In a letter to people participating in a virtual Marian pilgrimage, Pope Francis offered words of encouragement to families struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
International News
Pope Appeals for Peaceful Protests, Says Stop the Violence and Hate
On Sept.13, Pope Francis addressed the wave of protests that have swept through the globe this summer, some of which have turned violent, issuing an appeal for peaceful demonstrations and for those fueled by hate to let go and move toward forgiveness and reconciliation.
With Pope Francis’ Okay, Cardinal Says Return to Public Mass ‘Necessary and Urgent’
Calling it “necessary and urgent” to return to public Masses as soon as anti-COVID 19 measures permit, the Vatican’s top official for liturgy has urged Catholic bishops around the world not to let religious worship be relegated to a priority level below “recreational activities” or treated as just another public gathering.
Spanish Court Convicts Ex-Salvadoran Colonel of 1989 Murders of Five Jesuits
A Spanish court has convicted a former Salvadoran colonel for the murders of five Jesuit priests in 1989 — a rare act of justice for an atrocity from El Salvador’s brutal civil war.
Vatican: Educational Alliance Needed to Confront Pandemic Challenges
The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education called for an alliance between Catholic and non-Catholic educational institutions in order to confront the challenges stemming from or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marian Feast Becomes a Political Football in Cuba
The Church in Cuba is warning against politicizing religious festivals after events surrounding the Feast of Our Lady of El Cobre (Our Lady of Charity), the patroness of the island.
Asif Pervaiz, a Christian Man, Has Been Sentenced to Death Under Pakistan Blasphemy Law
Nearly two years after her release from prison, and as another Christian man has been sentenced to death in Pakistan, Asia Bibi is calling for the country’s strict blasphemy laws to be changed in order to allow better protection for minorities.
Virtual Pilgrimage, Concrete Donation: Holy Land Catholics Ask for Help
Franciscan Father Francesco Patton, custos of the Holy Land, asked Catholics around the world to make a virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land and make a real donation to support the church in the region.
Nicaragua Bishops Protest Government’s Expulsion of Foreign-Born Priests
Nicaragua’s bishops are urging prayers for peace after the regime’s latest salvo in its war against the Catholic Church.
As Vatican Ponders China Deal, Expert Says It’s Brought ‘Little Fruit’
As the Vatican sits poised to renew its historic agreement with China on the appointment of bishops later this month, one of the Catholic Church’s leading experts on Chinese affairs has argued that while the desire for dialogue is understandable, there is still nothing to show for the deal two years later.