On the occasion of the launch of the NASA Artemis II Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, in an interview with Vatican media, affirms that “space must remain a common good, with clear legal norms and a sense of responsibility toward all humanity and future generations.”

Artemis II mission is the second mission of NASA’s Artemis lunar program and the first to carry astronauts. The mission includes a crew of four astronauts who will travel beyond Earth’s orbit to perform a wide flyby of the Moon, without landing. It represents an intermediate step toward Artemis III, the mission aimed at returning astronauts to walk on the lunar surface 53 years after Apollo 17, which concluded on December 14, 1972.

Space has increasingly become a subject of discussion within the United Nations. The number of satellites in orbit has grown exponentially in recent years, highlighting how space has become a constant theme in debates related to geopolitics, security, and international relations.

To explore the significance of space missions, the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, chaired by Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Institutions in Geneva, has produced and released a video “Outer Space and Humanity at the Crossroads: A New Frontier of the Common Good.” The video offers and synthesizes reflections on the purpose of exploring the universe, bringing into dialogue science, theology, and international law, as well as the principles that should govern humanity’s relationship with it and among human beings in the face of this work of God.

The Mission of the Holy See in Geneva and the Caritas in Veritate Foundation, which works in collaboration with it, are concerned with space, which is God’s creation and obeys His laws. To reach Heaven, a supernatural concept, human beings must behave well also in space, which is instead a geographical concept, belonging to the physical and biological order. Space is not terra nullius; it is not a lawless field of conquest governed by the principle “first come, first served.” This is the origin of the publication’s title Space and Humanity at a Crossroads, and also of the content of the video. Humanity is already making decisions about space, moral decisions that will have long-term impacts and can either build up or destroy humanity.

The official Church cannot remain indifferent because of the above said reason.

Looking at space from an ethical perspective urges us to ask: “Is it right to pursue everything that we are technologically capable of achieving? How should we do it? What kind of reality and order do we want to build?” The ethical and multilateral perspective is precisely what the Foundation’s document… propose.

Space must remain a common good, with clear legal norms that, where necessary, are updated with a sense of responsibility toward all humanity and future generations.

It is the change in perspective experienced by all astronauts in space: the Earth appears small, fragile, without borders or divisions, a symbol of shared belonging and collective responsibility. This image contrasts with the reality of wars, abuses, and violence that emerge when we return to viewing the planet up close. Pope Benedict XVI recalled this in words that remain relevant today, during a dialogue with astronauts aboard the International Space Station: “I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one Earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each other. “So space too is a common home, with rules to be respected.

The Church’s central message is that we must not turn space into a jungle. It offers humanity a kind of second chance, inviting us to avoid many of the mistakes made on Earth. Space must be explored with responsibility, solidarity, and respect for subsidiarity, for the benefit of present and future generations. We must prevent it from becoming a theatre of uncontrolled competition, or worse, conflict. The first practical step the Holy See urges is respect for the Outer Space Treaty, signed by about 120 states, including all major spacefaring nations. In force for nearly sixty years (since 1967), it clearly establishes that the exploration and use of space must be carried out for the benefit and in the interest of all countries. The treaty defines space as the “province of all humankind.” The Holy See calls for strengthening existing legislation, not abandoning it, to avoid leaving some countries behind and to preserve care for creation, for example, through joint projects to remove space debris… (By Fabio Colagrande and Eugenio Murrali Vatican News)

The Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations has issued a poignant statement highlighting the ethical and legal risks of surrogacy, asserting that technology has “run laps around ethics.” During a side event of the 70th Commission on the Status of Women, the Mission emphasized that while some see surrogacy as a compassionate solution for aspiring parents, the practice often facilitates the systemic exploitation of women and children.

Central to the Holy See’s concern is the economic disparity inherent in the industry. The statement notes that surrogate mothers often cite financial necessity as their primary motivation, creating a “perverse competition” where the wealthy commission children from the poor. If poverty were eradicated, the Mission suggests, the surrogacy industry might struggle to survive. Furthermore, the document warns that even “altruistic” models can disguise payments or involve familial pressure on vulnerable women who lack independent legal or medical counsel.

The commodification of children is equally scrutinized. The Mission argues that surrogacy treats children as “products” rather than gifts, especially in cases where prenatal diagnoses of disability lead to rejection. Citing the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Holy See affirms a child’s right to be created through an act of love and to know their parents. Referencing both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, the statement concludes that transforming gestation into a negotiable service violates human dignity and distorts the family. Consequently, the Holy See calls for a global end to surrogacy in all forms to protect against such violence.

In a landmark ruling, India’s Supreme Court has allowed the removal of life support of a 31-year-old man who has been in a vegetative state for more than a decade.

This is the first instance of court-approved passive euthanasia – the act of withdrawing or withholding life-sustaining treatment – in India. The man, Harish Rana, had not left a will specifying directives for his treatment before he had an accident.

India legalised passive euthanasia in 2018 but active euthanasia – any act that intentionally helps a person kill themselves – remains illegal.

Rana was an engineering student at Punjab University in Chandigarh when he fell from the fourth-flour balcony of his paying guest accommodation. Rana suffered serious head injuries after falling and remained in a comatose state since then.

He has been breathing with the help of a tracheostomy tube and is fed through a gastrostomy tube. He cannot speak, see, hear or recognise anyone, his parents have said. Over the years, his parents petitioned courts several times to allow their son’s life support system to be removed.

They have said in interviews to local media that they had exhausted all their savings caring for Rana and were worried about what would happen to him after they died.

In 2024, they approached the Delhi High Court seeking passive euthanasia for their son, but their plea was rejected on the grounds that Rana hadn’t been placed on life-support machines and was hence “able to sustain himself without any external aid”, the court noted.

They then went to the Supreme Court, which also declined their plea.

In 2025, they approached the Supreme Court again, saying that their son’s condition had deteriorated and that he was being kept alive “artificially” through life support machines.

The Supreme Court agreed to consider their case after two medical boards assessed Rana’s condition. The boards also noted that he had permanent brain damage and had suffered huge bed sores. According to the law governing living wills in India, two medical boards must certify that a patient meets the necessary criteria before their life support can be withdrawn. The court order paves the way for the medical boards to “exercise [their] clinical judgement regarding the withdrawal of treatment” for Rana. (BBC News)

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are visiting Assisi this month to venerate the bones of St Francis, which are on display for the first time since his death 800 years ago. Before this year, St. Francis’ bones had been visible to the public just once in the 800 years since his death—for a single day in 1978.

Now, to mark the 800th anniversary of the saint’s passing, they are on display for a whole month.
Some 220,000 pilgrims have already come to see the relics, and the friars in Assisi, the central Italian hill – town where Francis lived and where his mortal remains now lie, think that the number might reach as high as 400,000. Each of these visitors leaves the city “knowing they have encountered St. Francis,” says Fr. Benedict La Volpe, a Franciscan from Australia who ministers to pilgrims in Assisi. “They have encountered the spirit of Francis, the person of Francis, who speaks to them today, 800 years after his death.”
A press release from the Basilica where St. Francis is buried said that the display of the relics was “an invitation to rediscover the heritage left to us by Francis, a man whose message of peace and fraternity continues to speak to the heart of humanity.”

St. Francis chose to be buried outside Assisi’s city walls, in a spot known as the Hill of Hell (Collo d’inferno) where criminals were put to death. Today’s extraordinary Basilica, constructed on two levels with world-famous frescoes by Giotto, was purpose-built to house his remains. In the lower Basilica, groups of visitors line up to view St. Francis’ skeleton. The pilgrims, a number of them wheelchair-bound, each take a few seconds to pray in silence in front of the bones.

What message does the saint’s life hold for us today? Reflecting on his legacy, the “inner peace” Francis found in his encounter with Jesus—a peace, he says, which is the foundation of the political peace which today seems more elusive than ever.

What St. Francis teaches us, is that the sort of interior peace which comes from encountering God can “grow in our hearts, and be extended throughout our community, and then into the world as well.”

In a profound meditation titled “If Anyone Is in Christ, He is a New Creation,” Father Roberto Pasolini, Preacher of the Papal Household, addressed Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia on the transformative power of fraternity. Drawing inspiration from the conversion of St. Francis of Assisi, the Capuchin friar presented fraternity not merely as an ideal, but as a “serious and urgent” responsibility and a gift essential for true conversion.

Father Pasolini argued that fraternity serves as the most eloquent evidence of the Gospel’s impact, acting as a concrete space where God refines our humanity and softens our rigidities. He exhorted listeners to look beyond personal sustenance and view others as individuals entrusted to them for the purpose of mutual transformation.

Referencing the biblical narrative of Cain and Abel, he warned that rifts between brothers often stem from a “problem of perspective,” urging the Curia to examine any internal resentment or “Cain-like” tendencies.
For St. Francis, fraternity provided an opportunity to practice the “merciful logic of the Gospel,” especially when relationships are wounded.

Rather than defending personal rights, Pasolini noted, the Gospel calls for seeking the “greatest possible good”—recognizing even those who hurt us as brothers loved by the Lord. By maintaining an eternal perspective, Christians can ensure no one is excluded from their hearts. In an era of global conflict, Pasolini concluded that fraternity must be lived as a present duty, proving that faith does not separate but calls us to a deeper, more capable love.

Religious communities in South Korea participate in a special lecture on artificial intelligence, calling for wisdom, responsibility, and the commitment to human dignity. “Artificial intelligence mimics human communication, and for this reason, it must be used carefully and responsibly,” was one of the concepts introduced at a special lecture on artificial intelligence and ethics in South Korea. The lecture took place at the Jeongdong Franciscan Church Cathedral in Seoul. Fr. James, professor at the Catholic University of Korea, delivered the two-hour lecture, titled “Faith in the Face of Technology: AI Ethics.”
Around 250 participants attended the event, many of them women religious, reflecting the growing interest within Church communities in understanding the ethical implications of rapidly developing technologies.
According to the report of the Catholic Times of Korea artificial intelligence has already become an integral part of everyday life. Many religious communities are already using AI tools for searching data, creating content, and assisting in evangelization.
However, AI also carries risks because it can imitate human language and thought in ways that may blur the distinction between human intelligence and machine-generated responses.
“Artificial intelligence mimics human communication, and for this reason it must be used carefully and responsibly.”
According to reports, to illustrate the potential dangers, the case of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy in the United States who reportedly died by suicide after prolonged interactions with an AI chatbot..The chatbot allegedly developed an emotionally intimate relationship with the teenager and reinforced his suicidal thoughts. The tragic case, which remains under legal examination in the United States, has raised global concerns about the ethical responsibilities involved in developing and using AI technologies.

Such examples highlight the urgent need for ethical reflection. “We should not reject artificial intelligence, but we must understand how it should be used.” AI, like other technological developments, can also be seen as a sign of humanity’s creative capacity. “AI is evidence of humanity’s ability to participate responsibly in God’s creative work,” he said. “But it must always serve humanity and contribute to the common good according to the teachings of the Church.”
“Machines are a gift of human creativity granted by God, But they remain creatures of creatures. We must ensure that they never deprive us—God’s creatures—of our freedom and dignity.”