World News

On October 16—World Food Day—L’Osservatore Romano published “Nutrire il domani” (To nourish tomorrow), a special section devoted to hunger and efforts to stem it. ... read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State of His Holiness, spoke on October 15 at the inauguration of a new Iraqi embassy to the Holy See. The Holy See and Iraq established diplomatic relations since 1966. Cardinal Parolin said that “these sixty years of bilateral relations have demonstrated” the “importance of maintaining a ... read more

A series of five evenings of recollection for the priests of the Roman Curia began on October 14 in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guest house where Pope Francis resided. The Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for the Clergy have organized the series, whose theme is “It is no longer ... read more

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced the members and consultants of its new Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Bishop Oscar Cantú of San Jose, California, is the task force’s chairman; he is joined by Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago and six other bishops. The ... read more

Recently, Shane Gillis made headlines for saying on Saturday Night Live that women at the gym dress like whores. Naturally, this received a lot of backlash from women who go to the gym in minimal, extremely tight clothing that, until recent years, would have led most to agree with Gillis’ description. Much of the criticism ... read more

General Ulysses S. Grant, who, on military matters, was an undoubted expert, knew next to nothing about music, once claiming to have known only two tunes. “One of them is ‘Yankee Doodle,’” he confessed. “And the other isn’t.” He and I, I’m afraid, are not so far apart. I too know only one tune, and ... read more

Pope Leo XIV spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 16 and called for a ceasefire to permit the delivery of food to the besieged Ukrainian city of Oleshky, as well as the evacuation of civilians. During the conversation—the first with President Putin since June 2025—“the Holy Father expressed ... read more

The number of Catholics worldwide rose by 16,690,000 in 2024, to 1,422,144,000, according to data published by Fides, the news agency of the Pontifical Mission Societies, ahead of World Mission Sunday. At the end of 2024, as at the end of 2023, 17.8% of the world’s population was Catholic. The number of priests ... read more

NCR Book Club: In Where Wonder Leads, author Eric Clayton does for the reader what Gandalf does for a hobbit and Dumbledore does for an orphan: He points the way, names the dangers and steps aside. ... read more

There is beauty in the fact that we do not serve a God who grants us wishes like a genie, writes Alli Bobzien. Our God is wild and free. ... read more

"Are we supposed to just believe her?" For the Catholic faithful, not bound by judicial burden of proof, the answer should be simple: yes. Our faith calls us to respond with compassion for the wounded. ... read more

by Father Lance P. NadeauRome – If the Catholic world knows what is happening in the mission field today, we can thank one man and one remarkable vision. I’m speaking, of course, of my Maryknoll brother, Father John Considine, M.M., and the landmark news agency he founded, Fides Agency. As we celebrate this World Mission ... read more

Pope Leo XIV was discharged from the hospital today—four days after he underwent lung surgery—and returned to the Vatican. “Before leaving, the Holy Father thanked Professor Stefano Margaritora, who performed the surgery, together with the medical and nursing team,” the Holy See Press Office said in a statement. “He also greeted the healthcare ... read more

On October 18, the Church around the world commemorates the 100th World Mission Sunday. The theme of Pope Leo’s message for the day—issued on January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul—is “One in Christ, united in mission.” ... read more

Pope Leo XIV was the principal celebrant of a Mass at Gemelli Hospital on October 16, three days after he underwent lung surgery. Dr. Luigi Carbone and Professor Stefano Margaritora—the Pope’s personal physician and the head of the surgical team—said in an October 16 statement that the Pope “underwent blood tests and a ... read more