Stories for May 2026

Ordered from most to least recent.

Released Sunday, May. 31

 Pope recalls ‘chorus of prayers for peace’ as Marian month of May ends
 Welcome the life of the Triune God, Pope Leo says on Trinity Sunday

Released Saturday, May. 30

 German church desecrated
 Ontario won’t force Catholic schools to fly pride flag
 Welcoming the persecuted as refugees makes America great, USCCB committee chairman says
 The family is formed by a man and a woman, Pope says in message to symposium
 Flourishing traditional Marian Franciscan community in UK to be dissolved
 Bishop reports unprecedented number of converts in Estonia
 New Chaldean Patriarch enthroned; vows to preserve Church’s liturgical traditions
 Nigerian priest found guilty of abusing adult women in Texas
 Washington Nationals official fired after video that implied discrimination against Catholic pitcher
 ‘Queer voices were strong’ at Katholikentag, group says
 Outgoing US religious freedom commissioner highlights worsening global crisis
 Pope links young people’s mental health challenges to loss of interior life, sense of meaning
 Lauding charismatic renewal, Pope compares baptism in the Spirit to St. Augustine’s experience
 Pope says polarization, war recall St. Augustine’s City of Man
 Pope to lead international Rosary for peace this evening

Released Friday, May. 29

 Documents on Cambodian martyrs presented to Vatican
 Canada’s Prime Minister Carney, Pope Leo discuss AI, peace
 Italian bishop issues pastoral letter on evangelization of Muslims
 Pope allows bishops, with Vatican authorization, to dismiss superiors of autonomous monasteries
 Pope Leo to visit San Marino in August
 Renewable energy agreement between Holy See, Italy enters into force
 Focus on spreading the Gospel, Pope tells Italian bishops
 Pope emphasizes centrality of evangelization, warns against watering down the faith

Released Thursday, May. 28

 Ghana welcomes papal apology for slavery
 Vatican foundation hosts conference on Catholic social thought
 Ho Chi Minh Cultural Space established inside Vietnamese cathedral
 Pope establishes commission to supervise hospital founded by Padre Pio
 Bishop, other Indonesian Catholics give Muslims sacrificial animals for festival
 Pontiff receives Spanish prime minister
 Niger’s bishops urge Christians, Muslims to deepen peace, solidarity at Eid al-Adha
 Pope Leo calls on Polish Catholics to protect life from conception to natural death
 Abducted Nigerian parishioners freed after 3 months in captivity
 Nobel laureate Bialiatski meets with Pope, discusses human rights abuses in Belarus

Released Wednesday, May. 27

 Pope Leo issues new appeal for peace in Ukraine
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on liturgical reform
 School abuse scandal rocks Paris
 USCCB committee chairman: Increase funding for EPA, Department of the Interior
 Prelate discusses restrictions on Church under Brunei’s Islamic monarchy
 Scotland abortion numbers highest on record

Released Tuesday, May. 26

 SSPX announces names of priests who will be ordained bishops
 Man vandalizes, sets fire at Missouri Catholic school
 Iranian convert to Catholicism sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison
 Supreme Court declines to intervene in Peter’s Pence lawsuit
 Leading Italian prelate sees new encyclical as ‘beacon of light’
 VP Vance calls Pope Leo’s AI warnings ‘profound’
 ‘Ebola now strikes fear,’ Vatican newspaper warns
 Border bishops have ‘grave concerns’ about $72B immigration enforcement package
 Pope calls for aid for Gaza
 Bishop Barron warns against open borders, ‘demonization’ of Trump administration
 5 killed, several abducted in new attacks on Nigerian Catholics
 Prelate discusses Church’s response to ethnic violence in Manipur
 Vatican diplomat calls for international cooperation to address health disparities
 USCCB president welcomes new encyclical, says ‘no technology can replace a child of God’
 Amid mass protests, Bolivian bishops issue urgent plea for dialogue
 Pope, in encyclical, affirms right of self-defense, says just war theory outdated
 Leading Dominican prelate meets with Pontiff
 Philippine cardinal rips politician’s defense of drug war
 Kansas City priest arrested on suspicion of stealing $160,000 from parish
 Vatican spokesman: New encyclical challenges us to remain human in an age of algorithms

Released Monday, May. 25

 Pope Leo breaks new ground with encyclical on AI [News/Analysis]
 Coptic Orthodox Church resumes dialogue following Pope Leo’s assurances on ‘non-blessing of same-sex couples’
 Addressing EU lawmakers, Pope laments abortion, says family is founded on marriage between a man and a woman
 ‘Live Christian charity,’ Pope tells Barcelona business leaders
 Albania’s president meets with Pontiff
 In Peru, Mass of reparation offered for suppressed lay movement’s victims
 Pope Leo asks pardon for Holy See’s complicity in slavery
 Pope commemorates 100th anniversary of crowning of Marian image in Toledo, Spain
 Pope Leo issues 1st encyclical, urges safeguarding of human person in AI era
 Pope asks Mary, Help of Christians, to pray for Church in China, Christians of the Middle East
 The Holy Spirit opens doors, Pope tells pilgrims on Pentecost
 The Spirit of the Risen Christ is the Spirit of peace, mission, and truth, Pope preaches on Pentecost Sunday

Released Saturday, May. 23

 Pope calls for individual responsibility, conversion to counter Acerra’s environmental degradation
 Pope, in Acerra, decries pollution, praises local Church’s response
 6 beatification causes advance, including Maronite Patriarch, Spanish martyrs
 USCCB, other Catholic organizations call for increased federal funding for housing
 Irish prime minister, Pontiff discuss need for peace
 Cardinal Arborelius, spiritual son of St. John Paul II, discusses rise of conversions in Sweden
 Pope Leo encourages Bulgaria to create bridges for peace
 Cardinal Czerny pays tribute to martyred Czech priests
 Vatican newspaper warns of deepening humanitarian crisis for Rohingya refugees
 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage set to begin in St. Augustine
 Acerra, Italian city in polluted ‘land of the fires,’ prepares to welcome Pope Leo

Released Friday, May. 22

 Contemplate Christ to understand God and man, Pope tells AI conference participants
 Nigerian archbishop encourages faithful to forgive attackers
 USCCB publishes slides related to pastoral response to pornography
 Holy See ‘gravely concerned’ about attacks on civilians in armed conflicts
 Vatican cardinal warns against AI ‘deepfakes’
 Leading EU bishops criticize populism following papal audience
 Lincoln, Rapid City top list of America’s most vocation-rich dioceses
 Be faithful to Augustinian values and America’s founding principles, Pope tells Villanova graduates
 Cardinal Fernández criticizes 2006 CDF notification on Father Jon Sobrino’s works
 In England, police end criminal investigation of street preacher
 Cuba’s suffering has never been greater, leading prelate says

Released Thursday, May. 21

 Strive for communion as you govern, Pope tells leaders of lay movements
 Pontiff receives 8 new ambassadors, exhorts them to seek the common good
 Lay movement leaders gather at Vatican for conference on governance
 HHS restructures civil rights office to focus on religious liberty, conscience protection
 Synod releases 18-page document on 2027-2028 Synod events
 USCCB expresses solidarity with Church in Mali following terrorist attacks
 Pontiff visits Vatican Observatory
 Pope Leo’s private secretary discusses Pontiff’s life of prayer
 Pope Leo recalls St. John Paul’s encyclical on Holy Spirit, greets sports ethics movement
 Homeless woman arrested in beheading of statue of Christ at Long Island parish
 Italian bishops release revised investment guidelines
 Oceania’s leading bishops discuss synodality, modern-day slavery
 Vatican newspaper laments ‘veil of silence’ over Gaza
 Attackers fire on German parish during Mass; 1 injured
 ‘We feel abandoned,’ priest says of Congolese Catholics under M23 rule

Released Wednesday, May. 20

 Pope offers extended public greeting to Aram I, Armenian Apostolic Church leader
 Let us allow ourselves to be shaped by the liturgy, Pope says at audience on Vatican II
 Synodality produces harmony, Cardinal Grech tells German Catholics
 US bishops to discuss abuse policies at June meeting
 USCCB president laments shooting at Islamic Center of San Diego
 Pontifical academy announces institute devoted to study of AI and environment
 Over 200 immigrants from Hong Kong enter Church in UK
 Cardinal Parolin calls on European Parliament to promote peace, protect human dignity
 Statue of Christ beheaded at Long Island parish
 ‘You are loved by Jesus,’ Pope Leo tells anxious 18-year-old
 Trump administration agrees to permit sacraments at Illinois ICE facility
 Vatican newspaper denounces economy oriented to war

Released Tuesday, May. 19

 In India, Catholics who confronted Hindu mob are charged with attempted murder
 Canadian university establishes Pope Francis Institute
 Leading Mexican bishop pleads with government to protect people from organized crime
 Church in Malaysia is vibrant and attracting adult converts, cardinal says
 Archbishop Hicks emphasizes importance of dialogue, speaks of disagreements with Mayor Mamdani
 Iraqi Kurdish leader assures Pope Leo of commitment to protecting Christians’ rights
 Pakistan’s bishops invite Pope Leo to visit nation
 St. Nerses the Gracious, Armenian Apostolic saint, added to Roman Martyrology
 Ecumenism is crucial in the face of secularism, Armenian Apostolic Church leader tells Pope Leo
 In Philippines, man accused of posing as priest seeks reconciliation with Church
 Italian president hails Pope Leo’s commitment to peace

Released Monday, May. 18

 Pope Leo’s first encyclical, on AI and the human person, to be released on May 25
 Pope thanks Catholic Extension Society for supporting poor Catholic communities
 Pope Leo praises Armenian Apostolic Church leader for his ecumenical zeal
 Zambian prelate, reported excommunicated, dies at 78
 In Charlotte diocese, ranks of pastors decline amid surge in administrators
 Asian Christian conference marks Asia Sunday
 Lagos archbishop calls for caution in integrating former terrorists into military, society
 Pomposa Abbey marks 1,000 years
 Irish episcopal conference recalls Laudato Si’ Week, calls for transition from fossil fuels
 Cardinal Czerny warns against confrontation with Cuba, calls for humanitarian aid
 Cardinal Dolan, Bishop Barron address Rededicate 250
 Dedication of new church among signs of hope for Church in Myanmar

Released Sunday, May. 17

 Pope Leo recalls World Communications Day, Laudato Si’ Week
 ‘We too can learn to ascend day by day toward heaven,’ Pope tells pilgrims
 Background: World Communications Day

Released Saturday, May. 16

 Supreme Court allows resumption of mail delivery of abortion pill for indefinite period of time
 Cardinal Fernández: Vatican is preparing document on transmitting the faith
 Pope Leo to visit France in September, Vatican confirms
 Cardinal Czerny establishes Vatican AI commission
 Armenian Christian leader to visit Vatican
 Put people, not capital, at the center, Pope tells Italian bankers
 Persevere in the practice of the faith, Pope Leo tells Confirmation candidates
 Pope celebrates funeral Mass for Cardinal Tscherrig, preaches that Christ was his hope
 Pope Leo, seeking to overcome obstacles to dialogue, calls Coptic Orthodox Pope

Released Friday, May. 15

 Bishop Conley analyzes Iran war in ‘Just War 101’
 Let us strive for full unity, Leo XIV writes to Coptic Orthodox Pope
 Pope Leo: ‘The rule of law, crime prevention and criminal justice must advance together’
 ‘Truth and Love can never be separated,’ Minnesota archbishop writes pastoral letter to families
 Reject constitutional amendment, Zimbabwe’s bishops urge
 Belize diocese opposes national school-based HPV vaccination campaign
 Vatican newspaper draws attention to jihadist terror in Mozambique
 Priestly ordinations continue to decline in South Korea
 Pope recalls Our Lady of Fátima’s message of peace

Released Thursday, May. 14

 Cardinal Eijk strongly criticizes Synod report on doctrinal issues
 SSPX issues Declaration of Faith, addressed to Pope Leo
 Pope Leo prays at the spot where St. John Paul was shot
 Tell others about Jesus, Pope says in message to Anglican ecumenical prayer initiative
 Pope, in address at Sapienza University, calls for commitment to life and ecology
 ‘Truth in charity’ is an academic community’s vocation, Pope writes in message to Bolivian university
 English diocese opens beatification cause of young Opus Dei member
 Honors awarded to 13 ambassadors to the Holy See
 Cardinal Vesco writes preface to new book, Gays and Catholics
 Vatican launches daily programming on giant digital screens
 India’s bishops condemn killing of Baptist leaders
 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the Blessed Virgin Mary, model of the Church
 Muslims exceed Christians in Vienna’s public schools
 Pope pays tribute to late Cardinal Tscherrig, prays for repose of his soul

Released Wednesday, May. 13

 Cardinal Fernández, DDF prefect, warns SSPX of excommunication
 New Mexico basilica pastor suspended, accused of stealing diocesan records
 Prelate calls for world day of prayer for Haiti
 Israeli soldiers sentenced after desecration of Virgin Mary statue in Lebanon
 Vatican diplomat sees need for more resilient food systems as urgent priority
 Oregon counselor fined nearly $90,000 for not affirming client’s same-sex relationship
 Vatican diplomat calls for renewed commitment to Global Compact for Migration
 Leading Indian cardinal reflects on synodality, says Church must listen without fear
 Shio III elected Georgian Orthodox Patriarch
 USCCB, other Catholic organizations decry proposed federal housing policy change
 Archbishop Gallagher marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between Holy See, Cabo Verde
 Secretary of State Rubio reflects on the Catholic roots of America
 Cardinal Emil Paul Tscherrig, veteran Vatican diplomat, dies at 79

Released Tuesday, May. 12

 Piarist fathers demand Cuban regime return their cloister and school
 Vatican dicastery announces Catholic Response for Emergencies
 Courage apostolate’s leader expands criticism of Synod report
 Vatican bank posts best returns in a decade
 Priest leaves West Bank after Israel refuses to renew residency permit
 Theme of Vatican’s annual message to Buddhists: ‘an unarmed and disarming peace’
 Supreme Court again extends mail delivery of abortion pill
 US ordinariate bishop named administrator of Australian ordinariate
 USCCB publishes brief NFP resource
 Medjugorje bishop meets with Pope Leo
 Philippine abuse survivor becomes victims’ attorney
 Vienna’s new archbishop discusses ecumenism, interreligious dialogue with Pope
 Philippine bishops urge swift Senate impeachment trial of VP Duterte
 Sudan’s PM meets with Pontiff, sees ‘deepening relationship’ with Holy See

Released Monday, May. 11

 Pope Leo: The Church embraces ‘rigorous, honest science’
 Christians and Muslims are called to show compassion and empathy, Pope says
 USCCB pro-life chairman backs Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act
 EU bishops’ commission issues reflection on mental health
 Nuncio describes religious revival in Ukraine’s war zones
 Vatican diplomat on migration policy: Save lives, preserve family unity
 Blessed Sacrament stolen from Nigerian adoration chapel
 Holy See pavilion’s second venue opens at Venice art show
 Report: 217 churches have been destroyed in Nigerian diocese
 ‘No accountability’ for Israeli settlers’ attacks on Palestinian Christians, activist says
 ‘I will keep defending immigrants,’ new WV bishop says in interview
 India’s bishops appeal for constitutional integrity, inclusive governance
 Secretary of State Rubio describes ‘very good’ meeting with Pope Leo
 Haiti’s PM meets with Pontiff; Cardinal Parolin offers Mass for peace

Released Sunday, May. 10

 Pope Leo laments terrorism in the Sahel, greets Coptic Pope, prays for mothers
 Jesus offers us true and eternal love, Pope tells pilgrims

Released Saturday, May. 9

 Pain and suffering cannot nullify the power of God, Pope tells Italian ALS association
 Kentucky judge strikes down definition of human being in state abortion law
 Pope challenges Augustiner Bräu brewers to care for creation, act as just stewards
 India’s bishops, other Christian leaders form ecumenical federation
 Pope Leo encourages John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel in its ‘revitalized mission’
 Vatican diplomat condemns attacks on nuclear facilities
 Muslims and Christians should condemn persecution, Pope tells Senegal’s Muslim leaders
 Peoria bishop: ‘The world needs Fulton Sheen’s legacy’
 Archbishop Sample explains upcoming consecration of US to the Sacred Heart
 Illinois diocese announces shrine to Venerable Augustus Tolton
 New Mexico diocese files suit to prevent confiscation of land for border wall
 Pope Leo issued over 400 appeals for peace during 1st year of pontificate
 Leading Canadian bishop thanks Pope for ‘steady witness’
 Pope encourages Italian soccer players to be good role models
 Cardinal Müller, former CDF prefect, blasts Synod report on doctrinal issues
 Vatican News highlights destruction of Lebanese Christian churches, villages
 Courage apostolate condemns ‘calumny and detraction’ in Synod report
 World Jewish Congress’s former general counsel comes to Pope Leo’s defense
 Singer Patti Smith inaugurates Holy See pavilion at Venice art show

Released Friday, May. 8

 Pope challenges citizens of Naples to build an alternative culture to violence
 Addressing priests in Naples, Pope emphasizes prayer, fraternity
 Pope, in homily at Pompeii, lauds the Hail Mary and the Rosary
 Pope Leo: The Rosary is the ‘hidden engine that makes everything else possible’ in Pompeii
 Vatican orders Baton Rouge bishop investigation
 Philippine bishop-designate withdraws from post
 Vatican diplomat stress importance of Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, calls for improved verification
 US bishops recall election of Pope Leo
 Vatican spokesman sees peace, Church unity as main themes of Pope Leo’s 1st year
 Israeli man indicted in attack on nun in Jerusalem’s Old City
 Cardinal Marx meets with Pope; Cardinal Parolin says sanctions against German bishops premature
 Pontiff to visit France
 Poland’s PM, Pontiff discuss peace

Released Thursday, May. 7

 Pope Leo, Secretary of State Rubio exchange views
 Pope describes work of Swiss Guard as vocation to holiness
 Marking Vatican publishing anniversary, Pope urges everyone to read books
 Cardinal Fernández: German bishops’ blessings document does not have Vatican approval
 Abortion kills babies and wounds women, Irish bishop preaches
 Pope sends message to Gaza parish
 Times recounts Pope’s call to Chicago bank’s customer service
 Cardinal Parolin sees ‘consonance of thought’ between Benedict XVI, future Pope Leo
 Report: Chinese bishops, other clergy gather to study ‘Xi Jinping thought’
 Swiss president holds ‘very inspiring’ meeting with Pontiff
 Vandalism at parish in Oakland
 Pope thanks Swiss Guard for service, as 28 new members sworn in
 Lebanese priests overjoyed by a surprise video call from Pope Leo
 Program announced for Pope’s apostolic journey to Spain

Released Wednesday, May. 6

 Pope, in audience on Vatican II, reflects on the Church on pilgrimage to Heaven
 USCCB to FDA: Mothers deserve better than telehealth mifepristone
 Stockholm diocese urges Catholic voters to consider candidates’ position on abortion, euthanasia
 Vicariate for Hebrew-speaking Catholics marks 70th anniversary
 Egyptian court fails to grant Easter holiday
 Legionaries’ new leader says he wishes to ‘move this congregation forward’
 Synod report on doctrinal issues includes testimonies of men in same-sex marriages
 President Trump again assails Pope Leo; Pontiff responds that criticism should be truthful
 Vatican newspaper shines spotlight on Gaza’s ‘prolonged agony’

Released Tuesday, May. 5

 Iceland’s president meets with Pontiff
 Transalpine Redemptorists denounce ‘post-Vatican II claimants to the papacy’
 Dubai’s Christian leaders pray for peace, thank civil authorities
 DDF publishes 2024 criticism of German bishops’ guide for blessing irregular unions
 Hindu mob disrupts Mass in India; 4 Catholics arrested
 Melkite bishops denounce Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure
 Belarus regime denies permission for 3 more priests to remain
 Canadian priest offered euthanasia twice while recovering from hip fracture
 Bishop Gracida, outspoken emeritus of Corpus Christi, dies at 102
 Supreme Court allows 1-week resumption of mail delivery of abortion pill

Released Monday, May. 4

 Pope encourages Catholic Charities USA to love the poor with Christ’s love
 2 immigrants named US bishops; 1 was Bishop Strickland’s vicar general
 Former federal prosecutor: ‘I’d like to prosecute any nun who still wears the head habit’
 Bishop Campbell, author of ‘DEI means God,’ retires
 Employees at Padre Pio’s hospital begin hunger strike
 Moscow archbishop resigns at 65
 Vatican publishes writings of future Pope Leo, when he was Augustinian prior general
 Vatican newspaper decries Israeli attack on Catholic school building in Lebanon

Released Sunday, May. 3

 Pope encourages Rosary during May, recalls World Press Freedom Day
 Faith frees our hearts from anxiety and illusion, Pope tells pilgrims
 Pope Leo ordains 4 auxiliary bishops, tells them to seek out the rejected

Released Saturday, May. 2

 Archdiocese of New York proposes $800M settlement for abuse claims
 Islamist terrorists burn down another church in Mozambique
 Vatican: Suspicious financial reports rose in 2025
 Religious sister attacked in Jerusalem; suspect arrested
 Vatican diplomat warns against AI in nuclear weapons systems
 Notre-Dame stained-glass dispute enters new legal phase
 Lambeth Palace denies that Anglican primate described Catholic teaching on women’s ordination as injustice
 Supreme Court, in unanimous decision, grants procedural victory to NJ faith-based pregnancy centers
 Pope emphasizes service, belonging, and mission in address to Italian bishops’ conference employees
 Appeals court temporarily halts mail-order delivery of abortion pill
 Pope Leo thanks US-based Papal Foundation for worldwide charitable assistance

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Wed9 September
Ordinary Time

Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest

Image for Memorial of St. Peter Claver, Priest

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Peter Claver (1581-1654), who was born of a distinguished family in Catalonia, Spain. He became a Jesuit in 1604, and left for Colombia in 1610, dedicating himself to the service of black slaves. For thirty-three years he ministered to slaves, caring for the…

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