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Cardinal Gracias calls for lasting peace between India and Pakistan

Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Archbishop Emeritus of Bombay, has called on India and Pakistan to find a path to enduring peace, amid tensions over the Kashmir region.

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‘These are the lucky ones’: The Gazan children in hospital in Rome

In Rome for Pope Leo XIV's inaugaural Mass, Varsen Aghabekian, Foreign Minister of the State of Palestine, pays a visit to a Roman hospital treating injured Gazan children.

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At Vatican, Vance meets pope, discusses peace, religious freedom

After attending Pope Leo XIV’s installation Mass, US Vice President JD Vance Monday had private meetings with the pontiff and other top-ranking officials, with key themes being religious freedom and the need for negotiation in conflict areas.

Leo XIV quotes Leo XIII often, but he reflects Pope Leo X: ‘Let us enjoy the papacy’

So far, Pope Leo XIV has leaned fairly heavily into the legacy of his storied predecessor, Leo XIII, but he reflects Leo X.

Patriarch Pizzaballa: ‘We cannot afford the luxury of giving up’

Joining his appeal for peace with the Pope’s, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, calls on the Christian community to “do everything possible to bring help” to those suffering in Gaza.

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Pope Leo XIV: Now is the time for dialogue and building bridges

On the day after the Mass for the Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry, Pope Leo XIV greets delegations from non-Catholic Churches, ecclesial communities, and other faith traditions, recalling his predecessor’s commitment to ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

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Pope Leo XIV meets with US Vice President Vance

Pope Leo XIV holds a private audience with US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the Inauguration Mass of his pontificate on Sunday.

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Thai Buddhist scholar reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace, unity

As Pope Leo XIV celebrated the Mass of Inauguration of his pontificate in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, Dr. Boonchuay Doojai, a respected voice from Thailand’s interfaith community, offered a thoughtful reflection on the new Pope's call to peace and unity.

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Ghana to host third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA) is set to host the Third Laudato Si’ Youth Assembly in Accra, Ghana, from 30 May to 1 June 2025.

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PHOTOS: 2025 Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicks off with packed Mass in Indianapolis

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson elevates the Eucharist during the Opening Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church in Indianapolis, marking the official launch of the St. Katharine Drexel Route. May 18, 2025. / Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

CNA Newsroom, May 18, 2025 / 18:00 pm (CNA).

The 2025 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage kicked off Sunday, May 18, with an opening Mass in downtown Indianapolis where an estimated 1,000 people, including many young families, joined Archbishop Charles C. Thompson to officially launch this year’s pilgrimage.

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson blesses a cross that was made from wood from the most recent fires in California and will accompany pilgrims on the St. Katharine Drexel Route. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson blesses a cross that was made from wood from the most recent fires in California and will accompany pilgrims on the St. Katharine Drexel Route. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

“Our faith is not something to be lived just within the walls of the Church. The Mass ends with being sent out,” the archbishop told EWTN News before the Mass began at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. “The Eucharist is transforming. And it transforms us, and through us it transforms others.” 

A full church participates in the liturgy launching the St. Katharine Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in downtown Indianapolis. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
A full church participates in the liturgy launching the St. Katharine Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in downtown Indianapolis. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

The 2025 pilgrimage is a continuation of last year’s four simultaneous Eucharistic pilgrimages, which converged in Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress in July 2024. The pilgrimages are part of the National Eucharistic Revival, a multi-year plan launched by the U.S. bishops to strengthen faith in Jesus Christ and the Eucharist. 

Eight young adult pilgrims called “Perpetual Pilgrims” will accompany the Blessed Sacrament for the 3,300-mile mile trek this year named for St. Katharine Drexel (1858–1955), which will culminate on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 22, in Los Angeles. 

The perpetual pilgrims of the St. Katharine Drexel Route stand before Archbishop Charles C. Thompson to be commissioned for their six-week journey across the country. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
The perpetual pilgrims of the St. Katharine Drexel Route stand before Archbishop Charles C. Thompson to be commissioned for their six-week journey across the country. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

At the opening Mass was Matthew Heidenreich, a 2024 Marian Route pilgrim, who said he wanted to come out and support this year’s pilgrims. “Something like this, a pilgrimage that goes across the country, the Lord just uses that to create powerful, powerful moments that will ultimately bring so many people to him, and to the Church,” he told EWTN News.

The University of Alabama student from Columbus, Ohio, also shared how his life has changed since making last year’s pilgrimage. 

“My relationship and the way that I walk with the Lord has completely changed,” he said. “Just like experiencing that day to day walk with him, and realizing how much he wants to enter into every part of my life, it transforms the way you view every moment, and the way you enter into life. Because you just know the Lord is with you, he’s walking with you, he wants to be there.”

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson greets perpetual pilgrims Leslie Reyes-Hernandez and Johnathan Silvino Hernandez-Jose as they bring up the gifts at the Mass for the St. Katharine Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson greets perpetual pilgrims Leslie Reyes-Hernandez and Johnathan Silvino Hernandez-Jose as they bring up the gifts at the Mass for the St. Katharine Drexel Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

The Drexel route will process through 10 states — including California and Texas — as well as through 20 Catholic dioceses and four Eastern Catholic eparchies. Along the way will be opportunities to encounter Jesus including daily Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Eucharistic processions, witness talks, and fellowship meals with the Perpetual Pilgrims. 

Archbishop Charles C. Thompson processes with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Indianapolis as the St. Katharine Drexel Route departs. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno
Archbishop Charles C. Thompson processes with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Indianapolis as the St. Katharine Drexel Route departs. May 18, 2025. Credit: Jeffrey Bruno

In keeping with the ongoing Jubilee Year of Hope in the Catholic Church, the focus of the Drexel Route is on “hope and healing,” with visits planned not only to churches but also to prisons and nursing homes. 

“[The Eucharistic pilgrimage] is bringing a Christ centered focus to a world that is in desperate need of meaning and purpose and healing,” said Archbishop Thompson. “That’s what this procession is all about — Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the life, being proclaimed, being adored, being worshipped. The one who leads us and unites us.”