News from Good Shepherd and Beyond

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    News from Good Shepherd and Beyond
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- For Brooklyn, “Columbus” Day Comes Early – In NY Homecoming, Pope Taps Brennan to Succeed “The Czar”
  
  In the first Stateside move of the Vatican’s new working year, the most significant opening on the current US docket is off the table… and as Mets fans can always use good news, for once they’re in...
- Amid US Bench's Communion Clash, The "Holy Office" Flashes A Red Light
  
  As some US bishops advocate levying de facto sanctions on President Biden and other Catholic politicians for their support of legal abortion, the Holy See's distinct, but veiled skepticism over a...
- "A Child Can Teach Us How To Love" – Despite COVID and Curfews, Christus Natus Est
  
  Before anything else, especially amid all the sorrows, fears, loss and disorientation of a brutal year across the globe, Buon Natale a tutti – to one and all, a Blessed Christmas... may all its light,
- "The Poor Are The Center of The Gospel" – At Vatican "Festivus," The Church's Choice: "The Docility of the Shepherds, or the Defensiveness of Herod"
  
  Fifteen years (less a day) since Benedict XVI revolutionized the Roman Pontiff's Christmas "greeting" to the leaders of his Curia – transforming the holiday pleasantry into a Pope's ultimate...
- Whether you’ve been waiting three decades or just three weeks for this, the “mountaintop” is at hand. From 4pm Rome (10am US ET), the livefeed of a Public Consistory like no other – from the Altar of...
- Fearing "Attack" On "Fundamental Values," The Bishops Warn Biden's White House
  
  As the US bishops face a moment unseen in most of their lifetimes – the nation's election of a Catholic to the Presidency – the issue of Joe Biden's faith emerged by surprise at today's public close...
- On Day Two, The "Viruses" Take Center Stage
  
  Set to begin at 1pm Eastern, this final day of a virtual – and heavily curtailed – USCCB Plenary will be underpinned by what've arguably been the two key threads of American life in 2020: the bench's...

National Catholic Register
- ‘We Can Rally Around This Pope’: Chicagoans Cheer Leo XIV Amid Nation’s Deepening Divides
  
  Jonathan Liedl Fans of the Chicago White Sox — and Pope Leo XIV — lined up on June 14, 2025, to take photos of themselves in front of a display the White Sox created...
- There’s a Lot for Catholics to Unpack About Medicaid Cuts
  
  beeksmad U.S. Capitol COMMENTARY: As Catholics concerned about the common good, we ought to look at the Medicaid issue holistically and resist getting swept up...
- Pope Leo XIV on Holy Trinity Sunday: God’s ‘Dynamic’ Love Opens Humanity to Encounter
  
  Daniel Ibañez Pope Leo XIV waves to those gathered for Mass for the Jubilee of Sport on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity on June 15, 2025, in St. Peter’s...
- My Father’s Crucifix: A Father’s Day Story of Devotion in Wartime and Peace
  
  The crucifix brought home from Belgium by the author’s father during World War II is pictured alongside a wartime photo of his father. A crucifix recovered...
- For Dad and His Son, Father Borgman, All Roads Led to the Catholic Church
  
  Father Scott Borgman with his parents, Danelle and Richard. A universal need exists for positive examples, especially for fathers.
- Inspired to Serve: How My Father Continues to Animate My Vocation
  
  Auxiliary Bishop Juan Miguel Betancourt of Hartford (c) celebrates his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. COMMENTARY: One of the most impactful ways my...
- Trinity Sunday: The Blessed Trinity Reveals Who God Is — and Who We Are
  
  Renata Sedmakova The ceiling freso of The Holy Trinity in church Chiesa di Santa Croce by Giovanni Maria Conti della Camera (1614 - 1670). COMMENTARY: The...
News from the Vatican
- Pope Leo urges Chicago youth to be messengers of hope, peace
  
  In a message to Catholics in Chicago, directed especially at young people, Pope Leo XIV urged them to become “beacons of hope” in the world by drawing close to God and forming a community of faith...
- Pope Leo says to look to Jesus if feeling ‘stuck and blocked’
  
  Christians should bring “the pain of those who feel lost and without a way out” to Jesus Christ, according to Pope Leo XIV.
- Leo with the curia will maintain Francis’s direction, but change the tone
  
  As Pope Leo XIV settles into his new role on the Throne of Peter, early indications are that he will respect and maintain the direction of his predecessor’s reforms for the Roman Curia, but will do...
- At one month, Pope Leo XIV employs unique style of continuity, balance
  
  At one month since his election to the papacy May 8, Pope Leo XIV has so far demonstrated a continuity with his predecessor, Pope Francis, while also carving out his own personal style characterized...
- Vatican website removes pictures of artwork created by priest accused of abuse
  
  Images of artwork created by a disgraced celebrity cleric accused of serial sexual and other abuse have disappeared from official Vatican Media websites without explanation.
- On Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV says social media is making us ‘more alone’
  
  Speaking on the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV said the Holy Spirit opens borders in people’s hearts and “is the Gift that opens our lives to love.”
- Christian unity cannot come from a ‘blueprint’ according to Pope Leo XIV
  
  Christian unity will not be “primarily the fruit of our own efforts, nor will it be realized through any preconceived model or blueprint,” according to Pope Leo XIV.