Catholic News

• Pope Leo: 'I have no fear of the Trump administration' (CWN)
  Responding to a reporter’s question on the papal flight from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo XIV said this morning that he has “no fear of the Trump administration.”
• President Trump blasts Pope Leo in lengthy social media post; USCCB responds: Pope Leo is not a politician (CWN)
  In a lengthy social media post last night, President Donald Trump offered strong criticism of Pope Leo XIV.
• Social media image depicting President Trump as Christ figure removed after uproar (USA Today)
  President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself on social media that appeared to depict him as Jesus. The image—published after a lengthy social media post blasting Pope Leo XIV—provoked a backlash, leading to its removal. “The image is blasphemous, and we condemn it,” CatholicVote stated in a brief social media post. “I did post it and I thought it was me as a doctor,” President Trump said to reporters today. “It’s supposed to be me as a doctor making people better, and I do make people better. I make people a lot better.”
• Pope visits Great Mosque of Algiers, recalls St. Augustine's search for truth (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV visited the Great Mosque of Algiers this afternoon (video) and, in impromptu remarks, spoke about St. Augustine’s search for truth.
• Pope calls on Algeria's leaders to promote 'vibrant, dynamic, and free civil society' (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV spoke to Algeria’s civil authorities during his second address in the North African nation today and called upon them “to promote a vibrant, dynamic and free civil society, in which young people in particular are recognized as capable of helping to broaden the horizon of hope for all” (video).
• 'The future belongs to men and women of peace,' Pope says in first Algerian address (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV arrived in Algeria this morning and emphasized in his first address that “the future belongs to men and women of peace.”
• I am 'very happy' to visit the land of St. Augustine, Pope says on flight to Algeria (CWN)
  Addressing journalists on the flight from Rome to Algiers, Pope Leo XIV said this morning that “I am indeed very happy to visit once again the land of Saint Augustine.”
• Pope departs for Africa (CWN)
  Pope Leo departed from Rome this morning for Algeria, the first of four nations he will visit during a ten-day apostolic journey.
• US cardinals criticize Iran war, ICE deportations (CBS News)
  In a joint interview, Cardinals Blase Cupich, Robert McElroy, and Joseph Tobin—the three cardinals who currently govern archdioceses in the United States—criticized the Iran war and ICE deportations. “In the Catholic teaching this is not a just war,” Cardinal McElroy said of the Iran war. “The Catholic faith teaches us there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can’t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace.” The Iranian regime is “an abominable regime, and it should be removed,” Cardinal McElroy continued. “But this is a war of choice that we went to, and I think it’s embedded in a wider moment in the United States that’s worrying, which is this: we’re seeing before us the possibility of war after war after war.” Asked why he called ICE a “lawless organization,” Cardinal Tobin said: I didn’t say that they were people without law. But when people act in this way, when they have to hide their identities to terrify people, when they can actually violate other guarantees of our Constitution and Bill of Rights, well I think somebody’s got to call that out and I’m not the only one.
• Chaldean bishops elect new Patriarch, Paul III Nona (CWN)
  The Chaldean Patriarchate announced the election of Archbishop Amel Shamon Nona as the new Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church. Archbishop Nona chose the name Paul III Nona.
• Report: Pope wishes to visit Vietnam in near future (Vietnam News Agency)
  Pope Leo XIV told a leading Vietnamese government official that he wishes to Vietnam in the near future, the state-run Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. Trần Thanh Mẫn, chairman of the National Assembly, invited the Pontiff to visit the nation during an April 11 audience. Mẫn “highly valued the Pope’s messages of peace and his valuable contributions to promoting peace, social justice, environmental protection, and care for the poor,” according to VNA. VNA reported that the Pope “expressed his gratitude to Vietnamese authorities for facilitating the stable and effective operation of the Holy See’s Resident Papal Representative in Vietnam, and voiced his hope for more frequent exchanges and interactions to further deepen bilateral ties, in line with shared interests and the aspirations of the Catholic community.” In 2023, following years of negotiations, Pope Francis named the first papal resident representative in Vietnam since 1975. The Southeast Asian Communist nation of 106.7 million (map) is 48% Buddhist and 10% Christian, with 12% adhering to ethnic religions.
• Cardinal Vesco: Algerians will welcome Pope's message of peace (L'Osservatore Romano (Italian))
  As Pope Leo prepared to embark on his apostolic journey to four African nations, the cardinal archbishop of Algiers wrote that Algerians will welcome the Pope’s message of peace. “It is no coincidence that the motto of this journey is ‘Peace be with you’—a greeting we also offer in Arabic: ‘Assalamu alaykoum,’” Cardinal Jean-Paul Vesco, O.P., wrote in an article for the Vatican newspaper. “We welcome the Pope, for he is a man of peace; yet, in a world like ours today—where are the men of peace? Are there any others?” Cardinal Vesco added: The Algerian people will surely welcome him with warmth and deep emotion; for them, personality counts above all else—it is the exchange of glances that truly touches the heart. They possess the immense quality of being easily moved; they have the capacity to let everything unfold within the gaze—and, consequently, within the heart. And I have no doubt that the gaze they will encounter—the gaze the Pontiff will cast upon them, and upon our country—will leave no heart untouched by indifference.
• Cardinal Burke: 'Vatican-US clash' narrative Is exaggerated (Diana Montagna's Substack)
  Cardinal Raymond Burke, the former prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, said in an interview that the “narrative of an ongoing clash” between Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump “is exaggerated.” “The Pope has invited everyone to work for peace, as he rightly should,” Cardinal Burke, 77, said in an interview with Il Giornale. “His compass is the teaching of the Church, found in the Catechism and as classically articulated by Saint Augustine.” The interview was published on April 11, a day before the president blasted Pope Leo in a lengthy social media post.
• 'The Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life,' Pope tells pilgrims (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV emphasized today in his Regina Caeli address (video) that “the Sunday Eucharist is indispensable to the Christian life.”
• Pope offers Easter greetings to Eastern Christians, calls for peace in Ukraine, Lebanon, Sudan (CWN)
  At the conclusion of his midday Regina Caeli address today, Pope Leo XIV extended Easter greetings to Eastern Christians and called for peace in Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan.
• At Rosary for peace, Pope speaks of importance of prayer, urges leaders to stop waging war (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV presided at the recitation of the holy Rosary for peace in St. Peter’s Basilica this evening (booklet, video) and emphasized the importance of prayer as he called upon national leaders to stop waging war.
• Cardinal Parolin previews Pope's journey to Africa (Vatican News)
  In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, discussed Pope Leo’s upcoming apostolic journey to Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, which will begin on April 13. “The common thread of this apostolic journey lies in the Holy Father’s choice to bring the presence of the Church to places where human suffering is most acute,” said Cardinal Parolin. “Africa is a young continent, rich in faith and vitality, and the Pope’s visit is an act of trust in its future—a future that the Church intends to continue accompanying with dedication and hope.”
• Pope calls on Chaldean bishops to elect a 'man of the Beatitudes' as Patriarch (CWN)
  Pope Leo XIV received the members of the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church as they prepared to elect a new Patriarch and urged them to elect a “father in faith” and “man of the Beatitudes” who seeks to build communion in charity.
• French President Macron meets with Pontiff (National Catholic Register)
  Pope Leo XIV received President Emmanuel Macron of France on April 10. President Macron said after the audience that he and Pope Leo share a “common conviction: in the face of the world’s divisions, action for peace is a duty and a requirement.” The French president also met with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed “important international issues, with an exchange of views on conflict situations in the world, hoping that peaceful coexistence can be reestablished through dialogue and negotiation.”
• Leading Pakistani prelate demands safety for Christian girls after court validates marriage of minor (EWTN News)
  The president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference demanded safety for Christian girls after a court validated the marriage of a 13-year-old Christian girl to a 30-year-old Muslim man. The girl’s father said that his daughter was abducted, forced to convert to Islam, and did not consent to the marriage. Under Pakistani civil law, the minimum age for marriage is 18, but the court cited Islamic law in validating the marriage. “The Church is not in favor of marriages involving conversion under such circumstances,” said Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad. “We demand safety for our daughters and will continue to raise our voice for underage brides of any religion.”
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