By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine – Following the announcement of John Paul II’s death, apparently all Holy Fathers now go directly by courtesy line to “the home of the Father.” And there have already been murmurings of “santo subito” about Francis. In his funeral homily, Cardinal Re asked Francis to “bless the whole world from Heaven” (emphasis added), while Cardinal Parolin assured congregants April 27 that “Pope Francis extends his embrace from Heaven.”

President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the first 100 days of his second term the most successful such stretch in American history, marking that the world has noticed a “revolution of common sense.”… “We’re here tonight in the heartland of our nation to celebrate the most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” Trump said from Warren, Michigan… “And that’s according to many, many people. This is the best… “We’re just getting started. You haven’t even seen anything yet. It’s all just kicking in.”

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – President Donald Trump has moved swiftly to advance a pro-life agenda in the first 100 days of his second term, enacting a series of executive actions and policy changes that have energized pro-life advocates… Since his inauguration on January 20, Trump has signed more than 139 executive orders, with several directly targeting pro-life policies and reinforcing protections for the sanctity of human life… These actions fulfill key campaign promises and align with the priorities of pro-life groups ….

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – This week, with the publication of his new book, Pope Francis has added one important link to the chain of evidence regarding the fight against Vatican corruption… In April 2012, Pope Benedict created a special commission of three senior cardinals (Herranz, Tomko, and DeGiorgi) to investigate the nasty Vatican infighting that had resulted in the leaking of confidential documents that was quickly dubbed the “Vatileaks” scandal. The cardinals submitted their report to Pope Benedict in July of that year. …

By Kate Scanlon, OSV News – Catholic immigration advocates welcomed an order from the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily barring the Trump administration from continuing to deport some migrants accused of gang membership under a wartime powers law… “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily halt removals under the Alien Enemies Act,” Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, also known as CLINIC, said in written comments shared with OSV News.

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – While liberal media like MSNBC and CNN are blurring out the mug shots of the 100 “arrested” illegal aliens posted by the White House directly behind the interview staging area, the fact is that 91 of them are actually convicted of one or more categories of crimes… To commemorate President Donald Trump’s first 100 days of securing the U.S. border from illegal immigrants – especially those who present a threat to American citizens – the White House planted signs featuring the photos of 100 unnamed illegal immigrants arrested under the Trump Administration. ….

By Steve Cortes, American Greatness – Prescription drug prices have soared 46.2% since 2020—now President Trump has the chance to finish the fight he started and finally deliver lower costs for every American… Last November, Americans sent a clear election message and delivered President Trump a clear mandate: Prices are way too high. While inflation has hit our grocery stores (up 23.6% since 2020) and housing costs (up 30.9% since 2020), there’s another cost outpacing the rest when it comes to price hikes. Prescription drugs have jumped 46.2% since 2020, forcing Americans to pay the highest price in the world for life-saving medications. No wonder citizens are angry.

By Joseph Pearce, Substack (What We Need Now) – If there’s one thing worth celebrating this year, it’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the publication of The Spirit of the Liturgy, Cardinal Ratzinger’s great gift to the Church. Published five years before he became pope, Ratzinger’s seminal work of liturgical scholarship might yet prove to be his greatest and most enduring legacy. Its publication heralded the beginning of the restoration of the splendor of the liturgy and stemmed the tide of the liturgical vandalism of the post-conciliar period, which had seen the dumbing-down of the liturgy to the lowest common denominator of crass vulgarity.

Fr. Kevin Drew, Catholic Exchange – In 1949 the Englishman George Orwell wrote a book titled 1984.  It was about life in a totalitarian state—one that held total control over peoples’ lives.  Orwell invented terms used in the book that resonate today: Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak.  Today the term Orwellian is used to describe official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of the past.  One famous quote from 1984 is: “He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”… In 1968 students in the city of Krakow, Poland, organized an unofficial lecture titled “Orwell’s 1984 and Poland today.”

By Francesca Pollio Fenton – Cardinals from around the world have made their way to the Vatican to participate in a centuries-old tradition known as a conclave — a meeting in which the College of Cardinals gathers to elect a new pope… The Catholic Church currently has 252 cardinals; however, only 135 of these cardinals can vote in the conclave because a cardinal must be younger than 80 years old to vote… Pope Francis during his pontificate appointed 108 of the 135 cardinal electors. …

By Amine Ayoub, The Stream – The Texas House of Representatives recently passed a resolution recognizing March 23 as “Pakistan Day,” highlighting the contributions Pakistani Americans have made to the state’s economy, culture, and society. Introduced by state Rep. Dr. Suleman Lalani, the resolution aimed to celebrate diversity and strengthen ties between communities… Yet while Texas honors Pakistan’s image abroad, the reality for Christians in Pakistan today remains grim and deeply troubling. …

By Dawn Beutner, Catholic World Report – …throughout history, there have been four men who have reigned in such an extraordinary way that the Catholic laity have spontaneously given them the title of “the Great” after their deaths… the great popes can teach us important lessons about how an ordinary man can become an extraordinary pope, by God’s grace. Specifically, Popes Leo I, Gregory I, Nicholas I, and John Paul II show that a man can be a strong leader, a great man, and a faithful Catholic while bearing the heavy responsibility of being the chief shepherd of the Church of Jesus Christ.

By Emmy Griffin, Patriot Post – Last year, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of chemical abortion pills crossing state lines, it opened a can of worms. More children die from abortion drugs than procedures, and mothers are left to face the consequences alone in the privacy of their own homes… This is a tragic situation, but women see chemical abortions as a low-risk way to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy. Part of this belief is based on sugar-coated claims from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). But what if those claims are grossly incorrect and the risks are much greater?

By Stephen Kokx, LifeSiteNews – San Francisco Abp. Salvatore Cordileone is urging priests to support laity who want to receive Holy Communion on the tongue while kneeling… a growing number of social media users have jumped into action to call for more reverent liturgical practices, seemingly to let the cardinals know their preferences as the coming conclave on May 7 draws near… Yesterday, Catholic Arena shared a video of Nigerian Cardinal Francis Arinze at a 2003 conference held in Louisville. The video has been circulating on social media for years… Archbishop Cordileone reshared the video to his own account, while asking his followers: “Why don’t you kneel? If kneelers are not provided only the very young with healthy knees can kneel.”

By Victor Davis Hanson, The Daily Signal – Forget what the media says. Forget what his opponent said. Forget Kilmar Abrego Garcia, forget Luigi Mangione, all of these distractions. The first 100 days have been revolutionary. We’ve never seen anything like it, not during the Reagan administration, not during FDR, in terms of the magnitude of the changes. And that is why people are furious… No one in their right mind thought anybody would try to stage a counterrevolution and be so successful in the first 100 days.