World News

Prominent Australian pro-life activist Joanna Howe announced she has launched legal action against her employer, Adelaide University, in the Federal Court of Australia.In an email to supporters on Oct. 23 she said she had been inundated by an avalanche of investigations and complaints about her views on issues including abortion and gender ideology.“There are now ... read more

The pope’s personal security, the Pontifical Swiss Guard, has lengthened its training for new recruits amid increased concerns over optics in an age when everything can be filmed by anyone with a cellphone.“For us it is very important to realize that the world is watching us,” Sergeant Major Marco Radovinovic, a guard for 12 years, ... read more

A priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, who was arrested in May on suspicion of stealing $160,000 from his former parish has pleaded guilty to his crime and paid restitution. Father Richard Storey, formerly of Curé of Ars Catholic Church in Leawood, will be sentenced in January. The archdiocese said ... read more

The prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith said that he has seen little interest in the dicastery’s new document on transmitting the faith (Phil Lawler analysis). Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández told Religion Confidencial that “in countries with more progressive bishops, there is no visible concern for fostering an ... read more

A White House spokeswoman came to the defense of President Donald Trump after Archbishop Jeffrey Grob of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, apologized for taking part in a meeting with him. “There has never been a greater president for Catholic Americans than President Trump, and his strong record proves it: he stopped the weaponization of the ... read more

An armed standoff inside St. Martin’s Church in Round Top, Texas, ended in a suicide yesterday. Sheriff’s deputies negotiated for hours with a murder suspect who entered the church. The suspect eventually killed himself. ... read more

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump announced a ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky “to protect the safety of civilians and to facilitate the delivery of critical humanitarian aid.” The October 27 announcement followed a papal plea for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged city. On October 16, Pope Leo spoke ... read more

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has produced Venite ad me, subtitled “Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change.” The document is supposedly the response of the Dicastery to appeals by both Pope Francis and Pope Leo confronting the decline of the Catholic Faith, especially in countries traditionally “Catholic.” ... read more

Detail from "The Way to Emmaus" (1877) by Robert Zünd. (Image: Wikipedia) Toward the end of the recent Roman meeting to discuss the Church’s 21st-century mission to marriage and the family, Pope Leo XIV asked the participating bishops to share their reflections on that experience. Bishop Erik Varden, OCSO, of Trondheim, did ... read more

Recently, I told my 4-year-old the story of the Miracle of the Sun that took place during the last apparition of the Blessed Virgin at Fatima on Oct. 13, 1917. Her reaction was completely unlike mine when I first read about this miracle at Marc Barnes’ blog back over a decade ago. I, at that ... read more

Pope Leo XIV will meet with abuse victims during his apostolic journey to Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru, which begins next week. “During the days of the Holy Father’s upcoming Apostolic Journey to Latin America, some meetings are planned with people who are victims of abuse by members of the clergy and the Church,” ... read more

Jordanian Muslim leaders condemned the October 23 attack on a Greek Orthodox church that left nine dead and 40 wounded. Father Rifat Bader, director of the Catholic Center for Studies and Media in Jordan, wrote that “King Abdullah II was among the first to arrive at the hospital, just hours after the crime, ... read more

At least 60 Christians were killed in two massacres in Ethiopia’s Oromia state, according to an announcement from the Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. ... read more

Archbishop Eugene Nugent began his mission last month as apostolic nuncio to the Czech Republic, the Vatican newspaper reported on October 27. On September 29, the Irish-born prelate met with President Petr Pavel. “During their cordial conversation, various topics concerning the relationship between the Holy See and the Czech Republic were ... read more

Archbishop Diego Ravelli, the Master of Pontifical Liturgical Celebrations, announced the calendar of liturgical celebrations at which Pope Leo will preside in November and early December. The Pontiff will celebrate Mass in Verano Cemetery on All Souls Day and, as is customary, celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on November 5 for the repose ... read more