Pope Francis updated the “Fundamental Law of Vatican City State,” opening the possibility that laypeople can be members of its governing commission and emphasizing that the independence of the city-state is essential for the mission of the Holy See.
International News
Gaza Strip Catholic Priest Brings Comfort to Traumatized Community, With Special Focus on Young People
Even before the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had been called on the evening of May 13 after five days of fighting, Father Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza Holy Family Parish was already tentatively going over travel details for a trip to Egypt with some of the Catholic Scouts youth leaders, which had been long in the making.
New Antioch Orthodox Christian Leader Pledges to ‘Seek His Will’
In a moment signaling the start of a new era for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Most Rev. Saba Isper was enthroned as the metropolitan, the senior spiritual leader, of the Archdiocese of North America at a gathering attended by hundreds of the faithful at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Boerum Hill on May 13.
Amid Uncertainty At Border, Women Religious Take Mother’s Day to A Migrant Shelter
Mexico, where some women found themselves facing an uncertain future, celebrated Mother’s Day May 10, much like other countries in Latin America where they came from. But far from home, with scarce funds, vulnerable and trying to understand what the May 11 changes to U.S. asylum policy would mean for them, Mother’s Day seemed distant in their memory.
As Tagle’s Star Wanes, New Caritas President Has Tall Order to Fill
On Saturday, the Church’s largest charitable entity, Caritas International, elected Japanese Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo as its new president, a role held until now by Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, once widely seen as a top contender for the papacy.
Pope, Ukrainian Leader Talk About Humanitarian Situation Provoked By War
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After literally hundreds of public prayers for peace in Ukraine and 443 days after Russia launched an all-out war on the Eastern European country, Pope Francis welcomed Ukrainian President to the Vatican. The topics of the conversation May 13 included “the humanitarian and political situation in Ukraine caused […]
Ukrainian Bishops Hopeful for President Zelenskyy’s Vatican Visit
Ukrainian church leaders have cautiously welcomed news of a Vatican visit by their country’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a fresh wave of Russian missile attacks in anticipation of a counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces.
Ugandan Church Desperate to Fight A Plague of Human Trafficking In The Country
Violet Babirye sits on the edge of the bed of her two-room home in the sprawling informal settlement of Kisenyi, Mbarara municipality in southwestern Uganda. Wearing a white blouse and black skirt, she painfully narrates the ordeal she went through in Kuwait at the hands of her employers while working as a housemaid.
UK Bishop Denounces New IVF Method Resulting In First Baby Born With DNA of Three People
An English Catholic bishop has denounced the first reported births of “three-parent” babies in the UK as “deeply concerning.”
Caritas Regroups, Set to Elect New Leadership Amid Internal Turmoil
Nearly six months after Pope Francis ousted its entire leadership over what the Vatican said were lapses in management, the Caritas International charitable organization is meeting in Rome this week to regroup and elect a new governing team.