Knock, Ireland Commemorates 140th Anniversary of Apparition

The Irish village of Knock is celebrating on Aug. 21 the 140th anniversary of “Apparition of Knock,” in which the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, St. John the Baptist and Jesus as the lamb of God appeared in the local church.

Cardinal Pell’s Appeal Rejected

Cardinal George Pell’s effort to appeal his conviction for sexual abuse was rejected by a Melbourne court on Wednesday in a 2-1 decision, delivering a striking blow to one of the global Catholic Church’s most prominent figures.

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.