leader meets with Pope Leo
 St. John Paul immediately forgave would-be assassin, Cardinal Dziwisz says
 Vatican prefect encourages Eastern Catholics to evangelize, hopes they can remain in native lands
 Spread the doctrinal, spiritual heritage of St. Augustine: papal encouragement to Augustinians
 Starvation in Gaza is unacceptable, Jerusalem Patriarch says
 Leo XIV launches Instagram account, inherits @Pontifex on X

Released Wednesday, May. 14

 Robert Royal sees the Pope’s ‘bold bet’ on Leo XIII
 Vatican explains papal coat of arms
 UK rules on reporting abuse will not guard confessional seal
 Pope meets with Italian tennis star
 Pope lauds ‘sense of mystery’ in Eastern Catholic liturgy
 Episcopal Church refuses settlement help for South African refugees
 Government-backed Chinese Catholic groups welcome Pope Leo XIV
 Chartres pilgrimage, overwhelmed, caps registrations at 19,000
 Assassination attempt against St. John Paul commemorated at Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica
 Africa will be ‘central to the pontificate of Leo XIV,’ Augustinian leader says
 Trappist abbot sees ‘consonances’ between Pope Leo’s election, Algerian martyrs
 At Jubilee of Eastern Churches, Armenian Catholic Patriarch prays for peace
 Jewish US novelist writes front-page Gospel commentary for L’Osservatore Romano
 Vatican newspaper rues Israeli attack on Gaza hospital
 Pope makes surprise visit to his Augustinian brothers in Rome

Released Tuesday, May. 13

 Synod leaders voice confidence in Pope Leo
 Pakistani prelates welcome ceasefire, averting ‘very dangerous’ conflict
 Church worker murdered in South Sudan
 Pope names personal secretary
 Vatican announces schedule of papal Masses
 Dean of College of Cardinals pledges to Pope Leo his fidelity, collaboration
 Biden administration covered up slaying of Palestinian Catholic journalist, documentary charges
 Jubilee of Eastern Churches begins with tributes to Coptic Christians, Pope Francis
 Jubilee of Bands culminates in outdoor Mass
 Papal prayer at Santa Maria Maggiore
 Pope visits Marian shrine outside Rome

Released Monday, May. 12

 Vatican issues annual greeting to world’s Buddhists
 German cardinal hopes Pope Leo will clarify ‘synodality’
 Guam archbishop confirms: predecessor’s conviction stands
 Dublin archbishop reports record number of adult baptisms
 Pope speaks with Zelensky
 Pope urges media to move beyond conflict and cliché
 Prelate shares memories of future Pope’s ministry in Peru
 ‘To move aside so that Christ may remain’: Vatican spokesman reflects on new Pope
 Addressing cardinals, Pope Leo discusses choice of name, ‘fundamental points’ of Church’s path
 Seals removed from the papal apartment of the Apostolic Palace
 Pope celebrates Mass at St. Peter’s tomb
 In 1st Regina Caeli address, Pope Leo recalls Good Shepherd Sunday, calls for peace

Released Saturday, May. 10

 Background: World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Released Friday, May. 9

 Bear witness to Jesus Christ, Pope exhorts cardinals
 Boston archdiocese advises foreign priests against travel
 Vatican spokesman explains Pope Leo’s choice of name
 Pope Leo asks offices of Roman Curia to remain at posts
 Villanova, Catholic Theological Union welcome election of alumnus as Pope
 John Prevost: brother is ‘middle of the road,’ will follow in Pope Francis’s footsteps
 Louis Prevost describes election of brother as ‘just mind-blowing’
 President Trump, former presidents, other officials congratulate Pope Leo
 The words of Pope Leo’s 1st Urbi et Orbi blessing
 Augustinians offer filial reverence to confrère, Pope Leo
 Papal preacher: Popes should safeguard faith while allowing it to ‘breathe and grow’
 Vatican newspaper editor ponders St. Peter’s running to the tomb
 Vatican spokesman reflects on papal election and abandoning oneself to Christ
 US bishops welcome Pope Leo XIV

Released Thursday, May. 8

 Pope Leo XIV: the first American Pontiff!
 Prelate decries treatment of Africa ‘as a little child in a cradle’
 Irish government discloses €38 million in support for UN Population Fund
 Guam archbishop, removed in 2019, claims innocence
 Canada: arson against Catholic churches continues; arrests are rare
 Conclave, May 8: morning ballots conclude with no election of Pope
 USCCB committee chairmen back SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act
 Ethics should be at the core of AI innovation, Vatican diplomat says at UN
 Over 13,000 pilgrims expected for Jubilee of Bands
 Conclave schedule, day 2 (May 8)
 Conclave’s 1st day ends with black smoke
 Desire for goodness attracts world’s attention to conclave, Vatican newspaper editor writes

Released Wednesday, May. 7

 Indian archbishop defends country’s military action in Kashmir
 Indian bishop reports damage from Pakistani shelling in Kashmir
 Kenyan cardinal says he was not invited to conclave
 Cardinal Re, at Mass for election of Roman Pontiff, emphasizes Church’s unity in fidelity to the Gospel
 Wall Street Journal examines Vatican’s financial crisis
 US bishops publish new edition of document on pornography
 Cardinal McElroy: ‘I have no guess’ who the next Pope will be
 Vatican spokesman: Pius XII’s message at end of World War II is more relevant than ever
 Leading German bishop congratulates new chancellor, calls for social cohesion
 Swiss Guardsmen remember fallen confrères
 Cardinals discuss importance of supporting new Pope
 Vatican prefect reflects on the servant leadership of St. Peter and the popes

Released Tuesday, May. 6

 Trump administration defends mail delivery of abortion pills
 Trump administration to investigate state law challenging confessional seal
 Cardinals discuss papal priorities in final pre-conclave meeting
 Conclave officials take secrecy oath
 New bishop withdraws opposition to New Jersey grand-jury probe
 Trump denies posting papal meme
 Ring and seal of Pope Francis ceremoniously destroyed
 Cardinals issue call for peace
 Pakistani bishops’ spokesman fears war over Kashmir
 AI image of Trump as pope was ‘not good,’ Cardinal Dolan tells reporters
 Pontifical commission calls on cardinals to act against abuse, support rigorous disciplinary measures
 Ukrainian bishop asks USCCB president to ‘be on the side of the truth,’ counter false narratives
 Truck with papal humanitarian aid departs from Rome to Ukraine
 900 superiors general gather in Rome
 Pope Francis’s cousin, a nun, recalls his childhood Marian devotion, helpful temperament
 ‘Stir things up,’ late Pope urged young people in video
 Vatican spokesman reflects on Pope as father
 Recalling late Pontiff, Cardinal Fernández Artime highlights consecrated life

Released Monday, May. 5

 Archbishop Cordeleone on how to end the liturgy wars
 ‘Popemobile’ to become medical clinic for Gaza
 Cardinal Mamberti presides at final Mass for Pope Francis
 German bishops’ leader promises to work for women’s ordination
 New state law in Washington will attack confessional seal
 Cardinal Ranjith: victims of 2019 Easter bombing recognized as witnesses of faith
 All cardinal-electors now present in Rome
 Cardinals discuss continuance of Pope Francis’s initiatives
 Vatican newspaper decries world’s difference to hunger in Gaza
 Catholic tourist slain by Islamist terrorists in India; bishop hails him as martyr
 Israeli president signs book of condolences to mourn Pope Francis’s death
 Vatican publishes list of delegations from other religions at papal funeral
 Vatican spokesman: Pope Francis was a prophet whose message on war went unheeded
 Jesus ‘slaps me upside the head when I make a mistake,’ Pope said in 2021 interview
 Cardinal Fernández recalls Pope Francis’s work ethic, teaching on work
 Cardinal Gugerotti, at Mass for late Pontiff, preaches on creation, Eastern Catholic churches

Released Friday, May. 2

 UK court orders Vatican to pay legal fees for ‘trial of the century’ defendant
 Tanzanian bishops’ spokesman hospitalized after assault
 Brazilian nun, world’s oldest person, dies at 116
 Vatican spokesman denies health scare for Cardinal Parolin
 Cardinals discuss evangelization at Friday session
 Vatican workers install chimney for ‘white smoke’ announcement
 Belarus: priest sent to labor camp after treason conviction
 Prelate recalls late Pope’s effect on predominantly Buddhist Cambodia
 Advocate for international humanitarian aid, USCCB urges in action alert
 Pope Francis denied absolution only once, Argentine journalist writes
 Ukrainian Catholic leader pays tribute to late Pope, welcomes Trump-Zelensky meeting
 Vatican publishes list of ecumenical delegations at papal funeral
 Annual Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed
 Over 10,000 in Rome for Jubilee of Workers
 Bishop Marini, former master of pontifical liturgical celebrations, recalls Pope Francis
 At Mass for late Pontiff, Cardinal Sandri reflects on Pope Francis as a servant

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Solemnity of the Ascension or the Seventh Sunday of Easter

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At the end of His earthly life Jesus ascends triumphantly into heaven. The Church acclaims Him in His holy humanity, invited to sit on the Father's right hand and to share His glory. But Christ's Ascension is the pledge of our own. Filled with an immense hope, the Church looks up towards her leader, who precedes…

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