Catholic Diocese issues strict preventive measures amid ebola health emergency in Eastern DRC
On May 18, 2026, the Catholic Diocese of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) directed parishes, priests, and religious communities to adopt rigorous hygiene and distancing protocols after health authorities declared a new Ebola virus outbreak a “health emergency.”
U.S. bishops express ‘grave concerns’ over proposed $72 billion immigration enforcement funding
A coalition of 14 U.S. Catholic bishops, predominantly from the U.S.-Mexico border region, have sent a strongly worded letter to members of Congress opposing budget reconciliation legislation that would allocate an additional $72 billion for immigration enforcement under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Catholic ministries appeal to block abortion-accommodation federal mandate
A coalition of Catholic organizations, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on May 19th, 2026, to shield them from a Biden-era regulation that required employers to provide workplace accommodations for employees seeking abortions.
Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore proposes nearly $170 million settlement to clergy child sex abuse cases
The Archdiocese of Baltimore filed a proposed Chapter 11 reorganization plan on May 15, 2026, offering approximately $169 million in compensation to survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy and church-affiliated personnel.
Catholic University hired lesbian pastor to teach “queer theology” courses
University of Portland, a liberal arts institution sponsored by the Congregation of the Holy Cross, employed a self-described lesbian pastor as an associate professor of theology for six years, where she taught courses on “queer theology” and “Christianity, gender, and sexuality.”
Bishop intervenes as Dutch teen excluded from Sacrament for dismissing homosexual event as ‘nonsense’
A Catholic teenage boy in the Diocese of ‘s-Hertogenbosch was removed from preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation after he described Purple Friday, a local pro-homosexual inclusive initiative, as “nonsense” and expressed a preference for a sports team flag over a rainbow flag at his parish.
Armenia advances construction of world’s tallest Jesus Christ statue on Mount Hatis
Construction crews made significant progress in May 2026 on what is poised to become the world’s largest statue of Jesus Christ, a towering monument rising on Mount Hatis near the Armenian capital.
Vandals behead Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at Long Island Catholic Church; suspect later arrested
Parishioners at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in East Islip, Long Island, discovered a shocking act of vandalism over the weekend when they found the head removed from an outdoor Sacred Heart of Jesus statue.