The Catholic Church in Germany continues to shrink, a new study has found. More than 400,000 people in the European country left the church in 2023, according to statistics presented by the German bishops’ conference in Bonn on June 27.

The sacrament of the anointing of the sick is not just for those who are nearing the end of their life, Pope Francis said.

A permanent pilgrim on the northern National Eucharistic Procession route heading toward Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July said at a stop in the Chicago area that before people can encounter the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist they first have to know who Jesus is.

The Texas Supreme Court upheld a state law on June 28 banning certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender, allowing it to remain in effect.

Presidents have immunity from criminal prosecution as it relates to core constitutional acts of their office, presumptive immunity for official acts, but none for unofficial acts, a divided Supreme Court ruled July 1.

Donations to the annual Peter’s Pence collection, which supports the work of the Roman Curia and funds the charitable activity of the pope, went up in 2023, with increased donations from dioceses, foundations, private donors and religious orders, the Vatican said.

Pope Francis prayed in thanksgiving for the release of two Ukrainian Catholic priests who were held in Russian captivity for more than 19 months, calling on Christians to pray for the release of all prisoners of war.

Heaven is not a secure vault protected from outsiders but a “hidden treasure” that is reached by cultivating virtues, Pope Francis said.

Reflecting on the Apostle Peter’s liberation from prison after an angel opened his cell, the pope said God “is the one who sets us free and opens the way before us” in his homily during Mass for the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, participated in the first general election debate of the 2024 cycle on June 27, including on topics like abortion, immigration, foreign policy, and the economy.