High-ranking Catholics from across the globe have converged on the Vatican, where a landmark initiative is underway that will shape the future of the Catholic Church. Cardinals, bishops, priests and lay Catholics, both men and women, are meeting Oct. 4-29, 2023, as part of the Synod on Synodality: an effort Pope Francis launched in 2021 Read more
The first female president-delegate has presided at a Synod of Bishops assembly. Sister Maria de los Dolores Valencia Gomez (pictured) says her inclusion in the role at the Synod on Synodality shows the Church “has… something that places all of us at the same level”. Gomez led the Synod on Synodality assembly Friday morning in Read more
A well-worn jest about Ireland goes like this: A lost tourist in Limerick asks for directions to Dublin, and the convoluted directions leave the tourist utterly bewildered. Finally, the tourist gazes into the distance, resigned to the fact that reaching Dublin is impossible. At this point, the local utters the famous words, “Well, if I Read more
The Vatican is lobbying for nations to adopt the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The Convention aims to prohibit the use of such munitions, their production, transfer and stockpiling. “Any additional State Party to the Convention represents a renewed impulse to achieve universality, further ensuring that there will be fewer victims in the future and that 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
The Vatican and Vietnam are finalising a deal that will help improve their long strained relations. Sources say the new deal will allow the Holy See to have a resident representative in communist-run Vietnam. Both sources, a senior Vatican official and a Hanoi-based diplomat, say they think the deal’s formal announcement will take place later Read more
The Vatican is inviting New Zealanders to give public feedback to The Vatican’s Child Protection Commission on the Church safeguarding principles. Aimed at creating updated diocesan guidelines, the move opens up the consultation process, historically limited to bishops and church leaders, to a broader base of stakeholders. To collect the feedback, the commission has established Read more
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is understood to have accepted an invitation to visit New Zealand. He is the Pro-Prefect for the Section of Evangelisation of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, and is responsible for the appointment of New Zealand’s bishops. However the purpose of Tagle’s visit it to speak at the National Clergy Assembly, in October. Read more
A grey and drizzly Rome was under an intense security lockdown on Saturday as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to town for the day. The Italian government deployed some 1,500 security agents, stationed snipers on rooftops, and enforced a no-fly zone for the visit of the president whose country continues to fight the troops from Read more
When Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the Vatican last week, the Pope stole a march on him. Francis went to the door to greet him rather than wait for formal introductions. They spent 40 minutes speaking privately in their first face-to-face meeting since the war began. They discussed “the humanitarian and political situation in Read more