The Catholic Church’s synodal path, the church-wide listening and dialogue process currently approaching its second assembly in October, must become a model for all Catholic dioceses and parishes, Pope Francis said.

Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, described the small resilient community of the Holy Family Parish compound in Gaza City as one with “steadfast faith,” amid horrific destruction and constant bombardment following his return from a four-day pastoral visit during Pentecost.

Passersby halted and cars slowed to a crawl as they took in the scene the morning of May 18: Hundreds of Catholics processed through the streets of Washington, following a priest carrying a consecrated host — Christ’s body, blood, soul and divinity present under the appearance of bread — beneath a canopy.

Lawmakers on the House and Senate agriculture committees released differing frameworks for the 2024 farm bill, with one version praised by a Catholic aid group.

An increase in religious persecution around the globe was fueled in part by a rise in authoritarianism, according to a recent annual report.

In the latest comment from the Vatican on “Fiducia Supplicans,” the controversial declaration issued by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith in December 2023 that includes guidelines on the blessing of same-sex couples, Pope Francis clarified that he didn’t allow blessings of “the union” but of “each person.”

The pilgrimage is part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a three-year initiative launched in 2022 by the U.S. bishops to inspire a deeper love and reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist, after a Pew Research Center survey found only one-third of U.S. Catholics believed the church’s teaching of Jesus being truly present in the Eucharist.

In full vestments and flanked by pines, Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens held high the Eucharist in a golden monstrance, making the sign of the cross over the stream that flowed gently from the placid lake behind him. Next to him, a signpost read, “Here 1,475 FT above the ocean, the mighty Mississippi begins to flow on its winding way 2,552 miles to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Take advantage of conflicts since they require people to come together and cooperate, Pope Francis told a delegation from Loyola University Chicago.

Joshua’s first Communion in the hospital connects strongly to his healing, noting that the “extraordinary grace of holy Communion is a gift not only to his soul, but to his body.”