ROME (CNS) – Celebrating his first Mass in Rome’s diocesan cathedral, Pope Leo XIV said communion is built primarily “on our knees,” through prayer and a constant commitment to conversion.

He reaffirmed Pope Francis’ dedication to listening, first and foremost to the Holy Spirit, as it then leads to listening to and understanding others “as our brothers and sisters.”

The pope’s remarks came during his homily at Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, where he took possession of the cathedral as the bishop of Rome May 25.

The pope arrived in the late afternoon to the cheers and applause of those who turned out to welcome the U.S.-born pontiff as he stepped out of the black Volkswagen SUV in front of the basilica. He smiled and waved to those outside before being greeted by Cardinal Baldassare Reina, papal vicar for Rome, and then he walked through the basilica’s Holy Door.

Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome May 25, 2025. During the liturgy, the pope officially took possession of the basilica, his cathedral as bishop of Rome. (CNS photo/Cristian Gennari, pool)

At the start of the liturgy, Cardinal Reina read a profession of obedience to the pope on behalf of the diocese and then the pope sat on the raised marble chair in the basilica’s apse, taking formal possession of the “cathedra” (chair) of the bishop of Rome. He then received representatives of his flock, including clergy and laypeople.

The pope dedicated his homily to the Mass readings, putting special emphasis on the importance of listening.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles (15:1-2, 22-29), described Paul and Barnabas recognizing the authority of the Jerusalem church and going there to settle the question of whether Gentiles could embrace a form of Christianity that did not include observing every aspect of Mosaic law.

“This was no easy matter; it called for much patience and mutual listening,” and Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem were prepared to listen, Pope Leo said.

That dialogue “led to the right decision,” he said, because they listened to God’s voice.

“In this way, they remind us that communion is built primarily ‘on our knees,’ through prayer and constant commitment to conversion. For only in this way can each of us hear within the voice of the Spirit crying out: ‘Abba! Father!’ and then, as a result, listen to and understand others as our brothers and sisters,” he said.

“Naturally, the more we let ourselves be convinced and transformed by the Gospel — allowing the power of the Spirit to purify our heart, to make our words straightforward, our desires honest and clear, and our actions generous — the more capable we are of proclaiming its message,” the pope said.

In fact, he said, “the Gospel assures us that we are not alone in making our decisions in life. The Spirit sustains us and shows us the way to follow, ‘teaching’ us and ‘reminding’ us of all that Jesus said.”

“Pope Francis frequently encouraged us to reflect on the maternal dimension of the church and her defining qualities of tenderness, self-sacrifice and the capacity to listen,” he said.

“We hope that those qualities will be increasingly present in the people of God everywhere, including here, in our great diocesan family: in the faithful, in pastors and, first of all, in myself,” Pope Leo said.

He encouraged the Diocese of Rome’s “process of listening” to the world and its communities to respond to current challenges and “to propose sage and prophetic initiatives of evangelization and charity.”

“I would like to express my firm desire to contribute to this great ongoing process by listening to everyone as much as possible, in order to learn, understand and decide things together, as St. Augustine would say, ‘as a Christian with you and a bishop for you,'” Pope Leo said.

He asked everyone to support him “in prayer and charity, mindful of the words of St. Leo the Great: ‘All the good we do in the exercise of our ministry is the work of Christ and not our own, for we can do nothing without him.'”

He expressed his love and affection for the faithful of Rome “and my desire to share with you, on our journey together, our joys and sorrows, our struggles and hopes. I too offer you ‘the little I have and am.'”

Following the Mass, the pope appeared at the balcony of the basilica, where he briefly addressed a large crowd of people, wishing them as he did the afternoon of his election May 8, “Peace be with you.”

The Holy Year dedicated to hope, he said, encourages the faithful to be living witnesses of Christ’s hope to the world, “a world that is suffering a lot” because of war, violence and poverty.

“Thank you for walking together,” he said, “Let us all walk together.”

The pope then got in an open popemobile and headed to the patriarchal Basilica of St. Mary Major where he venerated the “Salus Populi Romani,” (“Salvation of the Roman People”), a Marian icon in a side chapel.

After the prayers and final blessing, he stood and prayed at the tomb of his predecessor, Pope Francis, upon which lay a single white rose.

Pope Leo then spoke to the people gathered outside the basilica, thanking them “from my heart” for their presence to be with their new bishop, “united as members of the Diocese of Rome.”

Before going to St. John Lateran for the Mass, Pope Leo also met with Rome’s mayor, Roberto Gualtieri, in a brief ceremony at the bottom of the steps below city hall.

Pope Leo said he felt the “serious but enthusiastic responsibility of serving all members” of the Diocese of Rome, “having at heart, above all, the faith of the people of God and, therefore, the common good of society.”

“We are partners, each in its own institutional setting,” he said. And yet, as he was about to take possession of the city’s cathedral, “Today I can say for you and with you, I am Roman,” which was met with great applause.

Also May 25, the pope led a crowd in St. Peter’s Square in praying the “Regina Coeli” at noon.

Speaking from the window of the Apostolic Palace, the pope said, “Let us resolve to bring (the Lord’s) love everywhere, never forgetting that each of our sisters and brothers is a dwelling place of God and that his presence is manifested above all in the little ones, in the poor and the suffering, who ask us to be thoughtful and compassionate Christians.”

(OSV News) – Russia has rejected the Vatican’s offer to host talks for ending the war in Ukraine, despite international support for the idea.

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin had offered to “eventually make the Vatican … available for a direct meeting” between Ukraine and Russia, as May 16 talks between those nations in Istanbul ended after just two hours, with little result except for a mutual prisoner exchange.

The move was endorsed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and U.S. President Donald Trump, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming the Vatican could be a meeting venue for Russia-Ukraine peace talks before meeting May 17 with Cardinal Matteo Zuppi. The Archbishop of Bologna, Italy, Cardinal Zuppi has served as a papal peace envoy between Ukraine and Russia since 2023.

“I think it’s a place that both sides would be comfortable going,” Rubio told reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Rome.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov enters a hall with Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher during their meeting in Moscow, Nov. 9, 2021. Lavrov rejected the prospect of the Vatican hosting Ukraine-Russia peace talks in May 23, 2025, remarks. (OSV News photo/Yuri Kochetkov, pool via Reuters)

Ukraine President Voldymyr Zelenskyy – who had a private meeting with Pope Leo XIV following the May 18 papal inauguration Mass at St. Peter’s Square – said in his May 19 conversations with Trump he had “reiterated that Ukraine is ready for direct negotiations with Russia in any format that brings results. Türkiye, the Vatican, Switzerland — we are considering all possible venues.”

However, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has nixed the prospect, saying his nation has “no plans” for when or where the next meeting between the two nations will take place.

Lavrov made the remarks while speaking at a May 23 conference in Moscow on “Historical South Russian Lands: National Identity and Self-Determination of Peoples.”

He described efforts to coordinate talks at the Vatican as “unrealistic.”

“Imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations. It’s a bit vulgar,” said Lavrov, according to the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet, citing Russian media outlet RBC. Lavrov’s word choice has also been rendered as “a bit inelegant.”

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told media May 22 there are “no agreements” to hold talks at the Vatican.

Lavrov cited religion as one obstacle, saying a meeting between Russia and Ukraine, “two Orthodox countries,” at a “Catholic platform” would be “somewhat uncomfortable” for the Vatican.

Most Christians in Ukraine identify as Orthodox, followed by Ukrainian Greek and Roman Catholic. The nation’s religiously plural society is also home to historic Jewish, Muslim and Protestant communities.

Some 71% of Russians identify as Orthodox, with 15% claiming no religious faith and 5% identifying as Muslim. Other faiths, including Catholicism, each represent 1% or less of the remaining population.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has been a fervent supporter of Russia’s war on Ukraine, launched in 2022 and continuing attacks initiated in 2014. The patriarch preached in a September 2022 sermon that any Russian soldier who dies in Ukraine offers a sacrifice that “washes away all the sins that a person has committed.”

Sergei Markov, a political consultant closely aligned with the Kremlin, told Bloomberg that security concerns prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from traveling to the Vatican, located within the NATO member state of Italy.

Putin is the subject of one of six arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes by Russian officials in Ukraine. As a signatory to the Rome Statute, which created the ICC, Italy would in principle have a duty to arrest Putin if he entered the country.

Bloomberg, citing unidentified European officials, said discussions are nonetheless taking place to create a role for the Vatican in Ukraine-Russia talks.

(OSV News) – Two U.S. Catholic bishops expressed their “profound grief and outrage” over the May 21 killing of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington.

“We stand in prayerful mourning with our Jewish brothers and sisters and denounce this act of violence and antisemitic hatred in the strongest possible terms,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Metropolitan Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia in a May 23 joint statement.

The bishops – who respectively chair the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs and Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development – said their hearts were “burdened by sorrow” over the murders of 26-year-old Sarah Lynn Milgrim and 30-year-old Yaron Lischinsky, who were fatally shot at close range while leaving a young diplomats reception at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim who were shot and killed as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum May 21, pose for a picture at an unknown location, in this handout image released by Embassy of Israel to the U.S. on May 22, 2025. (OSV News photo/Embassy of Israel to the USA via X/Handout via Reuters)

The couple was set to become engaged in Jerusalem next week, with Lischinsky purchasing the ring only days ago, according to Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S.

Suspect Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, was filmed chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” following the attack. He was detained and has been charged with both federal and local murder offenses, including the murder of foreign officials and two counts of first-degree murder.

The attack has been widely condemned as an act of antisemitism.

In their statement — which joined similar outcries from Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia — Bishop Bambera and Archbishop Gudziak said, “As Catholics, we are called not only to reject such hatred, but to actively foster mutual understanding, respect, and solidarity with the Jewish people.”

They pointed to Catholic teaching on the church’s relationship to the Jewish people.

“With urgency and clarity, we renew the commitment made through the Second Vatican Council’s declaration ‘Nostra Aetate’ to affirm our common patrimony with the Jews and stand against any and all forms of antisemitism,” they said, referring to the landmark conciliar document that is currently marking its 60th anniversary this year.

“Nostra Aetate” (“In Our Time”) is believed by scholars to have been inspired by a brief but pivotal 1960 encounter between renowned French Jewish historian Jules Isaac and St. John XXIII, during which Isaac presented his research demonstrating a centuries-long “teaching of contempt” toward the Jewish community by Catholic and other Christian theologians.

Regarding the murders of Milgrim and Lischinsky, Bishop Bambera and Archbishop Gudziak said, “The suffering generated by this senseless and violent action against the Jewish community wounds us all and compels us toward renewed vigilance and action.”

The bishops also acknowledged “the grave responsibility we all share in the language we use, especially when speaking about the conflict in the Holy Land,” pointing to the Israel-Hamas War, which began after the latter’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed at least 1,200 and saw some 250 taken hostage. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, at least 53,655 have been killed in Gaza as of May 21.

“Complex political realities can never justify rhetoric that demonizes a people, faith, or community,” said Bishop Bambera and Archbishop Gudziak. “Harsh or dehumanizing language, even when unintended, can sow seeds of suspicion and fear, which too easily bear the fruit of violence. In our public discourse, as in our prayers, we must choose the path of truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15), never allowing geopolitical tensions to justify antisemitism or any form of hatred.”

In December, the USCCB and the American Jewish Committee released “Translate Hate: The Catholic Edition,” a resource to confront antisemitism by cataloging anti-Jewish slurs, while providing Catholic teaching that counters such hatred.

Bishop Bambera worked closely with Rabbi Noam Marans, the AJC’s director of interreligious affairs, on the 61-page glossary of antisemitic terms and commentary, which built on the AJC ongoing “Translate Hate” initiative, launched in 2019.

“To our Jewish neighbors, partners and friends: We walk with you. We grieve with you. We stand with you,” said Bishop Bambera and Archbishop Gudziak in their statement. “May the God of justice and peace comfort the wounded, strengthen the fearful, and bring healing to all affected by this violence. Let us together be instruments of peace, as we heed the words of the prophet Micah: ‘Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.'”

(OSV News) – In their first week of pilgrimage, eight young adults witnessed a bishop blessing his diocese with the Blessed Sacrament via helicopter, visited key sites in the life of sainthood-tracked Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, and boated across the Mississippi River from Illinois to Iowa — all in the company of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage launched May 18 from St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis — the same church where last year’s inaugural National Eucharistic Pilgrimage ended in July ahead of the National Eucharistic Congress. Following Mass celebrated by Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson, the pilgrimage’s eight “perpetual pilgrims” immediately set out in a van for the Diocese of Joliet, Illinois.

Bishop Dennis G. Walsh of Davenport, Iowa, kneels during Benediction at the grotto outside Sts. Mary and Patrick Parish in West Burlington, Iowa, May 21, 2025, as part of this year’s National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. (OSV News photo/Anne Marie Amacher, The Catholic Messenger)

“To journey with Christ in this tangible, holy way – adoring him in silence as the countryside replaced the skyscrapers of downtown – was deeply moving,” said Charlie McCullough, the only 2025 perpetual pilgrim who was also a perpetual pilgrim last year, in a post on OSV News’ live blog featuring the pilgrims’ daily reflections.

They spent that first afternoon and evening at St. Mary Catholic Church in Paxton, Illinois, where Joliet Bishop Ronald A. Hicks received the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance and led adoration. A second Holy Hour was then held 25 miles away at Immaculate Conception Church in Gilman, followed by a Eucharistic procession and adoration about 50 miles north at St. John Paul II Church in Kankakee.

The next day began with Mass at St. John Paul II, followed by a Eucharistic procession at nearby Bishop McNamara Catholic School, and then a Eucharistic procession and adoration 40 west at Immaculate Conception Church in Morris, Illinois. Then, they entered the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, where they had five more events, including Mass, May 19.

The fast pace of this year’s 36-day pilgrimage makes it possible for pilgrims to cross 10 states and 20 dioceses in a part of the United States largely missed by the 2024 four-route pilgrimage: the American Southwest. This year’s pilgrimage entered the Diocese of Davenport, Iowa, May 21, and plans to pass through Iowa and into Kansas before going through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, ending in Los Angeles for the feast of Corpus Christi, June 22.

The eight “perpetual pilgrims” were chosen among applicants by National Eucharistic Congress Inc., the pilgrimage’s organizer. The pilgrims, all in their 20s, bring a variety of education, work and ministry experience to their roles, accompanying the Eucharist across the country and witnesses to Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. Like last year, they are accompanied by chaplains from the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

On May 20, the pilgrims visited at least two sites of importance to the life of Archbishop Sheen: his baptismal site in St. Mary Parish in El Paso, Illinois, and his tomb in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria, where the future bishop of Rochester, New York, was also ordained.

That day, pilgrims also witnessed Peoria Bishop Lou Tylka travel with the Blessed Sacrament via helicopter from OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria to OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Illinois, to bless his diocese as part of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage.

Bishop Tylka had welcomed the pilgrims to the diocese the day before with a horse-led Eucharistic procession and then Mass, where he preached about the “hunger that is out there for something more than what the world presents.”

“I think that hunger, especially among young people – they are discovering that the only way to feed that hunger, it’s a spiritual hunger, a hunger to be united with God – is to find a home in church, and they are finding that in the Catholic Church,” Bishop Tylka said, according to The Catholic Post, the newspaper of the Diocese of Peoria.

On May 21, the pilgrims crossed from Illinois into Iowa in dramatic fashion: via a boat across the Mississippi River.

“As I sat in the boat adoring our Lord as we crossed the Mississippi River with Bishop Tylka and four fellow pilgrims, I felt an overwhelming joy,” perpetual pilgrim Stephen Fuhrmann wrote in a reflection for OSV News.

“To be on the water with Jesus, just like the Apostles, was an experience that has illuminated my prayer today and will forever be something that I remember, even if I wasn’t asked to walk on water,” he said.

Once ashore in Iowa’s Diocese of Davenport, they were met by Davenport Bishop Dennis G. Walsh and around 60 people for a 4-mile Eucharistic procession that Fuhrmann described as “along the water, up and down hills (and) through the town of Burlington, Iowa.”

The pilgrims were expected to remain in the Davenport Diocese until May 23, when they were to head north to the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa, for the Memorial Day weekend.

“With our hearts continuing to burn for our Lord,” Fuhrmann said, “he continues to pour out grace upon grace on each of us pilgrims and on everyone that encounters the pilgrimage.”

SCRANTON – The community is invited to join together for an afternoon of unity, culture, and belonging at the ninth annual World Refugee Day Celebration, taking place on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at Nay Aug Park in Scranton. (The event will be held near the Mulberry Street entrance, across from GCMC and the Everhart Museum)

Due to the popularity of the event over the last several years – the 2025 World Refugee Day Celebration is expanding by an extra hour – and will be celebrated this year from 2-5 p.m.

On Sunday, June 22, the community is invited to participate in the 2025 World Refugee Day Celebration at Nay Aug Park (Mulberry Street entrance, across from GCMC and Everhart Museum) in Scranton from 2-5 p.m. The celebration will include cultural music and dance performances, refreshments, giveaways, games, and activities for kids. More than 20 community agencies are working together to plan this celebration. Additional partners and sponsors are making this day of solidarity and friendship possible. Members of the planning committee pictured are, front row, from left: Smriti Sitaula, Bhutanese Cultural Foundation of Scranton Association; Daysi Carreto, The University of Scranton; Chandra Sitaula, Bhutanese Cultural Foundation of Scranton Association; Audrey Golosky, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA; Fatima Ashraf, Muslim Association of Wyoming Valley; and Dr. Maria Vital, The University of Scranton. Second row, from left: Ushu Mukelo, Congolese Community of Scranton; Fikile Ryder, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton; Julie Schumacher Cohen, The University of Scranton; Sister Donna Korba, I.H.M., Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Jenny Gonzalez, S.T.A.R.S. Program at Marywood University; and Phil Yevics, Scranton Area Multifaith Ministerium.

The free, family-friendly event is open to all and offers a number of festivities, including a lively mix of cultural music, dance performances, international food, refreshments, games, giveaways, and engaging activities for children.

World Refugee Day is an annual commemoration established by the United Nations to honor the strength and resilience of refugees and displaced persons who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, and violence. It is also a moment to reaffirm our shared responsibility to support and welcome displaced individuals seeking safety and a new beginning.

The theme of the 2025 World Refugee Day Celebration in Scranton is, “A World Where Refugees Are Always Welcomed.” This theme was chosen because it is a call to action, urging us all to embrace refugees as neighbors, friends, and contributors to our shared future.

More than 20 community agencies are coordinating the 2025 World Refugee Day Celebration, including Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton; The University of Scranton; City of Scranton; Scranton Area Multifaith Ministerium; Temple Hesed; Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Muslim Association of Wyoming Valley; United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania; S.T.A.R.S. Program at Marywood University; Islamic Center of Scranton; Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit; Congolese Community of Scranton, Bhutanese Cultural Foundation Scranton Association; and Pennsylvania Department of Education – Migrant Education Program.

Additional partners and sponsors include: Friends of the Poor; Ignatian Volunteer Corps; Saigon Corner Vietnamese Restaurant; Church of Saint Gregory, Clarks Green; Our Lady of the Snows Parish, Clarks Summit; Maternal & Family Health Services; Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania; Lackawanna County Department of Arts & Culture; and NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON – “With hearts burdened by sorrow and a renewed commitment to solidarity, we express profound grief and outrage at the shooting that occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington,” said Bishop Joseph C. Bambera and Archbishop Borys Gudziak.

Bishop Bambera, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and Archbishop Gudziak, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development offered their prayers in response to the May 21 shooting.

A member of the group Misaskim clean blood off the ground May 22, 2025, where two Israeli Embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington late May 21. (OSV News photo/Evelyn Hockstein, Reuters)

“We stand in prayerful mourning with our Jewish brothers and sisters and denounce this act of violence and antisemitic hatred in the strongest possible terms. As Catholics, we are called not only to reject such hatred, but to actively foster mutual understanding, respect, and solidarity with the Jewish people. With urgency and clarity, we renew the commitment made through the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate to affirm our common patrimony with the Jews and stand against any and all forms of antisemitism.

“The suffering generated by this senseless and violent action against the Jewish community wounds us all and compels us toward renewed vigilance and action. In this moment, we also acknowledge the grave responsibility we all share in the language we use, especially when speaking about the conflict in the Holy Land. Complex political realities can never justify rhetoric that demonizes a people, faith, or community. Harsh or dehumanizing language, even when unintended, can sow seeds of suspicion and fear, which too easily bear the fruit of violence. In our public discourse, as in our prayers, we must choose the path of truth spoken in love (Ephesians 4:15), never allowing geopolitical tensions to justify antisemitism or any form of hatred.

“To our Jewish neighbors, partners and friends: We walk with you. We grieve with you. We stand with you. May the God of justice and peace comfort the wounded, strengthen the fearful, and bring healing to all affected by this violence. Let us together be instruments of peace, as we heed the words of the prophet Micah: ‘Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.’”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. House of Representatives May 22 passed a sweeping package for President Donald Trump’s agenda, sending the legislation to the Senate for consideration.

Catholic leaders have alternately praised and criticized various provisions in the House’s version of that package, which has drawn fire from some critics over its cuts to Medicaid, while drawing praise from others for promises to eliminate funds to health providers who also perform abortions.

The U.S. bishops have urged lawmakers to uphold human life and dignity, and promote the common good in considering the legislation.

A view of an agenda with the words “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” printed on it, on the day of a House Rules Committee’s hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan for extensive tax cuts, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, May 21, 2025. (OSV News photo/Nathan Howard, Reuters)

Trump pushed Republican leadership to pass what he calls his “one big, beautiful bill” — and as such, later named the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — which would enact key provisions of his legislative agenda on tax and immigration policy.

The House’s passage of the multitrillion-dollar tax cut and spending measure in a 215-214 vote, ends a chaotic several weeks for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who sought to pass the bill despite objections from various factions of his party, including those who said it added too much to the federal deficit.

The package, which exceeded 1,000 pages, will be taken up by the Senate, where Republicans have suggested they will change some of its provisions, including on cuts to Medicaid.

“This is arguably the most significant piece of Legislation that will ever be signed in the History of our Country!” Trump wrote on X, adding, “Now, it’s time for our friends in the United States Senate to get to work, and send this Bill to my desk AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!”

An analysis from the Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions in the House version would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over a decade, while cuts on Medicaid, food stamps and other areas would result in about $1 trillion in reduced government spending.

The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, said the conference “sent a comprehensive letter to Congress commending parts of the budget proposal that will support human life and dignity, while also strongly encouraging them to reconsider provisions that will harm the poor and disadvantaged, our immigrant brothers and sisters, and our environment.”

“To our elected lawmakers, I echo the call of my brother bishops and urge you to remain consistent in protecting human life and dignity and supporting the common good so that families can flourish,” he said in a May 21 statement.

“I also underscore the grave concerns expressed by my brother bishops,” he continued, “and implore you to address the real and substantial harms that would result from provisions in this bill before it advances further. Raising income taxes on the working poor, cutting nutrition and healthcare programs for those most in need, and eliminating investments in environmental stewardship would place a terrible burden on the least of our brothers and sisters.”

Mercy Sister Mary Haddad, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said in a May 22 statement that the group opposes the House’s version of the package.

“H.R. 1 would harm critical health and social safety-net programs that millions of Americans rely on to live with health, dignity, and security,” Sister Mary said. “The Catholic Health Association strongly opposes provisions like mandatory Medicaid work reporting requirements, restrictions on state tax authority, and changes to state-directed payment policies — all of which would lead to coverage losses for more than 10 million people who depend on Medicaid for essential care. These harmful proposals threaten the health and stability of the very communities we are called to serve.”

Sister Mary expressed concern about “the bill’s failure to extend the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits.”

“Without action, five million Americans — including nearly two million living with chronic conditions — could lose their coverage, and millions more would face skyrocketing premiums and unaffordable care,” she said, adding that the bill’s proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program would also “further jeopardize food security for families already struggling to make ends meet, compounding the health and economic burdens on low-income communities.”

“We urge the Senate to protect and strengthen the programs that uphold the dignity, health, and well-being of all, especially those most in need,” Sister Mary said.

But some pro-life groups celebrated language in the legislation that would block entities that perform abortions from receiving Medicaid funds. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a May 22 statement,”Today Congress took a big step toward stopping forced taxpayer funding of the Big Abortion industry.”

Calling the House passage of the budget reconciliation bill “a crucial win,” Dannenfelser argued, “Medicaid will be stronger for those who need it most.”

“There is no excuse for forcing taxpayers to prop up a scandal-ridden industry that prioritizes abortions, gender transitions and partisan political activism instead of prenatal care, cancer screening and other legitimate health services that are in continual decline,” she said.

Senate Republicans have indicated they would like to send the bill to Trump’s desk prior to July 4.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In his first appointment of a top-level official of the Roman Curia, Pope Leo XIV named Sister Tiziana Merletti, a canon lawyer, to be secretary of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

Sister Merletti, a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor, succeeds Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla, whom Pope Francis appointed prefect of the dicastery in January. Sister Brambilla is the first woman to head a Vatican dicastery.

The women’s International Union of Superiors General (UISG, in Italian) thanked Pope Leo and congratulated Sister Merletti on her appointment, which the Vatican announced May 22.

As a member of the union’s canon law council and a member of the Commission for Safeguarding operated jointly by the men’s and women’s unions of superiors, “her contributions are a gift to our global network, promoting justice, care and integrity in consecrated life,” the superiors’ group said. “We congratulate Sr. Tiziana on this important mission and assure her of our prayers as she takes on this new responsibility in service to consecrated life around the world.”

The dicastery, according to the apostolic constitution on the Roman Curia, is called “to promote, encourage and regulate the practice of the evangelical counsels, how they are lived out in the approved forms of consecrated life and all matters concerning the life and activity of Societies of Apostolic Life throughout the Latin Church.”

According to Vatican statistics, there are close to 600,000 professed women religious in the Catholic Church. The number of religious-order priests is about 128,500 and the number of religious brothers is close to 50,000.

Sister Merletti, 65, was born in Pineto, Italy, and earned a civil law degree before making her first vows as a member of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor in 1986. In 1992 she earned her doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.

From 2004 to 2013, she was superior general of the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor. At the time of her appointment, she was teaching canon law at the Pontifical Antonianum University in Rome and serving as a canon law expert with the UISG.

(OSV News) – Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, called for prayers after two Israeli Embassy staff members were slain late May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

Sarah Lynn Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky were leaving an event at the museum when they were shot at close range.

“May we unite in prayer for the souls of two Israeli embassy staff members who were fatally shot last night in Washington, DC,” Bishop Burbidge, whose diocese is across the Potomac River from the nation’s capital, said in an early May 22 post on X. “Please God, grant strength to their families and all who loved them.”

The young couple were set to become engaged in Jerusalem next week, with Lischinsky purchasing the ring only days ago, according to Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S.

A man, with an Israeli flag with a cross in the center, kneels next to emergency personnel early May 22, 2025, as they work at the site where, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, two Israeli Embassy staff were shot dead near the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington late May 21. The American Jewish Committee was hosting an evening event at the museum. (OSV News photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)

Suspect Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old Chicago resident, was filmed chanting, “Free, free Palestine,” following the attack. He was detained when he entered the museum immediately after the shooting, with event patrons initially unaware of his actions.

“With great sadness and horror, we have learned of the killing in cold blood of two members of the Jewish community, Yaron and Sarah,” in Washington, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said in a mid-morning post on X May 22. “We commend them to the mercy of God, and we join with their families, friends, and the wider Jewish community who mourn their senseless and tragic loss. May their memory be a blessing.”

Israeli officials confirmed that Lischinsky, an Israeli citizen who also reportedly held a German passport, was a research assistant for the embassy. Milgrim, a U.S. citizen, organized visits and missions to Israel.

According to sources interviewed by BBC News, Lischinsky was a devout Christian.

The attack has been widely condemned as an act of antisemitism.

“While we wait for the conclusion of the police investigation — and urge all our friends and allies to do the same — it strongly appears that this was an attack motivated by hate against the Jewish people and the Jewish state,” said Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, in a May 22 statement.

He added, “This senseless hate and violence must stop.”

AJC board member Jojo Kalin told BBC News she had organized the event at the museum — which was a cocktail hour for Jewish professionals — to focus on building a coalition to help Gazans.

The gathering’s “bridge building” had been scarred by “such hatred,” she said, but stressed she refused to “lose my humanity over this or be deterred.”

“As has been so evident in these last months and years,” Cardinal Dolan said in his X post, “antisemitism is still pervasive in our country and our world, and the Catholic community in New York today renews our resolve to (work) to eradicate this evil. We stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters in this moment of pain, praying that all may live in the peace and security that God surely intends for us.”

In his post, Bishop Burbidge quoted Pope Leo XIV, saying, “Peace begins with each one of us, in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others.”

The bishop said, “May the spirit peace be renewed today, and may the God who loves us restore peace to the Holy Land and our nation.”

(OSV News) – America’s tumultuous immigration system is again impacting nonordained religious workers from other countries – including Catholic religious sisters and brothers.

When the EB-4 category – Employment-Based Fourth Preference Special Immigrant Religious Worker Visa – was extended to Sept. 30 as part of the continuing resolution that averted a federal government shutdown in mid-March, this was superficially good news.

The program was due to retire with the expiration of the previous Biden-era continuing resolution that reauthorized it. However, the EB-4 quota limits were quickly reached because of a significant backlog of waiting candidates. Now, the program is currently unavailable until the new fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

Sunlights hits the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Washington Jan. 18, 2025. America’s tumultuous immigration system is again impacting nonordained religious workers from other countries — including Catholic religious sisters and brothers. (OSV News photo/Vincent Alban, Reuters)

The EB-4 category is designated for those who don’t readily fit typical immigration groups but also qualify for permanent residency. It includes not only religious workers, but also vulnerable immigrant minors.

When first enacted as part of the Immigration Act of 1990, this program was set to expire in three years. It has been continuously and periodically reauthorized since then. Over the years, the U.S. bishops and many others have called for a permanent legislative extension for the EB-4 category to provide relief to religious organizations and a measure of stability that would allow both religious organizations and federal agencies to plan ahead.

Which raises a legitimate question: Will this situation ever get sorted out in a way that satisfies both America’s labyrinthine immigration system and the pastoral needs of the U.S. church?

“Religious workers, unfortunately, do not have many options to remain in the United States beyond the R-1 status time that they’re granted,” said Miguel Naranjo, director of religious immigration services for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC.

The R-1 is a temporary visa specifically designed for religious workers — including ministers and those in religious vocations or occupations. But the holder is only allowed to remain in the U.S. for five years. Once that period expires, an individual must leave — and cannot return for another year. The EB-4 visa grants permanent residency (known as a green card).

“And so the problem – pretty much since 2023 – that we’ve been facing is that religious workers are having to leave, because there’s no way to stay,” Naranjo continued. “The good news is, we have been able to have them return. So, after a religious worker has been outside the U.S. for one year, then they’re eligible for a brand new (visa) period. So we’ve been bringing folks back – and we’re encouraged by that.”

Still, a new American commander-in-chief – especially one as focused on immigration issues as President Donald Trump – has meant fresh immigration developments.

“Certainly a lot has changed in a very short period of time with respect to immigration since the new administration has taken over,” admitted Naranjo, “and we have very serious concerns about how this is going to impact the religious worker program.”

Both longer visa processing times and entry restrictions may be on the horizon, Naranjo said.

“One of the things we’re concerned about – even though we’re not really yet seeing it – is with the processing of immigration applications and petitions,” he said. “Are the processing times going to increase substantially because of cuts to funding; cuts to federal employees that adjudicate these applications? That is the big concern.”

“The other concern that we have is a potential executive order to deal with a travel ban — that nationals from certain countries may be either prohibited from getting visas to enter the U.S., or prohibited entering the United States. And,” added Naranjo, “we represent international religious workers from all over the world.”

J. Kevin Appleby – senior fellow for policy and communications at the Center for Migration Studies of New York and former director of Migration Policy and Public Affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops — said congressional allies are the most likely officials to assist with future adjustments to the visa plight of religious workers.

“It might be an area where the bishops and this administration could perhaps afford to compromise, or make some headway – but I think Congress will provide the most support in this area,” commented Appleby.

“We had to reauthorize a portion of the program for several years,” he said, speaking of his tenure at the USCCB, “and it always received bipartisan support. So I would hope that would be the case now. But without this program, the bishops would face quite a challenge filling some of the pastoral roles in their dioceses.”

The current and future uncertainties of America’s immigration system are genuinely disruptive to the church’s efforts to serve not just its flock, but the broader community, according to Appleby.

“The church relies on religious orders — on brothers and sisters — to perform a wide range of functions,” he continued, “including social services; staffing certain parishes; just the running of the pastoral machinery of the church.”

David Spicer, assistant director of policy for the USCCB’s Migration and Refugee Services, agreed that the specter of a complicated and seemingly inexact visa process can be off-putting.

“This makes some dioceses more reticent to participate in the religious worker visa program, even though they still have the same need for these workers,” Spicer explained, “either because of the difficulty they have with native-born vocations, or because the cultural demographics of the diocese just necessitate having priests and other religious workers who are capable of ministering to those different cultural groups.”

Spicer said the USCCB is eager for a legislative remedy.

As OSV News reported, the U.S. bishops on April 10 told congressional lawmakers they support bipartisan legislation to ease some immigration restrictions on religious workers from other countries, allowing them to stay in the U.S. while they wait for permanent residency.

Titled the Religious Workforce Protection Act, the legislation was introduced by Catholic members of the Senate and House — Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Reps. Mike Carey, R-Ohio, and Richard Neal, D-Mass.

If it becomes law, it would permit religious workers already in the U.S. on temporary R-1 status with pending EB-4 applications to stay in the U.S. while waiting for permanent residency.

“We’re really hopeful that Congress will collectively take up that bill,” said Spicer, “and send that to the president’s desk either as a stand-alone measure or as part of a larger legislative vehicle, such as an appropriations bill or something along those lines.”

The responsibility, Spicer said, lies with the U.S. Congress.

“It falls on Congress to alter the visa category, and who qualifies or who relies on that visa category,” said Spicer, referring to the EB-4. “So it was ultimately Congress — back during the 90s — that made the sort of inexplicable decision to include not only religious workers, but also special immigrant juveniles and several other classes of folks as well in this category.”

The governmental accretions and interpretations of several decades have muddled the EB-4 program, originally created under the Immigration Act of 1990.

“We are hopeful,” repeated Spicer, “that there is an adequate amount of bipartisan support to be able to get that program operating the way that it’s supposed to be operating.”

“And of course,” he added, “for American communities across the country to be able to benefit from those religious workers in the way that they should be benefiting.”