World News

The chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference told fellow European bishops that “we want to walk this [synodal] path as the Catholic Church, in full communion with the Holy Father and in fidelity to the Church’s Magisterium.” “We do not want to set out on our own or isolated path,” Bishop Heiner Wilmer of ... read more

Over 55% of voters in Idaho rejected a ballot initiative that would have permitted abortion during the first six months of pregnancy—and in doing so, preserved the state’s current law, which protects most unborn children from abortion. The state’s sole bishop had urged the faithful to reject the initiative. ... read more

A visit of 100 Vietnamese religious sisters to a Buddhist monastery sparked controversy following the publication of photographs of them offering incense and meditating before a statue of Buddha. “Good subjective intentions are not sufficient to justify an action that is objectively incompatible with the faith,” said Father Peter Nguyen Van Khai, C.Ss.R. ... read more

The Supreme Court heard oral argument on November 3 in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a case involving Colorado’s universal preschool program. The Becket Fund explained that Colorado’s Department of Early Childhood excluded Denver archdiocesan schools from the program “by claiming the Archdiocese’s religious exercise—asking all families who enroll to support and ... read more

Voters in Virginia approved ballot initiatives enshrining abortion and same-sex marriage as state constitutional rights. 61% of voters approved the abortion amendment; 56% of voters approved the same-sex marriage amendment. The state’s bishops had urged the faithful to reject the initiatives. ... read more

Imagine that you’re in a quiet chapel and trying to pray before the tabernacle. But in the sanctuary, staring at you, is someone else. That person is also, at least nominally, trying to pray. It is easy to imagine that this mutual posture is not conducive to the most productive kind of prayer. Yet, this ... read more

Claire and Jimmy Lai in an undated photo. (Image courtesy of Claire Lai) Imagine yourself seventy-eight, diabetic, falsely convicted in a sham trial of threatening national security, imprisoned for over 2,200 days in a maximum-security solitary confinement cell from which you’re only freed for 50 minutes of exercise per day. Could you ... read more

As far as controversies in the classroom go, the story of British teacher Anita Meston was relatively tame. She was giving a lesson on the “Allied bombing of Dresden during World War II,” which led to a discussion about the morality of war and the current conflict in the Holy Land. She was then asked ... read more

Addressing a meeting on international humanitarian law (IHL), a Vatican diplomat emphasized the law’s importance in wartime. “International humanitarian law forbids hostilities conducted amidst and against civilian population. It is extremely regrettable that this still frequently occurs, also at the expense of civilian infrastructures that are essential for the survival and well-being of the ... read more

At a November 3 press conference, Vatican officials presented an overview of Pope Leo’s upcoming apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru. Maria Montserrat Alvarado, the new prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, and Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, said that no changes have been made to the scheduled ... read more

Pope Leo XIV mourned the death of Archbishop Richard Daniel Alarcón Urrutia of Cusco, who was scheduled to host him in the Peruvian city during the Pontiff’s upcoming apostolic journey there. In a message to Archbishop Lizardo Estrada Herrera, O.S.A., the coadjutor archbishop, Pope Leo wrote, “Recalling this selfless pastor who, for ... read more

In a video message associated with his November prayer intention (for the proper use of wealth), Pope Leo XIV said that “a heart detached from possessions transforms the world: it opens paths of justice, tears down walls of indifference, and sows hope among the poor.” ... read more

On Oct. 28, a delegation stood before the pope in Rome, presenting an album of prayers and messages. It would have seemed improbable a year earlier, when a very different delegation stood before a locked gate outside Chicago. ... read more

The general counsel of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined by the president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the general counsel of the Catholic University of America, called for changes to the Trump administration’s proposed regulations on racial nondiscrimination in private schools. The bishops’ general counsel and ... read more

“Take courage: I have overcome the world!” is the theme of Pope Leo XIV’s World Youth Day message, released by the Vatican on November 3. ... read more