Catholic News

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For the first time since the Reformation, a Catholic prelate will be formally participating in the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, May 6, along with other Christian leaders across the country who have been invited to formally bestow a blessing on the new king. The Order of Service, released by the Church of England, explains: “The progress of ecumenical relations since 1953 means that for the first time, this blessing is to be shared by Christian leaders across the country.” The blessings will take place shortly after the archbishop of Canterbury formally crowns King Charles III, after which Westminster Abbey’s bells will peal for two minutes and then the official blessings will commence. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Catholic archbishop of Westminster, will say: “May God pour upon you the riches of his grace, keep you in his holy fear, prepare you for a happy eternity, and receive you at the last into his immortal glory.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254225/catholic-prelate-will-participate-in-british-coronation-ceremony-for-the-first-time-since-reformation

Today, the Church celebrates the English Carthusian Martyrs, the 18 Carthusian monks who were put to death in England under King Henry VIII between 1535-1540 for maintaining their allegiance to the Pope.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/english-carthusian-martyrs-227

The Church also celebrates Saint Pelagia, a pagan woman who sought baptism after hearing a homily by a bishop. As a result of her conversion, the emperor's son, whose eye Pelagia had caught, turned against her, as did her mother. Together they reported her to the emperor in hopes that her faith would weaken under torture. Diocletian interviewed her, but he failed to persuade her to change her mind and heart about being a Christian. She ran from home, giving away all of her possessions and setting her slaves free, and lived as a hermit within the mountains. She was called "the beardless hermit," and went by the name of "Pelagius." She then died three or four years later, apparently as a result of extreme asceticism, which had emaciated her to the point she could no longer be recognized.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-pelagia-484

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Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of May is for ecclesial movements and groups. “Ecclesial movements are a gift; they are a treasure in the Church,” the Holy Father said in a video released by the Vatican on May 2. “These movements renew the Church with their capacity for dialogue at the service of her evangelizing mission,” he said. “Each day, they rediscover in their charism new ways of showing the attractiveness and the newness of the Gospel.” “How do they do this? Speaking different languages, they seem different, but it is their creativity that creates these differences. But always understanding themselves and making themselves understood.” Pope Francis encouraged members of ecclesial groups to “remain in harmony with the Church, since harmony is a gift of the Holy Spirit.” The pope concluded his message with a prayer: “Let us pray that ecclesial movements and groups may daily rediscover their mission, an evangelizing mission, and that they place their own charisms at the service of the world’s needs.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254224/this-is-pope-francis-prayer-intention-for-the-month-of-may

Today, the Church celebrates Saints Phillip and James, Apostles. Philip was born in Bethsaida in Galilee and was one of the 12 Apostles that Jesus called. Immediately, Philip began to convert others, finding his friend Nathaniel and telling him that Jesus was the one whom Moses and the other prophets had foretold. James the Lesser is called “Lesser” because he was younger than the other Apostle by the same name, James the Great. James the less was related in some way to Jesus, and after Jesus’ Ascension into heaven, he became the head of the Church in Jerusalem. He was martyred in the year 62.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/sts-philip-and-james-the-less-apostles-473

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Speaking at a Catholic university in Hungary on Sunday, Pope Francis warned of the risk of technological domination and the threat it poses to culture and to our human ecology. He also spoke about the false freedoms offered by both communism and consumerism, and encouraged people to seek out Christ’s truth. The visit marked the final meeting in Francis’ three-day trip to Hungary’s capital. Pope Francis’ visit to Budapest included meetings with President Katalin Novák and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. He also spent time with visually impaired children, young adults, and clergy. On the morning of April 30, he celebrated Mass for 50,000 people gathered in and around Kossuth Lajos Square.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254208/hundreds-of-faithful-gather-in-prayer-for-pope-francis-at-budapest-s-oldest-parish-church

Pope Francis said on board the papal plane on Sunday that he did not lose consciousness before his hospitalization at the end of March, which was for “strong and acute pneumonia” in his lower lungs. Pope Francis spent three nights in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital March 29–April 1. A statement from the Holy See Press Office said the pope had been diagnosed with bronchitis and that his condition improved after receiving antibiotic infusion therapy. “The body responded well to the treatment. Thank God,” Francis said Sunday.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254209/pope-francis-says-he-did-not-lose-consciousness-before-hospitalization-in-march

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Joseph the Worker. Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar. The first is March 19 — Joseph, the Husband of Mary. The second is May 1 — Joseph, the Worker. There is very little about the life of Joseph in Scripture, but we know he was the chaste husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, a carpenter and a man who was not wealthy. We also know that he came from the royal lineage of King David. We can see from his actions in scripture that Joseph was a compassionate man, and obedient to the will of God. He also loved Mary and Jesus and wanted to protect and provide for them. Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph had probably died before Jesus entered public ministry. Joseph is the patron of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying and social justice.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/feast-of-st-joseph-the-worker-471

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Pope Francis’ new appointments to the Dicastery for Evangelization include several prominent American Catholics. They include Monsignor Eugene (Geno) Sylva of the Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey. Pope Francis also appointed 14 consultors to advise the members of the dicastery. American layman Curtis Martin, founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), was named to this advisory group. Another new consultor for the dicastery is Petroc Willey, a theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville. For the complete list and to read interviews with the new consultors, visit catholic news agency dot com.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254185/pope-francis-names-several-americans-to-dicastery-for-evangelization

The United States Catholic bishops are urging Congress to prioritize programs that feed needy families, support small-family farmers, and fund rural development in the 2023 Farm Bill, which legislative committees are currently crafting. The farm bill, which Congress renews every few years, is a comprehensive bill that normally includes farming subsidies, funding for food assistance programs, conservation initiatives, and rural development funding, among other things. The last farm bill passed in 2018 and many of its initiatives expire in 2023. For domestic food assistance programs, the USCCB urged lawmakers to strengthen the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by updating its calculations to reflect rising food prices. It also asked Congress to update medical deductions, increase benefits for households with young children, and end the cap on the Excess Shelter Deduction. The letter urged lawmakers to increase access to fresh fruit and vegetables at food banks and other programs.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254190/us-bishops-urge-passage-of-farm-bill-citing-needs-of-poorest-families

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Louis-Marie de Monfort, a 17th century saint who is revered for his intense devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Saint Louis-Marie is perhaps most famously known for his prayer of entrustment to Our Lady, “Totus Tuus ego sum,” which means, “I am all yours.” Pope Saint John Paul II took the phrase “Totus Tuus” as his episcopal motto.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-louis-marie-grignion-de-montfort-450

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More than 450 men are set to be ordained priests this year in the United States, and the survey of their ordination class shows that the overwhelming majority of priests-to-be were raised Catholic in intact families and individually showed habits of frequent church service and regular prayer life. The seminarians to be ordained, also known as ordinands, are overwhelmingly “cradle Catholics.” About 93% of ordinands were baptized Catholic as infants. Another 96% were raised by their biological parents. About 92% were raised by a married couple living together. For 84% of ordinands, both parents were Catholic. One in three respondents had a relative who is a priest or religious. More than 63% of survey respondents said their parish priest had been an encouraging influence on their vocation, followed by a fellow parishioner, a friend, their mother, father, or teacher or catechist. For the complete results of the poll, visit catholic news agency dot com.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254179/survey-of-new-priests-most-pray-rosary-go-to-eucharistic-adoration-parents-stayed-married

Hungary’s ambassador to the Holy See Eduard Habsburg says that Pope Francis will find “a vibrant Christian country” when he visits Hungary this weekend. In an interview with EWTN News, Habsburg said that Hungary has a “rich mixture of Christian churches living together very well” from Byzantine-rite Catholics to Calvinists. Hungary is a Catholic-majority country in Central Europe with a significant Protestant Christian minority — 20% of the population, according to the Pew Research Center. Both Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and President Katalin Novák are part of the Calvinist-oriented Hungarian Reformed Church, which has more than 1.6 million members. Christianity has a more than 1,000-year history in Hungary. Saint Stephen, king of Hungary, led his country to embrace the Christian faith during the 11th century.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254178/ambassador-habsburg-pope-francis-will-find-a-vibrant-christian-country-in-hungary

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Zita, a 13th century Italian woman whose humble and patient service to God has made her a patron saint of maids and other domestic workers.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-zita-of-lucca-446

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The Vatican announced Wednesday that there will be laypeople participating as voting members in the Synod on Synodality’s October assembly, a break with past custom. Pope Francis also approve every member in advance. Previously, synodal gatherings have allowed laypeople to participate as auditors, without the right to vote. The general assembly of the Synod on Synodality will take place in two sessions, in October 2023 and October 2024. After the vote on a final document for the assembly, the pope alone decides whether to take any actions based on the recommendations in the final text or whether to adopt it as an official Church document. In past synods, auditors included priests, religious, and laypeople, who did not have the right to vote in synod deliberations. Now, these 70 members will be able to vote. According to the synod leadership, it is requested that “50% of [the selected people] be women and that the presence of young people also be emphasized.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254176/vatican-announces-laypeople-including-women-will-vote-in-synod-on-synodality-assembly

Today, the Church celebrates Our Lady of Good Counsel, a purportedly miraculous image of the Virgin Mary and the child Jesus which appeared in an Italian church in the 15th century. Countless miracles have been attributed to the prayerful intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/our-lady-of-good-counsel-445

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Pope Francis has said he would like to visit his home country of Argentina in 2024. Since his election to the papacy in 2013, Francis has never returned to his home country of Argentina. In a March interview with La Nacion, he explained that a trip to Argentina had been planned in 2017 but had to be canceled because of elections. The pope does not travel to a country in an election year.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254162/pope-francis-says-he-wants-to-visit-argentina-in-2024-ganswein-to-leave-vatican-apartment

Pope Francis will receive the prime minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal, at the Vatican on Thursday morning. The two last met at the Vatican in March 2021 amid clashes between Ukraine and Russia in the Donbas region. Shmyhal has been Ukraine’s prime minister since March 2020. Francis has been outspoken in his support for Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion of the country on February 24, 2022. He frequently speaks of the “martyred” Ukrainian people and implores for peace between the two nations. In March 2022, he consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254163/pope-francis-to-receive-ukraine-s-prime-minister-on-thursday

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill April 20 allowing prisoners in the state to be sentenced to death without a unanimous jury verdict. Under the new law, a prisoner can be sentenced to death after eight of the 12 jurors recommend a death sentence, as long as the jury is unanimous that at least one aggravating factor — such as the crime being especially cruel or heinous — exists beyond a reasonable doubt. In that case, a judge has the option of sentencing the defendant to death or life in prison. If fewer than eight jurors agree on the death sentence, the jury’s recommendation must be for life in prison without the possibility of parole, and the judge must impose that sentence. The state’s Catholic bishops, represented by Michael Sheedy, executive director for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB), decried the change as a “setback.” Florida’s bishops have long advocated for an end to Florida’s death penalty and have called for sentences of life in prison rather than capital punishment. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, reflecting an update promulgated by Pope Francis in 2018, describes the death penalty as “inadmissible” and an “attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254167/bishops-condemn-florida-s-dropping-of-unanimous-jury-requirement-for-death-penalty-cases

Today, the Church celebrates Saint Mark the Evangelist, the author of the second Gospel and the patron saint of notaries. Mark is often depicted as a winged lion in religious art.

catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-mark-the-evangelist-444

A daily news briefing from Catholic News Agency, powered by artificial intelligence. Ask your smart speaker to play “Catholic News,” or listen every morning wherever you get podcasts.

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The Archdiocese of Boston is responding to the Satanic Temple’s “SatanCon” event in Boston with scheduled eucharistic adoration, Catholic devotions, and “intense prayer.” “SatanCon,” as the Satanic Temple calls the event, is sold out and is being held from Friday to Sunday, April 28–30, at the Boston Marriott Copley Place to celebrate the organization’s history and values. The Satanic Temple, which, according to its website, denies the existence of God and Satan, is a political activist group known for protesting religious symbolism in public spaces and mocking Christianity. The archdiocese is offering parishes prayer cards while encouraging the recitation of the Saint Michael the Archangel prayer.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254141/call-to-intense-prayer-boston-archdiocese-responds-to-satanic-temples-conference

A 5-year-old boy was reportedly beheaded when Islamists attacked a village in southern Kaduna State, Nigeria, leaving dozens of people dead. In the April 15 attack, the killers descended on Runji village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA) of southern Kaduna State, leaving 33 people dead, among them 14 children. The 33 victims of the attack on Runji village were reportedly buried in a mass grave amid distressing scenes. In another attack on April 12, nine people were killed, four were injured, and five homes were damaged during an attack on Tanjei village in the area.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254147/5-year-old-beheaded-33-killed-in-nigeria-christian-foundation-calls-for-action

Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves this week signed into law several pieces of pro-life and pro-family legislation, including the expansion of tax credits for pro-life pregnancy centers and adoption expenses. In an April 19 press release announcing the new laws, Reeves said they are part of a “New Pro-life Agenda” that Mississippi is pushing following the overturning of Roe v Wade last year. The legislation expands the tax credit for pregnancy resource centers across the state from $3.5 million to $10 million and creates an income tax credit for qualified adoption expenses. The program will cover a maximum of $10,000 worth of adoption expenses for those who adopt a child from Mississippi and $5,000 worth of expenses for children outside of Mississippi, according to the governor’s press release. Reeves also signed legislation authorizing “safe haven” baby boxes across Mississippi, where babies can be safely and legally surrendered. Mississippi has a 15-week abortion limit in place.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254146/mississippi-to-implement-new-pro-family-measures-after-governor-signs-bills

Today the Church celebrates Saint Anselm, the 11th and 12th-century Benedictine monk and archbishop best known for his writings on Christ's atonement and the existence of God.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anselm-443

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Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued a ruling Wednesday extending the court’s temporary pause on all restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone. The extended pause will last for two more days and expire at 11:59 pm Friday, April 21. The court’s action is the latest development in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v US Food and Drug Administration, a high-stakes case impacting abortion pill access across the country. Alito’s extension means that for the time being mifepristone continues to remain legal and approved for use up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. It can be mailed and administered via telemedicine without an in-person doctor’s visit. Chemical abortions now account for over half of all US abortions.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254137/breaking-supreme-court-extends-temporary-ruling-lifting-restrictions-on-abortion-pill

Today the Church celebrates Saint Agnes of Montepulciano, a Tuscan woman who was admitted to the Dominican convent at Montepulciano at age nine despite it generally being against Church law to allow a child so young to join. Agnes' reputation for holiness attracted other sisters, and she became an abbess at the unheard of age of 15. She lived on bread and water for 15 years, slept on the ground and used a stone for a pillow. It was said that she had visions of the Virgin Mary and of the infant Jesus.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-agnes-of-montepulciano-442

Also on April 20, Eastern Catholics of the Byzantine tradition honor Saint Anastasius of Sinai, a seventh-century monk and priest known for his scriptural commentaries and defenses of Church teaching.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-anastasius-of-sinai-719

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The criminal complaint filed in Wisconsin this week against former cardinal Theodore McCarrick was revealed to have come from James Grein, who has previously accused the laicized clergyman of serially abusing him over many years in several US states. Grein filed the only previous criminal complaint against McCarrick, now facing adjudication in Massachusetts court. McCarrick, 92, was laicized by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation found him guilty of sexually abusing minors and adults. The complaint, filed in Wisconsin in Walworth County Court, says McCarrick abused an unnamed victim with an unnamed accomplice at Geneva Lake in April 1977, according to the Washington Post. McCarrick faces a criminal charge of fourth-degree sexual assault for the alleged incident. Grein is now in his 60s. McCarrick has denied previous allegations from Grein.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254127/alleged-victim-theodore-mccarrick-cardinal-abused-him-years

The Catholic bishops of Tennessee joined more than 130 religious leaders in the state Tuesday in calling on Republican Governor Bill Lee and the Legislature to enact tighter gun restrictions including “extreme risk” or “red flag” laws. The letter comes less than a month after a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville in which a former student shot and killed three current students and three staff members. First, the religious leaders called for the implementation of “extreme risk laws,” sometimes referred to as “red flag laws.” The religious leaders also called on the lawmakers and governor to require background checks on all gun purchases and to close the “background check loophole.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254123/tennessee-bishops-call-for-new-gun-laws-after-nashville-school-shooting

Last week, Libya’s Internal Security Agency launched a campaign in the city of Tripoli to arrest Libyan citizens and foreigners accused of apostasy from Islam and preaching Christianity. The security agency did not specify the number of those arrested and refrained from publishing their names, stating only their initials. The agency released a video of six Libyans — including a girl — as well as a Pakistani and two Americans with their faces blocked out in which they confess to the charges. The two Americans worked at the Gateway International School in the Tripoli suburb of Zawiyat al-Dahmani that specializes in teaching English. The government agency said that the two Americans and the wife of one of them belonged to the Assemblies of God Christian missionary organization. It was not revealed whether the wife was arrested or not. The Americans were accused of secretly turning the school into a center for preaching Christianity. Libya ranks highly on the list of countries worldwide where Christians face the greatest persecution.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254118/christians-arrested-in-libya-on-charges-of-preaching-and-apostasy-from-islam

Today the Church celebrates Blessed James Oldo, who experienced a radical conversion that led him to become a Franciscan tertiary, and later a priest.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/blessed-james-oldo-441