VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV welcomed Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla to the Vatican for a unique visit combining ceremonial flourishes and a historic moment of prayer in the Sistine Chapel. According to Buckingham Palace, it was the first time since the Reformation in the early 16th century that the pope…
WASHINGTON – The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2025 Fall Plenary Assembly, November 10-13. Public sessions of the plenary on November 11 and 12 will be livestreamed. Throughout the meeting, the bishops will have opportunities to spend time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another. The plenary will…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The joy of Christ’s resurrection can repair the widespread sadness and malaise in today’s world, Pope Leo XIV said. “On the paths of the heart, the Risen One walks with us and for us,” the pope said Oct. 22 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “It is the…
WASHINGTON – On October 27, the United States observes International Religious Freedom Day to commemorate the signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. “Let us stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who are suffering, and let us resolve to do our part to promote religious freedom for all people around the…
ROME (CNS) — Religious freedom is not only a fundamental and essential human right, “it is also a pathway to truth and deeper communion with God and neighbor,” said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. However, religious freedom is severely restricted in 62 of the world’s 196 countries, affecting around 5.4 billion people; “in…
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV met with a coalition of survivors of abuse and victims’ advocates for the first time at the Vatican Oct. 20. Members of the board of Ending Clergy Abuse met with the pope for about an hour in a closed-door meeting that was later confirmed by the Vatican. “This…