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National Catholic Register

What St. Francis Said True Joy Really Is

Who was St. Francis of Assisi? 12 things to know and share
Philip Fruytiers (1610-1666), “St. Francis of Assisi”

COMMENTARY: Far beyond the gentle image of the saint preaching to birds, St. Francis presents a demanding vision of joy grounded in the Cross and complete trust in God.

How Does Pope Leo Pray?

Simone Risoluti
Pope Leo XIV presides over the Prayer Vigil for Peace in St. Peter’s Basilica on April 11, 2026.

In an interview released by the Augustinians, the Pope's personal secretary offers details about the Holy Father's prayer life and insights into his style of governance.

A Pilgrimage Carved From Rock: How an Italian Punk Band Found Its True Vocation

Francesco Lorenzi (c) and The Sun took Catholics on pilgrimage through Jordan this month. Above, they are shown in Petra.

Before playing a candlelit concert in the ancient city of Petra, Italian Catholic rock band The Sun survived a wild punk past to bring 130 pilgrims to the heart of the Middle East.

U.S. Bishops Urge Congress to Restore Environmental Funding

A spraybow appears near the Mist Trail, a one-mile route through the mist of Vernal Fall in Yosemite National Park in California.

Bishop Shelton Fabre said funding for the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department would help protect creation, public health, and vulnerable communities.

EWTN News Explains: What Is a Papal Encyclical?

Pope Leo XIV signs his first apostolic exhortation, “Dilexi Te,” on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, at the Vatican.

Papal encyclicals are a powerful way the pope shapes global debates and articulates Church doctrine, but how should Catholics understand them?

New York Diocese of Ogdensburg Will Pay $45 Million to Sex Abuse Victims

Ogdensburg Bishop Terry LaValley prayed that the settlement 'will bring peace and healing to all survivors and to all the faithful whose hearts were broken by the gravely sinful conduct of Church leaders.'

The diocese filed for bankruptcy in 2023 after nearly 150 sex abuse lawsuits were filed against it.

Champion for the Unborn in Canada, Jim Hughes, Dies at 82

Jim Hughes, who died on May 18, 2026, shepherded Campaign Life Coalition, the political arm of the Canadian pro-life movement, for over 34 years as national president until 2018.

The former Campaign Life president worked tirelessly for the unborn for over half a century.

Pope Leo Explains Why Vatican II’s Reform Did Not Change Only ‘the Rites’ of the Liturgy

Daniel Ibanez
Pope Leo XIV shakes hands with His Holiness Aram I, catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia, head of the Armenian Church. The leader of the autonomous Eastern Orthodox church was present at the pope’s general audience in St. Peter’s Square on May 20, 2026, as a sign of fraternity between the churches.

On May 20, the Pope began a series of messages focused on 'Sacrosanctum Concilium,' a constitution on the sacred liturgy and the first document promulgated by the Second Vatican Council.