“We are anguished by the passion they are enduring on account of war, persecution, assault against human dignity, and violation of personal and religious liberty,” the bishops said.

Referring to “those victimized by escalating hostilities and autocratic rule, from India to the Middle East, from Ukraine to the Caucasus,” the bishops added:

What we are witnessing in our home communities could easily bring us to despair: churches bombed; clergy and faithful killed; innocent millions forced from their homes. Houses and apartments, hospitals, schools, and roads are destroyed, entire cities wiped out, children abducted. Hundreds of thousands slain, countless maimed, millions traumatized. Torment, rape, and massacre. The menace of genocide.

And yet, together with them, we do not lose hope! Instead, we find inspiration in those who are overcoming great hardships.

The prelate, who served as relator-general at the synod on synodality, made his remarks at a symposium in Germany on synodality and Praedicate Evangelium, the 2022 apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia.

Bishop Brendan Cahill of Victoria, Texas, the chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Migration, said that he saw the dialogue as “a means of growing in Christian unity with our evangelical brothers and sisters, while also furthering our shared goal of bringing the message of the Gospel to bear on one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

“Whatever theological differences exist between us, Catholics and evangelicals across our country are navigating many of the same complex realities—political and social—and the issue of immigration is an important example. Together, we place our hope in Jesus Christ, and we seek to live out his teaching in relation to this challenging topic,” Bishop Cahill added.

Addressing a UN commission, Archbishop Caccia said that “poverty and its consequences pose significant barriers to accessing justice.”

“Poor women and girls often lack the resources to secure legal representation, and many legal aid organizations are inadequately resourced and overwhelmed,” he explained. “Moreover, those in rural areas are further impeded by a lack of transport and reliable communication networks.”

Archbishop Caccia’s mandate as Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations officially ceased on March 7. However, no replacement has been named, and he has continued to represent the Holy See at the UN.

At a March 24 press conference (video), the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life announced the publication of a document on organ transplants from animals.

According to CARA, 41% of millennials and 39% of members of Gen Z attend Mass at least monthly, compared to 35% of baby boomers and 30% of members of Generation X. 48% of the members of the Silent Generation (born between 1928-1945) attend Mass at least monthly, bringing the overall monthly Mass attendance rate among adult Catholics in the United States to 36%.

Gen Z, however, has a lower Catholic retention rate than other generations. Among persons who were raised Catholic, 62% of baby boomers, 66% of members of Generation X, 57% of millennials, and 52% of members of Gen Z have remained Catholic, according to survey data.

Under the proposal, “priests could reintroduce elements from the older missal, such as the prayers at the foot of the altar or the traditional Offertory, while celebrations according to the older structure could benefit from developments of the reform, including the vernacular, the expanded lectionary and the newer Eucharistic prayers,” the National Catholic Register reported.

Solesmes Abbey is renowned for its Latin liturgy and Gregorian chant in the ordinary form; some monasteries that are members of the Solesmes Congregation celebrate the liturgy in the extraordinary form.

The General Secretariat of the Synod, led by Cardinal Mario Grech, released the fourth and fifth of 15 final reports of the study groups established by Pope Francis during the synod on synodality.

The Vatican newspaper warned that the Tigray war could reignite and decried the world’s indifference to the displaced persons who were among its victims.

Catholic Connect, a website of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, noted that “the findings point to continuing patterns of challenges faced by Christian communities in several parts of the country. These include interruptions of prayer meetings and church services, threats directed at pastors and believers, legal complaints linked to allegations of religious conversion, and instances of social coercion and physical violence.”