International

Pope to Ukrainian Bishops: ‘Stay close to your flock’

Pope Francis has urged the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Bishops to be shepherds of their flock and to be close to the faithful entrusted to their care, giving them courage and hope. The Ukrainian Bishops are holding their annual Synod to discuss the theme of synodality in their Church. The meeting, running from 7-15 July, had […]

European bishops hit back against resolution on abortion

Europe’s top body of bishops has condemned the European Parliament’s favourable vote Thursday, July 7, on a resolution calling for access to abortion to be included in the E.U. Charter of Fundamental Rights. The resolution, titled, “European Parliament resolution on the US Supreme Court decision to overturn abortion rights in the United States and the […]

Webb telescope images feed the mind and spirit, Jesuit astronomer says

The Jesuits at the Vatican Observatory were wowed like most people by the beauty of the photos from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, but the director said they also are excited by the scientific information the telescope will reveal. “Such images are a necessary food for the human spirit — we do not live by […]

Pope Francis says becoming pope made him less rigid and more merciful

Pope Francis said the goals he has achieved in more than nine years as pope were simply the fruit of the ideas discussed by the College of Cardinals prior to his election. In an interview with Argentine news agency Télam published July 1, the pope said that objectives, such as the reform of the Roman […]

Nigerian bishop says country ‘worse off’ now

While the Catholic Church continues to play its part in helping people in Nigeria, the policies of the current government obstruct a clear path toward peace and reconciliation between Christians and Muslims, said Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of Sokoto, Nigeria. Addressing a virtual conference on peacebuilding, hosted by the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies […]

I Plant Secret House Churches Because I Was Saved into One

“I was raised in a Muslim family in Tehran, Iran. My mother was a teacher and the principal of an elementary school. She knew a lot about Islam and did her best to follow its teachings. She helped me learn to read the Qur’an, taught me to pray at least three times a day, and encouraged […]

Pope: Catholic, Oriental Orthodox should look at more sacramental sharing

The theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches has reached a point where it seems appropriate to consider expanding the opportunities for the faithful of any of the churches to receive the sacraments from one another when they are not available in their own community, Pope Francis said. “Based on the theological consensus […]

Pope Francis: ‘Significant’ number of US Catholics want to ‘gag’ Vatican II reforms

The United States contains a “significant” number of groups seeking to “gag” the reforms of the Catholic Church initiated by the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis said in a new interview. “In the European Church I see more renewal in the spontaneous things that are emerging: movements, groups, new bishops who remember that there is […]

Indian bishops slam terror attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir

No action taken against police who assaulted Catholic priests in India