Who is the New Head of Vatican Communications?

Evangelization & Education + A Prominent Abortion Tragedy

June 5th, 2026 - Happy First Friday and feast of St. Boniface! President Donald Trump yesterday dismissed the House’s advancement of a resolution to limit his power to order continued military actions against Iran, calling lawmakers “unpatriotic”. A motion to attach the SAVE America Act to the BR conciliation bill has failed. Four Republican Senators dissented: Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis. Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government on June 4, insisting that any agreement must include a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. An appeals court in Canada has rejected a request by the Congregation of St. Basil to dismiss a lawsuit against the congregation and its prominent member Fr. Thomas Rosica. YouTuber Jesse Ridgway announced that he and his wife aborted their unborn child after learning the baby had Down syndrome. The post was widely condemned by Catholics and conservatives. Ahead of its 250th anniversary, the U.S. will receive a blessing following a Eucharist procession in Washington, D.C., on June 5. The 2026 National Eucharistic Pilgrimage (NEP) began in St. Augustine, Florida, in late May and has since been traveling by van up the East Coast. President Donald Trump has unveiled a $700 million federal infrastructure package to modernize domestic coal plants and build the nation’s first new coal-fired facilities in over a decade. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

How A Priest Turned Crimefighter

June 4th, 2026 - Happy feasts of Corpus Christi and St. Francis Caracciolo! Israel and Lebanon agreed yesterday to implement a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework, contingent on Hezbollah ending its attacks. Iran simultaneously warned that renewed Israeli strikes on Beirut could trigger a “full-scale resumption” of the broader regional war. Speaking to the association of Catholic Colleges and Universities from the U.S., Pope Leo XIV said Catholic education offers an answer to the modern “fragmentation of knowledge.” Washington Archbishop Cardinal Robert McElroy just removed Monsignor Stephen Rossetti as an exorcist for the archdiocese after the priest publicly warned that many supposed UFO incidents are actually demonic activity. NIH Researchers have been Charged After Allegedly Smuggling Monkeypox Vials Into United States. President Trump is expected to announce today that his administration will put about $700 million towards bolstering the U.S. coal industry. Protests continue in England in the wake of Henry Nowak’s death. Questions have been raised about the policing at these protests, with one video appearing to show an officer repeatedly kicking a man in the head. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

Who is the New Head of Vatican Communications?

June 3rd, 2026 - Happy feast of the Ugandan Martyrs! The Supreme Court ruled last night that Alabama lawmakers can revert to a GOP-backed congressional map in the upcoming midterm elections – striking down a federal court panel order that blocked the map. President Donald Trump reportedly called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” and blamed his aggression against neighboring countries for growing global hatred of Israel, according to Axios. The Wall Street Journal later confirmed and expanded on the leaked conversation. Israel has appointed a new Mossad Director, Belarus-born Roman Gofman. He has previously written a document stating that Israel should establish a military government in the Gaza Strip, and has criticized the IDF's reluctance to send ground forces into Gaza. After a May 31 fire damaged the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Memphis, Tennessee, police say they are now investigating the incident for possible arson. The FBI said yesterday that 35 people had been charged for narcotics and firearms offenses stemming from a yearlong federal operation in West Virginia while also unveiling a new nationwide summer crime-fighting initiative. Kash Patel announced, “We’re just getting started.” President Trump has rescheduled the White House Correspondent’s Dinner, despite the last assassination attempt against him. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

The USCCB's Migrant Fixation + Henry Nowak's Killer Gets Life

June 2nd, 2026 - Happy feast of St. Elmo! Comedian Bill Cosby was denied his request for a new trial over his claim that the $60 million that he was ordered to pay to his rape victim was “excessive.” Vickrum Digwa has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 21 years for the murder of Henry Nowak. Henry’s family is still requesting an investigation into the officers who arrested him instead of treating him as a dying victim. Pope Leo XIV has appointed Maria Montserrat Alvarado, President and Chief Operating Officer of EWTN News, as Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. The appointment will take effect Nov. 1, 2026. The Trump administration is abandoning the $1.8 billion fund that was intended to compensate people who were targeted by government "weaponization" under previous administrations, following a federal court order blocking the program. The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is less than 10 days away from falling to its lowest level since August 1983, according to a top analyst. President Donald Trump said yesterday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to stop fighting and that U.S. talks with Iran were still ongoing, despite Tehran saying earlier it had suspended negotiations over Israel’s new offensive in Lebanon. The Vatican released an English-language audiobook of Pope Leo's first encyclical yesterday. The audiobook version of Magnifica Humanitas runs about five and a half hours in total. Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]

Religious Freedom Takes a Blow from DOJ?

June 1st, 2026 - Happy feasts of St. Justin Martyr and St. John Baptist Scalabrini! Major evacuations are underway in southern Beirut as Israel ramps up military actions in Lebanon. The U.S. and Iran have traded strikes while the “ceasefire” officially continues. A potential peace deal is still reportedly in the works, with President Trump still holding off on a final decision. The Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Jason Sinnarajah, himself Catholic, apologized to Catholics during Friday night pregame coverage, stating that the team is "not anti-Catholic" and "horrified by the comments" caught on undercover video. President Donald Trump criticized Pope Leo XIV's meeting with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Saturday, writing in a Truth Social post that "someone should explain to the Pope" that the mayor is "useless" and that "Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon!" A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's $1.78 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" from transferring money to victims of government “weaponization.” Pope Leo XIV welcomed representatives of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal to the Vatican, encouraging members to place their spiritual gifts at the service of the whole Church and urging them to pursue communion, charity, and mission rather than "self-promotion, or the pursuit of power or personal prestige." Rise Right is a live morning program hosted by Sarah Cain & Jakob Martin Kraft, designed to help Catholics begin their day grounded in faith, clarity, and peace. The goal is simple: help listeners start their day well. Stay rooted in prayer, informed about the world, and able to face each day with joy and reason. RiseRight.org [https://thestationofthecross.com/riseright]