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National Catholic Register

Carmelite Sisters Ask for Prayers, Donations After Fire Destroys Retreat House

Sister Meredith Boquiren, OCD, directress of the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, California, speaks with anchor Veronica Dudo in an April 16, 2026, interview on EWTN News Nightly.

The fire rendered one of the two retreat houses inoperable. Although the repair costs are not yet known, the severe damage requires the building to be rebuilt.

China Pressures Underground Catholics to Join State Church, Rights Group Says

Martha Calderon
Chinese pilgrims from Shenzhen attend the general audience in St. Peter’s Square on April 5, 2016.

'A decade into Xi Jinping’s Sinicization campaign and nearly eight years since the 2018 Holy See-China agreement, Catholics in China face escalating repression' researcher Yalkun Uluyol said.

PHOTOS: Highlights From Pope Leo XIV’s First Full Day in Cameroon

Pope Leo XIV departs Bamenda, Cameroon, after celebrating Mass at the regional airport on Thursday, April 16, 2026.

The Holy Father will ultimately spend several days in Cameroon before heading on to Angola and then Equatorial Guinea during his first apostolic journey to Africa.