by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Aug 29, 2021 / 05:30 am Pope Francis on Sunday urged Christians to intensify their prayer, penance, and fasting for the situation in Afghanistan, as he entrusted the souls of those who have died to God’s mercy. “In historical moments like this we cannot remain …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Aug 28, 2021 / 08:20 am Pope Francis on Saturday made several temporary changes to the Vatican’s Chapter of St. Peter, a group of retired priests who pray and assist in the liturgical activities of St. Peter’s Basilica. The new norms cut the chapter’s expenses …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Aug 26, 2021 / 12:00 pm Pope Francis on Thursday met with Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a human rights advocate who has been speaking out on behalf of women and girls in Iraq and Afghanistan. Murad’s meeting with the pope on Aug. 26 …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Aug 26, 2021 / 08:00 am Pope Francis on Thursday named Italian economist and Catholic religious sister Alessandra Smerilli as secretary of the Vatican’s social development office on an interim basis. Smerilli was appointed “ad interim” secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Aug 22, 2021 / 05:00 am Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged Catholics to not water down the reality of Jesus Christ’s humanity and his teaching that the Eucharist is his Body and Blood. “Indeed, Jesus affirms that the true bread of salvation, which transmits eternal …

by Courtney Mares Rome, Italy, Aug 20, 2021 / 14:58 pm An Afghan Christian refugee whose parents were killed by the Taliban in the 1990s is appealing to Pope Francis to help a Catholic family currently at the Kabul airport. “I ask please, please of both the Holy See and …

by Jonah McKeown Gallup, N.M., Aug 18, 2021 / 17:19 pm Bishop James Wall of Gallup released a letter Wednesday reiterating that COVID-19 vaccines can be taken by Catholics “with a clear conscience,” while also asserting that the state ought not “universally mandate the vaccine without allowing for conscientious objection.” …

by Autumn Jones Rome, Italy, Aug 17, 2021 / 22:30 pm Pope Francis, along with six cardinals and archbishops from North, South, and Central America, worked in collaboration with the Ad Council to produce a public service announcement promoting COVID-19 vaccines. The announcement is the first Ad Council campaign designed …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Aug 18, 2021 / 07:10 am Pope Francis has sent his condolences after a violent attack on a group of Catholic religious sisters and others in South Sudan left five dead on Monday. “His Holiness Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the brutal …

by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Aug 13, 2021 / 12:00 pm Catholic dioceses across China hosted celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) this year, while pilgrimages to China’s national Marian shrine were forbidden. “Every community, every diocese has done congresses, performances, theaters, and even pilgrimages …