by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Mar 7, 2022 / 04:00 am As war rages in Ukraine and the pandemic lingers, Michelangelo’s celebrated Vatican Pietà — and two lesser-known figures he also sculpted — can be deeply meaningful to a pain-wracked world, says a priest and art historian. Michelangelo Buonarotti’s Pietà depicts a …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Mar 4, 2022 / 04:00 am The World War II martyr Titus Brandsma and two other blesseds will be declared saints at a canonization Mass on May 15, Pope Francis indicated on Friday. The decision was made through a vote of cardinals during an ordinary consistory at …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Mar 3, 2022 / 05:55 am Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Daniel Jenky as head of the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, on Thursday, the day of Jenky’s 75th birthday. Diocesan bishops are required by canon law to submit a letter of resignation …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Feb 26, 2022 / 12:10 pm Pope Francis on Saturday expressed his sorrow about the situation in Ukraine in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the Ukrainian Embassy to the Holy See, Pope Francis had a conversation with Zelenskyy by phone …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 25, 2022 / 04:57 am Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy to the Holy See on Friday morning, according to the Vatican press office. The Vatican said on Feb. 25 that the pope went to the embassy “to show his concern for the war.” …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Feb 24, 2022 / 05:00 am God is always on the side of the victims of unjust aggression, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said on Thursday, hours after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk supported Ukraine’s right to defend its …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 22, 2022 / 09:00 am The Vatican is holding a worldwide competition to choose the official logo for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year. A Jubilee is a special Holy Year of grace and pilgrimage in the Catholic Church, which typically takes place every …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 15, 2022 / 13:00 pm The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis has chosen a theme for the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life said on Feb. 15 that the grandparents’ day, which will be celebrated …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 15, 2022 / 06:17 am Vatican firefighters successfully rescued a cat on Tuesday after it became stuck on top of the colonnade surrounding St. Peter’s Square. Several times during the late morning on Feb. 15 the firemen ascended to the top of the portico …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 14, 2022 / 04:35 am Pope Francis on Monday reorganized the internal structure of the Vatican’s doctrine office into two sections — the latest step in his ongoing reform of the Roman Curia. In a letter issued motu proprio (of his own accord) on Feb. 14, …