In 2025, CatholicVote’s news team worked around the clock to bring you the truth about the events that matter most to Catholics. Here are the top stories of 2025.
Death of Pope Francis
“Pope Francis passed away on the morning of Easter Monday after several months of health struggles that for some time required hospitalization,” CatholicVote reported April 21.
In the following days, we published numerous memorials, appreciations, and analyses of the Francis pontificate. In addition, we sent a team of reporters to the Vatican immediately to follow and report back on the funeral rites, the public commemorations, and, ultimately, the conclave that would elect the next pope.
A few highlights from that period from Pope Francis’ passing to the end of the conclave are below.
April 21: How Pope Francis’ calendar changes honored Our Lady
April 22: Pope Francis made historic number of canonizations by decree
April 30: China appoints new bishops during ‘sede vacante,’ defying Vatican agreement
May 7: Record number of faithful fill St. Peter’s Square on first evening of conclave
The conclave and election of Pope Leo XIV
Our team remained in Rome for the election of Pope Leo XVI and to send back coverage of his first days as pontiff. Here are a few highlights from those days.
May 9: Pope Leo XIV’s first homily: Full text
May 16: Pope Leo XIV reaffirms Church’s stance on life, family, gender in Vatican speech
May 19: Jerusalem patriarch joins Pope Leo XIV in call for peace in Gaza
Faithful cry out against honoring Sen. Dick Durbin
CatholicVote learned in September that the Archdiocese of Chicago was planning to give Sen. Dick Durbin a lifetime achievement award, despite the Catholic Illinois Democratic senator dedicating much of his career to promoting the abortion industry. In response, CatholicVote rallied faithful Catholics to oppose the move, and by the beginning of October, Durbin had declined the award.
Here are three samples of our coverage of those events.
Oct. 1: Cardinal Cupich announces Durbin has declined award but defends offering it
Oct. 2: Catholic leaders respond to Durbin’s decision to decline Chicago Archdiocese’s award
Violence in the Holy Land and Gaza
Throughout much of 2025, Catholics and other Christians in both Gaza and the West Bank cried out for support amid violence and destruction inflicted by Israel’s military actions and radical Jewish settler groups. CatholicVote’s coverage amplified their voices and highlighted the responses of Catholic leaders from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem to the Holy Father.
Here are some highlights of our coverage.
May 26: Priest at Gaza parish expresses gratitude for Pope Leo’s solidarity and appeals for peace
July 17: Gaza’s only Catholic Church hit by Israeli forces, 3 killed, priest among the injured
July 18: Names and faces of the Catholic dead and wounded from the Gaza parish struck by Israel
July 20: Pope Leo mourns Catholic church victims in Gaza, calls war ‘barbarism’
July 13: US citizen reportedly killed by Jewish settlers in Holy Land, family demands Trump admin investigate
Annunciation Church shooting
A shooter attacked Catholics, including children, as they attended Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis on the morning of Aug. 27. CatholicVote reported on the crime and its aftermath, highlighting the important role of faith in times of darkness.
Aug. 28: FBI: Minneapolis church shooting was anti-Catholic terror attack
Sept. 2: Catholic voices defend prayer as an essential response to violence, tragedy
Sept. 9: Vatican to consider martyr status for children killed during Mass at Annunciation Church
Sept. 18: Minneapolis mother after school shooting: ‘Evil doesn’t vanish when you remove its weapon of choice’
Violence and mourning: The murder of Charlie Kirk and the Catholic response
After the horrific public murder of Charlie Kirk, CatholicVote covered the surprising cultural shifts that followed. Many who were previously unaware of Kirk became inspired by his decency and his courage in promoting dialogue during a time increasingly characterized by cultural and political stalemates. Those who knew him well, on the other hand, helped the nation more fully appreciate the depth of his character. Here are some of our favorite stories about Kirk. May he rest in peace.
Sept. 19: In final days, Charlie Kirk reportedly told bishop: ‘I’m this close’ to entering the Catholic Church
Oct. 27: 40 Days for Life sees big uptick in volunteers after Charlie Kirk’s murder
Dec. 9: Charlie Kirk’s widow highlights how her husband urged Americans to observe the Sabbath
A new archbishop of New York
Pope Leo this year accepted the resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan from his long-held position as archbishop of New York. In Cardinal Dolan’s place, the Holy Father appointed Bishop Ronald Hicks of Joliet, Illinois. The change is extremely significant, as Archbishop-designate Hicks will now lead one of the world’s most prominent and influential Catholic archdioceses. Here are a few of CatholicVote’s pieces on the momentous event.
Dec. 18: Cardinal Timothy Dolan retires: A quarter-century titan of the American Church steps aside
Dec. 18: 5 things to know about Bishop Ronald Hicks
Dec. 18: Bishop Hicks: ‘I love Jesus with my mind, heart, and soul’
