Catholic News

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CNA Staff, Mar 2, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

As Lent begins on March 5, we are reminded of the opportunity to grow in faith as we journey in the desert with Jesus for 40 days. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the three areas in which we are called to focus throughout the Lenten season as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Christ on Easter.

Here are five resources to help you grow in your faith this Lent:

'Set Free' with Father Josh Johnson on Ascension

Exclusively on the Ascension app, "Set Free" by Father Josh Johnson promises to guide listeners through daily reflections on overcoming the seven deadly sins in our lives. The reflections are designed to help participants know what the seven deadly sins are and how they appear in our lives. The program will outline specific fasts to use to combat each one of these sins and show you how to pray with Scripture and surrender yourself to God. The reflections end with a powerful, step-by-step examination of conscience with the goal of helping you experience more deeply the sacrament of confession.

The "Set Free" program is based on Johnson's book "Pocket Guide to Overcoming the Seven Deadly Sins." In an interview with CNA, Johnson, vocations director for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, explained that the idea for the book first came from feeling the need to help his brother priests with penances for people in confession.

"I think as a priest we have a responsibility to not only absolve them from their sins but to help them to identify what's at the root of their sins and as a spiritual father to give them practical and biblical remedies that can help them to combat against those vices that they might be struggling with," he said.

After praying further about his idea, he realized that it could be helpful for all of the laity in order to help them overcome their struggles with sin.

"I wanted to have a book for the laity … who want to experience freedom and to be able to go deeper into an understanding of what are the seven deadly sins, how are they operative, how might they be masked, what might precede me falling into them, and then what are some ways that I can pray and fast and some wisdom I can gain from Church Fathers, the catechism, and the Bible to fight against these vices," Johnson shared.

Johnson has three hopes for those who take part in the Lenten program: First, "that people fall more in love with Scripture and rely on Scripture for everything"; second, for "people to have a better capacity to examine their conscience prior to going to confession to really be able to discern deeper vices"; and lastly that they have "an experience of God's love and mercy in the midst of our ongoing struggles."

CNA's full interview with Johnson about the program can be viewed here:

Hallow's Lent Pray40 Challenge: 'The Way'

Hallow will be taking listeners on a journey to grow closer to Christ this Lent through "Pray40: The Way." Jonathahn Roumie, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Pratt, Father Mike Schmitz, Sister Miriam James Heidland, and Cardinal Robert Sarah will help listeners dive deeper into the writing of St. Josemaría Escrivá, author of "The Way." 

Listeners will meditate on the lives of those who followed Christ's way, including the life of Servant of God Takashi Nagai, a Japanese physician who survived the atomic bombing in 1945 and had a powerful conversion as shared in his biography "A Song for Nagasaki."

Roumie will take participants through reflections and prayers on "The Way" and "A Song for Nagasaki." Wahlberg and Pratt will lead listeners in fasting challenges and Scripture readings encouraging the faithful to give their hearts fully to Christ. Heidland will guide listeners through imaginative prayer; Schmitz will give Sunday homilies; and Sarah will offer guidance for silent meditation.

"Our Lenten challenge is always our biggest challenge of the year and it's an honor to get to pray with so many incredible voices and our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world," CEO and co-founder of Hallow Alex Jones told CNA.

Word on Fire online Lent retreat

Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, will be conducting Word on Fire's first-ever Lenten retreat. 

The seven-part online retreat will provide an opportunity for participants to deepen their prayer lives and intimacy with Christ by focusing on the interior life. 

Hicks, a renowned spiritual director and author, will guide participants in reflections each week focusing on different topics in order to grow closer to the heart of Jesus. Some topics include slowing down and returning to the heart, loving Jesus like St. Thérèse of Lisieux did, receiving Christ's love and mercy, and more. 

Blessed Is She 'Under the Olive Tree' devotional

In "Under the Olive Tree," author Olivia Spears guides readers to the Mount of Olives to console the heart of Jesus in his sufferings and be consoled in our sufferings as well.

Each week offers meditations on Jesus' agony in the garden, praying the Psalms, and diving more deeply into Jesus' sacrificial love.

Readers will also be invited to contemplate Jesus' love in Eucharistic adoration.

Lenten books

If you're looking for powerful reads for the Lenten season, there are several to choose from: 

"Mother Angelica's The Way of the Cross" by Father Joseph Mary Wolfe, MFVA, dives deeper into the beauty of the Stations of the Cross. 

"Remember Your Death: Momento Mori Lenten Devotional" by Sister Theresa Aletheia Noble, FSP, is Lenten devotional that helps readers meditate on their own mortality and the gift of salvation in preparation for Easter. 

"Praying with Jesus and Faustina During Lent and in Times of Suffering" by Susan Tassone includes daily meditations featuring the words of Jesus and St. Faustina on the Passion. Each day also includes reflections for times of suffering.

"Lenten Journey with Mother Mary" by Father Edward Looney takes readers through the journey of Lent alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary in order to view Lent and Easter in a completely new way.

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 2, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis expressed heartfelt gratitude on Sunday for the prayers and support he has received during his hospitalization while offering his own prayers for those suffering around the world.

Vatican sources reported that the 88-year-old pontiff met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin on the morning of Mar. 2, in his hospital room. The Secretary of State was accompanied by Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.

The Vatican officials visited the pope following his restful night, during which he reportedly slept well. According to the same sources, Pope Francis woke up Sunday morning, had coffee, read the newspapers, and continued his prescribed treatments.

Feeling "carried by all God's people"

In his Sunday message released by the Vatican's press office, Pope Francis said, "I would like to thank you for the prayers, which rise up to the Lord from the hearts of so many faithful from many parts of the world."

The pontiff continued: "I feel all your affection and closeness and, at this particular time, I feel as if I am 'carried' and supported by all God's people."

The message accompanied the text for the Angelus prayer, which the pope was unable to deliver publicly for the third consecutive time due to his ongoing health issues. Francis has been receiving treatment at Rome's Gemelli Hospital since Feb. 14.

Faith forged in fragility

In his Sunday message, Francis reflected on the day's Gospel reading (Luke 6:39-45), particularly Jesus' words about removing the "wooden beam from your eye" before attempting to remove the "splinter in your brother's eye."

The pope emphasized the importance of fraternal correction rooted in charity rather than condemnation. "I feel in my heart the 'blessing' that is hidden within frailty, because it is precisely in these moments that we learn even more to trust in the Lord," the pope wrote. "At the same time, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to share in body and spirit the condition of so many sick and suffering people."

Prayers in times of war

The pontiff also turned his thoughts to areas of conflict around the world, saying: "I pray for you too. And I pray above all for peace. From here, war appears even more absurd. Let us pray for tormented Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Myanmar, Sudan, and Kivu."

A medical update on the pope's condition is expected Sunday evening. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, will lead a rosary for the pope's health Sunday evening at 9 p.m. local time in St. Peter's Square.

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ACI MENA, Mar 1, 2025 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Marking 10 years since ISIS swept into Mosul and the towns of the Nineveh Plain, EWTN News, in collaboration with its sister agency covering the Middle East and North Africa, ACI MENA, has released a documentary delving into the roots of Christianity in Iraq, its history dating back nearly 2,000 years, and how Christians there have survived despite attempts to erase their presence.

The documentary, "Persecuted Christians in Iraq: An EWTN News Special," premiered Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.

Through a dialogue with Father Mazin Mattoka, president of the Monastery of the Martyrs Mar Behnam and Marth Sarah, a Syriac Catholic monastery in northern Iraq, the documentary showcases some of the monastery's history, dating back to the fourth century A.D., including its sculptures and historical murals, many of which were destroyed by ISIS, especially the crosses.

In the documentary, Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of the Chaldean Archdiocese of Erbil highlights what he calls the ongoing "dialogue of life" between Christians and Muslims since the late seventh century with the arrival of the conqueror, and the role Christians played in enriching the Arab civilization by translating texts of philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and other Greek sciences, first into Syriac and then into Arabic.

The archbishop discusses the choices ISIS put before Christians: Convert to Islam, pay the jizya (protection tax), or leave, noting that while paying the jizya might have been acceptable in the eighth century, it is no longer the case in the 21st century.

Archbishop Benedictus Younan Hano of the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul highlights the suffering of Christians from forced displacement and their deep pain from feeling marginalized in their country, without a place of refuge, unprotected, feeling betrayed and let down as they lose their towns, homes, and churches, becoming refugees in their own nation.

In the film, Hano clarifies that ISIS' targeting was not limited to Christians but affected all components of Iraq — everyone was at risk and subject to persecution.

Several Christians from the Nineveh Plain provide testimonies in the film of their painful experiences during ISIS' occupation and during the series of events that followed the 2003 incidents, which created a political, social, and religious vacuum that allowed armed groups with extremist ideologies to occupy that space, as explained by former member of the Iraqi Parliament Khalis Esho.  

Several young volunteers who served the displaced in Ankawa-Erbil during the crisis share their experiences and lessons in the film as well.

Father Raed Adel, head of the Syriac Catholic Churches in Mosul, recalls Pope Francis' courageous historic visit to the city in 2021, attributing the active reconstruction movement to that visit.

For his part, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean patriarch, expresses the relief and great hope that Pope Francis' visit instilled in all Iraqis, noting: "It was three days free from attacks and problems, and everyone followed the visit with joy."

In the documentary, Sako also emphasizes the importance of solidifying the state of citizenship to enhance trust in the future and ensure human rights, justice, and equality.

The new documentary briefly covers some of the scars left by the events of 2014, still deeply etched in the Christian villages and towns, but according to witnesses and leaders in the film, these places remain vibrant with life and filled with the remaining Christians who are rooted in their faith and homeland, proud of their heritage, steadfast and clinging to the land of their ancestors, determined to rebuild, develop, and continue to be beacons of light in the darkness.

"Persecuted Christians in Iraq: An EWTN News Special" can be viewed below:

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 1, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis' clinical condition remains stable after Friday's bronchospasm episode that caused vomiting and sudden respiratory deterioration, according to a Holy See Press Office statement released Saturday evening.

The 88-year-old pontiff has been alternating between noninvasive mechanical ventilation and high-flow oxygen therapy, the Vatican communiqué stated.

Medical updates indicate the Holy Father remains fever-free with no signs of infection in his blood work. His vital signs, including blood pressure and heart rate, continue to be stable. The statement also highlighted that Pope Francis has maintained a healthy appetite and is actively participating in breathing exercises prescribed by his medical team.

Vatican officials confirmed the pope has not experienced further bronchospasm episodes. He remains "alert and oriented" and received the Eucharist Saturday afternoon, after which he dedicated time to prayer.

The statement concluded by noting that "the prognosis remains reserved," suggesting doctors are still cautious about the pope's recovery timeline.

The Holy See Press Office confirmed earlier today that, as with the previous two Sundays, the text of the Angelus will be distributed in written form tomorrow rather than delivered by the pope in person.

According to Vatican sources, the pontiff's breathing is improving, though his overall condition remains complex. The situation regarding his pneumonia is described as stable.

Francis prayed for approximately 20 minutes in the chapel near his room on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli Hospital, where he is receiving treatment. The pope reportedly remains in good spirits and has been informed of the many prayers being offered for him.

Further medical details may become available tomorrow, Vatican sources indicated.

Marco Mancini contributed to this report.

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Vatican City, Mar 1, 2025 / 13:50 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:

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CNA Newsroom, Mar 1, 2025 / 09:20 am (CNA).

The Ward and Kathy Fitzgerald Franciscan University Homeland Mission (FUHM) officially opened Feb. 28 in Washington, D.C., to be "the spiritual home away from home for Franciscan students," according to Stephen Catanzarite, executive director of Franciscan University Encounter. The initiative of Franciscan University of Steubenville (FUS) seeks to "leverage the university's academic, administrative, and evangelizing resources to extend its mission and impact far beyond its Steubenville, Ohio, campus."

The event at the FUHM facility was held for students, alumni, and guests to hear from speakers about the program's mission and receive a tour of the center.

Opening remarks were presented by Catanzarite, who said: "The programs and the events that we will offer here are really meant to challenge and prepare our students, alumni, and others to work for and to help promote systematic change in our federal government."

FUHM will house groups of students in D.C. who travel from the university in Steubenville.  The facility has bedrooms for students, a faculty wing, multiple kitchens, a common area to gather, and an on-site chapel. 

Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, a graduate of FUS who worked for the first Trump administration, said the "initiative is not just an expansion of Franciscan University. It is a bold step forward, informing faithful Catholic leaders who will serve our country and the Church in a time of great need."

"Now, so many more students will have an opportunity to take the Franciscan formation that we cherish and bring it into the heart of our nation's capital. Because we are not meant to keep the light of Christ hidden under a basket. We are called, as St. John Paul II often reminded us, to bring the Gospel into every aspect of public life."

"We are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. It is not just a program. It is a launch for faithful Catholics to serve in government, law, media, public policy, every sphere where our presence is needed," Bremberg said. 

Presenters clarified that FUHM is not just an initiative for those studying political science but an opportunity for all Franciscan students.

Student speaker Amelia Abdalla said the Homeland Mission is for "students of any major, of any aspiration, nation, to have a home in this historic city, hopefully inspiring them to bring their gifts here to serve the common good in a very real and tangible way. And Washington needs what we have to offer."

"Please know that not only is the gift of this beautiful property, valued with appreciation, but we understand it also to be a call to action, an invitation to leave one hill empowered to serve another."

Catanzarite said the program will begin to bring students to D.C. "the week after next."

He explained: "We're going to have a group of engineering students that are going to come … to learn about how to go up to Capitol Hill to advocate for funding for science, and then they will get meetings on Capitol Hill as part of that stay."

"It's very important to know, again, that this is an interdisciplinary endeavor," Catanzarite said.

Ward Fitzgerald, CEO of ExCorde Capital, and his wife, Kathy, are the main benefactors of the mission and gave $10 million to build FUHM.

"It's really a gift for us to be able to give to a place like Franciscan," Fitzgerald said. He explained that he wanted to create FUHM for young students to "seek the truth" because "we are innately built to seek the truth by our nature and to seek, ultimately, God."

Fitzgerald highlighted the amount of "charitable works" students will be able to do now that FUHM is offering them a place in D.C.

"If you build a house in El Salvador and you're a young person, they have one house," he said. "If you come to Washington, you can create a policy to help the poor to build 10,000 houses."

The presentation concluded with remarks from FUS president Father Dave Pivonka, TOR. 

"Obviously, one particular hill has not been hidden, but it's time for the rest of the world to hear a little bit more about the city of the hill that we live in Steubenville," he said. "There are other larger Catholic universities. There are other larger universities much more well known than us. And yet, for one reason or another, Franciscan University is the one who's being called at this time, at this place, for this purpose."

"We're probably not the most powerful, but we are the ones who are willing and brave enough to step up," he concluded.

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Vatican City, Mar 1, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).

Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:

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CNA Staff, Mar 1, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

After a public outcry this month from disability advocacy groups and constituents, a group of state attorneys general has walked back plans to push a judge to declare unconstitutional a key federal rule that protects students with disabilities from discrimination.

The coalition of 17 state attorneys general, led by Texas, had in September asked a district court judge to declare unconstitutional Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which has for decades prohibited discrimination against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Among other things, the rule requires equal access and accommodations for people with Down syndrome in various settings where funds are coming from the federal government, such as education, employment, and health care.

At issue for the attorneys general is a new provision finalized by the Biden administration in May 2024 that stated — based on a 2021 appeals court ruling — that "gender dysphoria" may be treated as a disability under Section 504, based on "individualized determinations" of how the condition affects a person physically or mentally.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is leading the lawsuit, contends that the rule requires all recipients of federal funding to "allow bathroom usage, pronoun usage, and dress codes to be based on 'gender identity' rather than biological sex."

The lawsuit had originally requested that the courts declare the entirety of Section 504 unconstitutional and issue permanent injunctive relief against its enforcement.

However, after outcry from groups such as the National Down Syndrome Society, the attorneys general on Feb. 19 clarified that they did not intend to challenge the constitutionality of the entirety of Section 504 — only the "gender dysphoria" provision, in light of President Donald Trump's recent executive action ordering the removal of all gender ideology guidance, communication, policies, and forms from governmental agencies. That portion of the lawsuit challenging the gender dysphoria provision will continue.

For his part, Paxton argued Feb. 18 that "no funding for existing disability programs or any person's rights covered under existing plans under the Rehabilitation Act will be reduced by the lawsuit" but rather would prevent the federal government from pulling Texas funding for "disability programs, Medicaid, or public-school funding just because Texas doesn't allow men in women's restrooms."

"Despite a misinformation campaign, Texans should know that from the very beginning, this lawsuit has not sought to take away the protections for anyone currently covered under the Rehabilitation Act but to protect them from federal attempts to strip their funding due to any refusal by Texas to abide by a 'gender-identity' mandate," Paxton said.

'Encouraged to welcome'

Sister Dale McDonald, PBVM, vice president of public policy at the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA), told CNA that although Catholic schools in the U.S. are generally not direct recipients of federal financial assistance, they are expected to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities that don't create undue financial strain or fundamentally alter the curriculum.

"504 does not provide any funds to any school or agency. Public and private schools must use their own resources to make accommodations. Public schools are required to use their state and federal funds to make need accommodations," she explained.

McDonald also clarified that requirements under Section 504 are distinct from federal programs to assist students with disabilities such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), both of which do not provide direct aid to schools; instead, program funds are distributed to the local public school district and private schools will negotiate with the district about what services they will provide for the private school students or teachers. Very few Catholic school students receive IDEA support, McDonald said, because the funding "is too little to serve very many."

NCEA data shows that at least three-quarters of U.S. Catholic schools report having students with a diagnosed disability, McDonald continued.

"Given our mission and understanding of Gospel values to include Chrisitan hospitality, Catholic schools are encouraged to welcome students with disabilities who could access the curriculum with some accommodations," she stated.

Leo Zanchettin, chairman of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), told CNA in an email that the NCPD is continuing to research the implications of the lawsuit and plans to "respond more fully at a later time." The NCPD recently released an online series on welcoming and serving people with disabilities in Catholic schools.

The NCPD is, "of course, opposed to any action that would revoke protections for persons with disabilities as protected under Section 504," Zanchettin noted.

"We do object, however, to including gender dysphoria as a protected disability under the provisions of Section 504. Such an inclusion would place on those who serve the young — especially the young with disabilities — unjust obligations to violate their deeply-held religious beliefs regarding the truth of the human person," he said.

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Vatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).

Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:

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Vatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).

Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.

Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:

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