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News from the Vatican - News about the Church
In an address to authorities, religious leaders, and all people, the Bishop of Tombura Yambio County in South Sudan, Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, calls on people of all backgrounds to "revive the culture of respectful conversation, reconciliation, and unity."
At a European Parliament awards ceremony, Cardinal Pietro Parolin conveyed Pope Leo XIV’s call for renewed efforts to safeguard peace amid rising global tensions.
Kampala. The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) has called on Catholics nationwide to observe the Solemnity of the Uganda Martyrs on June 3 through prayer services and Masses in their local parishes and dioceses, following the government’s decision to postpone the national celebrations at Namugongo due to Ebola-related concerns.
Ahead of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Bishops of the United States will consecrate the country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Cardinal Sebastian Francis, Archbishop of Penang in Malaysia, speaks to Vatican News about the "vibrant" Church in the region, and warns against adopting a ‘minority complex’.
As he meets with Armenian Catholicos Aram I, Pope Leo XIV says Nerses Shnorhali, a 12th-century Catholicos of the Armenian Church, has been inserted in the Roman Martyrology, calling it an example of "ecumenism of the saints."
Dr Peter Meehan, President of St Jerome’s University in Ontario, Canada, speaks to Vatican News about the new Pope Francis Institute, which aims to keep the pastoral and intellectual legacy of the late Pope alive.
His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church – See of Cilicia, paid a visit to the Holy Father in the Vatican on Monday, marking the first official visit of the Catholicos to Pope Leo. In Pope Leo's address, he expressed his daily prayers for the people of Lebanon and his 'deep concern' for them and the Churches of the Middle East.
Pope Leo welcomes members of the Board of Governors of The Catholic Extension Society to the Vatican, thanking them for over a century of missionary service to poorer Catholic communities in the United States, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas, on preserving the human person in the age of artificial intelligence, will be released on May 25. A presentation event with the Pope and various speakers is scheduled for the same day at the Vatican.
Cardinal Mario Grech speaks to Vatican News at the 104th Katholikentag, a major gathering of German Catholics, saying that the Church in the country "gives me great confidence, great hope".
Hope has been reborn in Matabele, in southern Zimbabwe, a windy and dry land which stands in silence and whose inhabitants had lost hope when the HIV and AIDS pandemic reached its peak in Africa. Sr. Ludbirga Schumacher’s heart was touched by their plight and founded the Sketimpilo Centre, with many other religious sisters following in her footsteps.
Uganda has postponed the annual Martyrs’ Day commemorations, set for 3 June, due to Ebola concerns in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bruno Giussani, author of a book on artificial intelligence’s impact on our lives, reflects on Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the 60th World Day of Social Communications, “Preserving Human Voices and Faces.”
Pope Leo XIV prays that peace may prevail in all hearts, as the Church celebrates Laudato Si’ Week.
At the Regina Caeli on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the Lord's Ascension, noting that Christ’s entire life is a movement of ascent and that His humanity embraces and involves the whole world, elevating and redeeming us.
As the Church celebrates the 60th World Day of Social Communications, Pope Leo XIV encourages Catholics to help direct technological innovation toward the truth of the human person.
Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, Archbishop of Marseille and President of the French Bishops’ Conference, welcomes the announcement of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Journey to France on 25-28 September.
The Archdiocese of Seoul, host of World Youth Day 2027, says a unique 'Cross of Peace' is being created that will consist of barbed wire from the DMZ and featured as a powerful symbol of reconciliation between North and South Korea.
In a rescript signed by Cardinal Michael Czerny, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Leo XIV approves the creation of an Interdicasterial Commission on Artificial Intelligence.
Pope Leo XIV will make an Apostolic Journey to France on 25-28 September this year, marking the first official papal state visit to the country in 18 years.
Pope Leo XIV meets with employees and representatives of various Italian banks, and highlights the importance of keeping a human-centered approach, especially in an era of technological advancement and algorithmic systems.
Pope Leo XIV encourages young people of the Italian Archdiocese of Genoa to keep their enthusiasm and commitment to Christ after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
As the Church marks the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Fr. Luke Gregory, OFM, reflects on the theme: “The Promise of Eternal Glory in Jesus.”
Josefina Ramón Berna’s “Undivided Heart – Mission and Virginity in Carmen Hernández” is released in English and French. A release symbolically linked to May 8th, the day of the Supplication of Pompeii and the commemoration of the origins of the Neocatechumenal Way.
At the funeral Mass for Cardinal Paul Emil Tscherrig in St Peter’s Basilica on Friday, 15 May 2026, Pope Leo XIV reflects on the late Cardinal’s decades of diplomatic and pastoral service to the Holy See and upholds his witness of Christian hope.
The event, organised by the Dicastery for Communication in collaboration with the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the John XXIII Foundation, is set to take place on 21 May.
During their ad limina visit to the Vatican, Pakistan’s bishops shared the hopes and hardships of the Church in their country. Bishop Samson Shukardin speaks of challenges including discrimination, blasphemy accusations, and forced conversions, while expressing hope for equal rights and a stronger future for Christians in Pakistan.
The Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, describes the particularly intense Russian bombings of Ukraine on May 13–14, condemning attacks on humanitarian workers, which he said were "deliberately targeted so that the population does not receive aid."
As Gaza struggles with destruction, displacement and collapsing sanitation systems after the peace agreement, doctors are warning of a growing public health emergency linked to a massive rodent infestation.
Over the last few months, Chile has been facing wildfires, clashes between police and student protesters, and changes in government. In response, the Permanent Committee of the Bishops' Conference of Chile issue a statement calling for a new society built on hearts “formed in charity and solidarity.”
Pope Leo XIV spoke with Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II for the occasion of the Day of Coptic-Catholic Friendship and reaffirmed their shared responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and promote peace, and encouraged both Churches to continue their journey together toward full communion.
The Catholic Diocese of Wukari has expressed alarm amid a severe humanitarian crisis in southern Taraba State, Nigeria. Recent violence has claimed more than 100 lives, displaced over 98,000 residents, and destroyed 217 churches within the relatively new diocese. Church leaders report that the attacks, predominantly targeting Christian farming communities, persist despite repeated appeals for urgent government action. As insecurity worsens, the Diocese warns that entire communities are being era
In northern Argentina, the Diocesan Missionaries Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church are making the dream of a synodal and missionary Church a reality as they live among the region’s indigenous people, sharing in their culture, offering pastoral care, and coexisting with the challenges of their territory.
Pope Leo XIV meets with an OSCE-organized conference on combatting drugs and organized crime, and upholds the importance of the rule of law, crime prevention, and social support for those afflicted by the scourge of illicit drugs.
The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, reports that despite the ceasefire agreement, at least 59 children were reportedly killed or injured in Lebanon in the past week, drawing attention to the significant toll on children in the country.
Ahead of the 6th edition of the Zanzibar Cup, Italian pediatrician Stefano Conte speaks to Vatican News about the event he founded in Tanzania to promote youth sports, tourism, peace, and international fraternity in East Africa.
A group of Palestinian students from Gaza are in Rome and able to start rebuilding their future thanks to a joint initiative of the Sapienza University, the Diocese of Rome and the Community of Sant’Egidio. On the day of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the historic institution, they share their stories of war, displacement and hope.
An exhibition in Rome tells the story of the war on Gaza through the eyes of children with a selection of photographs, poetry and video installations. An immersive journey that reflects on past and present amid fragility, memory and the longing for a future.
On the first day of the ecumenical, global prayer movement, “Thy Kingdom Come”, Pope Leo sends a video message to participants, encouraging them in their mission of sharing the Gospel as it “is not something about which we can keep silent.”
Pope Leo XIV sends a message to the Turin International Book Fair, taking place this week in the northern Italian city, reiterating that literature must promote human dignity, peace and fraternity, and stressing that children, especially amid 'the horror of war' and 'chill of indifference,' offer the world hope.
Pope Leo XIV makes a special visit to Sapienza University of Rome, urging young people to reject resignation, become “artisans of true peace,” and warning against rising military spending and the dangers of artificial intelligence in war.
In a letter commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Bolivian Catholic University “San Pablo,” Pope Leo reminds the academic institution that truth finds its identity in the person of Jesus Christ, and reiterates that 'Veritas in Caritate' continues to serve as a criterion for academic and pastoral discernment.
In collaboration with the “Selfiestreet” digital platform, the Dicastery for Communication is set to broadcast official Vatican images and multimedia content on giant digital screens in prominent locations across Rome and Milan.
Following two years of service as representatives to the Holy See, a group of ambassadors receives one of the Vatican's highest diplomatic honours.
The Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan in Nigeria announces the release of Fr Nathaniel Asuwaye, who was abducted on 7 February 2026 from his parish residence in Kaduna State.
Amid gang violence, widespread poverty, and an unprecedented institutional and political crisis, Bishop Pierre-André Dumas of the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau-Miragoâne and vice president of the nation's Episcopal Conference, is calling on the international community to help the suffering people of the Caribbean nation.
Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín speaks to Vatican News about his first two months as Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.
The Catholic Diocese of Solwezi's Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS) recently concluded the training of 57 Holy Childhood animators, focusing on equipping them to nurture children's faith and wellbeing.
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, issues a new warning to the Society of St. Pius X against carrying out episcopal ordinations without a pontifical mandate, saying Pope Leo XIV continues to pray the Lefebvrians choose a different path.
Before the beginning of the General Audience, Pope Leo XIV stops and prays at the spot where his predecessor, St. John Paul II, was shot in 1981.
During his weekly General Audience, and on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima, Pope Leo XIV emphasizes how the Blessed Virgin Mary is the perfect model, member and mother of the Church.
In 2008, religious congregations established “Solidarity with South Sudan” as a joint effort in response to a plea from the Sudanese Bishops’ Conference. The goal was to tackle urgent educational, health, and pastoral challenges that emerged after many years of war. Their efforts gained momentum after an exploratory visit in 2006, laying the groundwork for tangible support. The question on everyone’s lips: How do you build in a place that had lost almost everything?
On May 14, the Pope will visit the Sapienza University of Rome. Students preparing to welcome him share their experience in the University Chapel — a place that has become like family, especially for those from outside Rome.
In Cape Verde for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations with the Holy See, Archbishop Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, delivers a speech in which he explores the working methods of papal diplomacy.
