In Case You Missed It – Monday, May 5, 2025

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Taking charge of 1.4 billion souls: the spectacle gripping the world

Among other things, whoever appears on the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica in due course will have to contend with the near-collapse of the Church in her traditional heartlands, bring peace once more in the liturgy wars, continue to work on reforming the Vatican’s finances, and move heaven and earth to tackle decisively and effectively the suppurating scandal of abuse. ... as if personal responsibility for 1.4 billion souls were not already burden enough.

Read more at the Catholic Herald

Cardinal Zen warns conclave of ‘life & death’ issue for Church

Addressing the pre-conclave meetings in the Vatican, Cardinal Zen has urged that cardinals must elect a pope who “can lead us back to harmony and peace.” ‘Reform that undermines the essential elements of the Church founded by Jesus—one, holy, catholic, and apostolic—is not true reform’ he said.

Read more at Per Mariam: Mater Dolorosa

REVEALED: How the People's Pope shielded sexual predators in the clergy – including one priest accused of violently raping nuns

'We have listened to many complaints against Francis's papacy in these days', one unnamed cardinal told America Magazine, a Jesuit publication.

In any case, we can be certain that Monday's debate was haunted by a series of jaw-dropping scandals whose details are unknown to the vast majority of the 400,000 Catholics who attended Pope Francis's funeral a week ago.

Read more at the Daily Mail

Hungarian Ambassador to Vatican pushes back against rumor of an Erdö-Parolin Alliance

"Any speculation of a pre-conclave deal between Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdö and former Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin is totally false. Cardinal Erdö has engaged in no such discussions," says the ambassador. Article suggesting such an alliance published at Per Mariam: Mater Dolorosa.

Read at Eduard Habsburg on X

In Rome, rumors swirl of plot by Macron to influence choice of next pope

Some Italian media suspect the French president of maneuvering alongside the Catholic movement Sant'Egidio, which was close to the late pope, to push their candidates onto the Chair of Saint Peter.

Read more at Le Monde

Legacy and Catholic media promote one cardinal at the same time: Coincidence or campaign?

In the lead-up to the May 2025 papal conclave, a notable pattern has emerged across legacy and Catholic media outlets: a surge of favorable coverage framing U.S.-born Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as a leading papal contender.

Read more at Catholic Vote

Veteran Vatican commentator: ‘There will be no Francis II’

Marco Politi, a prominent Italian journalist renowned for his progressive insights on Church affairs submits the successor to Pope Francis will mark a departure from the current pontificate’s distinctive approach.

Read more at Catholic Vote

Edward Pentin’s List of 10 Papal Contenders You Should Know

From Rome to the Global South, the cardinals are preparing to elect a new pope — but history shows that the Holy Spirit often surprises.

Read more at the National Catholic Register

Unusual lightning strikes at Vatican noted on X

@catholicarena –

In 2013, lightning struck the Vatican on the day of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. A lightning storm took place last night as the mourning period for Pope Francis ended.

@colmflynnire –

As the final day of mourning of Pope Francis came to an end, and we are on the verge of a conclave to elect a new Pope, a huge lightning storm lit up the skies above the Vatican in Rome last night. This was around 3:30 a.m. local time and just listen to that crash of thunder at the end!

Germany’s Catholic Bishops Approve Blessings for Pansexual and Transgender Couples

In a bold action during the papal interregnum, Germany’s bishops have published guidelines for blessing “couples of all gender identities and sexual orientations” as well as for clergy who wish to leave the priesthood and cohabit with a male or female partner.

Read more at The Stream

Washington governor signs bill forcing priests to break Seal of Confession

Left-wing Washington Democratic Governor Bob Ferguson – a professed Catholic – signed legislation on Friday that will force priests to break the Seal of Confession in some cases or go to jail.

Read more at Lifesite

Trump wants us to have more kids — but it's more expensive than ever

The president's misguided fertility push won’t help struggling families, experts say. ...Even supporters of the baby bonus say that it’s a temporary measure that could help, but will not automatically incentivize more Americans to have kids.

Read more at Salon

Essay: Defund Planned Parenthood: A Call for Truth and Life

Planned Parenthood doesn’t empower women – they exploit them. They don’t offer freedom – they capitalize on fear and desperation. They don’t tell women the truth – they sell death and call it “choice.” 

Read more at RealClear Pennsylvania

Trump Directs Federal Agencies to ‘Rebuild and Open Alcatraz’

President Donald Trump directed the Bureau of Prisons, Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reopen and rebuild Alcatraz prison to house the “most ruthless and violent” criminals.

Read more at Breitbart

Trump Targets Foreign Movies With 100% Tariff, Hollywood Studios RATTLED

President Trump has called for a 100% tariff on foreign-made movies, saying "a concerted effort" by other countries to lure filmmakers abroad constitutes a threat to national security.

Watch at The Hill YouTube Channel

The Trump administration is today announcing they will pay illegal aliens to self-deport on commercial flights

The Department of Homeland Security will front the cost of commercial flights and provide a $1,000 stipend to illegal aliens who opt to self-deport from the United States in a move DHS says will save thousands of dollars.

Read/view at Fox News

JD Vance’s Canadian pal tells him: Please don’t visit

The Ottawa lawmaker broke with his law school pal over Trump’s threats and policies.

Read more at Politico

Trump Keeps Giving Secretary Of State Rubio Extra Jobs — And Now JD Vance Has One To Add

President Trump dropped a surprise announcement that he’d be nominating his National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to serve instead as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, saying that in the meantime, Rubio would assume the national security adviser’s duties — Vice President JD Vance could not resist throwing one more suggestion into the mix.

Read more at The Daily Wire

From loss to surprise gain: After decades of melting, East Antarctica’s key glaciers show rare recovery

For decades, Antarctica's ice sheet has been melting fast, pushing sea levels higher with each passing year. The losses were relentless, particularly in West Antarctica and the vulnerable glacier basins of East Antarctica. But in an unexpected twist, scientists observed a dramatic reversal: between 2021 and 2023, the Antarctic Ice Sheet gained mass ...

Read more at Business Today

Devotional: Imitation of Mary during Her month

Especially in this month which is dedicated to her, we should not be content merely to pray before her altar and decorate it with flowers, but we should make daily progress in imitating her virtues, particularly the virtue which we need most. ...

Read more at Fr. R. Vierling on X

Cardinal Raymond Burke continues to urge novena prayer for the election of the successor to St. Peter

"I ask you to continue praying the Novena Prayer, until the new Successor of Saint Peter is elected. If you have not yet begun to pray the Novena Prayer, I urge you to begin praying it immediately."

Cardinal Burke's prayer is available here

Editor's note:

HOW SOULS AND LIBERTY WILL MOVE FORWARD THE NEXT FOUR YEARS

There can be no doubt we have witnessed an extraordinary moment in the history of the United States and the world. The election of Donald Trump to a second Presidential term is a great victory for Christian patriots, but it is not a complete or final victory. Rather, it is a reprieve from the ceaseless assaults on life, liberty and faith we have had to endure for four years.

Donald Trump is president once again, and his decisions, Cabinet selections, and force of personality are shaping the United States and the world in ways we could only dream of.

We have a Heaven-sent opportunity to step up and ensure this victory is not merely a one-off, but the first of many and the foundation of a lasting legacy of patriotic, Christian, pro-family policies.

Souls and Liberty will be part of that effort, but we cannot do it without you. It will require reporting and activism that YOU can be a part of.

Can you step up and support us? Just once – a one-time donation is very valuable. Or, better yet, support us every month with a recurring donation. Thank you, and may God bless you.

Stephen Wynne

Editor-in-Chief, Souls and Liberty