News

By Richard K. Vedder, The American Spectator – Not only has DEI lowered productivity and thereby the standard of living, but the Star Chamber-like behavior of some DEI administrators of campus and probably corporate dealings with managers, unquestionably, sometimes led to fear, intimidation, self-censorship, and a decline in true freedom of speech and expression. The recent attacks on the academy by governments, wealthy donors, and others are at least partly justified by what economists call the “negative externalities” associated with the growth of DEI practices that originated largely on college campuses before spreading to corporate America.

By Chris Jackson, Hiraeth In Exile, Substack – Rome can tolerate ambiguity on sin, bishops who undermine marriage, synodal reports that place divine revelation under pastoral review, and German defiance. It can tolerate obscene slogans in the shadow of St. Peter’s. It can tolerate almost anything… But let Tradition secure bishops for survival, and suddenly everyone remembers law, unity, obedience, hierarchy, and wounds to the Mystical Body… How convenient. …

By Craig Bannister, MRC TV – On Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied a last-ditch effort to stop Louisiana from immediately complying with the High Court’s ruling requiring redistricting to erase the state’s race-based map, setting the stage for the redistricting effort to begin on Friday… “A Louisiana legislative committee that oversees redistricting will meet Friday to hear public comments on a new congressional district map after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week to overturn the existing version,” Louisiana Illuminator reported Monday, citing State Senator Caleb Kleinpeter (R-Port Allen) …

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – The word “prudent” gets thrown around a lot, and it is often misused. Recently, a friend posed a question to me about the prudence of the forthcoming SSPX consecrations, and it was not the first time I had been asked. There are, of course, many people who are sympathetic to the Society of St. Pius X to varying degrees. The consecration of bishops without papal approval, however, is something that troubles many consciences, for obvious reasons.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:12-17 – 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. …

By Justin Logan and Sumantra Maitra, The Federalist – President Trump is right to withdraw troops from Germany and from Europe. Neocon Republicans and Democrats are wrong. There is already a template for a rapid withdrawal from Europe: the one that took place after the end of the Cold War — incidentally, also the last era when the U.S. had a balanced budget. Our only criticism is that Trump’s current withdrawal numbers don’t go far enough. (In fairness, the president promised on Saturday that he is “going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”)

By Elise Winland, Zeale News – Secretary of State Marco Rubio met privately with Pope Leo XIV and other Vatican officials May 7 to discuss the Middle East, the Western Hemisphere, and the need to promote peace and human dignity, according to statements from the Vatican and U.S. officials… The discussions reaffirmed the “shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America,” according to a translation of the Vatican statement. …

By Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Contributor, The Daily Signal – Gerrymandering, or the protocol where states allot congressional seats by population, is in the news recently, and some states do it transparently politically, depending on the makeup of their state legislatures. Others go through the operation, sometimes genuine, sometimes not so much, of having a nonpartisan body redistrict… Now we’re in a gerrymandering war where some of the states are trying to redistrict and improve either the Democratic or Republican turnout. …

By Michael Haynes, European Conservative – The Catholic Church’s prohibition on the use of contraception is clear and unchanging, yet the tragic demise of the Vatican academy tasked with examining such matters is so great that its president remains unable to say whether he agrees with Church teaching or not… In a world heavily permeated by sexual proclivity and the complete degradation of morals and ethics relating to the sanctity of life, the clear guiding hand of the Church is sorely needed. Her teachings on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, and sexuality are widely unpopular but increasingly serve as the last bastion in the defense of life.

By Bellarmine Forum – By Bellarmine Forum – Apparition of St. Michael the Archangel – IT is manifested, from the holy Scriptures, that God is pleased to make frequent use of the ministry of the heavenly spirits in the dispensations of His providence in this world, and especially towards man. Hence the name of Angel (which is not properly a denomination of nature, but office) has been appropriated to them. The angels are all pure spirits; they are, by a property of their nature, immortal, as every spirit is.

By Filip Mazurczak, Catholic World Report – “Compared to most other bishops in communist Poland and likely much of the world at the time, Wojtyła’s response to sexual abuse was exemplary,” says journalist and canon lawyer Tomasz Krzyżak… Tomasz Krzyżak, an expert in canon law and journalist who has conducted research in Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance and the newly opened archives of the Archdiocese of Kraków, disagrees with those claims. He says that the future Pope St. John Paul II, “dealt with sexual abuse seriously, applied the provisions of canon law, and never covered anything up.”

By Jonah McKeown, National Catholic Register – Kaminski, Sinha, and Murphy founded Petrine based on their own experiences of the positive effects of Catholic men living together… The idea for Petrine, the founders told the Register, was born from the founders’ recognition that amidst the well-documented modern epidemic of loneliness among young men, bringing young Catholics together under one roof is a powerful way to prepare those men for their future vocations …

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – What does the Pope think about the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran? We don’t know; he hasn’t said. Complain about that if you like. Pope Leo has made it clear that he opposes the US war against Iran, but he has not said what American action, if any, would be justified… Pope Leo has said—as has every other Roman Pontiff of the nuclear era—that he longs for a world in which no country, including the US, has nuclear weapons. It follows, therefore, that he does not want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. So Trump’s complaint is false.

By Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness – Today’s Democratic Party has abandoned its traditional working-class, patriotic roots and embraced a radical Jacobin ideology built on division, coercion, and political extremism… For the past century, the agendas of the Dem. Party were predictable. They professed concern for working Americans and supported blue-collar unions…  Unemployment insurance, a 40-hour work week, disability insurance, and Social Security… Still, many Democrats were socially conservative.

By Breccan F. Thies, The Federalist – The American medical establishment has been working for over 100 years to fabricate a mental health crisis, but with contemporary perceptions of depression and sadness at all-time highs, coupled with prescription drug use run rampant, they may have created a real one… An enormous amount of Americans are diagnosed with some form of mental illness, invariably leading them to be prescribed intense regimens of drugs that manufacturers and doctors claim will resolve the issues.

By Elise Winland, Zeale News – The U.S. Supreme Court’s April 29 ruling on Louisiana v. Callais has sparked a wave of redistricting activity in Republican-led states, with Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, and Mississippi moving to reshape congressional maps… As Zeale News previously reported, the high court’s 6-3 ruling struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, which included a second majority-black district, as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. That decision narrowed when states may intentionally draw majority-minority districts under the Voting Rights Act.

By Michael Pakaluk, The Catholic Thing – If I were created a Cardinal and dispensed from the canonical requirement to be ordained a deacon or priest – my vocation is as a layperson – this is how I would counsel the Holy Father on the first anniversary of his pontificate… “Holy Father, the first thing you must do is correct Francis, because only the pope may aptly correct a pope.  There is no need to judge his motives.  But he often caused confusion and distress, and his attempts to unify often seemed rather to divide.

By Craig Bannister, CNS News – The notification provided to Descano by Harmeet Dhillon, Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division, cites the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Safe Streets Act, “both of which prohibit recipients of Federal financial assistance from discriminating based upon race, color, or national origin”: “Our investigation will also determine whether your office is engaged in a pattern or practice of depriving persons of rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:9-11 – 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

By Chelsea Jordan King, National Catholic Reporter, (Complicit Clergy) – Dubbed by some as the “climate pope,” Francis made care for creation central to Catholic social teaching in the 21st century… Leo has not retreated from that position. Rather, he is propelling it forward… From the earliest days of his papacy, (Leo) signaled continuity by calling for “urgent action” on climate change and emphasizing humanity’s responsibility to live in a “relationship of reciprocity” with the natural world.. he has insisted there is “no room for indifference or resignation” in responding to the climate crisis. …

By Fr. Francesco Giordano, STD, Catholic Exchange – In a world of abortion pills, euthanasia debates, cloning, hospital rationing, and endless moral gray zones, the question of cooperation with evil is anything but abstract. It is one of the most practical moral issues ordinary Christians face. Anyone living “in the world” will eventually confront it: in medicine, politics, education, business, family life, and even taxation. The issue is unavoidable because our actions often become occasions, opportunities, or instruments for the actions of others.

By Scott McKay, The American Spectator – On Tuesday night, Indiana held primary races for some of its state Senate seats. That isn’t normally an occurrence meriting national attention, but this time it was… This year’s primaries were a test, one that the legacy corporate media completely failed to understand. And though the results were unmistakable, they’re still being fundamentally misinterpreted.

By Rob Marco, Crisis Magazine – I recently watched an interview with actor Shia LaBeouf that a friend tipped me off to. For the record, I didn’t make it very far into the interview, which was recorded the day after LaBeouf was released from jail on bail for a drunken physical altercation at a bar in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. The actor appeared to be somewhat inebriated, was dropping f-bombs left and right, deflecting responsibility for his recent objectionable behavior, and probably making his agent panic backstage.

By Carole Novielli, Live Action – The National Abortion Federation is a sought-after resource for the media regarding abortion… NAF took the lead in introducing mifepristone in the U.S., and early donors to NAF included the abortion pill manufacturer Danco Laboratories, LLC… NAF operates the largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual hotline for abortion information and abortion financial assistance in the U.S. and Canada… In 2021, NAF sought to hire an “Intelligence Analyst” to create “dossiers” to track pro-life activities, individuals, and groups.

By Dr. Mark Lowery, Catholic World Report – The tragic impasse that exists in our culture on the issue of homosexuality stems from two errors… On the one hand, many moderns have embraced an autonomous view of reality: “I can do what I want as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.” According to such relativism, homosexual acts are perfectly legitimate so long as they are between two consenting adults. In stark reaction to such subjectivism, many others embrace a moralism that easily turns venomous when it vilifies and demonizes: “Homosexuality is wrong because God said so” (and nothing more).

By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Pillars of Faith – In every age, the Church is called to love sinners while never blessing sin. Authentic charity calls every soul to repentance, chastity, holiness, and conversion through Jesus Christ. True pastoral care does not affirm souls in patterns of behavior that separate them from God. A shepherd who sees danger and remains silent is not merciful… The attempt to normalize or redefine homosexual relationships within the life of the Church is part of a broader effort to transform Catholicism into something more acceptable to the modern world. But the Church does not belong to the modern world. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ. …

By Diane Montagna, Substack – On Tuesday, the Vatican published the Final Report of the Synod on Synodality’s study group on “controversial doctrinal, pastoral and ethical questions,”prominently featuring two anonymous testimonies from openly homosexual men in “same-sex marriages.”… The decision was immediately praised by Fr. James Martin, SJ, as “a significant step forward in the Church’s relationship with the LGBTQ community.”… What neither the Vatican nor Fr. Martin has acknowledged, however, is that one of the testimonies appears to have been written by a man featured in a 2023 NY Times article receiving a blessing alongside his same-sex partner from the same Jesuit priest, just one day after the publication of Fiducia Supplicans.

By Angeline Tan, Live Action – (New Mexico) Gov. Grisham signed the bill during the state’s 2026 legislative session. This move will significantly decrease transparency around abortion practices, eradicating New Mexico’s only legal framework for garnering abortion data… The former law mandated that abortionists file confidential statistical reports within five days of performing an abortion. While these reports obscured any identifying details about patients, they supplied vital public health information utilized to keep tabs on statewide trends. …

By Casey Chalk, Crisis Magazine – I confess that I sometimes allow myself to be deceived. When things are going well professionally, when election results go the way I hoped, when I seem to be getting along with everyone I know—I can be disarmed into thinking that I am at peace with the world. Then, like a thunderclap, I’m jolted back to the truth of the matter: the world is not my friend.

By Jordan Boyd, The Federalist – The company responsible for manufacturing the most popular abortion pill on the market are more concerned about its profits than the harm its drugs are inflicting on women and babies… The confession from mifepristone maker Danco Laboratories came in its defense against Louisiana’s landmark lawsuit targeting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “mail-order abortion scheme.” The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously granted Louisiana’s request for a stay, effectively pausing the FDA’s mail-order abortion drug permissions ….

By Dan Hart, LifeNews – As the U.S. birth rate continues to plummet to record lows, data shows that a significant percentage of liberals are deprioritizing the importance of marriage and having children, especially among teens. Among conservatives, however, the phenomenon does not appear to be occurring… In an article published Friday by the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), sociologists Brad Wilcox and Grant Bailey highlight how the aspirations that many liberals claim to have about marrying and having children are not lining up with their real-world behavior, which appears to be heavily influenced by negative media narratives. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 15:1-8 – 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine dresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ….

Catholic Culture – The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Peter Nolasco (1182-1258), born in France, but later settled in Barcelona, Spain. After taking part in the Crusades against the Albigensians, he used his inheritance to free Christian prisoners held by the Moors. He later founded the Order of Our Lady of Mercy (Mercedarians) beginning in 1218 devoted to ransoming Christians.

By M.D. Kittle, The Federalist – Indiana conservatives just sent a message to RINOs everywhere: FAFO. These voters are mad as hell and they’re not going to vote for spineless Republicans anymore… Hopefully GOP senators performing in the failure theater production of “debating” the SAVE America Act heard Indiana’s message loud and clear… Most of the Republican Indiana state Senate candidates endorsed by President Donald Trump won primary races Tuesday against incumbents who voted with Democrats to stop a congressional redistricting bill. …

By Dr. Donald DeMarco, Catholic Exchange – A metaphor needs a ground, just as an airplane needs a runway.  It has no meaning when it is separated from the base from which it is launched.  Marriage cannot be detached from its mooring and most assuredly not for political reasons.  Beautiful things will derive from a good marriage, and they will be properly honored in poetical verse.  But the genesis of marriage, that two-in-one intimacy between a man and a woman, will always be the way it is divinely described in the Book of Genesis.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – This summer Pope Leo will face two serious challenges to his authority: one from the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX), which has announced plans to consecrate new bishops without a papal mandate; the other from the German bishops’ conference, which is introducing a ritual for the blessing of illicit conjugal unions. On paper the two cases are quite different, involving distinct theological and canonical principles. But the Vatican’s treatment of the two wayward groups will surely invite comparisons, for two reasons. …

By Regis Martin, National Catholic Register – A young man, alone and forlorn following a late-night revel that has left him empty and unfulfilled, wanders into a darkened church that appears to be no less empty than the party he just left. Seeing that he is the only one there, he sits down and, amid the surrounding silence, stares into the darkness… He sees a light flickering in the distance. It is the light coming from the sanctuary lamp, upon which he fixes his gaze. It occurs to him in a single lightning stroke that if that light is true, if it actually signifies something real ….

By Steve Cortes, The Daily Signal – Despite this litany of abuses and clear anti-Catholic bias in the ongoing War on Faith, bishops continually insist on inserting themselves into highly partisan U.S. politics to side very publicly with Democrats. From the bishop of Rome himself, Pope Leo XIV, to various American bishops, on certain issues, these prelates seemingly take every opportunity possible to attack the church’s political protectors and join in league with the oppressors of Catholics.

By Paul Gottfried, Chronicles – Recently, I forced myself to reread (despite the accompanying torture) Lillian Hellman’s 1976 memoir, Scoundrel Time. Since its publication, this memoir has offered readers a progressive view of the film industry in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Hellman was a politically outspoken Hollywood scriptwriter who produced scripts for such films as Watch on the Rhine and Little Foxes, and was the longtime lover of fiction writer Dashiell Hammett.

By Steven Ertelt , LifeNews – The Supreme Court has restored mail-order abortions while the lawsuit from Louisiana and multiple states continues. This means babies will continue dying and women will continue being injured by the dangerous abortion pill… Responding to requests from two makers of the dangerous abortion pill, the Supreme Court reversed the block on mail-order abortions the 5th Circuit Appeals Court put in place late Friday… The high court’s order temporarily allows the Biden mail-order abortion rule to continue.

Fr. Mario Alexis Portella, Crisis Magazine – It would have been beneficial to Sarah Mullally had Pope Leo said the same thing—that the Church of England is merely an ecclesiastical community that needs to be in full harmony with the Roman Pontiff. Or if he had mentioned that Cardinal John Henry Newman, after his conversion to Catholicism, never engaged in any “dialogue,” for he knew that full communion could only be found within the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Catholic Church.

By Auguste Meyrat, The Catholic Thing – Although the idea of a midlife crisis feels like an outdated concept these days, there is still something to be said about it. It may look different for men today, but they are still forced to confront certain personal challenges that arise around their forties… This is because men at this point in their lives often must assume responsibility for everything and everyone everywhere: at home, at work, and in the community.

By Victor Davis Hanson,. The Daily Signal – We’re in the eighth week of the Iran waropens in a new tab, and things are starting to heat up even though there’s not kinetic action. What do I mean by heating up? The Iranian government has ceased to exist. We don’t know, and the Iranians don’t know who holds power… There is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. There is the theocracy, there is the elected people in Parliament, and there is a regular military. And those four groups operate in schizophrenic fashion.

By Elise Winland, Zeale News – Key leaders in the pro-life movement, once among President Donald Trump’s strongest backers, are openly criticizing the President and his administration for failing to restrict access to abortion drugs, despite Republican control of the White House and Congress… Even though the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortion remains widely available in the U.S., with mifepristone now accounting for roughly 3 in 5 abortions nationwide.

By Elise Winland, Zeale News – Dem. congressional candidate J.P. Cooney, running for Virginia’s 7th District on a platform that stresses bipartisan accountability and nonpartisan integrity, is facing scrutiny over reported 2021 text messages that appear to mock Catholic nuns who attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C… The messages… date to February 2021. At the time, Cooney and his colleague Molly Gaston were serving as DOJ prosecutors and referenced a NY Times photograph showing religious sisters in traditional habits and veils attending the Jan. 6, 2021, rally while wearing Trump scarves ….

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court opinions are often poorly argued and lack coherent legal reasoning. And in the high court’s latest release, Justice Samuel Alito made sure she knew it… The Alito-driven smackdown happened late Monday when the Supreme Court released an order related to its landmark Louisiana v. Callais decision, in which the majority (led by Alito) determined that Louisiana’s most recent congressional map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. …

By Ishmael Adibuah, EWTN News – On Monday, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Leo XIV will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 7… The meeting follows a period of tension between the Holy See and U.S. President Donald Trump. In April, Trump publicly attacked the pontiff on social media, calling him “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy” in response to the pontiffʼs appeals for peace amid the U.S.-Israel war on Iran… Leo XIV has called repeatedly for a peaceful resolution to the armed conflict in the Middle East. In April, he described Trumpʼs threats against Iranian civilization as “not acceptable.”

By  Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – Intelligent irony without faith may be amusing, but often cynical, even vicious. Some comedians challenge the existence of God and His benevolence due to the various difficulties they find, particularly in the Old Testament. The brilliant and appropriately censored quips of George Carlin are insightful and hilarious. But he hated the Catholic Church, and his comedic attacks are legendary. …

By Thomas P. Harmon, Catholic World Report – Catholic schools and universities speak frequently, and rightly, about the formation of the whole person. They speak about service, solidarity, human dignity, vocation, and the call to holiness. What they often speak about less confidently is citizenship. One can move through a good deal of Catholic education in America today hearing many worthy things about community and discipleship, while hearing much less about the formation required for life in a republic. That lack is a problem—and an opportunity.

By Brianna Lyman, The Federalist – The SAVE America Act would amend the 1993 National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and voter ID to cast a ballot in federal elections. The current “safeguard” preventing noncitizens from registering to vote and voting is a tiny square box on the federal registration form asking applicants to attest they are telling the truth about their citizenship status. In other words, the honor system.

By Jed Babbin, The American Spectator – Unable to exit the alliance, the administration turns to troop movements to redefine US strategy…. President Trump has made no secret of his disdain for our NATO allies. In the past month or so, he has called them “cowards” and NATO a “paper tiger.” But, as I have written elsewhere, his notion that we should just get out of NATO is blocked by both the NATO Treaty and by a specific U.S. law that requires either a resolution passed by both houses of Congress or a two-thirds vote of the Senate. Neither is going to happen.

By Paul Kengor and Grace Reilly, The American Spectator – The Texas Congressman confronted a pro-abortion professor with the undeniable barbaric reality of the practice… It is easy for abortion activists to avoid the gruesome reality of abortion and just focus on the light-hearted talking points  of “ choice” and “women’s rights.” That is exactly what American University Professor Jessica Waters hoped to do when she testified before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government this past week. Rep. Brandon Gill made that impossible, questioning her in detail about barbaric abortion procedures in a tense exchange that has since gone viral.

By Bellarmine Forum – A DOMINICAN friar from his fifteenth year, Michael Ghislieri, as a simple religious, as inquisitor, as bishop, and as cardinal, was famous for his intrepid defence of the Church’s faith and discipline, and for the spotless purity of his own life. His first care as Pope was to reform the Roman court and capital by the strict example of his household and the severe punishment of all offenders.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:27-31 – 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. …

By Catholic World News – Pope Leo XIV appointed Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington, DC, as the new bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia… Born in El Salvador in 1970, Bishop Menjivar-Ayala was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington in 2004 and appointed an auxiliary bishop in 2022. He was the subject of a 2023 Washington Post essay, “He was an undocumented immigrant. He became ‘Your Excellency.’“

By Tyler Arnold, EWTN News, Catholic World Report – In New York, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who provide care to terminally ill people, faced a warning from the state Department of Health for “refusing to assign a room to a resident other than in accordance with the resident’s gender identity.” They are also fighting the rules in court… On April 30, Trump’s DOJ published a report on “anti-Christian bias” it alleges plagued the federal government under Biden’s presidency. It documents rules and regulations that damaged religious liberty related to abortion, contraception, and gender policies. It alleges weaponization of the government against Christians, including pro-life protesters.

By Daniel J. Flynn, Chronicles – A Laffer Curve exists for everything, and the Age of Trump’s overlap with the most brazenly biased media illustrates this truth.
How else to explain the coexistence of two forces pulling so hard in opposing directions? The more that activist journalists try, the less they influence public opinion. The less they influence public opinion, the more they try. Instead of demonizing Trump in the mind of the citizenry, they more successfully immunize the mind of the citizenry from their demonization attempts.

By Thomas Gallatin, Patriot Post – The DOJ’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias recently published its report for “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias within the Federal Government.” This follows a report released in the middle of last month, which highlighted how the Biden Justice Department targeted pro-life activists for prosecution using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act… This latest report digs even more deeply into the Biden administration’s anti-Christian bias, exposing how this bias influenced governmental policy and the application of law across the whole of the federal government. …

By Al Perrotta, The Daily Signal – “But I think very often, they don’t talk about what really matters. And what really matters are the institutions that we’re talking about today. And I think that the Bible fully and completely underscores the importance in a strong, confident nation of strong families, strong marriages, strong parents, kids who were raised well. A faith- and religion-based community that is nourishing to those communities.”… America’s seen the breakdown of these institutions since the 1960s, with a decimation of marriage and birth rates, the collapse of community, a decrease in church attendance, and an increase in loneliness. ….

By Dan Fitzpatrick, Catholic Stand – Many adults say today’s children and young adults are the me-generation, the selfie-generation, or the narcissistic-generation. But it is today’s parents that bear the blame for this…. Modern culture has conditioned young people to believe that “everybody deserves a trophy.”  As such, many in this age group wrongly assume that they are the most important people of the world… This is not to say that self-centeredness only affects the younger generation. …

By Anthony Esolen, Catholic Thing – The German episcopate appears all agog, not to say hot and lathery, to extend blessings to men who bed down with men, and women with women, apparently believing that Saint Paul and Saint Jude have nothing to teach them: Germany having led the way toward a world in which families are rich with children and stronger than ever; the love between man and woman is celebrated in song and confirmed in customs and laws; the popular culture is, in its most public manifestations, wholesome and clean;

By Stephen Soukup, American Greatness – In the week-plus since the latest attempt on President Trump’s life, many on the Right and in the political Center are, at long last, waking up to the possibility that the political opposition today is not entirely normal. It’s not unprecedented either, but it’s far from what we have come to expect in the so-called “civilized” world. As the polymath and public intellectual Eric Weinstein put it on Twitter/X, “These aren’t deranged liberals. They are normalized revolutionaries.”

By Daniel Payne, EWTN News – The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to a nearly $1 billion settlement for victims of clergy abuse, one of the largest abuse settlements in U.S. Church history that comes after more than half a decade of litigation… The New York-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates said in a press release on May 1 that the archdiocese had agreed with an abuse victims’ committee to recommend a settlement of $800 million, which would be paid “into a trust for approximately 1,300 survivors who have brought sexual abuse claims” …

By David Catron, The American Spectator – If the title of this column seems to exaggerate the potential impact of last week’s Supreme Court ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, it’s probably because most political pundits have focused on its effect below the Mason-Dixon Line. But the majority-minority congressional districts that will need to be altered pursuant to the Court’s ruling are far more pervasive than most realize. Ballotpedia, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey, estimates that these racially gerrymandered districts account for 148 seats in the House of Representatives.

Zeale News – The Carthusian order was founded in 1054 by St. Bruno. They are known for their intense fasts, solitude, and discipline – as well as for the production of chartreuse. King Henry II had ordered the death of St. Thomas Beckett and established a Charterhouse there as an act of reparation. The community first went to London in 1371. They came to care for and pray for the victims of the bubonic plague that was ravaging Europe at the time.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:21-26 – 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ….

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – A federal court issued a ruling today that temporarily blocked mail-order abortions and, if ultimately upheld, could save tens of thousands of babies from abortions… The federal appeals court temporarily blocked a Biden administration rule allowing the abortion drug mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail, a victory for pro-life advocates working to protect women and unborn children from unregulated chemical abortions that bypass state laws protecting babies from abortions.

By David B. McGarry, The American Spectator – But with every batch of innovation and economic progress comes a fit of techno-skepticism and panic; the Luddite impulse will never be quelled entirely. Most recently, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) introduced “legislation that would enact a reasonable pause to the development of AI to ensure the safety of humanity.” The linguistic gamesmanship of “reasonable” and “safety of humanity” obscures …

By S.A. McCarthy, LifeNews – The presidency of Joe Biden was a dark, though relatively brief, chapter in American history, replete with widespread prosecution and persecution of American Christians. President Donald Trump repeatedly pledged on the campaign trail to establish a federal task force to investigate and eradicate the anti-Christian bias evinced and enacted by the Biden administration, and has delivered on that promise. On Thursday morning, the U.S. DOJ published a 209-page report entitled, “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias within the Federal Government” ….

By Bishop Joseph Strickland, Pillars of Faith – We live in a time when the world seems to be unraveling before our eyes. Nations are in turmoil. Wars and rumors of wars fill the headlines. Moral confusion spreads like a fog across cultures and generations. What was once clearly recognized as truth is now debated, denied, or even condemned… And many look at this and say: this is a political crisis … a cultural crisis … a failure of leadership among nations… But I say to you today: The crisis in the world is not merely a failure of governments – it is a failure of grace refused, and at times, grace neglected or obscured at the altar. 

By Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Catholic World Report – Our saint of the day, Athanasius of Alexandria, was probably born in that city between 296 and 298 A.D., a hub of the Greco-Roman world at that time, culturally, politically, intellectually, and morally. It was in that city that, centuries earlier, Jewish scholars rendered the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, giving us the Septuagint text, used by all the authors of the New Testament. Athanasius had a stellar education, fluent in both Greek and Coptic—although he admits ignorance of Hebrew.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – In the rising tide of sexual immorality—or in judging the pitiful state of the world—devout Catholics tend to remember the famous statement by Our Lady of Fatima that “More souls go to hell for sins of the flesh than for any other reason” (July 13, 1917). Ever since that time, we have been citing this statement as an indication that more souls go to hell for sexual sins than for any other cause. But this is not necessarily what Our Lady meant, and we will certainly not achieve Heaven simply by avoiding these sins ourselves.

By Jordan Sekulow, LifeNews – The Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias – established by President Trump’s Executive Order 14202 and led by the DOJ – has released its landmark 2026 report. It is a comprehensive, government-confirmed account of what the ACLJ has been fighting against for decades. The findings are sweeping, sobering, and, for those of us who have been on the front lines of these cases, entirely unsurprising… This report is a factual accounting – agency by agency, case by case, policy by policy – of how the Biden Administration weaponized the power of the federal government against people of faith. And the ACLJ’s own cases and advocacy are woven throughout its pages.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 14:1-6 – 1 “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. …

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – Journalist Josh Hammer is steamed at Tucker Carlson  for many reasons, but most recently he is upset because Tucker said, “Muslims love Jesus.”… Hammer is plenty annoyed that Tucker says anything that is complimentary of majority Muslim countries. You cannot say, according to Hammer, that cities in the Gulf states tend to be cleaner and safer than, say, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, or really almost any major American city. ….

By Jacob Airey, Live Action – The Prime Video adult animated superhero series “Invincible” recently stunned viewers with a blatant abortion propaganda episode, involving the titular hero and his girlfriend, Atom Eve… In the series, a couple discusses a female character’s pregnancy and decision to have an abortion… A similar storyline was featured in the comic book of the same name… In both circumstances, the decision to have an abortion was normalized and justified. …..

By Mary Rose, Zeale – Many Catholics can recite many of the prayers of the Mass by heart, but – if they’re honest – can’t fully explain them. The Mass is full of deeply meaningful gestures and words that are widely memorized through repetition but may leave most without a clear sense of what is being done and said or to whom… Theologian Edward Sri spoke to Zeale News about how every element of the Liturgy is legible – if only Catholics are given the tools to understand it.

By John Melnikov, Catholic Exchange – The truth of the matter is that teens want to fight for something meaningful. There is an inherent desire in the hearts and souls of teenagers today to be part of social movements that employ activism for the greater good of a segment of society, or society itself writ large. While this is a wholly noble desire, the problems that arise from desire without focus can lead to internal restlessness, anger, and confusion… Parents can address the desire for meaning through activism ….

By Victor Davis Hanson, Daily Signal Senior Contributor – We’re approaching 60 days of the so-called Iran war, and we’re still getting these loud voices that Donald Trump has failed, that the war’s not going well… It’s completely nonempirical. It’s antithetical to the evidence… Here we are at 60 days, and Iran is losing about $500 million in input per day. It’s running out of storage space in a week or two for its daily output of oil, at which point they either have to stop pumping or they’re going to have—if they don’t stop pumping—their wells will collapse.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – In Rome, a new book by Italian journalist Massimo Franco is drawing new attention to the claim that at the papal conclave of 2025, the electors saw Cardinal Prevost as a strong candidate because they were anxious to recover the confidence of American Catholic donors. Delia Buckley Gallagher, a capable reporter herself, treats that hypothesis as she introduces the book. But I’m not convinced.

By Josh Hammer, The American Spectator – One might be inclined to ask who started this latest bout of mass, iterative gerrymandering. … The reality is that both parties have gerrymandered their respective controlled states for a very long time. That is a tedious and uninteresting observation. The more interesting and pressing question, as this rare mid-decade redistricting war nears its end, is this: Looking at the aggregate nationwide redistricting efforts, which party will come out on top in advance of the midterm elections this November?

By Monica Migliorino Miller, Catholic World Report – Faced with a German Church that may be, at this point, a schismatic ecclesial body, Pope Leo XIV made remarks on April 22nd that stirred controversy and debate… First of all, I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the Church should not revolve around sexual matters. We tend to think that when the Church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual. And in reality, I believe there are much greater, more important issues, such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion, that would all take priority before that particular issue. The Holy See has already spoken to the German bishops.

By Andrew J. Peach and Peter C. Fulweiler, Catholic Exchange – The Fellowship of St. Joseph (“FOSJ”) is flourishing. FOSJ is a men’s group in Wilmington, Delaware, devoted to the spiritual development of its approximately two dozen members. Started during the COVID lockdowns, the group meets a pressing need among Catholic men hungry for Christ in an increasingly hostile and vacuous culture. Entering its sixth year, FOSJ continues to thrive, with members expressing gratitude for the insight, consolation, and joy of the meetings.

By Joseph R. Wood, The Catholic Thing – The new month brings a trifecta on my ecclesiastical calendar: a full moon, First Friday, and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker… My calendar’s tracking of astronomical events is a holdover from long ago, when the Church had its own astrology. It accepted the possibility of the influence of the heavens on earthly events as natural causes, much as the relative orientation of the earth to the sun causes seasons, and the sun and moon cause tides.

By T. S. Flanders, OnePeterFive – The Crusade of Eucharistic Reparation is a lay sodality run by OnePeterFive in partnership with Benedictus and Mass of the Ages… This crusade was called by His Excellency, Bishop Athanasius Schneider in June of 2020 in response to the profanations of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament during the COVID crisis. Now he has also added the intention of the reversal of Traditionis Custodes… A crusade is a spiritual war called by the clergy, but waged primarily by the laity. …

By ACI Prensa – In the plan of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place. By virtue of her role to be the mother of the Son of God by divine election, she was conceived immaculately — i.e., without the stain of original sin — and by fidelity to her son has been crowned queen of heaven and earth… Everything Mary said and did leads to Christ. Who knows a child better than a mother? And what good and loving child does not know his or her mother and love her with all of his or her heart?

By Fr. Bill Peckman, Facebook – Today, I start the new temporary schedule that will mean I am providing pastoral care to 8 churches and two schools. I am not worried or anxious… But…… why is this happening?… A chronic lack of priestly vocations… We can get into the dirt about who is to blame. We can get into the decades old arguments about changing who we ordain or relaxing celibacy.  Has that been remotely helpful? Or is it self absolution?… We can get into the collapse of the family, smaller families, fewer families. We can get into our society that focuses and prizes overconsumption as the primary good of life. …

By Mary Rose, Zeale – In the latest episode of his Virtue of Patriotism video series, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke draws on the Fourth Commandment and the teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas to argue that love of country is not mere feeling but a moral obligation rooted in the order God has written into creation… The series is produced by the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and hosted on CatholicVote’s Zeale for America 250 campaign page. New episodes drop every two weeks in the lead-up to July 4, 2026 — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence …

By Stephen P. White, The Catholic Thing – God made man in His own image and likeness. God Himself, then, is the primary reference point for man’s self-understanding. Accordingly, when man loses sight of God, he loses sight of his own humanity… This is the story of our secular age writ large. It is also, in some vaguely reassuring sense, the story of man writ large. I say “reassuring” in the sense that our failings are rarely quite so novel as we think they are, which means the remedies are less inaccessible than we might otherwise suppose.

By Tyler O’Neil, The Daily Signal – Joe Biden’s presidency was even worse for Christians than you think, according to an exhaustive report from the Justice Department’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias, published Thursday… The anti-Christian bias seeped into official policy across the federal government, from personnel matters—where Christians’ requests for time off around Easter Sunday were met with suspicion in the State Department—to the IRS investigating churches for traditional Christian values perceived to be aligned with the Republican Party ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 13:16-20 – 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be fulfilled, `He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ …

By Matt Boose, Chronicles – Mothers provide not only sustenance and affection but moral and religious formation. You can’t place a monetary value on this kind of work. It is indispensable labor, labor which a feminist society wants literally anyone but mothers to perform. It has largely shifted to strangers, iPads, or possibly reluctant (hopefully, loving) grandparents… Feminism punched a giant hole in nature’s safety net, and what’s left is a sad patchwork. There is a quiet understanding that this arrangement cannot be disturbed but must simply be made more manageable so women can pursue their careers. …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled in favor of a pro-life pregnancy center fighting harassment from Democrat state officials… The high court ruled that a pro-life pregnancy center can challenge in federal court a sweeping subpoena from New Jersey’s attorney general demanding the identities of its financial supporters and other internal records… In First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Davenport, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the unanimous court that the New Jersey pro-life group has standing to bring its First Amendment claim. …

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – ‘Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 … was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it,’ wrote Justice Alito… The U.S. Supreme Court released a bombshell ruling on Wednesday significantly curtailing states’ use of race in the redistricting process… “Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 … was designed to enforce the Constitution — not collide with it. Unfortunately, lower courts have sometimes applied this Court’s §2 precedents in a way that forces States to engage in the very race-based discrimination that the Constitution forbids,” Associate Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority (6-3). …

By Nancy Flanders, Live Action – According to The Daily Wire, the Biden administration used the code word “Benghazi” to ensure Planned Parenthood kept $90 million in small business loans that it wrongly accepted during the COVID-19 pandemic… During the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA gave loans to small businesses and Planned Parenthood ‘self-certified’ itself as a small business to receive loans… Planned Parenthood received $90 million in SBA loans, but was later deemed ineligible by the SBA and was told it would need to repay the loans. It never did. …

By Bellarmine Forum – By Bellarmine Forum – St. Catherine of Siena (1380). … CATHERINE, the daughter of a humble tradesman, was raised up to be the guide and guardian of the Church in one of the darkest periods of its history, the fourteenth century. As a child, prayer was her delight. She would say the “Hail Mary” on each step as she mounted the stairs, and was granted in reward a vision of Christ in glory. …

By Aubrey Harris, The American Spectator – Don’t ignore behavior you don’t want repeated… Planned Parenthood isn’t doing well… Some 50 clinics closed in just the last year, including in states where abortion is still legal. It’s probably just as well because, according to the New York Times, patients at PP have experienced botched abortions, misplaced IUDs, and sewage leaking into recovery rooms… The organization and its affiliates blame funding issues on the Trump administration’s recent moves to cut the federal flow of cash by refusing to cover the organization under Medicare. That’s not quite accurate ….

By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine – The latest assassination attempt on President Trump is shocking only in that it is no longer shocking. Every American should be alarmed at what happened at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner this past Saturday, yet what prevails instead is a “ho-hum” attitude, as if violence against our political leaders—especially against Trump or anyone associated with him—is almost expected at this point.

By Constance T. Hull, Catholic Exchange – On a warm spring evening recently, I stood outside the entryway to the chapel on campus while one of my students said good-bye to me. When I first started in campus ministry, he was the one I was most worried about. He was withdrawn, overwhelmed, and barely spoke to me the first semester of my ministry back in Spring 2025. Now there he stood, thanking me for everything I had done to help him over the course of the last 1.5 years. …

By The Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana, The Brown Pelican Society of Louisiana – You’re invited to an exclusive one day retreat with award-winning journalist, best-selling author, and renowned Catholic speaker, KEVIN WELLS!

By Augustine Franer, Crisis Magazine – With regard to sexual matters, contrary to the pope’s analysis of the situation, nothing could be more important in facing today’s great evils. Disobedience to the commandments of God and nature regarding sexuality are at the root of the moral decay of Western civilization, the civilization the Catholic Church has had the greatest hand in constructing. Abortion, divorce, fornication, homosexuality, gender dysphoria, pornography—not to mention other evils that can be very nearly linked to these, including religious indifferentism and scandalous hypocrisy leading people away from the Church—are all caused directly or indirectly by a neglect of God’s commandments regarding sexuality.

By Itxu Díaz, The American Spectator – From left-wing leaders, we’ve once again seen reactions of condemnation with conditional nuances, almost apologizing to their supporters for condemning the attack. Without realizing it, they aren’t really condemning the violence against Trump, but rather seem to be hoping the next shooter isn’t so clumsy… It’s fascinating to read accounts of the shooting in the progressive press. Almost all of them talk about a mysterious “climate of political violence,” only to end up blaming Trump for his own assassination attempt.

By R. R. Reno, First Things – The USCCB(s) made an ill-considered intervention in the legal battle over birthright citizenship. After taking office in 2025, Donald Trump issued an executive order stipulating that those in residence in the United States illegally are not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the U.S., and thus their children do not qualify for birthright citizenship. The executive order was challenged in court. The Supreme Court will soon rule on the issue (Trump v. ­Barbara). The USCCB submitted an amicus brief in the case, urging the court to rule against Trump’s executive order.

By Tyler O’Neil, Senior Editor, Daily Signal – Jewish groups have used paid informants to protect synagogues from antisemitic violence, and the Southern Poverty Law Center has claimed that it was funding KKK members for similar reasons, but a group that represents 2,500 Orthodox Jewish rabbis is crying foul… Last week, a federal grand jury indicted the SPLC on wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy charges for sending money to members of the very white supremacist groups the center claims it exists to dismantle.

By Elizabeth Weiss, Zeale – A Christian pastor was recently arrested by British police while preaching the Gospel on a public street of Watford, England, on suspicion of a public order offense, according to reports… Pastor Steve Maile, a prominent evangelical figure, was arrested April 18 in front of his wife and children and was reportedly interrogated for hours in police custody before being released on three months’ bail, according to Britannia Daily. He said the experience left him “brutalized” and “victimized” by the police.

By M.D. Kittle, The Federalist – So what on earth does Benghazi have to do with abortion factory Planned Parenthood? It appears to be the codename for cover-up involving some $90 million in taxpayer-funded Covid-era forgivable loans to a nonprofit organization ineligible to receive the government handout… Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, is asking the Department of Justice to open an investigation into why President Joe Biden’s Small Business Administration used “Benghazi” in the subject lines of internal communications regarding the funding. …

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – As I write, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England is addressing a joint session of the US Congress. But don’t expect any uproar about unconstitutional efforts to establish a state religion… King Charles has not come to our shores to establish a religion. Any questions about his authority to establish anything in these former colonies was settled 250 years ago, and he has shown no interest in relitigating the matter. Instead he has come to remind our legislators of the “special relationship” that exists between the US and the UK. …

By Catholic Online – St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not survive childhood. Catherine herself was a twin, but her sister did not survive infancy. Her mother was 40 when she was born. Her father was a cloth dyer… At the age of 16, Catherine’s sister, Bonaventura, died, leaving her husband as a widower. Catherine’s parents proposed that he marry Catherine as a replacement, but Catherine opposed this. She began fasting and cut her hair short to mar her appearance.

By Mike LaChance, The Gateway Pundit – During a recent episode of his radio show, Scott Jennings of CNN examined some of the rhetoric surrounding the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, in which a crazed school teacher rushed the event in an effort to kill Trump and members of his team, and concluded that we have a left-wing violence problem in America… It is impossible to disagree… Some days, it actually feels like we are already engaged in a sort of civil war, where the bullets are only flying from one direction. The left has acted out in violence so many times over the last decade that it is starting to seem normal, which is not good. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 12:44-50 – 44 And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And he who sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. …

By Breccan F. Thies, The Federalist – Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has been indicted by the Justice Department on charges related to an apparent threat, “86 47,” posted to social media in May 2025… Comey is charged with “knowingly and willfully making a threat to take the life of, or inflict bodily harm upon, the President of the United States and knowingly and willfully transmitting a communication in interstate and foreign commerce that contained a threat to kill President Donald Trump,” the indictment states.

By M.C. Holbrook, Catholic Exchange – In the biography of St. Catherine, we hear that this holy saint once complained to God with sorrow and frustration that her prayers and offerings could not prevent the loss of salvation for certain souls. In her great anguish, God responded with perhaps the most famous quote of all time attributed to her Dialogue with the Lord: “Daughter, thou art she who is not. I am He who is.” …

By Edward Pentin, Substack – Mullally, like all her Anglican predecessors, does not possess valid orders. She leads a community separated from Rome that has drifted further from Catholic teaching, particularly over the past sixty years since the historic meeting of Paul VI and her predecessor Michael Ramsey. Her recent appointment as the first female archbishop of Canterbury only reinforces the judgment of Leo XIII in Apostolicae Curae (1896), which declared Anglican orders “absolutely null and utterly void.”… Yet throughout her visit, Rome received Mullally — who has described herself in the past as “pro-choice rather than pro-life” and supports blessings for same-sex couples — with an enthusiasm that conveyed precisely the opposite impression. …

By Alberto M. Fernandez, EWTN News – An attempted attack on the WHCDs’ Dinner points to a deeper trend: In a polarized West, violence is becoming thinkable again… The infatuation today with revolutionary violence is not limited to words. Cole Allen — the 31-year-old teacher and Caltech graduate who attempted to shoot up the WHCD in an effort to target the U.S. president and senior Trump administration officials on April 25 — seems to have been steeped in the online fever swamps of anti-Trumpism. He had moved from social-media posting on Bluesky and protests to traveling across the country to try to commit murder. …

By Scott McKay,  The American Spectator – On Wednesday of last week, Hakeem Temu Obama Jeffries, the hand-talking cretin who serves as the Democrats’ leader in the House of Representatives, declared after the Virginia gerrymandering bill passed by a close margin (before being immediately blocked by a judge based on its manifest legal infirmities) that his party was to engage in “Maximum Warfare, Everywhere, All The Time” against President Trump, the Republican Party and its supporters.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – On March 24, Jocelyn Downie, a leading activist for assisted suicide and euthanasia, and professor emerita at Dalhousie University, appeared before Canada’s Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying… There, she urged legislators to proceed with the planned 2027 expansion of so-called medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals whose sole underlying medical condition is mental illness. If the Canadian government does not legalize euthanasia for the mentally ill, she said, the mentally ill will just kill themselves anyway. …

By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop Emeritus, Pillars of Faith – Christ has not abandoned His Church… Because the Eucharist is the true representation of the Sacrifice of Calvary, the priest stands in the person of Christ the Bridegroom, who offers Himself for His Bride, the Church. This nuptial mystery is not symbolic – it is sacramental and real. Any gesture that obscures this truth, or blurs the distinction between valid Holy Orders and those communities that do not possess them, risks weakening the faithful’s understanding of the Eucharist itself. …

The risen Christ draws close to walk with His unfaithful disciples who abandoned Him during the suffering of His passion (see Luke 24:13-35). They also abandoned the community of faith after they heard news of His resurrection. They were discouraged when He spoke to them. “They stopped, looking downcast.” They are overwhelmed and disappointed by all the events of Christ’s death, explaining, “But we were hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel.” They did not believe His words ….

By Margot Cleveland, The Federalist – This morning Sen. Chuck Grassley released the FBI Washington Field Office’s 12-page “electronic communication” (EC) that opened a preliminary investigation into the Clinton Foundation. Its extensive evidence of potential pay-to-play criminality among the Clinton family confirms the politicalization and weaponization of the Department of Justice… Late last year, another trove of documents—also released by Grassley—summarized the origins of three separate FBI investigations into the Clinton Foundation, opened respectively out of the New York, Little Rock, and Washington D.C. field offices. …

By Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Contributor, The Daily Signal – Well, my point is this. If all these celebrities are talking about killing him, burning him, cutting him in pieces, blowing him up—remember Madonna and Moby, “Let’s blow him up”—if they all do that ad nauseam again and again over a decade, and then you have this new heartthrob, the Nick Fuentes of the left, Hasan Piker, and he’s really legitimizing murder by contextualizing Luigi Mangione and making him into a hero, then everybody knows what you have to do.

By  Kenneth Craycraft, Catholic World Report – On the one hand, Colorado’s hostility toward free speech and religious liberty is alarming. On the other hand, ironically, Colorado has served up softballs to the United States Supreme Court, resulting in strengthening protections for speech and religious exercise. Where Colorado has attempted to infringe religious liberty, SCOTUS has used the state’s bigoted laws to strengthen and clarify First Amendment protections. The latest battle in the war will be heard by SCOTUS next term, and it will probably be another defeat for Colorado’s religious hostility and another win for religious freedom.

By Steven Tucker, European Conservative – Some incredibly depressing footage went viral across the UK this month, taken in the countryside around the village of Lower Darwen, near the northern town of Blackburn. Here could be observed a remarkably stupid young man who, when confronted by a small wall blocking his path towards a nearby hill, decided the best way to proceed would not be to walk towards the gate, nor even to climb over the feeble obstacle, but instead to stand there laboriously demolishing it with his bare hands, stone by heavy stone, until there was a hole large enough for him to slink through.

By Anne Hendershott, First Things – What (Peter) Thiel adds is a warning of a technological dimension that Girard anticipated but did not systematically explore before his death in 2015. In his lectures, Thiel turns to the Book of Daniel’s prophecy on the end times, interpreting it through the lens of technological and global acceleration—a world propelled by scientific innovation yet paralyzed by fear of its own inventions. He warns of “danger in the one-world state of the Antichrist.”

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – Jesus is the Good Shepherd and Prince of Peace who guides us through the narrow gate to heaven. He sends shepherds to protect us from wolves threatening our faith, leading us to “life in abundance.” The shepherd’s first duty is to safeguard and feed the flock… God appoints the Pope as His chief shepherd on earth. He is the Vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter. As Christ’s “vicar,” his authority is not his own. He is Christ’s emissary. The pope carries the weighty responsibility of guiding the faithful to the saving truths of Jesus. He guards the Deposit of Faith—the teachings of Christ handed down in the Church since apostolic times.

By Chris Jackson, Hiraeth in Exile, Substack – Leo XIV’s Rome makes room for Anglican theatre, German homosexual blessings, and ecumenical word salad, while preparing excommunications for the Society of St. Pius X… Sarah Mullally, the newly installed Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, arrives in Rome for the full ecumenical treatment. She is scheduled to meet Leo XIV at the Vatican, worship with Anglican communities in Rome, pray at the tombs of Peter and Paul, meet officials from the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and join Leo for midday prayer in the Apostolic Palace. The official ecumenical framing is not subtle. This is about “deepening dialogue,” “shared witness,” “bonds of communion,” and the familiar postconciliar language of walking together toward visible unity.

By Nathanael Blake, The Federalist – Even those who doubt the truth of Christianity should not be surprised at a religious resurgence. Here’s why… The revival is real, but the devil has backup plans. The evidence that the youth are turning to Christianity is going from anecdotal to data. In particular, young people on the right, especially men, seem to be finding faith… As InteractivePolls noted on X, a recent Gallup poll found that “42% of men aged 18-29 now say religion is ‘very important’ in their lives — a sharp jump from just 28% in 2022-2023. Monthly religious attendance among young men has climbed to 40% (up from 33%), the highest level in over a decade.”

By Mary Rose, Zeale – President Donald Trump said he wants the White House Correspondents’ Dinner rescheduled within 30 days after a gunman opened fire at the event April 25, in what the president called the third attempt on his life…. Speaking with CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell in an interview that aired on 60 Minutes April 26, Trump recounted the moments of chaos after suspect Cole Thomas Allen ran through metal detectors at the Washington Hilton and discharged one or two rounds before being subdued by Secret Service agents.

FROM THE FOUNDER: After twenty years of faithful service, Brown Pelican Society of Louisiana announces a new chapter in its Mission.  After the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Country, July 4, 2026, Brown Pelican Society of Louisiana website will be discontinued as we transition from online news and commentary to addressing unmet needs within the Catholic Church, primarily in South Louisiana, but supporting Catholic apostolates both Nationally and Internationally.

By Tessa Gervasini, EWTN News – A Pew Research Center study found that more adults leave the Catholic Church than enter it in most countries, but Catholics still make up the majority of the population in a number of countries analyzed… The research released April 23 found that Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses of followers due to religious switching, when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child, compared with other faith groups around the world.

By John Zmirak, Chronicles – A new film from the Discovery Institute, The Story of Everything, opens nationwide on April 30. Based on philosopher of science Stephen Meyer’s The Return of the God Hypothesis, the film’s ambition matches its title. It scrutinizes scientific materialism’s claims at every pivotal point, marshaling physicists to show the theistic implications of the Big Bang. Those implications so troubled scientists such as Fred Hubble and Albert Einstein that for years they refused to accept the evidence that kept trickling in to prove that the universe had a definite beginning, as the Book of Genesis teaches.

By Casey Chalk, Catholic World Report – A review of Raymond Ibrahim’s The Two Swords of Christ: Five Centuries of War Between Islam and the Warrior Monks of Christendom… since the Roman emperor Constantine legalized and patronized Christianity, our Faith has regularly been tied up with men (and some women) willing to fight and die to protect the Faith. Indeed, the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary, which the Church celebrates every October 7th, commemorates the victory at Lepanto, where the Holy League, a coalition of European Catholic states, defeated an invading Ottoman navy whose ultimate purpose was to further Muslim conquests deep into Italy and beyond. ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 10:11-18 – 11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, 15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. …

By Bellarmine Forum – ZITA lived for forty-eight years in the service of Fatinelli, a citizen of Lucca. During this time she rose each morning, while the household were asleep, to hear Mass, and then toiled incessantly till night came, doing the work of others as well as her own. Once Zita, absorbed in prayer, remained in church past the usual hour of her bread-making. She hastened home, reproaching herself with neglect of duty, and found the bread made and ready for the oven.

By Phillip Campbell, Catholic Exchange – One of the great monarchs of Christendom was the pious King of France, St. Louis IX. Reigning from 1226 until his death in 1270 during the Eighth Crusade, St. Louis was a model of Christian chivalry whose virtuous reign set the standard for Christian kingship in the 13th century… It is not Louis’s reign we are concerned with here, however, but his observations on the matter of propriety of dress as it relates to one’s station in life. It seems that Catholics are perpetually disputing about dress: what is appropriate for Mass, what is modest attire for various occasions, pants vs. dresses for women ….

By Catholic World News – In an April 23 letter to members of Congress, the USCCB and CRS called for $26.9 billion in funding for various international humanitarian assistance programs.
Congress appropriated $26.0 billion for these programs in the current fiscal year: President Donald Trump has proposed $11.9 billion in funding for the upcoming fiscal year… The joint letter was signed by the chairmen of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Migration and Committee on International Justice and Peace, and by the president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services. …

By Peter Wolfgang, Catholic Culture – It’s their big moment. They have been waiting for it for a long time. And they think it may finally be here. I am talking about Catholics who believe Catholic support for Donald Trump to be some sort of abomination… They come in different shades. The Catholic Left, of course, despises Catholic support for almost any Republican. But Catholic NeverTrumpers affiliated with the pre-Trump GOP have also been against Trump from Day One. Add to these two groups a Catholic segment of Benedict Option (BenOp) enthusiasts who practice a Christian retreat from politics that seems to go beyond what Rod Dreher had in mind.

By Fr. John A. Perricone, Crisis Magazine – For well over a half century this once formidable order (the Jesuits) has been attempting to reconfigure the Roman Catholic Church after the fashion of a United Nations NGO. …. With this snapshot, you can appreciate Fr. Reese’s alarm at this nationwide surge of converts. All of them were defying the revisionist Catholicism that he and his order have been peddling for over half a century.

By Kate Quiñones, EWTN News – “We’ve now seen a rise of people with eating disorders that are given access to assisted suicide, and this is just wrong a multitude of ways,” Lankford added… “What is HHS doing to protect those with disabilities that may be targeted by those assisted suicide laws?” Lankford asked… “To me, I think those laws are abhorrent,” Kennedy responded. “And we just see in Canada today, I think the No. 1 cause of death is assisted suicide, and as you say, it targets people with disabilities and people who are struggling in their lives.”

By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report – Verena Stefanie Shälter.. (Asks Pope Leo XIV).. I would like to know how you assess the decision of Cdl. Reinhardt Marx, Abp. of Munich and Freising, that he gave permission to the blessing of same-sex couples in his diocese, and in light of different cultural and theological perspectives, especially in Africa, how do you intend to preserve the unity of the global Church on that particular matter?… his answer raises some questions, not least about how, in fact, he may proceed in addressing the troubling position taken by Cardinal Marx (and others) ….

By Derek Rotty, Catholic Exchange – These are contingencies of contentment, statements we make thinking of the possibility of happiness and joy. For most of our lives, so far as we can remember, a seemingly infinite litany of these statements infiltrates our thoughts and desires. Many, if not most, of us exhibit a proclivity to not being or remaining content, because, you know, “the grass is always greener.” But how do these contingencies affect our interior spiritual lives,

By Elizabeth Weiss, Zeale – Catholics gather in protest against a Satanic-themed circus event in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Sept. 20, 2024. (American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property website)… The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP), is sponsoring a rosary rally in reparation for a May 1 Satanic Temple event in Baltimore, where attendees are “required to surrender their souls to Satan.”

By Francis X. Maier, The Catholic Thing – Rome, if not quite the “Eternal City,” is nearly 2,800 years old and counting. I first encountered it in the 1970s, visiting my wife’s uncle, a priest who served in the Congregation (now the Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith. What I remember most vividly from those few days is a Fellini-esque evening performance of the opera Aida with live elephants in the Baths of Caracalla, followed by a hair-raising drive home through Roman traffic.

By Raymond B. Marcin, Complicit Clergy – First of all, what is the heresy of Modernism? Modernism in Catholic theological doctrine is indeed a heresy—a heresy that progressive-minded Catholics often dally with, and that tradition-minded Catholics have always avoided like the plague… Modernism was present in our Church for a long time before Pope Saint Pius X officially named and condemned it as a heresy in 1907.[1] Its presence in the Church had grown significantly during the 19th century and into the early 20th. …

by Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – When I moved back to my native Boston area as an adult with a young family, we found a home just a couple of blocks from the house where I had lived as a child—and where my parents still lived. The proximity to the children’s grandparents was a bonus, but the house was perfect in several other respects. It was in a nice neighborhood, which I knew well. The town was adjacent to the city, and my downtown office was a quick train ride away. …

By Carole Novielli, Live Action News – As Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Dr. Mehmet Oz has announced a 50-state audit of Medicaid — calling on governors and state Medicaid directors to help “fight the War on Fraud” — perhaps states might want to consider taking a good, hard look at Planned Parenthood… Oz suggests that states should “revalidate” any “Medicaid providers of services at high risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption.”

By Kennedy Hall, Crisis Magazine – I must confess that I have never written a letter to the pope before, and I ask your forgiveness if I fail to observe the proper forms of address. I assure you it is innocent ignorance, not malice… First, I want to thank you for accepting the call to be pope. It is not a role I would want for myself. It is the most important office in the world—humanly speaking, the most consequential position of authority in all of human history. There is no higher office, no greater dignity, no position a man can hold which more powerfully demonstrates the authority of Christ our King on earth. …

By Donald Devine, The American Spectator – It takes a serious intellectual to confront the fundamental questions. The number one problem today, Michael Lucchese has argued, is our “inability to connect the case for liberty to a larger, transcendent vision of life’s ultimate purpose.” The “liberal spirit of toleration” necessary for liberty, which “the West cultivated for 250 years or more,” is now so weakened that it seems Alexis de Tocqueville’s “darkest prophecies” for freedom’s future are coming true.

By John Daniel Davidson, The Federalist -The theological fault lines that divide America’s 50 million or so Catholics from its roughly 130 million Protestants have been largely set aside when it comes to politics in the Trump era, if only because most practicing Christians in the United States understand they have a common foe in the secular left. When Democrats are openly trying to drive all forms of Christian piety from the public square and impose what amounts to a neopagan morality, it tends to focus one’s attention on the near enemy.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:52-59 – 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. …

By Paul Birch, European Conservative – It’s that most wonderful time of the year. April 23rd: St. George’s Day. A time to commemorate England’s patron saint and celebrate what England and the English have given the world (apart from constant apologies). Extraordinary and lasting contributions across science, technology, culture, sport, language and governance, with the nation itself often acting as a catalyst for modernisation and global connectivity.

By Father Nicola Bux, Edward Pentin’s Substack – “Christ did not waste time criticising the Roman Empire, but founded the Church” — T.S. Eliot, Choruses from The Rock… Popes from John XXIII to Leo XIV have, in different ways, separated the question of peace from the concrete reality of the Church; as a result, their appeals for peace risk becoming utopian — aspirations that lack the means necessary for their fulfilment… This separation appears when peace is framed primarily as a political or humanitarian goal: ending wars, encouraging dialogue, and fostering cooperation among nations. These aims are good, but when they are presented without reference to the Church’s essential mission — the conversion of persons and peoples to Christ — they lose their foundation. …

By David Warren, The Catholic Thing – The pope may be many things in many contexts, but he should avoid becoming a shill for the Democratic Party. This is how he came across when he delivered a political statement just after he had been visited by David Axelrod, Obama’s behind-the-scenes heavy… The effect was redoubled when leading liberal Cardinals, including Chicago’s Blase Cupich, put on a media floorshow to promote the pope’s  “message to America.” It was prattle we had heard many times before, from nice, peaceful politicians like Jimmy Carter: peace-not-war, appeasement, and negotiation at any price. …

By Brian Flood, Fox News – “60 Minutes” teed up a trio of progressive American cardinals to discuss how Pope Leo XIV and the church have emerged as a voice of opposition to the war with Iran and President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in a segment that aired last week… “Liberal TV networks find organized religion useful only so much as it helps sell the liberal view. They want to add the moral authority of organized religion to their viewpoint,” Media Research Center executive editor Tim Graham told Fox News Digital.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:44-51 – 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. …

By Chris Bray, The Federalist – Consider two numbers, side by side, and keep them in mind as you read news stories about fraud in government-funded services… First number, from a news headline last week: “New DOJ fraud division thwarted $340M in benefit schemes during first week.” That’s M for million… Second number, released by the Government Accounting Office during the same week: “In 2024, we estimated that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud, based on data for fiscal years 2018 through 2022.” ….

By Hannah Hiester, Zeale – SPLC is also known for designating conservative or religious organizations as “hate groups.” Family Research Council (FRC), a conservative think tank and advocacy organization, said a gunman attacked its office more than 10 years ago due to SPLC’s narrative. In a statement on the indictment, President Tony Perkins said the violence FRC experienced indicates that SPLC’s actions have serious implications… “We’ve talked with the FBI to help them understand how these designations have real-world consequences. ..”

By Paul Senz, Catholic World Report – The medical profession naturally involves encountering people at their most vulnerable and dealing with some of the most profound suffering that humans face. But it can also be an experience of profound joy, as when a child is born or when cancer is beaten. It is a life of hard conversations, breaking bad news, but also seeing the depth of God’s love and mercy in the face of these heavy crosses we bear.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – On April 9, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its provisional birth data for 2025. The numbers are sobering… How Bad Is It?… To grasp just how serious this situation is, consider that earlier this year the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected that, beginning in 2030 – just four years from now! – the annual number of deaths in the United States will exceed the annual number of births.

By Nick Hallett, European Conservative – Cardinal Reinhard Marx has moved decisively to normalise the blessing of same-sex couples in his Archdiocese of Munich and Freising—an intervention that lays bare the deepening doctrinal confusion at the heart of the Catholic Church in Germany… Marx instructed that the pastoral guideline ‘Blessing Strengthens Love’ should serve as the “foundation of pastoral practice.” The document, a product of Germany’s long-running Synodal Path, explicitly provides for the blessing of couples who cannot receive the sacrament of marriage, including homosexual couples and divorced-and-remarried Catholics. …

By OSV News – Ahead of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen’s Sept. 24 beatification, the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, recently released a schedule of events, inviting those who plan to travel to The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri, for the beatification to “go deeper” and “transform your trip into a sacred journey.”… “The Sheen Pilgrimage is a spiritual experience centered around prayer, reflection, and celebration,” the diocese said. “Beginning in Peoria, IL, on September 15, this pilgrimage includes the anniversary of Sheen’s ordination ….

By Brandon Harvey, Catholic Exchange – Did you know that the apostles had students? The New Testament was not the only thing being written in those early years. We have writings from Christians that either existed during the time of the New Testament or immediately following. Those that wrote some of these texts personally knew apostles. They heard them preach, they followed them as students, some may have been baptized by them, and some became the next generation of leaders.

By Elise Winland, Zeale – A Virginia circuit court judge on April 22 blocked the state’s newly approved congressional redistricting map, issuing an injunction that prevents state officials from “certifying the results” and from taking “any actions to give effect to the proposed constitutional amendment.”… In a decision issued one day after voters passed the new map, Judge Jack Hurley of the Tazewell County Circuit Court declared the amendment and the referendum “void ab initio” (“void from the start”) and deemed “any and all votes for or against” the proposed measure “ineffective.”

By Gina Christian, OSV News – On March 24, the Guttmacher Institute, a national policy and research firm that supports legalized abortion, released data from its “Monthly Abortion Provision Study” for calendar year 2025… Guttmacher found that the 2025 figures were “largely unchanged from 2024,” when the institute counted 1.124 million clinician-provided abortions… The 2025 estimate marks a 21% increase from 2020, which Guttmacher said was “the last year of comprehensive national estimates” before the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case overturned the 1973 rulings that legalized abortion in the U.S.

By Fr. Kevin Drew, Catholic Exchange – The early Christians called the sacred mysteries Christ commanded them to celebrate “the breaking of the bread.” Why? Probably because they couldn’t think of anything better to call them. Bread and wine became Christ’s Body and Blood. How were they to put that into words?… Today we call it Holy Mass… What does Mass mean, anyway? It’s from the Latin missa, which means “Go, you are dismissed.” Speaking of “going,” listen to a short, 19th century poem in which Christ tells us to “Go”…

By Gabriella Hoffman and Sydney Rodman, The American Spectator – A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes. Scientific models and predictions can’t be taken as fact. This is true of the late biologist and alarmist Paul Ehrlich, whose lies and doomsday predictions about population growth and natural resource depletion traveled the world and negatively influenced people. Arguing for the suppression of the human population was Ehrlich’s unashamed stance behind everything he said.

By Robert Orlando, Catholic Exchange – If we begin where Protestants themselves insist we begin—with the Bible—the prominence of Peter becomes immediately clear. The most famous passage appears in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus says to Simon: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. (Mt. 16:18–19)

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:35-40 – 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; …

By Elizabeth Weiss, Zeale – In an op-ed acknowledging the heartache of infertility and the temptation to use in vitro fertilization (IVF) that Catholic couples may experience, a Catholic author recently offered insight into where couples carrying this cross can turn while remaining faithful to the teachings of the Church… In an April 20 Angelus News op-ed, Leigh Fitzpatrick Snead reflects on her own journey of infertility, which she shares in her book Infertile but Fruitful. She encourages Catholics contemplating IVF to pursue their desire for children in a way that upholds life as a gift from God, the fruit of the loving conjugal union between a man and a woman.

By Anthony Stine, Return to Tradition – Anthony Stine reveals how leftist bishops, the mainstream media and Democrat politicians are working to influence this fall’s midterm elections.

By Arthur Schaper, American Greatness – A friend of mine, an independent journalist from Massachusetts, attended the event a few years back to record the speeches and meet with activists. One of the media agents in attendance? The Southern Poverty Law Center. This hate group from Alabama is not even media in any respectable sense, but a hate group dedicated to fundraising and smearing anyone they disagree with… How could CPAC possibly consider them media and even allow them a table at the event?! … And it gets worse.

By Ryan Burge, X Post, (Complicit Clergy) – Among Catholic priests who were ordained in the late 1960s: 68% describe their theology as progressive. 16% said it was conservative. Among priests ordained in the last few years: 2% describe their theology as progressive. 84% said it was conservative… This graph is featured in my new book – The Vanishing Church …

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – A federal grand jury indicted the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on Tuesday for allegedly making fraudulent payments to racist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan (KKK)… “The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement announcing the charges. “Using donor money to allegedly profit off Klansmen cannot go unchecked. This Department of Justice will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable. No entity is above the law.” …

By Scott Ventureyra, Crisis Magazine – So it is becoming increasingly clear that Trump is not standing between the people and the elites at the center of the control system. For all intents and purposes, he has joined them or has made it clear where he always stood. He has even outpaced them. He now turns on the ones who were instrumental for his two elections. He attacks anyone who challenges him and supports those who once opposed him. The response to this major shift has revealed more confusion than clarity.

By Mary Rose, Zeale – With a fragile ceasefire set to expire within days, President Donald Trump warned that strikes could follow if no agreement is reached, as the U.S. pushes to restart high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran in Pakistan — even as Tehran publicly casts doubt on whether it will attend… A new assessment also suggests Iran’s negotiating position may be controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC), a designated terrorist organization, which could complicate prospects for a deal… ‘Lots of bombs start going off’ if ceasefire expires …

By M.D. Kittle, The Federalist – “Just so America knows, after two weeks in recess, John Thune is no longer considering the SAVE America Act,” Luna wrote… The congressional source with knowledge of the situation told The Federalist on Monday evening that Luna’s comment “is not true.” He said the bill, which requires documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the polls, is “still the pending business in the Senate.” …. “We will be considering ICE and Border Patrol funding followed by FISA, all priorities of the president”…

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:30-35 – 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world.” …

By Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo, The American Spectator – The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have been caring for patients with terminal cancer for over 125 years, are being sent warning letters from the state of New York for refusing to adhere to the Long-Term Care Facility Residents’ Bill of Rights for LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers and People Living with HIV Act… The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Ellie Gardey Holmes and Lyrah Margo give insight into the case and how these nuns are being attacked by the state for their religious beliefs.

By Grace Porto, Zeale – A soldier from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on April 19 desecrated a statue of Jesus, located in a family’s personal backyard shrine, in a small Lebanese village. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack… Reuters reported April 20 that Netanyahu said the soldier’s actions went against the Jewish value of tolerance and wrote on X, “I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier ​damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon. I condemn the act in the strongest terms.”

By Scott McKay, The American Spectator – To this day, well more than a decade after the deed was done, an empty pedestal stands in one of New Orleans’ most prominent locations… The pedestal, some 50 feet high, once housed one of the great triumphs of public art. It was a magnificent statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee built in 1884, and the small park around the statue was known — and still is known — as Lee Circle… (and then) in the 2010s, it suddenly became a “public nuisance” in the eyes of the city’s mayor… Whose name was Mitch Landrieu. …

By Richard Cassleman, First Things – Just war is again being discussed in the public square by policymakers and prelates alike. Recently, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine, Bishop James Massa, made a clarification about just war in response to comments from the president and vice president. Given the war in Iran, there is no better time for such conversation. While much of Bishop Massa’s statement could be interpreted as a defense of the pope, I feel compelled to correct the record on the just war tradition.

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – Fundamentally, every human being has one purpose in life: to figure out reality. There are two aspects to our God-given quest. What narrative makes the most sense—and how do I fit within it? The Rubik’s Cube is a helpful metaphor… A Rubik’s Cube is a handheld 3D puzzle composed of colored squares. Each face of the cube is one solid color when solved. The goal is to twist and turn the layers until each face is back to a single, uniform color. Despite its simple appearance, it’s surprisingly complex… Like life.

By  David Paul Deavel, Catholic World Report – But what conservatives–and Catholic conservatives especially–must realize is that the Left does not suddenly care about defending the Pope or Catholic teaching. Rather, they hope that by pretending to be on “Team Pope”, they can manipulate Catholics into voting against their own interests–and undermine President Trump in the process.

By John Horvat II, Crisis Magazine – As the number of adult baptisms grows, many Catholics rejoice in the prospect of what is being called a quiet revival. It is a cause of great hope to see so many young people eager to learn more about the Faith… t is also a cause of great mystery. The bishops have announced themselves confounded and “stymied” by the flood of new converts entering their churches this Easter. It does not fit into any new evangelization scheme. No one seems to have an explanation for why Catholicism, especially traditional Catholicism, is suddenly popular among Gen Z. ….

By Gigi Duncan, National Catholic Register – When Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Catholic Church’s top authority in the Holy Land, was blocked by Israeli police from entering Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulcher this past Palm Sunday, the incident set off a wave of criticism in the U.S. — including from many Generation Z Catholics… Users of the social-media platform X led the charge, accusing the Israeli government of hostility toward Christians and even calling into question American support for the Jewish nation-state.

By Peter Giersch, Catholic Exchange – C. S. Lewis points out that the reason the saints know more about sin than the sinners do is that you don’t really understand rules until you obey them. How many times have you said, under your breath, after a moral struggle, in a flash of understanding, “Oh that’s why…” Understanding is possible. Understanding may come, but obedience comes first… Now of course all of this can be applied to daily temptations. Why can’t I get angry in traffic? Why can’t I watch this video? Why shouldn’t I join in this conversation? Because it’s not allowed. Just obey.

Bellarmine Forum – ANSELM was a native of Piedmont. When a boy of fifteen, being forbidden to enter religion, he for a while lost his fervor, left his home, and went to various schools in France. At length his vocation revived, and he became a monk at Bec in Normandy. The fame of his sanctity in this cloister led William Rufus, when dangerously ill, to take him for his confessor, and to name him to the vacant see of Canterbury. …

By Deacon Frank, Catholic Exchange – “Deacon Frank” is a permanent deacon in the United States. He is involved in the Eucharistic Revival… Everything I am going to reveal to you in this article is true. It happened to me, and it changed the very trajectory of my life for the good. It occurred in the summer of 1995… My grandfather, who helped raise me, was in the final months of his life. His body was riddled with cancer. As his death approached, I had a strong intuition that on his deathbed my grandfather would see his mother, who had died thirty years prior, and that my father would witness it.

By Saint Michael Center for the Blessed Virgin Mary – 3. Offers Powerful Spiritual Protection – The Blessed Mother herself said to St. Dominic: “One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world.”… Praying the Rosary protects against temptation, evil, and spiritual attack… It’s often described as a spiritual armor in the battle against sin. …

By Michael Haynes, PerMariam, (Substack) – The watchdog agency Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that the controversial 2018 deal between China and the Vatican has “helped the Chinese government to pressure underground Catholic communities to join the official church.”… According to a detailed new report issued by HRW, the Chinese state is only increasing its persecution of underground Catholics, and is doing so aided by the framework of the 2018 deal between Beijing and the Holy See regarding the appointment of bishops.

By Mary Rose, Zeale – Trump (stated) … “Iran decided to fire bullets yesterday in the Strait of Hormuz. A total violation of our ceasefire agreement.” He added that the shots targeted vessels including a French ship and a United Kingdom freighter… Trump also detailed the seizure of the Iranian-flagged cargo ship TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman… “The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA,” he wrote on Truth Social.

By Catholic World News – The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2026 is a 33-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a newly released survey of 334 of the 428 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States this year. The survey was conducted for the Secretariat of Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations of the USCCB by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate and posted on the USCCB’s website… The typical ordinand regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration and prayed the Rosary before entering seminary, according to the survey. …

By Brad Miner, The Catholic Thing – When St. John Paul II went to Poland, he made no direct criticisms of the communist government. The closest he came was when he told the crowd in Warsaw’s Victory Square that “at any longitude or latitude of geography, the exclusion of Christ from the history of man is an act against man.” I imagined Edward Gierek turning to Wojciech Jaruzelski and asking, “Are we to believe in Christ now?”… Wedging Jesus into the conflict in Iran or border enforcement in the U.S., while hardly a fool’s errand, risks sinking Roman Catholicism into the very worst version of synodality: as an ongoing, transformational whatsis equal to The Blob. …

The American Conservative – At the recent oral argument in perhaps the most consequential case on the Supreme Court’s docket, the birthright citizenship case of Trump v. Barbara, Chief Justice John Roberts made a telling and illustrative quip. In an exchange with Solicitor General John Sauer concerning the problem of birth tourism, the chief justice responded to Sauer’s concern that 8 billion people around the planet are a “plane ride away from having a child who’s a U.S. citizen.”

By Francesca Pollio Fenton, EWTN News, (Catholic World Report) – According to the World Health Organization, about 1 in 6 people globally experience infertility in their lifetime. In the United States, 1 in 8 couples deal with infertility… This year, National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) runs from April 19–25. Established in 1989 by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, NIAW is an annual initiative held each April that raises public awareness, promotes policy change — especially regarding insurance coverage — and fosters open conversations to support those struggling to build their families.

By Fr. Ed Broom, OMV, Catholic Exchange – About twenty years ago, I launched a program for daily life that has since changed thousands of lives—one based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Years later, I still frequently encounter people grateful for having gone through this ten-week program… Consequently, I decided, with the help of a team of wonderful collaborators, to format and articulate this work in book form, Ten Weeks to Spiritual Advancement, scheduled for release in mid-April 2026.

By Fr. Joseph Gill, Crisis Magazine – We’ve all been to our fair share of banal, cringe, or even disrespectful Novus Ordo Masses. As a priest who celebrates the Novus Ordo, I can see how easy it is in the New Rite to fall into those traps. It is evermore necessary, then, for a priest who celebrates the Novus Ordo to cultivate a rich interior life of union with Christ because this is the only antidote to the myriad of temptations to trivialize the liturgy.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – HHS Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accused the Biden administration of blocking Christian families from fostering children… Kennedy said Biden official were imposing rules that required placements to affirm LGBTQ identities, a policy he said dramatically reduced the pool of available homes for vulnerable kids… Kennedy made the remarks while highlighting efforts to roll back the Biden-era regulations during congressional testimony this week.

By Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, Bishop Emeritus, Pillars of Faith – We are living in a time when the world feels as though it is unraveling before our eyes. Nations rise against nations. Conflicts escalate. Voices grow louder, angrier, more divided. And even among Catholics – among those who should be united in the truth of Jesus Christ – we see confusion, tension, and sometimes even hostility… In moments like this, many people ask, “Who is right? Which side should I support? What position should I take?”… But before we ask any of those questions, there is a deeper and more important one that must come first: “Are we thinking with the mind of Christ … or with the mind of the world?” …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:16-21 – 16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They were frightened, 20 but he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” …

By Carole Novielli, Live Action – DOJ urged to investigate ‘predatory’ abortion pill manufacturer.. Senator Josh Hawley has sent a demand letter, urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Danco Laboratories, the original manufacturer of the “chemical abortion drug mifepristone” — including the company’s “its original FDA approval [and] ongoing regulatory compliance.”

By Tyler Arnold, EWTN News – U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch said he intends to focus on issues that unite President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV in his role to foster a relationship between the two leaders rather than on recent disagreements about the Iran War… “As the U.S ambassador for the Holy See, my efforts are many, but one of the roles as a diplomat is to remind stakeholders of what unites us and what must never divide us,” Burch said after delivering remarks on the persecution of Nigerian Christians at the U.S. embassy to the Vatican in Rome.

By Chris Nesi, NY Post – President Trump says Iran has ‘agreed to give us back the nuclear dust’… President Trump had stern words for Israel as he made clear that the US is in the driver’s seat for the 10-day cease-fire between the Jewish state and Lebanon… “Israel will not be bombing Lebanon any longer. They are PROHIBITED from doing so by the U.S.A. Enough is enough!!!” the president wrote in a sharply worded Truth Social post Friday… Trump also threw cold water on a cash component being part of the ongoing negotiations to end the war in Iran ….

By Marcus Peter, Catholic World Report – Christians worship the crucified and risen Son. Muslims reject His Sonship, His Cross, and therefore His saving identity. As the late New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado once wrote, “to speak about God without reference to Jesus is inadequate discourse about God.” Tucker would do well to learn that point. The Islamic Isa is a revised religious character stripped of Calvary and emptied of divinity. Therefore, Tucker’s remark was asinine, as Muslims and Christians do not revere the same Jesus at all.

By Kevin Wells, Wellspring -This past Sunday’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles brought back the memory of an image from a book of stories I used to pull from the blue bookshelf in my childhood bedroom… It covered two pages, showing a small village in a valley, hemmed in by a cashmere blanket of green mountains. A handful of shops, a white-steepled church, and a dozen or so homes rested by a lake fed by a brook that zigzagged down a mountain. On a hill in the distance, a locomotive chugged along, passing by a few tidy homes that clung to the mountainside.  …

Catholic Culture – Esther Blondin was born on April 18, 1809 to a Catholic farm family in a rural community in Quebec, Canada. Her mother taught her to worship at the Eucharist and recognize Divine Providence. Her father taught her to have a strong faith and to be patient in times of suffering.

By St. Thomas Aquinas – (Muhammad) seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh goads us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure. In all this, as is not unexpected, he was obeyed by carnal men… He seduced the people by promises of carnal pleasure to which the concupiscence of the flesh goads us. His teaching also contained precepts that were in conformity with his promises, and he gave free rein to carnal pleasure… He did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth. On the contrary, Muhammad said that he was sent in the power of his arms—which are signs not lacking even to robbers and tyrants. …

By Bridget Sielicki, Live Action – Mark Houck, the pro-life sidewalk counselor and father of nine who was shockingly arrested when FBI agents stormed his home in September 2022, has been awarded a seven-figure settlement in response to a lawsuit filed against the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ)… In 2021, Houck was praying outside an abortion facility in Philadelphia when he had an altercation with an abortion facility escort who was harassing Houck’s 12-year-old son. Local police and authorities declined to charge Houck with any crime… Houck was later arrested by the Biden DOJ when FBI agents raided his home in 2022 at gunpoint …

By Samantha Flom, The American Spectator – Behind the mask of ‘reproductive freedom’ lies a strategy to keep women single, childless, and reliably blue… In Democrats’ rush to distribute Washington state’s massive abortion pill stockpile like Easter candy, it’s astonishing they didn’t trip over what they left behind: their narrative… For decades, Democrats have positioned themselves as the defenders of women. They’ve lectured us all about so-called “reproductive freedom” and how the “right to choose” an abortion is necessary for our health. …

By Austin Ruse, Crisis Magazine – The president seems to be surprised that Catholics of all stripes are rushing to defend Pope Leo from his odd attacks… On Tuesday he went after Giorgia Meloni of Italy. She said his attacks on Leo were “unacceptable.” He said, “She’s unacceptable. She’s unacceptable because she doesn’t mind that Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if they had the chance.”

By Amanda Head, Just the News – Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary, has disclosed to Just The News that the House of Representatives, where President Donald Trump was impeached during his first term over a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, is moving to expunge that impeachment from the congressional record… “You need a majority vote, we need a bill, and it’s actually something we’re looking at,” Jordan told Just The News.

By Gayle Somers, Catholic Exchange – Isn’t it interesting that when Jesus appeared to two “downcast” (Lk. 24:17) disciples on Resurrection Day, He didn’t do the very thing that would have broken through their despair—identify Himself?  Why were these men traveling away from Jerusalem?  Surely it was because Jesus’ death there had deeply disappointed them.  They had been “hoping that He would be the one to redeem Israel” …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 6:1-15 – 1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” …

By Fr. Jerry J. Pokorsky, Catholic Answers – … even the worst of times cannot extinguish our obligation for patriotism, which struggles against national suicide… Patriotism is a form of piety—the acknowledgment that we owe our gratitude to God, our family, and our nation for the gift of life and sustenance. We owe our lives to God, our parents, and to a country that provides the soil and cultural structures for communal living. Piety—and, deriving from it, patriotism—renders the affection and loyalty due to our benefactors. Patriotism is indispensable to our love of God and neighbor. …

By: Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – “Progressivism seeks to replace the basic premises of the Declaration of Independence, and hence our form of government,” Thomas said. “It holds that our rights and our dignities come not from God, but from government. It requires of the people a subservience and weakness incompatible with a constitution premised on the transcendent origin of our rights.”

By Craig Bannister, LifeNews – A new Justice Department (DOJ) report details specific ways the Biden Administration weaponized its law enforcement arm to persecute pro-life individuals and organizations… Titled “The Biden Administration’s Weaponization of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act,” the report released Tuesday presents the findings of the Justice Department’s Weaponization Working Group’s review of more than 700,000 internal records and provides more than 800 pages of exhibits documenting abuse of federal law enforcement power.

By Catholic Culture, April 17, 2026 – St. Robert was born in 1027 near Troyes, Champagne, France, of noble birth. At age 17 he entered the Benedictine Abbey Montier-la-Celle, quickly rising to be prior of the abbey. He was made Abbot of Saint-Michel-de-Tonnerre in 1070, but considered it to have lax standards and the monks were quarrelsome, so he returned to Montiers-la-Celle. The same year he was placed over the priory Prior of Saint-Ayeul Abbey, which was connected to Montiers-la-Celle.

By Dr. Jeff Mirus, Catholic Culture – During Lent this year, I emphasized the need to not consider the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as a mere motive of credibility, that is, an attractive concept or circumstance which might predispose us to accept the Christian religion (see The Resurrection: Mere attraction to truth is not enough). Rather the Resurrection is the basis of our faith, and the fundamental fact that conditions our spiritual existence.

By Samantha Kamman, (The Christian Post), The Washington Stand – In a statement provided to The Christian Post, Brave Books noted that, in 2022, the Nation’s Report Card revealed that only 13% of U.S. eighth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level, a 2-point drop from 2018… “It’s unfortunately something that happens in a lot of countries before they fall,” Carson told CP in an interview. “They neglect their history, or they allow their history to be rewritten.”… “We have an incredible history with this country, from a bunch of ragtag militiamen to the pinnacle of the world in record time” …

By Christopher Tremoglie, The Washington Examiner – Much has been made about the recent social media post made by President Donald Trump criticizing Pope Leo XIV as being “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” In typical Trump-responsive fashion, many expressed outrage at the gall of the president to criticize the leader of the Catholic Church. Political charlatans rebuked Trump, accusing him of many false things that accompany hyperbolic and senseless condemnations predicated on emotional outbursts and not facts or reality.

By Fr Richard Heilman, Roman Catholic Man – To those who faithfully follow Our Lady’s requests for the Five First Saturdays, she has made a wonderful promise which she, as Mediatrix of All Graces, will certainly fulfill: “I promise to assist at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation.” This means that our Blessed Mother will be present at the hour of death with the actual grace of final perseverance, (which after the gift/grace of Faith), is the most important grace.

By Mike McCormick, Substack, “Midnight in the Laptop of Good and Evil” – Pope Leo, CBS and Cardinal McElroy can’t admit to the unholy BILLIONS the cartels earned for the Vatican under Biden… When President Trump states Pope Leo is “weak on crime,” he’s talking about how the Vatican and its media pals are concealing the drug smuggling and human trafficking conspiracy they entered into with Joe Biden and his cartel associates… Cardinal Robert McElroy is an evil man disguised as a Catholic cardinal. Here are the unreported facts—except by me—about his crime of conspiracy as indicated in the Grok assessment I requested of how much government assistance his San Diego diocese pulled in ….

Catholic Culture – St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879). Bernadette, the oldest of six children, was born in Lourdes, France, in 1844. At the age of 14, between 11 February 1858 and 16 July 1858, Bernadette had 18 visions of the Immaculate Conception in a local grotto near the bank of the River Gave, near Lourdes. During the visions, Mary requested prayer and penitence, asked for the construction of a new church, and led Bernadette to a freshwater spring believed to have miraculous healing powers.

By Fred Lucas, The Daily Signal – Two mothers who lost their sons and another whose daughter remains permanently injured will testify before Congress on Thursday about how these tragedies—each involving illegal aliens—could have been prevented through stricter enforcement of immigration law… This forum could be uncomfortable for House Democrats who oppose enforcing immigration laws, said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight, which is holding the hearing.

By Kelli Keane and Cassy Cooke, Live Action News – This week, a CBS News report claimed that “The Trump administration has repeatedly alleged without citing evidence that the Civil Rights Division under former Attorney General Merrick Garland used the [FACE] Act to intentionally target conservative Christians who are morally opposed to abortion.”… Today, that evidence was presented by the Trump Administration in a report nearly 900 pages in length.

By Dan Hart, The Washington Stand – In a historic meeting hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, government officials from Israel and Lebanon met for direct talks for the first time in 33 years amid the Jewish state’s continued strikes against Hezbollah terrorist targets embedded deep within Lebanon’s southern territory. Experts say the talks could be the first step towards eliminating the Iranian terrorist proxy from the region.

By Ngala Killian Chimtom, Catholic World Report – Archbishop Bienvenu Manamika Bafouakouahou of Brazzaville has said that Pentecostal groups disrupt the Catholic Faith by offering “quick fixes” to life’s challenges… The mornings of Everdine Gilla’s childhood were defined by the rhythmic murmur of beads and the scent of incense. Raised in a devout Catholic home by her grandmother, the day did not begin until the Rosary was prayed… “It was routine,” Gilla recalls… “My grandmother would say, ‘Let’s pray the Rosary,’ and we would. I knew all the decades. I could say them in my sleep. But for me, it was just mechanical.” …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:31-36 – 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks; he who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; 33 he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; …

By Elise Winland, Zeale – President Donald Trump on April 14 directly addressed Pope Leo XIV in another Truth Social post, drawing attention to the Iranian regime’s reported killing of thousands of protesters in the past two months… “Will someone please tell Pope Leo that Iran has killed at least 42,000 innocent, completely unarmed, protesters in the last two months, and that for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable,” he wrote.

By Marie Brousseau, Catholic Exchange – Pope Benedict XVI was one of the 20th century’s most respected and renowned theologians and, I would opine, one of history’s greatest minds to grace humanity. Few men have been more involved on a global scale in propagating both faith and reason. I have no doubt that he will not only be canonized but will eventually be declared a Doctor of the Church, in God’s own time, after careful study of his entire personal and public life. I personally regard him as a holy genius, because of both his brilliant mind and his great love for God.

By Donald DeMarco, National Catholic Register – T.S. Eliot published The Waste Land in the year 1922 amid the ruins of World War I. The opening lines of this highly enigmatic poem are both disturbing and provocative: April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain… We are currently witnessing unrest on a global scale that threatens to bring about another World War. In our own troubling time, as we approach the month of April, Eliot’s poem has additional meaning for us.  ….

By Scott McKay, The American Spectator – I know that it’s a sin against my own intelligence not to follow Mark Twain’s guidance in matters such as these… Twain said many wise things. Some of the wisest things attributed to him are now said not to have come from him at all. But I have my doubts about the doubters… One was “Don’t wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.”… The other has been offered in two versions — either “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference” …

Patriot Post – “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” —Benjamin Franklin (1789)

By Kate Quiñones, EWTN News – The Archdiocese of Dubuque is halting weekend Masses at more than 80 parishes across northeastern Iowa this summer as part of a reorganization plan… The reorganization, which began in September 2024 in response to declining numbers of priests and churchgoers, is now in its third and final phase. The archdiocese will be organized into 24 “pastorates,” or groups of parishes that work closely together and share resources and ministries. Merged parishes will not yet be closed and may still be used for liturgical celebrations such as funerals, weddings, and weekday Masses. …

By Antonio Graceffo, Gateway Pundit – Currently, more Christians are being systematically murdered in Nigeria than in all other countries of concern combined… In 2025, over 7,000 Nigerian Christians were murdered by Islamic militants, including Boko Haram, also known as JAS, Islamic State – West African Province (ISWAP), JNIM, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, and Fulani and Koyam militias. Countless others have been abducted and held for ransom or never returned. ….

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 3:16-21 – 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. 18 He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. …

By Mary Rose, Zeale – In the latest episode of the Virtue of Patriotism video series, Cardinal Raymond Burke cautioned against efforts to dissolve national sovereignty in favor of global governance… He argued that proposals for a single global authority — often framed as instruments of peace — contradict the moral order established by God… “The family and the nation are not accidents of history nor products of ideology,” Cardinal Burke said. “They arise from the natural law and are indispensable for the attainment of the common good.”

By Grace Porto, Zeale – The relics of 36 Mexican saints who were martyred in the Cristero War will be hosted in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on April 18… The one-day congress at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels culminates a year-long initiative of regional congresses celebrating the centennial of these Mexican martyrs, according to the archdiocese’s website… “All are invited to take part in the Congress to reflect on the persecution of Catholics during the Cristero War in Mexico and the impact of these events on our Church today” ….

By Thomas Gallatin, Patriot Post – The burgeoning artificial intelligence industry requires gobs of computing power, which in turn requires gobs of energy. As new technology develops and spreads, so too has a new conflict emerged, pitting small towns and residential areas against the construction of data centers… New industries have long clashed with the old ways. In America, it’s a tale as old as our nation. But that doesn’t make the reality of it any easier to navigate. …

By Stefani Buhajla, Daily Signal – Historically, tax season has never been easy for working Americans… But this year feels different… As families made the mad dash to file their taxes in the lead-up to April 15, many found they were keeping more of what they earned. And others, like mine, were astonished to find that, for the first time in a long while, they didn’t owe a few extra zeroes to the IRS. That’s because President Donald Trump made a commitment to put American workers and families first—and followed through.

By Kevin Wells, Crisis Magazine – Just steps from Preterm, Ohio’s blue-ribbon winner each year for most murdered babies, the scene outside resembles a kindly pop-up country fair. Slices of pepperoni pizza, snack bags, racks of sharp-looking maternity wear, shiny new toys, rosaries, and Miraculous Medals circulate like borrowed cups of sugar—passed hand to hand among white volunteers and their black friends outside LaRonde Apartments, a seven-story public housing project in a high-crime area of east Cleveland.

By Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist – D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg suffered a humiliating legal defeat on Tuesday in his efforts to stymie President Trump’s deportation of illegal aliens from the United States… In a 2-1 ruling, a three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals shot down the Obama appointee’s attempted criminal contempt proceedings against Trump administration officials involved in last year’s deportation of suspected Tren de Aragua gang members to El Salvador… the panel granted the government’s request for a writ of mandamus, (said) “…to stop exceeding their authority” …

By Carole Novielli, Live Action NewS – A small study — published as a ‘research letter’ by JAMA Internal Medicine and alleging that the abortion pill [mifepristone (200mg)/Mifeprex] is safe for over-the-counter (OTC) use — was funded by an abortion pill investor and authored by researchers associated with groups working to expand abortion… The research letter, “Accuracy of Self-Selection for Medication Abortion Using a Prototype Drug Facts Label,” is receiving a great deal of abortion-friendly media attention for such a small sample size — 168 — who “completed study activities.” …

By Katelynn Richardson, LifeNews – Abortion advocacy groups routinely helped the Biden Department of Justice (DOJ) track pro-life activists, providing information that became the basis for indictments, according to a new report.
The DOJ’s National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers “affirmatively asked the abortion groups about pro-life individuals’ travel and constitutionally protected advocacy,” according to a Tuesday report on the Biden administration’s “weaponization” of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.

By Peter Wolfgang, Catholic Culture – President Trump’s post on April 12th attacking Pope Leo, followed by the blasphemous image of himself as Christ, were a tremendous gift to the people who want to kill unborn babies and trans your kids. He should be required to report these posts as an in-kind contribution to the Democratic Party… Trump says he thought the image portrayed him as a doctor, not Christ. Perhaps the white coat and stethoscope were concealed under the Christ-like robes. At any rate he took down that one, the one that offends both Evangelicals and Catholics. But not the one that offends only Catholics.

By Tyler Arnold, EWTN News – Border czar Tom Homan said Roman Catholic Church leaders should “stay out of politics” when questioned about President Donald Trump criticizing Pope Leo XIV… “I love the Catholic Church. I just wish theyʼd stick to fixing the Church, because thereʼs issues. I know because Iʼm a member. And stay out of politics,” Homan said… he wished Church leaders would sit down with him to understand his experiences as border czar… “Maybe theyʼd understand why a secure border saves lives. A secure borderʼs the most humane thing this country can do” …

By Catholic Culture, April 15, 2026 Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter St. Paternus, Bishop (RM) Saint Paternus of Avranches, also known as Paternus of […]

By T. S. Flanders, OnePeterFive – As you may know, President Donald Trump posted a blasphemous image of himself as Our Lord Jesus Christ. However, he (or someone from his staff, or a robot), strangely changed the original to include some kind of libertas goddess (“horned figure”?), wearing the divinising sun crown (Libertas is the goddess that is the Statue of Liberty)… One of my friends suggested to me that men of God should organise a Novena to the Holy Face of Jesus in reparation for this outrage against Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

By Jim Hᴏft, Gateway Pundit – Three progressive American Cardinals, Blase Cupich…Robert McElroy… and Joseph Tobin… crashed CBS’s failing Sunday night propaganda hour “60 Minutes” to publicly flog President Donald Trump for daring to criticize the newly elected Pope Leo XIV… This was a coordinated election-year hit job designed to fracture President Trump’s exploding Catholic voter base just months before the critical 2026 midterms… Pope Leo XIV has already waded into U.S. politics by slamming President Trump’s decisive military action against Iran and his record-setting mass deportation operation that is finally securing our southern border.

By Scott Yenor, American Greatness – The Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act highlights a deeper divide over election rules, while Congress retains constitutional authority to oversee federal election integrity. … The failure of the United States Senate to pass the SAVE America Act is as regrettable as it is predictable. Noncitizen voting is already a federal crime in America. SAVE would have required voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. States would have to purge noncitizens from voting rolls, too.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word –  John 3:7-15 – 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.’ 8 The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?”10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. …

By Paul Kengor, Crisis Magazine – This escalating battle between the American president and American pope is prompting many conservative Catholics to choose a side… It was only a matter of time before President Donald J. Trump exploded at Pope Leo XIV… Unfortunately, Trump seems to eventually explode at most people critical of him or his policies. It’s a lamentable character trait. You may have noticed that since Trump entered the political scene in 2015, not many of his advisers have lasted. They tend to run afoul of him and invoke his wrath. …

By Carole Novielli, Live Action News – A U.S. District Court sided with the FDA by issuing a “motion to stay” an abortion pill lawsuit filed by the State of Louisiana while the FDA completes a safety review of the drug, but said the state is likely to succeed in its lawsuit… The Court also denied “without prejudice” a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by the drug’s manufacturers, Danco and GenBioPro, while the FDA conducts a safety review of the abortion pill… The ruling surprisingly affirmed that the State of Louisiana not only has standing to sue ….

By Alexandra Bedner, LifeNews – Led by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, 78 pro-life groups sent a letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging the Department of Justice to stop siding with the abortion drug industry against pro-life states… Louisiana, Florida and Texas, and Missouri, Idaho and Kansas sued the FDA in three separate cases to protect their citizens from the harms of abortion drugs and to stop policies that undermine their state laws, and the DOJ previously moved to dismiss all three cases. …

By Catholic Culture – Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter: Enable us, we pray, almighty God, to proclaim the power of the risen Lord, that we, who have received the pledge of his gift may come to possess all he gives when it is fully revealed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – 2026 is shaping up to be an important year in the fight over the rights of the preborn in the United States. In the past week, three significant stories related to abortion have captured my attention… The first story is encouraging: eight Planned Parenthood facilities have closed so far in 2026, continuing a four-year trend of declining abortion clinic numbers across the United States.

By Daniel McCarthy, Chronicles – President Trump and Pope Leo are in a war of words right now—when they should be allies, not enemies. Both want peace, but the president intends to get it by winning a war against Iran, while the pope thinks the war isn’t worth fighting… “I don’t want a Pope who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” Trump said Sunday on his Truth social-media network, in a post blasting the pontiff as “weak on crime and terrible for foreign policy.”… With midterm elections just seven months away, Catholic voters suddenly find themselves in the crossfire between the Vatican and the White House. …

By Diane Montagna, Substack – In a letter dated April 13, which is being sent to the cardinals today, Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Dean of the Sacred College, informs cardinals that that the meetings will be held on the morning and afternoon of Friday and Saturday, June 26–27, beginning at 9:00 a.m. This is one day earlier than previously anticipated and allows for two full days of sessions without extending into Sunday.

By Mike Robertson, The American Spectator – Democrats are repackaging progressive politics as Christian faith in the Texas Senate race… In the wake of President Trump’s decisive second-term victory, the Democratic Party finds itself in full retreat mode. The old playbook, full of shoving Woke extremism, drag queen story hours, and open borders down America’s throat — backfired spectacularly. So now they’re trying a new tactic: pretending to be one of us. No more rainbow flags and “defund the police” chants in public

By Randall Smith, The Catholic Thing – Many readers here likely witnessed Baptisms recently, especially if they went to the Easter Vigil Mass. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, we seem to have been blessed with a good number of Baptisms this year. Let’s pray that this undeserved gift continues and grows like the proverbial mustard seed… That prayer is one we must make for ourselves too, of course, for our own Baptism is like the weeding and preparation of “good soil” into which the seeds of grace are planted. But we must cooperate with that grace for the new growth to flourish.

By George Caldwell, Daily Signal – Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, who was facing allegations of sexual misconduct with subordinates, announced his intention to resign on Monday… “There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas,” Gonzales, a Republican, wrote on X… Gonzales’ announcement came an hour after Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who has also been accused of sexual misconduct, announced he would resign from Congress. Swalwell fully denies the accusations.

By Brooke Brandtjen, The Federalist – Canada’s dominant Liberal Party has introduced legislation that may soon make Christian speech illegal… In March, the Canadian House of Commons passed Bill C-9, also known as the “Combatting Hate Act.” The bill was introduced under the guise of mitigating antisemitic attacks in the wake of Hamas’ violent attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Liberals claimed it was developed to protect religious communities, but C-9 eagerly expanded to prohibit public displays of “hate,” including “Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia.” …

By Mark G. Brennan, Chronicles – That day, President Trump issued Executive Order No. 14,160, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” Trump’s edict sought to stop further issuance of citizenship documents to the children of either illegal aliens or temporary visitors. In other words, birthright citizenship—the granting of citizenship to babies born on U.S. soil regardless of their parents’ legal status—would be no more… Not surprisingly, the left erupted in priggish indignation in response to Trump’s frontal assault on their utopian plan to undermine the republic.

By Joseph Pearce, National Catholic Register – If you give the devil enough rope, he’ll hang himself. This is true but it’s not the whole truth. The problem is that he’ll hang you first. The devil hangs his own disciples, which is tragic enough, but he also hangs the innocent. These timeless cautionary thoughts should be kept in mind as we survey the way that the culture of death in the decadent West is collapsing in its own hedonistic too-muchness.

By S.A. McCarthy, The American Spectator – A surprising rise in Catholic conversions points to shifting cultural and spiritual currents in the United States… Over the Easter weekend, the Catholic Church in the U.S. saw a surge in adult conversions. According to an analysis from the Catholic prayer app Hallow, the Church in the U.S. saw a 38 percent increase in conversions from 2025 to 2026, predominantly driven by men in their 20s. …

By Jerry Salyer, Catholic World Report – Back in the late 80s and into the 90s, even as an unphilosophical teenager and avid consumer of comic books, I was well aware of flaws in the fantasy worlds of Marvel and DC… I can, for instance, recall seeing through the thinly veiled propaganda of an “X-Men” graphic novel entitled God’s Country, the villain of which was a small-minded religious bigot who refused to tolerate super-powered mutants. One storyline of The Legion of Super-Heroes depicted a xenophobic dictator taking over the Earth, resulting in a terrible regime whereby hapless space aliens were persecuted.

By Diane Montagna, Substack – U.S. Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke has downplayed what many in the media have described as growing tensions between the Vatican and the U.S. Trump administration, arguing that “the narrative of an ongoing clash is exaggerated.”… In an interview published today in Il Giornale, Italian journalist Nico Spuntoni speaks with the American cardinal ahead of this evening’s Prayer Vigil for Peace in St. Peter’s Basilica. The vigil was announced by Pope Leo earlier this week outside Castel Gandolfo, in remarks to reporters after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that “a whole civilization would die” if Iran failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” …

By Matthew Walz, The Catholic Thing – John Paul II died on the night of April 2, 2005. It was Easter Saturday and thus the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday. One could hardly imagine a more fitting moment for him to go to the house of the Father… Almost five years earlier, on April 30, 2000, after Mass on the Second Sunday of Easter, John Paul told Dr. Valentin Fuster, “This is the happiest day of my life.” He had just canonized St. Faustina Kowalska as the first saint of the new millennium. …

EWTN News Staff – The president’s social media broadside and comments to reporters came as the Pope prepared to depart for an 11-day trip to Africa… President Donald Trump publicly attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media Sunday evening, calling the Pontiff “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy” in a lengthy post that appeared to be reacting to the Holy Father’s recent appeals for peace and an end to war… In comments to reporters at Joint Base Andrews shortly afterward, Trump said: “I donʼt think he’s doing a very good job. … I am not a fan of Pope Leo.” He added: “He’s a very liberal person.”

Catholic Culture, April 13, 2026 – St. Martin I – The unfortunate victim of Constans’ wrath was the virtuous Martin. Born in Todi of noble birth, he had served as nuncio to Constantinople under Pope Theodore, gaining experience in dealing with the Byzantine court and familiarizing himself with the Monothelite teachings so prevalent in the East. Without waiting for the necessary imperial mandate, Martin proceeded with his consecration on July 5, 649. …

By Newsmax Wires – U.S. Central Command announced Sunday that American forces will begin enforcing a maritime blockade of traffic to and from Iranian ports starting Monday at 10 a.m. Eastern time following a presidential directive… According to CENTCOM, the blockade will apply to all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including those along the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman… The command emphasized the action will be carried out impartially, regardless of a vessel’s country of origin.

By Matt Lamb, LifeNews – Notre Dame de Namur University will honor former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi as its commencement speaker this year… The Silicon Valley Catholic university said it is “deeply honored” to host Pelosi… “Her lifelong commitment to public service, leadership, and advocacy for justice reflects the very values that define an NDNU education and the enduring legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,” President Beth Martin stated in a news release. …

By Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, Crisis Magazine – When he began his massive assault on Iran, the president was confident in its ultimate success. He had been advised that the Iranian people were deeply dissatisfied with their government and were groaning under the weight of an unwanted clerical autocracy. Furthermore, the country was in political disarray, racked by internal conflict, and would easily capitulate to its attackers, even welcoming them as liberators. Regime change was on the way. Iran would soon be neutralized as a threat.

By Elizabeth Weibel, Breitbart – President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV, labeling him as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and added that he does not want a Pope who opposes the actions of the Trump administration… In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that he likes Pope Leo’s brother “much better” than he likes the Pope. Trump also noted he does not want a Pope “who thinks it’s OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon,” or who “thinks it’s terrible that America attacked Venezuela.”

By Suellen Brewster, Catholic Exchange – In paragraph 965 of her Diary, Jesus said to St. Faustina: Souls perish in spite of My bitter Passion. I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity. Secretary of My mercy, write, tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice is near… Now that Lent is over, and the Easter season has begun, we can look back and reflect. What did we want to “get” out of Lent?

VATICAN WEBSITE – THE MESSAGE OF FATIMA – INTRODUCTION – Sister Lucia had already given an indication for interpreting the third part of the «secret»‌ in a letter to the Holy Father, dated 12 May 1982: «The third part of the secret refers to Our Lady’s words: ‘If not [Russia] will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated’ (13-VII-1917). …

Dr. R. Jared Staudt, Catholic World Report – Easter is the feast of all feasts, and its fifty-day season stands atop the liturgical year as its climax. While we might recognize this reality, the Easter season can seem like a letdown. While the goal of Lent appears to be clear-cut — fight against sin, do penance, increase prayer and give alms—what about Easter?… What are we supposed to do for fifty days?… If Lent is meant to clear away obstacles to receiving God’s grace, Easter should be the time for entering into it. …

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – In a major legal victory against blatant targeting and discrimination from former President Joe Biden’s administration, pro-life volunteer Mark Houck has secured a seven-figure settlement in his lawsuit against the U.S. DOJ… The settlement follows the Biden administration’s widely criticized prosecution and bogus arrest of the Pennsylvania father under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act… In 2022, heavily armed federal agents raided Houck’s home after he intervened to protect his young son from an aggressive abortion escort outside a Planned Parenthood facility.

By Brad Miner, The Catholic Thing – Yes. But so have many people been throughout history. And now some good news, although it’s the only good news… The Pew Research Center recently released a report, What Do Americans Consider Immoral? (We should be cautious about that verb, consider. I suppose pollsters can’t really ask the more pointed question, “What actions do you engage in that you know to be morally wrong?”)

By Hannah Brockhaus, EWTN News – Pope Leo XIV on Friday appointed Father Andrea Ciucci chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life. The Italian priest has served as the academyʼs secretariat coordinator since 2016… Originally from Milan, the 59-year-old Ciucci has a doctorate in the philosophy of religion from the Pontifical University of Sant’Anselmo in Rome. After serving as a parish vicar in Milan, he worked at the former Pontifical Council for the Family from 2012–2016.

By Anne Hendershott, Crisis Magazine – The relationship between the Trump administration and Pope Leo XIV has evolved into a kind of diplomatic cold war, shaped by a steady escalation of public papal denunciations and competing moral narratives in how each side interprets the responsibilities of global leadership. Pope Leo’s recent condemnations of U.S. policy—from military actions to the rhetoric of senior officials—have been unusually direct for a pontiff, signaling not just disagreement but a deeper mistrust of the administration’s moral framework.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Mark 16:9-15 – 9 Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. …

By Peter Wolfgang, Catholic Culture – Like many others, I wish the criticisms were clearer and more rooted in what the Church teaches on war and peace. But Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s bloodthirsty prayer, Trump’s threat to end Iranian civilization, these were all things well deserving of condemnation by those whose shoulders bear the burden of apostolic succession… And that is the Catholic Church’s burden. It is the one institution in our society that transcends both left and right. It must resist all efforts to be coopted by either side of the political fence. And continue to call on her children, who labor on each side, to purify and elevate the side we are on. …

By The Editors, National Catholic Register – There are no mere accidents in this life, so it’s clearly providential that the Artemis II moon mission has taken place at such a fraught moment in human history… Down here on Earth, the war in Iran has commanded our attention. Yet up in the sky, something uplifting and even more commanding has unfolded right before us. The breathtaking images of the moon and the Earth, and the Artemis crew’s faith-centered comments, have drawn our gaze heavenward in contemplation of God’s glory and the goodness of the universe he has created for us.

By Steven Ertelt, LifeNews – The number of babies born in the United States declined in 2025 while the number of babies killed in abortions has hit record highs… Provisional figures released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 3,606,400 babies were born in 2025, a 1% decrease from 3,628,934 births in 2024. The general fertility rate fell 1% to 53.1 births per 1,000 women and girls ages 15-44, continuing a decline that began in 2007… The figures come more than three years after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision returned abortion policy to the states. Pro-life advocates continue to push for stronger protections for unborn children as the nation grapples with falling fertility rates.

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – John 21:1-14 – 1 After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat; but that night they caught nothing. …

By Auguste Meyrat, The Federalist – Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his new anti-Christian bill (C-9). Not content with the current hate speech laws in force in Canada, Carney is pushing stricter restrictions on speech with a new law that would prohibit using religious texts as a defense of speech the left deems offensive. According to a report in The Telegraph, “Bill C-9, the Act is a wide-ranging piece of legislation aimed at targeting what Carney’s government claims is ‘rising anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia.’”

By Ellie Gardey Holmes, The American Spectator – Abortions have only continued to increase post-Dobbs… The data is in, and the conclusion is depressing: Planned Parenthood killed 434,450 babies in 2024, according to a new report released this week… That totals up to an impressive kill-to-patient ratio: 434,450 murders and 2.09 million patients “treated.”… This of course shows that abortions are all Planned Parenthood cares about. The additional services they render, like STD testing and pap smears, are just window dressing for their systematic murder machine.

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International – On Thursday, March 26, Finland’s Supreme Court convicted Päivi Räsänen – a sitting member of parliament and former Minister of the Interior – of criminal “hate speech” for a pamphlet she wrote for her church more than twenty years ago… The pamphlet, titled Male and Female He Created Them, affirmed the biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality. For that, Räsänen now has a criminal record, has been fined €1,800, and the pamphlet has been ordered to be destroyed.

By Harrison Berger, The American Conservative – Indeed, Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization was not an expression of American values but the purest expression, and logical endpoint, of an ideology the United States has attached itself to under both Joe Biden and now Trump: Zionism and the Greater Israel project, first through U.S. support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, and most recently through the joint war of aggression against Iran.

By Phil Lawler, Catholic Culture – The habitual tendency to favor “dialogue,” as if it were an end in itself, has cropped up again recently, in debates about the wars in Ukraine and in Iran. Again and again, Church leaders have called for negotiations to end the fighting and prevent further bloodshed. Of course it is always preferable to resolve conflicts by talking rather than fighting—if the talks can settle the contentious issues. But there are times when peace talks collapse, when opposing views and competing claims prove irreconcilable. …

By Zeale News, April 10, 2026 – Vice President JD Vance will reportedly lead a U.S. delegation to Islamabad for talks with Iranian officials beginning April 11. The delegation will include special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner, with Pakistan serving as mediator… Officials are expected to focus on whether the temporary pause in fighting can be extended into a broader agreement, though significant gaps remain between the two sides on core issues, including Iran’s nuclear program and regional security demands, according to The New York Times.

By Chiara McKenna, Live Action News – Anita Petersen was only 47 years old when she died suddenly in October 2024. It took an autopsy to reveal the cause of death. This revealed that she had been suffering from an intracranial meningioma—more commonly known as a brain tumor.  It was bleeding caused by this undiagnosed tumor that led to Anita’s untimely death… But what had caused the tumor itself?… The answer is Depo Provera, an injectable contraceptive containing medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). 

By Jonah McKeown, National Catholic Register – Rob and Sam Fatzinger live in the Washington, D.C., area. They have 14 children, two of whom are adopted — nine boys and five girls — ranging in age from 9 to 35. Nearly a decade ago, the Fatzingers captured headlines when they revealed that they were living debt-free — despite their many children in college and the fact that they reside in one of the country’s most expensive metro areas.

By Anthony Esolen, PhD, OnePeterFive – Meanwhile, the passage, which tells of the woman caught in adultery, is utterly convincing as an event from the life of Christ. It is another one of those moments that defies imitation. Recall when the Pharisees and the Herodians, enemies of one another but united in their enmity of Jesus, try to set a trap for Jesus by flattery, saying, “Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?”

By Misty Severi, Just the News – (Melania) Trump said she and her attorneys have fought the accusations that she was associated with Epstein and Maxwell, claiming that her response to an email from Maxwell was “casual correspondence,” and she was being polite… Trump read a statement at the White House Thursday that denied ties to the late-financier Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but acknowledged they ran in overlapping social circles in New York and Florida… The comment comes amid online reports and accusations that the first lady personally knew of the sex offender’s crimes, stating that such “stories are completely false.”

By Jennifer Roback Morse, National Catholic Register – Welcome, converts to Catholicism! Reports from around the world indicate that there are a large number of you… Some of you converted from other faiths. Some of you come from unchurched backgrounds. Some of you had an intellectual journey: You read your way into the Church. Others had a mystical encounter with Jesus. Others were drawn by the beauty of the Church’s music, liturgy and architecture. Still others joined the Church because Jesus bonked you over the head with a two-by-four. …

By Maisey Jefferson, The Federalist – While the SAVE America Act continues to languish in the Senate under the supervision of Republican Leader John Thune, leaders and voters in several states have taken it upon themselves to secure their own elections from noncitizen voting… The overwhelmingly popular SAVE America Act would amend U.S. election law to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote and voter ID when casting a ballot in federal elections. …

Author Don Schwager, Servants of the Word – Luke 24:35-48 – 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. 36 As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them. 37 But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do questionings rise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit has not flesh and bones as you see that I have.” …

By Fr. Jerry Pokorsky, Catholic Culture – We who subscribe to the Catholic faith are periodically asked a very reasonable question: “What’s in it for me?” At its heart, the Catholic faith does not offer material prosperity or escape. Instead, the faith offers the grace to face suffering honestly and the hope to overcome it with love. It is a faith grounded in seeing reality clearly and finding hope within it.

By R. R. Reno, First Things – What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times of war, when the moral stakes are high. Which is why I’m troubled by the annihilationist rhetoric coming from the White House. It numbs our souls and corrodes our moral sensibilities… On Easter Sunday, as an often-extended deadline for Iranian acceptance of American terms was approaching, Donald Trump issued a statement on social media threatening the destruction of civilian infrastructure, should their leaders fail to comply.

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú, EWTN News – A new report published by the French Bishops’ Conference presents the latest statistical data from Easter 2026, during which approximately 8,200 adolescents and 13,200 adults embraced the Catholic faith… The report indicates that the majority of converts are young adults between the ages of 18 and 25, closely followed by the 26-to-40 age group… In general, the new catechumens have no prior religious tradition, driven primarily by difficult life experiences, a profound search for meaning ….

By Randall O’Bannon, Ph.D., LifeNews – Clarification for those who will not have time to read the document. Though the service and financial data from the 2024-2025 Planned Parenthood Annual Report spends a fair amount of time complaining about efforts of the Trump administration to shut them down, data from the 2024-2025 Planned Parenthood Annual Report actually covers only the last half of 2024 and the first half of 2025 before Congress actually defunded the group.

By Romy Haber, EWTN News – Lebanon is asking the Vatican to stand with Christian villages in the southern part of the country. In recent days, these communities were widely praised across Lebanese and international media after residents chose to remain in their homes despite the dangers around them. Caught between Hezbollah infiltrations and Israeli strikes, villagers insisted on staying in their ancestral lands. …

By Brian Lonergan, Chronicles – When the Boston Red Sox’s legendary Fenway Park posted archival footage of 1950s Opening Day last week, the team expected a pleasant wave of nostalgia. But the comments section produced something else… The message was clear: The America in the video exposed the unmistakable decline of our current nation. Millions of viewers saw it and immediately understood why… The video touched a raw nerve not just because it was beautiful but because it showed how far we have fallen in what amounts to the span of a single lifetime. …

By John Daniel Davidson, Sr. Editor, The Federalist – After threatening the death of “a whole civilization” on Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump announced a two-week, “double-sided” ceasefire with Iran Tuesday evening, pending the immediate opening of the Strait of Hormuz… The annihilation of Iran, it seems, was averted by a last-minute deal brokered by Pakistan. In his announcement of the ceasefire, Trump said Pakistan “requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran.”

By Fr. Kevin Drew, Catholic Exchange – Something strange is happening, there is a great stillness on earth today, a great silence and stillness… So states an ancient sermon regarding Christ’s descent into the netherworld. … The earth trembled and is now still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. …

By Catholic Culture, April 9, 2026 – Meditation for the Thursday within the Octave of Easter: Grasping What the Resurrection Means… Keeping in mind the magnitude of the change wrought by the Resurrection—a divine action in history and nature that changed history and nature in a radical way, opening new possibilities of life beyond the reach of death—we can perhaps ponder with a bit more patience yet another gospel reading in which the disciples don’t at first, get it.

By Randall O’Bannon, Ph.D., LifeNews – As you see in the accompanying chart that we have linked to, we have made substantial progress in reducing the number of abortions and lowering the abortion rate over the past thirty years. At the same time, though, as long as abortion is legal, each year we will keep adding to the total of lives lost to America’s greatest holocaust.