Vatican News

Bishop Samson Shukardin said government committees are often delayed so people forget, as protests continue over the marriage of 13-year-old Maria Shahbaz.

The Vatican Secretary of State said the pope’s appeals for peace need concrete support.

An Augustinian confrere of Pope Leo XIV discussed the pontiff’s upcoming trip to four African countries.

The New York State Department of Health warned the sisters about “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity.”

Police are searching for a truck driver who fled after plowing into a predawn Easter procession in Punjab, killing a 17-year-old and injuring more than 60.

EWTN News shines a light on Lebanon and its rich diversity in a new film.

“We have an increase in noise in the world, and people are looking for a solid foundation, a place to go where they can have a right relationship to truth, and to seek the truth,” JonMarc Grodi said.

The archbishop of Algiers discussed the upcoming papal trip in the context of anti-Christian persecution.

“Only through a return to negotiation can the war come to an end,” the pope said at the end of his weekly general audience.

In the wake of the incident, the local bishop, who will perform a rite of reparation, called for the return of the holy Eucharist and intense prayers for the conversion of the perpetrators.

While the dictatorship in Nicaragua continues suppressing the Church through police surveillance and the prohibition of public processions, attendance at Holy Week services was strong.

Attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law and are also a sign of hatred, division, and destruction, Pope Leo XIV said. “Let’s come back to the table,” he said.

Artemis II has captured global attention not only for its technical ambition but also for its human moments. Among them, a moving Easter message and honoring the late wife of a crew member.

“I call on President Trump to step back from the precipice of war and negotiate a just settlement for the sake of peace and before more lives are lost,” Archbishop Paul Coakley said.

The surge in baptisms of young persons continues in France in 2026, a 20% increase over the already previous record-high number in 2025. The influx represents a major challenge for the French Church.

New directives by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ban Title X abortion funding while favoring fertility education and “body literacy.”

The archdiocese filed for bankruptcy nearly three years ago amid a large number of allegations of sexual abuse.

The Dominican theologian discussed Pope Leo XIV's reflection on the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his call for peace as President Donald Trump threatens Iran war escalation.

The installation of Archbishop Khalid Rehmat closes a turbulent chapter for Pakistan’s largest Catholic diocese.

Boys Town founder Father Edward Flanagan, who was declared “venerable” by Pope Leo XIV on March 23, was formed by “the warm embrace of a loving family.”

Easter lasts for a total of 50 days, from Easter Sunday until the feast of Pentecost.

Rep. Riley Moore, R-West Virginia, and Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, introduced legislation that would make the day after Easter Sunday a federal holiday.

The reason for the removal of Maj. Gen. William Green Jr. is unclear. However, Hegseth has removed more than a dozen military leaders during his tenure and has vowed to reform the chaplaincy.

Messori not only converted to the Catholic faith but also used his considerable literary and investigative skills to vigorously defend it.

In his homily on Easter Sunday, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said the resurrection of Christ turns our world upside down and opens unforeseen horizons regarding life and death.

The novena originates with Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, OLM, canonized a saint in April 2000, a Polish religious sister and mystic who experienced apparitions of Jesus.

A married couple that leads the Teams of Our Lady, founded by newly-declared Venerable Father Henri Caffarel, explains how this lay apostolate helps couples grow together in holiness.

Upon the recitation of the Regina Caeli, the pope also remembered Pope Francis, who died a year ago on Easter Monday.

A film that features the testimonies of people of Jewish origin who in recent times have professed faith in Jesus after coming to the conclusion that he is the long-awaited Messiah.

In a message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations titled “The Interior Discovery of God’s Gift,” the Holy Father reflects on the interior dimension of one’s vocation.

In many countries in Europe and South America, Easter Monday, also known as “Little Easter,” is a national holiday.

Church authorities unveiled details of the official delegation expected to accompany the Holy Father during his visit scheduled for April 21–23.

A seminary was established in Mexico in 1999 to serve the growing Hispanic community in North America, forming future priests who learn Spanish as well as ecclesial and cultural traditions.

In his first Easter message to the city and the world, the pontiff urged those with weapons to lay them down.

On his first Easter as pontiff, Leo XIV urged Christians to bring the hope of the Resurrection into a world scarred by war, violence, and injustice.

The legend of the “Colomba di Pasqua” (“Easter dove”) dates to the sixth or seventh century and includes a queen, a feast, and a group of Irish monks.

The ancient vigil “stretches across the centuries as a path of reconciliation and grace,” the pope said at the Vatican.

The government said it was making the release “in the context of the religious celebrations of Holy Week.”

The archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, said it was “hard” to see how the ongoing war with Iran could be justified.

The government’s backing-off from the amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was promptly welcomed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India.

Archbishop Francisco Cerro of Toledo, Spain, shared in a letter 10 qualities he considers to be the reason why the diocesan seminary is blessed with vocations.

A microbrewery owned by the Catholic Diocese of Litoměřice took home gold and diamond medals at the Czech Brew Star 2026 competition in Brno before its Easter stout received a bishop’s blessing.

The high court ruled in 2002 that executing people with intellectual disabilities violated the Constitution’s Eighth Amendment, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.”

The pope personally carried the cross through every station of the Good Friday Way of the Cross at the Colosseum.

The Holy Father carried the cross at the Roman amphitheater on Good Friday, the first time a pope has done so in several years.

After the proclamation of the Gospel of John’s account of Christ’s passion, the papal preacher, Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap, delivered a homily.

Far from their home villages, about 200 migrant Catholic workers near Dhaka gathered on Good Friday to reenact the Passion at a church center that serves 1,700 faithful in the industrial zone.

Across France, more than 13,000 adults will be baptized this Easter, according to data released by the French Bishops’ Conference — an increase of 28% compared with 2025. 

The highly anticipated sixth season will portray the 24 hours of Good Friday — culminating in Christ’s crucifixion.

A Ukrainian bishops issues warning about war, a Christian town in Lebanon mourns a father and son, Cameroon prepares for Pope Leo XIV’s visit, and more in this week’s Catholic world news roundup.