Pope Francis traveled to Iraq on a first-ever pontiff visit to the birthplace of the biblical figure of Abraham. The Pope’s mission during the three day visit is three-fold: encouraging the Christian community, long- time victim of persecution and extremism; pursuing dialogue with Shia Islam; and encountering the Iraqi nation as a whole.
When it seemed there was nothing “unprecedented” left for Pope Francis to accomplish, on March 5 he will embark in another historic first: A papal visit to Iraq, the birthplace of the biblical figure of Abraham.
Slovenian Archbishop Mitja Leskovar, the papal ambassador in Iraq, who was supposed to accompany Pope Francis during his March 5-8 visit to the land of the two rivers, tested positive for COVID-19 on Feb. 27 and is now in isolation
Sister Dianna Ortiz struggled daily with memories of torture and rape at the hands of Guatemala security forces in 1989, but she would not let that define her life.
Father Naim Shoshandy has plenty of reasons to be angry: On March 23, 2014, the terrorist organization known as Islamic State murdered his 27-year-old brother, for no other reason other than the fact that he was a Christian.
Chinese priests in Brooklyn are taking a “wait-and-see” approach to reports the government in their homeland might be planning to ignore the renewed two-year deal with the Vatican over the selection of bishops.
Days after Pope Francis appointed two women to major Vatican posts, he continued his female outreach by announcing the beatification of an Italian suffragette and by visiting an elderly Holocaust survivor.
Pope Francis accepted the resignations of 75-year-old Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, and 77-year-old Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica and vicar for Vatican City State.
Pews, chairs, and a church bell, all formerly used in Diocese of Brooklyn churches, have a new home at the Cathedral of St. Anne in Anse-à-Veau, Haiti. The diocese donated these historical pieces to help the cathedral get ready for Anse-à-Veau’s upcoming tricentennial celebration in July.
As a last resort, the Vatican may sanction employees who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine for non-medical reasons, according to a new Vatican decree.
