Stories for March 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Tuesday, Mar. 31

 Cardinal Parolin, Israeli ambassador discuss incident at Church of the Holy Sepulchre
 Vatican newspaper laments massacre in Haiti
 USCCB publishes ‘The Two Feet of Love in Action’
 Archbishop Caccia criticizes UN declaration on slavery, defends papal record
 Pope encourages Illinois municipal leaders to serve others, listen to the poor
 Pope pays tribute to the Benedictine charism
 Young people are more than ‘cogs in the wheel of commercial success,’ Pope tells Italian foundation
 French bishops discuss traditional Latin Mass
 11 new members named to Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
 Bishop Wilmer, Pope Leo discuss evangelization, Church in Germany
 Angelicum rector meets with Pontiff, renews commitment to Thomist tradition
 Church in the Holy Land confirms agreement with Israeli police permitting access to Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Released Monday, Mar. 30

 Pope Leo appoints new Sostituto and new Prefect of the Papal Household
 USCCB urges faithful to oppose Trump administration’s proposed regulations for federal funding recipients
 Archbishop Caccia condemns racism, warns against AI stereotypes
 Bishops ‘alarmed’ by EU’s approval of new deportation policies
 French bishops announce program for abuse victims
 Israel denies Cardinal Pizzaballa access to Church of the Holy Sepulchre, then backtracks
 Catholic population remains stable at 17.8% of world population; baptisms decline, number of priests rises
 13-year decline in worldwide priestly vocations accelerates

Released Sunday, Mar. 29

 Pope Leo: Do not forget the Christians of the Middle East
 ‘This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace,’ Pope Leo preaches at Palm Sunday Mass

Released Saturday, Mar. 28

 In the world’s prolonged Lent, the Lord prepares his Easter, Pope preaches as Monaco visit ends
 Bishop Wilmer to lead Germany’s largest diocese
 Imitate the faith, charity of St. Devota and St. Carlo Acutis, Pope tells Monaco’s young people
 Vandals set fire to Louisiana chapel
 Cardinal Coccopalmerio: Synodality entails shared governance, not simply collaboration
 Cardinal Vesco: To Algerians, ‘the Church is no longer Europe’
 Papal preacher devotes final Lenten sermon to freedom, sister death
 Pope, in Monaco homily, emphasizes communion, evangelization, defense of human person
 Ghana’s bishops lend support to nation’s president in LGBTQ honorary-degree controversy
 Pope Leo arrives in Monaco, calls on Catholic state to deepen commitment to Church’s social doctrine
 Times highlights Dominican sisters’ podcast
 Pope mourns death of Vietnamese cardinal
 Vatican newspaper examines straits’ importance

Released Friday, Mar. 27

 Scotland’s bishops consider diocesan mergers
 Vatican Bank names new president
 Head of Bosnia’s government meets with Pontiff, discusses rights of Croats
 Report examines Catholic radio in the US
 Pope calls for free and informed culture of organ donation, warns against commodification of the body
 USCCB spokeswoman says ‘human dignity and national security are not in conflict’
 Pope calls for ‘dialogue in truth and love’ upon Dame Mullally’s installation as Archbishop of Canterbuy
 Cardinal McElroy, St. Louis archbishop weigh in on surge of conversions
 Persian Gulf bishop says Iran responded ‘legitimately’ to attacks by Israel, US
 Portugal’s bishops, religious institutes conclude abuse compensation process
 Vatican newspaper highlights clown’s work in war zones

Released Thursday, Mar. 26

 DDF outlines characteristics of the Anglican heritage in ordinariates
 Abortionist Kermit Gosnell dies in prison
 Be generous to those attached to the traditional Latin Mass, Cardinal Parolin tells French bishops
 Archbishop Fulton Sheen to be beatified in September
 Pope encourages Christian organization dedicated to dialogue with Muslims
 Australian prelate named prefect of Dicastery for Legislative Texts
 Pope Leo praises spiritual adoption of unborn children
 Mothers’ Call representatives meet with Pontiff
 Conversions surge in Los Angeles
 US National Eucharistic Pilgrimage begins May 24
 Catholic Health Association CEO calls for greater investment in palliative care
 Russian attack damages historic Catholic monastery in Lviv
 Authorities must pursue ceasefire and peace through dialogue, Pope tells journalists
 Pope, in world prayer day message, reflects on interior dimension of vocation
 The Church’s hierarchy is of divine institution, Pope emphasizes in audience on Vatican II

Released Wednesday, Mar. 25

 US Eastern Catholic bishops issue ‘cry for peace and justice’
 Luxembourg’s Cardinal Hollerich says women’s ordination essential to Church’s future
 Archbishop Caccia calls for equal access to justice for women
 US bishops, evangelicals launch dialogue on immigration
 In US, millennials and Gen Z have higher Mass attendance rates than baby boomers, Gen X
 Pontifical academy reaffirms moral permissibility of organ transplants from animals
 Solesmes abbot proposes single Roman Missal to bridge liturgical divide
 Synod issues reports on polygamy, listening to the cry of the poor; LGBTQ+ community included
 Report finds 747 incidents of anti-Christian violence in India in 2025
 Vatican newspaper warns Tigray war could reignite, decries indifference to refugee deaths

Released Tuesday, Mar. 24

 Palm Sunday procession cancelled, Chrism Mass postponed in Jerusalem
 370,000 pilgrims venerated St. Francis of Assisi’s relics during unprecedented exposition
 Cardinal Pham Minh Mân, who formed Vietnamese priests in postwar period, dies at 92
 Thousands of Australian Catholics take part in pro-life procession
 Pope thanks ITA Airways, decries aerial bombardments
 Veronica’s veil displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica
 Pope meets with Yad Vashem chairman, renews condemnation of anti-Semitism
 Reporter describes wartime suffering of Lebanon’s Christians
 6 beatification causes advance; Father Flanagan of Boys Town declared venerable
 Pressure grows on Spanish confraternity to admit women
 Pope Leo: Let children convert us, and protect their childhood from AI

Released Monday, Mar. 23

 Excommunicated Louisiana deacon awaits response to Vatican appeal
 Jubilee year begins in Slovakia for Father Vendelin Javorka, first Russicum rector
 Amid wartime restrictions in Jerusalem, friars continue Easter preparations
 Cardinal Semeraro: St. Benedict’s example is needed in today’s world
 Leading Pakistani prelate calls for investigation into death of Christian laborer
 Church leaders outline four priorities for Church in Amazon region
 Pope pays tribute to late Georgian Orthodox Patriarch
 Pope Leo, Taizé prior discuss world peace, Christian unity
 Cardinal Müller strongly criticizes SSPX, defends Vatican II
 Vatican newspaper warns of worldwide water crisis
 Nigerian archbishop calls on President Trump to give nation weapons to combat Islamist terrorism
 Pope praises Focolare’s charism of unity and peace, calls for transparency, respect for conscience

Released Sunday, Mar. 22

 Pope Leo renews Middle East peace appeal: ‘We cannot remain silent’
 Relive the events of the Passion and come out of your tombs like Lazarus, Pope tells pilgrims

Released Saturday, Mar. 21

 Pope encourages virtuous ecological practices, sustainable development research
 Over 300,000 Germans left the Church in 2025
 Record number of converts reported in Richmond
 Refrain from disrespectful speech, leading Kenyan bishop urges politicians
 English bishops lament Parliament’s approval of abortion to moment of birth
 Belgian bishop announces plan to ordain married men as priests
 In Iceland, priest under police investigation for remarks on homosexuality
 Nicaraguan regime bans ordinations in four dioceses
 ‘We must not live by lies,’ Philippine bishop tells lawmakers
 Leading Nigerian bishop issues goodwill message to Muslims
 US bishops back commission on Indian boarding schools
 Pontifical commission president emphasizes importance of listening to abuse survivors
 Vatican launches campaign to encourage divestment from mining industries
 Vatican diplomat decries ‘selective termination’ of unborn children with Down syndrome
 New president of Amazon ecclesial conference vows to promote Pope Francis’s vision
 Cardinal Parolin sees three ‘defining traits’ in Pope Leo’s pontificate
 Papal preacher devotes third Lenten sermon to evangelization
 Spanish king, queen meet with Pontiff
 ‘A tragedy beyond all imagination’: Vatican newspaper laments plight of displaced Lebanese

Released Friday, Mar. 20

 Milwaukee parish vandalized
 Our people are dying, Nigerian bishops tell the Pope
 Termite company to pay $25.8M to Alabama archdiocese
 Cesar Chavez Mass canceled in Los Angeles archdiocese following abuse allegations
 Church of the Holy Sepulchre remains closed
 Cardinal Gugerotti says civilization faces catastrophe, laments plight of Middle East Christians
 New regulations for Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
 Taybeh: West Bank Christian town under renewed settler incursion
 Pope marks anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, convokes meeting of world’s episcopal conference presidents
 US bishops’ religious liberty chairman decries anti-Semitism
 Texas senator sparks controversy over social media post critical of Catholic integralism

Released Thursday, Mar. 19

 Leading African, Latin American, Asian bishops issue manifesto on transition from fossil fuels
 Georgian Orthodox Patriarch Ilia II dies at 93
 Reread Amoris Laetitia in light of synodality, John Paul II Institute president writes
 Spanish king to become basilica proto-canon
 Vatican media highlight Chesterton Schools Network
 Illinois parish school classmates meet with Pope Leo
 Leading Holy Land Franciscan: ‘We are in the grip of a bellicose madness’
 Cardinal Parolin to President Trump, Israel: End the war as soon as possible
 Israeli ambassador to the Vatican describes Iran war as the ‘most just war conceivable’
 Cardinal Czerny calls Church in Amazon to pastoral, synodal, and ecological conversion
 Pope Leo says that universal health coverage is a ‘moral imperative’
 Pope Leo: ‘The Christian is called to be an instrument of peace’

Released Wednesday, Mar. 18

 Scottish lawmakers reject assisted suicide
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on Church as a priestly and prophetic people
 Archbishop Caccia condemns Islamophobia
 Jerusalem cardinal criticizes US Defense Secretary Hegseth’s use of Psalm
 Founder of Little Brothers of Jesus Caritas dies at 91
 Father Juan Ochagavía, theological advisor at Vatican II, dies at 97
 Vatican official says digital missionaries should be rooted in prayer, Scripture
 In election statement, Peru’s bishops warn against polarization
 Vatican City appeals court finds partial mistrial in ‘trial of the century’
 Pope Leo to receive Liberty Medal, deliver livestream talk to Americans on July 3
 Proclaim the Gospel and safeguard life, Pope tells leaders of Church in the Amazon
 Vatican newspaper rues hospital airstrike in Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict

Released Tuesday, Mar. 17

 Primate highlights youth interest in faith in St. Patrick’s Day message
 Author critical of Opus Dei meets with Pope Leo
 Reject ideological preconceptions and shun propaganda, Pope tells TV journalists
 Abuse prevention is a ‘constitutive dimension’ of the Church’s mission, Pope tells pontifical commission
 Cardinal Parolin: St. Francis of Assisi offers ‘effective therapy’ for our world
 Vatican newspaper op-ed condemns killing of Palestinian children in West Bank
 Christians in the Holy Land ‘have never faced anything like this,’ Catholic official says
 Palestinian president, Pope Leo speak about ‘alarming’ situation in Middle East
 Program announced for Pontiff’s African apostolic journey
 Let us not be blind to others’ suffering, Pope Leo preaches on Laetare Sunday
 Continue to manifest the love of the Sacred Heart, Pope tells Roman parish

Released Monday, Mar. 16

 Bishop Seitz: Mass detention, deportations are ‘grave moral evil’
 Pope Leo takes possession of apartment in Apostolic Palace
 Vatican diplomat highlights surrogacy’s exploitative nature
 Vatican spokesman questions ever-higher levels of military spending, calls for disarmament
 Pontiff meets second group of Nigerian bishops in Rome
 Pope Leo: Economic activity is called to serve the good of persons
 Justice should be rehabilitative, Cardinal Parolin preaches to Vatican City judges
 Justice in the Church is ‘a constant search for truth in charity,’ Pope tells Vatican City State jurists

Released Sunday, Mar. 15

 Jesus came to heal our blindness so that we can see with His eyes, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Leo implores: ‘Cease fire!’

Released Saturday, Mar. 14

 Omaha man arrested in connection with murder of his father, a permanent deacon
 Polish priests leave Belarus in ‘very painful’ forced departure
 Focolare Movement reelects leader
 Pope, on International Day of Mathematics, encourages AI research with moral dimension
 Leading exorcists meet with Pontiff, discuss their ministry
 Amid Iran war, Masses suspended in Qatar, continue in Bahrain, Kuwait
 Papal preacher devotes second Lenten sermon to brotherhood
 Pope thanks FADICA Catholic philanthropy network
 Pope praises Catholic cooperatives, other associations inspired by Rerum Novarum
 Pope Leo emphasizes importance of Confession
 Nuncio brings food to villages in southern Lebanon; 3 Christians killed in drone attack
 The Iran war has disrupted the education of 52 million children, Vatican newspaper warns

Released Friday, Mar. 13

 Holy Land bishops suspend Nazareth meeting
 Trappists may abandon La Trappe Abbey
 Cuba releases 51 prisoners as goodwill gesture to Vatican
 USCCB expresses ‘profound ecclesial solidarity’ with Church in South Sudan following massacre
 Vatican archbishop laments Lebanon’s plight
 Worldwide Marriage Encounter gains Vatican recognition
 Augustinian prelate named prefect of Dicastery for the Service of Charity
 Pope Leo: Look to the Holy Family as model of presence, care
 Basra archbishop becomes administrator of Chaldean Catholic Church
 Vatican newspaper decries Iran war’s child casualties, effects of Israeli bombardment of Lebanon

Released Thursday, Mar. 12

 Ethiopia’s Catholic bishops decry attacks on Orthodox Christians
 The cry of the suffering ‘challenges everyone’s conscience,’ Italian bishops write to Middle East Patriarchs
 Excommunicated Poor Clares leave convent ahead of court-ordered eviction
 Leading Australian prelate calls for peace in Middle East
 Arson attacks target two Irish churches
 Liège bishop expresses ‘profound solidarity’ with Jewish community following synagogue blast
 Belgian religious leaders lament Iran war
 Nuncio, bishops attend slain Maronite priest’s funeral Mass
 Pontifical Academy for Life launches Scientists for Peace
 Vatican study center launches global alliance for ecological conversion
 Cardinal Parolin: Love young people and invest time in them
 Cardinal Mathieu meets with Pope following evacuation from Tehran
 Missionary sister who was abducted, released meets with Pontiff
 Lebanese foreign minister requests Holy See’s help in preserving Christian presence there
 Keep churches open, Bahrain’s crown prince says in show of support for Catholic community
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the Church as the People of God
 Pope pays tribute to slain Lebanese priest, renews appeal for prayer for peace

Released Wednesday, Mar. 11

 Leading European prelate stresses prayer, Divine Mercy at Mass for peace
 Mexican bishops rue women’s day vandalism of churches
 NBC poll: Pope Leo XIV held in highest esteem among public personalities
 Missing priest found dead in southern Mexico
 Synod releases study-group report on women’s participation in the Church
 Pope to ordain 8 priests on Good Shepherd Sunday
 Leading Pakistani prelate transferred to far smaller jurisdiction
 Apostolic Penitentiary publishes book on Confession
 Pope accepts resignations of Chaldean Patriarch and bishop amid corruption scandal
 Maronite Patriarch laments death of priest killed in Israeli attack

Released Tuesday, Mar. 10

 Pope Leo mourns victims in Middle East, prays for peace
 Cardinal McElroy: US entry into war with Iran ‘not morally legitimate’
 San Diego Chaldean bishop pleads not guilty to embezzlement
 Priest killed by Israeli tank fire in southern Lebanon
 Luxembourg includes ‘freedom to abort’ in its constitution
 Amid Iran war, bishop says churches remain open in UAE, Oman
 Naples cardinal denounces weapons manufacturers
 Pope, replying to letter, laments violence against women
 Schedule released for papal visit to Monaco
 Former UN Undersecretary General named to pontifical academy
 Pope meets with all leaders of Roman Curia
 Bosnia and Herzegovina’s leaders meet with Pontiff
 Pope, in message to university’s peace encounter, offers three principles
 Tehran cardinal evacuates to Rome

Released Monday, Mar. 9

 Cardinal Cupich says Trump administration’s ‘gamifying’ of Iran war is ‘sickening’
 Ave Maria University to establish Irish campus at former Trappist abbey
 Rome’s bishops plead for prayer for peace as ‘innocent blood flows’
 Cardinal Sako: Iraq’s Christians are ‘very worried’ about the Iran war
 Vatican releases Pope’s Holy Week, Easter schedule
 Lithuanian PM meets with Pontiff, thanks him for support for Ukraine’s freedom
 Pope Leo: Encounter Christ as the Samaritan woman did
 Pray to Jesus and invite others to the parish, Pope tells groups at Roman parish
 Cardinal Parolin’s personal secretary becomes nuncio
 Pope pays tribute to vocations of military chaplain, Christian soldier

Released Sunday, Mar. 8

 ‘Jesus is the response to our thirst,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope, at Sunday Angelus, prays that ‘thunderous sound of bombs may cease’

Released Saturday, Mar. 7

 USCCB issues memo to bishops after birthright citizenship brief stirs controversy
 Conversions rise in Archdiocese of Atlanta: over 3,400 to enter Church at Easter
 Scottish bishops urge lawmakers to reject assisted-suicide bill
 Irish bishops say people of the Middle East are ‘experiencing an unjust war’
 El Paso diocese files for bankruptcy
 For fifth time, Vatican overturns Buffalo bishop’s closing of a church
 San Diego Chaldean bishop arrested at airport, jailed, charged with embezzlement
 Pope appoints Archbishop Caccia as new apostolic nuncio to United States
 Chaldean Catholic church buildings in Iraq damaged in attack
 Archbishop opens late teenager’s beatification cause
 Holy See: Women must be at the heart of the digital transformation of the Americas
 Vatican diplomat laments desecration of cemeteries
 Italian bishops declare day of prayer, fasting for peace
 Pope calls for transparent, respectful journalism
 Nigerian bishops meet with Pontiff
 Papal preacher, in first Lenten sermon, preaches on conversion, humility
 Italian journalist, in Vatican newspaper, rues demographic collapse
 Franciscan friar describes ‘terrifying night’ in Jerusalem
 Vatican newspaper condemns airstrike on Iranian elementary school

Released Friday, Mar. 6

 Cardinal Zen urges SSPX to trust Pope Leo
 Cardinal Cupich: Legitimacy of US attacks on Iran is ‘very questionable’
 Pope, in video, prays that leaders ‘abandon projects of death’
 Bishops criticize EU’s decision to fund abortion travel
 Pontiff congratulates world’s oldest priest on his 110th birthday
 Pope Leo meets with authors of book on Latin Mass in US
 Lebanon’s bishops appeal for peace
 Pope, Singapore’s president discuss AI, interfaith understanding
 Nigerian diocese says electric spark was cause of fire that destroyed cathedral
 ‘The Pope’s voice carries great weight,’ Austrian president says following papal audience
 Man pleads guilty to bringing explosives to DC cathedral

Released Thursday, Mar. 5

 Pope ‘cannot comment’ on Jimmy Lai’s imprisonment
 Rhode Island attorney general issues abuse report
 Church in Singapore reports largest number of converts in a decade
 Fire destroys Nigerian cathedral
 Hindu mob vandalizes, desecrates Catholic church in Odisha
 Cardinal Cupich, Orthodox prelate meet with Pontiff
 Bishop of Arab states calls for ceasefire, asks all Christians to pray for peace
 Cardinal Parolin condemns killing of civilians, decries preventive war
 Bishops condemn massacre of civilians in South Sudan
 Religious sisters call for prayer, fasting, action for peace
 Jerusalem abbot describes missile attacks, reflects on war
 Pope pays tribute to St. Casimir’s Marian devotion
 International Theological Commission ponders meaning of man in ‘posthuman’ age
 The Church has human and divine dimensions, Pope says in audience on Vatican II

Released Wednesday, Mar. 4

 Minnesota archdiocese reports 54% increase in conversions
 Asia’s bishops call for Middle East ceasefire, warn of ‘incalculable’ human consequences
 Cardinal Parolin says military chaplains should help form consciences
 Pope, in comments to reporters, renews peace appeal
 Caribbean bishops lament US fuel blockade’s effects on Cuban people
 Synod releases study-group reports on online engagement, revisions to priestly formation
 ‘Missiles are flying over our heads’: bishops describe Israeli invasion of Lebanon
 Bishop pays tribute to modern martyrs of Yemen on 10th anniversary
 Vatican newspaper editor asks of Iran conflict: How far? How long?

Released Tuesday, Mar. 3

 Disarmament is a ‘moral imperative,’ Vatican diplomat says
 London-area dioceses report largest Easter convert groups in 15 years
 India’s bishops plead for peace
 US bishops back human-trafficking legislation
 Amid Iranian attacks, situation in Kuwait ‘worsening day by day,’ nuncio warns
 Remain calm and united in prayer, bishop urges faithful of Arab states
 Vatican hosts seminar on AI and ethics
 Pope has not ruled out visit to Malta, nation’s president says following audience
 ‘Theology serves to proclaim the Gospel,’ Pope tells theologians
 Listen to Jesus and be willing to risk new decisions, Pope preaches

Released Monday, Mar. 2

 Pope, in parish visit, urges prayer for peace, warns against individualistic spirituality
 Previously unpublished letter reveals Benedict XVI’s reflections on prayer, future of faith
 Indian archbishop establishes transgender ministry
 WCC leaders, Pontiff agree that Christian faith should not be instrumentalized for political purposes
 Safeguard the balance between charism and institution, Pope tells leader of Italy’s charismatic Catholics
 Cuba’s foreign minister meets with Pontiff
 Pope Leo issues new statutes for Pontifical Academy for Life
 Franciscan friar speaks of climate of fear in the Holy Land
 USCCB president warns of prospect of wider Middle East war, calls for diplomacy, prayer for peace
 Pope exhorts Spanish seminarians to practice the presence of God

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Thu21 May
Easter

Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter; Opt. Mem. of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest & Martyr, & His Companions, Martyrs

Image for Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter; Opt. Mem. of St. Christopher Magallanes, Priest & Martyr, & His Companions, Martyrs

Today is the Optional Memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes (1869-1927). Christopher was joined in martyrdom by twenty-one diocesan priests and three devout laymen, all members of the Cristeros movement, who rose up in rebellion against the anti-Catholic Mexican government during the 1920s. Having erected…

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