Stories for September 2025

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Sep. 30

 Pope stays neutral on Durbin-award controversy
 Clinical abortions down in US in early 2025
 Trump issues statement for feast of St. Michael the Archangel
 NY Supreme Court tosses parishioners’ lawsuit against Buffalo diocese
 Accused French priest permitted to minister in Morocco, victims charge
 USCCB rues persecution of Christians in Nigeria, DR Congo
 Bishop discusses continued jihadist violence in Mozambique
 Vatican foreign minister urges nuclear powers to ratify Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
 Vatican cardinal hails late Romanian cardinal’s fidelity amid Communist persecution
 Pope receives Guinea-Bissau’s president
 Bahrain’s crown prince meets with Pontiff
 ‘Preserving human voices and faces’ is theme of next World Communications Day
 Pope Leo: In ‘healthy secularism,’ religion is distinct but not separate from political sphere

Released Monday, Sep. 29

 Chicago archdiocese cancels board meetings amid furor over Durbin award
 Archbishop Naumann chides Cardinal Cupich for Durbin award
 Cardinal McElroy rips Trump immigration crackdown
 Use God’s gifts responsibly, Pope tells audience
 Peruvian abuse victim: lawyer manipulated victims to accuse Pope
 TLM celebrated in St. Peter’s basilica
 Hong Kong’s Cardinal Chow questioned for praising religious freedom in China
 Bishop Zanchetta released on parole
 Papal encouragement for Focolare movement
 Auto magnate meets with Pontiff, gives him Ferrari steering wheel
 Holy Land’s Christian leaders decry tax threat to Armenian church property
 Vatican newspaper highlights Russian incursion into Alaskan air defense zone
 Pope devotes jubilee audience to St. Ambrose and intuition
 Ruthenian bishop, a martyr of Communism, beatified in Ukrainie
 The Catechism protects us from individualism and discord, Pope tells catechists
 Papal prayer for victims of Typhoon Ragasa
 Date set for proclamation of St. John Henry Newman as doctor of the Church

Released Friday, Sep. 26

 Setback for prosecution in Vatican ‘trial of the century’ appeal
 Archbishop Iannone named prefect of Dicastery for Bishops
 In show of unity, bishops of new, former Chinese dioceses concelebrate Mass
 Work to ensure that every life is protected, bishop writes in Respect Life Month statement
 Vatican foreign minister warns of AI arms race
 Cardinal Parolin pays tribute to late Archbishop Rugambwa
 20,000 expected at Jubilee of Catechists
 Intersection of science and spirituality is ‘existential necessity,’ Ecumenical Patriarch says in Templeton address
 Romanian Cardinal Mureşan dies at 94; led Eastern Catholic church for decades
 Pope Leo praises La Civiltà Cattolica, offers guidance to its staff
 Care for creation is an expression of faith and humanity, Pope tweets

Released Thursday, Sep. 25

 Australian bishop returns to ministry after abuse claim ‘not sustained’
 Commission: Protecting religious freedom can help prevent genocide
 US bishops mark National Migration Week
 Leading Italian prelates appeal for peace in Holy Land
 Peruvian prelate resigns at 51 following Vatican investigation
 Cardinal Parolin: Padre Pio has ‘great importance’ in history of Christian spirituality
 Bethlehem mayor meets with Pontiff, discusses plight of Christians there
 Ukrainian Catholic leader deplores Russian destruction of parishes in Donetsk
 Vatican newspaper highlights Myanmar’s ‘forgotten people’
 Pope Leo expresses ‘profound closeness’ to Palestinian people in Gaza, renews peace appeal

Released Wednesday, Sep. 24

 In Gaza, ‘dialogue is broken,’ Pope laments
 Pray Rosary for peace during October, Pope asks
 Pope, at audience, speaks on ‘mystery of Holy Saturday’
 Only 35% of Poles say they trust the Church
 Texas governor signs ban on mail-order abortion drugs
 ‘Bullet-dodging bishop’ ministers in ‘hijacked’ Mexican state
 Vatican cardinal, Philippine bishops speak out against government corruption
 Participants in US Catholic-Muslim dialogue reflect on ecology
 In address to brother bishops, leading Italian prelate emphasizes need for peace
 New secretary of Vatican dicastery says much needs to be done to combat abuse in religious life
 Holy See deplores production, use of cluster munitions
 L’Osservatore Romano rues toll of world’s forgotten wars
 Vatican newspaper welcomes Italian youth protests against Gaza war

Released Tuesday, Sep. 23

 Pope taking Tuesday breaks at Castel Gandolfo
 Defense seeks recusal of prosecutor in ‘trial of the century’ appeal
 Cardinal Cupich defends award to Senator Durbin
 Jerusalem Patriarch: ‘never seen a moment so dark’
 Pope does not believe Russians are willing to negotiate, German president says after papal audience
 Leo XIV receives Cardinal Sarah in private audience
 ‘The quality of human life is not dependent on achievement,’ Pope tells persons with ALS
 Papal encouragement for Indonesian Catholics in Rome
 Draw strength from Christ in asceticism, prayer, and the sacraments, Pope tells women religious
 Vatican ‘foreign minister’ laments violence against women, poverty, infanticide, abortion
 WCC announces peace week, calls for Israeli accountability
 Jesuit critic of order’s direction meets with Pope
 Cardinal, in address to Pontiff, outlines challenges facing Diocese of Rome
 Fighting approaches Gaza’s Catholic parish, Jerusalem cardinal says

Released Monday, Sep. 22

 Bishop Paprocki protests Chicago archdiocese honor for Senator Durbin
 German bishops’ leader cautions pro-life movement
 Nigerian priest killed in apparent assassination
 Papal message to Rome’s Jews for holy days
 Vatican downgrades Peruvian politician’s tickets to papal audience
 Leo XIV denounces violence, forced exile in Gaza
 Papal Angelus address: The Gospel challenges us to be good stewards
 The Gospel’s justice ‘challenges and refines human justice’: papal jubilee address
 Franciscan official rues 3 years without school for Gaza’s children
 EU bishops, other Christian organizations concerned about forced return of migrants
 Serve God, not mammon: papal homily at Vatican parish
 Justice Alito speaks at Vatican’s Jubilee of Justice
 Honduran president, Pontiff discuss inequality, human rights
 Pope Leo outlines his vision of synodality as he opens Diocese of Rome’s pastoral year
 Pope Leo: May families be a sign of hope and spread the light of Christ

Released Friday, Sep. 19

 Irish Catholic columnists receive ‘anthrax’ threat
 Nuclear arms buildup an ‘affront to humanity,’ says Vatican diplomat
 Terrorists kill 22 after baptism in Niger
 ‘There is no hope without God,’ Vatican cardinal tells interreligious gathering
 Pontiff urges leading Mexican bishops to walk in communion with one another
 UN official, Pontiff discuss refugees
 Papal visit to Vatican Tribunal’s new courtroom
 Leo XIV highlights community life, obedience, ‘signs of the times’ in address to religious institutes
 Pope pays tribute to St. Stanislaus Kostka; entrusts Poland, world peace to his intercession
 Highlighting contemporary art exhibit, Vatican holds ‘Restoring a face to the human’
 EU pauses support to Israel; Vatican spokesman, newspaper call action ‘weak,’ ‘timid’
 Pope takes journalists’ questions about Gaza, Russia

Released Thursday, Sep. 18

 Cardinal Müller speaks bluntly on Charlie Kirk, LGBT pilgrimage, migration, woke ideology
 FBI director reports firings over anti-Catholic memo
 Congo’s Cardinal Ambongo: Fiducia Supplicans ‘caused a lot of harm’
 Federal court permits PA parochial school students to compete in interscholastic athletics
 Oakland diocese seeks to pull plug on bankruptcy
 USCCB publishes guide to Islamophobia
 Papal interview touches on homosexuality, Gaza, TLM, China, and more
 Disabled Iraqi Christian killed in France while speaking about his faith online
 At least 64 dead in Islamist attack on Catholic parish in DR Congo
 Nepal’s Catholic leader welcomes new government
 Vatican diplomat pushes back against UN document linking women’s development, abortion
 Armenian Patriarch meets with Pope Leo, invites him to visit nation

Released Wednesday, Sep. 17

 Pope renews peace plea as Israel moves into Gaza City
 Papal reflections on Holy Saturday at weekly audience
 Pope sees ‘religious synergy’ in inter-faith cooperation
 Exodus continues among Austrian Catholics
 China tightly restricts online religious activities
 Cardinal Grech pushes for acceptance of synodality
 Austrian nuns defy orders, re-occupy convent
 House of Lords leaning against assisted-suicide in UK
 Pope calls Gaza parish as Israel launches major ground offensive
 In suffering, ‘build a bridge towards heaven,’ Pope says at Jubilee of Consolation
 Vatican City coin wins ‘best gold coin’ prize
 Vatican newspaper ponders ‘America against itself’
 Nuncio to Spain appointed amid tension between government, bishops
 Pope encourages Latin American prelates to promote Church’s prophetic, missionary renewal
 The religious vocation is ‘foremost an adventure of love,’ Pope tells Augustinians
 Vatican releases trailer to ‘Leo from Chicago’
 Pontiff receives birthday greetings from leaders, Catholics worldwide
 Ukrainian Catholic leader condemns Russian incursion into Polish airspace
 Emphasizing bishops, Pope notes 60th anniversary of Synod of Bishops

Released Tuesday, Sep. 16

 Duchess of Kent receives first Catholic royal funeral in UK since 1685
 San Diego deacon announces self-deportation during Mass
 Benin: terrorists threaten work of the Church, bishop says
 Orthodox Patriarch visits White House
 Vatican confirms Pope’s prayers for Charlie Kirk, family
 Another priest kidnapped in Nigeria
 USCCB heightens mental health engagement
 Holy See, Vietnam express satisfaction at progress of relations
 Papal telegram pays tribute to Carmelite martyrs of Compiègne
 Papal rescript encourages employment of persons with disabilities in the Curia
 Raleigh is proportionally the nation’s most conversion-rich diocese
 Pope encourages Umbrian pilgrims to be ‘missionaries of love and peace’
 Pope Leo calls for ‘theology of wisdom,’ cites examples of Augustine, Aquinas, Rosmini
 Holy Land bishops open theological institute in Nazareth
 Vatican diplomat condemns child labor, use of children as soldiers
 Vatican newspaper welcomes Sudan diplomacy of Trump administration, Arab nations

Released Monday, Sep. 15

 Italian cardinal: expecting papal decision on Latin Mass
 Cardinal Sarah speaks on tradition, liturgy, synodality
 Brazilian prelate decries ‘unacceptable’ US tariffs
 Cardinal Bagnasco calls for relaxing ban on Traditional Latin Mass
 Jerusalem patriarchate forgives tuition debts for Catholic schools
 Vatican pacts with Azerbaijan draw Armenian criticism
 New US ambassador meets with Pontiff
 Pope speaks on Ukraine, synodality, leadership in interview
 US Catholics favorable toward Pope Leo, but know little about him
 Pope hails Lampedusa’s hospitality to migrants, calls for ‘culture of reconcilation’
 Cardinal Tagle: We have lost the sense of creation as God’s gift
 Cardinal Parolin hopes for ‘new perspective on a new world’
 Be builders of bridges, Pope says during conversation with new bishops
 USCCB removes Bishop Campbell’s ‘DEI means God’ essay from website
 Dominican prime minister, Pontiff discuss climate change
 Moldova’s president, Pontiff discuss Ukraine
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to widespread child malnutrition in Afghanistan
 God transformed the Cross into an instrument of life, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Leo, other Christian leaders pay tribute to 21st-century martyrs

Released Friday, Sep. 12

 Spanish bishop threatens resignation in dispute over control of shrine
 Fraternity means rejecting isolation of self-interest, Pope says
 France in 2024: more deaths than births
 Vatican explains deal with China on new diocese
 Pope meets new leader of commission on abuse
 Cardinal Fernandez tells new bishops: synodality often misunderstood
 Pontifical academy hosts conference on ecology and peace
 Eastern Catholic prelates gather in Vienna, pray for Ukraine; Cardinal Schönborn lauds Eastern liturgy
 US-Mexico border bishops call for humanitarian corridors for refugees
 Nigerian jihadists attack Benin village, ‘constantly threaten’ Catholics, bishop says
 Leading African, Asian, Latin American cardinals call for ‘economic degrowth’ to avert climate catastrophe
 Posthumous book by Pope Francis pays tribute to St. Francis of Assisi; Pope Leo writes letter
 Pope encourages Carmelites to be rooted in silent prayer, mutual care
 Papal message: Seek God, the ‘measure without measure’
 ‘DEI means God,’ US bishop writes in critique of Trump administration
 Vatican newspaper warns that Russian, Israeli incursions are bringing world to the abyss

Released Thursday, Sep. 11

 Cardinal Parolin: ‘we are against all types of violence’
 Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople explains ‘primacy of service’
 Seek what is beyond measure, Pope urges, quoting St. Augustine
 Cardinal Hollerich: Church needs broader view of sexual morality
 Bishop’s role is to serve the people, Pope emphasizes
 Federal court: Vermont Christian school must be allowed to compete in interscholastic sports
 Iraqi archbishop: A decade after the Islamic State, we lift high the cross
 Holy Land prelate reiterates call for 2-state solution
 US bishops announce Subcommittee for the Promotion of Racial Justice and Reconciliation
 L’Osservatore Romano analysis: media, politicians overemphasize divisions in American society
 Cardinal launches Earth Partner exhibit for Borgo Laudato Si’
 Cardinal Parolin rues ‘earthquakes’ of depopulation, lack of vocations
 Ukrainian Catholic leader welcomes efforts of ‘coalition of the willing’
 Holy Land bishops, nuncio huddle to discuss looming Jerusalem property tax
 ‘Bombs on negotiations’: Vatican newspaper condemns Israeli attack in Qatar

Released Wednesday, Sep. 10

 Pope renews prayers for peace
 American priest named worldwide Augustinian leader
 Pope creates new Chinese diocese
 Heed Christ’s last cry from the Cross, Pope tells audience
 School’s transgender bathroom policy did not violate religious-freedom rights, federal court rules
 Care for creation, bishop urges following landslide in Sudan
 USCCB, CRS publish Catholic vision for humanitarian, development assistance
 In Myanmar, ‘no place is safe,’ nun says
 ‘There can be no true peace without climate justice,’ Catholic organizations emphasize
 Israeli military orders all Gaza City residents to evacuate; Pope contacts parish
 Image of Our Lady of Luján blessed in Vatican Gardens
 Vatican cardinal tells Bangladesh to uphold rule of law, equality
 Pope calls for prayer following Israeli attack in Qatar
 Vatican newspaper laments monsoons, climate change in Pakistan

Released Tuesday, Sep. 9

 Orthodox protest Egypt’s plans for development on Mt. Sinai
 Traditional Latin Mass in St. Peter’s approved for Jubilee pilgrimage
 New Orleans archdiocese accepts $230-million bankruptcy settlement
 Pope returns to Castel Gandolfo for a day’s break
 Pope likens inter-religious dialogue to cultivating a garden of peace
 Pakistani Catholic pilgrim killed by Muslim mob
 Congo priest recovering after being shot by robbers
 Papal condolences follow death of Roman mayor’s mother
 Society of Divine Word marks 150th anniversary
 Vatican cardinal hails martyr of Communism as ‘conscience of Romanians’
 The Virgin Mary has long been called the Mediatrix of graces, Leo XIV writes in letter
 Pope to preside at ecumenical prayer service for 21st-century martyrs
 Bishop Oster, critic of German Synodal Way, has ‘encouraging’ audience with Pope Leo
 Pope Leo receives presidents of Catholic Leadership Institute, Legatus
 Pontiff, Cardinal Grech discuss synod’s implementation phase
 Ukrainian Catholic leader calls for continued Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation

Released Monday, Sep. 8

 LGBTQ pilgrimage brings controversy to Vatican basilica
 Archbishop Broglio calls for prayer for peace, condemns expansion of Israeli settlements
 Vatican diplomat rues resurgence of aggressive nuclear rhetoric
 EWTN News president meets with Pontiff
 Leo XIV encourages Mediterranean youth to cultivate peace, witness to Christ
 Pontiff dedicates Laudato Si’ Village
 ‘The Church needs Mariology,’ Pope tells pontifical academy
 Dig for the Cross as St. Helena did, Pope Leo tells pilgrims at jubilee audience
 Pope Leo canonizes Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis
 ‘Listen to the voice of conscience,’ Pope says in new peace appeal to world leaders
 Martyrs of Soviet Communism beatified in Estonia, Hungary

Released Friday, Sep. 5

 Polish president meets with Pontiff
 Duchess of Kent, Catholic convert, dead at 92
 Syrian Catholic cleric robbed at gunpoint
 Pontiff, IAEA head discuss nuclear non-proliferation
 Texas attorney general encourages students to read Bible, pray the Lord’s Prayer
 Statue beheaded in Germany’s oldest cathedral
 Church in Iceland is ‘most dynamic in Europe,’ bishop says
 Catholic university leaders in Indonesia criticize government corruption
 USCCB: Observe September 9 as National Day of Prayer for Peace in Our Communities
 Pontifical academy president sees ‘great thirst’ to understand the Blessed Virgin Mary
 Cardinal Grech renews Synod’s call for greater participation of women in Church leadership
 Leading German bishop, Pope Leo discuss ‘many topics’
 Holy Land custos expresses deep concern for Gaza’s Christians, other residents
 Vatican newspaper laments international ‘education emergency’

Released Thursday, Sep. 4

 Israeli President Herzog meets with Pope
 Papal condolences after Lisbon streetcar disaster
 King Charles visits Birmingham Oratory, room of St. John Henry Newman
 Man arrested after threatening California abbey
 Jubilee pilgrims reach 24-million mark
 USCCB, ACLU file Supreme Court briefs on behalf of NJ crisis pregnancy centers
 Holy See ‘deeply concerned’ about young people and armed conflicts
 Vatican City State, other nations issue Frassati, Acutis stamps
 ‘Help us to discover Your presence in all creation,’ Pope prays in video
 Jesus Bikers meet with Pope, who autographs motorcycle for charity
 L’Osservatore Romano sees ‘shipwreck of civilization’ in ‘fear of foreigners, fueled by populism’
 Vatican newspaper laments world’s indifference to Myanmar regime’s atrocities
 Leo XIV pays tribute to predecessor, Pope St. Gregory the Great
 Pope Leo: Ask Blesseds Pier Giorgio Frassati, Carlo Acutis to pray for students
 Pope rues humanitarian catastrophe in Sudan, issues appeal

Released Wednesday, Sep. 3

 Bolivian court sentences two Jesuit provincials for cover-ups
 Pope reflects on last words of Jesus
 Wisconsin diocesan worship director arrested in sting operation
 Idaho Courage chaplain arrested for sexual battery
 Judge accepts Syracuse diocese’s $176M bankruptcy plan
 Federal court strikes down Minnesota’s faith-statement ban for dual-enrollment courses
 Historic Franciscan church vandalized in Italy
 Course for 192 new bishops begins in Rome
 USCCB committee calls for permanent reauthorization of Religious Worker Visa Program
 Pontiff mourns Sudanese landslide victims
 Vatican spokesman denounces proposal to relocate Gaza’s population
 Pope encourages Augustinian confrères to listen, be humble, and seek unity

Released Tuesday, Sep. 2

 Montreal archbishop opposes ban on public prayer
 New Orleans parishes face financial squeeze during archdiocesan bankruptcy
 Canadian study finds mental-health complaints rise after abortions
 Has Vatican resolved crisis in Syro-Malabar Church
 Vatican newspaper republishes ‘prophetic’ text by Teilhard
 Priest brutally murdered in Sierra Leone
 Caring for creation is a moral, spiritual responsibility, leading Philippine prelate says
 Prominent African cardinal helps lead global ecumenical Season of Creation prayer service
 Scale of Taliban’s oppression is ‘almost unimaginable,’ Nobel laureate tells Vatican spokesman
 Leo XIV recalls 650th anniversary of Ukraine’s leading Latin-rite archdiocese
 Assist, welcome, and promote the poor, Pope tells Milan charity workers
 Pontiff to celebrate 6 public Masses in October
 Papal prayer, solidarity for Afghanistan earthquake victims
 Pope Leo: Let us not ruin creation, God’s gift

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Fri17 April
Easter

Friday of the Second Week of Easter

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The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Robert Molesme (1027-1110), traditionally considered to be the founder of the Cistercians, the reform that developed at Citeaux, France. Meditation for Friday of the Second Week of Easter The Sacrament of Penance 1. "At…

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