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Villages of Hullathy Gram Panchayat in a steep arid valley in the north face of the Nilgiri Mountains. Villagers have created a vibrant agrarian economy, largely vegetables and tea, using terraces and irrigation. Tamil Nadu, India.
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Departing from Pope Francis’ custom of celebrating the liturgy in prisons or migrant centers, Leo celebrated the rite in the cathedral of Rome and washed the feet of 12 priests of the Diocese of Rome.
Catholic speakers for the May 17 event on the National Mall include Bishop Robert Barron, Father Mike Schmitz, and actor Jonathan Roumie. Cardinal Timothy Dolan is set to offer a video address.
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Little corella (Cacatua sanguinea gymnopis) Murray River, Blanchetown, South Australia. A type of cockatoo.
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President Trump’s first address on the Iran war signaled continued military action, as Catholic leaders called for dialogue and a ceasefire.
EWTN News speaks with Jesuit Father Richard A. D’Souza, director of the Vatican Observatory since September 2025.
![Supreme Court grills both sides in ‘birthright citizenship’ oral arguments - #Catholic - The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday considered whether President Donald Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children of parents without legal immigration status complies with the Constitution.Trump signed an executive order on his first day in office to block children from automatically receiving citizenship if their parents were residing in the country unlawfully during the birth. It immediately faced legal challenges, based on the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, which established birthright citizenship.The amendment guarantees citizenship to any person born in the country and “subject to the jurisdiction thereof.” The April 1 arguments, which Trump attended, focused on the meaning of the latter phrase and on Supreme Court precedent in the 1898 decision in the U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark case.In February, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) petitioned the Supreme Court to consider the moral implications of Trump’s order, saying it will determine “whether the law will protect the human dignity of all God’s children.”Andrew Arthur, resident fellow in law and policy at the Center for Immigration Studies and a former immigration judge, told “EWTN News Nightly” those questions “weren’t really relevant” to the legal debate in court, which instead focused on the proper interpretation of the amendment and precedent.The bishops’ objections were “heavy on morality, on human dignity, but rather light on the law itself,” he said.Justices question Trump’s authoritySolicitor General D. John Sauer, who defended the government, noted the motivation for the 14th Amendment was to guarantee citizenship to “the newly freed slaves and their children” after the abolition of slavery.He argued that the text is meant to protect those who are “domiciled” in the country, which he defined as those with a “lawful presence with the intent to remain.” He said the “domicile of the child follows the domicile of the parents,” and those who are meant to be temporarily present or not allowed to be present are “not covered by the clause.”Sauer referenced the Wong Kim Ark case, in which the Supreme Court said the man — born in the United States to two parents who were legal permanent residents but not citizens — was a citizen upon birth and referenced the parents’ “domiciled” status.Although the nearly 130-year-old decision held a broad view of birthright citizenship, he said the court at the time did not directly address the citizenship of those born to parents who were not “domiciled.”That decision, however, only listed a few examples for when birthright citizenship did not apply: those born to foreign diplomats, those born to occupying enemy forces, and certain Indigenous Americans.Sauer added that there is a problem with “birth tourism,” stating people have “flocked to give birth in the United States in recent decades,” creating citizens with “no meaningful ties” to the country. He told the justices it is “a new world,” which forces the justices to deal with questions that the previous court did not have to consider.This prompted a response from Chief Justice John Roberts: “It’s a new world, [but] it’s the same Constitution.”
It’s a new world, [but] it’s the same Constitution.
John RobertsChief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
Justice Neil Gorsuch expressed heavy skepticism of the argument, saying: “You don’t see ‘domicile’ mentioned in the debates” in Congress over the 14th Amendment, stating: “These concepts aren’t discussed in them.”Justice Elena Kagan similarly said the “domiciled” element is “not what we think of when we think of the word jurisdiction” and accused him of “using some pretty obscure sources to get to this concept.”More concerns came from Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who pointed out the historical distinction between “Jus soli” and “Jus sanguinis” citizenship, with the former guaranteeing citizenship based on the soil and the latter guaranteeing citizenship based on the parents.She said it would be “puzzling” for the framers to word the amendment that way if they wanted to tie citizenship to the parents and that one would expect “more discussion” of that. She said the language doesn’t “focus on the parents” but rather the child.Justices leave door open to interpretationIn spite of the heavy skepticism of the government’s position, several justices left the door open to a more restrictive interpretation of birthright citizenship.Cecillia Wang, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union and a beneficiary of birthright citizenship herself, argued that the framers of the amendment enshrined birthright citizenship in the Constitution to “put it out of the reach of any government official to destroy.”She argued that the 14th amendment embodies the English common law tradition, which did not consider “domicile” to be relevant to “Jus soli” citizenship and said the Wong Kim Ark case did not limit the ruling to the children of “domiciled” parents.Rather, Wang argued the decision provides “a closed set of exceptions” to birthright citizenship, which cannot be expanded without overturning that precedent. She said it was written in a way “to foreclose new exceptions.”Several justices took issue with this as well, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh asking whether there could be “additional exceptions, based on modern circumstances, reasoning by analogy,” and Barrett raising the same point, stating: “The language doesn’t say it’s closed.”Kagan noted that the Wong Kim Ark case used the word “domiciled” several times to explain the ruling, and Justice Samuel Alito argued “domiciled” was used to distinguish permanent residents from migrant laborers who did not plan to remain.Alternatively, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson suggested the language for “domiciled” may have simply been used “to help the public accept the outcome of this case” rather than to limit the decision.Gorsuch said the legal opinion following the Wong Kim Ark decision, about whether the ruling applied to the children of non-domiciled people, “remained opened” and scholarly opinion was varied and unclear, adding: “It seems to me it’s a mess.”The Supreme Court has the option to simply rule on Trump’s executive order or wade into the broader constitutional questions in its decision. The government is not asking the court to reject the birthright citizenship of people who have already received it but is seeking to have a different policy moving forward.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/supreme-court-grills-both-sides-in-birthright-citizenship-oral-arguments-catholic-the-u-s-supreme-court-on-wednesday-considered-whether-president-donald-trumps-executi.jpg)
The U.S. Supreme Court will decide the constitutionality of President Donald Trump’s executive order denying citizenship to children of parents without legal immigration status.
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A previously unpublished illustration intended for the Saturday Evening Post’s 1943 New Year’s edition. It was never used due to publisher demands that the illustrator, J.C. Leyendecker, create a more optimistic and patriotic cover that was sensitive to the families of American soldiers. It was publicly shown for the first time in 2020 as part of an auction.
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![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.
![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.
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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.”
Pope Leo XIV has chosen four U.S. Catholics to serve in a Vatican office that focuses heavily on immigration.
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Morning in a Pine Forest (1889) by Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Konstantin Savitsky.
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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.
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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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![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.
The Holy Father urged Catholics in Monaco to “announce the Gospel of life, hope and love” and defend the dignity of human beings from birth to death.
![Pope Leo XIV to youth of Monaco: ‘Do not be afraid to give everything to God’ – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV met with young people and catechumens of Monaco at the Church of Saint Devota, the third public engagement of his one-day trip to the micro-state on March 28.After listening to the testimonies of several young people, Leo XIV spoke of the figure of Saint Devota, the patroness of Monaco, describing her as “a courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith in the face of the violence of her persecutors, even unto martyrdom.” “Good is stronger than evil, even when, at times, it may seem — in the immediate moment — to be getting the worst of it,” the pope said. “Moreover, [Devota] reminds us that the witness of faith is a seed capable of reaching and bearing fruit in distant hearts and places, far beyond our own expectations and capabilities.”“In this very church, quite recently,” the pope said, “the memory of the Holy Martyr Devota has been joined by that of Saint Carlo Acutis — another young person deeply in love with Jesus, faithful to his friendship with Christ until the very end, albeit in a completely different era and in completely different ways.” “These two saints encourage us and urge us to imitate them,” the Holy Father said. In the modern world, “faith encounters challenges and obstacles,” the pope said, “yet nothing can dim its beauty or obscure its truth.” Responding to the testimonies of the youth, the pope highlighted “a fundamental aspect of the Christian life: the vitality of one’s relationship with Christ and, within that relationship, the sense of unity that is forged both within ourselves and with others." “The modern and post-modern eras have enriched us with many good things; yet, they also confront us with significant challenges — challenges we cannot ignore and which we must face with clarity and awareness,” he said. “What gives solidity to life is love: first and foremost, the fundamental experience of God’s love, and then — as a reflection of that — the illuminating and sacred experience of mutual love.”“And loving one another — while on the one hand requiring an openness to growth, and thus to change — on the other demands fidelity, constancy, and a readiness to make sacrifices in the daily rhythm of life,” the pope added. “Only in this way does restlessness find peace, and the inner void become filled — not with material and fleeting things, nor with the virtual validation of thousands of ‘likes,’ nor with restrictive, artificial, or at times even violent forms of belonging.” “We must clear these things away from the threshold of the heart, so that the healthy, oxygenating air of grace may once again return to refresh and revitalize its chambers, and so that the strong wind of the Holy Spirit may resume filling the sails of our existence, propelling it toward true happiness,” he said. Earlier in the day the pope met with Monacoʼs royal family before meeting with Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Leo XIV is the first pope to visit the costal European nation-state in nearly 500 years.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pope-leo-xiv-to-youth-of-monaco-do-not-be-afraid-to-give-everything-to-god-catholic-pope-leo-xiv-met-with-young-people-and-catechumens-of-monaco-at-the-church-of-saint-devota-the-third-publ.jpg "Pope Leo XIV to youth of Monaco: ‘Do not be afraid to give everything to God’ – #Catholic – Pope Leo XIV met with young people and catechumens of Monaco at the Church of Saint Devota, the third public engagement of his one-day trip to the micro-state on March 28.After listening to the testimonies of several young people, Leo XIV spoke of the figure of Saint Devota, the patroness of Monaco, describing her as “a courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith in the face of the violence of her persecutors, even unto martyrdom.” “Good is stronger than evil, even when, at times, it may seem — in the immediate moment — to be getting the worst of it,” the pope said. “Moreover, [Devota] reminds us that the witness of faith is a seed capable of reaching and bearing fruit in distant hearts and places, far beyond our own expectations and capabilities.”“In this very church, quite recently,” the pope said, “the memory of the Holy Martyr Devota has been joined by that of Saint Carlo Acutis — another young person deeply in love with Jesus, faithful to his friendship with Christ until the very end, albeit in a completely different era and in completely different ways.” “These two saints encourage us and urge us to imitate them,” the Holy Father said. In the modern world, “faith encounters challenges and obstacles,” the pope said, “yet nothing can dim its beauty or obscure its truth.” Responding to the testimonies of the youth, the pope highlighted “a fundamental aspect of the Christian life: the vitality of one’s relationship with Christ and, within that relationship, the sense of unity that is forged both within ourselves and with others.\" “The modern and post-modern eras have enriched us with many good things; yet, they also confront us with significant challenges — challenges we cannot ignore and which we must face with clarity and awareness,” he said. “What gives solidity to life is love: first and foremost, the fundamental experience of God’s love, and then — as a reflection of that — the illuminating and sacred experience of mutual love.”“And loving one another — while on the one hand requiring an openness to growth, and thus to change — on the other demands fidelity, constancy, and a readiness to make sacrifices in the daily rhythm of life,” the pope added. “Only in this way does restlessness find peace, and the inner void become filled — not with material and fleeting things, nor with the virtual validation of thousands of ‘likes,’ nor with restrictive, artificial, or at times even violent forms of belonging.” “We must clear these things away from the threshold of the heart, so that the healthy, oxygenating air of grace may once again return to refresh and revitalize its chambers, and so that the strong wind of the Holy Spirit may resume filling the sails of our existence, propelling it toward true happiness,” he said. Earlier in the day the pope met with Monacoʼs royal family before meeting with Catholics at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Leo XIV is the first pope to visit the costal European nation-state in nearly 500 years.")
The Holy Father described the Monacan patron Saint Devota as “a courageous young woman who knew how to bear witness to her faith.”
Bangladesh bishops say “no” to government support, Seoul archbishop urges defense of life amid war, second church built in Mosul after ISIS, and more in this week’s roundup of Catholic world news.
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Saint Joseph depicted holding a staff with lily blossoms and the Christ Child on a stained-glass window in the Saint Antony church in Urtijëi. Today is St. Joseph’s feast day in Western Christianity.
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Mother Angelica knew from experience that “God works through humble, unexpected instruments to spread his Gospel,” said the principal celebrant at the Mass, Father Michael Baggot, LC.
Nearly 30 lawmakers are urging the U.S. to “use its veto power” to prevent Michelle Bachelet from being selected as U.N. secretary-general and “to preserve the role for a more qualified candidate.”
The Supreme Court of Finland has acquitted Päivi Räsänen over her 2019 Bible verse tweet and found her guilty of hate speech over a pamphlet she wrote more than 20 years ago.
EWTN will commemorate its foundress with a Vatican Mass and daylong programming celebrating her life of faith and media innovation.
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An equirectangular 360×180 degree view of the choir of the nave of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. Today is Saint Patrick’s Day.
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International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry emphasized that “the policy we have announced is based on science.”
The Basilica of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem contains objects that were transported from Jerusalem to Rome thanks to St. Helena, mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine.
The city’s ordinance sought to force her to photograph same-sex weddings and restrict the opinions she could publish on her website.
After the Archdiocese of Chicago closed St. Hubert Catholic School, parents are appealing to the Vatican, saying the school could still be viable.
At a symposium titled “Synodality and Praedicate Gospel” at the University of Bonn, the cardinal said he used to be more conservative on this issue but changed his mind.
![Judicial Watch pushes for transparency in 2023 FBI memo linking extremist risk to some Catholics – #Catholic – The conservative legal group Judicial Watch is continuing to push for more transparency around a memo targeting traditionalist Catholics, which was issued in early 2023 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Richmond field office.The memo detailed an investigation into a purported connection between “radical traditionalist” Catholics and “the far-right white nationalist movement.” It recommended “trip wire or source development” in Catholic parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass and “radical traditionalist” Catholic communities online.In a federal district court hearing March 20, lawyers for Judicial Watch complained that the FBI has not been fully compliant in its release of records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit against the FBI along with CatholicVote Civic Action.Although the FBI released more than 200 documents to Judicial Watch, the attorney handling the case, Meredith DiLiberto, told EWTN News they were heavily redacted. Although she said some redactions may be legitimate, “they didn’t provide any justification” for any redactions, in spite of the legal requirement that each redaction be justified.DiLiberto said “without that [justification], we really can’t narrow the issues” and determine what redactions are legitimate and what redactions should be challenged in court. She said the judge hearing the case, Judge Amir H. Ali, appeared sympathetic to the concerns raised by Judicial Watch and scheduled a status report for March 27.Judicial Watch is concerned about redactions related to “a lot of internal communication,” which DiLiberto said “is a lot of the cover-up.”“If they were to release the information, we would see kind of how intentional this was, [and] that this wasn’t [just] one or two agents,” she said.The Richmond FBI memo was initially drafted under former President Joe Biden’s administration, and DiLiberto said “we’re not surprised [the redactions] happened under the last administration,” but said the FBI “continues to withhold this information” throughout President Donald Trump’s administration.DiLiberto said the organization is disappointed because FBI Director Kash Patel had seemed “very emotionally invested” in promising more transparency. She recalled his statements at his confirmation hearing about how he would conduct himself.“There’s not been any difference,” DiLiberto said, adding that simply by following this case, “you would not have known that there was a dramatic shift in the political atmosphere.”The FBI’s National Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.After the memo was leaked to the public in early February 2023, the FBI retracted it and removed it from its systems for not meeting “the exacting standards of the FBI.” Over the past three years, Judicial Watch and the House Judiciary Committee have sought more information about the memo and the broader scope of the inquiry into traditionalist Catholics.This uncovered FBI surveillance of a Catholic priest for refusing to divulge information about a parishioner who was suspected of planning political violence. The priest cited priest-penitent privilege. It also uncovered that the FBI sent at least one undercover agent into a church and that the inquiry was discussed among several field offices.Several bishops criticized the memo, including Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout, who called it a “threat to religious liberty” and said lawmakers should “ensure that such offenses against the constitutionally protected free exercise of religion do not occur again.”The FBI memo focused on allegations about violent extremism that sometimes included racist or white supremacist ideas. It was assessing whether a subset of Catholics might overlap with racially motivated violent extremism.The Catholic Church rejects racism. According to the Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes: “Every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language, or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.” White nationalism directly conflicts with Catholic principles of human dignity, solidarity, justice, and the common good.In a statement prior to the hearing, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton expressed frustration over continued redactions in documents it has received.“Why won’t this DOJ and FBI reveal the full record on one of the most notorious abuses of power under Biden — the FBI’s targeting of Catholics for their Christian religious beliefs,” Fitton said. “This concerns the First Amendment, and the Biden Justice Department’s flagrant abuse may be criminal.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/judicial-watch-pushes-for-transparency-in-2023-fbi-memo-linking-extremist-risk-to-some-catholics-catholic-the-conservative-legal-group-judicial-watch-is-continuing-to-push-for-more-transparency-a.jpg "Judicial Watch pushes for transparency in 2023 FBI memo linking extremist risk to some Catholics – #Catholic – The conservative legal group Judicial Watch is continuing to push for more transparency around a memo targeting traditionalist Catholics, which was issued in early 2023 by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Richmond field office.The memo detailed an investigation into a purported connection between “radical traditionalist” Catholics and “the far-right white nationalist movement.” It recommended “trip wire or source development” in Catholic parishes that offer the Traditional Latin Mass and “radical traditionalist” Catholic communities online.In a federal district court hearing March 20, lawyers for Judicial Watch complained that the FBI has not been fully compliant in its release of records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit against the FBI along with CatholicVote Civic Action.Although the FBI released more than 200 documents to Judicial Watch, the attorney handling the case, Meredith DiLiberto, told EWTN News they were heavily redacted. Although she said some redactions may be legitimate, “they didn’t provide any justification” for any redactions, in spite of the legal requirement that each redaction be justified.DiLiberto said “without that [justification], we really can’t narrow the issues” and determine what redactions are legitimate and what redactions should be challenged in court. She said the judge hearing the case, Judge Amir H. Ali, appeared sympathetic to the concerns raised by Judicial Watch and scheduled a status report for March 27.Judicial Watch is concerned about redactions related to “a lot of internal communication,” which DiLiberto said “is a lot of the cover-up.”“If they were to release the information, we would see kind of how intentional this was, [and] that this wasn’t [just] one or two agents,” she said.The Richmond FBI memo was initially drafted under former President Joe Biden’s administration, and DiLiberto said “we’re not surprised [the redactions] happened under the last administration,” but said the FBI “continues to withhold this information” throughout President Donald Trump’s administration.DiLiberto said the organization is disappointed because FBI Director Kash Patel had seemed “very emotionally invested” in promising more transparency. She recalled his statements at his confirmation hearing about how he would conduct himself.“There’s not been any difference,” DiLiberto said, adding that simply by following this case, “you would not have known that there was a dramatic shift in the political atmosphere.”The FBI’s National Press Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.After the memo was leaked to the public in early February 2023, the FBI retracted it and removed it from its systems for not meeting “the exacting standards of the FBI.” Over the past three years, Judicial Watch and the House Judiciary Committee have sought more information about the memo and the broader scope of the inquiry into traditionalist Catholics.This uncovered FBI surveillance of a Catholic priest for refusing to divulge information about a parishioner who was suspected of planning political violence. The priest cited priest-penitent privilege. It also uncovered that the FBI sent at least one undercover agent into a church and that the inquiry was discussed among several field offices.Several bishops criticized the memo, including Richmond Bishop Barry Knestout, who called it a “threat to religious liberty” and said lawmakers should “ensure that such offenses against the constitutionally protected free exercise of religion do not occur again.”The FBI memo focused on allegations about violent extremism that sometimes included racist or white supremacist ideas. It was assessing whether a subset of Catholics might overlap with racially motivated violent extremism.The Catholic Church rejects racism. According to the Second Vatican Council’s Gaudium et Spes: “Every type of discrimination, whether social or cultural, whether based on sex, race, color, social condition, language, or religion, is to be overcome and eradicated as contrary to God’s intent.” White nationalism directly conflicts with Catholic principles of human dignity, solidarity, justice, and the common good.In a statement prior to the hearing, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton expressed frustration over continued redactions in documents it has received.“Why won’t this DOJ and FBI reveal the full record on one of the most notorious abuses of power under Biden — the FBI’s targeting of Catholics for their Christian religious beliefs,” Fitton said. “This concerns the First Amendment, and the Biden Justice Department’s flagrant abuse may be criminal.”")
Lawyers for Judicial Watch complained the FBI has not been fully compliant in its release of records under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
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Common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), Arrábida National Park, Portugal. The common cuttlefish is one of the largest and best-known cuttlefish species. They are a migratory species that spend the summer and spring inshore for spawning and then move to depths of 100 to 200m during autumn and winter. They only have a lifespan of 1–2 years and have many predators including sharks, dolphins, seals, fish, and cephalopods which includes other cuttlefish. During the day, most cuttlefish can be found buried below the substrate and fairly inactive. At night however, they are actively searching for prey and can ambush them from under the substrate. Cuttlefish are carnivorous and eat a variety of organisms including crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), small fish, molluscs (clams and snails), and sometimes other cuttlefish.
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Abortionist and convicted serial killer Kermit Gosnell, believed to have murdered thousands and convicted of involuntary manslaughter of a woman and the murders of three infants, died in prison at 85.
![Molotov cocktail thrown at participants at March for Life in Lisbon, Portugal – #Catholic – A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, March 21, for throwing an incendiary device at participants at the March for Life in front of the country’s Parliament building in Lisbon, Portugal. According to the police, at the time of the attack “the demonstration comprised approximately 500 participants,” including families with young children and babies. The man approached the scene and “hurled an improvised incendiary device — a ‘Molotov cocktail’ containing gasoline — in the direction of the people present; the device struck the ground but failed to ignite, thereby averting potentially more serious consequences.”The suspect was apprehended and arrested at the scene. The police stated that other “individuals who were allegedly part of a group with anarchist leanings” fled, but three members were subsequently identified.The authorities also seized the device, “consisting of a glass bottle containing flammable liquid and textile material — as well as other items of evidentiary value.”Commenting on the case, Portugal’s minister of internal administration, Luís Neves, said on social media: “We do not tolerate any form of violent extremism, and we will continue to act firmly to prevent and combat it, safeguarding democratic values.”Act of terrorismThe Portuguese Federation for Life, which organized the March for Life, issued a statement on March 23 classifying Saturday’s incident as a “terrorist attack.”In recounting the event, the federation emphasized that while the incendiary device did not ignite, “the fuel used in the device” splashed on “several people, including two babies.”“Had the ignition not failed, we would be talking today about the deaths of children and infants,” the federation stated. However, the group emphasized that “the failure of the attack cannot obscure the fact that a political organization planned and sought to carry out an attack using an incendiary device against a public event packed with families, youths, and children.”The Portuguese Federation for Life urged “that this attack be treated by the authorities as the act of terrorism that it is.” The group also requested that if any link between the attackers and a political organization is established, that organization should “be declared a terrorist organization, as provided for in the counterterrorism law.”Furthermore, the federation called upon “all those who, especially in the exercise of public office, have in recent years employed a tone of hatred against the pro-life movement, accusing us of countless evils, to search their consciences and understand the consequences of their rhetoric.”The federation announced that it will request a meeting with the minister of internal administration and the prosecutor general of the republic to address the incident and that, “at the appropriate moment,” it will “join as an amicus curiae [friend of the court] in the ensuing judicial proceedings.”Gravely unacceptable incidentThe patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, condemned the attack against the March for Life.“Such events are gravely unacceptable,” Sousa Valério said. He emphasized that “violence is never the way,” that it “harms human dignity and does not serve the truth.” “And it becomes even more painful when it threatens the most vulnerable, especially children, who should always be a sign of hope and never exposed to fear,” he pointed out.The patriarch expressed “his closeness to all those who participated in this initiative and, in particular, to the families and children who may have felt fear and insecurity.”“The Church is close to everyone; it accompanies and prays for each person. No incidence of violence can erase the good accomplished, the witness given, and the hope sown,” he said.The March for LifeThe March for Life took place in 12 Portuguese cities on Saturday. In addition to Lisbon, demonstrators took to the streets to take a stand against abortion and euthanasia in Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Coimbra, Faro, Guarda, Lamego, Porto, Setúbal, and Viseu.This year, the March for Life adopted the theme “The Pro-Life People Take to the Streets” and aimed to be a march “for the dignity of all human beings, for life from the moment of conception until natural death, and for families.”Abortion was legalized in Portugal in 2007 after a national referendum.Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the participants of the March for Life, stating that “the family is, by divine design, the natural guardian of life” and therefore, it is necessary “to ensure that it does not lack the conditions required to welcome nascent life and to care, with renewed commitment, for that which is in decline (ailing or elderly persons).”“May public resources sustain Portuguese families, specifically supporting women who are about to become mothers and fostering the implementation of authentic policies of solidarity that draw citizens closer to the most needy, the marginalized, the lonely, and migrants in whom the face of Christ shines,” the pope said.Of the culture of death, Leo said that “mere declarations of good intentions, and least of all, illusory forms of compassion such as euthanasia and, ultimately, abortion, do not serve the development of our societies.”In his view, “ideas and words that inspire actions and gestures that raise up human dignity are indispensable, a goal to which friendship with Christ, fostered through the prayerful reading of the Gospel within the family, contributes immensely.”The pope also encouraged newlyweds to “welcome God’s love and allow it to bear fruit, thereby mirroring the joy of marriage and parenthood.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/molotov-cocktail-thrown-at-participants-at-march-for-life-in-lisbon-portugal-catholic-a-39-year-old-man-was-arrested-on-saturday-march-21-for-throwing-an-incendiary-device-at-participants-at-t.webp "Molotov cocktail thrown at participants at March for Life in Lisbon, Portugal – #Catholic – A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday, March 21, for throwing an incendiary device at participants at the March for Life in front of the country’s Parliament building in Lisbon, Portugal. According to the police, at the time of the attack “the demonstration comprised approximately 500 participants,” including families with young children and babies. The man approached the scene and “hurled an improvised incendiary device — a ‘Molotov cocktail’ containing gasoline — in the direction of the people present; the device struck the ground but failed to ignite, thereby averting potentially more serious consequences.”The suspect was apprehended and arrested at the scene. The police stated that other “individuals who were allegedly part of a group with anarchist leanings” fled, but three members were subsequently identified.The authorities also seized the device, “consisting of a glass bottle containing flammable liquid and textile material — as well as other items of evidentiary value.”Commenting on the case, Portugal’s minister of internal administration, Luís Neves, said on social media: “We do not tolerate any form of violent extremism, and we will continue to act firmly to prevent and combat it, safeguarding democratic values.”Act of terrorismThe Portuguese Federation for Life, which organized the March for Life, issued a statement on March 23 classifying Saturday’s incident as a “terrorist attack.”In recounting the event, the federation emphasized that while the incendiary device did not ignite, “the fuel used in the device” splashed on “several people, including two babies.”“Had the ignition not failed, we would be talking today about the deaths of children and infants,” the federation stated. However, the group emphasized that “the failure of the attack cannot obscure the fact that a political organization planned and sought to carry out an attack using an incendiary device against a public event packed with families, youths, and children.”The Portuguese Federation for Life urged “that this attack be treated by the authorities as the act of terrorism that it is.” The group also requested that if any link between the attackers and a political organization is established, that organization should “be declared a terrorist organization, as provided for in the counterterrorism law.”Furthermore, the federation called upon “all those who, especially in the exercise of public office, have in recent years employed a tone of hatred against the pro-life movement, accusing us of countless evils, to search their consciences and understand the consequences of their rhetoric.”The federation announced that it will request a meeting with the minister of internal administration and the prosecutor general of the republic to address the incident and that, “at the appropriate moment,” it will “join as an amicus curiae [friend of the court] in the ensuing judicial proceedings.”Gravely unacceptable incidentThe patriarch of Lisbon, Rui Manuel Sousa Valério, condemned the attack against the March for Life.“Such events are gravely unacceptable,” Sousa Valério said. He emphasized that “violence is never the way,” that it “harms human dignity and does not serve the truth.” “And it becomes even more painful when it threatens the most vulnerable, especially children, who should always be a sign of hope and never exposed to fear,” he pointed out.The patriarch expressed “his closeness to all those who participated in this initiative and, in particular, to the families and children who may have felt fear and insecurity.”“The Church is close to everyone; it accompanies and prays for each person. No incidence of violence can erase the good accomplished, the witness given, and the hope sown,” he said.The March for LifeThe March for Life took place in 12 Portuguese cities on Saturday. In addition to Lisbon, demonstrators took to the streets to take a stand against abortion and euthanasia in Aveiro, Beja, Braga, Bragança, Coimbra, Faro, Guarda, Lamego, Porto, Setúbal, and Viseu.This year, the March for Life adopted the theme “The Pro-Life People Take to the Streets” and aimed to be a march “for the dignity of all human beings, for life from the moment of conception until natural death, and for families.”Abortion was legalized in Portugal in 2007 after a national referendum.Pope Leo XIV sent a message to the participants of the March for Life, stating that “the family is, by divine design, the natural guardian of life” and therefore, it is necessary “to ensure that it does not lack the conditions required to welcome nascent life and to care, with renewed commitment, for that which is in decline (ailing or elderly persons).”“May public resources sustain Portuguese families, specifically supporting women who are about to become mothers and fostering the implementation of authentic policies of solidarity that draw citizens closer to the most needy, the marginalized, the lonely, and migrants in whom the face of Christ shines,” the pope said.Of the culture of death, Leo said that “mere declarations of good intentions, and least of all, illusory forms of compassion such as euthanasia and, ultimately, abortion, do not serve the development of our societies.”In his view, “ideas and words that inspire actions and gestures that raise up human dignity are indispensable, a goal to which friendship with Christ, fostered through the prayerful reading of the Gospel within the family, contributes immensely.”The pope also encouraged newlyweds to “welcome God’s love and allow it to bear fruit, thereby mirroring the joy of marriage and parenthood.”This story was first published by ACI Digital, the Portuguese-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.")
After the incendiary device failed to ignite, a suspect was arrested. The march organizers called it an act of terrorism, and the patriarch of Lisbon condemned the attack.
“The pain from the Native American boarding school era continues to echo today,” four U.S. bishops wrote to lawmakers.
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Fishermen fishing in the chars (shifting sediment islands) of the river Padma in Rajshahi District, Bangladesh. The chars are being frequently visible as the river is drying up. Today is the International Day of Action for Rivers.
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![Faith-based summer camp restores hope for kids of fallen heroes - #Catholic - On their first day at LifeCampUSA, middle-school-aged campers are taught how to use a map and a compass to learn how to find their way around. Then they’re given a Bible — for many, their first time having one — and shown how to find the different books of the Bible, after which there’s a discussion about how God’s word can serve as a map and compass in life.For boys and girls who have lost their dads in military service, as first responders, or in law enforcement, LifeCampUSA and its Bible-based curriculum can be a life-changing summer experience where they forge new friendships and find a relationship with God.Founded by married couple Mark and Jane Neumann, the camp — which, according to its website, is “a Christian ministry unassociated with a specific church or religious denomination” — first opened in the summer of 2021 after the Neumanns met a group of middle schoolers from military families and heard about the struggles they faced in the aftermath of losing their fathers. Having experience working with middle schoolers in youth ministry at their church, the Neumanns felt called to help these children and “become fathers to the fatherless.”Despite neither one growing up in a typical military family, both Jane and Mark grew up with a “general sense of patriotism,” Jane told EWTN News in an interview.The Neumanns emphasized that they start the week at camp with the map and compass lesson because they want the children to leave knowing that “just like with the compass you’re not going to get lost if you follow the Bible’s lessons and what this book has for you; it’s going to give you direction in life,” Mark said.
Middle-school-aged girls attend LifeCampUSA. | Credit: Photo courtesy of LifeCampUSA
LifeCampUSA offers their summer camp program in several different states across the United States including Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Each camp has spaces for 10 boys and 10 girls. Each boy is assigned his own male mentor, while five couples serve as mentors for the girls’ camp.“We have five couples for the girls so that the men can speak into the girls’ lives safely there and that the girls can see father figures [and] hear the things that a dad would want to tell their daughters, but also see the healthy marriages,” Mark explained.Additionally, all expenses — including airfare — are completely covered by LifeCampUSA for the campers who attend. Also, all campers can take part in a 12-month program called LifeCare after their week at camp to continue their mentorship.Mark and Jane also highlighted the way in which they’ve seen young boys in particular grow into young men during their time at camp. Jane shared that much of the feedback she receives from moms once their sons get back home is how much more respectful they are and how they begin to take more initiative in helping around the house.One of Mark’s favorite stories was from a mom who shared with him that her son began leading his family in prayer before every meal after getting back home from camp.“I mean there’s countless stories — it’s been such a blessing,” Mark said.The Neumanns also pointed out the impact camp has on the many children who have lost their fathers due to suicide after serving the country. They shared that out of the 100 children who are signed up to attend camp this summer, 80% have lost their dads from suicide.“Moms will tell us that they didn’t mean for this to happen, but they feel a sense of shame when their husbands have taken their own lives, and they didn’t even want necessarily that sense of shame, but it just naturally happens and they don’t mean to project that onto their kids, but it just has,” Jane explained.She added that these children also face bullying in school after kids find out the manner in which they lost their fathers.
A group of campers and their mentors at LifeCampUSA. | Credit: Photo courtesy of LifeCampUSA
“Their dads are our nation’s heroes. [Yet] somebody finds out that that dad had an injury to their mind, they don’t understand that, but they have no problem bullying our kids, teasing them that their dads took their own lives. And so they don’t want anybody to know,” she shared. “… And now these kids — they’re almost suppressing their patriotism, putting shame into their lives. So our kids come to camp with that stigmatism.”However, many of the mothers of these children have shared that after they attend camp they witness a “change in their hearts and their heads and it puts more confidence in them, it puts a pride in there for their dad, it puts pride back in for our nation,” Jane said.Most importantly, the children are introduced to Jesus, which Mark and Jane believe is the greatest reason for the success seen during their summer camps.“So, [when] you put the Creator in the heart and you know who your creator is, so many things get worked out. … We recognize the fact that Jesus is the one — when we can put Jesus into the program, we’re going to have the best success for these kiddos and families,” Jane said.“We know that really we have the answer to the healing for these kids. That’s it. And so we want to tell them about Jesus because that’s the real solution,” Mark added.Mark shared that their main hope for children who attend LifeCampUSA is to give them “hope, to be honest, because a lot of them are pretty hopeless,” and to “change the direction of their life.”](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/faith-based-summer-camp-restores-hope-for-kids-of-fallen-heroes-catholic-on-their-first-day-at-lifecampusa-middle-school-aged-campers-are-taught-how-to-use-a-map-and-a-compass-to-learn-how-to-fi.png)
LifeCampUSA is a summer program for middle-schoolers who have lost fathers in military service, law enforcement, or as first responders.
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British Drift Championship driver Adam Simmons and his JZ-powered R33 visiting the Norfolk Arena Drift Team at Swaffham Raceway.
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A Jesuit priest had joined other Christian objectors in suing the federal government over being barred from the holding compound.
“The aggressions against Christians in the West Bank are multiplying,” Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali of Jerusalem told “EWTN News Nightly.”
When people are in crisis, they reach out to their priests and deacons. But who shepherds the shepherds? The answer, for Deacon Ernie Martinez, starts with brother priests and deacons.
Special Olympics is the world’s largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities with nearly 5 million Special Olympics athletes.
![U.S. chemical abortions as a result of telehealth rise by 25%, report finds – #Catholic – The U.S. saw a slight increase in all abortions in 2025 and a more than 25% increase in chemical abortions obtained through telehealth, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute.There were 1,126,000 total abortions recorded in 2025 in the U.S., a less than 1% increase from 2024. The report concedes, however, that the numbers are an “underestimate” of the total number of abortions nationally because abortions that are not provided by U.S. clinicians are not included.The report also found that women traveled less frequently to obtain an abortion, coinciding with an increase in the number of chemical abortions obtained through telehealth provision.“What’s really concerning is that we see a big increase in telehealth abortions,” Michael New, a scholar at The Catholic University of America, told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.” “They found that in states with abortion bans, over 91,000 women obtained abortions by telehealth. That was over a 25% increase from the previous year.”“This really shows telehealth abortions are increasing abortion numbers,” New said. “Putting some limits on these telehealth abortions needs to be a top priority for pro-lifers.”U.S. senators launch investigation into chemical abortion drug manufacturersFive U.S. senators launched an investigation this week into chemical abortion drug manufacturers’ compliance with FDA safeguards, urging the FDA to take action on issues surrounding chemical abortions obtained through telehealth.Led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the senators in a March 25 letter pressed the FDA to “take immediate action,” citing concerns about women’s safety, fraud risks, and illegal sales of abortion drugs.Cassidy and Sens. Steve Daines, R-Montana; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi; and Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, requested records from abortion drug manufacturers Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro and Evita Solutions.“It is unclear how the three FDA-approved chemical abortion drug manufacturers, Danco, GenBioPro, and Evita, ensure that prescribers and pharmacies comply with the few remaining [Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy] requirements, especially when pills are sold online and without the in-person oversight of a medical professional,” the press release from the senators read.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley investigates abortion drug manufacturersU.S. Sen. Josh Hawley launched his own investigation into abortion drug manufacturers last week, requesting records from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro.Hawley is concerned that drug companies profited from abortion pills while knowing the risks to women.“Mounting evidence suggests that mifepristone poses grave risks to women,” Hawley wrote in the letter. “Yet your company has continued to profit from the widespread distribution of this drug even as serious questions have emerged about hemorrhage, infection, sepsis, and other dangerous complications associated with its use.”Judge grants $1 murder bail, $2,000 for drug possession for Georgia woman after infant daughter diesA Georgia judge granted a $1 bond for a woman accused of murder after introducing oxycodone into her infant daughter’s system and also ordered a $1,000 bond for each of two drug charges.In late December 2025, Alexia Moore allegedly took eight misoprostol pills when she was between 22 and 24 weeks pregnant and “introduced illegal oxycodone into the infant’s system,” according to the arrest warrant. She gave birth prematurely to a baby girl who died within the hour. Moore was arrested on March 4, facing one count of murder for unlawfully causing the death of the infant with “malice aforethought” and two drug-related charges.Reports circulated blaming Georgia’s pro-life law for the arrest, but the Georgia law does not criminalize women who have abortions — no U.S. state does.Ohio bill would recognize unborn babies with heartbeats with certificate of lifeA recently proposed Ohio bill would require a certificate of life for unborn babies whose heartbeats are detectable.The bill, backed by Republican state Rep. Jean Schmidt, would recognize unborn babies with detectable heartbeats through a certificate of life.In Ohio, if an unborn baby dies, a death certificate is only required after 20 weeks’ gestation. The new bill would also move this requirement date to when the unborn baby has a heartbeat.The bill would amend the law to “require the registration of all fetal deaths” and “the filing of a certificate of life after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.”Another recent Ohio bill, backed by state Reps. Johnathan Newman and Jennifer Gross, would inform women who obtain abortion pills about abortion pill reversal.“More than 8,000 babies have been saved from the abortion reversal pill,” Newman said. “This is important legislation that supports women and protects life.”Missouri bishops urge prayer, fasting for passage of pro-life amendmentMissouri bishops are urging people to pray and fast for the passage of a pro-life amendment.An amendment enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution passed in 2024, eliminating pro-life laws and other safeguards.“This year, Missourians will have the opportunity to restore those safeguards by voting for Amendment 3,” the bishops wrote. “The proposed constitutional amendment will protect women’s health and safety and restore protections for the unborn.”The bishops encouraged the faithful to pray the nine-month “Novena for the Dignity of Human Life” on the 25th day of each month. The novena began in February.“We ask the faithful and all people of goodwill to join us in prayer and fasting for the success of Amendment 3 and to support each human person from conception to natural death,” the bishops wrote.](https://unitedyam.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/u-s-chemical-abortions-as-a-result-of-telehealth-rise-by-25-report-finds-catholic-the-u-s-saw-a-slight-increase-in-all-abortions-in-2025-and-a-more-than-25-increase-in-chemical-abortions-obtai-scaled.jpg "U.S. chemical abortions as a result of telehealth rise by 25%, report finds – #Catholic – The U.S. saw a slight increase in all abortions in 2025 and a more than 25% increase in chemical abortions obtained through telehealth, according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute.There were 1,126,000 total abortions recorded in 2025 in the U.S., a less than 1% increase from 2024. The report concedes, however, that the numbers are an “underestimate” of the total number of abortions nationally because abortions that are not provided by U.S. clinicians are not included.The report also found that women traveled less frequently to obtain an abortion, coinciding with an increase in the number of chemical abortions obtained through telehealth provision.“What’s really concerning is that we see a big increase in telehealth abortions,” Michael New, a scholar at The Catholic University of America, told “EWTN Pro-Life Weekly.” “They found that in states with abortion bans, over 91,000 women obtained abortions by telehealth. That was over a 25% increase from the previous year.”“This really shows telehealth abortions are increasing abortion numbers,” New said. “Putting some limits on these telehealth abortions needs to be a top priority for pro-lifers.”U.S. senators launch investigation into chemical abortion drug manufacturersFive U.S. senators launched an investigation this week into chemical abortion drug manufacturers’ compliance with FDA safeguards, urging the FDA to take action on issues surrounding chemical abortions obtained through telehealth.Led by Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Louisiana, chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, the senators in a March 25 letter pressed the FDA to “take immediate action,” citing concerns about women’s safety, fraud risks, and illegal sales of abortion drugs.Cassidy and Sens. Steve Daines, R-Montana; James Lankford, R-Oklahoma; Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Mississippi; and Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, requested records from abortion drug manufacturers Danco Laboratories, GenBioPro and Evita Solutions.“It is unclear how the three FDA-approved chemical abortion drug manufacturers, Danco, GenBioPro, and Evita, ensure that prescribers and pharmacies comply with the few remaining [Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy] requirements, especially when pills are sold online and without the in-person oversight of a medical professional,” the press release from the senators read.U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley investigates abortion drug manufacturersU.S. Sen. Josh Hawley launched his own investigation into abortion drug manufacturers last week, requesting records from Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro.Hawley is concerned that drug companies profited from abortion pills while knowing the risks to women.“Mounting evidence suggests that mifepristone poses grave risks to women,” Hawley wrote in the letter. “Yet your company has continued to profit from the widespread distribution of this drug even as serious questions have emerged about hemorrhage, infection, sepsis, and other dangerous complications associated with its use.”Judge grants $1 murder bail, $2,000 for drug possession for Georgia woman after infant daughter diesA Georgia judge granted a $1 bond for a woman accused of murder after introducing oxycodone into her infant daughter’s system and also ordered a $1,000 bond for each of two drug charges.In late December 2025, Alexia Moore allegedly took eight misoprostol pills when she was between 22 and 24 weeks pregnant and “introduced illegal oxycodone into the infant’s system,” according to the arrest warrant. She gave birth prematurely to a baby girl who died within the hour. Moore was arrested on March 4, facing one count of murder for unlawfully causing the death of the infant with “malice aforethought” and two drug-related charges.Reports circulated blaming Georgia’s pro-life law for the arrest, but the Georgia law does not criminalize women who have abortions — no U.S. state does.Ohio bill would recognize unborn babies with heartbeats with certificate of lifeA recently proposed Ohio bill would require a certificate of life for unborn babies whose heartbeats are detectable.The bill, backed by Republican state Rep. Jean Schmidt, would recognize unborn babies with detectable heartbeats through a certificate of life.In Ohio, if an unborn baby dies, a death certificate is only required after 20 weeks’ gestation. The new bill would also move this requirement date to when the unborn baby has a heartbeat.The bill would amend the law to “require the registration of all fetal deaths” and “the filing of a certificate of life after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.”Another recent Ohio bill, backed by state Reps. Johnathan Newman and Jennifer Gross, would inform women who obtain abortion pills about abortion pill reversal.“More than 8,000 babies have been saved from the abortion reversal pill,” Newman said. “This is important legislation that supports women and protects life.”Missouri bishops urge prayer, fasting for passage of pro-life amendmentMissouri bishops are urging people to pray and fast for the passage of a pro-life amendment.An amendment enshrining a right to abortion in the state constitution passed in 2024, eliminating pro-life laws and other safeguards.“This year, Missourians will have the opportunity to restore those safeguards by voting for Amendment 3,” the bishops wrote. “The proposed constitutional amendment will protect women’s health and safety and restore protections for the unborn.”The bishops encouraged the faithful to pray the nine-month “Novena for the Dignity of Human Life” on the 25th day of each month. The novena began in February.“We ask the faithful and all people of goodwill to join us in prayer and fasting for the success of Amendment 3 and to support each human person from conception to natural death,” the bishops wrote.")
