Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Eastern Churches said that “I have the impression that most of the world does not realize the catastrophe that is striking our civilization.”

“Those who promote war today are destroying everything that has been built since the Second World War,” said Cardinal Claudio Gugerotti. “I am not speaking only of ideals, but also of people and things—even historical monuments of immense value.”

Cardinal Gugerotti made his remarks in an interview devoted to the annual worldwide Good Friday collection for the Church in the Holy Land. Lamenting the plight of Christians in the Middle East, the prelate said:

Christian communities, which have always had the sense of being merely tolerated, now fear that they may no longer be tolerated at all. As a result, they want to flee.

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network published new general regulations to guide “the identity, mission, and organization of this pontifical work globally.”

“The new document establishes clear criteria regarding the nature and functioning of the Network at an international level and marks a new step in its development as a work entrusted directly by the Holy See to the Society of Jesus,” the Network said in a March 19 statement. “In this sense, it reaffirms its place within the mission of the Jesuits and its priority status in apostolic ministries.”

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network was founded in 1844 by young Jesuits; it was formerly known as the Apostleship of Prayer.

Pope Leo XIV issued a message marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), Pope Francis’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation on love in the family.

“On 19 March 2016, Pope Francis offered the universal Church a luminous message of hope regarding conjugal love and family life, which was the fruit of three years of synodal discernment enriched by the Jubilee Year of Mercy,” Pope Leo wrote. “On this tenth anniversary, we give thanks to the Lord for the stimulus that has encouraged reflection and pastoral conversion in the Church, and ask God for the courage to persevere on this path, always welcoming the Gospel anew in the joy of being able to proclaim it to all.”

The Pontiff concluded by convoking a meeting of the world’s episcopal conference presidents:

In light of the changes that continue to impact families, I have decided to convene the presidents of the Episcopal Conferences from around the world in October 2026, in an effort to proceed, in mutual listening, to a synodal discernment on the steps to be taken in order to proclaim the Gospel to families today, in light of Amoris Laetitia and taking into account what is currently being done in the local Churches.

The chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Religious Liberty decried anti-Semitism.

“Catholics are called to reject antisemitism and the lies and conspiracies that fuel it, and to stand clearly against hatred and violence directed toward our Jewish brothers and sisters,” Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, said on March 18. “To defend religious freedom with integrity, we must also reject antisemitism.”

Archbishop Sample expanded upon his comments in a video, “Archbishop Sample on Holy Week, Good Friday, and Rejecting Antisemitism.”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sparked controversy for recommending a social media article subtitled “How a Network of Political Catholic Integralists, Russian Ideologues, and Media Provocateurs Are Systematically Dismantling the Evangelical Foundation of the American Right.”

“READ every word of this,” said Senator Cruz. “It’s the best & most comprehensive explanation of what we’re fighting.”

“The online assault on sola scriptura has been running for years through Catholic Answers, YouTube debates, conversion testimonies, and TikTok content, targeting young evangelical men specifically,” the article also stated—prompting a response from Catholic Answers, the apologetics organization founded in 1979 by Karl Keating.

After endorsing the post critical of Catholic integralism, Sen. Cruz endorsed a post by Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, decrying anti-Semitism.

“Catholics & Protestants & Jews should all be resolutely standing together in defense of our shared values,” said Sen. Cruz. “Those seeking to divide us do not have America’s interests in their hearts.”

Archbishop Sample, who chairs the US bishops’ Committee on Religious Liberty, responded:

I urge my fellow Christians to approach these matters not through the lens of personal ideology or political preference, but according to the moral principles handed on by Holy Mother Church and her magisterium.

All Christians must reject unjust discrimination on the basis of religion or ethnicity. But that principle must not be misused to silence legitimate criticism of governments.

The hostility of the enemies of Jesus becomes increasingly clear, and the agitation around His person continues with greater intensity; but He awaits His "hour." Satan and the forces of evil will appear to triumph, but the real victory will come and that is God's. --St. Andrew Missal

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