Amid what it called “a moment of heightened tension” in the U.S. and the world, the National Eucharistic Congress said its use of the phrase “one nation under God” is “not about political statements, but about spiritual renewal.”

President Donald Trump participated April 21 in an event called “America Reads the Bible,” speaking by prerecorded video message to read from Scripture.

Pope Leo XIV arrived April 21 in Equatorial Guinea, the fourth and final country of his 11-day apostolic journey in Africa, where the pope met the country’s longtime ruler and urged the country’s civil authorities to choose justice over power, quoting St. Augustine’s “City of God.”

Life issues, immigration, juvenile justice and education were key issues addressed during the Maryland General Assembly session that ended April 13 that the Maryland Catholic Conference followed and took stances on.

On the first anniversary of Pope Francis’ death, Pope Leo XIV praised his predecessor’s “courageous witness” as “a significant heritage for the Church.”