World News

Moscow – On December 16, the conference entitled “Italy, Vatican, Catholicism: 19th-21st Centuries” was held in Moscow at the Institute of Scientific Information of Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The event, the seventh meeting of the Association of Italianists of Russia, featured 14 presentations, eleven by Russian scholars and three by Italian ... read more

Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV speaks to patients and caregivers at the De La Croix Hospital in Jal el Dib, Lebanon, on Dec. 2, 2025. In his reflection, Leo XIV included an explicit warning against the religious instrumentalization of violence. ... read more

Vatican Media Pope Leo XIV holds up a tennis racket given to him by children of the Pope Paul VI Pontifical School in Castel Gandolfo on Dec. 16, 2025. Pope Leo delivered an impromptu greeting to the children, who sang Christmas carols in several languages for him. ... read more

Strela Studio President Donald Trump said the executive order 'in no way sanctions its use as a recreational drug.' Right now, 40 states have medical marijuana programs and 24 legalize recreational use, in contrast to the federal law. ... read more

Dhaka – “We have returned to full-blown street unrest and severe social instability. It is a very worrying situation. The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, leader of the youth movement, assassinated in Dhaka by masked gunmen, has once again provoked a violent reaction. The country cannot find peace; the situation is very tense and unpredictable.” ... read more

By Amira Abuzeid CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2025 / 07:00 am Now that the Vatican has announced that Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks will succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan as archbishop of New York, what comes next for the cardinal? “I’ll always keep working,” Dolan told Father Dave Dwyer, a Paulist priest, ... read more

The archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, speaks to EWTN News on Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. / Credit: Screenshot/EWTN News CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA). Now that the Vatican has announced that Archbishop-designate Ronald Hicks will succeed ... read more

Juba – Tensions have risen between the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan following the death, under circumstances that remain unclear, of a mission staff member who had been detained by local security forces. “UNMISS strongly condemns the killing of one of its staff in Wau, Western Bahr el ... read more

Pope Leo XIV today named Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton as the new archbishop of Westminster, England. The 67-year-old prelate was ordained to the priesthood in 1982 and ordained a bishop in 2009, serving as military ordinary from 2009-16 until his transfer to Arundel and Brighton. Bishop Moth succeeds Cardinal Vincent ... read more

The Archdiocese of New York will sell the land beneath a luxury hotel to the hotel’s owner for $490 million. Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently announced that the archdiocese is entering into mediation in lieu of court proceedings and is raising funds for abuse settlements with 1,300 plaintiffs. ... read more

Angel Studios Movie poster of 'Hazel's Heart' alongside Daniel Bielinski, writer and director of the new film. From a parent’s worst nightmare to a sister’s greatest love, filmmaker discusses the Christlike heroism of Hazel Miner. ... read more

null / Credit: Joe Belanger/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). Here is an overview of some of the religious freedom developments and news in the United States and abroad in 2025: White House started the Religious Liberty Commission President Donald Trump established the White House Religious Liberty Commission ... read more

null / Credit: Joe Belanger/Shutterstock Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 19, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA). Here is an overview of some of the religious freedom developments and news in the United States and abroad in 2025:White House started the Religious Liberty CommissionPresident Donald Trump established the White House Religious Liberty Commission in ... read more

By Tessa Gervasini Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 19, 2025 / 06:00 am Here is an overview of some of the religious freedom developments and news in the United States and abroad in 2025: White House started the Religious Liberty Commission President Donald Trump established the White House Religious Liberty ... read more

Addressing a UN meeting on refugees, a Vatican diplomat said on December 17 that “the safe and dignified return of refugees to their home countries must be guaranteed. Indeed, it is vital to highlight that those who wish to return home should be able to do so safely.” Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio ... read more