A number of Catholic organizations are speaking out in defense of Pope Leo XIV, as President Donald Trump doubled down on his harsh criticism of Pope Leo XIV — with Vice President JD Vance, a Catholic convert, also claiming the pope should “be careful when he talks about matters of theology” in criticizing the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran.

The Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation announced a series of initiatives across several continents that will take place throughout 2026 to mark the centenary of Pope Benedict XVI’s birth.

A coalition of 78 pro-life groups sent a letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging the Department of Justice to stop asking courts to dismiss or pause state lawsuits to roll back the Biden administration’s eased restrictions on mifepristone.

Separatist factions operating in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions announced a temporary cessation of hostilities ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s stop in Cameroon on the second leg of his papal visit to the African continent.

Pope Leo XIV spoke to journalists aboard the papal plane on April 15 on the five-hour flight from Algeria to Cameroon, underlining St. Augustine’s enduring importance today, saying that the saint’s invitation “to search for God and to search for truth is something that is very much needed today.”

More than a year after President Donald Trump pardoned 23 pro-life activists convicted of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE Act, and the Justice Department announced it would severely limit prosecutions of such cases, the department has issued an 882-page report accusing the Biden administration of weaponizing the prosecutions.

The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who operate a 42-bed nursing home that provides palliative care for the dying poor, are suing New York state over a 2024 law requiring long-term care facilities to use preferred pronouns and assign rooms based on gender identity.

Pope Leo XIV sent a letter to the College of Cardinals thanking them for their participation in the January consistory and preparing the conversation for their next gathering June 26-27 — right before the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul.

Several prominent American Catholics have launched a petition calling for the end of Russia’s religious persecution in occupied areas of Ukraine.

Since 2020, Gerry Kulzer has created the butter sculptures of the Minnesota State Fair dairy princesses that Minnesotans are so familiar with. Hundreds of people line up to watch him create his masterpieces live during the fair.