World News
Focus on Christ to discover joy in serving others, pope tells religious
Keeping Jesus as one's "first and only love" helps consecrated men and women "to truly and mercifully love everyone we meet on our journey," Pope Francis wrote.
Cardinal Pell tells U.S. Catholics: ‘We rely on you’
In an interview for a U.S. conference, Australian Cardinal George Pell said smaller countries rely on the U.S. church for leadership of world Catholicism and Western civilization.
Teens hide in cellars: Official tells of conditions in eastern Ukraine
People dodge gunfire and mines while lacking water as the six-year conflict continues. A Catholic aid worker said conditions are deteriorating where 3.8 million people are in need.
Latin American church raises alarm on prisons as virus hot spots
Ignoring early warnings and pleas from prison ministry, countries across Latin America are seeing rising COVID-19 infections and deaths among inmates in overcrowded prisons.
After election in Belarus, Catholic leaders urge restraint, dialogue
Catholic leaders urged called for prayer in Belarus amid violent street clashes following an Aug. 9 presidential election that some charge was rigged.
Lebanese demand reform, Cabinet resigns after Beirut explosions
After last week's deadly explosions, grief-stricken and furious Lebanese took to the streets demanding their government's dismissal over inaction and incompetence.
When faith wobbles, cry out for God’s help, pope says
Everyone, including the pope, experiences trials that can shake his or her faith, but the key to survival is to call out to the Lord for help, Pope Francis said Aug. 9 at his Angelus address.
Church uses caution with claims of Marian apparitions
More than 1,500 visions of Mary have been reported around the world, but in the past century fewer than a dozen cases have been approved as being worthy of belief.
Mary foretold COVID-19 pandemic, alleged visionary claims
An Italian woman who claims to regularly experience supernatural visions said Mary told her in September 2019 that a new disease would soon emerge from China.
Vatican says baptisms that change wording are not valid
The formula "We baptize you," signifying the family at a baptism, renders it invalid and must be redone. Only "I baptize you..." is valid because it indicates the presence of Christ in the action of the minister.