Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Michael T. Castori, SJ, as the new bishop of Honolulu on May 6. He is a member of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.The pontiff accepted the resignation of Bishop Clarence R. Silva, 76, who has led the diocese since 2005.According to a press release from the U.S. Conference ... read more

The Catholic Church on May 2 honors St. Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop known as “the father of orthodoxy” for his dedication to the doctrine of Christ’s divinity. Athanasius played a key role at the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and defended the Nicene Creed throughout his life.Last year marked the 1,700th ... read more

The Supervisory and Financial Information and Authority (ASIF, by its Italian acronym), the body established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 to put an end to irregularities, received a total of 78 Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) within its financial system in 2025.Of these reports, 73 were linked to accounts held at the Institute for the ... read more

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of May to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of God and spiritual mother of all.In the plan of salvation, the Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place. By virtue of her role to be the mother of the Son of God by divine election, she was conceived immaculately ... read more

St. Joseph, the beloved spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and earthly father of Jesus, is celebrated twice by the Catholic Church every year — first on March 19 for the feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, and again on May 1 for the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.While the saint’s March feast ... read more

Pope Leo XIV is aware that among the vocations to which men and women are called by God, marriage is one of the “noblest and highest.”He said as much last October, on the 10th anniversary of the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus. Now, the ... read more

Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that the Church is called to reach all peoples not by imposing itself but by bearing witness to the truth in charity.In an April 30 audience with members of the Diocesan Office for the Universal Church and Dialogue of the Archdiocese of Cologne, the pope reflected on the universality of ... read more

Pope Leo XIV granted ecclesiastical communion to the new patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, His Beatitude Mar Paul III Nona, who now serves as the head of this Eastern Catholic Church based in Iraq, which is in full communion with Rome.TweetWhat is the Chaldean Church?The Chaldean Church is one of more than 20 Eastern ... read more

The Vatican Observatory has named four asteroids after key figures in its history. Among them is Pope Leo XIII, who refounded the institution in 1891.The newly named asteroids were discovered by the telescope the Vatican operates in Arizona.The asteroid “Gioacchinopecci” honors Pope Leo XIII, born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, whose legacy is closely tied ... read more

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday condemned a surge of violence in Colombia, following a weekend of deadly attacks in the southwest part of the country.Since Friday, rebel groups have carried out more than two dozen attacks on civilians and military bases, just ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for May 31.The deadliest incident took place ... read more

On April 29, Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a Dominican, Church reformer, mystic, and one of the four female doctors of the Church.During the 14th century, the Catholic Church was in a weakened state as it faced internal crises and the devastating impact of the Black Death. St. Catherine lived during ... read more

Cardinal Ernest Simoni, 97, considered a “living martyr” of the bloody communist persecution in Albania, met at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV this week in a private audience marked by the remembrance of the testimony of faith of the persecuted Church.According to Vatican media reports, the cardinal presented the pontiff with a cross and ... read more

Pope Leo XIV on Monday outlined the qualities needed in priests who serve as Vatican diplomats, describing their work as a unique ministry that serves not only Catholics but also the entire human family in individual nations and international organizations.The pope made the remarks April 27 during a visit to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the ... read more

The Vatican has released a new document titled “Integral Ecology in the Life of the Family” aimed at promoting the care of creation and human life within the family, warning against the advancement of certain ideologies that encourage abortion and sterilization as means to control population growth.The document, issued April 27, notes that there is ... read more

In recent days, the new papal almoner, Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín confirmed that Pope Leo XIV sent humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Ukraine, two countries suffering from war. The prelate, who is charged with overseeing the pope’s charitable works, stated that “charity is the Gospel lived out.”“The Dicastery for the Service of Charity ... read more