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Missouri Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt at the CPAC D.C. conference at the Gaylord National Resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025. / Credit: DOMINIC GWINN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2025 / 17:42 pm (CNA).U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Missouri, announced that he is introducing new legislation to make Easter a federal holiday so families are able to spend "the holiest day in Christianity" together.In a thread of posts on X, Schmitt explained why the day should be federally recognized, starting with the fact that "81% of Americans celebrate Easter." "But," he continued, "our current holiday schedule makes it way too difficult for families to celebrate together."81% of Americans celebrate Easter.But our current holiday schedule makes it way too difficult for families to celebrate together.Easter falls on the longest unbroken work stretch of the calendar. (March and April are the only back-to-back months without a federal ...
A smiling Pope Francis arrives in St. Peter's Square on April 13, 2025, in a surprise visit at the end of the outdoor Palm Sunday Mass. / Credit: Bénédicte Cedergren/CNARome Newsroom, Apr 13, 2025 / 10:50 am (CNA).Marking another in a series of recent surprise public appearances, Pope Francis on Sunday briefly greeted thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square to celebrate Palm Sunday."Happy Palm Sunday and beginning of Holy Week!" the Holy Father said with some difficulty to the cheers of the large crowd that filled the square and spilled out along the Via della Conciliazione.Unable to participate in the Palm Sunday Mass, the 88-year-old pontiff, still convalescing after a serious bout of double pneumonia that kept him hospitalized for 39 days, arrived in a wheelchair toward the end of the outdoor liturgy, smiling and without nasal tubes as he passed by clergy, religious men and women, and lay people standing near the altar.Pope Francis offers a blessing to the ...
At least 33 people have been reported dead and thousands displaced following April 5-6, 2025, flooding that cut access to over half of the Congolese capital of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. / Credit: Catholic Radio Elikya/Arsene/Radio OkapiACI Africa, Apr 13, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Catholic bishops in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have expressed their "spiritual closeness and solidarity" with victims of the recent floods and landslides that struck the capital city of Kinshasa and surrounding areas, leaving scores dead and causing widespread destruction.At least 33 people were reported dead and thousands displaced following the April 5-6 flooding that cut access to over half of the capital. The floods reportedly occurred when the N'Djili River, which runs through the city of an estimated population of 17.8 million, burst its banks and submerged major roads.In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on April 9, members of the Nati...
null / Credit: Harvepino/ShutterstockVatican City, Apr 12, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has announced the theme chosen by Pope Francis for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, held annually on Sept. 1: "Seeds of Peace and Hope."The day is part of the Season of Creation, an ecumenical initiative that takes place Sept. 1 to Oct. 4. This 2025 edition takes on a special character as it coincides with the Jubilee Year of Hope and the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si', the Holy Father's magisterial text on the care of our common home.According to a Vatican statement, this year's theme reflects the urgency of working "to create the conditions for peace, a lasting peace built together that inspires hope.""The metaphor of the seed indicates the need for long-term commitment," the fruit of concrete actions and a profound ecological conversion, according to the statement.The biblical reference text chosen for t...
Seminarians live active lives, balancing prayer, studies, fraternity, and exercise. The Nazareth House provides seminarians with a healthy space to recreate, pray, cook, and share meals together. / Credit: Mike McCleary/University of MaryCNA Staff, Apr 12, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA).A Catholic liberal arts university based in North Dakota is partnering with the Diocese of Phoenix to develop Arizona's only Catholic seminary.Despite now being home to more than 2 million Catholics, the Diocese of Phoenix had no seminary of its own for more than 50 years.Nazareth Seminary is working with University of Mary's "Mary College," a satellite academic institution partnered with Arizona State University (ASU).University of Mary, also known as "UMary," has offered Catholic studies and theology courses at ASU through Mary College for more than a decade. Through the "unprecedented" partnership, Mary College classes fulfill degree requirements at the large public university.With the new diocesan pa...
Pope Francis kneels in prayer before the revered Marian icon "Salus Populi Romani" at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, April 12, 2025. / Holy See Press OfficeCNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2025 / 09:20 am (CNA).Pope Francis made a prayerful pilgrimage to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore on Saturday afternoon, continuing the pontiff's gradual return to public appearances ahead of Holy Week celebrations.The 88-year-old pope paused to pray before the venerated icon of the Virgin Mary known as "Salus Populi Romani" (Protectress of the Roman People), according to a Vatican statement released Saturday.This visit marks another step in Francis' cautious comeback to public life following his recent health challenges. The pope has been largely absent from public view since his release from Rome's Gemelli Hospital approximately three weeks ago, where he was treated for a respiratory infection.Saturday's visit to the Marian basilica comes on the eve of Palm Sunday, which ...
Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback speaks to EWTN News Nightly Anchor Mark Irons on Friday, April 11, 2025. / Credit; EWTN NewsCNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).Former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback on Friday praised President Donald Trump's choice of former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker for the position, hailing the nominee as an "excellent pick" who will advance religious liberty worldwide. Brownback served in the religious freedom role from 2018 until 2021. He was the first Catholic to serve in that role; he was the governor of Kansas prior to the appointment and also served as a U.S. senator. Trump announced Walker's nomination on Thursday. Appearing on EWTN News Nightly on Friday night, Brownback told anchor Mark Irons that Walker brings "several real key assets" to the role. "Number one is he knows the president well, and the president knows him," Brownback said. "And that's the k...
Students from local schools lead the Colorado March for Life at the state capitol on April 11, 2025. / Credit: Kate Quiñones/CNADenver, Colo., Apr 12, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).When Beverly Jacobson was five months pregnant, the doctors told her she should have an abortion. Jacobson's daughter, Verity, had Edwards syndrome, a developmental condition that their specialist said was "incompatible with life." "He went on to say that if she survived, she would be a drain on the family mentally, emotionally, and financially," Jacobson said on Friday.But he was wrong. On Friday, Verity joined her mom on the steps of the state capitol as Jacobson addressed the Colorado March for Life."She is a gift from God," Jacobson told the crowd of 3,500 pro-lifers gathered at the steps of the capitol building.Jacobson has since founded a nonprofit called Mama Bear Care to support mothers and families who receive difficult pregnancy diagnoses.Beverly Jacobson, her husband, with their d...
Pope Francis greets visitors at his general audience at the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2025 / 05:34 am (CNA).Pope Francis encouraged university students linked to Opus Dei to share "the Gospel of Jesus Christ, dead and risen" with everyone during this jubilee year in a message to participants of an international congress in Rome.In a Spanish language letter released by the Holy See on Saturday, the pope greeted young people attending the International UNIV Congress 2025, which is taking place in Rome from April 12-20 during Holy Week."The International UNIV Congress that you are holding in Rome brings you together these days in the celebration of a double jubilee event: Holy Year 2025 and the centenary of the priestly ordination of St. Josemaría Escrivá," the pope wrote in the letter dated April 8.The Holy Father noted these occasions offer "many reasons to give thanks to God and to continue walking with enthusiasm in faith, ...
The exterior of St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham. / Credit: Diocese of Nottingham/Luke PotterNottingham, England, Apr 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).A new project, the Restoring Pugin Project, aimed at restoring the original design of a popular English cathedral, is seeking to attract people to encounter "a representation of the glory of God." Nottingham's St. Barnabas Cathedral has been awarded a 1.69 million-pound (approximately $2.2 million) grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its 2.3 million-pound (approximately $3 million) Restoring Pugin Project, which is a conservation program aimed at restoring Pugin's original decorative scheme in the cathedral.Having previously received funding for the Restoring Pugin Project from the National Lottery, the latest substantial grant will enable significant work to be done on the project and to reach a far wider audience.Augustus Pugin was known as the father of the Victorian Gothic Revival, an iconic style of me...
