Vatican News – St. Anastasia Catholic Church

The Ecological damage is grave – Ghana Bishops sound alarm on illegal mining

The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has issued a searing indictment of the country’s ecological destruction caused by illegal mining, calling for immediate and systemic intervention to halt what they describe… Read More

Russia launches heaviest attack on Kyiv in years

Authorities in Ukraine say Russia has launched a large-scale drone and missile strike on Kyiv, injuring 15 people. It is seen as one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian… Read More

Tenth anniversary of Laudato si

On 24 May 2015, the Pope published his social encyclical on the theme of integral ecology, as a new paradigm of justice. “Laudato sì,” with its title taken from the… Read More

Holy See opposes rearmament, calls for respect of humanitarian law

Our Editorial Director reflects on the Holy See’s intervention at the UN, drawing on the words of Pope Leo XIV, noting that concrete steps are urgently needed to protect civilians… Read More

Gazan Christian’s hope that nightmare of war may soon end

As Hilda Joseph Ayyad, a parishioner taking refuge at the Holy Family Catholic Parish in Gaza, celebrates her 20th birthday, she shares the weight of war and her spark of… Read More

Pope: ‘Faith and prayer are like salt which gives flavour’

Pope Leo XIV gives a warm welcome to Vatican employees and their families, and reminds that ‘faith and prayer are like salt which gives flavour,’ and that by regularly turning… Read More

Laudato si’: Pope Francis’ ecological legacy lives on in Malaysia

Inspired by the late Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, which came out ten years ago, the Catholic Church in Malaysia is converting used cooking oil into biofuels, planting trees, cutting… Read More

Lord’s Day Reflection: Don’t be afraid

As the Church celebrates the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Jenny Kraska reflects on the theme, “Don’t be afraid – even if you’re getting married, ordained, or elected pope.” Read all… Read More

Apostolic Nuncio to EU: We need peace and the transmission of faith

In an interview with Vatican Media, the Apostolic Nuncio to the European Union, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, discusses emphasis placed on working toward just peace in Ukraine during encounter with Pope… Read More

Large-scale Ukraine-Russia prisoner swap underway

Officials say Russia and Ukraine have begun one of the largest prisoner exchanges since the outbreak of the war, after their first direct talks in more than three years. Read… Read More

Pilgrims already arriving at the Uganda Martyrs Shrine in Namugongo

As the annual Uganda Martyrs Day celebrations at the Catholic Shrine of Namugongo approaches on June 3rd, preparations are well underway. Pilgrims from various regions across the country are walking… Read More

Vatican conference highlights importance of ending inequality in cancer care

Professor Joachim von Braun, President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, urges united action from science, policymakers, and the Church in order to tackle global inequalities in cancer care. Read… Read More

‘It was really a gift to have this audience with Pope Leo’

COMECE Secretary General, Fr. Manuel Enrique Barrios Prieto, tells Vatican News that their meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the beginning of the pontificate was unexpected, and a gift, in… Read More

Cardinal Grech urges religious men to be ‘engines of hope’ for synodal Church

Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops, urges religious men to draw inspiration from the Church’s desire for synodality, as he meets with members of the Union… Read More

News from the Orient – May 22, 2025

In this week’s News from the Orient, produced in collaboration with L’Œuvre d’Orient: 1700th anniversary of Council of Nicaea, Eastern Churches welcome Pope Leo XIV, and Monsignor Gollnisch honoured in… Read More

Three new Venerables: two missionaries in Ecuador and one Indian bishop

Pope Leo XIV authorizes the promulgation of various decrees for three Servants of God: Colombian Sister Agnese Arango Velásquez, Indian Bishop Matthew Makil, and Spanish Bishop Alessandro Labaka Ugarte. Read… Read More

Congolese layperson Floribert Bwana Chui to be beatified in Rome on 15 June 2025

“Recognised as a martyr of honesty and moral integrity,” Floribert Bwana Chui Bin Kositi will be beatified on Sunday, 15 June 2025, in Rome, at the Basilica of Saint Paul… Read More

What is happening to the children of Haiti?

As gang violence spirals in Haiti, children are being pulled from classrooms and into chaos. Confiance Haiti is on the frontline, offering education, safety, and hope where the world has… Read More

Pope Leo: ‘Christ is our Saviour, and in Him, we are one family’

Pope Leo praises the important global efforts of the Pontifical Mission Societies, marveling that they are “effectively the ‘primary means’ of awakening missionary responsibility among all the baptized and supporting… Read More

Sr Tiziana Merletti appointed Secretary of Dicastery for Consecrated Life

Pope Leo’s first curial nomination is a religious sister, Tiziana Merletti, who has been appointed Secretary of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life. Read all Read More

The voice of laymen at FABC General Conference

Among those participating in the FABC General Conference in Bangkok are laymen who have been invited as guests. They too come from all over Asia. Their presence makes the People… Read More

Pope to Pontifical Institute ‘JP II’: family is not ideology

Addressing the Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for Marriage and the Family Sciences, Pope Francis highlights the need for the Church as well as the State “to listen and… Read More

Church prays for end to drought, hunger and insecurity in Kenya.

Kenya’s Catholic Bishops over the weekend led prayers for an end to drought, hunger, and insecurity facing parts of the country. This was at the ordination of the new Bishop… Read More

Pope meets French President Emmanuel Macron

Pope Francis meets with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, for their third private audience in the Vatican, and discusses the desire to promote peace in a world overtaken by… Read More

Calls for renewed hope and conviction on UN Day

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, reiterates a call for renewed hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve through solidarity, as the United Nations marks the 77th anniversary since its foundation… Read More

The heroic sacrifice of the Discalced Carmelites of Compiègne

In November 1792, a small group of Discalced Carmelite nuns of Compiègne began reciting a prayer every day, offering themselves for the salvation of France. Their prayer was answered. Read… Read More

US records sharp uptick in migration inflows

The United States says record numbers of migrants have sought to cross the border in the year to September, as economic conditions in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba push would-be migrants… Read More

Humanitarian crisis spreads in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray state

Violence continues in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray state, where aid agencies say around a million people face famine. Read all Read More

G7 condemns Russia’s kidnapping of nuclear plant leadership

The Group of Seven (G7) of the world’s leading economies has condemned Russia’s alleged kidnapping of the leadership of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Their concern comes as Ukraine suffers… Read More

Pope calls for prayers for Ukraine, recalls World Mission Day

Speaking after the Angelus, Pope Francis recalls that today is World Mission Day, and he encourages us to support missionaries with prayer and concrete solidarity. He also invites us to… Read More

Pope prays for peace in Ethiopia, victims of flooding in Africa

At the Angelus on Sunday, Pope Francis appeals to political leaders to find solutions for lasting peace in Tigray, and prays for victims of floods affecting various countries in Africa.… Read More

Pope Francis registers for the next World Youth Day in Lisbon

Assisted by young Portuguese university students presenting a tablet for him, Pope Francis at the Angleus on Sunday registers for the forthcoming World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugual, August 2023.… Read More

Pope at Angelus: Be humble so that God may raise you up

In his reflections on the Sunday Gospel, Pope Francis underscores the importance of seeing and acknowledging our own weaknesses and the need to develop a humility of heart so that… Read More

Russian authorities order civilians to flee Ukraine region

Russian occupation authorities in a key Ukrainian city have ordered civilians to leave immediately as Ukraine’s counter-offensive against the Russian invasion of the country intensifies. The order came as Ukrainian… Read More

UN demands end to violence in Haiti

The UN Security Council is calling for an immediate end to violence in Haiti and is inflicting punitive sanctions against a notorious street gang leader. Read all Read More

Benedict XVI: Vatican II was both meaningful and necessary

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI sends a letter to an international symposium on “The Ecclesiology of Joseph Ratzinger” held at the US Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and upholds the importance… Read More

Caritas and Holy See at UNESCO to hold conference on women in leadership

Caritas Internationalis, in partnership with the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to UNESCO, will hold a conference from 27-28 October on “The Full Face of Humanity: Women in… Read More

Pope: Bear witness on peripheries like Fr. Puglisi and St. Francis

Pope Francis meets with 250 members of Italy’s “Frontier Community”, and underscores the importance of living the Gospel and focusing on the Risen Christ in their outreach to disadvantaged youth,… Read More

Pope urges religious sisters to put relationship with Christ first

Pope Francis encourages Bridgettine and Comboni religious sisters to put Jesus first, to turn to Him constantly in Eucharistic Adoration, and to learn from the beautiful personal prayer of Pope… Read More

Parolin: ‘An Agreement on aspects essential to daily life of Church in China’

Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin grants an interview to discuss the two-year renewal of the Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China. Read all… Read More