World News
Mexican priest killed in crossfire in north-central Mexico
Franciscan Father Juan Antonio Orozco, 33, was killed in a hail of gunfire on his way to celebrate Mass and provide sacraments in a rural Mexican village known for drug cartel conflicts.
Discussions with bishops on new synod process begins
After Pope Francis called for more lay involvement in synod planning, Vatican officials were meeting this week with national bishops' conferences and found "a lot of enthusiasm among the bishops we have heard."
Fighting in Myanmar drives thousands to take refuge in churches
Christian churches and convents have opened their doors to fleeing civilians regardless of religion as the military continues to fight local resistance forces in four states.
Embrace displaced people of Central America, pope urges
COVID-19 laid bare the problems of Central America, including the deterioration of social conditions, an unjust economic system and climate change, but also that people are valuable in God's eyes, Pope Francis said.
Vatican project aims to make digital space a place of encounter
The Vatican gathered 16 young communication specialists from around the world to address "how the church can and should be present online," and foster dialogue in the often-polarized digital space.
Pope denies German cardinal’s request to resign over abuse failures
Agreeing with Cardinal Reinhard Marx that Catholic leaders cannot adopt an "ostrich policy" in the face of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, Pope Francis said every bishop must begin reform with a "humble confession: we have sinned."
Caritas tells G7 leaders debt relief is key to global COVID-19 recovery
The world cannot recover from the health and economic crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle climate change without debt relief for the world's poorest countries, said the secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis.
Church must learn to listen to families, pope says
To reach out to families, the Catholic Church must listen to their concerns rather than doling out theoretical solutions to life's harsh realities, Pope Francis said. He added the church must reject "the idea that evangelization is reserved for a pastoral elite."
European Union bishops express caution about hate crimes legislation
While condemning hate crimes in Europe, Catholic leaders worried that new EU proposals could criminalize "the mere expression of an idea, at actions carried out by the church in exercising its magisterium and teaching activities."
Watchdog says Vatican must improve handling financial crime
Moneyval, the European financial security committee, said that while the Vatican has made progress in combatting financial crimes, its investigations into potential crimes committed by senior officials needs more fine-tuning.