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National Catholic Register

What Catholics Are Reading This Lent

Melissa Hartog illustration/National Catholic Register
Some reading recommendations ...

The Register asked Catholic writers, thinkers and religious, ‘What books would you recommend?’

This Is Pope Leo XIV’s Prayer Intention for the Month of March

Vatican Media screenshot
Pope Leo XIV addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican for the recitation of the Angelus on Mar. 1, 2026.

In a video released on social media, the Holy Father posed a question to the faithful: 'Would you imagine what a world without wars would be like? A world without the terror of approaching explosions?'

Pew Report Examines How People Rate Fellow Citizens’ Morals

AlexLB
The research was based on data from participants in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

U.S. adults were among those most likely to condemn extramarital affairs as immoral in a study of 25 countries.

Catholic Theologians Urge Trump to Follow Just War Doctrine As Iran Conflict Continues

Majid Saeedi
Men watch from a hillside as a plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. The United States and Israel continued their joint attacks that erupted on Feb. 28.

War is justified only to confront grave evil, its harm must not exceed the evil it seeks to end, and there must be a real chance of success, with all alternatives to war exhausted, the catechism says.

A Pope’s Magnificent Bet On a Young Bernini

Vatican Media
Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica, where Bernini's gorgeous bronze monument to the Chair of Peter acts as a massivebronze reliquary for the historic wooden chair.

An exhibition in Rome traces how Pope Urban VIII backed the 25-year-old artist behind St. Peter’s soaring bronze canopy — and the decade-long project that helped define Baroque Catholicism.

Consecrated Women in Rome Heal With St. Hildegard

‘Welcoming others in the spirit of St. Hildegard is all about simplicity, because she is the saint of joy,’ said Simona Ferrara of Casa Santa Maria degli Angeli.

The community prepares meals for retreats, cooking the same foods they themselves consume, following closely to the principles of the doctor of the Church as they offer hospitality to souls.

A Hilaire Belloc Revival

Writer and historian Hilaire Belloc is pictured in a 1910 portrait by T. & R. Annan & Sons.

COMMENTARY: After decades of neglect, new publications and academic interest suggest that Hilaire Belloc’s voice is once again being heard.