Trump administration officials and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on April 14 dismissed arguments that an erroneously deported Maryland man should be returned to the United States from a prison where he is being held in El Salvador.
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After U.S. aid cuts, Middle East Caritas forced to reorganize but remains hopeful
A prominent Catholic humanitarian agency in the Middle East has expressed concern over sudden cuts to U.S. financial assistance affecting its ministries aiding the displaced, refugees and the impoverished.
Pope orders renewal of academy that trains nuncios
Pope Francis has raised the status of the Vatican’s diplomatic academy to an institute of higher learning that will issue academic degrees while also strengthening its focus on evangelization.
Peru-based Catholic movement formally suppressed by the Vatican
Pope Francis has ordered the suppression of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, a Peru-based lay movement active across Latin America and the United States, and three related lay movements following decades of abuse allegations and internal investigations.
Despite improved health, pope picks cardinals to lead Holy Week liturgies
Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
Catholic leaders, public officials condemn violence after attack on governor’s residence
Catholic leaders and public officials condemned violence and called for peace after an alleged arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Vatican updates norms on donations for special Mass intentions
Catholic faithful do not “buy” Masses, but when a priest accepts an offering and promises to celebrate a Mass for that person’s loved one or other special intention he must do so, the Vatican said.
Nicaragua cracks down further on church during Holy Week
Police and paramilitaries maintained a heavy presence outside the Nicaraguan Managua cathedral on Palm Sunday, ensuring celebrations occurred entirely on church property — and sending a not-so-subtle message of intimidation.
4,000 process in Jerusalem for Palm Sunday amid Israeli bombardment of Gaza
For the second year in a row, few foreign pilgrims were in attendance at the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City of Jerusalem due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. But even the gray skies that threatened rain didn’t dampen the spirit of the 4,000 participants.
‘Nothing is sacred’: Religious leaders condemn Russia’s Palm Sunday attack on Ukraine
Catholic and other religious leaders are condemning a Palm Sunday attack by Russia on a Ukrainian city that killed 34 — including two children — and injured 119.
Pope advances sainthood cause of famed Spanish architect, five others
Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of one woman and five men, including Antoni Gaudí, the Spanish architect who designed the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona, Spain.
‘The heart is where things are pulled together’: Bishop Flores on pope’s latest encyclical
The heart is where a person can integrate his or her life amid a fragmented world, and the source of a heart’s mending and life is “the mystery of the heart of Christ,” said Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas, while speaking April 9 about Pope Francis’ most recent encyclical, “Dilexit Nos,” or “He loved us.”