The Vatican this week called for an “urgent” delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. “Recent developments coming from Syria seem to reinforce the feeling of helplessness in front of an endless human tragedy,” said Monsignor Richard Gyhra, chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations. Gyhra Read more
A former Vatican official who had sat on a top level papal commission overhauling the Holy See’s finances admitted giving confidential financial documents to journalists. “Yes, I passed documents. I did it spontaneously, probably not fully lucid,” said Monsignor Angelo Lucio Vallejo Balda during a Vatican City trial on Monday. “I was convinced I was Read more
French victims of abuse by Bernard Preynat, a priest accused of pedophilia, sent a letter to Pope Francis on Monday to request for a private audience. “We wish, Holy Father, that you can be a guiding light in our night and that you take the time to get to know us,” read the letter, sent Read more
A US grand jury report released this week indicted three Franciscan friars for alleged mishandling of members of the order who were accused of child sexual abuse dating back to the 1960s. Charged for endangering the welfare of children and criminal conspiracy were Giles A. Schinelli, 73, Robert J. D’Aversa, 69, and Anthony M. Criscitelli, Read more
A Latino priest, who was once described as “the father of US Latino religious thought,” was found dead at his home in San Antonio, Texas, on Monday night. He was 80 years old. Medical examiners said Father Virgilio Elizondo, a professor at the University of Notre Dame, died due to a gunshot wound to the Read more
In a powerful symbolic gesture that is sure to resonate across the globe from Europe to the United States and Australia, Pope Francis will wash the feet of 12 refugees on Holy Thursday in Rome. He will do so on March 24, at a center that assists migrants in the city. The Vatican has not Read more
Pope Francis on Tuesday said Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata will become a saint on Sept. 4. Affectionately known as the “saint of the gutter” for her unconditional love for the poor, abandoned and marginalized, Mother Teresa earned several international honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She was beatified in 2003 by Read more
At least 25 Catholic groups joined nongovernmental organizations in condemning the murder of Honduran environmental activist Berta Caceres, calling for a change in U.S. policy toward assistance in the region. In an open letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the organizations demanded a proper investigation into a crime that has captured international attention Read more
Pope Francis marked his third day as pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church by distributing 40,000 copies of the Gospel of Luke in St. Peter’s Square. During his weekly blessing on Sunday, Pope Francis reinforced his message of mercy by telling the faithful about the Biblical story of the adulterous woman whom Jesus refused to Read more
Pope Francis announced through a video message on Sunday, March 13, the winner of the Global Teacher Prize, a US$1 million award presented by the Varkey Foundation. “I would like to congratulate the teacher Hanan al-Hroub for winning this prestigious prize due to the importance that she gave to the ‘playing’ part in the education Read more