Read & Reflect
Articles, reflections, news, and homilies — thoughtful Catholic content for the faithful, published regularly.
World News
World News
Vatican says ‘nein’ to lay homilies in Germany
The Vatican’s liturgy department announced Tuesday that it had rejected the German bishops’ request to authorize lay preaching at Masses.Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, pictured on Aug. 28, 2022. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.The Dicastery for Divine Worship said June 23 t...
World News
Meet Sr. Rani (and some World Cup tips)
Hey everybody,Thanks for reading The Tuesday Pillar Post.Today I want to tell you about Blessed Sister Rani Maria Vattalil.Sister Rani.She lived in India, was a Syro-Malabar Catholic, and entered religious life with her cousin in the early 1970s, when they were young women.Her religious community wa...
World News
Vatican releases consistory schedule, confidentiality note
The Vatican has published the schedule for the upcoming extraordinary consistory, as well as a note on the confidentiality of the gathering.Cardinals at the inauguration Mass of Pope Leo XIV. Credit: Edgar Beltran/Pillar Media.Subscribe nowA June 22 statement from the Vatican outlined the detailed s...
World News
South African bishop calls for calm ahead of anti-migrant deadline
A South African bishop appealed for calm Wednesday ahead of a deadline, set by protest groups, for undocumented migrants to leave the country.Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa, C.M.M. Credit: Screenshot from @sacbcofficial3253 YouTube channel.Bishop Thulani Victor Mbuyisa, C.M.M., said June 24 that the...
World News
English bishop on ‘personal leave’ charged with rape of a minor
Bishop David Oakley of Northampton, England, has been charged with two counts of rape of a minor, local police confirmed June 24. The bishop has been on a leave of absence since October last year, when he announced he was taking time away from the diocese for “personal reasons.”Bishop David Oakley....
World News
Evangelization in the 15th century and today: Why is Pope Leo talking about Hernando de Talavera?
In his remarks this month to the Spanish bishops, Pope Leo urged the Spanish Church to reflect on and imitate the Spaniards who evangelized Spain and the world in the 15th and 16th centuries.Pope Leo particularly cited the example of the “famous holy mufti [Islamic religious leader] of Granada, Fria...
World News
Catholic leaders plead for aid after massive earthquakes hit Venezuela
The people of Venezuela are urgently in need of assistance, Catholic leaders said, after the northern region of the country was hit by a pair of earthquakes – the strongest in the country’s history.While there is no official death toll almost 24 hours after the earthquakes, there are almost 50,000 p...
World News
Former diocesan employee pleads guilty in $150k gift card scheme
A former diocesan employee pled guilty in Missouri last week to stealing more than $150,000 from a Catholic scholarship fund by illicitly buying and misusing gift cards.A former IRS investigator told The Pillar that theft-by-gift-card is a problem on the rise, and requires careful attention to addre...
World News
Who are the Eastern Catholic cardinals at the consistory?
The 23 Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with Rome will have up to seven representatives at this week’s extraordinary consistory of the College of Cardinals.Eastern Catholic cardinals in St. Peter’s Square in 2023. © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.ShareThey are likely to offer distinctive insights at...
World News
Once again, cardinals uncertain ahead of consistory
When the first extraordinary consistory of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate ended in early January, the general feeling in the College of Cardinals was overwhelmingly positive.Pope Leo XIV presides at Mass with the cardinals in Rome for a January 2026 consistory. Credit: Abaca Press/Alamy.While some cardi...
World News
Pray for Ed. (and do him a favor)
Pillar paid subscribers can listen to this Pillar Post here: The Pillar TL;DRHey everybody,It’s the feast of Blessed Yaaqub El-Haddad, and you’re reading The Friday Pillar Post.Now, I know what you’re thinking. Two things, actually:“Today’s the feast of St. Josemaria Escriva, JD.” And you’re right....
World News
Priestly ordinations rise in Germany, fall in France
The annual number of priestly ordinations is expected to rise in Germany and fall in France in 2026.Bishop Heinrich Timmerevers ordains Deacon Karim-Habib Gehrmann to the priesthood for the Diocese of Dresden-Meissen, Germany, on May 30, 2026. Credit: Screenshot from @BistumDresdenMeissen YouTube ch...