News stories are released on weekdays.
2 hours ago
Vatican confirms ban on homosexual candidates for priesthood
The Vatican has confirmed that homosexual men should not be ordained to the priesthood.
In a new instruction for the training of seminarians, entitled The Gift of the Priestly Vocation, the Congregation for the Clergy says that the Church “cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called…
2 hours ago
Bishop Schneider says ‘schism already exists’ following dispute on Amoris Laetitia
Because of the heated debate on the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, “we are witnessing today a bizzare form of schism,” Bishop Athanasius Schneider said in a French television…
11 hours ago
Pope begins series of audiences on Christian hope
Having concluded his series of Wednesday general audiences on mercy, Pope Francis has turned to the topic of Christian hope.
“Today we begin a new series of catecheses dealing with…
1 hours ago
Cardinal Turkson suggests open debate on Amoris Laetitia
Cardinal Peter Turkson suggested an open public debate on the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, in remarks to the National Catholic Register.
“For all of these people who’ve said…
1 hours ago
In new interview, Pope explains synodality, condemns media disinformation
Pope Francis explained his understanding of the “synodal Church,” and issued a strongly worded condemnation of defamation and disinformation in the media, in a new interview with the…
11 hours ago
Pope calls on Christian artists to create beautiful works as a ‘spark of hope’
In a December 6 message to the 11 pontifical academies on the occasion of a joint meeting, Pope Francis spoke about beauty in the midst of cities.
Reflecting on the meeting’s…
13 hours ago
Cardinal Koch: it is better to commemorate the Reformation than to celebrate it
The president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity told a French Catholic newspaper that it is better to “commemorate” the 500th anniversary of the Protestant…
0 hours ago
Church leaders press Venezuelan government on human rights
Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Caracas has said that the government of Venezuela must fulfill its commitments to preserve a fragile dialogue with opposition leaders.
“We must set the many…
1 hours ago
Christian governor to face blasphemy trial in Indonesia next week
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (popularly known as “Ahok”), the Christian governor of Jakarta, will go on trial for blasphemy on December 13.
The charge against Ahok stems from a campaign…
12 hours ago
Uganda entrusts Caritas with care of 42,000 refugees
In five months, a Ugandan grassland has been transformed into the world’s 2nd-largest refugee camp, according to Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s confederation of relief and…
13 hours ago
Swiss bishops ask pardon for sexual abuse
Switzerland’s bishops gathered at Valère Basilica in Sion on December 5 and asked God for forgiveness for sexual abuse within the Church.
“At the express request of Pope…
0 hours ago
Notre Dame president not ready to commit to Trump invitation
Father John Jenkins, the president of Notre Dame University, is not prepared to commit to inviting President-elect Donald Trump to speak on campus.
“I do think the elected leader of the…
1 hours ago
Pope notes link between fight against corruption, quest for human rights
At the conclusion of his regular weekly public audience on December 7, Pope Francis called attention to two days designated by the UN for special observances: the International Anti-Corruption Day…
12 hours ago
Jewish leader decries genocide of Christians in Middle East
At a December 5 interfaith forum in New York, the president of the World Jewish Congress pleaded for concerted action to stop the genocide of Christians.
“Today we are witnessing the…
12 hours ago
Bishop helped broker ransom of 226 hostages from ISIS
In February 2015, the Islamic State attacked Christian villages in northern Syria, seizing over 200 hostages.
The Associated Press has published a report on how Syrian Christians around the world…
December 6
Bishops work to bolster fragile peace in Democratic Republic of Congo
The Catholic bishops of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are acting as mediators to ward off a national crisis created by President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to relinquish his…
December 6
Vatican hosting its first Rembrandt exhibition
The Vatican has opened an exhibition of works by Rembrandt van Rijn: the first exhibit of the Dutch artist ever shown at the Vatican Museums.
Antonio Paolucci, the director of the Vatican…
December 6
Sheen beatification cause delayed again as New York archdiocese appeals decision to transfer remains
A New York judge has granted the New York archdiocese a temporary stay of a court order calling for the transfer of the remains of Archbishop Fulton Sheen from New York to Peoria, Illinois.
The…
December 6
Promote ‘ethic of responsibility’ to replace nuclear deterrence: Vatican envoy
“The logic of fear and mistrust that is epitomized by nuclear deterrence must be replaced with a new global ethic,” a Vatican representative said in an address to the International…
December 6
Cemetery desecrated in Galilee
A Christian cemetery has been desecrated in Kafr Yasif, an Arab town of 10,000 in northern Israel whose residents are mostly Christians and Muslims.
“Blasphemous and obscene graffiti,…
December 6
Asian bishops discuss family life, consecrate families to the Holy Family
The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences gathered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, for a seven-day meeting devoted to “The Asian Catholic Family: Domestic Church of the Poor on a Mission of…
December 6
John Kerry meets with Pope
Pope Francis received US Secretary of State John Kerry in a December 2 private audience.
While the Holy See Press Office did not disclose the topics of their conversation, Kerry tweeted,…
December 6
South Sudanese bishop warns of potential massacre
The bishop of Yei, South Sudan’s second-largest city, told the Fides news agency that people there are at risk of being massacred by the president’s forces in the nation’s ethnic…
December 6
EU court rules against Romanian Catholic parish that sought return of its property
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against a Romanian Greek Catholic parish that sought the return of its property from the Romanian Orthodox Church.
In 1948, Romania’s Communist…
December 6
Cardinal Dolan welcomes papal statement on abortion and confession
Cardinal Timothy Dolan has welcomed Pope Francis’s statement in the apostolic letter Misericordia et Misera that “I henceforth grant to all priests, in virtue of their ministry, the…
December 5
Syrian Orthodox prelates denied visas to visit London
Two Syrian Orthodox prelates were denied permission to enter the United Kingdom to participate in the dedication of a new cathedral.
Archbishops Nicodemus Daoud Sharaf and Timothy Mosa Alshamany…
December 5
Ecumenical Patriarch praises Amoris Laetitia in Vatican newspaper column
Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople has voiced his admiration for Amoris Laetitia, in a column published in the Vatican newspaper, L‘Osservatore Romano.
The Orthodox leader…
December 5
Talmud scholar, Weigel meet with Pope
Pope Francis received Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz and George Weigel in separate private audiences on December 5.
Steinsaltz is a leading scholar of the Talmud; Weigel, who wrote Witness to Hope, the…
December 5
US Jesuit discusses influence on Silence
Father James Martin, SJ, the editor of America magazine, has discussed his role as consultant to Martin Scorsese’s film Silence, which portrays the work of Jesuit missionaries in Japan under…
December 5
FBI: 59 anti-Catholic hate crimes in 2015
A total of 69 people were victims of 59 hate-crime offenses motivated by anti-Catholic bias in the US in 2015, according to a report recently issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The…
December 5
USCCB: December 12 to be day of prayer for immigrant families
Dioceses in the United States will mark the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) as a day of prayer and solidarity with families of immigrants.
“So many families are wondering how…
December 5
Pope Francis: convert, for God’s kingdom is in our midst
In his Angelus address for the Second Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis called upon the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square to convert.
Reflecting on St. John the Baptist’s call to…
December 5
Promote economic inclusion and dignity of human person, Pope tells business leaders
Pope Francis met with international business leaders taking part in a Fortune-Time Global Forum and called upon them to place the economy at the service of the human person and seeks ways to include…
December 2
Franciscan religious killed in Congo
A Franciscan woman religious was killed on November 29 in Bukavu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sister Clara Agano Kahambu, who taught at the Christ the King School, was assaulted by a man…
December 2
Indonesia: 200,000 Muslims demand arrest of Christian governor for blasphemy
An estimated 200,000 Muslims participated in a massive demonstration in Jakarta on December 2, calling for the immediate arrest of a Christian governor who has been charged with blasphemy against…
December 2
Uruguay’s president meets with Pontiff
Pope Francis met on December 2 with President Tabaré Ramon Vazquez Rosas of Uruguay.
A brief Vatican statement released after the meeting said that the conversation had centered on the…
December 2
Russian Orthodox Patriarch to dedicate new cathedral in Paris
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow will dedicate a new cathedral in Paris this weekend.
The cathedral of the Holy Trinity, located near the Seine just a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower,…
December 2
Papal thanks for Piarists’ work in educating the poor
Pope Francis has sent a message to the Piarist Fathers, who are celebrating the 400th anniversary of their founding, thanking them for their dedication to providing free education for poor…
December 2
Oklahoma priest recognized as first US martyr
In a December 1 audience with the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis approved the publication of decrees that advance a dozen sainthood causes. Among them was a…
December 2
2 million pilgrims expected in Spanish town for jubilee year
More than two million pilgrims are expected to travel to Caravaca de la Cruz, Spain, in 2017 for a jubilee year.
Cardinal Agostino Vallini, the Pope’s vicar for Rome, will open the holy…
December 2
Ecumenical Patriarch points to areas of agreement with Pope
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, who holds a primacy of honor in Eastern Orthodoxy, emphasized the many areas of agreement between Pope Francis and himself in response to the…
December 2
Attack on Christians in Egyptian village
A group of Muslims in an Egyptian village, fearing that a community center would become a church, burned down the center, looted businesses owned by Coptic Christians, and attacked 15 Christian…
December 2
Caritas: mixed review of UN climate conference
Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s federation of relief and development agencies, said that the recent COP22 UN climate conference in Marrakech, Morocco, sent a “positive yet weak…
December 2
Illinois bed & breakfast fined $81K for declining to host same-sex ceremony
The owners of Timber Creek Bed & Breakfast in Paxton, Illinois, have been fined over $81,000 for declining to host a homosexual civil union ceremony in 2011.
The Illinois Human Rights…
December 2
US bishops’ conference grants nearly $4M to assist Church in Latin America, Caribbean
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America recently granted over $3.8 million to 204 projects to assist the work of the Church in Latin…
December 1
Cardinal Müller says CDF cannot answer cardinals’ dubia without Pope’s approval
The prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) has said that he will not respond to the dubia submitted by four cardinals about the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia, unless…
December 1
Nicaraguan bishops protest government violence against citizens
The Catholic bishops of Nicaragua have raised their voices to denounce violence by the government against private citizens, pointing in particular to police attacks on farmers who had planned to…
December 1
Bankruptcy costs for Minnesota archdiocese near $12 million
The legal costs associated with the bankruptcy filing of the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese are approaching $12 million, Minnesota Public Radio reports.
A federal bankruptcy-court judge will…
December 1
Iraqi military using militia groups to secure territory recaptured from Islamic State
The Iraqi military is relying on militia groups—some of them organized along religious lines—to secure the territory that has been recaptured from the Islamic State, the Fides news…
December 1
Meeting Georgian delegation, Pope recalls September visit
Pope Francis met on December 1 with a delegation of Catholics from Georgia, and told that that it was a “great joy” for him to visit their country in September.
“I never thought…
December 1
Australian bishops plan national council for 2020
Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has been elected by the Australian bishops to chair a commission preparing for a national council in 2020.
The national plenary council—the first such…
December 1
Study abroad should promote diversity, tolerance, Pope tells international students
In a December 1 address to international students gathered in Rome, Pope Francis contrasted “the modern concept of the intellectual, engaged in the realisation of the self and in search of…
December 1
San Diego bishop tells outspoken priest to use parish bulletin only for calendar events
Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego has instructed a pastor to use his parish bulletin only for announcing calendar events, rather than his personal views.
Father Richard Perozich had come under…
December 1
Clashes in China at new bishop’s ordination
The ordination of a new bishop in Chengdu, China, saw a clash between loyal Catholics and police officials, provoked by the attendance of a bishop who has been excommunicated by the…
December 1
Ukrainian bishops recall Holodomor
Ukraine’s Latin-rite and Eastern-rite bishops recently recalled the Holodomor, the 1932-33 famine and genocide in which millions of Ukrainians perished under Stalin’s rule.
“The…
December 1
Prelate lists mandates, executive orders that Trump should rescind to protect religious freedom
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore has called upon President-elect Donald Trump to take several actions that would reverse mandates and executive orders issued by President Barack Obama and his…
December 1
USCCB: bishops call for renewed emphasis on ministering to youth
Archbishop Charles Chaput, the chairman of the US bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, has called upon his brother bishops to “reaffirm our commitment to young…
December 1
French bishops decry bill that would squelch pro-life websites
Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of France, has criticized President François Hollande for his support of a bill that would criminalize…
December 1
Bishop decries EU, German aid to Sudan’s government
A Sudanese bishop has traveled to Europe to draw attention to what he describes as a “hidden and forgotten conflict”: government attacks on the people of the Nuba mountain region and…
December 1
Papal praise for conference on protecting heritage sites in war zones
Pope Francis has lent his support to efforts by France and the United Arab Emirates to protect historically and culturally significant sites in war zones.
Referring to an upcoming conference in…
November 30
US Catholic college presidents call for continuation of program allowing undocumented immigrant students
More than 70 presidents of American Catholic colleges and universities have joined in a public statement of support for students from families of undocumented immigrants, saying that these students…
November 30
Pope encourages French politicians to serve common good
Speaking on November 30 to a group of French political leaders, Pope Francis said that Christians should cooperation “with believers of all religions, and all men of good will, even…
November 30
Dutch lawmakers move toward restrictions on Islamic veils
Legislators in the Netherlands have given preliminary approval to restrictions on the use of Islamic veils that cover the face.
The measure bans “face-covering clothing” from public…
November 30
Pope Francis’ prayer intentions for December
The Vatican has made public the prayer intentions of Pope Francis for December 2016.
The Pope’s universal is: “That the scandal of child soldiers may be eliminated the world…
November 30
Pope sends greetings to Orthodox Patriarch on patronal feast day
Pope Francis sent his greetings to the Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew on November 30, the feast of St. Andrew, the patronal saint of the Constantinople see.
During his regular public audience,…
November 30
In vocation message, Pope emphasizes prayer as basis of Christian missionary spirit
The Holy See Press Office has released the papal message for the 54th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which will be commemorated on the Fourth Sunday of Easter (May 7) in 2017.
In “Led…
November 30
Pope calls for prayer, treatment for those with HIV
At the conclusion of his November 30 general audience, Pope Francis recalled that the United Nations promotes December 1 as World AIDS Day.
“Millions of persons live with this disease, and…
November 30
Pope reflects on burying the dead, prayer for the living and the dead
Concluding his series of Wednesday catechetical addresses on mercy, Pope Francis devoted his November 30 general audience to burying the dead and praying for the living and the dead.
“The…
November 30
Papal condolences following plane crash in Colombia
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has two telegrams of condolence on Pope Francis’s behalf following the crash in Colombia of an airplane carrying members of…
November 30
EU prelates affirm importance of hospitality to migrants, religious freedom
Representatives of different religions, including two Catholic bishops, took part in an annual dialogue with a leading EU official on November 29.
The theme of this year’s dialogue was…
November 30
Cardinal: social dimension of mercy at heart of Pope Francis’s teaching
Writing on the front page of L’Osservatore Romano, Cardinal Gualtiero Bassetti of Perugia described the social dimension of mercy as the “common thread” that links three key…
November 30
20 thieves attack church in Bangladesh
At least 20 thieves attacked a Catholic parish in Gazipur, Bangladesh, on the night of November 26, tied up security guards and the parish priest, and stole cash, a camera, and other objects,…
November 29
Pope to receive Scorsese as Silence is screened at the Vatican
Film director Martin Scorsese will meet with Pope Francis on November 30, before the Pope’s regular public audience.
Scorsese is in Rome for a screening of his new film, Silence, based on…
November 29
Oslo diocese fined for inflating membership figures
The Diocese of Oslo, Norway, has been ordered to pay a fine of one million kroner (about $117,000), for inflating statistics on the number of registered Catholics in the diocese.
The fine…
November 29
Miami’s Archbishop Wenski acknowledges Castro’s victims
Archbishop Thomas Wenski called attention to the victims of Cuba’s Fidel Castro in a statement on the death of the Cuban dictator.
“We will all be judged one day,” the…
November 29
Venezuelan government still blocking humanitarian supplies, Catholic charity reports
The government of Venezuela has not moved to lift a block on importation of medicine, despite a critical shortage, Caritas Venezuela reports.
Yaneth Marquez, the director of the Catholic charity,…
November 29
Scottish priest, suspended after writing on ‘powerful gay mafia,’ ordered to leave parish
A Scottish priest who was suspended from ministry after writing a book on homosexual influence in the Church has now been ordered to leave the parish where he was assigned.
Father Matthew Despard…
November 29
Slovakian bishops warn that international convention on violence against women promotes gender ideology
The Catholic bishops of Slovakia are opposing ratification of an international convention on violence against women, because the convention uses language that reflects “gender…
November 29
Canonical trial of accused Guam archbishop has begun, successor reports
Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agana, Guam, who was suspended after multiple charges of sexual abuse, is now facing a canonical trail in Rome, his designated successor revealed.
“The trial…
November 29
Cardinals’ questions about Amoris Laetitia already answered: Father Spadaro
The questions submitted by four cardinals about the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia have already been answered, according to Father Antonio Spadaro.
The Italian Jesuit, who is a close adviser…
November 29
Cardinal Pell defends four cardinals for asking ‘significant’ questions
Cardinal George Pell has come to the support of the four cardinals who have submitted dubia about the interpretation of Amoris Laetitia.
Following an address to an audience in London, the…
November 29
Four cardinals could be stripped of status for questioning papal document, says Vatican official
The dean of the Roman Rota has said that Pope Francis, if he wanted, could remove four prelates from the College of Cardinals as punishment for submitting and publicizing their dubia about Amoris…
November 29
Mexican archdiocese: families afraid to report kidnappings
The Archdiocese of Guadalajara, Mexico, has cancelled a program that registered the names of suspected kidnapping victims, explaining that families were afraid to provide personal information…
November 29
San Diego’s Bishop McElroy strongly encourages Communion for divorced/remarried
Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego, California, has asked his priests to encourage Catholics who are divorced and remarried to consider whether “God is calling them to return to the…
November 29
Ugandan bishops warn against false ordinations
The Uganda Episcopal Conference has warned the faithful that recent priestly “ordinations” of two men by two self-proclaimed bishops were invalid and illicit.
In addition, the three…
November 29
Ontario court: parent not allowed to exempt elementary school children from objectionable classes
An Ontario court has ruled that a Greek Orthodox father who sends his children to a public elementary school cannot exempt them from classes related to homosexuality and abortion.
The court…
November 29
USCCB grants $9.2M to US mission dioceses
A subcommittee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has granted $9.2 million to 84 US “home mission” dioceses, most of them in rural areas.
The funds are provided by an…
November 28
Irish premier meets with Pontiff, announces papal visit in 2018
Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny met on November 28 with Pope Francis, and later told reporters that the Pontiff had promised to visit Ireland in 2018.
The Vatican, in a brief…
November 28
Nearly 2.5 million embryos destroyed for IVF in UK
Almost 2.5 million embryos have been intentionally destroyed in the course of in-vitro fertilization treatments in the United Kingdom since 1990, official figures show.
The Human Fertilization…
November 28
African cardinal reports his country’s language has no word for his new office
Cardinal Dieudonné Nzapalainga of Bangui in the Central African Republic—the first cardinal ever from that nation—reports that the country’s main language, Sango, does not…
November 28
Deadly attack on French monastery fuels fears of new terrorism
An armed man attacked a monastery in southern France on November 24, killing a custodian and binding and gagging residents before he fled as police approached to rescue the residents.
The masked…
November 28
Papal thanks for organizers, volunteers who worked on Jubilee events
At an audience on November 28, Pope Francis thanked the organizers and volunteers who had helped to prepare for events at the Vatican during the Jubilee Year of Mercy.
“All of you, in…
November 28
Russian Orthodox Patriarch praises Castro’s legacy
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow expressed his “deep sorrow” at the death of Fidel Castro, describing the Cuban dictator as a “courageous and charismatic person, a man…
November 28
French cardinal raps government’s ‘obsession’ with abortion
Cardinal André Vingt-Trois of Paris has criticized the “obsession” of the French government with the issue of abortion, and the charged that under the pretext of combatting AIDS…
November 28
Former spokesman reveals how St. John Paul II convinced Castro to allow Christmas celebration
Reflecting on the death of Fidel Castro, a former Vatican spokesman described how St. John Paul II persuaded the Cuban dictator to allow the celebration of Christmas.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls…
