Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, lamented a House of Lords vote that decriminalized abortion to the moment of birth.

“This move is likely to lead to more late-term abortions putting pregnant women and their babies at risk,” he said. “Many women could likely also face even greater risks of isolation, coercion, and pressure.”

“This is a truly tragic moment for our nation,” added Archbishop John Wilson of Southwark. “How can this frightening legislation, which, following Royal Assent, will permit the abortion of children right up until the moment of birth for any reason, have any place in a civilized society?

In 1967, Parliament passed the Abortion Act, which has permitted abortion through the 28th week of pregnancy.

307,117 Germans formally left the Catholic Church in 2025, down slightly from the previous year’s figure of 321,659 and down significantly from the 2022 figure of 522,821.

The Mass attendance rate increased slightly, from 6.6% in 2024 to 6.8% in 2025. The number of baptisms and weddings declined; the number of confirmations and First Communions rose slightly.

The chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops called upon political leaders to refrain from disrespectful speech.

“The children listening to you are shocked,” Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba said on March 19. “The young people listening to you are traumatized because, in you, they see the collapse of their aspirations for leadership. The adults listening to you are embarrassed. You are a poor representation of our generation, and we are struggling to identify with you.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, sent a message in Pope Leo’s name to the 17th International Forum for Information on the Safeguard of Nature.

In the message, Cardinal Parolin wrote that Pope Leo encourages “sustainable development research projects.”

“Ecological responsibility is not fulfilled by technical data alone,” the Pope cautioned. “Such data are necessary, but not sufficient. What is needed is an education that engages the mind, the heart, and the hands; new habits, communal lifestyles, and virtuous practices.”

The Diocese of Richmond, Virginia, is preparing to receive a record number of converts into the Church at Easter. The number of new converts (900) is up 38% from last year.

Preaching at a Mass celebrated in the Philippine House of Representatives, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo of Kidapawan told lawmakers that “we must not live by lies.”

“Even if telling the truth is difficult, even if it is embarrassing, even if it costs us something—it is always better than a lie,” he said.

The bishop of Antwerp, Belgium, wrote in a pastoral letter that he will “make every effort to ordain married men as priests for our diocese by 2028.”

“The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests, but when it will do so, and who will do it,” Bishop Johan Bonny wrote on March 20. “It is an illusion to think that a serious synodal-missionary process in the West still has a chance without also ordaining married men as priests.”

“There is a historical shortage of local priests in many dioceses,” he added. “The number of unmarried men who want to become priests has fallen to just above zero.”

The regime of Nicaraguan strongman Daniel Ortega has banned ordinations to the priesthood and diaconate in four of the nation’s nine dioceses.

The bishops of the four affected dioceses—Jinotega, Siuna, Matagalpa, and Estelí—are all in exile.

The chancellor of the Diocese of Reykjavík, Iceland, is under police investigation for remarks that he made about homosexuality.

Msgr. Jakob Rolland said on a radio program that “some individuals with same-sex attraction seek spiritual guidance within the Church, including those who wish to change aspects of their lives,” ZENIT News reported. “He emphasized that the Church does not engage in what are commonly termed ‘conversion therapies,’ but offers pastoral accompaniment through prayer, sacramental life, and personal dialogue.”

Police are investigating whether Msgr. Rolland’s remarks violate a 2023 law that criminalizes attempts to alter sexual orientation. Violators face up to three years in prison.

As the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors concluded its spring meeting, its president emphasized the importance of listening to survivors of sexual abuse.

Archbishop Thibault Verny of Chambéry, France, spoke of the “need for attentive listening” to abuse survivors, as well as “humility and shared responsibility” in assisting dioceses around the world.