Vatican News
Pope assures victims of Taiwan quake of solidarity and closeness
Following the 7.4 magnitude quake that hit Hualien City, Taiwan, on Wednesday, Pope Francis sends a telegram of condolences to the president of the Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference of Taiwan.
UN: ‘Alarming’ rise in civilian deaths from landmines
A new study suggests that civilian casualties from landmines almost tripled between 2022 and 2023. Recently, Pope Francis warned that mines “continue to strike innocent civilians, particularly children.”
Pope Francis: A priest's primary obligation is to keep love alive
Speaking with members of the Pontifical Latin-American, Brazilian, and Mexican Colleges, Pope Francis reflects on love, calling it “a central theme in the life of priests.”
Pope: Interreligious dialogue fosters peace and respect for diversity
Pope Francis encourages people of all religions to promote diversity, peace, and care of creation, as he meets with participants in the first Colloquium between the Holy See and the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
WCC condemns killing of seven WCK aid workers in Gaza
The World Council of Churches general secretary joins in strongly condemning the killing of seven aid workers from the World Central Kitchen bringing desperately needed food to Gaza.
Catholic leaders in Syria fear more suffering for their people amid Gaza conflict tensions
The Apostolic Vicar of Aleppo and the Maronite Archbishop of Damascus voice concern for a possible escalation of conflict in the Middle East and express gratitude for Pope Francis’ words recalling the continuing suffering of Syrians in his Easter "Urbi et Orbi" message.
Nine killed and over 900 injured by earthquake in Taiwan
The strongest earthquake in 25 years rocks Taiwan during the morning rush hour Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring nearly 1,000.
Ukraine's president meets Christian leaders
Volodomyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, meets with Bishops of the country’s Latin-Rite Catholic churches and with representatives of Ukrainian Protestant communities.
Nicaragua: 11 evangelical pastors sentenced
Judges have sentenced the Protestant ministers to more than a decade in prison, as part of a continuing crackdown on the church in the country.
Haiti: Religious seminary stormed by armed gangs
The Haitian Conference of Religious decry their country’s chaotic situation, after gangs stormed the Petit Séminaire Collège St. Martial, a seminary run by the Fathers of the Holy Spirit.
Holy See: 'Nuclear deterrence is an illusion'
Addressing the UN Disarmament Commission in New York, the Vatican Permanent Observer to the United Nations reaffirms that the logic of deterrence is illusionary and calls for the adoption of a binding international treaty to regulate artificial intelligence modelled on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
South Africa: Limpopo bus tragedy - “One human life lost is one too many,” says Bishop Sipuka
The loss of one human life “is one too many,’ says the President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC) and Bishop of Umtata Dicose, following the horrific crash on the R518 Mmamatlakala Pass in Limpopo that claimed the lives of 45 people on Holy Thursday.
Telling Our Resurrection Stories: Victory over pain, tears and death
The Christian celebration of Christ’s resurrection from the dead at Easter is for us a victory beyond human imagination. Jesus, the Son of God and rejected Messiah, had suffered the humiliation, pain and shame of the crucifixion and death on the cross. On the third day he rose from death as a sign of God’s power and triumph of evil, darkness and death.
Pope Francis remembers young Oleksandr, slain Ukrainian soldier
The Holy Father remembers at his weekly General Audience, 23-year-old Oleksandr, a Ukrainian soldier, with his whole life ahead of him, who was killed in the war, as Pope Francis revealed he was holding the late soldier's rosary and Gospel in his hands.
Pope appeals for ceasefire in Gaza
Pope Francis makes his latest vehement plea for a ceasefire in Gaza, and appeals, once again, for "working tirelessly" for an end to the war, especially for the "suffering and exhausted civilian population," during his Wednesday General Audience in the Vatican.
Pope at Audience: The righteous and upright will find life and honour
During his Wednesday General Audience, Pope Francis examines the second cardinal virtue of justice, noting that being righteous leads us toward God, and that justice is fundamental for peaceful coexistence in society.
Easter under the bombs in Zaporizhzhia
We speak to the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Visvaldas Kulbokas, who spent Easter in Ukraine under heavy Russian bombardment.
Pope's April prayer intention: 'for the role of women'
Pope Francis releases his prayer intention for the month of April 2024, and invites everyone to pray for the role of women.
Probe underway into deadly Israeli attack on foreign aid workers
The Israeli military says it is conducting a thorough review into an airstrike in Gaza that resulted in what it called "the tragic death of seven aid workers for World Central Kitchen."
Pope Francis remembers Benedict XVI in new book: 'He was like a father to me'
In a new book interview, Pope Francis discusses his relationship with his predecessor Benedict XVI: 'He always defended me, he never interfered'.
