In his seven visits to America during his papacy, St. John Paul II often shared his mastery of the nation’s foundational documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
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As America’s 250th anniversary was celebrated across the States and the world, with Pope Leo XIV accepting the Liberty Medal for the occasion, U.S. Ukrainian Catholic bishops asked Americans to consider the meaning of freedom through the experience of a nation still fighting to preserve it.
Unable to receive a Catholic education in the British colonies in North America, three young men from wealthy Maryland families were sent to Saint-Omer, France, to study at the College of the English Jesuits.
As the 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage concluded amid the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, “the journey continues,” Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez of Philadelphia said.
For more than 30 years, Dr. Pietro Bartolo said he has examined more than 350,000 people and performed postmortem examinations on those who died making the crossing to Lampedusa, where migrants rescued from the Mediterranean first arrived.
Ahead of the fireworks and the flag-waving, and before the barbeques, ceremonies, and parades, American Catholics approaching the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence this Fourth of July may well pause to ask: Is all this pomp truly patriotism? And further: What is patriotism in the Catholic understanding, and how can it be practiced well?
As the U.S. marks its 250th anniversary, a number of faith and civic leaders will be on hand as Pope Leo XIV accepts — via livestream from the Vatican — a major honor for his efforts to promote religious liberty, along with freedom of expression and conscience.
In anticipation of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus June 11 during their spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida.
A religious sister who immigrated to the U.S. as a child and became known as the “fastest nun in the West” is edging a step closer to possible canonization.
Lebanese Christians are reeling from the death and destruction wrought on their community, caught in the crossfire between Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, a deadly side conflict in the U.S. and Israel-Iran war.