Catholic World News Headlines
Pope, other religious leaders appear in new video on monthly prayer intention
Pope Francis, a Buddhist lama, a rabbi, a priest, and a Muslim leader appear in a new 90-second video designed to publicize the Pope’s general prayer intention for January: “that sincere...
Catholic Vespers to be celebrated in chapel of King Henry VIII
A Catholic Vespers service will be held in the chapel of King Henry VIII in February: the first Catholic liturgical ceremony to be conducted there in 450 years. Cardinal Vincent Nichols of...
Ethiopian drought puts 8 million in jeopardy
Ethiopia is facing its most serious drought in 50 years, theatening millions of lives, the international charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) reports. The UN reports that 8.2 million people are...
Gang attacks on women outside Cologne Cathedral
As crowds gathered outside Cologne Cathedral and the adjacent train station to celebrate the new year, numerous men attacked women, according to multiple media reports. The city’s police...
Nuns attacked in South Sudan
Five armed men stole computers, cell phones, and cash from religious sisters at a teachers’ training school in Yambio, South Sudan on December 28, according to the Catholic News...
‘Russia comes first,’ says Serbian Orthodox leader
Relations with Russia take precedence over relations with the European Union and the United States, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church said in an interview. Patriarch Irinej told Sputnik, a...
Nebraska bishops weigh in on transgender participation in high school sports
The Nebraska School Activities Association will soon vote on transgender participation in high school sports—prompting a statement from the state’s bishops. The vote “will...
Syrian Catholic exarchate established in Canada
Pope Francis has established an exarchate for Syrian Catholics in Canada. The new exarchate will take over jurisdiction for Canadian territory previously within the Eparchy of Our Lady of...
Chaldean Catholic Church grows in California
Its numbers on the rise as Iraqi Christians emigrate to the United States, the Chaldean Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle-- an Eastern Catholic diocese whose territory includes 19 states-- now has...
Vatican paper rips Charlie Hebdo issue mocking religion as source of terrorism
The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has sharply criticized Charlie Hebdo for a special edition, marking the anniversary of a terrorist attack, that suggests religious faith fosters...
Dallas bishop rips 'cowboy mentality,' praises Obama gun-control initiative
Bishop Kevin Farrell has released a stinging denunciation of “the cowboy mentality” and praised President Barack Obama for his executive orders restricting the sale of firearms. “Thank God that...
On eve of execution, Florida bishops urge halt to capital punishment
The Catholic bishops of Florida have urged the state’s Governor Rick Scott to stop capital punishment, with the execution of a convicted criminal scheduled for January 7. In a letter to the...
Russian Orthodox Church will lose Ukrainian faithful, journalist predicts
The former editor of an official Russian Orthodox journal, who was dismissed last week because of disagreements with the Moscow Patriarchate, says that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is drawing away...
Somali government banned Christmas celebrations
Somalia’s provisional government banned public celebrations of Christmas this year, citing the need to avoid inflaming Muslim sensibilties. The new government’s policy had little practical effect...
Church's evangelical mission is to reflect the light of Christ, Pope says at Epiphany
”The Church cannot delude herself into thinking that she shines with her own light,” Pope Francis said in his homily at a Mass for the feast of the Epiphany. The Pope went on to cite the thought of...
Survey examines religious belief in France
A recent survey conducted on behalf of CORREF, the conference of men and women religious in France, found that 38% of French citizens believe that God’s existence is probable (21%) or certain...
USCCB awards $2.5M to projects in Eastern Europe
The Subcommittee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has awarded nearly $2.5 million to fund 99 projects. “Since the fall...
Moscow patriarch issues Christmas message
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church issued his Christmas message on January 5 as Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar prepared to celebrate the feast day. “In following...
Jewish-Catholic dialogue in Italy focuses on 10th Commandment
In a joint message, the presidents of the Italian Rabbinical Assembly and the Italian bishops’ commission for ecumenism and interreligious dialogue reflected on the tenth commandment of the...
1st Vatican performance of complete Shakespeare play
A complete play by William Shakespeare will performed on Vatican territory for the first time in April, according to Nigel Baker, the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the Holy See. In...
Brunei’s Catholics celebrate Christmas without incident
Amid a ban on Christmas celebrations outside of Christian communities, Brunei’s Catholics celebrated the feast without incident, according to the nation’s leading prelate. Under...
Vatican astronomer reflects on star of Bethlehem
In a front-page reflection published by L’Osservatore Romano on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany, the director of the Vatican Observatory discussed the star of Bethlehem and the journey of...
Bidders in line for Minnesota archdiocesan buildings
The Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minnesota is prepared to sell several buildings, if a bankruptcy court grants approval for the transactions. The archdiocese-- which filed for bankruptcy protection in...
Irish bishops: 100th anniversary of Easter Rising should stimulate work for peace
As Ireland prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the “Easter Rising,” which paved the way for the nation’s independence, the country’s Catholic bishops have issued a statement calling for...
Kidnapped priest released in Syria
A Catholic priest who was abducted in Syria on December 23 has been released. Father Dhiya Azziz, who was seized as he returned to his parish in Yakubiya after visiting relatives in Turkey, was set...
Pope visits Italian shrine
Pope Francis made a surprise visit to the Sanctuary of Greccio on January 4 and prayed at the site where St. Francis of Assisi set up a living Nativity scene in 1223 in order to foster devotion to...
German choir performs for Pope Emeritus
The youth choir of the cathedral in Eichstätt, Bavaria, performed at a special Christmas concert at the Vatican attended by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and his brother, Msgr. Georg...
Amid rising Catholic population, new cathedral planned in Norway
A new cathedral dedicated to St. Olav will be consecrated in Trondheim, Norway, in 2017, according to a report in La Croix. When the current cathedral was built in 1973, there were 500 Catholics...
In supporting refugees, bishops do not support open borders, says USCCB staff member
In a reflection for National Migration Week, the education outreach coordinator for the United State Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Migration & Refugee Services said that “the...
‘Global situation is disastrous,’ says Jerusalem patriarch
In his January 1 homily, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem said that “in the coming year, we will continue to pray for peace in our land, that Israelis and Palestinians lay aside the ways of...
Chaldean patriarchate welcomes liberation of Ramadi
In a message for the new year, the patriarchate of the Chaldean Catholic Church offered congratulations to Iraqi and Kurdish forces as well as to others involved in the liberation of the city of...
Following mayor’s assassination, Mexican bishop laments ‘river of innocent blood’
Gisela Mota Ocampo, the mayor of Temixco, Mexico, was assassinated on January 2, a day after assuming office. At her funeral Mass, Bishop Ramón Castro Castro of Cuernavaca condemned the...
Terrorist attack on Syrian city targets Christians
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack that targeted restaurants owned by Christians. The December 30 attack, which left 20 dead, took place in Al-Qamishli, a Syrian...
Nigerian cardinal suggests amnesty for corrupt officials-- if they return funds
Cardinal John Onaiyeken of Abuja, Nigeria has suggested that the country’s government should pardon officials who have been convicted on corruption charges, if they are willing to return their...
Debate in Belgium: do Church-related institutions have 'conscience clause' protection on euthanasia?
Archbishop Jozef De Kesel of Brussels is strongly resisting the argument that Catholic health-care institutions have no legal right to refuse involvement in euthanasia. Belgium’s euthanasia law...
'Vatileaks' defendant predicts guilty verdict, while insisting innocence
One of the “Vatileaks II” defendants has said that she expects to be convicted, despite her protestations of innocence. ”I am innocent but I will be found guilty,” predicts Francesca Immacolata...
No news on priest kidnapped in Syria for 2nd time
The head of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land reports that there has been no news about a priest who was kidnapped in Yakubiya, Syria. Father Dhiya Aziz had been captured by Islamic...
India: visa renewal denied for nun after 44 years of work with lepers
State government officials in India have declined to renew the visa of a Catholic nun who has spent 44 years working with the country’s lepers, the AsiaNews service reports. The state of...
'Advance man' for papal trips announces retirement
Alberto Gasbarri, who has acted as “advance man” for papal trips for more than a decade, has announced his plan to retire he approaches his 70th birthday. Gasbarri, an Italian layman, was appointed...
Number of early Jubilee pilgrims falling short of expectations in Rome
The number of pilgrims converging on Rome during the early days of the Jubilee Year of Mercy have fallen well short of the hordes that some Romans anticipated. Italian political leaders had...
Syro-Malankara eparchy established for US, Canada
Pope Francis has established a new eparchy—the equivalent of a diocese—for Syro-Malankara Catholics in the US and Canada. The Eparchy of St. Mary, Queen of Peace, will embrace all the geographical...
Egyptian group charges Copts support anti-Islamic ideology
Egypt’s Al Azhar Observatory has accused the Coptic Orthodox Church of broadcasting anti-Islamic programming, the Fides news service reports. The coverage of Islam on the al-Hayat channel tends to...
Pope Francis: ‘throw open’ your heart to Christ, abandon yourself to Mary
Reflecting on the Gospel reading for the Second Sunday after Christmas (Jn. 1:1-18), Pope Francis said during his January 3 Angelus address that “the Evangelist does not hide the dramatic...
Vatican-Palestinian agreement enters into force
The new agreement between the Holy See and Palestine entered into force on January 2, the Holy See Press Office announced. The agreement, announced in June, “regards essential aspects of...
‘Ocean of mercy’ overcomes ‘torrent of misery,’ Pope preaches on New Year’s Day
On January 1, Pope Francis celebrated morning Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, delivered an Angelus address, and celebrated an evening Mass at the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. The mystery...
Pope recalls evils, acts of love of 2015
In his last public act of 2015, Pope Francis presided at Vespers, the chanting of the Te Deum, and exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at St. Peter’s Basilica on the evening of...
Pope meets with young singers, speaks of inner battlefield
Pope Francis met with over 4,000 young singers in the Paul VI Audience Hall on December 31 and said in extemporaneous remarks that “Christian life is a journey, it is a joyful journey: sing,...
Pope's prayer intentions for January 2016
The Vatican has announced the prayer intentions of Pope Francis for January 2016. His universal intention is: "That sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce...
Background: papal message for January 1, the World Day of Peace
On January 1, the Church commemorates the 49th World Day of Peace. Pope Francis’s message for the day is entitled “Overcome Indifference and Win Peace.” In his message for...
Uruguay’s cardinal appeals for flexibility as nation implements new drunk-driving law
Appealing to “common sense,” Cardinal Daniel Sturla of Montevideo called for flexibility for priests as the nation implements a new law against drunk driving. Under the new law, the...
Syrian patriarch decries Obama administration policy in Middle East
The head of the Syriac Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See, told The National Catholic Register that “the Obama administration has done very little...
Franciscan priest abducted again in Syria
A Franciscan priest who escaped from capture in Syria in July was kidnapped on December 23, the order’s superior in the Holy Land said. Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custos of the...
Hilary Clinton: Islamic State’s killing of Christians should be labeled genocide
Distancing herself from Obama administration policy, presidential candidate and former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that she now believes that the Islamic State’s killing of...
Russian Orthodox leader expresses concern that Montenegro may join NATO
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church received Serbia’s justice minister in audience on December 28 and expressed concern that Montenegro—which became independent from Serbia in...
Russian prelate questions whether pan-Orthodox council will take place
Plans for a long-awaited council of all the world’s Orthodox leaders could be in jeopardy because of disagreements among the Orthodox churches, according to a leading representative of the...
Knights of Malta launch effort to help migrants in Aegean Sea
The Knights of Malta have announced a mission to help save migrants in the Aegean Sea. An estimated 1 million migrants crossed the Aegean to reach Europe in 2015. The vast majority landed in...
Boycott 2022 World Cup in Qatar, German cardinal suggests
A German cardinal has suggested a boycott of the 2022 World Cup soccer competition in Qatar, as a means of protesting that country’s treatment of migrants. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne...
Over 3 million saw Pope at Vatican events in 2015
Over 3 million people attended public appearances by Pope Francis in 2015, the Vatican has announced. On December 30, as the Holy Father held his final weekly public audience of the year, the...
22 mission workers died violently in 2015
In the course of the year 2015, 22 Catholic pastoral workers have been killed, the Fides news service reports. The victims of violence include thirteen priests, four women religious, and five lay...
Former Belgian primate discusses synod, success in fostering vocations
In an interview with a French Catholic weekly magazine, Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard reflected upon his five years as Primate of Belgium and Archbishop of Mechelen-Brussels. The...
Papal appeal for storm victims
Following his December 30 general audience, Pope Francis issued an appeal to pray for victims of recent severe storms. “I invite everyone to pray for the victims of the calamities which in...
Pope Francis: let us adore the Child Jesus and take him into our arms
Pope Francis devoted his December 30 general audience to the Child Jesus. “During this holy season it is customary in many places for each home to set up a Christmas crib, following a...
Repression of religion in China seen as worst since 1970s
Repression of religious-freedom rights in China is now higher than at any time since the death of Mao Zedong in 1976, according to a report published by the UCA News agency. In the eastern...
Church in Poland aided 2.9 million in 2015
Catholic parishes, religious congregations, and other institutions in Poland offered charitable assistance to 2.9 million people in 2015, according to L’Osservatore Romano. The nation has...
Philadelphia DA vows to keep priest in jail despite 2nd reversal of conviction
Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams has said that he will fight to keep Msgr. William Lynn in prison, even after an appeals court reversed the priest's conviction. Msgr. Lynn,...
Avoid entanglement in political elections, Manila cardinal tells priests
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has urged his priests not to offer Mass at political campaign events. National, provincial, and local legislative and executive elections, including the...
Death threats against bishops in Bangladesh
Two bishops in Bangladesh received death threats from radical Muslims in the days before Christmas, according to an AsiaNews report. In all, 37 Christian leaders have received death threats since...
China makes new 2-child policy official
Making official a change announced two months ago, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress has amended China’s brutal population control law to permit couples to have up...
Bishop appeals for calm in Corsica after attack on Muslim prayer room
Bishop Olivier de Germay of Ajaccio, Corsica, called for calm after a Christmas Eve attack on two firefighters and the subsequent vandalism of a Muslim prayer room on Christmas Day. On December...
Jerusalem patriarch devotes Christmas homily to mercy
Lamenting “many heartbreaking incidents around the world,” the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem preached on mercy during his Christmas homily in Bethlehem. “We are sad to say that...
Shake-up in Russian Orthodox hierarchy
A key public representative of the Russian Orthodox Church has been dismissed from his post after a clash with the Patriarch of Moscow over Church-state relations. Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin,...
Two men arrested for flying drone over Vatican
Two men have been arrested by police in Rome and charged with flying a drone over the Vatican. The air space above the Vatican was declared a no-fly zone during the Jubilee Year. Police said that...
African bishops: Christmas, Mohammed's birthday should spur interfaith dialogue
The Catholic bishops of Niger have said that the close convergence between Christmas and the Islamic celebration of Mohammed's birth should be a spur to inter-religious dialogue, the Fides news...
National Catholic Reporter honors gay couple as Persons of the Year
The National Catholic Reporter has named a homosexual couple as its “Persons of the Year” for 2015. The Reporter-- a weekly newspaper marked by its persistent dissent from Church teachings—confers...
Papal condolences following explosion at Nigerian plant
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has sent a message in Pope Francis’s name following a gas tank explosion at a plant in Nweni, Nigeria. “The Holy...
Pope laments ‘senseless killing’ by Islamist militants in Philippines
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has sent a message in Pope Francis’s name after the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a militant Islamist group, killed 10...
Papal message to Taizé youth meeting
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has sent a message on behalf of Pope Francis to the thousands of young people who are gathering in Valencia, Spain, for a meeting...
Papal appeal on behalf of Cuban migrants in Central America
Following the recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square on December 27, Pope Francis issued an appeals on behalf of an estimated 5,000 Cubans on the border of Costa Rica and...
Follow example of Holy Family, Pope says at Angelus address
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph offers “valuable guidance for life and lifestyle choices,” Pope Francis said during his December 27 Angelus address. “Our Lady and...
Family life is a pilgrimage, Pope says at jubilee of families
The readings for the Feast of the Holy Family emphasize family life as a pilgrimage, Pope Francis said during Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on December 27. During the extraordinary jubilee...
Pope Francis: follow St. Stephen’s example in forgiving others
The martyr St. Stephen, who forgave his killers as he was dying, offers Christians today a model of forgiveness, Pope Francis said in his Angelus address on December 26, the saint’s feast...
Cardinal Parolin pays tribute to Vatican diplomat in China
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, has written the foreword to a new book about Cardinal Celso Costantini (1876-1958), the Vatican’s first apostolic delegate to...
Pope Francis's Christmas Message Urbi et Orbi (To the City and the World): full text, video link
Dear brothers and sisters, Happy Christmas! Christ is born for us, let us rejoice in the day of our salvation! Let us open our hearts to receive the grace of this day, which is Christ himself. Jesus is the radiant “day” which has dawned on the horizon of humanity. A day of mercy, in which God our Father has revealed his great tenderness to the entire world. A day of light, which...
Pope Francis: Homily at Christmas Mass (with link to video of Mass)
Tonight “a great light” shines forth (Is 9:1); the light of Jesus’ birth shines all about us. How true and timely are the words of the prophet Isaiah which we have just heard: “You have brought abundant joy and great rejoicing” (9:2)! Our heart was already joyful in awaiting this moment; now that joy abounds and overflows, for the promise has been at last...
President Obama issues statement on persecuted Christians
Writing that he and his wife “hold especially close to our hearts and minds those who have been driven from their ancient homelands by unspeakable violence and persecution,” President...
Anglican leader issues ecumenical Christmas greeting
Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury issued an ecumenical Christmas greeting on December 24. “Amidst the terrors of Paris, of Bujumbura, of Iraq and Syria, and amidst the fear which we so...
‘We will not give in to injustice’: Iraqi, Syrian prelates issue Christmas letters
The head of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Melkite Greek Catholic archbishop of Syria’s largest city have issued Christmas letters. “The feast of the birth of Christ is one of...
Brunei, Somalia ban Christmas celebrations
In recent days, the governments of two predominantly Muslim nations have warned their citizens not to celebrate Christmas, according to a report published by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera broadcasting...
USCCB president decries failure to pass conscience-protection legislation
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued a statement lamenting the failure of Congress to pass the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA). The Hill reported...
