Skip to content

National Catholic Register

Pope Confirms Second Chinese Bishop in a Week Under Vatican-Beijing Agreement

China's Bishops Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun and Joseph Chang Yanfeng were ordained in July, 2026. Credit: patrice6000/Shutterstock

The ordination of Bishop Francis Xavier Duan Yongkun as coadjutor bishop of Bameng is the latest episcopal appointment carried out under the provisional agreement between the Holy See and China.

Meet the Catholic ‘Girl Dad’ Leading the Charge for Women’s Sports in Maine

Courtesy of Leyland Streiff
Leyland Streiff celebrates hitting 80,000 signatures, in the facility where the petition sheets were counted, organized and alphabetized before being handed over to the Secretary of State the next day.

A legal challenge has temporarily thwarted efforts to get a referendum on restricting girls’ sports to biological females on the ballot this November. But Leyland Streiff isn’t giving up.

Official Seoul World Youth Day Song to Be Released Aug. 3

Hannah Brockhaus
Pilgrims from South Korea wave a flag at the closing Mass of World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, with Pope Francis on Aug. 6, 2023.

Pope Leo XIV is expected to attend the event, which will run from Aug. 3–8, 2027, and to join thousands of young pilgrims.

Newly Identified St. Augustine Sermons Explore Troubling Bible Passage

Christian Tornau, professor of Latin at the University of Würzburg in Germany, reads a manuscript on screen of what is believed to be a previously undiscovered sermon by St. Augustine.

The medieval texts examine King Saul’s consultation with the medium of Endor and suggest that Israel’s first king may ultimately have repented and received God’s mercy.

Pope Leo XIV: I Still Have a Great Love for America

Pope Leo XIV waves as the popemobile passes by a crowd of American pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s general audience on June 18, 2025, at the Vatican.

The U.S.-born pontiff expressed affection for his homeland in an interview with NBC News on July 29.

U.S. Dioceses Struggle to Keep Foreign Priests Under Trump Travel Ban

Mehaniq
Other dioceses, including Oklahoma City, Denver, and Lincoln, Nebraska, told the Register that the process of bringing in and keeping priests on R-1 visas has been more mixed since January, when the new visa restrictions were implemented.

Despite efforts by the Trump administration to streamline religious worker visas, several dioceses say things have gotten more difficult over the past year.

Why China’s New Bishops Aren’t Excommunicated While the SSPX Is

cherry-hai / Gerald Mayer
Left: Xinjiang Catholic Church in Shanxi Province, China. Right: Christ the King Chapel in Bonn, Germany, operated by the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).

ANALYSIS: The comparison between the traditionalist and Chinese cases is compelling, but the Holy See sees two strikingly different situations.

The Lebron James Mass Photo Was Fake — The Priest Who Posted It Has No Regrets

This AI-generated photo of Father James DeGrassa posing with LeBron James in front of the altar at his parish just north of Philadelphia was posted by the pastor on Instagram as a joke, he told the Register.

The pastor of Queen of Peace Church outside Philadelphia has no regrets. ‘I try to catch on to whatever’s happening in the area and build up the hype,’ he told the Register.