CatholicCulture.org - Catholic World News

Pope Leo, Secretary of State Rubio exchange views (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:54 GMT

Pope Leo XIV received U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio today (video), three days after President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of the Pontiff.

Pope describes work of Swiss Guard as vocation to holiness (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:39 GMT

Pope Leo XIV today received members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard and their families, a day after 28 new members were sworn in.

Marking Vatican publishing anniversary, Pope urges everyone to read books (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:06 GMT

Pope Leo XIV praised the reading and distribution of books as he marked the centenary of Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV), the Vatican publishing house.

Poland's PM, Pontiff discuss peace (CWN)

Fri, 08 May 2026 07:05:46 GMT

Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland met with Pope Leo XIV and discussed “responsibility, peace, and a world that today, more than ever, needs solidarity,” according to a social media post from the prime minister.

Pontiff to visit France (Conférence des évêques de France)

Fri, 08 May 2026 08:05:13 GMT

The French bishops’ conference announced that Pope Leo XIV has accepted an invitation to visit France.

Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille, the president of the episcopal conference, said on May 6 that “I have held several working sessions with the Pope—including one just last week—during which we drafted a preliminary itinerary. His visit would provide an opportunity to share with the Pope the current life of our Church in France and to draw encouragement from his words.”

The trip could take place in late September and include visits to Paris and Lourdes, according to the episcopal conference.

Swiss president holds 'very inspiring' meeting with Pontiff (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:01 GMT

Pope Leo XIV received President Guy Parmelin of Switzerland on May 6, the day of the swearing-in ceremony of 28 new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard.

Cardinal Fernández: German bishops' blessings document does not have Vatican approval (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 10:05:53 GMT

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith told Vatican News that the German bishops’ April 2025 document, “Segnungen für Paare, die sich lieben“ (Blessings for couples who love one another) does not have Vatican approval.

Pope thanks Swiss Guard for service, as 28 new members sworn in (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:48 GMT

Twenty-eight new members of the Pontifical Swiss Guard were sworn in during a ceremony in Paul VI Audience Hall on May 6 (video).

Program announced for Pope's apostolic journey to Spain (Vatican Press Office)

Thu, 07 May 2026 07:05:21 GMT

The Holy See Press Office announced the program for Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic journey to Spain.

The journey, scheduled for June 6-12, will take the Pontiff to Madrid, Barcelona, Montserrat, and two cities on the Canary Islands, Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Pope Leo plans to deliver five homilies, twelve addresses, and five greetings.

Pope St. John Paul II made five apostolic journeys to Spain (1982, 1984, 1989, 1993, 2003), and Pope Benedict XVI made three (2006, 2010, 2011); Pope Francis did not visit the nation.

Cardinal Parolin sees 'consonance of thought' between Benedict XVI, future Pope Leo (CWN)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:29 GMT

Cardinal Pietro Parolin said on May 6 that he sees a “consonance of thought” between the writings of Pope Benedict XVI and the writings of the future Pope Leo.

Lebanese priests overjoyed by a surprise video call from Pope Leo (OSV News)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:07 GMT

Thirteen Lebanese priests taking part in a video call with the apostolic nuncio were surprised when Pope Leo XIV joined them.

“The Pope greatly encouraged us,” said Father Elias, who, like the other priests on the call, hail from beleaguered southern Lebanese villages. “The Holy Father wished to give us good courage in the face of difficulties that our Christian community has faced in these past days. He prayed over us and spoke the benediction.”

Pope sends message to Gaza parish (Vatican News)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:24 GMT

Pope Leo sent a written message to Gaza’s sole Catholic parish on May 4, the parish’s pastor revealed.

Father Gabriel Romanelli, I.V.E., said:

The Pope sent us a message expressing his closeness, his prayers, his concern for the entire situation, praying day after day for the end of the war in Gaza, for the parish, for all the local people, so that the Lord may grant what the prayers of the Successor of Saint Peter, today Leo XIV, implores for the world: peace for Palestine, peace for Israel, conversion, and grace for all.

Describing the situation in Gaza, Father Romanelli said that “the ceasefire that began in October has somewhat improved the situation, in the sense that there are no blanket bombings. However, people are still dying, being killed.”

Abortion kills babies and wounds women, Irish bishop preaches (Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:58 GMT

Preaching at a Mass that preceded Ireland’s March for Life, a bishop who leads two Irish dioceses said that abortion kills babies and wounds women.

Bishop Kevin Doran of Achonry and of Elphin preached:

The truth of the matter is that abortion not only kills babies; it also wounds women in the depth of their being (and judging by the way the present law is framed, society has no interest in even asking them what led them to make this choice); it leaves communities denuded of the joyful laughter of children, and the creative energy of youth. Abortion wiped out the equivalent of 1,000 primary school classes in the past five years.

It does untold moral and spiritual damage to all who promote it or who participate in it, precisely because it flies in the face of truth.

“Notwithstanding the obstacles placed in our path, we need to find new ways of offering life-affirming support to women who are in crisis during pregnancy or after the birth of a child,” Bishop Doran added.

Report: Chinese bishops, other clergy gather to study 'Xi Jinping thought' (Bitter Winter)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:56 GMT

Representatives of the state-sponsored Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association and Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Conference gathered in Beijing in April to study “Xi Jinping Thought, Xi Jinping’s statements on religious work, Xi Jinping’s thought on the rule of law, and the [Communist] Party’s program for ‘strict governance of religion,’” according to a report in Bitter Winter.

The Italian online magazine documents violations of religious freedom in China and elsewhere.

Times recounts Pope's call to Chicago bank's customer service (New York Times)

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:05:41 GMT

“Even the Vicar of Christ can be thwarted by a customer service representative,” The New York Times reported.

Father Thomas McCarthy, O.S.A., recounted that two months after his election as Pope, the Pontiff, using the name Robert Prevost, called a Chicago bank to update his account information. After he answered all of the security questions, the customer service representative told him that he would have to come into the bank in person for the changes to take effect. When he said that a visit was impossible because he was now the Pope, the representative hung up on him.

DDF publishes 2024 criticism of German bishops' guide for blessing irregular unions (Pillar)

Tue, 05 May 2026 08:05:34 GMT

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has released a 2024 letter stating that “Blessings for couples who love one another,” a document then under consideration by the German bishops, violates Fiducia Supplicans, the dicastery’s declaration on the pastoral meaning of blessings.

The release of the 2024 letter (translation), written by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández to a German bishop, follows a defense of the German blessing guidelines by Bishop Georg Bätzing of Limburg, the former chairman of the German bishops’ conference, as well as Cardinal Reinhard Marx’s instruction to priests to facilitate blessings of same-sex couples.

Fiducia Supplicans states:

Within the horizon outlined here appears the possibility of blessings for couples in irregular situations and for couples of the same sex, the form of which should not be fixed ritually by ecclesial authorities to avoid producing confusion with the blessing proper to the Sacrament of Marriage ...

One should neither provide for nor promote a ritual for the blessings of couples in an irregular situation. At the same time, one should not prevent or prohibit the Church’s closeness to people in every situation in which they might seek God’s help through a simple blessing.

Vandalism at parish in Oakland (KRON-TV)

Thu, 07 May 2026 08:05:51 GMT

A vandal, or vandals, damaged a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe and a memorial to homicide victims at a parish in Oakland, California.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 400 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. A tracker at CatholicVote.org lists additional attacks.

Synod report on doctrinal issues includes testimonies of men in same-sex marriages (CWN)

Wed, 06 May 2026 08:05:55 GMT

The General Secretariat of the Synod, led by Cardinal Mario Grech, released the sixth of 15 final reports of the study groups established by Pope Francis during the synod on synodality—as well as a portion of another report.

Vatican prosecutors defy appeals-court order [News Analysis] (CWN)

Fri, 01 May 2026 06:05:05 GMT

Vatican prosecutors have refused to comply with an order from a Vatican appeals court, in the latest stunning development in the long-running “trial of the century.”

President Trump again assails Pope Leo; Pontiff responds that criticism should be truthful (CWN)

Wed, 06 May 2026 08:05:01 GMT

Renewing his criticism of Pope Leo XIV, President Donald Trump charged that the Pope “thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”—leading Pope Leo to respond, “If someone criticizes me for proclaiming the Gospel, let him do so truthfully.”