On the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi setting up the first Nativity scene, the creche in St. Peter’s Square in 2023 will come from the Diocese of Rieti, Italy, and pay tribute to the scene set up in the diocese in 1223.
The Vatican
As Pope Meets LGBTQ+ Advocate, Prelate Credits Him for ‘Personal Conversion’
Archbishop Zbigņev Stankevičs of Riga, Latvia, a participant in this month’s Synod of Bishops on Synodality, has said homosexuals are called to live in chastity in accord with Church teaching, but credited Pope Francis for what he called his own “personal conversion” on the issue, becoming less judgmental.
Rome Readies for Pregame Frenzy Ahead of the Super Bowl of Synods
As Americans know well, the Super Bowl is no longer just a football game. It’s an entire fortnight of pre-game festivities, collectively creating one of the most frenzied periods on the country’s annual calendar.
Religious Internships Expose Young Catholics to Faith-Related Experiences
It will always be a point of pride for Peter Paolo that he interned at the United Nations headquarters this past summer. At age 22, he was able to overcome the initial awe he felt when he first walked into the hallowed halls of the famed intergovernmental peacekeeping organization and focus on holding down a job there.
Pope Condemns Attacks on Civilian Targets After Caritas Warehouse Destroyed in Ukraine
Pope Francis has condemned the routine use of “conventional weapons” against civilian targets in a message to Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, sent the day after a warehouse in Ukraine containing 300 tons of humanitarian aid was destroyed in a Russian drone attack.
Mongolia Trip Captures Pope’s Passion for the Peripheries
While Pope Francis is in Mongolia Aug. 31-Sept. 4, not only will the geopolitical undertones of the visit be on full display, but so will his affinity for the global and ecclesial peripheries, as he meets one of the Catholic Church’s smallest flocks.
Catholicism’s Own ‘Genghis Khan’ Makes Historic First Trip to Mongolia
Temüjin, a fearsome general and emperor of the Mongols, is better known to history by his title “Genghis Khan,” which roughly translates as “universal leader.” In the 13th and 14th centuries, he formed the largest empire the world has ever known by uniting all Mongol tribes under his rule.
Retired Wyoming Bishop Dies; Exonerated at Vatican Trial Over Abuse Claims
Retired Bishop Joseph H. Hart of Cheyenne, who headed the statewide diocese from 1978 until his retirement in 2001 and had over the years faced accusations he had sexually abused minors in years past, died Aug. 23 at Davis Hospice Center in Cheyenne, according to an Aug. 25 obituary in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle daily newspaper. He was 91.
Mongolia’s Cardinal Says Papal Visit Shows Love of the Peripheries
In a video series published ahead of Pope Francis’ Aug. 31-Sept. 4 visit to Mongolia, Cardinal Giorgio Marengo said the papal trip showcases the pope’s love of the peripheries and allows the voice of one of the Church’s smallest flocks to be heard.
Vatican investment office reports $35 million profit for 2022
The Vatican investment office made 32.27 million euros (about $35.2 million) in profit in 2022 and contributed the entire amount to the Vatican’s operating budget, said Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See.