Stories for June 2025

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Monday, Jun. 30

 Pope, in Angelus address, reflects on ‘ecumenism of blood’ of persecuted Christians
 Papal homily for Saints Peter and Paul emphasizes ecclesial communion, vitality of faith
 Monastic life recalls primacy of God, Pope tells Vallombrosians
 Bishops’ religious-liberty chairman welcomes Supreme Court decision on parental rights in education
 Equatorial Guinea’s president meets with Pontiff
 Trinitarians focus on dialogue to help persecuted Christians, superior general says
 Pope expresses closeness to Ukraine, pays tribute to Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s heritage
 Holy See ‘deeply concerned’ as nations withdraw from anti-landmine treaty
 Criticizing resistance to synodality, Cardinal Grech calls for permanent forum
 Peter’s Pence had $20.4M deficit in 2024
 Pope Leo says he is open to Ecumenical Patriarchate’s suggestions toward restoring full communion
 Papal message to priests: In the Heart of Christ, ‘we discover the true nature of our ministry’

Released Friday, Jun. 27

 Notre Dame student paper wins judgment against sociology professor
 Pope ordains 32, urges all priests to frequent the sacraments
 World Council of Churches voices concern about St. Catherine’s monastery
 Arlington (VA) diocese profiled as success story
 Vatican economics prefect acknowledges deficits cannot continue
 Report: Shooting outside of Greek Orthodox church in Syria
 US bishops critique Senate version of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’
 Bishops’ pro-life chairman welcomes Supreme Court decision on Planned Parenthood and Medicaid
 Texts released for 2026 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
 Pope, in meeting with priests, emphasizes friendship with Christ
 Synodality is a ‘style’ and an ‘attitude,’ Pope tells Synod’s leadership team

Released Thursday, Jun. 26

 Pope Leo encourages Redemptorist, Scalabrinian bishops in their ministry
 Vatican spokesman pays tribute to UN as ‘fragile miracle’
 Vatican security rattled by unruly crowd at papal audience
 Pope decries suffering of Christians in Middle East
 Fight together against drug trafficking and addiction, Pope urges
 Pakistan’s top court acquits Christian of blasphemy after years on death row
 Pontifical institution rebukes liberal theologian
 Bishop rips University of Nebraska for blasphemous performance
 Justice Department intervenes on bishops’ behalf in challenge to Washington Confession law
 USCCB committee chairman calls for ‘international vigilance’ to protect Syria’s Christians
 Syrian prelate expresses hope for Christians, but says 90% wish to leave country
 AI can never replace teacher-student relationship, Vatican official says
 Vatican prefect calls for Korean reunification
 Roman cardinal to lead prayer vigil for peace, at basilica bombed by US in World War II
 Pope, at general audience, encourages June devotion to Sacred Heart of Jesus
 Jonathan Roumie, actor who portrays Jesus in The Chosen, meets with Pope

Released Wednesday, Jun. 25

 Foster unity, Pope urges diocesan bishops
 God brings new life, Pope tells Wednesday audience
 German diocese bars Indian bishop due to abuse charge
 Cardinal Zen celebrates Traditional liturgy, leads Eucharistic procession
 Iraqi prelate rips ‘regime change’ efforts
 Pope renews peace appeal at Wednesday audience
 Rely on God, not yourself, Pope tells seminarians
 Holy See calls for global development fund, weapons-spending cuts
 Pope mourns victims of terrorist attack on church in Damascus
 Pope Leo warns Order of Malta against worldliness, urges evangelization of the poor
 New Custos elected for the Holy Land
 Vatican dicastery seeks ‘projects of hope that transform the world’
 Vatican jubilee event to highlight vocation recruitment success in Ireland, Wichita
 In homily to fellow bishops, Archbishop Broglio reflects on generosity to immigrants
 USCCB draws attention to persecution of Church in Nicaragua
 Comedian writes front-page Gospel commentary for L’Osservatore Romano
 Vatican newspaper: ‘But in Gaza people continue to die’

Released Tuesday, Jun. 24

 Can government incentives reverse the ‘birth dearth’?
 As French priestly vocations wane, traditionalist groups grow
 Fuel flames of hope, Pope urges seminarians
 Increase security funding for houses of worship, USCCB committee chairman urges Congress
 Christian leaders, UN deplore attack on church in Damascus
 Gaza, Armenia, Syria, and Ethiopia are focus of Vatican ROACO meeting
 6,000 gather in Rome for Jubilees of Seminarians, Bishops, and Priests
 Grand Master of Order of Malta meets with Pontiff
 Vatican dicastery publishes document on ecological debt
 Pope, in Corpus Christi homily, laments greed, affirms Real Presence

Released Monday, Jun. 23

 Disputes rise among US states about abortion pills by ‘telemedicine’
 Suicide bombing kills 20 at Damascus church
 Government operates euthanasia clinic at Vancouver Catholic hospital
 God invites us to unite ourselves to Himself in the Eucharist, Leo tells pilgrims on Corpus Christi
 Pope Leo, in address to government officials, cites natural law, St. Thomas More’s example
 Vatican releases 45-minute documentary on future Pope’s years in Peru
 Vatican spokesman recalls anniversary of Pope’s priestly ordination
 Vatican diplomat calls for responsible freedom of expression, warns against censorship of Christian views
 Pontifical academy, Columbia University initiative issue Jubilee Report on debt crisis
 US bishops ‘remain resolute in our call for the consistent protection of refugees’
 Cardinal Parolin calls for reform of financial system to address ecological debt
 8 beatification causes advance, including causes of over 170 martyrs
 Pope, in meeting with leading French prelates, discusses ecology, rise in conversions
 Iranian missile causes serious damage to Franciscan parish in Israel
 Papal interview touches on Corpus Christi, Vatican Radio, climate change, peace

Released Sunday, Jun. 22

 USCCB president: ‘Beg the Prince of Peace for an end to hostilities’
 ‘Stop the tragedy of war,’ Pope Leo pleads following US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites

Released Friday, Jun. 20

 Parliament votes to allow assisted suicide
 Pray for those who are persecuted, Pope encourages religious
 Pope urges Vatican diplomats to maintain missionary sensibility
 AI is not true intelligence, Pope notes
 USCCB publishes chants for Order of Religious Profession
 Arson attack on 12th-century English church
 Supreme Court transgender decision seen as ‘partial victory for common sense’
 Myanmar prelate thanks Pope for drawing attention to suffering of civilians there
 Ugandan prelate calls for ‘respect’ for religious freedom, rather than ‘tolerance’
 Lebanese cardinal: ‘Our churches are full of youth’
 Religious liberty commission examines Washington Confession law
 British and French Catholics struggle to turn the tide on assisted suicide
 Nigerian bishop publishes ‘cry of anguish’
 Vatican diplomat laments disregard for humanitarian law in war
 Pope visits Vatican Radio transmission center, affirms ‘missionary value of communication’

Released Thursday, Jun. 19

 Legal euthanasia could lead to close of Catholic nursing homes: Cardinal Nichols
 investors charge New Orleans archdiocese with ‘securities fraud’
 Los Angeles archdiocese scales back Eucharistic Pilgrimage because of unrest
 Pope Leo XIV lauds polyphony, pays tribute to Palestrina
 Tehran cardinal discusses Israeli bombing
 Supporter of women’s diaconate appointed Australian archbishop
 ‘In persona episcopi’: new Pope continues union of Italian dioceses
 Vatican spokesman discusses Pius XII’s peace appeal, cited by Pope Leo
 Pope Leo, at general audience, emphasizes Corpus Christi, affirms Real Presence
 Vatican plugs Peter’s Pence donations to help Leo XIV in his mission
 Commentator Ben Shapiro meets with Pope
 Pope greets descendants of Churchill, Gandhi, Tōjō
 Polarization, IVF mandates among issues highlighted during US bishops’ Religious Freedom Week

Released Wednesday, Jun. 18

 Supreme Court upholds Tennessee ban on ‘gender treatment’ for children
 Pope renews plea for peace at audience
 Ousted Australian bishop pleads guilty to gun charges
 Archbishop Gänswein sees ‘change in atmosphere’ under Pope Leo
 Jesus brings hope amid disappointment, Pope tells audience
 Liturgical abuses lead to doctrinal and moral decay: Cardinal Burke
 Christian churches torched once a week in Islamic world
 Space telescope images fill us with wonder and joy, Pope Leo tells astrophysicists
 Boy Scouts sex-abuse claims reach $7 billion
 Vatican diplomat calls for international cooperation to address ‘appalling’ refugee crisis
 US bishops publish pro-life statement for Dobbs anniversary
 USCCB committee chairman appeals for diplomacy, prayers to end Middle East conflicts
 Vatican publishing house, HarperCollins republish Rerum Novarum
 European human rights official, Pope Leo discuss peace
 Christian family members killed in Iran’s first missile strike on Israel
 In Vatican newspaper commentary, US novelist sees Christ’s feeding of multitude as ‘prophetic’
 L’Osservatore Romano draws renewed attention to Gaza
 Pontiff emphasizes link between Gospel, commitment to peace, Vatican spokesman writes

Released Tuesday, Jun. 17

 Soccer photo from war-torn DR Congo wins Vatican contest
 Papal telegram for British, Irish pro-life day
 Holy Land Custos on Israel-Iran conflict: ‘We have fallen into a new nightmare’
 ‘Learn the humble and silent style of the Virgin Mother,’ Pope tells Italian Marian pilgrims
 Do not ‘take your eyes off the poor,’ Pope tells Madagascar’s bishops
 Oppose all violence, Pontiff tells pilgrims, as he reflects on sports, pleads for peace
 Pope denounces massacre of Nigerian Christians; hundreds dead
 Parliament votes to decriminalize abortion in all circumstances
 Los Angeles parishes say attendance down because of ICE fears
 Supreme Court supports challenge of New York abortion-coverage mandate
 Nearly half of Americans feel connection with Catholicism, but few practice
 Place Christ at the center, Pope urges Italian bishops
 Pope Leo will resume summer stay at Castel Gandolfo
 International effort launched to curb surrogacy
 Archbishop Broglio, USCCB president, supports immigrants, rips ICE raids

Released Monday, Jun. 16

 Vatican highlights sustainability at St. Peter’s basilica
 Priest killed in Sudan
 Pontifical academy hosts business ethics summit
 Cardinal sees ‘deep collaboration’ between faith and sports
 Augustinian prelate discusses threats to Peru’s Amazon region
 Nuclear peril shows ‘original sin unfolding without restraint,’ French bishop says
 Vatican newspaper warns of rising nuclear-weapon spending
 Cardinal Vesco denounces ideal of Christendom
 Papal reflection on sports and hope
 Papal humanitarian aid to Ukraine continues under Leo
 Religion is the soul of politics and diplomacy, Vatican ‘foreign minister’ tells global security forum
 Congolese layman beatified as martyr
 ‘Building bridges, not walls’: Pope Leo reflects on St. Irenaeus and hope
 Pontiff appeals for ‘responsibility and reason’ following Israeli strikes on Iran
 ‘Open up your hearts to God,’ Pope tells youth gathered at White Sox ballpark

Released Friday, Jun. 13

 All share in God’s wealth, Pope writes in message for World Day of the Poor
 Lebanese president meets with Pontiff
 Congo bishops decry politician’s charges against Church
 Gallup poll finds jump in belief that religious influence is growing
 Congressmen include USCCB, Catholic Charities in immigration investigation
 Archbishop of Tehran pleads for peace
 Bl. Carlo Acutis, Pier Giorgio Frassati to be canonized September 7
 African religious superiors urged to address sexual abuse of nuns
 Pope asks Croatian faithful to direct themselves to God, ‘first truth and supreme good’
 USCCB: ‘Tell the Senate to reject cuts to lifesaving aid’
 Beijing expresses appreciation for Pope Leo’s 1st Chinese episcopal appointment
 Italian bishops, government sign accord to promote legal immigration
 Spanish PM discusses human dignity with Pontiff, invites him to visit Spain
 CCHD highlights efforts to promote affordable housing in California
 Cardinal vicar: 809 diocesan priests in Rome, over 7,000 other clergy
 Jesuit superior in Holy Land: Our leaders ‘seem to have no conscience’
 Fathers Mazzolari, Milani, Di Liegro: Pope Leo praises 20th-century Italian priests

Released Thursday, Jun. 12

 Pope thanks priests of Rome diocese, encourages unity
 Opus Dei submits revised statutes for approval
 Pope’s genealogy chart: ‘one of the most diverse family trees’
 Papal condolences after Ahmedabad air tragedy
 President Trump pays tribute to persecuted Christians, pledges to defend religious freedom
 At labor conference, Vatican diplomat discusses AI, climate change, and demographic changes
 ‘Despite great insecurity, we continue our mission,’ Nigerian priest says
 Former Jerusalem Patriarch, other Christian leaders decry Israeli policy in Gaza
 US bishops offer Congress ethical principles, policy considerations on AI
 Athletes are ‘missionaries of hope,’ cardinal says at press conference
 Pope Leo encourages traditional June devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
 Papal prayer for Austrian school shooting victims
 Georgetown, Vatican host conference for writers on Pope Francis’s legacy
 Vatican newspaper analyzes divisions in United States over immigration
 Recalling Jubilee, Vatican newspaper highlights plight of debtor nations in Global South
 Curial dicastery hosts art exhibit on migration

Released Wednesday, Jun. 11

 China accepts Vatican appointment of new auxiliary bishop
 UN secretary-general meets with Pope
 Christ calls everyone, Pope tells audience
 Vatican bank reports €13.8 million dividend
 Pope restores tradition of imposing pallium on archbishops
 Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral damaged by Russian drone strike
 Catholic Church in Ireland reports record number of historic abuse allegations
 Buffalo’s parishes to contribute $80M toward bankruptcy settlement by July 15
 Iowa enacts law permitting school absences for religious instruction
 Vatican diplomat reflects on Catholic schools, natural disasters, and climate risk
 Bishops in Central African Republic appeal for end to violence
 Vatican issues official sede vacante medal
 US bishops’ pro-life chairman welcomes Trump administration’s action on emergency-room abortions
 Syriac Orthodox Church ‘ready to unite’ with Latin Church, Catholic bishop says

Released Tuesday, Jun. 10

 Ecumenical group launches TV initiative in Middle East
 Archbishop Gomez appeals for calm, restraint in Los Angeles
 ‘Be the eyes of Peter,’ Pope asks papal representatives
 USCCB issues new abuse report: 902 allegations, 26 of them current, made in 2023-24
 Franciscans celebrate Pentecost in Cenacle
 Nigerian bishop defends decision to build mosque for displaced Muslims
 Vatican produces documentary on Cardinal Prevost in Peru
 Cardinal Parolin says nuncios should be humble sowers of peace, zealous for the Gospel
 Bishops express ‘profound disappointment’ over Texas Dream Act reversal
 Vatican publishes messages, testimonies from ecclesial movements
 ‘Eternity is before us,’ nun says in meditation for Jubilee of Holy See
 Papal tribute to Hans Urs von Balthasar

Released Monday, Jun. 9

 Papal nuncio in Ukraine reports on country’s distress
 Rupnik art quietly removed from Vatican web site
 African cardinal says US aid is needed and effective
 Holy See workers must seek holiness, Pope says
 Leo XIV reflects on faith of Nicaea, date of Easter
 Pontiff to visit Argentina, president’s office says after Milei meets with Pope
 German bishop who refused involvement in Synodal Committee resigns at 70
 Renewed papal prayer for peace in Regina Caeli address
 Take action on VP’s impeachment, Philippine prelate urges Senate
 The Spirit opens borders in our hearts, Pope Leo preaches on Pentecost Sunday
 South African bishops’ official disputes President Trump’s white genocide claim
 The Holy Spirit gives us one synodal evangelizing mission, Pope tells ecclesial movements

Released Friday, Jun. 6

 Washington archdiocese plans heavy budget cuts
 Italian president meets with Pope
 Biblical scholar Brueggemann dead at 92
 Pope welcomes lay movements, different charisms
 Vatican prosecutor investigating publicist Chaouqui?
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ visits Cuba
 Neocatechumenal Way founder, leaders meet with Pontiff
 Speak about God and communicate Christian hope, Vatican cardinals tell leaders of lay movements
 Cardinal, Orthodox metropolitan address international conference on Council of Nicaea
 Cardinal Parolin tells Pope that Secretariat of State’s 246 employees are mosaic of faith and love
 USCCB welcomes Supreme Court decision on Catholic Charities
 Ukrainian Catholic leader, French ambassador discuss worsening humanitarian crisis
 Vatican newspaper recalls World Environment Day, warns of ‘catastrophic’ plastic pollution

Released Thursday, Jun. 5

 Greek, Egyptian foreign ministers huddle on status of ancient monastery
 German archbishop sued over ‘chicken dance’ performance in cathedral
 Another Nigerian priest kidnapped; worked in US diocese
 Syrian official dismisses report Father Dall’Oglio’s body was found
 Pope, in phone call, urges Putin to make peace
 Supreme Court backs Catholic Charities bid for tax exemption
 Bishop Zanchetta back in Argentina to serve prison sentence
 Pope meets with officers of Secretariat of State
 Pope meets with abuse commission
 Texas Supreme Court rules in favor of attorney general in effort to close Catholic migrant agency
 Rekindling hope is role of believers, Vatican cardinal says at interreligious gathering
 Caritas calls on EU nations to raise minimum income
 Pope Leo calls for defense of intrinsic dignity of every human person
 Ugandan-born priest named bishop of Louisiana diocese
 Prison inmates meet with Pontiff
 South Korea’s bishops welcome election of new president following martial law crisis
 Vatican newspaper warns of hunger in Haiti
 Global fertility crisis is ‘worse than you think,’ Ivy League economist warns

Released Wednesday, Jun. 4

 Canonization to be scheduled for Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati
 Converted popemobile barred from Gaza
 Cardinal Parolin renews Vatican commitment to Ukraine peace efforts
 Pope apologizes for late audience, explains he is over-scheduled
 Largest Swiss women’s group drops ‘Catholic’ from its name
 US financier charged with Ponzi scheme bilking Church in Venezuela
 Body of kidnapped priest discovered in Syria?
 Bishop Martin delays ban on Traditional Latin Mass
 Pope’s message at audience: don’t put off response to God
 FBI memo on ‘radical traditional Catholics’ had wider circulation than acknowledged
 Papal video highlights devotion to the Sacred Heart
 HHS rescinds Biden administration’s guidance on emergency-room abortions
 Dutch Catholic chapel, cemetery severely damaged
 Situation in Gaza still ‘very bad,’ priest says
 Pope Leo would like to visit China, Hong Kong cardinal says
 Lay movement leaders meet at Vatican to discuss evangelization, formation
 Vatican delegation takes part in Anabaptist movement’s 500th anniversary commemoration
 39% of world’s permanent deacons serve in US
 Nearly 100 parishes lost to Russian occupation, Ukrainian Catholic leader says
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to devastating Nigerian floods

Released Tuesday, Jun. 3

 Nigerian bishop: priests are endangered species
 Australian archbishop: jump in adult converts is sign of revival
 Homage to Blessed Iuliu Hossu, Romanian bishop, victim of Communism
 Denver archbishop condemned firebombing, asks prayers
 Explosion at Uganda shrine on martyrs’ feast day
 Bishop Martin of Charlotte assessing future of priest accused of boundary violations, sexual abuse
 Abortions halted in Missouri after state supreme court ruling
 Cardinal Parolin, Dutch PM discuss religious freedom, international conflicts
 Endless violence: Missionary Benedictine Sisters close their facilities in Kerio Valley, Kenya
 Leo XIV joins Augustinian Prior General for birthday lunch
 See life as a journey of following Jesus with Mary, Pope says at conclusion of Marian month
 Take care of body, mind, heart, spirit, Pope tells professional cyclists
 Moscow Patriarchate condemns Ukrainian seizure of Russian Orthodox parish
 Ukrainian Catholic leader hails Pontiff’s peacefulness, comments on Ukraine
 Vatican newspaper analyzes continued failure of Gaza negotiations, calls for ‘more resolute’ US diplomacy
 Pope pays tribute to Poland’s Diocese of Płock
 Warning against Pelagianism, Pope Leo encourages bishops, laity to be ‘fishers of families’

Released Monday, Jun. 2

 New director for Vatican’s public-health agency
 Ukrainian Orthodox body stops short of full break with Moscow
 Citing violent attacks, Nigerian diocese closes 19 parishes
 Chicago festival to honor ‘native son’ Leo XIV
 As Italy’s bishops release latest abuse figures, survivor meets with Vatican commission
 Texas passes 3 bills promoting religion in public schools
 Pope, in Regina Caeli address, encourages family life
 15 religious sisters, martyred by Soviet army, beatified in Poland
 Marriage is a love that is ‘total, faithful, and fruitful,’ Pope Leo preaches at Jubilee of Families
 Pope Leo XIV ordains 11 new priests for Rome, urges transparent priesthood
 Evangelize in the home and the workplace, Pope writes in message for Polish diocese’s 100th anniversary
 Papal message for 100th anniversary of canonization of Saints John Eudes, John Mary Vianney, and Thérèse of Lisieux
 Papal encouragement for organizations that promote peace

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Tue1 July
Ordinary Time

Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Junípero Serra, Priest (USA)

Image for Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Junípero Serra, Priest (USA)

Today the United States celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Junípero Serra (1713-1784). Miguel Jose Serra was born on the island of Mallorca, Spain. He took the name Junípero when he entered the Franciscan Order in 1730. Ordained in 1737, he taught philosophy and theology at the University of Padua for…

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