Catholic Charities USA Head Awarded Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal SOUTH BEND, Indiana (OSV News) – The leader of an organization representing a national network of Catholic domestic humanitarian agencies will receive the oldest and most prestigious honor bestowed exclusively on American Catholics. Officials with the University of Notre Dame announced on Sunday, March 30, that Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the university’s Laetare Medal. Robinson will be presented with the medal during the university’s commencement on Sunday, May 18. The award is bestowed annually by the school to a Catholic “whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the Church, and enriched the heritage of humanity.” Robinson’s long career of service to the Catholic Church from an early age has seen her blend philanthropy, development, and leadership into a ministry of service, infused by the call of the Gospel. “The Church’s explicit religious mission has formed the person I am,” Robinson said in the university’s announcement of her selection for the honor. “That it is the largest humanitarian network in the world renders me forever committed to its health and vitality.” Satanic Group’s ‘Black Mass’ Turns Violent in Kansas TOPEKA, Kansas (OSV News) – A Satanic group’s effort to conduct a “black mass” at the Kansas Statehouse on Thursday, March 28, turned violent, leading to arrests, while across the street, the state’s Catholic archbishop led hundreds in peaceful prayer before the Eucharist for those who “seek to mock our merciful God.” Satanic Grotto president Michael Stewart was taken into custody at the Capitol by Kansas Highway Patrol. Also arrested was counterprotestor Marcus Schroeder, whom Stewart struck in the face after Schroeder twice sought to grasp a piece of paper from Stewart’s hands, amid an apparent invocation of Satan in the Capitol rotunda. Prior to entering the Statehouse, Stewart violently kicked an unidentified man who dove to retrieve and consume fragments of a host that Stewart ground under his heel and claimed was the Eucharist. Video shows Stewart viciously kicking the man on the ground before officers intervened. Amid the demonstrations, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, celebrated Mass with Eucharistic adoration at Assumption Church, located across the street from the Capitol. He urged Christians to pray for “mercy and grace” for themselves and for the Satanists engaged in mockery of God and their faith, encouraging them to be “close to Jesus.” Pope Continues to Govern the Church, Says Vatican Secretary of State VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Even on his worst days in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital, Pope Francis was governing the Catholic Church, although on some days, he did not seem to have the energy to sign his full name, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin. The cardinal, who as Vatican secretary of state coordinates much of the work of the Roman Curia, said it was true that the pope simply initialed some documents “F.” “He did,” Cardinal Parolin told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, “but now he is signing in full. It was not the ideal situation,” he said in the interview published on Saturday, March 29. “But I emphasize that the pope is in a position to still govern the Church, and we are happy that he was able to come home.” Lourdes Bishop Covering Rupnik’s Mosaics on Basilica Doors LOURDES, France (OSV News) – Bishop Jean-Marc Micas of Tarbes and Lourdes has decided to cover mosaics by Father Marko Rupnik at the entrance of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, a move aimed at making the basilica more welcoming for all, particularly victims of abuse. The decision was announced on Monday, March 31, coinciding with France’s Memorial Day for Victims of Sexual Abuse in the Church. Bishop Micas emphasized several times that the mosaics, commissioned in 2008, were part of the sacred space but had become a point of distress for abuse survivors. The bishop explained that this action was a second step, following the decision to stop lighting the mosaics during nighttime processions. Victim advocates, including Laura Sgro, a lawyer for several alleged victims of Rupnik, welcomed the gesture, calling it a long-awaited step in acknowledging the pain caused by the artist’s abuses. Sister Samuelle, an alleged victim of Father Rupnik, told OSV News that she found Bishop Micas’ words as clear, constructive, and leading to a concrete act. She praised the bishop of Lourdes and Tarbes for making it clear that “this is for Rupnik’s victims, for the Church, and for all victims coming to Lourdes.” Pope Clears Way for Three New Saints VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of three blesseds: an Armenian Catholic archbishop martyred during the Armenian genocide, a lay catechist from Papua New Guinea killed during World War II, and a Venezuelan religious sister who dedicated her life to education and the poor. Vatican officials announced on Monday, March 31, that the pope authorized the decrees on Friday, March 28. Among them were the approval of a miracle attributed to Blessed Carmen Rendíles Martínez and authorization for the canonizations of Blessed Ignatius Maloyan and Blessed Peter To Rot, following a vote by cardinals and bishops. While Vatican officials did not specify whether the decrees were signed during an audience, such decisions are typically formalized during a meeting between the pope and Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. Pope Francis, recovering from a respiratory infection, has not been holding meetings since being discharged from the hospital on Sunday, March 23. Pro-life Advocates Call on Trump, Congress to Fully Defund Planned Parenthood WASHINGTON, D.C. (OSV News) – A coalition of pro-life groups went to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 27, to urge Congress and President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a case concerning that funding at the state level. Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report shows it received almost $700 million in taxpayer funds in the form of government health services reimbursements and grants for the fiscal year that ended on June 30, 2023. At an event near the Capitol Reflecting Pool, pro-life groups urged lawmakers to eliminate Planned Parenthood’s federal funding through the budget reconciliation process that would allow the Republican majority to bypass the Senate filibuster to pass a budget resolution with a simple majority instead of needing 60 votes first to end debate. “This is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss,” New Jersey Representative Chris Smith told gathered pro-life leaders. A woman is consoled as search and rescue operations continue March 30, 2025, following a strong earthquake in Bangkok, Thailand. The 7.7 magnitude quake hit midday March 28, with an epicenter near Mandalay, Myanmar, bringing down scores of buildings, killing more than 1,600 people and leaving countless others buried in the rubble. (OSV News photo/Patipat Janthong, Reuters) The post News Briefs: April 6, 2025 appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less