Israeli minister asks pope to clarify remarks about genocide claims in Gaza
ROME (CNS) -- Israel's minister of diaspora affairs and combating antisemitism asked Pope Francis to clarify his remarks about the need to investigate...
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Papal preacher tells Curia to rediscover power of 'littleness' during Advent
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With Christmas just days away, Christians must embrace the human quality of "littleness" as a path toward living out God's humility...
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Pope will receive outgoing US President Biden at Vatican Jan. 10
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will meet with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden at the Vatican Jan. 10 to discuss efforts to promote peace worldwide,...
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3,000 Catholic school kids, Black Eyed Peas members make new Christmas song
(OSV News) -- As many as 3,000 Catholic school children from poor families in the Philippines made their pop music debut in a new Christmas song by some...
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Support of pontifical missions reflects Jesus' love for poor, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis praised Catholics who support the Pontifical Mission Societies' work with the poor and those on the margins of society,...
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Pope declares 16 new saints killed during French Revolution
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has declared as saints 16 Carmelite martyrs executed by guillotine during the French Revolution and confirmed the martyrdom...
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Jesus is the path and destination for Jubilee pilgrims, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis called on Catholics to focus their Holy Year 2025 pilgrimages on Jesus Christ, who is both the path and destination...
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Pope Francis pens essay on humor: 'Irony is a medicine'
Pope Francis on Tuesday penned an essay for the New York Times on the importance of fostering a sense of humor, of quelling narcissism through "appropriate...
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Spanish Supreme Court rules surrogacy exploits women, harms children's rights
A ruling by the Supreme Court of Spain states that surrogacy exploits the woman who rents her womb and harms the dignity and rights of the children conceived. The...
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Archbishop Gänswein reflects on his new diplomatic role
VILNIUS, Lithuania (OSV News) -- Archbishop Georg Gänswein, appointed in June as apostolic nuncio to the Baltic states, has shared his insights on...
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Top DDF official says truth in abuse cases is 'critical' as Father Rupnik investigation continues
(OSV News) -- Transparency and truth are of "critical importance" in the work of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors (PCPM) and the...
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Iraqi police intercepted terrorists planning to assassinate him, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On Pope Francis' 88th birthday, two major newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean published two different excerpts from his...
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Jesus' crown of thorns returns to Notre Dame Cathedral
PARIS (OSV News) -- Firefighters and police officers formed a human chain to rescue the crown of thorns from the inferno at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019....
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Pope praises popular piety during first-ever papal Mass in Corsica
AJACCIO, France (CNS) -- As Pope Francis became the first pope to celebrate Mass on the French island of Corsica Dec. 15, the usual excitement of an open-air...
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Nativity scenes are reminder of Lord's love and tenderness, pope says
ROME (CNS) -- Making his customary visit to the Rome Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before his trip to the French island of Corsica, Pope Francis also...
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Pope says there's no religious justification for Russia's war on Ukraine
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a letter to his nuncio in Russia, Pope Francis called out those who would claim Russia's war on Ukraine had any spiritual justification. Saying...
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Two women join Vatican council that implements synod, prepares next one
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For the first time, women will serve on the Ordinary Council of the General Secretariat of the Synod, the committee that oversees...
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With inaugural Mass, Notre Dame reveals 'the Lord does not abandon his own'
PARIS (OSV News) -- Chilling rain and the "City of Lights" completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close...
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With Assad's fall, Syria's papal nuncio prays for nation's reconciliation, new prosperity
(OSV News) -- The apostolic nuncio to Syria says he hopes the war-torn nation will "move toward reconciliation" and at least "some prosperity" under democratic...
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Pope: Wealth, power mean nothing when the heart is cold, closed
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are called to be more like Mary: generous and loving servants of the Lord, Pope Francis said. "Sadly, if we look around...
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Thanking donors for Vatican creche, Christmas tree, pope prays for peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "With tears in our eyes, let us raise our prayer for peace," Pope Francis said as he thanked the people of Bethlehem and Palestinian...
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'Long live Notre Dame de Paris!' Jubilation as iconic Catholic cathedral reopens
PARIS (OSV News) -- The solemn reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral put Paris in the center of the Catholic world on the evening of Dec. 7 as the archbishop...
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Christmas consistory: Big crowds, festive air for well-wishers of new cardinals
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Moments after Pope Francis placed red hats on the heads of 21 new cardinals, the newest members of the College of Cardinals, many...
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New cardinals from 17 nations are called to build church unity, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Becoming a cardinal is an insistent call to put Jesus at the center of one's life, to love the poor as he did and to strengthen the...
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New papal preacher tells pope, cardinals: Don't be closed to change
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At 53 years old, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini, the new preacher of the papal household, was among the youngest in the Vatican...
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Pilgrims walk miles to pay homage to St. Francis Xavier in a once-in-a-decade exposition of relics
(OSV News) -- Michael Fernandes has walked 68 miles through jungles across hills and crossed a river in the blazing sun to honor St. Francis Xavier on...
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Homilies must be short, about Jesus, inspired by the Spirit, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Homilies must be prepared with the help of the Holy Spirit, be shorter than 10 minutes and put the spotlight on the Lord, not oneself,...
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Notre Dame shines bright as French president visits days before the 'grande réouverture'
PARIS (OSV News) -- The world was left stunned when the first images of the rebuilt Notre Dame were published and spread with viral speed as President...
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Nicaea and synodality: Pope talks about both with patriarch, theologians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Focusing again on the fundamental Christian beliefs outlined by the Council of Nicaea almost 1,700 years ago can help Christians...
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Vatican to study how to address 'spiritual abuse' in church law
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Legislative Texts are setting up a working group to study how "spiritual...
Read MorePriests need better formation in church history to share Gospel, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A true study and understanding of the church's history and experience are needed to help priests better interpret today's world,...
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St. Peter's Basilica launches magazine, installs new webcams
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To help people who cannot travel to Rome but want to pray at the tomb of St. Peter and cross the threshold of the Holy Door, St....
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Pope asks St. John Paul II institute to study threats to marriage, family
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church must respond to cultural challenges facing marriage and family life with unity and compassion, Pope Francis said,...
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Here is the miracle that now paves the way for Pier Giorgio Frassati's canonization
Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati's intercession on Monday, paving the way for his canonization as a saint...
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Pope declares Spanish mystic 'blessed,' advances other sainthood causes
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Using what the Vatican called an "equipollent" or equivalent beatification, Pope Francis recognized as "blessed" a 15th-century Spanish...
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Final synod document is magisterial, must be accepted, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Doubling down on the centrality of synodality in the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said that it is now up to local churches to accept...
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Churches, faith groups join forces in Britain against 'deceptive' assisted suicide bill
OXFORD, England (OSV News) -- Churches and faith groups across the United Kingdom have condemned a bill to allow physician-assisted suicide and stepped...
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Pope to open Holy Year with full schedule of Christmas liturgies
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis' schedule of liturgies in December and January has expanded. The pope, who...
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Pope appoints US cardinal to manage Vatican's troubled pension fund
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has appointed Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, as the sole administrator...
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Pope calls for investigation of possible genocide in Gaza
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said the international community should investigate whether Israel's military actions in Gaza constitute genocide. "According...
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Pope approves simplified rites for papal funeral, burial
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis, who will celebrate his 88th birthday in December, has approved simplified liturgical rites for the death of a pontiff. His...
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Pope says he'll canonize Acutis, Frassati, host meeting on child's rights
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis announced that he will canonize Blesseds Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati next year and that the Vatican will...
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Notre Dame de Paris returns to her cathedral with thousands of Parisians walking her home
PARIS (OSV News) -- Miraculously missed by burning beams falling from the roof on April 15, 2019, and waiting for five years to make it back to Notre Dame...
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Nicaragua expels bishops' conference's president
(OSV News) -- The ruling Sandinista regime expelled the president of the Nicaraguan bishops' conference, further decimating the country's Catholic leadership...
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