The Vatican hopes its help will enable young Russians and Ukrainians to enjoy a friendly encounter at World Youth Day (WYD) this week. Pope Francis will arrive in Lisbon, Portugal on Wednesday for the August 1-6 international WYD gathering. Delegations of young Russians and Ukrainians are expected to be there despite their countries being at Read more
Focusing on his own spiritual journey, Hemi Ropata SM says that despite the sexual abuse crisis, people are generally supportive of his exploring a priestly vocation. Addressing a gathering of Auckland Catholic Young Adults, Ropata shared that there is always a question that ‘kind of hangs in the air’, why do you want to join Read more
Small or basic church communities are back in vogue in Brazil, and Pope Francis is stepping in to revive them, cranking up young people’s support and interest. The once powerful Brazilian basic church communities have declined since the 1990s. Last week, 1,000 Brazilian basic church community leaders gathered to discuss Brazil’s most pressing issues, from Read more
Pope Francis has urged Catholics to reject “the temptation to divide the wheat from the weeds”, a metaphor for acting abruptly and even violently to bring about a “pure society” or even a “pure Church” that simply does not exist. “When we see ‘wheat’ and ‘weeds’ living side by side in the world, what should Read more
The question of women, ministry and leadership echoed loudly in parishes and bishops’ assemblies when Pope Francis called two years ago for a worldwide discussion among rank-and-file Catholics about the Church’s main challenges and issues. The question is resounding more loudly as the summit of bishops and lay Catholics known as the Synod on Synodality, Read more
Some pilgrims are facing visa difficulties which could shatter their dreams of being part of World Youth Day 2023. Often dubbed the “Olympics of the Catholic Church,” World Youth Day (WYD) is a massive gathering of young people from around the globe. This year’s event will be held next week in Lisbon, Portugal. For some Read more
A Vatican plan is underway to reunite Ukrainian children with their families, a senior Vatican official says. The Ukrainian children were taken to Russia during the war. The plan The Holy See’s plan to reunite the children followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s explicit request for its help, when he met Pope Francis at the Vatican Read more
Since he was elected in 2013, Pope Francis has been remaking the College of Cardinals in preparation for the next conclave that will elect his successor. He has made the college more international, less European, less curial, more pastoral and less ideological. Like every pope before him, Francis has been looking for men who reflect Read more
Earlier this month, Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Victor Manuel Fernandez as prefect of the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith. The archbishop, an Argentine, had been since 2018 the Archbishop of La Plata, and was before that the rector of Argentina’s Catholic University — a role to which he was appointed by then-Cardinal Jorge Read more
The appointment of Hong Kong’s Bishop Stephen Chow Sau-yan as a Cardinal a little over a year and a half after he began his Episcopal ministry in the city is yet another sign of Pope Francis’ devotion to Asia and to China in particular. It is also a sign of the Holy Father’s commitment to Read more