Palestinian Christians double down on criticizing U.S. Catholic bishops on Israel, Zionism

Palestinians stand on the rubble and debris of the Latin Patriarchate Holy Family School after it was hit during Israeli military bombardment in Gaza City on July 7, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. / Credit: OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 16, 2025 / 18:36 pm (CNA).An ecumenical Palestinian Christian organization doubled down on criticism of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) this week, accusing the body of dismissing concerns of Palestinian Christians and portraying opposition to the Israeli government as antisemitic.The organization, Kairos Palestine, is led by Catholic Patriarch Emeritus Michel Sabbah and is composed of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Christian Palestinians. The group supports "nonviolent resistance" to Israeli policies in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which includes boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel."As Palestinian Christian...

Heritage Foundation's Roberts: 'Golden age of America' lies in revitalization of faith

American historian and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts (right) speaks with "EWTN News Nightly" anchor Erik Rosales on April 15, 2025. / Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/screenshotWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 16, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts is calling on Americans to become more open about their faith as a means to "revitalizing" religious belief in the United States. "I think it's important, as we are on the brink of Easter during Holy Week, to encourage people of all faiths, whether they're Christians like me or Jews or Muslims, to speak about their faith," said Roberts during a Tuesday appearance on "EWTN News Nightly.""This is an opportunity here in the United States, not just for political and policymaking success, but more importantly, for the revitalization of our faith as individuals and also as a country," he said. Earlier this week Roberts penned an op-ed for the Daily Signal in which the form...

Pope Francis: God's merciful love goes out in search of all those who are lost

Using Rembrandt's oil painting "Return of the Prodigal Son" as a source of inspiration for his April 16, 2025, catechesis, the Holy Father said God's love is like that of a father who goes out in search of his lost children. / Credit: Rembrandt, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsVatican City, Apr 16, 2025 / 10:13 am (CNA).Pope Francis on Wednesday said the Gospel is a "message of hope" founded on the belief that God is a merciful father and not a slave master.Using Rembrandt's oil painting "Return of the Prodigal Son" as a source of inspiration for his April 16 catechesis, the Holy Father said God's love is like that of a father who goes out in search of his lost children. "In this we find the heart of the Gospel of Jesus, namely God's mercy," the pope said in his written reflection on the parable of the merciful father with two sons."The Gospel is intended to give us a message of hope, because it tells us that wherever we are lost, and however we are lost, God always co...

Social media and personal research driving France's record baptism boom, survey reveals

The Catholic Church in France will welcome a record number of adults into the faith in 2025, with particularly strong growth in the numbers of young adults and teenagers, according to newly released statistics from the country's Conference of Bishops (CEF). / Credit: French Bishops' ConferenceParis, France, Apr 16, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).A new survey in France illuminates the surprising pathways bringing young people to the Catholic faith in unprecedented numbers at the coming Easter vigil.The Catholic Church in France will welcome a record number of adults into the faith this weekend, with particularly strong growth in the numbers of young adults and teenagers, according to newly released statistics from the country's Conference of Bishops (CEF).A survey of 900 French catechumens conducted by Catholic media outlets Famille Chrétienne and Aleteia has revealed that social media plays a crucial role in attracting young adults to Catholicism, with 78% saying social media played a r...

Initiative aims to boost Catholic priest vocations by shifting narrative on the priesthood

Credit: iweta0077/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 16, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).A new initiative is trying to shift the narrative on the Catholic priesthood by shining light on stories of heroic virtue, courage, and selfless acts from modern-day priests and bishops in an effort to strengthen the appeal of the vocation.The Philadelphia-based nonprofit International Institute for Culture (IIC) launched the first pillar of its "Shepherding Future Shepherds" program, which is the creation of ThankAPriest.com. It showcases positive stories with the hope of inspiring young Catholic men to consider vocations to the priesthood."By sharing stories of priestly heroism and compassion, we hope to inspire young men to recognize the priesthood as a profound and fulfilling vocation," IIC President John M. Haas said in a statement."Our goal is to bring to light the countless untold stories of the good and virtuous work priests do every day," he added. "This effort is critical not only t...

Nicaragua once again bans Holy Week processions

Nicaraguan Vice President Rosario Murillo and her husband, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. / Credit: Inti Ocon/AFP via Getty ImagesACI Prensa Staff, Apr 15, 2025 / 15:28 pm (CNA).The dictatorship of President Daniel Ortega and his "co-president" and wife, Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua has banned, for the third consecutive year, street processions in the country, where the Catholic Church has suffered fierce persecution from the regime for several years."Before, we used to go out into the streets and go around the communities, but now we don't. We have to do it inside the church, and that somewhat diminishes popular religiosity, because people liked the procession. Now, we just pray and read the Stations [of the Cross]," a parishioner named Marcos, who serves at a church in Managua, told the newspaper Confidencial.Aurelio (first name), 35, pointed out in turn: "We already know who the plainclothes police are. There was a fair recently and we saw them there. They take photos,...

Vatican says cardinals to celebrate Holy Week liturgies as Pope Francis' health improves

Pope Francis kisses the foot of one of the 12 women whose feet he washed at the Rebibbia Women's Prison in Rome on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 15, 2025 / 10:38 am (CNA).For Holy Week, Pope Francis has delegated three cardinals to celebrate the Vatican's Holy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies as the state of the pontiff's health continues to steadily improve, the director of the Holy See Press Office said Tuesday.The 88-year-old pope, who is recovering from a prolonged case of double pneumonia, has delegated Italian Cardinal Domenico Calcagno to celebrate the chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on the morning of Holy Thursday.Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, will lead the Passion service in the Vatican basilica on the afternoon of Good Friday, and the same evening, the vicar general of Rome, Cardinal Baldassare Reina, will preside over the Stations of the Cross at the Colosseum with medita...

Cameroon diocese issues 'urgent alert' on human trafficking surge amid regional violence

The coordinator of the Commission for Justice and Peace in Cameroon's Diocese of Kumbo said that traffickers, who are now capitalizing on the region's crises, "keep changing their strategies." / Credit: Justice and Peace Commission of Kumbo DioceseACI Africa, Apr 15, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Cameroon's Diocese of Kumbo, which is part of Bamenda Ecclesiastical Province, located in the country's conflict-affected northwest region has issued an "urgent alert" on a surge of human trafficking in the diocese.In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on April 8, the coordinator of the Commission for Justice and Peace in the Cameroonian diocese said that traffickers, who are now capitalizing on the region's crises, "keep changing their strategies.""The Justice and Peace Commission of Kumbo Diocese has been sensitizing us on issues of trafficking over the years," said Sister Minkoue Falie, a member of the Congregation de Notre-Dame.In a statement titled "An Urgen...

Catholic groups warn Australian lawmakers: No such thing as 'harmless' pornography

A view of the Opera House in the port zone of Sydney. / Credit: Benh LIEU SONG vía Flickr (CC BY-SA 4.0)CNA Staff, Apr 15, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Catholic advocates in Australia are warning lawmakers there of the risk that pornography exposure poses to children, including the threat of normalizing forms of violent sexual behavior among young people.The Parliament of New South Wales recently began public hearings for its inquiry into the "impacts of harmful pornography on mental, emotional, and physical health."The Parliament's Standing Committee on Social Issues says the inquiry will particularly focus on "age of first exposure to pornography and impacts of early exposure to pornography" as well as porn's "impacts on body image" and "the impact of exposure to violent and/or misogynistic pornography on children, teenagers, and young adults."Advocates have been warning for years of the detrimental effects of pornography, including the harm it does to young people who consume it. U...

Nikki Haley's son, Nalin, becomes Catholic

From left to right: Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Father Jeffrey Kirby; Nalin Haley and his parents, Nikki Haley and Michael Haley. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Jeffrey Kirby/screenshot of X postWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2025 / 19:57 pm (CNA).Nalin Haley, the son of former U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley, was received into the Catholic Church on Palm Sunday."As parents, Michael and I always prayed that our children would have a faith and relationship with God," Nikki Haley posted on social media Sunday."Today we were so proud to support Nalin in his faith journey as he was confirmed into the Catholic Church, completed RCIA, and received his first holy Communion," she said of her son.Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, was born and raised in the Sikh faith but converted to Christianity after marrying her husband, Michael Haley, in 1996. In a 2012 interview, Haley said she and her husband "c...