World News
In Palm Sunday procession, joyful Iraqi Catholics called ‘heroes’
In places destroyed by the Islamic State, Syriac Catholics and their leader joined in a public procession 20,000-strong through the streets of Qaraqosh, Iraq on Palm Sunday.
Jesus takes on human suffering to draw close to us, pope says
More amazing than the fact that Jesus "achieves glory through humiliation," said Pope Francis on Palm Sunday, is that he endures pain "for us, to plumb the depths of our human experience, all our evil."
Suicide bombing disrupts Palm Sunday at Indonesian cathedral
A suicide bomb attack at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral shattered the calm of Palm Sunday Mass, leaving two bombers dead and at least 20 people wounded.
After Bloody Saturday, Myanmar Catholics pray for peace amid tears
While Catholics in Myanmar observed Palm Sunday, many in the Buddhist-majority country were crying at the funerals of at least 114 people killed by security forces the previous day.
More needed to combat financial crime at Vatican, pope says
Signaling further reforms of the Vatican City State especially for financial crimes, Pope Francis said the laws must do away with historic "privileges" that are not in keeping with "building up the church."
Vienna cardinal ‘not happy’ with Vatican same-sex statement
Austria's Cardinal Christoph Schönborn has said he cannot deny same-sex couples a blessing if they request one. Other Austrian and German bishops shared his concerns over such blessings.
Pope names Salesian sister for key Vatican post
Sister Alessandra Smerilli, 46, an economist, is the new undersecretary for faith and development at the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Pope names Chilean abuse survivor to Protection of Minors post
Juan Carlos Cruz, a survivor of sexual abuse by a notorious Chilean priest, has been named a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Dante a ‘prophet of hope’ for the world, pope says
On the 700th anniversary of the death of famed Italian poet Dante Alighieri, his work remains a lasting treasure that embodies the virtue of hope so desperately needed in today's world, Pope Francis said.
Life on earth depends on healthy oceans, Vatican panelists say
Scientific knowledge and contemplative spirituality are important to get people to change their behavior and take responsibility for pollution, overfishing and mineral extraction of the oceans and their role in regulating the earth's climate.