We Are Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish

Pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience Aug. 9, 2023, hold up an image of the Virgin Mary. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, May 1, 2025 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and spiritual mother of all.

In the plan of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place. By virtue of her role to be the mother of the Son of God by divine election, she was conceived immaculately — i.e., without the stain of original sin — and by fidelity to her son has been crowned queen of heaven and earth. 

Everything Mary said and did leads to Christ. Who knows a child better than a mother? And what good and loving child does not know his or her mother and love her with all of his or her heart?

Mary knew and loved Jesus like no one else on earth — and she loves each of her children, human beings, with similar affection and tenderness.

The Church, in its wisdom, asks its children to be especially devoted to Mother Mary during the month of May and to be particularly grateful for all of her care.

A model for every Christian

Mary, the most humble of all women, is a model for everyone, today, in the here and now. She is a model in a particular way for every woman, as expressed by Pope Francis:

“There is only one model for you, Mary: the woman of fidelity, the one who did not understand what was happening to her but obeyed. The one who, as soon as she knew what her cousin needed took off [to help her], the Virgin of Promptness. The one who escaped as a refugee in a foreign country to save the life of her son,” Pope Francis said during an April 2014 message to 20,000 young people gathered in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a regional youth day.

The first disciple

Years later, during an Aug. 24, 2021, catechesis, Pope Francis called Mary “the first disciple of Jesus” and reminded us that “Mary is there, praying for us, praying for those who do not pray. Why? Because she is our mother.”

The Virgin, through Jesus, has brought heaven closer to us and her life is the best proof that it is possible to reach it. Pope Francis said it best: “She shows us that heaven is within reach, if we too do not give in to sin, we praise God with humility, and we serve others with generosity” (Pope Francis, Angelus address on the solemnity of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 2022). 

A version of this story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

National Shrine and Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Sheshan, also known as Basilica of Mary, Help of Christians, in Shanghai, China. / Credit: lobia, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, May 1, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).

As the Catholic Church continues through a period of interregnum between the reign of popes, Chinese authorities have made moves to assert the Church in China’s autonomy from Rome by unilaterally “electing” two bishops — including in a diocese already led by a Vatican-appointed bishop.

On April 28, Father Wu Jianlin, vicar general of Shanghai, was chosen to be the city’s new auxiliary bishop by an assembly of local priests. The following day, Father Li Jianlin was “elected” bishop of the Diocese of Xinxiang.

As of Thursday afternoon there have been no reports that either priest has been installed as a bishop. 

Both appointments come during a sede vacante — the period when the Apotolic See is vacant following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 — a time during which the Holy See is unable to ratify episcopal nominations. A conclave to elect the next pope is scheduled to begin May 7.

These appointments in China will present the new pope with an early diplomatic challenge.

The appointment in Xinxiang is particularly contentious. The Vatican already recognizes Bishop Joseph Zhang Weizhu as the legitimate bishop of the diocese. Appointed clandestinely by Pope John Paul II in 1991, Zhang has spent decades ministering without state approval and has been arrested multiple times.

He was detained most recently in 2021 while recovering from cancer surgery and remains in custody without trial, according to a 2024 report by the Hudson Institute.

Father Li Jianlin, the diocese’s bishop-elect in the eyes of Beijing, has a history of alignment with the Communist Party. In 2018 he cosigned a directive enforcing a ban on minors attending Mass in Henan province. His appointment is viewed by observers as an overt challenge to Vatican authority, particularly given the presence of a sitting bishop already appointed by Rome.

The move underscores the fragile and often opaque relationship between the Vatican and Beijing. A 2018 provisional agreement between the two sides, renewed most recently in October 2024, is intended to regulate the appointment of bishops in China through a joint process.  

While the terms of the agreement have never been publicly disclosed, Asia News reported that even under the Vatican-China agreement, Beijing usually presented a single candidate to the Vatican chosen by assemblies of the clergy affiliated by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which the pope could then approve or not.  

In recent years, Vatican officials have acknowledged that Beijing has violated the agreement on multiple occasions. 

Bishop Shen Bin, installed by Chinese authorities in Shanghai in 2023 without Vatican approval, was later recognized by Pope Francis “for the good of the diocese” — a concession that sparked controversy. Wu’s appointment this week as Shen’s auxiliary appears to consolidate Shen’s power in Shanghai. 

The Vatican came under criticism during Francis’ pontificate for what some see as a muted response to China’s human rights abuses, including the internment of Uyghur Muslims and the imprisonment of Catholic pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong.  

Human rights groups have also documented ongoing persecution of underground Catholic clergy, with seven bishops currently detained without trial. 

On May 1, new restrictions from China’s United Front came into force banning foreign clergy from presiding over religious activities for Chinese people without the invitation of the Chinese government, severely limiting foreign missionary activity in the country. 

Meanwhile, state-sanctioned Catholic institutions in China offered little acknowledgement of Pope Francis’ death.  

The Patriotic Catholic Association mentioned it in passing on its website, while greater prominence was given to the 76th anniversary of the communist victory in Nanjing. On April 23, Catholics in Nanjing gathered to honor fallen People’s Liberation Army soldiers, with no mention of the late pontiff at the event, according to the blog Bitter Winter. 

As the conclave approaches, how the new pope navigates the challenging relationship with Beijing — and responds to episcopal appointments made without Rome — will likely define the next phase of Vatican diplomacy with China. 

null / Credit: lunamarina/Shutterstock

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 1, 2025 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

The more often Catholics in the United States attend Mass, the more likely they are to oppose proposed changes to the Church, such as blessing same-sex marriages and allowing women to become priests, a new Pew Research Center study reveals.

Pew Research surveyed 1,787 Catholics nationwide from Feb. 3–9 and asked their views on a wide range of topics. Pew’s report specifically tracked and categorized the answers of Catholics who attend Mass at least weekly and those who don’t. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that participation in Mass “is a testimony of belonging and of being faithful to Christ and his Church” (No. 2182) and that “on Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass“ (No. 2180). The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by attendance at Mass on Sundays or holy days, or on the evening of the preceding day.

According to the study, 53% of Catholics who attend weekly Mass said the Church should “stick to its traditional teachings” and limit change, while only 31% of those who attend less regularly affirmed the same position.

Between Catholics who attend Mass weekly and those who attend less regularly, the topic where the two groups differed the most was on the Church’s stance on recognizing gay marriages. 

Nearly two-thirds, or 66%, of Catholics who go to weekly Mass oppose Church recognition of gay marriages, while 58% of those who attend less frequently believe the Church should recognize same-sex marriages. 

Similarly, 56% of Catholics who go to weekly Mass oppose allowing women to become priests, while 67% of Catholics who attend less frequently are in favor of it. 

A majority of both weekly and non-weekly attendees, however, are in favor of women becoming deacons, with 54% of weekly attendees and 74% of non-weekly attendees supporting the proposal. 

According to the survey, Catholics who attend weekly Mass are sharply divided on the question of allowing priests to get married, with 49% in favor and 48% opposed. That is within the survey’s 3% margin of error. Non-weekly Mass-goers, meanwhile, clearly support such a change, with 69% in favor. 

Other issues surveyed showed less marked differences between the two groups. Large majorities of both weekly and non-weekly attendees believe the Catholic Church should allow the use of birth control (72% of weekly Mass-goers and 90% of less frequent participants). Seventy-one percent of weekly Mass attendees also believe the Church should allow couples to use in vitro fertilization (IVF) to get pregnant, a position also supported by 88% of non-weekly Mass attendees.

Pope Francis meets director Martin Scorsese in the Vatican on Nov. 30, 2016. / Credit: L’Osservatore Romano

CNA Staff, May 1, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese is producing a feature-length documentary about Pope Francis and the educational movement the late pontiff founded.

“Aldeas, a New Story” will feature conversations between Scorsese and the pope, including what is reportedly Francis’ final in-depth on-camera interview for a film.

The documentary will highlight the work of Scholas Occurrentes, the nonprofit Pope Francis created in 2013 that aims to bring about what the pope called a “culture of encounter” through the education system. 

Part of the group’s work has included filmmaking under the Aldeas Initiative, which brings together film production with education and community building. The program encourages participants to make scripted short films highlighting their identities and histories. 

The documentary will show the short films of participants of the Aldeas Initiative from Italy, Gambia, and Indonesia. 

Aldeas Scholas Film and Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions announced the documentary on April 30. The two production companies said the film is “a testament to the enduring belief that creativity is not only a means of expression but a path to hope and transformation.”

“Now, more than ever, we need to talk to each other [and] listen to one another cross-culturally,” Scorsese said in a statement. “One of the best ways to accomplish this is by sharing the stories of who we are, reflected from our personal lives and experiences. It helps us understand and value how each of us sees the world.” 

“It was important to Pope Francis for people across the globe to exchange ideas with respect while also preserving their cultural identity, and cinema is the best medium to do that,” the filmmaker said.

Before his passing, Pope Francis said Aldeas “is an extremely poetic and very constructive project because it goes to the roots of what human life is, human sociability, human conflicts… the essence of a life’s journey.”

A release date for the film has not been announced. 

After Pope Francis’ passing, Scorsese called the Holy Father “a remarkable human being” in a statement shared with ABC News. 

“He acknowledged his own failings. He radiated wisdom. He radiated goodness. He had an ironclad commitment to the good. He knew in his soul that ignorance was a terrible plague on humanity. So he never stopped learning,” Scorsese said.

He added: “The loss for me runs deep — I was lucky enough to know him, and I will miss his presence and his warmth. The loss for the world is immense. But he left a light behind, and it can never be extinguished.”

Pope Francis created an atmosphere of mercy and encounter around the world, Detroit priests say as conclave nears