Vatican News

Delegates to the Synod on Synodality meet in the final days of the synod, Oct. 25, 2023.

Synod on Synodality addresses the Church in letter to the people of God

Oct 25, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

“This is not about ideology but about an experience rooted in the apostolic tradition,” says the letter inviting the faithful... Read more

Pope Francis at the general audience at St. Peter's Square on Oct. 25, 2023.

Pope Francis: To evangelize, ‘faith must be inculturated’

Oct 25, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

At his weekly general audience, Pope Francis recounted the story of Sts. Cyril and Methodius as one of encounter with... Read more

Pope Francis arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Jan. 31, 2023. The streets of the pope’s five-mile drive from the N’Dolo Airport to the presidential residence were lined with thousands of locals who cheered and waved flags.

Vatican statistics: Africa had biggest increase in Catholics, while numbers fell in Europe

Oct 24, 2023

By Jonah McKeown

Catholics in the world numbered 1,375,852,000 people at the end of 2021, with an overall increase of 16.2 million compared... Read more

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Pope Francis accepts resignation of bishop from troubled Polish diocese

Oct 24, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of 59-year-old Polish Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak of the Diocese of Sosnowiec over poor management of... Read more

Australian theologian Father Ormond Rush addresses the General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 23, 2023, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

Theologian points to Vatican II’s ‘dynamic’ tradition in Synod on Synodality speech

Oct 23, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Tradition “was a major point of discussion at the Second Vatican Council,” Father Ormond Rush said Monday. Read more

Delegates meet at round tables during the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 10, 2023.

UPDATE: Synod on Synodality this week: Anticipating a ‘Letter to the People of God’

Oct 23, 2023

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The letter, expected to arrive Oct. 28, will serve as a compass, signaling the direction of a continuing synodal journey. Read more

Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Maung Bo celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.

Cardinal Bo: Synod on Synodality is ‘a long march of hope for all humanity’

Oct 23, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Myanmar’s Cardinal Charles Maung Bo described the Synod of Synodality as “a long march of hope for all humanity” during... Read more

A priest surveys the damage caused by ISIS at a Catholic Church in Karamles, Iraq.

Pope Francis criticizes West for trying to export ‘its own type of democracy’

Oct 23, 2023

By Daniel Payne

“Saddam Hussein was certainly not a little angel, on the contrary,” Francis said, “but Iraq was a fairly stable country.” Read more

Father Timothy Radcliffe told the Synod on Synodality delegates on Oct. 23, 2023, that the time before the 2024 assembly "will be probably the most fertile time of the whole synod, the time of germination."

Synod on Synodality’s ‘most fertile time’ will be between the assemblies, Radcliffe says

Oct 23, 2023

By Courtney Mares

“These 11 months will be like a pregnancy,” Father Timothy Radcliffe told the synod delegates. “We, my brothers and sisters,... Read more

Pope Francis meets President Joe Biden on Oct. 29, 2021.

UPDATE: Pope Francis and U.S. President Biden speak by phone, discuss Israel and Gaza

Oct 22, 2023

By Tina Dennelly

Pope Francis and U.S. President Joe Biden spoke by phone on Sunday afternoon, according to the Holy See Press Office. Read more

Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus message to about 20,000 faithful in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Oct. 22, 2023.

Pope Francis at Sunday Angelus: ‘We must not be slaves to any earthly power’

Oct 22, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

During Sunday’s Angelus, Pope Francis spoke to the faithful on the importance of the correct relationship between the Church and... Read more

Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck of Essen, Germany at the Synod on Synodality press briefing Oct. 21, 2023.

German bishop at Synod on Synodality: Church should not ignore ‘signs of the times’

Oct 21, 2023

By Jonathan Liedl

Bishop Franz Josef Overbeck cites Germany’s “post-secular” context amid Synod on Synodality’s discussions on “decentralization.” Read more

Archbishop Faustino Armendáriz of Durango, Mexico.

‘It’s a challenge to seek the will of God’ at Synod on Synodality, Mexican archbishop says

Oct 20, 2023

By Walter Sanchez Silva

The archbishop of Durango, Mexico, Faustino Armendáriz, commented that “it’s a challenge to seek the will of God” at the... Read more

Father Ivan Montelongo, age 30 (seated at left), of El Paso, Texas, is one of 11 U.S. delegates to the Synod on Synodality.

A day in the life of a U.S. delegate to the Synod on Synodality

Oct 20, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

“It’s intense but it’s good work,” Father Ivan Montelongo told CNA this week about his participation as one of 11... Read more

Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney spoke to EWTN on the occasion of the Synod on Synodality.

Archbishop: If a Synod proposal is at odds with the Gospel, ‘that’s not of the Holy Spirit’

Oct 20, 2023

By Courtney Mares

“We’ve got to be careful about blaming everything — all our opinions, our interests, lobbies, and factions — putting all... Read more

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At Vatican Observatory, astronomers reveal thousands of newly discovered galaxies

Oct 20, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The findings at the October conference “pave the road for a better understanding of the structure of the Milky Way... Read more

When the Nazis occupied Rome for nine months following the fall of Mussolini, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty created what came to be known as the "Rome Escape Line."

Irish president honors WWII hero Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty at the Vatican

Oct 20, 2023

By Courtney Mares

Ireland’s President Michael Higgins in a Vatican ceremony on Oct. 19 paid tribute to O’Flaherty, an Irish priest who hid... Read more

Pope Francis prayed for migrants and refugees with the delegates of the Synod on Synodality at St. Peter's Square on Thursday evening, Oct. 19, 2023.

PHOTOS: Pope Francis leads prayer for migrants during Synod on Synodality

Oct 20, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

The simple, 25-minute prayer service took place in a quiet St. Peter’s Square in front of Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz’s... Read more

Synod on Synodality spokesman Paolo Ruffini speaks to the media during a press briefing at the Vatican on Oct. 18, 2023.

Synod on Synodality: LGBT issues, female diaconate discussed in emotional third week

Oct 20, 2023

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The process has been driven by what the Synod on Synodality calls “active listening and speaking from the heart.” Read more

Pope Francis meets with World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder at the Vatican on Oct. 19, 2023.

World Jewish Congress leader asks pope to use ‘moral authority’ to help Israeli hostages

Oct 19, 2023

By Daniel Payne

In his meeting with the pope, Ronald Lauder urged the pontiff “to use your power, to use your strength, to... Read more