World News

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) over the weekend that elicited a standing ovation and widespread accolades, including from Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota.In his Feb. 14 speech, Rubio said Europe and the U.S. are part of “one civilization — Western civilization” ... read more

Tyler VanderWeele speaks at the Universidad de Navarra on March 14, 2023. Tyler VanderWeele, a Catholic, is an epidemiologist and director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. ... read more

University of Notre Dame Golden Dome Susan Ostermann’s appointment is scheduled to take effect July 1. ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has eliminated the Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day, established by Pope Francis in November 2024. In a decree published on Feb. 13, the Holy Father reaffirmed the importance of the Church giving special attention to children, in continuity with the intention expressed by his predecessor.However, with the aim of “fostering greater ... read more

‘I believe that simply beginning to pray is half the battle,’ says Register staff writer Jonah McKeown. A thousand consecutive days of using the popular Catholic prayer app has been a blessing — and a reminder of God’s call to ‘pray ceaselessly,’ no matter the circumstances. ... read more

On Saturday, Feb. 14, the humanitarian situation in Gaza was the focus of a day of the arts at the apostolic vicariate in Rome. In the halls of the Lateran Apostolic Palace, the third edition of the initiative focused on the Gaza Strip, burdened by destruction and loss, where the suffering of its residents calls ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Father John Berinyuy Tatah, who was among six Catholic priests abducted in Cameroon’s Bamenda Archdiocese on Nov. 15, 2025, and later released, as auxiliary bishop of the archdiocese.The appointment of Berinyuy, rector of the Catholic University of Cameroon in Bamenda, to assist Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya in shepherding the archdiocese ... read more

His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk meets with Pope Leo XIV on Feb. 12, 2026, at the Vatican. The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church discusses his country and Church after four years of war with Russia. ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Harvard University epidemiology professor and director of the Human Flourishing Program to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.Tyler J. VanderWeele, a Catholic, is also co-director of the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at Harvard University and a contributor to the Institute for Family Studies, which promotes traditional marriage ... read more

Pope Leo XIV has appointed a Harvard University epidemiology professor and director of the Human Flourishing Program to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Tyler J. VanderWeele, a Catholic, is also co-director of the Initiative on Health, Spirituality, and Religion at Harvard University and a contributor to the Institute for Family Studies, ... read more

Pope Leo XIV receives Msgr. Fernando Ocáriz, the prelate of Opus Dei, at the Vatican on Feb. 16, 2026. Pope Francis moved the prelature’s Vatican oversight from the office for bishops to that of clergy, triggering an ongoing review and rewrite of its governing norms. ... read more

Pope Leo XIV told the prelate of Opus Dei on Feb. 16 that “the process of updating Opus Dei’s statutes continues in its study phase and that no publication date can yet be foreseen,” according to a statement from the prelature.The pope received Opus Dei’s prelate, Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz, in audience at the Vatican on ... read more

Pope Leo XIV greets members of the Pontifical Academy for Life at the Vatican on Feb. 16, 2026. The Pope told the Pontifical Academy for Life it is hypocritical to call health a universal value while ignoring policies that drive disparities. ... read more

L to R: Jackie Aldrette, Mario Russell, Ashley Feasley and Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala of Washington, D.C., sit down for panel on immigration at the New York Encounter on Feb. 15, 2026, in New York City. Washington Auxiliary Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala talked immigration and dialogue with high-ranking Catholics in the Trump administration ... read more

Pope Leo XIV on Monday warned that modern conflicts and widening social disparities are eroding respect for human life and equal access to health care, telling members of the Pontifical Academy for Life that “all lives are not equally respected and health is neither protected nor promoted in the same way for everyone.”Addressing participants in ... read more