VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican officials expressed their support for a new video-on-demand service aimed at adding religious programming and content to the already jam-packed field of video-streaming services.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Continuing a phased reopening, the Vatican's free pediatric and maternal health clinic began welcoming patients again June 3 and, as an expression of gratitude, the Vatican announced all medical personnel would enjoy free admittance to the Vatican Museums and to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo.
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MUDGEE, Australia (CNS) -- Hong Kong, citing concerns over COVID-19, has not granted permission for the annual public commemoration of the Tiananmen Square massacre, but a Catholic official said people will still be marking the date.
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AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) -- Christians and Muslims hope a project to reconstruct Mosul's iconic places of worship, badly damaged by Islamic State militants during their 2014-2017 occupation of the city, will also help to rebuild trust between Iraq's fractured religious communities.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the story of the patriarch Abraham -- honored by Jews, Christians and Muslims -- faith becomes a direct relationship with God that is marked by constant prayer, which sometimes takes the form of "debating" with God, Pope Francis said.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Observing with great concern the social unrest unfolding in the United States, Pope Francis said no one can claim to defend the sanctity of every human life while turning a blind eye to racism and exclusion.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Politicians in Northern Ireland rejected an "extreme" new abortion law imposed on the province from Parliament in London. Members of Northern Ireland's Legislative Assembly voted 46-40 to oppose a legal framework announced March 25 to permit abortion on demand in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, abortions up to 24 weeks for undefined mental or physical health reasons, and abortion up to birth if the fetus is considered to be disabled.
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From Zimbabwe, where churches are closed and data costs make attending Mass online prohibitively expensive for most Catholics, to Australia, where churchgoers successfully petitioned authorities to allow places of worship the same number of people as bars, churches are reopening cautiously amid widespread controversy.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- An English bishop urged the U.K. government to take action against violations of democratic freedoms in Hong Kong. Bishop Declan Lang of Clifton said China was violating the terms of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by imposing anti-democratic national security legislation on the autonomous Chinese territory.
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LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- Diego Ramirez, a single father in a rural village in southern Guatemala, worked in a restaurant and kept a chicken farm, selling the birds in a market to support his three daughters.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To prevent fraud and corruption, uphold Catholic principles and save money, Pope Francis has issued a new set of laws covering contracts for the purchase of goods, property and services for both the Roman Curia and Vatican City State offices.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Just as the apostles were united once they received the Holy Spirit, the church is united by that same spirit and not by keeping company just with those who agree on a certain interpretation of Christian teaching, Pope Francis said on Pentecost.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With a religious sister who survived COVID-19 and a woman who lost her mother to the coronavirus, Pope Francis led the recitation of rosary and asked Mary to intercede to save the world from the pandemic.
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VIENNA (CNS) -- As people spent more time online during the coronavirus lockdown, negative remarks and even the incitement of hatred based on national, cultural or religious identity increased, a Vatican representative said.
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) -- Bethlehem residents returned to the Church of the Nativity as the holy site opened to visitors May 26 after being closed since March because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But amid the joy was a feeling of uncertainty about their economic future, as pilgrims and tourists are not yet able to return.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis advanced the sainthood causes of two women and 11 men, including a miracle attributed to Blessed Charles de Foucauld. In a meeting May 27 with Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the pope also authorized decrees recognizing miracles attributed to Blessed Cesar de Bus, founder of the Fathers of Christian Doctrine, and Blessed Maria Domenica Mantovani, co-founder and superior general of the Little Sisters of the Holy Family.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Father Michael McGivney, founder of the Knights of Columbus, clearing the way for his beatification. While the Vatican announced May 27 that Pope Francis had signed the decree, it did not announce a date for the beatification ceremony.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- The "extremely high death rate" in U.K. care homes for the elderly will go down as the greatest national failure of the coronavirus crisis, a Catholic bioethics institute said.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will lead the major shrines around the world in praying the rosary to implore Mary's intercession and protection amid the coronavirus pandemic. The pope will pray at the replica of the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens May 30, the eve of Pentecost, and will also be joined by several "men and women representing various categories of people particularly affected by the virus," the Vatican said May 26. The service will be at 5:30 p.m. in Rome (11:30 a.m. EDT).
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Marking the 25th anniversary of St. John Paul II's encyclical on Christian unity, Pope Francis said he shares "the healthy impatience" of those who think more can and should be done, but he also insisted that Christians must be grateful for the progress made.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Commemorating the fifth anniversary of his encyclical on the environment, Pope Francis called on Christians to join in prayer and acts of care for the Earth and for the poor. After reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer May 24, the pope encouraged Catholics to participate in the celebration of the "Special Laudato Si' Anniversary Year," a yearlong series of initiatives dedicated to putting the encyclical's teaching into action.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis assured Catholics in China that the universal church shared their hopes and supported them during hardship. He also asked all Catholics to pray for their brothers and sisters in China, as the church celebrated the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians May 24.
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ROME (CNS) -- The uncertainty and restrictive measures in place due to the coronavirus pandemic caused an increase in prayers and religious fervor in Italy, a recent study said. The study, which was released May 22, was conducted by the State University of Milan, to "daily monitor public opinion during the COVID-19 emergency" and the impact it "has had on the religiosity of Italians."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Twenty-five years ago, St. John Paul II's encyclical on ecumenism, "Ut Unum Sint," put the papal seal of approval on a shift in the Catholic Church's approach to the search for Christian unity.
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TORONTO (CNS) -- The quiet victims during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic have been those grieving the death of a loved one. A different aspect of grieving has been introduced to a lot of people due to public health restrictions keeping people from properly sharing their grief when a loved one dies, as social distancing measures mean large-scale celebrations like funerals are forbidden, and the accompanying visitations and other processes surrounding death are just not possible.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A U.S. official praised Belarus for releasing a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses that Russia wanted extradited. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, praised the government of President Alexander Lukashenko for releasing Nikolai Makhalichev.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- To help prevent damaging artistic and historically significant objects, the Pontifical Council for Culture released suggestions for cleaning and disinfecting church buildings, furnishings and sacred objects.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Commemorating the centenary of the birth of St. John Paul II, a number of key commentators used the occasion to do more than just remember and praise the late pope's rich legacy.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy See is concerned about an Israeli plan to unilaterally annex a large portion of land in the West Bank, said a Vatican statement. "The Holy See is following the situation closely and expresses concern about any future actions that could further compromise dialogue," said the statement released May 20.
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TOKYO (CNS) -- The Jesuit General Curia in Rome announced that its former superior general, Father Adolfo Nicolas, died May 20 in Tokyo. He was 84. He was a member of the Jesuit community of Loyola House in Kamishakujii and had been ill for several years, reported ucanews.com.
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WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Poland's Catholic bishops urged citizens to learn from St. John Paul II in coming to terms with COVID-19, as the 100th anniversary of his birth was celebrated with Masses and other events across his homeland.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis offered prayers and thanks to men and women who work each day to ensure that hospitals and neighborhoods are clean during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Today, our prayer is for the many people who clean hospitals, streets, who empty the garbage cans, who go around to houses to collect the garbage," the pope said May 17 at the start of his Sunday Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Almost 10 weeks after St. Peter's Basilica was closed to the public in cooperation with Italy's COVID-19 lockdown measures, the faithful and tourists were allowed back in May 18.
Read moreROME (CNS) -- The Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of its most famous alumnus by launching an interdisciplinary institute bearing his name.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- St. John Paul II was a man of deep prayer, who loved being close to people and loved God's justice and mercy, Pope Francis said. "Let us pray to him today that he may give all of us -- especially shepherds of the church -- but all of us, the grace of prayer, the grace of closeness and the grace of justice-mercy, mercy-justice," the pope said May 18, the 100th anniversary of the Polish pope's birth.
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ROME (CNS) -- The postulator and the commission involved in investigating the life of Pope John Paul II for sainthood cause found no evidence that the pope knowingly neglected or covered up abuse scandals, the postulator said.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The continuity between St. John Paul II and Pope Francis is rooted in the message of God's divine mercy for all men and women, retired Pope Benedict XVI said in a letter commemorating his predecessor's birth.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must follow the Ten Commandments, of course, but Christianity is not about following rules, it is about having a relationship with Jesus, Pope Francis said. "A relationship with God, a relationship with Jesus is not a relationship of 'things to do' -- 'If I do this, you give me that,'" he said. Such a relationship would be "commercial" while Jesus gives everything, including his life, gratuitously.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At a time of global "tragedy and suffering" because of the coronavirus, and in view of the long-term impact it will have, believers of every religion should beg mercy from the one God and father of all, Pope Francis said.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In preparation for the May 18 resumption of public liturgies in Italy and a morning Mass with Pope Francis at the tomb of St. John Paul II, Vatican workers cleaned and sanitized the inside of St. Peter's Basilica May 15.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church's acceptance of a ban on gathering for public worship and following other painful COVID-19 restrictions reflects its long-held understanding that faith, service and science are not at war with one another.
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Rome Newsroom, May 13, 2020 CNA.- For the first time in its history, the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima celebrated the May 13 anniversary of the 1917 Marian apparitions without the presence of the public.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education has asked pontifical universities and faculties to plan to reopen in the fall and teach with students present. The universities in Rome are making those preparations, but many of them also are devising backup plans in case the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and many students are prevented from traveling to Rome.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although the Vatican is facing difficult years ahead due to the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, its budget is not facing a massive default, said the prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Prayer is more than just a physical, emotional or intellectual act; it is an inner desire to encounter God, Pope Francis said. Continuing his new series of talks on prayer during his weekly general audience May 13, the pope said that the longing expressed through prayer "is more than a need, more than a necessity."
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Vatican City, May 12, 2020 CNA.- On May 14, people of all religious affiliations are called to participate in a day of prayer, fasting, and acts of charity for the end of the coronavirus pandemic. The worldwide day of prayer is the initiative of the Vatican’s Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, formed in August under the auspices of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Churches in England and Wales must wait until July before they may reopen, under a coronavirus recovery strategy published by the government. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's 50-page blueprint to ease the eight-week national lockdown says places of worship cannot open until July 4 at the earliest, meaning that churches will be closed even to private prayer for at least another seven weeks.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The coronavirus pandemic has drawn well-deserved attention to nurses and midwives, who are among "the saints next door," dedicated to helping people in some of the most joyful or painful moments of their lives, Pope Francis said.
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BONN, Germany (CNS) -- Catholic bishops have distanced themselves from a letter in which several prominent Catholic clergy warned there were attempts to use the COVID-19 pandemic to create a "world government beyond all control."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Given the huge impact technology and artificial intelligence will have on humanity and the environment, the Pontifical Academy for Life is seeking to foster more ethical and moral reflection.
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ROME (CNS) -- As Italian authorities prepare to slowly relax lockdown restrictions in the country, a Vatican City official said it will enact new measures and protocols to ensure the safety of visitors to the Vatican Museums.
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ROME (CNS) -- With a number of countries in Europe slowly easing restrictions as part of a long-term strategy for containing the spread of the coronavirus, churches, too, are seeing changes in what is or will be allowed.
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ROME (CNS) -- Unlike most countries, Sweden has chosen a more relaxed approach to preventing the spread of the coronavirus, sparking a debate on how governments should confront the deadly pandemic. Sweden's high death rate among elderly men and women living in retirement homes have many, including the nation's only cardinal, questioning whether measures meant to protect the most vulnerable have worked.
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ROME (CNS) -- In Rome's historic Trastevere neighborhood, and throughout Italy, the easing of the coronavirus lockdown not only meant disinfecting shops, coffee bars and restaurants, it also involved tons of garbage and composting.
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VALLA BEACH, Australia (CNS) -- The Royal Commission into Institutional Child Sexual Abuse published redacted sections of its 2017 report, and new findings said it did not believe some of the testimony given to it by Cardinal George Pell.
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ROME (CNS) -- The Italian bishops and government have agreed on a protocol to allow the public to be present for liturgical celebrations starting May 18. In an effort to avoid spreading the coronavirus, a series of restrictions will be in force, such as wearing facial masks inside the church, social distancing between individuals and no choir being present.
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