World News

Mary Zwicker, European Correspondent: The United Kingdom is planning to expand abortion access by incentivizing abortion providers to offer “lunch hour” or “same day” abortions. In April, the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care published the “Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England.” This strategy includes plans to increase abortion access in England ... read more

Paul Tuns:On May 14, thousands of Canadians took part in the largest annual demonstration on Parliament Hill, the National March for Life, organized by Campaign Life Coalition. Before participants marched through the streets of the nation’s capital, they heard pro-life speakers including Ottawa-Cornwall Archbishop Marcel Damphousse, Save the 1 president Rebecca Kiessling, Christian Heritage Party ... read more

At the Wednesday general audience at the Vatican on June 3, Pope Leo XIV called Catholics to be open to an “encounter with God by rediscovering the signs and symbols of the sacred liturgy.”“We need to let ourselves be educated by the rites of the liturgy, tending to the beauty of our celebrations with a ... read more

The pontiff continued his catechesis on the Second Vatican Councilʼs teaching on the liturgy during his weekly general audience. Pope Leo XIV speaks during the general audience in Saint Peter’s Square on June 3, 2026. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/EWTN News At the Wednesday general audience ... read more

Coakley spoke at a virtual panel held by Georgetown Universityʼs Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life that explored what the encyclical is asking. Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, speaks a June 2, 2026, panel held by Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social ... read more

Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said Pope Leoʼs first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, calls for keeping the dignity of the human person, created in God’s image, at the center of any discernment about emerging technologies.Coakley spoke at a virtual panel June 2 held by Georgetown Universityʼs Initiative on Catholic Social ... read more

Pope Leo XIV issued stark warnings against building “a new Tower of Babel” when developing artificial intelligence (AI) in his recently released encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, at a time when many people are growing concerned with the impact of the new technology and the rapid data center expansion that supports it.His encyclical, the title of which ... read more

Catholic scholars echo Leoʼs focus on the dignity of work, the environment, and avoiding power concentration as one data center spokesperson says her work is consistent with Leoʼs vision. Scott Kwiatkowski takes part in a demonstration at the Utah Capitol to oppose the construction of the Stratos data center in ... read more

Echoing an earlier statement, the bishops of Bolivia issued a renewed plea for dialogue amid ongoing mass protests that began on May 7. The statement, issued jointly with the Ombudsman’s Office of Bolivia, warned that “violence only generates more violence and that the social wounds that are opening will take decades ... read more

The Governorate of the Vatican City State announced that the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square this year will come from Terranova di Pollino, a small town in southern Italy. The nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square will come from Alessa, a small town in Abruzzo. “With its distinctive straw roofs, the ... read more

In a message to the president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Pope Leo XIV called for stronger data privacy protections in health care. ... read more

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, wrote a message to Italian President Sergio Mattarella, marking the 80th anniversary of the plebiscite establishing the Italian Republic. “The Republic was born through suffering, regaining freedom and rejecting all forms of fascism, with a hope stronger than fear,” said Cardinal Zuppi. “It ... read more

A French childrenʼs rights group has filed formal observations with the U.N. Human Rights Council ahead of November reviews of Greece and Ireland. Flags of U.N. member states fly outside the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the U.N. Human Rights Council. | Credit: nexus 7/Shutterstock ... read more

In November, the United Nations Human Rights Council will conduct its universal periodic review of Greece and Ireland, a process that holds every U.N. member state accountable for its human rights record roughly once every four and a half years.Organizations working for the abolition of surrogacy are using this moment to challenge both countries' surrogacy ... read more

Abidjan - “A response to the concerns expressed by various actors in national socio-political life.” This is how the bishops of Ivory Coast have described the government’s decision to dissolve the Independent Electoral Commission . The suppression of the IEC was approved by the Council of Ministers on May 6. The bishops’ position was made ... read more