World News

Pope Leo XIV celebrated the contributions of Catholics and immigrants to the United States in an open letter to Americans for the country’s 250th anniversary.The letter, dated June 25 and released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on Friday, also highlighted the principles of religious freedom and the right to life.Unknown block type "cdn77.asset", ... read more

The Vatican this week issued a decree declaring that the bishops involved in the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X’s illicit consecrations have incurred automatic excommunication and that the group is in schism with the Church.The illicit ordinations occurred in Écône, Switzerland, on July 1 after Pope Leo XIV had urged the group to “turn ... read more

Peter’s Pence, the Holy See’s fund that gathers donations for the pope’s charitable works and the needs of the universal Church, closed 2025 with an income of 57.6 million euros ($65.8 million) and expenses of 59.8 million euros ($68.3 million).The Vatican attributes the 2.2-million-euro ($2.5 million) deficit to currency exchange rate fluctuations, according to a ... read more

More than 200 women banded together to advocate for access to abortion pill reversal in response to California officials targeting the practice.In abortion pill reversal, a patient who no longer desires abortion takes the hormone progesterone to save the life of her child after she has taken the first chemical abortion pill. In recent years, ... read more

Hong Kong – “Every day I continue to walk with hope; this joy and this hope fill my life with profound serenity and inner peace.”With gratitude that embraces even the most difficult moments, such as the time when he was appointed Apostolic Administrator while Hong Kong was facing “an extremely complex situation: the Covid-19 pandemic, ... read more

by Antonella Prenna Caracas – Sister Maria Eugenia Ramos Rangel, Provincial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Venezuela, is finding the strength to speak amid the grief and despair caused by the powerful earthquake that struck northern Venezuela on the evening of June 24, devastating in particular the areas of La Guaira ... read more

Lahore – The Catholic community in Lahore is mourning the death of Amir Peter, a 60-year-old Pakistani Catholic who died on July 1, 2026, from serious medical complications that developed during his detention.His case had caused deep sorrow and indignation: Amir Peter, the brother of Father Henry Paul, parish priest of St. Francis Church in ... read more

As the United States prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the nation’s founding offers a reminder that one of the beneficiaries of the American Revolution was a religious minority once viewed with deep suspicion: Catholics.Long before the First Amendment guaranteed the free exercise of religion, in many of Britain’s American colonies, Catholics were barred from ... read more

Yaoundé – Forced disappearances, arbitrary detention and inhumane prison conditions are among the grave abuses denounced by Archbishop Samuel Kleda of Douala in a pastoral Letter on prison conditions published at the end of June.Recalling the teaching of Jesus –"I was in prison and you came to visit me" —Archbishop Kleda explains: “This letter is ... read more

I must admit, I’m not a big fan of women’s sports in general. I also don’t often watch sports on TV. I would rather play them. My favorite sports to play are tennis, squash, and basketball. Having said that, I did get a sports subscription this month to watch Wimbledon and the FIFA World Cup. ... read more

Dear Mr. Jefferson, Two hundred and fifty years ago, you wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” Did you know that someday people would debate whether someone like me—the smallest American—is included in this promise? I cannot yet speak for myself. I cannot protest, vote, or plead my ... read more

Pope Leo XIV will be honored as a recipient of the Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Center on July 3. The last three popes have all made serious attempts to address the idea of America in its own terms. ... read more

Letters to the editor: NCR readers respond to stories about just war theory, religious liberty and Magnifica Humanitas. ... read more

On America's 250th birthday, we can celebrate and embrace our first president's commitment to religious freedom — and rejoice that it's shared by the first American pope.  ... read more

by Paolo AffatatoMandalay – “The word ‘hope’ always belongs to Christians. We do not place our hope in this world, nor in any person on earth. Our hope comes from God.” With these words, Archbishop Marco Tin Win of Mandalay describes to Fides the spirit with which the local Catholic community is facing one of ... read more