News
Come Sheen with us! - by JD Flynn
30+ min ago (280+ words) As Pillar readers know, Venerable Fulton Sheen " America's favorite TV bishop " will be beatified September 24, at a Mass in St. Louis, presided over by Cardinal Luis Tagle. Ed and I will be there for the Mass, for a Pillar Podcast…...
What's France's new assembly on catechumens?
2+ hour, 34+ min ago (842+ words) The staggering increase in adult baptisms in France will be the topic of a major gathering at the end of May. An ecclesial assembly on catechumens, or baptismal candidates, in the Ecclesiastical Province of Paris will be launched formally May…...
Listening centers" planned for Pope Leo Spain visit
2+ day, 1+ hour ago (909+ words) Confessionals will not be set up during a youth prayer vigil and other events of Pope Leo's trip to Spain next month, while "listening centers" will be available for young people who wish to speak with lay pastoral workers dispatched…...
U. S. bishops get 2027 "ad limina" schedule
2+ day, 16+ hour ago (565+ words) American bishops have been scheduled to meet next year with Pope Leo XIV, in the first of the ad limina visits to Rome for U. S. bishops during Leo's pontificate. In a May 19 letter, Msgr. Kevin Fuller, general secretary of the United…...
Have the German bishops lost their synodal majority?
4+ day, 43+ min ago (1088+ words) The chairman of the German bishops" conference has suggested that the first scheduled meeting of a controversial synodal body will be delayed absent approval of its statutes by the Vatican. Speaking to media on Friday, Bishop Heiner Wilmer said that…...
Polish archdiocese trials new priest appointment model
1+ week, 1+ day ago (922+ words) In a possible first in Poland, an archbishop has invited priests to apply to lead vacant parishes by submitting a r'sum' and a proposed pastoral program tailored to the needs of the respective parish. Archbishop Stanis'aw Budzik of Lublin, southeastern…...
Did the Vatican really give a special award to the Iranian ambassador?
1+ week, 1+ day ago (809+ words) The Vatican press office has clarified that an award given to the Iranian ambassador to the Holy See is not an exclusive honor, but a customary award routinely given to ambassadors after two years of service. The clarification came after…...
If the SSPX consecrations happen, who exactly is excommunicated?
1+ week, 1+ day ago (1693+ words) The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterated Wednesday that if the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X carries out plans to illicitly consecrate bishops in July, those involved will commit an act of schism and be subject to…...
St. Pancras" clock, and performative piety
1+ week, 3+ day ago (1528+ words) Last week, I wrote about bagels, and then a very kind New York City bagel maker promptly sent me a case of bagels, cream cheese, salmon, and a t-shirt. It was awesome. That's why this week I've decided to mention…...
A Bishop with three hats: Stock on England's potential triple diocesan merger
2+ week, 1+ hour ago (1352+ words) England's Bishop Marcus Stock is currently in the unusual position of overseeing not one but three dioceses. The 64-year-old has served since 2014 as the Bishop of Leeds, a historically influential northern English diocese with around 170, 000 Catholics. Since December 2025, he has…...