Pope Francis is giving 6,000 rosaries that he blessed personally to Catholic communities in Syria as a symbol of his closeness to them on the Feast of the Assumption, he announced during his Angelus message on August 15.
International News
Young Melkite Catholics Find Hope at Gathering
Full of zeal for their faith, 920 Melkite Catholic young adults from the Middle East gathered in Lebanon for the first conference especially for them.
St. John Paul II’s Challenge Is Still Valid: “Learn Rome!”
Back in the day, when St. John Paul II would meet with seminarians in the Eternal City each year, he would challenge them to “imparare Roma.” It’s a phrase that technically violates the rules of Italian grammar, but everyone knew what he meant: “Learn Rome!”
Despite New Law, Some Churches in Egypt Forced to Close
More than 1,100 Christian churches in Egypt that had been built without approval before have been made legal during the past three years, but at least 22 churches have been shut down because of security reasons.
Why the Pope Probably Wasn’t Trolling Trump on Populism
I got a call Saturday to come on air from my friends at CNN, where I serve as senior Vatican analyst. The producers wanted me to join a morning news program, following a recent interview with Pope Francis in which he compared populist rhetoric about “us” and “we” to the kind of talk associated with the Nazis.
Mexican Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera Dead at Age 87
Cardinal Sergio Obeso Rivera, retired archbishop of Xalapa, Mexico who was created a cardinal by Pope Francis a little over a year ago, died at the age of 87.
Pope Demands Respect for Geneva Conventions as Anniversary Looms
Often an outspoken champion for the protection of the most vulnerable, Pope Francis on August 11 issued an appeal for the international community to adhere to legal protections for civilians and prisoners of war outlined in the Geneva Conventions, the 70th anniversary of which falls on Monday, August 12.
Francis Casts His Eyes to Asia for Potential Papal Trips
Asia seems to be squarely in Pope Francis’s sights, with one major outing taking shape for later this year and another reportedly under consideration for 2021.
Health Concerns Cast Shadow Over Notre Dame Restoration Plans
While the French legislature has agreed that Notre Dame will be restored to its original state, how that restoration will take place and how the interim safety measures will be implemented during that process remain open questions.
Nagasaki Catholic Cathedral Gets Back a Piece of World War II History
A piece of Catholic history in Japan has been returned to its native country. A wooden cross from the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Nagasaki, Japan — the second Japanese city hit by a nuclear bomb in August 1945 — was recovered from the cathedral’s remains by U.S. Marine Walter Hooke.
