During the Roman Empire, the entire Mediterranean region was known as Mare Nostrum,“Our Sea.” It was an imperial assertion of dominance, of course, but it also reflected the idea that the peoples of the Mediterranean are linked by geography and destiny, sharing a common fate.
The decade-long process of updating the laws of Vatican City State is part of the Vatican’s support for international commitments to protect people and safeguard vulnerable groups, who are “frequently the victims of new, odious forms of illegality,” Pope Francis said.
Twenty-four people, including a church pastor, were killed during a Sunday service on Feb. 16 at a Protestant church in Burkina Faso, according to the regional governor.
Responding to a government appeal for citizens to stay home in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the administrator of the Hong Kong diocese has suspended public Masses until the end of the month, including the Ash Wednesday service marking the beginning of the Lenten season.
Pope Francis’ highly anticipated document on the Amazon, released on Feb. 12, bypasses two hot-button issues looming over its publication — married priests and women deacons. Meanwhile, it calls for “outrage” over the treatment of the region’s land and its peoples.
Around the world, human trafficking has reached horrific new heights. Fueled by conflict, poverty, food insecurity and the effects of climate change, traffickers are finding new opportunities to prey on those who are searching for safety. Pope Francis, who has made combating human trafficking a priority, recently acknowledged the impact of Talitha Kum at an exhibit in Rome.
Gruesome incidents of violence against Christians in Egypt show the danger they continue to face in the Muslim-majority country, despite President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s promises to protect them.
Pope Francis’s highly anticipated document on the Amazon bypasses two hot-button issues looming over its publication – the possibility of married priests and women deacons – while calling for “outrage” over the treatment of the region’s land and its peoples.
Less than 40 years after its humble beginnings in New Haven, Connecticut, the Knights of Columbus was invited by Pope Benedict XV to establish a permanent presence in Rome.
Talking about debates, differences and discernment, Pope Francis told a group of U.S. bishops that people focused on the possibility of ordaining some married men and women deacons for service in the Amazon will be disappointed in his apostolic exhortation.
