Pope Leo XIV declared Father Edward Flanagan, the founder of Boys Town, venerable on March 23, recognizing his heroic virtue and moving him one step closer to sainthood.

Marriage, like every vocation, “can only arise from a personal encounter with Christ,” with the Church offering the “precious tools” of community and witness to foster that experience, said the head of the Vatican’s key office for marriage and family life.

Catholic Review Editor and Host Chris Gunty speaks with filmmaker John Scheinfeld, writer and director of the new documentary Baseball Beyond Belief. Inspired by John Sexton’s bestselling book “Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game,” the film explores how faith, ritual, doubt, and community shape both spiritual life and baseball fandom.

As the U.S. and Israel-Iran war enters its fourth week, and amid a deep humanitarian crisis throughout the region, Pope Leo XIV appealed during his Sunday Angelus prayer March 22: “Persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and paths of peace may finally open up, based on sincere dialogue and respect for the dignity of every human person.”

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher remains a place of continuous prayer despite restricted access to the faithful, according to a statement released March 21 by the Custody of the Holy Land, which also said uncertainty persists over upcoming Holy Week and Easter celebrations.