NASA astronaut Jessica Meir shared this photo of an Artemis program patch floating in the International Space Station’s cupola on X.
Read More![Trump to continue supplying Title X grants to Planned Parenthood for another year – #Catholic – The Trump administration, citing legal challenges, said it will continue to give Title X grants to Planned Parenthood for another year — a move pro-life leaders see as a “betrayal.”The administration first restored Biden-era Title X funds to Planned Parenthood in January, to the outcry of pro-lifers. News broke March 31 that the administration would extend the grants for another year, just a day before they were set to lapse.Thanks to the grants, Planned Parenthood and some other clinics will continue to be able to submit reimbursement receipts to the federal government for low-income patients who received birth control and other non-abortion services.While grants won’t directly cover abortion — the Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from doing so — grants will subsidize an organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions yearly.A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the agency will issue Title X grant notices for 2027 “matched with agency priorities.”The Trump administration had initially paused the grants in 2025, but after facing legal challenges from Planned Parenthood, HHS released the grants in January. Most pro-life groups decried the decision, though a few defended it by saying it was the administration’s only viable option as 42 U.S. Code Part 300, the rule governing family planning grants, had not been amended.National pro-life groups have denounced the decision to keep funding Planned Parenthood. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the move “an inexplicable slap in the face to the pro-life GOP base.”“This is a clear abandonment as the first Trump administration enacted the Protect Life Rule to stop Title X funding of Planned Parenthood,” Dannenfelser said. “It should have been ‘Day 1’ policy in the second administration. Instead, we are 14 months in and this hasn’t been prevented.”Dannenfelser called the move “political suicide.”“Three out of four GOP base voters support defunding Planned Parenthood,” Dannenfelser said. “One-third of those voters say they’d be less enthusiastic about voting this November if the GOP abandons pro-life policies.”“This comes on the heels of the administration undermining GOP states by allowing the shipping of abortion drugs into their borders, violating their laws,” Dannenfelser continued. “And it comes after the president suggesting the GOP should be ‘flexible’ on the Hyde Amendment. This spells disaster for November.”Jennie Bradley Lichter, who heads the March for Life, said that “funding Planned Parenthood is not, by any stretch of the imagination, Making America Healthy Again.”“Absolutely maddening that [the HHS] is continuing to fund an org whose business model is built on ending human lives, misleading pregnant women into thinking abortion is their only option, and delivering substandard health care even in the rare cases when abortion is not involved,” Lichter said in statement provided to EWTN News.Live Action called on the Trump administration to reverse the decision.“The Trump administration has decided [to] CONTINUE supplying Title X funds to Planned Parenthood,” the statement read. “This is the largest abortion corporation in the country. They don’t need our tax dollars. They don’t deserve our tax dollars. This decision MUST be reversed.”“Over 400,000 unborn children are killed by this corporation every year, making them the largest abortion chain in America,” Live Action President Lila Rose said. “The blood of these babies cries out. Taxpayer dollars should never fund the killing of innocent human beings.”“The Trump administration’s decision to keep Title X federal funding going to Planned Parenthood is unacceptable,” Rose said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “Taxpayer dollars should never be used to prop up America’s largest abortion business. Planned Parenthood exists to end the lives of preborn children, and every dollar it receives helps sustain an industry built on violence against the innocent.”“This decision is a betrayal of the pro-life Americans who expected this administration to stand firmly against abortion and against the forced public funding of those who commit it,” Rose continued. “The American people should not be made to subsidize abortion businesses under the guise of women’s health. Title X funds should go to real health care providers that serve women and families without taking innocent human life. The administration should reverse course immediately and fully defund Planned Parenthood.”Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to a request for comment.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/trump-to-continue-supplying-title-x-grants-to-planned-parenthood-for-another-year-catholic-the-trump-administration-citing-legal-challenges-said-it-will-continue-to-give-title-x-grants-to-plann.jpg "Trump to continue supplying Title X grants to Planned Parenthood for another year – #Catholic – The Trump administration, citing legal challenges, said it will continue to give Title X grants to Planned Parenthood for another year — a move pro-life leaders see as a “betrayal.”The administration first restored Biden-era Title X funds to Planned Parenthood in January, to the outcry of pro-lifers. News broke March 31 that the administration would extend the grants for another year, just a day before they were set to lapse.Thanks to the grants, Planned Parenthood and some other clinics will continue to be able to submit reimbursement receipts to the federal government for low-income patients who received birth control and other non-abortion services.While grants won’t directly cover abortion — the Hyde Amendment prevents the federal government from doing so — grants will subsidize an organization that performs hundreds of thousands of abortions yearly.A Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said the agency will issue Title X grant notices for 2027 “matched with agency priorities.”The Trump administration had initially paused the grants in 2025, but after facing legal challenges from Planned Parenthood, HHS released the grants in January. Most pro-life groups decried the decision, though a few defended it by saying it was the administration’s only viable option as 42 U.S. Code Part 300, the rule governing family planning grants, had not been amended.National pro-life groups have denounced the decision to keep funding Planned Parenthood. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, called the move “an inexplicable slap in the face to the pro-life GOP base.”“This is a clear abandonment as the first Trump administration enacted the Protect Life Rule to stop Title X funding of Planned Parenthood,” Dannenfelser said. “It should have been ‘Day 1’ policy in the second administration. Instead, we are 14 months in and this hasn’t been prevented.”Dannenfelser called the move “political suicide.”“Three out of four GOP base voters support defunding Planned Parenthood,” Dannenfelser said. “One-third of those voters say they’d be less enthusiastic about voting this November if the GOP abandons pro-life policies.”“This comes on the heels of the administration undermining GOP states by allowing the shipping of abortion drugs into their borders, violating their laws,” Dannenfelser continued. “And it comes after the president suggesting the GOP should be ‘flexible’ on the Hyde Amendment. This spells disaster for November.”Jennie Bradley Lichter, who heads the March for Life, said that “funding Planned Parenthood is not, by any stretch of the imagination, Making America Healthy Again.”“Absolutely maddening that [the HHS] is continuing to fund an org whose business model is built on ending human lives, misleading pregnant women into thinking abortion is their only option, and delivering substandard health care even in the rare cases when abortion is not involved,” Lichter said in statement provided to EWTN News.Live Action called on the Trump administration to reverse the decision.“The Trump administration has decided [to] CONTINUE supplying Title X funds to Planned Parenthood,” the statement read. “This is the largest abortion corporation in the country. They don’t need our tax dollars. They don’t deserve our tax dollars. This decision MUST be reversed.”“Over 400,000 unborn children are killed by this corporation every year, making them the largest abortion chain in America,” Live Action President Lila Rose said. “The blood of these babies cries out. Taxpayer dollars should never fund the killing of innocent human beings.”“The Trump administration’s decision to keep Title X federal funding going to Planned Parenthood is unacceptable,” Rose said in a statement shared with EWTN News. “Taxpayer dollars should never be used to prop up America’s largest abortion business. Planned Parenthood exists to end the lives of preborn children, and every dollar it receives helps sustain an industry built on violence against the innocent.”“This decision is a betrayal of the pro-life Americans who expected this administration to stand firmly against abortion and against the forced public funding of those who commit it,” Rose continued. “The American people should not be made to subsidize abortion businesses under the guise of women’s health. Title X funds should go to real health care providers that serve women and families without taking innocent human life. The administration should reverse course immediately and fully defund Planned Parenthood.”Planned Parenthood did not immediately respond to a request for comment.")
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said the agency will issue Title X grant notices for 2027 “matched with agency priorities.”
The pope expressed hope that President Donald Trump is seeking a way to decrease violence in the Middle East.
A reading from the book of Isaiah
50:4-9a
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
That I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
My face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let him confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
From the Gospel according to Matthew
26:14-25
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
“What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?”
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?”
He said,
“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”‘“
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
“Surely it is not I, Lord?”
He said in reply,
“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
He answered, “You have said so.”
The betrayal of Judas remains, in any case, a mystery. Jesus treated him as a friend (cf. Mt 26: 50); however, in his invitations to follow him along the way of the beatitudes, he does not force his will or protect it from the temptations of Satan, respecting human freedom. In effect, the possibilities to pervert the human heart are truly many. The only way to prevent it consists in not cultivating an individualistic, autonomous vision of things, but on the contrary, by putting oneself always on the side of Jesus, assuming his point of view. We must daily seek to build full communion with him. Let us remember that Peter also wanted to oppose him and what awaited him at Jerusalem, but he received a very strong reproval: "You are not on the side of God, but of men" (Mk 8: 33)! After his fall Peter repented and found pardon and grace. Judas also repented, but his repentance degenerated into desperation and thus became self-destructive. For us it is an invitation to always remember what St Benedict says at the end of the fundamental Chapter Five of his "Rule": "Never despair of God’s mercy". (Pope Benedict XVI – General Audience, 18 October 2006)
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![Catholic priest fundraises, gives gift cards to unpaid TSA workers amid partial shutdown - #Catholic - A Catholic priest raised money and gave gift cards to employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) while a partial government shutdown forced most of the workforce to work without pay.Father Jim Sichko, a papal missionary of mercy, held a 24-hour fundraiser for the workers that he advertised across social media platforms, raising about $20,000. The act coincided with his effort to perform random acts of kindness for those in need.Some of TSA’s funding is on hold as lawmakers debate broader funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees TSA. Democrats are trying to include reforms to immigration enforcement in the funding package as Republicans are resisting any language that could curtail President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.Trump signed an executive order on March 27 to provide some back pay to TSA employees, and future payments remain in limbo amid the congressional deadlock.
Father Jim Sichko delivers gift cards to TSA agents while they worked without pay amid congressional funding negotiations. | Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Jim Sichko
Sichko, who travels frequently by air, told EWTN News he delivered gift cards to TSA workers during flights he already scheduled. He gave a bundle of gift cards in denominations of $10 and $20 to workers in Lexington, Kentucky, and Chicago, providing a total of $11,000 worth of gift cards to employees.The donated gift cards comply with federal regulations that prohibit employees from accepting direct cash gifts but allow them to accept small amounts of money in gift cards for restaurants, grocery stores, and a few other products.Sichko is holding onto the remaining $9,000 because TSA workers have begun to receive back pay. He plans to resume gifting the rest of the gift cards to TSA workers if their pay is disrupted again. Otherwise, he said he will probably donate them to Catholic Charities.“It was a justice issue for me,” Sichko said when asked why he decided to launch the fundraiser for TSA employees.“They’re working, with families who need to be fed, bills that need to be paid, utilities that [are] … due and, as a priest, as a person of God, I think it’s my duty to help them,” he said. “... These people were working without pay and they have families and they already are in a stressful job.”Sichko said he relies on TSA for his ministry because he frequently travels by airplane, and these employees are “keeping me safe to be able to do the ministry to which I’m called.” He said he considers TSA workers “partners with me in the ministry to which I am called because they keep me and my fellow passengers safe.”He thanked those who contributed to the fundraiser and said the acts of kindness are “a way of evangelizing.” He said the fundraising “allows people the opportunity to be co-ministers, to really fulfill their baptismal promise of being ministers.”“To see how people responded, it really shows us that we truly can be kind, we truly can be Christ to one another,” Sichko said.During the previous government shutdown, when TSA employees were working without pay, Sichko provided them with meals.Sichko often raises money to perform other acts of kindness and to help people in need. This includes help to those affected by hurricanes in southeast Texas, flooding in eastern Kentucky, tornadoes in western Kentucky, and fires in eastern Tennessee.He has also raised money to support the cost of funerals for people, including the children and workers who died in the July 2025 flooding of Camp Mystic in central Texas.“This is part of the ministry of being a papal missionary of mercy,” Sichko said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/catholic-priest-fundraises-gives-gift-cards-to-unpaid-tsa-workers-amid-partial-shutdown-catholic-a-catholic-priest-raised-money-and-gave-gift-cards-to-employees-of-the-transportation-security-ad.jpg)
Father Jim Sichko raised $20,000 for gift cards for TSA workers while they were working without pay amid congressional negotiations about funding.
With 12 private beaches, endless aquatic adventures, and possibly the warmest hospitality on the planet, it’s no wonder Turtle Island is so difficult to leave.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/TAL-header-aerial-turtle-island-fiji-TURTLEISLANDFIJI1125-119dd7d5236247ffa7289531c0bb8f0b.jpg)
In the wake of a major airline crash, it’s not unusual for the carrier’s CEO to resign, especially if there were signs that corporate culture may have played a hand in it.
The post Air Canada CEO Out After Crash — For Not Offering Condolences in Second Language appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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This is a Gateway Hispanic article.
The post Alberta Surpasses 177,000 Signatures, Officially Triggering Its Independence Referendum for October 19th appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A Florida Democrat has been arrested after allegedly attacking a man identified as a disabled veteran during a “No Kings” protest on Saturday.
The post Democratic Party Official Arrested After Allegedly Injuring a Disabled Veteran at a ‘No Kings’ Protest appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A Nigerian archbishop said African missionaries can evangelize a Europe uneasy with its Christian past.
“I’m glad I found my way back to the Church. I learned much along the way. But if you believe as I do, you know I’ve been fortunate and touched by God’s grace,” Vance said.
![Bishop to Harding faithful: walk with Mary to Calvary #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the Wednesday Lenten Series of Church of Christ the King in the New Vernon neighborhood of Harding Township, N.J., where he celebrated Mass on Feb. 25 and reflected on the Blessed Mother’s critical role in salvation history.
During the Mass on Feb. 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bishop Sweeney reminded churchgoers that Jesus came down to Earth, fully God and fully human, to ultimately suffer, die, and rise to save believers from their sins. That occurred in part because of Mary’s “fiat”— her “yes” — to God’s plan of salvation after the Angel Gabriel announced the Incarnation of Jesus, Bishop Sweeney said.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney referred to the Angelus prayer for the feast day and the Office of Readings for the day from the breviary, including a letter by Leo the Great (Epist. 28 ad Flavianum 3-4: PL 54, 763-767).
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Bishop Sweeney encouraged the faithful this Lent to walk with Mary, “the mother of sorrows,” at the foot of the cross during her son’s crucifixion on Calvary.
“She leads us to her son, who comes to us in the Eucharist and who conquered sin and death in his resurrection, and gives us the promise of everlasting life in heaven,” Bishop Sweeney said.
The other speakers in the series were Father Jun Vizcara, chaplain at St. Joseph University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.; Msgr. John Hunt, pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., and director of the Clergy Personnel Office of the Paterson Diocese; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerrard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei parishes, both in Paterson, and Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and diocesan vicar for special projects.
At the Mass, Father Brian Sullivan, Christ the King’s pastor, and Maryknoll Father Joseph “Joe” Healey, a former African missionary, concelebrated with Bishop Sweeney. Also, Luke Simonson received a gift for altar serving at all five Masses during this year’s Lenten Series.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/bishop-to-harding-faithful-walk-with-mary-to-calvary-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-concluded-the-wednesday-lenten-series-of-church-of-christ-the-king-in-the-new-vernon-neighborhood-of-harding-t.jpg)
Bishop to Harding faithful: walk with Mary to Calvary #Catholic – 
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the Wednesday Lenten Series of Church of Christ the King in the New Vernon neighborhood of Harding Township, N.J., where he celebrated Mass on Feb. 25 and reflected on the Blessed Mother’s critical role in salvation history.
During the Mass on Feb. 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bishop Sweeney reminded churchgoers that Jesus came down to Earth, fully God and fully human, to ultimately suffer, die, and rise to save believers from their sins. That occurred in part because of Mary’s “fiat”— her “yes” — to God’s plan of salvation after the Angel Gabriel announced the Incarnation of Jesus, Bishop Sweeney said.
In his homily, Bishop Sweeney referred to the Angelus prayer for the feast day and the Office of Readings for the day from the breviary, including a letter by Leo the Great (Epist. 28 ad Flavianum 3-4: PL 54, 763-767).
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Bishop Sweeney encouraged the faithful this Lent to walk with Mary, “the mother of sorrows,” at the foot of the cross during her son’s crucifixion on Calvary.
“She leads us to her son, who comes to us in the Eucharist and who conquered sin and death in his resurrection, and gives us the promise of everlasting life in heaven,” Bishop Sweeney said.
The other speakers in the series were Father Jun Vizcara, chaplain at St. Joseph University Medical Center in Paterson, N.J.; Msgr. John Hunt, pastor of Assumption Parish in Morristown, N.J., and director of the Clergy Personnel Office of the Paterson Diocese; Msgr. George Hundt, pastor of St. Gerrard Majella and Our Lady of Pompei parishes, both in Paterson, and Msgr. Geno Sylva, rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson and diocesan vicar for special projects.
At the Mass, Father Brian Sullivan, Christ the King’s pastor, and Maryknoll Father Joseph “Joe” Healey, a former African missionary, concelebrated with Bishop Sweeney. Also, Luke Simonson received a gift for altar serving at all five Masses during this year’s Lenten Series.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney concluded the Wednesday Lenten Series of Church of Christ the King in the New Vernon neighborhood of Harding Township, N.J., where he celebrated Mass on Feb. 25 and reflected on the Blessed Mother’s critical role in salvation history. During the Mass on Feb. 25, the Feast of the Annunciation, Bishop Sweeney reminded churchgoers that Jesus came down to Earth, fully God and fully human, to ultimately suffer, die, and rise to save believers from their sins. That occurred in part because of Mary’s “fiat”— her “yes” — to God’s plan of salvation after the Angel Gabriel
![12 young people welcomed into the Church at Jefferson Mass #Catholic - During a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 27, 12 10th-grade religious education students of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., were confirmed into full communion with the Church. Bishop Sweeney served as both the principal celebrant and the homilist for the liturgy.
The confirmandi included Izabella Anna Baldyga; Angelys Marcella Castillo; Shaun Sebastian Cestra; Genevieve Francis Chalmers; Fredrick Gregory Etienne; Gabriella Rose Fitzsimmons; Andrew Koziol; Nina Valentina Maniago; Tatiana Martinez; Payton Elizabeth Motto; Logan Longinus San Buenaventura; and Lyla Marie Schroers.
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Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Alongside them were Father Fred Walters, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, and Father David McDonnell, a weekend associate at the parish and a retired diocesan priest.
Deacon Alberto Totino, who is also Star of the Sea’s evangelization coordinator, assisted with the Mass. The Knights of Columbus also participated in the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/12-young-people-welcomed-into-the-church-at-jefferson-mass-catholic-during-a-mass-celebrated-by-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-on-march-27-12-10th-grade-religious-education-students-of-our-lady-star-of-t.jpg)
12 young people welcomed into the Church at Jefferson Mass #Catholic – 
During a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 27, 12 10th-grade religious education students of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., were confirmed into full communion with the Church. Bishop Sweeney served as both the principal celebrant and the homilist for the liturgy.
The confirmandi included Izabella Anna Baldyga; Angelys Marcella Castillo; Shaun Sebastian Cestra; Genevieve Francis Chalmers; Fredrick Gregory Etienne; Gabriella Rose Fitzsimmons; Andrew Koziol; Nina Valentina Maniago; Tatiana Martinez; Payton Elizabeth Motto; Logan Longinus San Buenaventura; and Lyla Marie Schroers.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Father Sean McDonnell, pastor of Star of the Sea, concelebrated the Mass with Bishop Sweeney. Alongside them were Father Fred Walters, a retired priest of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey, and Father David McDonnell, a weekend associate at the parish and a retired diocesan priest.
Deacon Alberto Totino, who is also Star of the Sea’s evangelization coordinator, assisted with the Mass. The Knights of Columbus also participated in the liturgy.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– During a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney on March 27, 12 10th-grade religious education students of Our Lady Star of the Sea Parish in the Lake Hopatcong neighborhood of Jefferson Township, N.J., were confirmed into full communion with the Church. Bishop Sweeney served as both the principal celebrant and the homilist for the liturgy. The confirmandi included Izabella Anna Baldyga; Angelys Marcella Castillo; Shaun Sebastian Cestra; Genevieve Francis Chalmers; Fredrick Gregory Etienne; Gabriella Rose Fitzsimmons; Andrew Koziol; Nina Valentina Maniago; Tatiana Martinez; Payton Elizabeth Motto; Logan Longinus San Buenaventura; and Lyla Marie Schroers. Click here to subscribe to
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump announced a plan on Monday to open up the Strait of Hormuz later this week by sending in Aquaman, a superhero he claims is finally useful.
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CAMBRIDGE, MA — Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reportedly developed an innovative new children’s bike that uses pedals instead of electricity for power.
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| Picture of the day |
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Royal angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), Ras Muhammad National Park, Red Sea, Egypt. The body of the royal angelfish is moderately elongate, is very compressed and can reach a length of up to 25 centimetres (9.8 in) It’s widely distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific and can be found in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean around East Africa and the Maldives, stretching to the Tuamoto Islands, New Caledonia, and Great Barrier Reef. The royal angelfish occurs at depths ranging from 0 to 80m (0 to 262 ft), in coral rich areas of lagoons, reefs, and are also often found in the vicinity of caves. It is a carnivorous species that feeds on sponges and tunicates located throughout reefs and underwater caves. They are a non-migratory species that can be found solitary, in pairs, or groups.
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In an audience with the Illinois Municipal League, the pontiff said that Gospel values can be applied to city government to the benefit of the most vulnerable and for the common good.
![White House defends praying for U.S. troops after pope condemns using prayers to justify war – #Catholic – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said military leaders and the president urging prayers is “a very noble thing to do,” pushing back after Pope Leo XIV said God rejects prayers of leaders who wage war.Leavitt, when asked March 30 by a reporter to respond to the pope’s statement that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” said: “I think our nation was a nation founded, 250 years ago almost, on Judeo-Christian values. And we’ve seen presidents, we’ve seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we’ve seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation’s history.”“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas. In fact, I think it’s a very noble thing to do,” said Leavitt, who is Catholic. “And if you talk to many service members, they will tell you they appreciate the prayers and support from the commander in chief and from his cabinet,” Leavitt said.The pope, whose father served in the U.S. Navy on a D-Day tank landing ship, sharply condemned war in his Palm Sunday homily and said God cannot be used to justify war. He did not name specific leaders.God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” Pope Leo said during Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The pope, who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to war in the Middle East, presented Christ as the “King of Peace,” contrasting Jesus’ meekness with the violence surrounding him as he entered into his passion.The pope tied the Church’s contemplation of Christ’s passion to the suffering of people in conflicts today, especially Christians in the Middle East.The pope recalled: “When one of his disciples drew his sword to defend him… Jesus immediately stopped him, saying: ‘Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’”Leavitt’s response also follows the opening of two lawsuits against the U.S. Departments of Defense and Labor by Americans United for Separation of Church and State regarding prayer services organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Hegseth last week invoked Christian language and prayed for “overwhelming violence of action” against U.S. enemies.The suits allege that the Christian prayer services abuse taxpayer resources, promote Christian nationalism, violate the separation of church and state, and pressure federal employees to participate.U.S. communication with Israel During the press briefing, Leavitt also confirmed that the U.S. communicated with Israel after Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco lelpo, custos of the Holy Land, from enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday.“I did speak with Secretary [Marco] Rubio this morning and we did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down,” Leavitt said.“We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites,” she said. “Of course, safety is a top priority, but we understand Israel is working on those security measures, to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that’s something that we’re appreciative of,” she said.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/white-house-defends-praying-for-u-s-troops-after-pope-condemns-using-prayers-to-justify-war-catholic-white-house-press-secretary-karoline-leavitt-said-military-leaders-and-the-president-urging-p.jpg "White House defends praying for U.S. troops after pope condemns using prayers to justify war – #Catholic – White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said military leaders and the president urging prayers is “a very noble thing to do,” pushing back after Pope Leo XIV said God rejects prayers of leaders who wage war.Leavitt, when asked March 30 by a reporter to respond to the pope’s statement that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” said: “I think our nation was a nation founded, 250 years ago almost, on Judeo-Christian values. And we’ve seen presidents, we’ve seen the leaders of the Department of War, and we’ve seen our troops go to prayer during the most turbulent times in our nation’s history.”“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our military leaders or with the president calling on the American people to pray for our service members and those who are serving our country overseas. In fact, I think it’s a very noble thing to do,” said Leavitt, who is Catholic. “And if you talk to many service members, they will tell you they appreciate the prayers and support from the commander in chief and from his cabinet,” Leavitt said.The pope, whose father served in the U.S. Navy on a D-Day tank landing ship, sharply condemned war in his Palm Sunday homily and said God cannot be used to justify war. He did not name specific leaders.God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” Pope Leo said during Mass in St. Peter’s Square. The pope, who has repeatedly called for a ceasefire to war in the Middle East, presented Christ as the “King of Peace,” contrasting Jesus’ meekness with the violence surrounding him as he entered into his passion.The pope tied the Church’s contemplation of Christ’s passion to the suffering of people in conflicts today, especially Christians in the Middle East.The pope recalled: “When one of his disciples drew his sword to defend him… Jesus immediately stopped him, saying: ‘Put your sword back into its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.’”Leavitt’s response also follows the opening of two lawsuits against the U.S. Departments of Defense and Labor by Americans United for Separation of Church and State regarding prayer services organized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Hegseth last week invoked Christian language and prayed for “overwhelming violence of action” against U.S. enemies.The suits allege that the Christian prayer services abuse taxpayer resources, promote Christian nationalism, violate the separation of church and state, and pressure federal employees to participate.U.S. communication with Israel During the press briefing, Leavitt also confirmed that the U.S. communicated with Israel after Israeli police prevented Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, and Father Francesco lelpo, custos of the Holy Land, from enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Palm Sunday.“I did speak with Secretary [Marco] Rubio this morning and we did express our concerns with Israel with respect to these holy sites being shut down,” Leavitt said.“We want worshipers to be able to access these holy sites,” she said. “Of course, safety is a top priority, but we understand Israel is working on those security measures, to reopen the sites throughout Holy Week, and that’s something that we’re appreciative of,” she said.")
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said there is nothing wrong with the president and military leaders “calling on the American people to pray for our service members.”
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A reading from the Book of Isaiah
49:1-6
Hear me, O islands,
listen, O distant peoples.
The LORD called me from birth,
from my mother’s womb he gave me my name.
He made of me a sharp-edged sword
and concealed me in the shadow of his arm.
He made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me.
You are my servant, he said to me,
Israel, through whom I show my glory.
Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
Yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God.
For now the LORD has spoken
who formed me as his servant from the womb,
That Jacob may be brought back to him
and Israel gathered to him;
And I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD,
and my God is now my strength!
It is too little, he says, for you to be my servant,
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and restore the survivors of Israel;
I will make you a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.
From the Gospel according to John
13:21-33, 36-38
Reclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified,
"Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant.
One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at Jesus’ side.
So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant.
He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him,
"Master, who is it?"
Jesus answered,
"It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it."
So he dipped the morsel and took it and handed it to Judas,
son of Simon the Iscariot.
After Judas took the morsel, Satan entered him.
So Jesus said to him, "What you are going to do, do quickly."
Now none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him.
Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him,
"Buy what we need for the feast,"
or to give something to the poor.
So Judas took the morsel and left at once. And it was night.
When he had left, Jesus said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself,
and he will glorify him at once.
My children, I will be with you only a little while longer.
You will look for me, and as I told the Jews,
‘Where I go you cannot come,’ so now I say it to you."
Simon Peter said to him, "Master, where are you going?"
Jesus answered him,
"Where I am going, you cannot follow me now,
though you will follow later."
Peter said to him,
"Master, why can I not follow you now?
I will lay down my life for you."
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for me?
Amen, amen, I say to you, the cock will not crow
before you deny me three times."
“It is the one to whom I hand the morsel after I have dipped it” (Jn 13:26). With this simple and humble gesture, Jesus carries his love forward and to its depths, not because he is ignoring what is happening, but precisely because he sees it clearly. He has understood that the freedom of the other, even when it is lost in evil, can still be reached by the light of a meek gesture, because he knows that true forgiveness does not await repentance, but offers itself first, as a free gift, even before it is accepted. Judas, unfortunately, does not understand. After the morsel – says the Gospel – “Satan entered him” (v. 27). This passage strikes us: as if evil, hidden until then, manifested itself after love showed its most defenceless face. And precisely for this reason, brothers and sisters, that morsel is our salvation: because it tells us that God does everything – absolutely everything – to reach us, even in the hour when we reject him. It is here that forgiveness reveals all its power and manifests the true face of hope. It is not forgetfulness; it is not weakness. It is the ability to set the other free, while loving him to the end. Jesus’ love does not deny the truth of pain, but it does not allow evil to have the last word. This is the mystery Jesus accomplishes for us, in which we too, at times, are called to participate. (Pope Leo XIV – General Audience, 20 August 2025)
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Pope Leo XIV has chosen four U.S. Catholics to serve in a Vatican office that focuses heavily on immigration.
From left to right, NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronauts Jenni Gibbons, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen pose for a photo before the Artemis II crew proceed to a media event on March 27, 2026.
Read MoreThis week, Astronomy magazine Editor Emeritus Dave Eicher invites you to check out Mercury, which will be at its greatest elongation on April 3. This is when the planet appears farthest away from the Sun in the morning sky, making it easier to see. Good luck! Video transcript: Welcome to This Week in Astronomy, broughtContinue reading “Mercury at greatest elongation on April 3”
The post Mercury at greatest elongation on April 3 appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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The dysfunction in Washington reached a new low Monday morning.
The post Senate Gavels In, Gavels Out — Adjourns in 30 Seconds, REFUSES to Take Up House DHS Funding Bill as Shutdown Drags On appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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President Trump said on Monday that he is in serious discussions and close to a deal with Iran, while threatening to escalate “if for any reason a deal is not shortly reached.” Trump has given Iran until Monday, April 6, to stop blocking oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid negotiations.
The post Trump Says “Serious Discussions” Underway to “End Our Military Operations in Iran” – Threatens to Destroy Electric Plants, Oil Wells, Kharg Island, and Desalination Plants appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The National Catholic Register contacted all 175 Latin-rite territorial dioceses in the United States, seeking numbers of people planning to join the Catholic Church at Easter 2026.
A man was caught on camera exposing himself and rubbing his genitals on a female shopper at a Los Angeles, California, Whole Foods grocery store.
The post SHOCK VIDEO: Man Exposes Himself, Rubs His Genitals on Woman’s Ear at Los Angeles Whole Foods Grocery Store appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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The final report addressing the pastoral challenge of polygamy in Africa draws attention to a wide range of social, cultural, and pastoral realities shaping the practice across the continent.
$2.5M gift fuels Morris Catholic fitness center project #Catholic – 
Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., has received an unprecedented $2.5 million gift from an alumnus and spouse — the most generous donation in the school’s history — to build a new Health and Fitness Center. This remarkable gift transforms the school’s nearly 70-year history, inspiring hope and excitement in students, faculty, and families.
The donors, a Morris Catholic alumnus and their spouse, have chosen to keep their identities confidential at this time. Plans for the approximately 15,000-square-foot, two-story facility addition to the Morris Catholic campus have been completed, and the school is preparing to begin construction in late spring.
The new facility will represent the first physical expansion of the Morris Catholic campus since the 1960s and mark a bold investment in the school’s future and the students it serves. The center is designed to promote and support a healthy lifestyle among students.
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“This extraordinary gift reflects a deep belief in the mission and future of Morris Catholic,” said Brian Vohden, Morris Catholic president. “For nearly seven decades, Morris Catholic has formed young men and women in faith, scholarship, and service. This generosity shows the value our community places on having attended Morris Catholic and in helping today’s students.”
The facility will significantly enhance Morris Catholic’s physical education and athletic programs. Designed to serve the entire student body, the center will provide modern training space for physical education, strength and conditioning, and Crusader programs’ athletic teams. The first floor will feature new weights, benches, and equipment. of treadmills, bikes, and rowing machines on the second floor, along with a space for speed and agility work. A 25-foot-tall glass wall will offer visitors a view of the football field below.
The anonymous donors shared their heartfelt motivation: “We wanted to make an immediate impact, to help our youth rise to today’s challenges. Our greatest hope is that this gift empowers every student to thrive and embrace a future filled with possibility to impact, to prepare our youth for today’s challenges. We were especially interested in providing a high-quality, state-of-the-art facility for the Morris Catholic student to thrive physically, mentally, academically, and spiritually, resulting in a truly abundant life.”
The project includes exterior restrooms and a modern concession and retail space for visitors.
modern concession and retail space to enhance the experience for families and visitors attending
outdoor athletic events.
The project arrives during a time of excitement and renewed optimism at Morris Catholic. Guided by the school’s recently adopted five-year strategic plan, the community is uniting around initiatives that promise new opportunities and brighter futures for students and families.
For recently adopted five-year strategic plan, the community is investing in a series of initiatives designed to strengthen academics, expand student opportunities, help meet the financial aid needs of students and their families, and position Morris Catholic as a leader among premier
Catholic college preparatory schools in New Jersey.
“Catholic education and Catholic Schools are a great gift to students, families, our diocese, the
whole Church and the wider community. I am always inspired by donors’ sacrificial generosity, parents’ sacrifices for their children’s education, and the leaders, faculty, staff, and volunteers in our Catholic schools,” Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney of the Paterson Diocese in New Jersey said. “This new student health and fitness center at Morris Catholic is a concrete example of a community coming together to find unique and creative ways to support and educate the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.”
Beyond the record-setting gift, additional gifts from donors and parents are enabling the center to be built.
Mark Thomas, co-chair of the Morris Catholic Board of Trustees, said, “This enormous act of generosity will touch all students. It will equip our athletes with tools and capabilities to add to our history of excellence in athletics. The board is gratified that alumni are partnering with us in strategically important areas.”
– Morris Catholic High School in Denville, N.J., has received an unprecedented $2.5 million gift from an alumnus and spouse — the most generous donation in the school’s history — to build a new Health and Fitness Center. This remarkable gift transforms the school’s nearly 70-year history, inspiring hope and excitement in students, faculty, and families. The donors, a Morris Catholic alumnus and their spouse, have chosen to keep their identities confidential at this time. Plans for the approximately 15,000-square-foot, two-story facility addition to the Morris Catholic campus have been completed, and the school is preparing to begin construction in late
U.S. – In a new milestone for Major League Baseball, every single inning of a game was aired on a different streaming platform.
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VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo boldly proclaimed today that God does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, so long as you don’t count King David, or Joshua, or Gideon, or Samson, or Elijah, or Hezekiah, or any of those other people in the Bible.
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| Picture of the day |
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Morning in a Pine Forest (1889) by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky.
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A reading from the Book of Isaiah
42:1-7
Here is my servant whom I uphold,
my chosen one with whom I am pleased,
Upon whom I have put my Spirit;
he shall bring forth justice to the nations,
Not crying out, not shouting,
not making his voice heard in the street.
A bruised reed he shall not break,
and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,
Until he establishes justice on the earth;
the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spreads out the earth with its crops,
Who gives breath to its people
and spirit to those who walk on it:
I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
To open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.
From the Gospel according to John
12:1-11
Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,
where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,
while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him.
Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil
made from genuine aromatic nard
and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;
the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,
and the one who would betray him, said,
"Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages
and given to the poor?"
He said this not because he cared about the poor
but because he was a thief and held the money bag
and used to steal the contributions.
So Jesus said, "Leave her alone.
Let her keep this for the day of my burial.
You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,
not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,
whom he had raised from the dead.
And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,
because many of the Jews were turning away
and believing in Jesus because of him.
Christ utters these significant words: "The poor you always have with you" (Jn 12: 8). He does not mean by these words that changes of social and economic structures are not important and that we should not try different ways to eliminate injustice, humiliation, want and hunger. He means merely that man will have needs which cannot be satisfied unless with help for the needy and by sharing one’s own goods with others… Of what help are we speaking? What sharing? Is it only a question of "alms", understood in the form of money, of material aid? Certainly Christ does not remove alms from our field of vision. He thinks also of pecuniary, material alms, but in his own way. More eloquent than any other, in this connection, is the example of the poor widow, who put a few small coins into the treasury of the temple: from the material point of view, an offering that could hardly be compared with the offerings given by others. Yet Christ said: "This poor widow has put in… all the living that she had" (Lk 21:3-4). So it is, above all, the interior value of the gift that counts: the readiness to share everything, the readiness to give oneself. Let us here recall St Paul: "If I give away all I have… but have not love, I gain nothing" (1 Cor 13:3). St Augustine, too, writes well in this connection: "if you stretch out your hand to give, but have not mercy in your heart, you have not done anything; but if you have mercy in your heart, even when you have nothing to give with your hand, God accepts your alms" (Enarrat. in Ps. CXXV, 5). (Saint John Paul II – General audience, 28 March 1979)
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![Prayers ascend at Legion of Mary Acies in Clifton #Catholic - Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies of the Legion of Mary on March 22 in Sacred Heart Church in Clifton, N.J.
The Legion of Mary is a worldwide organization in which members join in prayer and apostolic work in union with the Blessed Mother under the guidance of a priest. The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was held at the Acies, followed by a rosary recitation.
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BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
[See image gallery at beaconnj.org]](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/prayers-ascend-at-legion-of-mary-acies-in-clifton-catholic-bishop-kevin-j-sweeney-presided-at-the-annual-acies-of-the-legion-of-mary-on-march-22-in-sacred-heart-church-in-clifton-n-j-the-legion.jpg)
Prayers ascend at Legion of Mary Acies in Clifton #Catholic – 
Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies of the Legion of Mary on March 22 in Sacred Heart Church in Clifton, N.J.
The Legion of Mary is a worldwide organization in which members join in prayer and apostolic work in union with the Blessed Mother under the guidance of a priest. The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was held at the Acies, followed by a rosary recitation.
Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
– Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided at the annual Acies of the Legion of Mary on March 22 in Sacred Heart Church in Clifton, N.J. The Legion of Mary is a worldwide organization in which members join in prayer and apostolic work in union with the Blessed Mother under the guidance of a priest. The exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was held at the Acies, followed by a rosary recitation. Click here to subscribe to our weekly newsletter. BEACON PHOTOS | JOE GIGLI
New US global health policy seen as a way to eliminate malaria in concert with faith leaders #Catholic – 
WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The future of efforts to eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa may depend in part on a U.S. policy shift now drawing mixed reactions.
In September, the State Department unveiled the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy, which it described as “a comprehensive vision to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous” and also claimed it “will protect the homeland by preventing infectious disease outbreaks from reaching U.S. shores.”
In a February report, an interfaith coalition of malaria-fighting groups warned that progress against the disease has “slowed in several regions,” calling the current moment a “crossroads.”
But the strategy is considered one feasible path forward in eliminating the deadly disease spread by mosquitoes, the coalition said in its report titled “Making Country-Led Malaria Control a Reality.”
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For a Methodist bishop from Mozambique who was on a March 19 panel sponsored by Georgetown University’s Global Health Institute in Washington, the inclusion of “America First’ in the State Department strategy is puzzling.
“It’s tricky, because what do we mean by America First?” Bishop Dinis Matsolo of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, Mozambique Synod, said in an interview with OSV News. “It would be interesting to hear a clarification as to what that means. We all belong to the same world. We need each other.”
He added, “I think the Catholic community in the United States should know that in other countries, including Mozambique, we have religious leaders who are profoundly involved in the issues of health and climate change that require support in order to sustain. Those activities have stopped now because of the cuts (in U.S. aid).”
The U.S. government’s relief efforts for malaria were devastated by the elimination of the U.S. Agency for International Development under the second Trump administration. By July 2025, USAID effectively ceased to exist, with 85% of its programs cut.
However, “I always want to be optimistic,” Bishop Matsolo said. “We want to encourage the involvement of all the state quarters (agencies).”
Bishop Matsolo is the executive director of Programa Inter-Religioso Contra a Malaria, or PIRCOM, a faith-based organization focused on eliminating malaria that was launched in 2006 with U.S. funding.
The Catholic Church in Mozambique is a founding member of PIRCOM and is represented on the board. The group works directly with the Archbishop João Carlos Hatoa Nunes
of Maputo, Mozambique, and other Catholic representatives at provincial and district levels across the country.
According to the World Health Organization, in 2024, there were an estimated 282 million malaria cases in 80 malaria-endemic countries — an increase of about 9 million cases from 2023. Three countries — Ethiopia (+2.9 million), Madagascar (+1.9 million) and Yemen (+378,000) — accounted for 58% of the estimated case increase from 2023 to 2024.
The America First Global Health Strategy, the interfaith coalition report states, “recommits the U.S. to achieving the globally agreed goals by 2030. It endorses the vision of reducing global malaria mortality and case incidence by at least 90% from 2015 levels, eliminating malaria in at least 35 countries, and preventing the reestablishment of the disease in all countries that are malaria-free.”
The response, according to the coalition report and the panel discussion, has to be “country-led malaria control.”
The strategy “envisions a future in which public and private funders in malaria-endemic countries are responsible for their own national efforts to end the disease,” the report said.
This awaits memorandums of understanding, or MOUs, negotiated by the State Department with 70 countries over the coming months to specify what entity will provide funding, and for what.
The coalition’s report emphasizes, “Continued strategic U.S. financial and technical support for endemic countries during this transition will determine, to a large extent, the trajectory of the global fight against malaria in this historic moment.”
In profiling five countries — El Salvador, Indonesia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania — and key factors in each one’s malaria response, the coalition notes in particular that across Mozambique, “over 4,000 faith leaders … are using their unique influence to advocate for policy change, deliver public health messaging, mobilize volunteers and monitor medicine supplies — trusted voices mobilizing communities.”
The State Department’s 40-page report on the newly launched America First Global Health Strategy, complained of “significant inefficiency and waste” in U.S. health foreign assistance programs. As an example, the report asserted that data from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, “shockingly” shows “that only about 40% of PEPFAR’s budget goes directly to finance on-the-ground service delivery.”
But a number of Catholic organizations, including Catholic Relief Services — the overseas relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in the U.S. — support the aims of PEPFAR, the largest global health program devoted to a single disease. It is credited with saving 25 million lives from AIDS and with scaling back the epidemic’s spread.
Kurt Jensen writes for OSV News from Washington.
– WASHINGTON (OSV News) — The future of efforts to eliminate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa may depend in part on a U.S. policy shift now drawing mixed reactions. In September, the State Department unveiled the Trump administration’s America First Global Health Strategy, which it described as “a comprehensive vision to make America safer, stronger, and more prosperous” and also claimed it “will protect the homeland by preventing infectious disease outbreaks from reaching U.S. shores.” In a February report, an interfaith coalition of malaria-fighting groups warned that progress against the disease has “slowed in several regions,” calling the current moment a “crossroads.”
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When Heinrich Olbers spotted asteroid Pallas on March 28, 1802, it called into question the recent discovery of Ceres as the “missing” planet between Mars and Jupiter. The Titius-Bode law, a mathematical formula that predicted the expected distances of planets from the Sun and had accurately posited the location of Uranus, suggested there should beContinue reading “March 29, 1807: Heinrich Olbers discovers Vesta”
The post March 29, 1807: Heinrich Olbers discovers Vesta appeared first on Astronomy Magazine.
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Police stopped the two church leaders on their way as they were proceeding privately “without any ceremonial or liturgical manifestations,” and forced them to turn back.
The Houthis, an Iranian proxy group from Yemen, announced on Saturday they may close Bab El Mandeb Strait.
The post Iranian Proxy Group the Houthis from Yemen Say They May Close Bab El Mandeb Strait appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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In a new straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Vice President JD Vance led the field, positioning himself as a top contender for the next Republican presidential nominee.
The post JD Vance Wins CPAC’s 2028 GOP Presidential Straw Poll, Here Are The Full Results appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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A driver plowed a black Suzuki Swift into a crowd of pedestrians in the heart of the UK’s Derby city centre late Saturday night, injuring “numerous” people, some seriously, in what police are describing as a “major incident.” The incident occurred at approximately 9:30 p.m.
The post ‘Absolute Carnage’: Driver Mows Down ‘Numerous’ Pedestrians in Busy UK Derby City Centre, Man in 30s Arrested on the Scene (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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At Palm Sunday Mass and the Angelus following it, the pope prayed for Middle East Christians, victims of war, and migrants who died at sea off Crete.
Bishop António Francisco Jaca emphasized that credible coverage of the papal events requires familiarity with the Church’s structure, mission, and foundational texts.
The new podcast will be released during Holy Week — beginning March 30 and ending on April 2.
Here’s everything you need to know before visiting California’s Joshua Tree National Park.
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U.S. — President Trump has announced the deployment of 10,000 soldiers to help spread the word that there is no war happening in Iran.
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BOSTON, MA — Dozens of significant injuries have been reported at the "No Kings" rally today after a multi-scooter pileup as the protest crossed Tremont Street.
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| Picture of the day |
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Capparis spinosa in the Ichkeul National Park. Today is the first day of spring and Tunisia’s Independence Day.
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A reading from the Book of Isaiah
50:4-7
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
A reading from the Letter to the Philippians
2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
From the Gospel according to Matthew
26:14—27:66
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
"What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?"
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity
to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
"Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?"
He said,
"Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The teacher says, "My appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples."’"
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
"Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me."
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
"Surely it is not I, Lord?"
He said in reply,
"He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
The Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born."
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
"Surely it is not I, Rabbi?"
He answered, "You have said so."
While they were eating,
Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
"Take and eat; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many
for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it with you new
in the kingdom of my Father."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
"This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed;
but after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee."
Peter said to him in reply,
"Though all may have their faith in you shaken,
mine will never be."
Jesus said to him,
"Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times."
Peter said to him,
"Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you."
And all the disciples spoke likewise.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
"Sit here while I go over there and pray."
He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to feel sorrow and distress.
Then he said to them,
"My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me."
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying,
"My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me;
yet, not as I will, but as you will."
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
He said to Peter,
"So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again,
"My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass
without my drinking it, your will be done!"
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open.
He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time,
saying the same thing again.
Then he returned to his disciples and said to them,
"Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Behold, the hour is at hand
when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
Look, my betrayer is at hand."
While he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
who had come from the chief priests and the elders
of the people.
His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying,
"The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him."
Immediately he went over to Jesus and said,
"Hail, Rabbi!" and he kissed him.
Jesus answered him,
"Friend, do what you have come for."
Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus
put his hand to his sword, drew it,
and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him,
"Put your sword back into its sheath,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father
and he will not provide me at this moment
with more than twelve legions of angels?
But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled
which say that it must come to pass in this way?"
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
"Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to seize me?
Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me.
But all this has come to pass
that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled."
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away
to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Peter was following him at a distance
as far as the high priest’s courtyard,
and going inside he sat down with the servants
to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death,
but they found none,
though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward who stated,
"This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God
and within three days rebuild it.’"
The high priest rose and addressed him,
"Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?"
But Jesus was silent.
Then the high priest said to him,
"I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
whether you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Jesus said to him in reply,
"You have said so.
But I tell you:
From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power’
and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’"
Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
"He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses?
You have now heard the blasphemy;
what is your opinion?"
They said in reply,
"He deserves to die!"
Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him, saying,
"Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?"
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
One of the maids came over to him and said,
"You too were with Jesus the Galilean."
But he denied it in front of everyone, saying,
"I do not know what you are talking about!"
As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him
and said to those who were there,
"This man was with Jesus the Nazorean."
Again he denied it with an oath,
"I do not know the man!"
A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter,
"Surely you too are one of them;
even your speech gives you away."
At that he began to curse and to swear,
"I do not know the man."
And immediately a cock crowed.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken:
"Before the cock crows you will deny me three times."
He went out and began to weep bitterly.
When it was morning,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people
took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
They bound him, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned,
deeply regretted what he had done.
He returned the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying,
"I have sinned in betraying innocent blood."
They said,
"What is that to us?
Look to it yourself."
Flinging the money into the temple,
he departed and went off and hanged himself.
The chief priests gathered up the money, but said,
"It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury,
for it is the price of blood."
After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field
as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah
the prophet,
And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the value of a man with a price on his head,
a price set by some of the Israelites,
and they paid it out for the potter’s field
just as the Lord had commanded me.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
Jesus said, "You say so."
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him,
"Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?"
But he did not answer him one word,
so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast
the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd
one prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,
"Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench,
his wife sent him a message,
"Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him."
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply,
"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They answered, "Barabbas!"
Pilate said to them,
"Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?"
They all said,
"Let him be crucified!"
But he said,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Let him be crucified!"
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all,
but that a riot was breaking out instead,
he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd,
saying, "I am innocent of this man’s blood.
Look to it yourselves."
And the whole people said in reply,
"His blood be upon us and upon our children."
Then he released Barabbas to them,
but after he had Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium
and gathered the whole cohort around him.
They stripped off his clothes
and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head,
and a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
They spat upon him and took the reed
and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon;
this man they pressed into service
to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha
—which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.
But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him,
they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him:
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
"You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God,
and come down from the cross!"
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
So he is the king of Israel!
Let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’"
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"This one is calling for Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed,
gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him."
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
and all that was happening, and they said,
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
There were many women there, looking on from a distance,
who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening,
there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph,
who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen
and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.
Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb
and departed.
But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
The next day, the one following the day of preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered before Pilate and said,
"Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said,
‘After three days I will be raised up.’
Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,
lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people,
‘He has been raised from the dead.’
This last imposture would be worse than the first."
Pilate said to them,
"The guard is yours;
go, secure it as best you can."
So they went and secured the tomb
by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
or
Matthew 27:11-54
Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned him,
"Are you the king of the Jews?"
Jesus said, "You say so."
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him,
"Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?"
But he did not answer him one word,
so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast
the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd
one prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,
"Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?"
For he knew that it was out of envy
that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench,
his wife sent him a message,
"Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him."
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply,
"Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They answered, "Barabbas!"
Pilate said to them,
"Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?"
They all said,
"Let him be crucified!"
But he said,
"Why? What evil has he done?"
They only shouted the louder,
"Let him be crucified!"
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all,
but that a riot was breaking out instead,
he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd,
saying, "I am innocent of this man’s blood.
Look to it yourselves."
And the whole people said in reply,
"His blood be upon us and upon our children."
Then he released Barabbas to them,
but after he had Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium
and gathered the whole cohort around him.
They stripped off his clothes
and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head,
and a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,
"Hail, King of the Jews!"
They spat upon him and took the reed
and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon;
this man they pressed into service
to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha
— which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.
But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him,
they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him:
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
"You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God,
and come down from the cross!"
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,
"He saved others; he cannot save himself.
So he is the king of Israel!
Let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’"
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"
which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"This one is calling for Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed,
gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,
‘Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him."
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
and all that was happening, and they said,
"Truly, this was the Son of God!"
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says one thing from the Cross, one thing alone: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). These are powerful words. Jesus had suffered the abandonment of his own, who had fled. But the Father remained for him. Now, in the abyss of solitude, for the first time he calls him by the generic name “God”. And “in a loud voice” he asks the question “why?”, the most excruciating “why?” (…) Why did all this take place? Once again, it was done for our sake, to serve us. So that when we have our back to the wall, when we find ourselves at a dead end, with no light and no way of escape, when it seems that God himself is not responding, we should remember that we are not alone. Jesus experienced total abandonment in a situation he had never before experienced in order to be one with us in everything. (Pope Francis – Homily in the celebration of Palm, 5 April 2020)
Read More![Here is Pope Leo XIV’s schedule for Holy Week and Easter 2026 at the Vatican - #Catholic - VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo XIV will celebrate the liturgies of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum for the first time as pope this week.Palm Sunday marks the start of the one of the busiest and fullest liturgical periods of the year for the Catholic Church and the Vatican, where Leo will celebrate five Masses and preside over several other liturgies and devotions between March 29 and April 6.Here is the Vatican’s full schedule for Holy Week and Easter 2026:Palm Sunday
A solemn procession of cardinals and bishops carrying intricately woven palm fronds enters St. Peter’s Square during Palm Sunday celebrations in Vatican City, April 13, 2025. | Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/EWTN News
On Sunday morning, March 29, the pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square for Palm Sunday, also known as Passion Sunday or the Commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem.The 10 a.m. Mass will begin with a grand procession of the pope with deacons, priests, bishops, cardinals, and laypeople carrying large palms.The procession, which will wind around the square and its central obelisk, includes olive tree branches, palm fronds, and the large, weaved palms called “palmureli.” The Vatican expects to distribute 120,000 olive branches at the Mass.Afterward, Leo will lead the Angelus prayer, as he does every Sunday.Holy ThursdayPope Leo will begin Holy Thursday, April 2, with the celebration of the chrism Mass at 9:30 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.Many of the cardinals, bishops, and priests living in Rome typically concelebrate this Mass, in which the pope, as bishop of Rome, blesses the oil of the sick, the oil of catechumens, and the chrism oil to be used in the diocese during the coming year.At 5:30 p.m., Leo will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at the Basilica of St. John Lateran.Celebrating the Mass at the cathedral church of the Diocese of Rome restores a long-standing practice that Pope Francis set aside in favor of demonstrating closeness to prisoners by offering the Mass at some of the city’s prisons.Good FridayContinuing the liturgies of the Triduum, Leo is scheduled to preside over a service for the passion of the Lord on Good Friday at 5 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.During this liturgy, which is not a Mass, it is the custom for the papal preacher — currently Father Roberto Pasolini, OFM Cap — to give a sermon on Christ’s crucifixion.In the evening, the pope will lead the Stations of the Cross devotion at the Colosseum starting at 9:15 p.m.
Thousands of faithful holding candles surround the illuminated Colosseum in Rome during the traditional Stations of the Cross devotion on Good Friday, April 18, 2025. | Credit: Zofia Czubak/EWTN News
Holy SaturdayLeo will celebrate the Easter Vigil Mass at 9 p.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.The Easter Vigil, which takes place on Holy Saturday night, “is the greatest and most noble of all solemnities,” according to the Roman Missal.The liturgy begins in darkness with the blessing of the new fire and the preparation of the paschal candle. At the Vatican, cardinals, bishops, and priests process through the dark basilica carrying lit candles to signify the light of Christ coming to dispel the darkness.The pope also typically baptizes new Catholics at this Mass.Easter SundayThe morning of Easter Sunday, Leo will preside over Mass in St. Peter’s Square at 10:15 a.m. on a flower-decked parvise.After Mass, he will give the annual Easter “urbi et orbi blessing” from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica.“Urbi et orbi” means “to the city [of Rome] and to the world” and is a special apostolic blessing given by the pope every year on Easter Sunday, Christmas, and other special occasions.For Easter Sunday, the square will be decorated with thousands of flowers from the Netherlands, a custom spanning 40 years.This year, the arrangements will include 65,000 tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, and mini daffodil bulbs; 220 white and orange violets; 7,800 roses, delphiniums, anthuriums, chrysanthemums, gerberas, and matthiolas; 600 branches of plumosa; 80 azaleas; and 600 long branches of willow catkins, long branches of eucalyptus, and various types of foliage.Easter MondayPope Leo will mark Easter Monday, also called “Monday of the Angel,” by praying the Regina Caeli, a Marian prayer recited during the Easter season, at noon from a window of the Apostolic Palace.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/here-is-pope-leo-xivs-schedule-for-holy-week-and-easter-2026-at-the-vatican-catholic-vatican-city-pope-leo-xiv-will-celebrate-the-liturgies-of-holy-week-and-the-easter-triduum.jpg)
Palm Sunday marks the start of the one of the busiest and fullest liturgical periods of the year for the Catholic Church and the Vatican.
