Vatican News

Archbishop Bruno Forte speaks to journalists at the presentation of the encyclical  “Dilexit Nos” on Oct. 24, 2024, at the Vatican.

Sacred Heart encyclical ‘key’ to Pope Francis’ pontificate, theologian says

Oct 24, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, presented Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”) at a press conference at the Vatican on... Read more

Father “Kike” Figaredo with one of the disabled children he helps in Cambodia.

‘The wheelchair bishop’: Father Kike Figaredo dedicates ministry to disabled in Cambodia

Oct 24, 2024

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

Father Kike Figaredo told ACI Prensa that people are not “disabled” but have “different abilities.” However, “they have special needs”... Read more

Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, on the set of EWTN News live from at the Synod on Synodality, Oct. 22, 2024.

Cardinal Czerny: Legacy of Synod on Synodality will be a ‘refreshed’ missionary Church

Oct 24, 2024

By Kristina Millare

“The central insight of Vatican II is that we are all enjoying equal dignity as Christians by our baptism,” Canadian... Read more

Pope Francis speaks at the general audience in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 23, 2024. An altar painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Francesco de Rhoden inside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome, Italy.

Sacred Heart shows path forward in AI era, Pope Francis says in new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’

Oct 24, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Pope Francis released “Dilexit Nos,” the first encyclical on the Sacred Heart in nearly 70 years, arguing Catholic devotion offers... Read more

Pope Francis waves to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’ Square as he arrives for his general audience on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit is ‘essential’ for unity in marriage

Oct 23, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

“What can the Holy Spirit have to do with marriage, for example? A great deal, perhaps the essential…” the pope... Read more

Bishop Dominique Rey (left), and Coadjutor Bishop François Touvet of Fréjus-Toulon, France.

French diocese to hold ordinations after two-year halt by Vatican

Oct 23, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

Ordinations were halted by the Vatican in June 2022 following a fraternal visit to the diocese by Archbishop (now Cardinal)... Read more

Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon, and Bishop Edouard Sinayobye of Rwanda talk with journalists at Synod on Synodality press briefings in October 2024.

African bishops speak: How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Church in Africa?

Oct 22, 2024

By Kristina Millare

How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Catholic Church in Africa? And, in turn, how has the Church in... Read more

“Rushing to ask for the ordination of deaconesses is not today the most important response to promote women,” Cardinal Víctor Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Oct. 21, 2024.

Fernández: Diaconate ‘is not today’ the answer for promoting women in Church leadership

Oct 21, 2024

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

Cardinal Víctor Fernández at a speech at the general congregation on Oct. 21 recalled that for the Holy Father the... Read more

Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 9, 2024.

Pope Francis to release new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ on the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Oct 21, 2024

By Courtney Mares

The encyclical, titled “Dilexit Nos,” meaning “he has loved us,” will be published on Oct. 24. Read more

Statuary sits before imagery of the recently canonized saints in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024

Pope Francis canonizes 14 new saints, including priests martyred in Syria

Oct 20, 2024

By Courtney Mares

In a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three 19th-century founders of religious orders and... Read more

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks during a press conference about a new Vatican document on human dignity on April 8, 2024.

Cardinal Fernández promises follow-up meeting after controversial absence

Oct 20, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has reportedly apologized for what he called a “misunderstanding” regarding his absence from an Oct. 18... Read more

The Catholic Church of the Saviour, also called Xishiku Church or Beitang, in Xicheng District, Beijing, China.

Synod, Zen, and Sinicization: Vatican’s China deal sparks tensions 

Oct 19, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Cardinal Joseph Zen and George Weigel voice sharp critiques of the Synod on Synodality. Read more

More than 30 students — most of whom were from the U.S. — from over 10 universities attended “The University Students in Dialogue with Synod Leaders,” an Oct. 18, 2024, event organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

Synod delegates urge young Catholics to learn how to listen to others in a polarized world

Oct 19, 2024

By Kristina Millare

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich drew attention to the upcoming Nov. 5 U.S. elections and stressed the importance of seeing the person... Read more

Delegates at the 2024 Synod on Synodality participate in roundtable meetings on Oct. 10, 2024, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican.

Here’s what’s happening during the last week of the Synod on Synodality

Oct 19, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

The focus going forward will be the writing and editing of the Synod on Synodality’s final document. Read more

Pope Francis meets with other delegates of the Synod on Synodality at a roundtable discussion in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Oct. 17, 2024.

Analysis: Is the Synod on Synodality’s focus on the local Churches a Trojan horse?

Oct 18, 2024

By Andrea Gagliarducci

One gets the impression that many Synod on Synodality participants view the subject of local Churches as a kind of... Read more

The Vatican held four different public conferences from Oct. 9 and 16, 2024, in Rome to explain the “theological undertone of the synodal process,” according to a conference moderator and expert at this month’s Synod on Synodality. 

Why did the Synod on Synodality hold extra theological meetings in 2024?

Oct 18, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

At the forums, speakers drew heavily on the Church’s dogmatic constitution from Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, in their defenses of... Read more

Elena Guerra, Marie-Léonie Paradis, and Giuseppe Allamano are among the Blesseds whom Pope Francis will canonize on Oct. 20, 2024. 

These are the 14 people who will be canonized saints this weekend

Oct 17, 2024

By Courtney Mares

The 14 soon-to-be saints each exemplified heroic virtue and witnessed to holiness within their unique vocations, including two married men. Read more

Cardinal Charles Bo speaks with journalists at a Synod on Synodality press briefing on Oct. 17, 2024.

Cardinal Bo: Bishops worldwide should implement ‘diocesan synods’ in home countries 

Oct 17, 2024

By Kristina Millare

Cardinal Charles Bo of the Archdiocese of Yangon, Myanmar, said diocesan synods are an effective means to “build a vision... Read more

Cardinal Leonardo Steiner is archbishop of Manaus, Brazil.

Cardinal from Amazon: ‘Many of our women are true deaconesses’

Oct 17, 2024

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

Cardinal Leonardo Steiner, the archbishop of Manaus in Brazil who is participating in the Synod on Synodality, said that “many... Read more

The Apollo Belvedere is displayed at the Pio-Clementine Museum on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Vatican Museums unveils ‘iconic statue’ Apollo Belvedere after years of restoration work

Oct 16, 2024

By Kristina Millare

“It gives us an insight into culture and also faith and history,” Father Terence Hogan said in an interview with... Read more