International

Pope Francis and U.S. President Biden speak by phone, discuss Israel and Gaza

Pope Francis and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on October 22 afternoon to discuss “the latest developments in Israel and Gaza,” according to a statement from the White House. The Holy See Press Office said earlier the phone call lasted about 20 minutes and focused on “conflict situations in the world and the […]

Census records 30% drop in Hungary’s Catholic population

A recent official census of religious identity in Hungary offered bad news for those concerned with the future of Christianity in central Europe. For the first time, a majority of Hungarians (56.6%) failed to declare membership of a faith tradition, with 16.5% declaring “no religion” and a further 40.1% choosing not to answer the question at all. […]

Pope Francis on women deacons: ‘Holy orders is reserved for men’

Pope Francis reaffirmed the impossibility of women becoming priests, or even modern Church deacons, in an interview for a book released October 24 in Italy. The question of whether some women in the early Church were “deaconesses” or another kind of collaborator with the bishops is “not irrelevant, because holy orders is reserved for men,” […]

Parish priest of Gaza recounts two phone calls from Pope Francis

Pope Francis is constantly following what is happening in Gaza, reaching out to the small Christian community in the Strip by telephone. Parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli told Vatican News about two phone calls he has received from the Pope since October 7. Fr. Romanelli is currently in Bethlehem and in constant contact with the […]

Christianity remains popular among Asian Americans, says survey

Christianity remains the most common religion among Asian Americans despite an overall decline in the number of people following religions, says the latest Pew survey. “Despite recent declines, Christianity is still the most common religion among Asian Americans,” said the survey report released by Pew Research Center on Oct. 11. According to the report, around […]

Nearly 80% of Italians say they are Catholic. But few regularly go to church

Two children scribbled petitions to St. Gabriele dell’Addolorata in the vast sanctuary where the young saint is venerated in this central Italian mountain village. Andrea, 6, asked for blessings for his family and pets. Sofia, 9, gave thanks for winning a dance competition. Their parents bring them here often, as their father’s own family did, […]

Climate activists around the world applaud pope for ‘prophetic’ new eco-doc

Climate activists across the globe have thanked Pope Francis for his new exhortation on the environment titled Laudate Deum, published ahead of a major UN climate summit, calling the text “prophetic” and saying action is needed now more than ever. Benoit Halgand, co-founder of the French youth organizations “For an Ecological Awakening” and “Struggle and […]

Margaret Karram, a Palestinian at the Synod in times of war

Margaret Karram is an Arab Christian who grew up in Haifa and has headed the Focolare Movement for the past two years. Taking part in the Synod roundtables in the Paul VI Hall, she has been following recent events in her homeland torn by the war between Israel and Hamas. Speaking about her own turmoil, […]

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Youth taught to use social media to become Good Samaritans

Pakistan’s oldest priest passes away at 97