NATION
OKLAHOMA CITY (OSV News) – Catholics are being urged to attend National Eucharistic Pilgrimage events in large numbers as anti-Catholic protests grow along the 3,340-mile St. Katharine Drexel Route. Protesters – many from the Church of Wells in Wells, Texas – have targeted Eucharistic processions, denouncing Catholic beliefs, particularly Jesus’ real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Up to 50 protesters, including children, confronted pilgrims in Oklahoma from May 30 to June 2. Organizers expect increased demonstrations as the 36-day pilgrimage moves through Texas and into California. “This is walking with our Lord against attacks,” said Jason Shanks, president of National Eucharistic Congress Inc., urging Catholics to witness boldly but peacefully. He advised against engaging with protesters and emphasized prayer, humility and charity. The pilgrimage, which began May 18 in Indianapolis, includes daily stops for Mass, adoration and service. Organizers are monitoring security but have not altered the schedule. Drawing a parallel to Jesus’ journey on the Via Dolorosa, the route he took while carrying the cross in Jerusalem to his crucifixion and death, Shanks said pilgrims are walking “the Way of the Cross.”

WASHINGTON (OSV News) – The U.S. Supreme Court on June 5 unanimously ruled in favor of the Catholic Charities Bureau of the Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin, who had asked the high court to overturn a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court the agency argued discounted its religious identity. The group previously appealed a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court that Catholic Charities is not exempt from paying into the state’s unemployment insurance system because its operations aren’t primarily religious under the definition in the statute requiring certain employers to do so. However, in an opinion written by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously found the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s ruling violated the First Amendment by creating a preference for some religious practices over others. In a statement celebrating the ruling, Bishop James P. Powers of Superior said, “At the heart of Catholic Charities’ ministry is Christ’s call to care for the least of our brothers and sisters, without condition and without exception. We’re grateful the Court unanimously recognized that improving the human condition by serving the poor is part of our religious exercise and has allowed us to continue serving those in need throughout our diocese and beyond.”

VATICAN
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Although Pope Francis already set Aug. 3 as the date to declare the sainthood of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Pope Leo XIV will hold a meeting with cardinals to approve his canonization and that of seven other people. The meeting, known as an “ordinary public consistory,” is scheduled for June 13, the Vatican announced. Cardinals living in or visiting Rome are invited to participate in the consistory, which typically is a prayer service that includes the reading of a brief biography of the sainthood candidate, the pope’s solicitation of the cardinals’ approval of the canonization and, usually, an announcement of the date for the ceremony. Since the canonization of Blessed Carlo Acutis, which had been scheduled for April 27, was postponed after the death of Pope Francis, it is possible that in conjunction with the consistory the Vatican would announce a new date to proclaim him a saint.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Leo XIV and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held their first telephone conversation June 4 with the pope encouraging Putin to make a gesture to show he is serious about peace with Ukraine, the Vatican press office said. “I confirm that this afternoon there was a telephone conversation between Pope Leo XIV and President Putin,” said Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office. While they spoke of several “matters of mutual interest,” Bruni said that “special attention was paid to the situation in Ukraine and peace. The pope made an appeal for Russia to make a gesture that would promote peace, stressed the importance of dialogue for the realization of positive contacts between the parties and seeking solutions to the conflict,” Bruni said.

WORLD
SÃO PAULO (OSV News) – Two Brazilian nuns have gone viral worldwide after a May 28 video showed them beatboxing and dancing hip hop on Catholic TV – drawing comparisons to a real-life “Sister Act.” Sisters Marizele Isabel Cassiano Rego and Marisa de Paula Neves, of the Sisters of the Copious Redemption, were promoting a vocational event on the Pai Eterno network when they broke into a lively, faith-filled performance. The video, filmed May 20 in Goiás state, caught the attention of celebrities like Viola Davis and Whoopi Goldberg, who praised their joyful witness on ABC’s “The View.” Known for using music and dance in their ministry to drug addicts, both sisters say creative evangelization helps break stereotypes and connect with youth. “People think nuns are rigid,” Sister Marizele told OSV News. “But when they see us sing and dance, they see who we really are.” Their vibrant approach is now inspiring the youth to get in touch with the church.

NAMUGONGO, Uganda (OSV News) – In Uganda, ten of thousands of pilgrims gathered at the Namugongo shrine June 3 to honor the Uganda Martyrs – 45 Christians killed for their faith between 1885 and 1887. Among them, Catholic convert St. Charles Lwanga was burned alive at the very site of the annual pilgrimage. This year’s Martyrs Day marked a return to pre-COVID crowds, with the faithful trekking hundreds of miles from across East Africa, many praying for healing, peace and hope. Despite the joy, security was tight after Ugandan forces thwarted a terror attack just hours before the feast. Suspected extremists, armed with explosive vests, were killed near the Munyonyo Basilica. President Yoweri Museveni and church leaders called the 19th-century martyrs, who died at the order of the king, a symbol of resilience and a challenge to live out courageous faith. Pilgrims, carrying water from the shrine’s healing spring, left with renewed hope. As one said, “I arrived empty, but I’m leaving full – something will change.”