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By AC Wimmer Sydney, Australia, Jul 23, 2024 / 09:27 am As the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis drew to a close, an Australian bishop praised the event as a model for revitalizing the Catholic faith across the world and expressed hope that it could inspire similar revivals worldwide. Auxiliary Bishop Richard Umbers of Sydney, who attended the congress as an international observer, said that the U.S. gathering had generated a lot of interest in Australia, according to the Australian Catholic Weekly. “We are very interested in learning all the aspects of the journey to this national congress,” Umbers said. “We’ve been following this revival, and it has captured our imagination.” The bishop noted that the congress, which drew over 50,000 participants from all 50 states and 17 cou...

By Courtney Mares Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 21, 2024 / 14:00 pm The National Eucharistic Congress concluded Sunday with a Mass with tens of thousands of people in an NFL football stadium, where the crowd prayed for “a new Pentecost” in the U.S. Church. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle presided over the closing Mass in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium on July 21 as Pope Francis’ special envoy for the event. He shared that the pope told him that he desires the congress to lead to “conversion to the Eucharist.”  “The presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is a gift and the fulfillment of his mission,” said the cardinal pro-prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Evangelization. “Those who choose to stay with Jesus will be sent by Jesus,” Tagle added. “Let us go to proclaim...

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Jul 21, 2024 / 14:15 pm President Joe Biden on Sunday said he would not seek reelection, conceding to growing calls in his party to bow out of the race after a highly criticized debate against GOP nominee Donald Trump in June. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president,” Biden, the second Catholic president of the United States, said in a July 21 statement posted on X. “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as president for the remainder of my term.” Biden added that he would speak to the nation later in the week about the details of his decision. In an X post sent about a half hour after his...

By Zelda Caldwell Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 19, 2024 / 11:30 am In his keynote speech at the National Eucharistic Congress Thursday evening “revival session,” Father Mike Schmitz, host of the popular “Bible in a Year” podcast, used a word that one doesn’t hear very often these days. He called on the Catholics gathered in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium to repent. “If this is going to be a revival, if it’s going to be a real revival, here’s the reality. In the history of Christianity, you can never have a revival without repentance,” said Schmitz, chaplain at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. Schmitz, whose YouTube videos and podcasts have made him a household name among Catholics and non-Catholics alike, was met with a standing ovation from the crowd of over 50,000 when he walked onto the ...

Indianapolis, Ind., Jul 18, 2024 / 09:35 am After years of planning and anticipation, the National Eucharistic Congress officially kicked off Wednesday evening with the triumphant culmination of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimages, the solemn entry of the Eucharistic Jesus in a papally-blessed golden monstrance, and speeches from Catholic luminaries that set the tone for the historic five-day event.  The Congress, which has drawn tens of thousands of people to Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis, is the first such event to be held in the U.S. since World War II. The fruit of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ multiyear project of Eucharistic Revival, the Congress aims to galvanize Catholics in their faith and love for the Eucharist — the body and blood of Jesus — as preparation for a ...

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Jul 17, 2024 / 11:55 am The NFL’s Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis are all set to welcome more than 50,000 Catholics to the National Eucharistic Congress taking place July 17–21. The five-day congress will bring the faithful together to inspire people to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist. The congress will have opportunities for attendees to take part in Eucharistic adoration, confession, liturgies, musical performances, and a variety of talks and keynote speeches aimed at fostering spiritual renewal and unity.  There will also be five key exhibits that attendees can visit daily. These are the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit, the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit, the Reliquary Chapel, a preview of “Bernadette de Lour...

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Jul 10, 2024 / 10:03 am Eleven Vietnamese Christians, including five Catholics, are reportedly missing from detention, according to a recent report from International Christian Concern (ICC), a U.S.-based advocacy group. The ICC report, released on July 5, claims the missing individuals were sentenced between 2011 and 2016 to a combined total of 90 years and eight months in prison for their religious activities. Their current whereabouts are unknown. According to the report, the five missing Catholics — identified by the names of Runh, A Kuin, A Tik, Run, and Dinh Kuh — were allegedly accused of “undermining national unity policy” for their participation in the Ha Mon Catholic Church, which lacks government approval. The report also mentions six Protestant detain...