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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...
The state capitol building of Yucatán, Mexico. / Credit: J. Magno, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPuebla, Mexico, Apr 11, 2025 / 15:20 pm (CNA).Mexico's Yucatán state Congress has approved the decriminalization of abortion up to 12 weeks of gestation, amending the penal code, although the state constitution continues to protect life from the moment of fertilization.The April 9 legislative action passed with 22 votes in favor and 13 against. According to a statement from the local congress, the deputies approved "the right of women and pregnant persons to decide up to 12 weeks."In addition, the penalties for a forced abortion were increased from three to eight years in prison to five and 10 years, and in the case of forced abortion with violence, the penalties increased from six to nine years to nine to 15 years in prison.Nonetheless, the protection of life remains in force in the Yucatán Constitution, which "recognizes, protects, and guarantees the right to life of every hu...
null / Credit: Andy via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 11, 2025 / 15:52 pm (CNA).The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Jubilee USA Network this week sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to pursue global debt relief initiatives that will economically serve both developing countries and the United States. In the letter, Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, the chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace, and Eric LeCompte, the executive director at Jubilee USA Network, argued that "building on the successes" of relief initiatives introduced by Trump during his first term could lower global debt. Jubilee USA Network on its website describes itself as "a coalition of religious, development, and advocacy groups" and "works on debt, tax, trade, and transparency policies that help end poverty."The letter stated the president previously "expanded and introduced new global debt relief initiatives … while also l...
