World News
Peace prayers offered on centennial of statue’s return to Israel monastery
Israel's second largest annual Christian gathering became a vehicle to pray for peace as tensions between Israel and Palestinians living in Gaza intensified.
Honoring St. John XXIII, pope and Bulgarians give witness for peace
The gathering -- featuring children representing the Catholics, Bulgarian Orthodox, members of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Jewish community and the Muslim community -- was held under rainy skies at Nezavisimost, or Independence, Square.
After offering instruction, pope gives first Communion to 245 children
UPDATED - While only about 1 percent of Bulgaria's population is Catholic, in Rakovski the vast majority of the city's 27,000 people are Catholic.
Roses and the cross: Pope meets refugees in Bulgaria
UPDATED - The country, one of the poorest in the European Union by any measure, was literally overwhelmed with refugees and migrants from Syria, Iraq and other countries in 2015-16 when there was a crackdown on the Mediterranean Sea route to Western Europe.
Christians’ first mission is to witness that God is love, pope says
God is love, but too many Christians live their faith in a way that undermines any attempt to communicate that essential fact to others, Pope Francis said.
Catholics, Orthodox must work to heal divisions, pope says
On the day Bulgarian Orthodox celebrate as "St. Thomas Sunday" and read the Gospel about the apostle asking to touch the wounds of the risen Lord, Pope Francis said the divisions within Christianity are "painful lacerations on the body of Christ, which is the church."
Churches in Sri Lanka closed for second week in fear of new attacks
Catholic leaders canceled Sunday Masses as Sri Lanka’s churches remained closed for a second week for fear of new terrorist attacks after the Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed more than 250 people.
Pope to Bulgarians: Treasure identity as crossroads of cultures
Pope Francis asked Bulgarians to be welcoming of and sympathetic to the migrants and refugees who arrive in their country hoping to get to Western Europe.
Pope sends condolences to Sri Lanka’s Christians in wake of bombings
In the wake of deadly Easter terrorist attacks on Sri Lanka churches and other sites, Pope Francis condemned the brutal killings and called on all Sri Lankans to strengthen efforts to foster peace and justice.
Pope invites Ukrainian Catholic Church leaders to Vatican
The pope's desire for the meeting, set for July 5-6, is "a sign of his closeness to the Ukrainian Catholic Church" in Ukraine and other parts of the world, the Vatican press office said in a communique May 4.