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Ryan Kalkbrenner and the Creighton Bluejays are back in the 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament, one of eight Catholic universities competing in this year's March Madness. / Credit: Nicholas Muller/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Mar 18, 2025 / 15:10 pm (CNA).The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament kicks off March 18 and this year's tournament includes eight Catholic universities competing for the championship title. They are: Creighton University, Gonzaga University, Marquette University, Xavier University, St. John's University, Saint Mary's College, Saint Francis University, and Mount St. Mary's University.Several of these Catholic institutions are making history with their participation in the tournament this year. The Red Flash from Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, clinched their spot in the big dance when they beat the top team in their conference, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), 46-43 on March 11. This victory ea...
Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, during an interview at the Vatican on Dec. 11, 2024. / Credit: EWTN NewsVatican City, Mar 18, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The prefect of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti, asked bishops to avoid promoting fundraising events that would duplicate the Pontifical Collection for the Holy Land taken up on Good Friday. "Please, avoid our churches promoting similar collections for this same purpose, so that the meaning and effectiveness of your charity, which responds to the universal initiative of the successor of Peter, the bishop of Rome, are not undercut," the cardinal stated in a letter released Monday."Everything you have collected can be sent directly to this dicastery by the commissariats of the Holy Land in your country," he added in the letter, which was also signed by the secretary of the Holy See's Dicastery for the Eastern Churches, Archb...
Pope Francis attends the general audience at the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN NewsVatican City, Mar 18, 2025 / 07:53 am (CNA).Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on his health and hospitalization:
Andrew Peter (left), a seminarian, and Father Philip Ekweli (right) were abducted March 3, 2025, from a parish rectory in Nigeria's Docese of Auchi. Andrew Peter was murdred, though Ekweli was released and is receiving medical attention. / Credit: Catholic Diocese of AuchiACI Africa, Mar 18, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).A seminarian abducted on March 3 from a parish rectory in the Nigerian Diocese of Auchi was murdered by his abductors, an official of the diocese has confirmed. The priest he was abducted with has been released. In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, on March 15, the director of communication of the Auchi Diocese, Father Peter Egielewa, confirmed the safe release of Father Philip Ekweli at about 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, ending 10 days of captivity in the hands of his abductors."He is now receiving appropriate medical attention," Egielewa said."Unfortunately, however, the 21-year-old major seminarian, Andrew Peter, who was kidnapp...
Daiana Guspero and Massimiliano Varrese dance tango in the plaza outside Gemelli Hospital on March 16, 2025. / Credit: Courtesy of Daiana GusperoVatican City, Mar 17, 2025 / 21:00 pm (CNA).A group of tango enthusiasts, the emblematic dance of Pope Francis' homeland, gathered in the plaza in front of Gemelli Hospital on Sunday to express their support and closeness to the Holy Father through dance.The melody of the bandoneon, the leading instrument in tango, resonated all the way to the 10th floor of the hospital, where the pope has been hospitalized for over a month. The initiative, dubbed "prayer tango," was a show of solidarity from Italy's "tango community."Argentine dancer Daiana Guspero was responsible for promoting the event. In an interview with ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner, Guspero shared the details of the moving gesture, performed March 16 in front of the statue of St. John Paul II, where many faithful have gathered to pray for Pope Francis.Daiana G...
Cathedral of Managua, Nicaragua. / Credit: Wikimedia CommonsLima Newsroom, Mar 17, 2025 / 15:25 pm (CNA).The dictatorship of Daniel Ortega and his "co-president" and wife, Rosario Murillo, in Nicaragua continues to persecute the Catholic Church and other Christian communities. The regime is now keeping Catholic priests under surveillance, checking their cellphones, and demanding weekly reports on their activities in addition to restricting their freedom of movement.The Nicaraguan newspaper Mosaico CSI reported that "for the priests who remain in Nicaragua, homilies must be entirely theological. They cannot speak on topics related to the Church's social doctrine or social criticism."According to the news outlet, priests "receive frequent visits from police officers who check their cellphones to see if they are communicating with bishops and priests outside the country or with journalists."222 violations of religious freedomEarlier this month, the international Christian organiza...
null / Credit: Gil C/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Mar 17, 2025 / 16:10 pm (CNA).Police have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of heavily vandalizing and defacing the interior of a Catholic parish in Wichita, Kansas, over the weekend. According to the Wichita Police Department, officers responded to a reported burglary at St. Patrick Parish on the morning of March 15. Once inside, the officers discovered extensive vandalism including damage to statues, candles, and glass, and hate speech graffitied on the walls. In addition, an American flag was burned.St. Patrick's, which includes a parish school, is located in north-central Wichita and predominantly serves the Latino community. Authorities said that Wichita Police Department investigators launched a full-scale investigation alongside the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). At approximately 2:20 a.m. on Sunday, officers located and arrested the suspected perpetrator, whom they described as...
At dawn on March 17, 2025, a group of Christians gather around St. Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Lord's Prayer 100 times for peace and unity. / Credit: Siobhán BrennanBelfast, Northern Ireland, Mar 17, 2025 / 13:40 pm (CNA).Inspired by St. Patrick's "Confessions," in which the patron of Ireland states "I arose as many as 100 times at night to pray," a group of Christians gathered at dawn on March 17 around St. Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Our Father 100 times for peace and unity.It was the third year in a row that friends and strangers from all walks of life joined together in prayer to honor St. Patrick's legacy.For the third year in a row, a group of Christians gathered at dawn on March 17, 2025, around St. Patrick's grave in Downpatrick, County Down, in Ireland to pray the Our Father 100 times for peace and unity. Credit: Siobhán BrennanEvent organizer Siobhán Brennan told CNA that parts of the Lor...
While Church leaders are yet to comment, ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, has confirmed media reports that tensions have increased between Ethiopia and Eritrea of late, resulting in rumors of war. / Credit: Ethiopia Catholic SecretariatACI Africa, Mar 17, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).Tension is brewing in Ethiopia's northernmost territory, the Tigray region, a source has told ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, confirming media reports that "experts" from the Horn of Africa nation are warning of a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea."We have not yet received any official confirmation from Church leaders, but we have heard reports that the situation is unstable," the source said on March 15.As an indication of the growing tension in Tigray, the source said "flights have been cancelled."According to Reuters, there is "fresh instability" in Ethiopia's northernmost region, where a two-year civil war that ended with a November 2022 peace deal resulted in the deaths of hundreds ...
Attendees visit vendors at the Diocese of Arlington's 2025 "From Inclusion to Belonging Conference." / Credit: Porto CharitiesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 17, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).Families whose children have disabilities and Catholics with disabilities were welcomed by the Diocese of Arlington March 15 to the fourth annual "From Inclusion to Belonging Conference" which focused on plans for the future as those with disabilities prepare for adult life out of high school."The Lord, for us, is one who will always be there to strengthen us, to heal us, and to help us," Bishop Michael Burbidge said in his opening remarks at the conference, held at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, Virginia.With more than 200 people in attendance, the diocesan conference featured an array of talks, in English and Spanish, about resources for children with intellectual, emotional, and physical disabilities. These included tips for life skills, faith formation, education, and e...
