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Thousands of faithful gather outside Rome's illuminated Colosseum for the traditional Good Friday Way of the Cross ceremony on April 18, 2025, where Cardinal Baldassare Reina led the procession featuring Pope Francis's meditations on divine mercy and human fragility. / Credit: Vatican Media/ScreenshotCNA Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 18:05 pm (CNA).Against the ancient backdrop of Rome's Colosseum, thousands gathered Friday evening for the solemn Via Crucis procession, where Cardinal Baldassare Reina carried the cross on behalf of Pope Francis, who remains in recovery from pneumonia but whose spiritual presence was palpably felt through his powerful meditations.The 88-year-old pontiff, unable to attend the Good Friday ceremony in person for the third consecutive year due to ongoing recovery from bilateral pneumonia, prepared deeply reflective texts that accompanied the 14 stations. Though absent physically, his words provided a particular presence as participants proceeded throu...
A damaged bus and vehicles after a Russian missile strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 13, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo/Volodymyr HordiienkoWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 18, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).Here is a roundup of Catholic world news that you might have missed this week:Palm Sunday bombing in Ukraine claims 34 victims, including 15 children Two Russian ballistic missiles struck the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on the morning of Palm Sunday, claiming at least 34 victims, including 15 children, as many were preparing to attend liturgies to mark the beginning of Holy Week.More than 100 others were also injured in the attack, according to a Vatican News report. "There's nothing left but to turn to the Lord to defend us, because it seems that no other force is capable of protecting peace and life," the apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, told Vatican News Service.Catholic college in India fights back against allegations of conversion, discri...
Florida State University students wait for news amid an active shooter incident at the school's campus in Tallahassee, Florida, Thursday, April 17, 2025. / Credit: AP Photo/Kate PayneCNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 15:31 pm (CNA).Catholic students at Florida State University have been praying and assisting their fellow Seminoles amid a deadly mass shooting at the campus on Thursday, a ministry leader there told CNA. As of early Thursday evening two people had died and multiple people had been injured after the shooting on the Tallahassee campus. Officials said the shooter was taken into custody after the incident. The shooting reportedly took place in or near the campus student union.Sam Nunnally, the Catholic campus ministry director at the university, told CNA via email that the ministry's parish and facilities "are directly across the street from the FSU student union. So we could hear gunshots as the incident occurred.""Many of the students in that area came running up the h...
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti performs the washing of feet ritual for laypersons during the Holy Thursday Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, April 17, 2025. / Vatican Media / ScreenshotCNA Newsroom, Apr 17, 2025 / 17:18 pm (CNA).During the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday, Cardinal Mauro Gambetti reflected on Jesus' humble act of washing His disciples' feet, calling the Church to become a Eucharistic people who serve with love rather than seeking power or profit.Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, urged Catholics to reject a world that "betrays" people for economic gain and power, instead embracing the "power of service" exemplified by Christ washing the disciples' feet at the Last Supper.Clergy carry vessels with water and towels for the foot washing ritual during Holy Thursday Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, April 17, 2025. Zofia Czubak / EWTN NewsThe prelate presided over the Mass in Coena Domini on April 17 at St. Pet...
null / Credit: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 11:59 am (CNA).A U.S. district judge this week permanently blocked the federal government from requiring some Catholic employers to accommodate abortions and in vitro fertilization (IVF) for their employees. North Dakota District Judge Daniel Traynor said in the Tuesday order that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) would be "permanently enjoined" from forcing the Catholic Benefits Association and the Diocese of Bismarck to abide by the Biden-era federal rule. The EEOC had originally announced the revision to the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act in April 2024. The rule change expanded the scope of accommodations that employers must make for "pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions" to also include workers' decisions about "having or choosing not to have an abortion" as well as treatments like IVF, both of which the Catholic Church forbids. The Catholic benefits ...
Pope Francis meets with inmates in a surprise visit to the Regina Coeli Prison on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Rome. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 17, 2025 / 12:30 pm (CNA).Pope Francis, still recovering after his recent hospitalization for double pneumonia, made a surprise visit to Rome's Regina Coeli prison on Holy Thursday, continuing his long-standing tradition of beginning the paschal Triduum with prisoners despite his ongoing health concerns.The unannounced visit took place shortly before 3 p.m. local time. According to the Vatican, the pope met with approximately 70 inmates who regularly participate in activities and catechesis organized by the prison's chaplaincy.Pope Francis meets with inmates in a surprise visit to the Regina Coeli Prison on Holy Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Rome. Credit: Vatican MediaThough he was unable to perform the traditional foot-washing, the 88-year-old pope told the prisoners he still wanted to be close to them. "I like t...
The Mystery of the Brotherhood of San Benito processes through the surroundings of the cathedral of Seville on Holy Tuesday, April 15, 2025. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Joaquín CarmonaSeville, Spain, Apr 17, 2025 / 13:01 pm (CNA).The Holy Week processions in the Andalusian capital are one of Spain's most iconic traditions. Every year, members of the confraternities or brotherhoods prepare fervently to be part of this eagerly awaited event, a genuine manifestation of popular piety.Holy Week procession in Seville, Spain. Credit: Photo courtesy of Joaquín CarmonaConfraternities and brotherhoods are religious associations that organize the processions and carry the floats on their shoulders.Renowned worldwide, their images file through the city during Holy Week to the accompaniment of "saetas" (devotional songs) and marching bands. And it only takes a second, that fleeting instant when the gaze of the Virgin or the crucified Christ meets yours, to understand the mystery of our fait...
The University of Notre Dame. / Credit: Grindstone Media Group/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 13:32 pm (CNA).A Wednesday report by an education watchdog organization identified 20 Catholic colleges and universities that had "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) programs. Defending Education, a national grassroots group combating "indoctrination in classrooms," identified more than 350 active DEI offices or programs at nearly 250 higher education institutions. The report also identified more than 20 additional colleges that rather than closing the offices simply "rebranded" their DEI offices using phrases such as "belonging" or "inclusive excellence." Of the 20 Catholic universities identified, several were high-profile institutions, including the historic Jesuit Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and University of Notre Dame in Indiana as well as Villanova University in Pennsylvania and Fordham University in New York. The list also identifi...
Priests gather at the 2024 National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis. / Credit: Photo by Josh Applegate, in partnership with the National Eucharistic CongressWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:03 pm (CNA).More than 400 men will be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year, and on average they began to consider becoming a priest at just 16 years old, according to an annual CARA survey.The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) released its 2025 national survey of seminarians who are scheduled for ordination this year. Out of the 405 ordinands asked to respond, 309 participated in the survey from Jan. 10 to March 20.The report is created in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations and CARA to examine information on the men entering the priesthood in the U.S. each year.The research found more than 80% of respondents are preparing for ordination to a diocese or eparch...
Stained0glass window of Blessed Carlo Acutis at St. Aldhelm's in Malmesbury, England. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Thomas Kulandaisamy/Catholic HeraldCNA Staff, Apr 17, 2025 / 14:34 pm (CNA).Blessed Carlo Acutis, the gaming teenager who had a deep love for Christ in the Eucharist, is about to become the Catholic Church's first millennial saint. Acutis will be canonized during the Church's Jubilee for Teenagers on April 27 in St. Peter's Square.Catholics can participate in the novena to Acutis starting on April 18 and ending on April 27, the date of his canonization. The novena consists of an opening prayer, daily meditations, and the recitation of five Our Fathers, five Hail Marys, and five Glory Bes, which are meant to thank God for the graces bestowed upon Acutis during the 15 years of his earthly life.The opening prayer is:Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I thank you for all the grace and favors with which you enriched the soul of Blessed Carlo Acutis during ...
