During the evening Mass on Feb. 24, Father Felice Palamara, a parish priest in Cessaniti, a village in south Italy, found himself once again targeted by the ‘Ndrangheta, a notorious criminal organization operating primarily in Calabria, the southern region of Italy often referred to as the “toe.”
At least 63 migrants died Feb. 26 when the wooden boat carrying them — in a storm with high waves and strong winds — broke apart after crashing against rocks along the coast of Calabria in southern Italy.
Pope Francis will make back-to-back pastoral visits to the Italian cities of Assisi and Matera at the end of September, the Vatican announced.
As coronavirus cases continue to increase across Italy, the country’s bishops issued new guidelines and restrictions meant to curb the spread of infection among the faithful.
Fifty years from now, Italians now alive probably will still smile whenever someone mentions the summer of 2021, what’s now being described as the greatest summer in the history of Italian sports, its “Summer of Gold.”
When Pope Francis’ eco-encyclical was published in 2015, one aspect of the document that didn’t make waves but was key to implementing his overall vision for environmental reform was his appeal to cleanup cities, making them more organized and sustainable. Now, six years later, this is being implemented in his own backyard.
One Italian bishop has said Pope Francis’ push for greater brotherhood and solidarity is needed more than ever following the death last week of 130 migrants who for two days issued distress calls to no avail when their boat met trouble in the Mediterranean.
Several unplanned protests have broken out in Rome in recent days over coronavirus restrictions, and among the demonstrators have been some high-profile traditionalist Catholics.
Months ago, 11-year-old Romeo Cox in Italy secretly hatched a plan to somehow visit his grandmother Rosemary in England. Romeo and his granny hadn’t seen each other in a year and a half when the coronavirus pandemic struck. So, he repeatedly asked his parents if he could walk to see her because he missed her.
Since 2014, more than 20,000 migrants and refugees have died while trying to reach Europe from Africa, while thousands of others have been forcibly returned to Libya, which has received funding from the EU to train its coastguard to try and stop the crossings.
