World News

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has expressed deep concern over the security and humanitarian challenges posed by renewed violence in the Middle East, warning that the spiral of conflict could threaten the region’s already fragile Christian communities and even bring an end to the Christian presence in the Middle East if the pressures exceed ... read more

The SSPX’s legal status with regard to Rome is considered canonically irregular because it operates as a Priestly Society of Common Life Without Vows despite having been officially suppressed on May 6, 1975, by Bishop Mamie of Fribourg. The SSPX has always maintained that this suppression was of no canonical value on account of its ... read more

The Holy See Press Office released the schedule for Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to Monaco, the first of six nations outside Italy that he will visit this spring. The visit to Monaco will take place on Saturday, March 28, the day before Palm Sunday. The Pontiff will spend just under nine hours there. ... read more

Pope Leo XIV appointed Vera Songwe, a former United Nations Undesecretary General and executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Established by Pope St. John Paul II in 1994, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences has the “aim of promoting ... read more

Pope Leo XIV expressed his “profound sorrow for all the victims of the bombings in these days in the Middle East, for the many innocents, including many children, and for those who were helping them, such as Father Pierre El-Rahi,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office. “He is following what ... read more

The apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia said in an interview that “our churches remain open and the celebration of the Eucharist continues regularly” in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Bishop Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap, told the National Catholic Reporter that “there have been several attacks, especially targeting the main cities such as Abu ... read more

Cardinal Domenico Battaglia of Naples, Italy, penned a scathing denunciation of the “merchants of death” who manufacture and sell weapons. “To you who do business with the blood of men, to you who count profits while mothers count their children, to you who call ‘strategy’ what the Gospel calls scandal, I address words ... read more

Pope Leo XIV decried violence against women, in a reply to a letter whose author implored him, “Pope Leo, help us to stop violence against women.” Women “are a sign of contradiction in this confused, uncertain and violent society, because they point us towards values of faith, freedom, equality, generativity, hope, solidarity and justice,” ... read more

In a 48-6 vote, Luxembourg’s legislature enshrined the “freedom to abort” in the nation’s constitution. Abortion has been legal there since 1978. Located in Western Europe, the nation of 690,000 (map) is 72% Christian (70% Catholic) and 4% Muslim. ... read more

I’ve recently been getting into the concept of “healthy eating.” You might find that hard to believe, considering you can tell I’m obviously struggling to type this out over all the keyboard crumbs, but it’s true—I’ve made the incredible (and, I might add, completely depressing) discovery that how my body feels is directly correlated to ... read more

The three members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina met with Pope Leo XIV on March 9. The nation’s leaders then met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations. According to a Vatican statement, the parties discussed the “need for inclusive and constructive dialogue in ... read more

Pope Leo XIV presided over a meeting of the heads of the dicasteries of the Roman Curia in the Apostolic Palace on March 9. The Vatican did not release a list of the topics on the agenda. The Pontiff chaired a similar meeting on November 10. Between 2013 and 2024, Pope Francis ... read more

In a message to International Encounter for Peace and Reconciliation at Loyola University Chicago, Pope Leo XIV offered three “principles to keep in mind as you move forward with this noble initiative”: “First, true peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but rather is God’s gift.” “Second, if we wish to promote ... read more

The sociologist cites the administration failing to cultivate a mission-oriented faculty, a lack of bold leadership in addressing culturally unpopular Catholic positions, and unrealistic scholarly expectations ... read more

Archbishop Paolo Martinelli, based in Abu Dhabi, finds himself guiding a church that must navigate pastoral life amid geopolitical shock waves. The church itself has had to adapt, he told NCR in a recent interview. ... read more