Catholic World News

An Argentine woman who divorced and then remarried outside the Church claimed that Pope Francis telephoned her and said she was permitted to receive Holy Communion, according to multiple media...

Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, the Honduran cardinal who is coordinator of Pope Francis’s Council of Cardinals, said in a recent talk that the Pope’s popularity is beginning “to awaken...

The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue has issued its annual message to Buddhists on the occasion of Vesakh (also known as Hanamatsuri), which commemorates Buddha’s birthday. “As...

Archbishop Timothy Costelloe of Perth has issued a letter on child sexual abuse in which he expressed “our horror and deep shame at what has happened.” On April 28, Australia’s Royal Commission...

Chinese Communist officials have denied waging a demolition campaign against churches in the eastern province of Zhejiang. A dozen churches have reportedly been slated for demolition, and...

A county in Oregon will no longer accept medical waste at an electric power plant after local officials learned the waste may contain aborted fetal tissue, according to an Associated Press wire...

A priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit and his parish manager have been indicted on charges of embezzling nearly $700,000 between 2004 and 2012. The Detroit News reported that Father Edward...

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has published a fact sheet entitled “Does the HHS mandate include abortifacients?” “One problem is confusion...

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the retired Archbishop of Washington, was part of a recent US State Department peace mission to the Central African Republic, according to a Washington Times...

A New Hampshire court has approved a plea-bargaining agreement that will require Msgr. Edward Arsenault to serve a 4-year prison term, and repay $288,000 to the Manchester diocese and a local...

In a deposition made public on April 23, Archbishop John Nienstedt said that he was not aware that priests accused of sexual abuse had remained in active ministry after he assumed control of the...

The leaders of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) “vigorously protest” the canonizations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II, Bishop Bernard Fellay has announced. The traditionalist prelate, who...

A new state law in Arizona allows for unannounced inspections of abortion clinics. The new legislation, signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer, makes abortion clinics subject to the same health...

In his April 23 general audience, Pope Francis reflected on the words spoken by the angels at Christ’s tomb: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Lk. 24:5) These words are “a milestone...

Defying the Code of Canon Law and a directive from diocesan officials, a parish priest in India is running for parliament. Father M. P. Jesuraj, a priest of the Diocese of Palayamkottai, has...

The head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church lamented recent bomb attacks on an Armenian Catholic school and a Melkite parish in Syria. “What is the point of all this carnage tantamount to a war...

A priest in the Central African Republic was murdered on Good Friday, according to a statement issued by Caritas, the Church’s federation of relief and development agencies. Father Christ Forman...

A Chicago priest who recently returned to active ministry is again under investigation. Father Michael O’Connell had been reinstated following archdiocesan and police investigations. Following...

The president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has written Prime Minister Stephen Harper about several domestic and international issues. Referring to the plight of Syrian refugees,...

The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue in the United States has released a document, “Ecclesiology and Moral Discernment: Seeking a Unified Moral Witness,” that acknowledges “how differently our two...

The new leader of the French bishops’ conference has warned his colleagues against “manipulating or being manipulated” in political controversies. Archbishop Georges Pontier of Marseille,...

The imposition of Islamic shari’a law in Brunei has been delayed “due to unavoidable circumstances,” the government of the sultanates has announced. The AsiaNews service reports that Sultan...

Pope Francis might make surprise visits to war zones, if he thinks that his presence could help to bring peace, suggests the Vatican’s Secretary of State. Cardinal Pietro Parolin is quoted in a...

The cardinal who once served as private secretary to Pope John XXIII told Vatican Radio that the canonization of his former boss is not a reason for nostalgia. Cardinal Loris Capovilla...

Pope John Paul II was never informed about the personal scandals surrounding the late Father Marcial Maciel, according to the postulator for the late Pontiff’s cause for canonization. For years,...

Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster has cautioned against “alarmist” rhetoric in the debate over immigration. “What I would appeal today is that the debate about immigration is done with a...

A federal district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Angela McCaskill, Gallaudet University’s former chief diversity officer, who was demoted after a colleague discovered she had signed a...

Cardinal Giuseppe Betori of Florence said in an interview that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has withdrawn its negative evaluation of the late Father Lorenzo Milani’s Pastoral...

The Irish political party Sinn Féin has apologized for misrepresenting a bishop’s position on abortion in its campaign literature. The party had claimed that Bishop John McAreavey of Dromore...

Archbishop Mario Zenari, the apostolic nuncio to Syria, has told Vatican Radio that people are starving in his neighborhood in Damascus. “This is something the international community cannot...

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association is sending a delegation to participate in the WorldPride 2014 Parade in Toronto—prompting criticism from Cardinal Thomas Collins. “I am always...

In his Easter Monday Regina Caeli address, Pope Francis asked the faithful to read the Gospel accounts of the Resurrection during Easter week. The “dominant sentiment” of the Gospel accounts, he...

"Christ is Risen! Come, brethren and children in the Lord, receive the light from the unwaning Light of the Phanar, the Holy Center of the Orthodox, and let us all together and jointly glorify...

"Beloved in Christ! Despite this year's trial and uncertainty, Easter - 'the day which the Lord hath made' (Ps. 117, 24) - is the time for us of unspeakable joy and hope," Major Archbishop...

"In this blessed Easter season, we extend to you all, our heartfelt prayerful wishes of Peace and joy as we renew our hope and confidence in the One who conquered death, overcoming the sin and...

"Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is truly risen! Alleluia," Archbishop Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, preached during his Easter homily. "It is with this immense joy that I...

"Dear Brothers and Sisters, a Happy and Holy Easter!" "The Church throughout the world echoes the angel’s message to the women: 'Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised… Come, see the place where he lay' (Mt 28:5-6)." "This is the culmination of the Gospel, it is the Good News par excellence: Jesus, who was...

"The Gospel of the resurrection of Jesus Christ begins with the journey of the women to the tomb at dawn on the day after the Sabbath," Pope Francis preached at the Mass of the Easter Vigil. "They go to the tomb to honor the body of the Lord, but they find it open and empty. A mighty angel says to them: 'Do not be afraid!' (Mt 28:5) and orders them to go and tell the disciples: 'He has been...

Pope Francis presided at the solemn Celebration of the Passion of the Lord at St. Peter's Basilica on Good Friday. As is customary, the preacher of the Papal Household, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preached the Good Friday homily. "In the divine-human history of the passion of Jesus, there are many minor stories about men and women who entered into the ray of its light or its shadow," he...

The Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has released the meditations for the Way of the Cross at which Pope Francis will preside. The Way of the Cross takes place on Good Friday evening in the Colosseum. The meditations on the 14 traditional stations were prepared by Archbishop Giancarlo Maria Bregantini of...

“We have heard what Jesus did at the Last Supper: it is a gesture of farewell,” Pope Francis preached during his extemporaneous homily during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a center for the disabled at Rome. “He is God, and He makes Himself a servant, our servant,” the Pope continued. “It is like an inheritance. You also must be servants of one another.” [click link below for full...

The Catholic bishops of the Philippines have argued strongly against the customs practiced by some zealous believers who scourge or even crucify themselves on Good Friday. Archbishop Socrates...

The gang-rape of a Catholic woman by Muslim youths in Bangladesh has provoked angry protests, and complaints that law-enforcement officials are not providing security for the Christian...

Pope Francis has appointed a Coptic Catholic priest, Father Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, to work as his 2nd personal secretary, Andrea Tornielli of La Stamp reports. Father Lahzi Gaid has been working in...

The city of Rome is “very ready” for the canonizations of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II later this month, Mayor Ignazio Marino has promised. The joint canonization ceremony on April 27 is...

The leader of the new Anglican ordinariate in England has admitted that the number of Anglicans entering the Catholic Church has fallen short of expectations. "We have to be honest and say that...

While in Rome for the canonization of Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II, Prime Minister Manuel Valls of France will bestow the nation’s highest honor upon Cardinal Roger Etchegaray,...

A bishop in the Central African Republic, along with three of his diocesan priests, was abducted on April 17 but then released, according to L’Osservatore Romano. Members of the Islamist Séléka...

Describing the situation in Iraq as “worrying,” the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church has issued his Easter message. “We are now in Holy Week, despite the worrying situation that are currently...

In an apparent attempt to gain Coptic Christian political support, the two leading Egyptian presidential candidates will attend the Easter vigil liturgy celebrated by Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros...

Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant leaders in Jerusalem have issued their annual joint Easter message. “When our Savior died on Good Friday it seemed to his disciples as if their world had come...

As previously announced, Pope Francis is celebrating the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at St. Mary of Providence Center, a rehabilitation center for the disabled operated by the Don Carlo...

Pope Francis reflected on priestly joy during his homily at the Mass of Chrism on Holy Thursday morning. During the Chrism Mass-- typically celebrated on Holy Thursday morning, sometimes celebrated on another day-- a bishop concelebrates Mass with his priests, blesses the oil of the sick and the oil of the catechumens, and consecrates chrism. “The Lord anointed us in Christ with the oil...

Having resolved questions about Vatican financial affairs, Pope Francis and his 8-member Council of Cardinals will now turn their attention to a restructuring of the Roman Curia, writes Andrea...

Iraq’s leading Catholic prelate has issued an Easter prayer for “an end to the suffering of our people.” Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako urged the faithful to keep their eyes fixed...

A priest who has served in the Archdiocese of Portland since 1998 has been arrested on charges of attempting to lure a 14-year-old girl into his car in Vancouver, where he maintains a second...

A Chicago priest has been restored to active ministry after an investigation concluded that abuse charges against him had been unfounded. Father Michael O’Connell was suspended from ministry last...

The man who shot and killed three people at Jewish community centers in Kansas City is likely to face hate-crime charges because of his animus against Jews, although all three victims were...

El Al, the Israeli national airline, will furnish a plane for the return flight after Pope Francis visits the Holy Land in May. The El Al plane, which will take the Holy Father from Tel Aviv to...

Cuba has declared Good Friday a national holiday, to be observed every year. After years of official atheism, Cuba recognized Good Friday as a holiday in 2012, in response to a special request...

India’s top court has ordered the federal government to grant privileged status to transgendered people, recognizing them as a third gender, the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN) service...

A self-proclaimed visionary who has attracted an internet following under the pseudonym “Maria Divine Mercy” has been firmly condemned by Archbishop Diamuid Martin of Dublin, Ireland. The Dublin...

In an Easter message to his people, Archbishop Charles Bo of Yangon, Myanmar speaks of the “excruciating pain” his country has suffered under military rule, and calls for national reconciliation to...

Pope Francis devoted his Wednesday general audience to Christ’s humiliation, beginning with his betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. In the Passion of Christ, we see “the divine response to...

An Austrian-born missionary bishop in Brazil recounted a recent conversation with Pope Francis on the ordination of married men to the priesthood. The bishop met with the Pope on April 4. “I told...

Local Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders joined Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles at an interfaith gathering on behalf of immigration reform. “These are human souls, not statistics,” the...

Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver led hundreds of people in prayer at the state capitol to protest the Reproductive Health Freedom Act. The Colorado Catholic Conference stated that the...

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, offered Mass at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere on April 15 for Christians who have recently died for their faith. “In various...

In an audience with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Pope Francis approved the publication of decrees on miracles attributed to the intercession of two...

One child was killed and 61 people injured when a missile struck a Catholic school in Damascus, Syria, on April 15, the Fides news service reports. The missile hit the Armenian Catholic school in...

The heavily Catholic island nation of Malta has allowed for legal recognition of same-sex unions, and adoption of children by homosexual couples. The new legislation, despite opposition from the...

The Irish government has published the Children First Bill, which requires professionals—including members of the clergy—to report any concerns about child abuse to appropriate law-enforcement...

Pope Francis will visit the Regina Caeli prison in Rome on April 16—the Wednesday of Holy Week—and distribute pocket-sized copies of the Gospels to inmates there. The Pope has recommended that...

The Vatican has acknowledged that it will make a report to the UN’s committee monitoring implementation of the Convention against Torture. Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican...

People all around the world are generally consistent in condemning extra-marital affairs as immoral, a new Pew Research study finds. But attitudes on contraception vary widely. In the 40...

A survey on marriage and family, distributed by the Vatican in preparation for the October meeting of the Synod of Bishops, was not intended for public release, according to a spokesman for the...

In a harsh 89-page letter addressed to “Francis, head of state of the Vatican City,” two Greek Orthodox prelates have denounced Catholicism as a heresy and urged the Pope to repentance. In their...

Reports that a woman was implanted with another couple’s twin embryos have caused fears among Italian couples seeking fertility treatment. Sandro Pertini Hospital in Rome, where the problem...

A leading Irish newspaper columnist has reported that he has trouble sleeping, has lost weight, fears for his safety, and may move out of Dublin because of harassment and threats he has suffered...

Pope Francis has sent a message of condolence to the victims of a fire that spread through Valparaiso, Chile, killing at least 12 people and driving 10,000 from their homes. In a message conveyed...

A Nigerian prelate has decried the increasingly destructive attacks committed by the Islamist terrorist organization Boko Haram. Boko Haram “continues to kill people like animals,” Archbishop...

A newly installed Scottish bishop has taken up residence in a parish house in a low-income housing area, rather than in the more opulent episcopal residence. “[Pope] Francis dreams, and so do I,...

Caritas Internationalis, the Church’s confederation of relief and development agencies, has issued an appeal on behalf of Senegal. “Recent poor harvests, climatic factors, natural disasters and a...

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, who holds a primacy of honor in Eastern Orthodoxy, issued a Palm Sunday message to civil and Church leaders in Ukraine. “The Holy Mother and Great Church of...

The head of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has welcomed the Syrian government’s victory over rebel forces in the historic Christian town of Ma'loula. Rebel forces seized the town in December...

In a television appearance, Venezuela’s leading prelate criticized socialism and denounced trends toward “Cubanization,” the Fides news agency reported. Referring to officials f the government of...

In remarks delivered at the annual White House Easter prayer breakfast, President Barack Obama reflected on his recent meeting with Pope Francis. After lamenting the murder of three people at a...

Warning of a humanitarian catastrophe, South Sudan’s Catholic and Protestant leaders urged the parties in the nation’s four-month-old conflict to stop fighting. “We called on the warring parties...

A special task force has reported “serious shortcomings” in the handling of sex-abuse complaints in the St. Paul-Minneapolis archdiocese. The Safe Environment and Ministerial Standards Task...