Vatican News

Pope Francis leads an ecumenical second vespers at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome on the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Jan. 25, 2024.

Christian unity must be rooted in prayer, pope says at ecumenical vespers

Jan 25, 2024

By Peter Pinedo

Marking the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis hosted an ecumenical vespers at Rome’s Basilica... Read more

Cardinal Joseph Zen preaches a sermon during a Mass at the Holy Cross Church on May 24, 2022, in Hong Kong, China.

Cardinal Zen: Fiducia Supplicans ‘creates confusion’; suggests Fernández should resign

Jan 25, 2024

By Edward Pentin

In a statement published Jan. 23 on his blog, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun said the declaration contains numerous passages in... Read more

Sculpture of St. Peter outside of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Vatican appeals court sentences priest to prison for sexual abuse of teen

Jan 24, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

Father Gabriele Martinelli was accused of forcing the former altar server, identified as L.G., to have sexual relations with him... Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: Avarice is a ‘sickness of the heart, not of the wallet’

Jan 24, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

In his Wednesday general audience, Pope Francis said the preoccupation with the accumulation of material goods reflects a greater “pathological... Read more

Young people greet Pope Francis as he arrives at the World Youth Day welcoming ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 3, 2023.

Pope Francis recalls ‘the primary reason’ for the new edition of YouCat

Jan 23, 2024

By Andrés Henríquez

The full text was published yesterday by the Italian newspaper La Stampa and is titled “The Password for Joy.” Read more

Pope Francis receives an ecumenical delegation from Finland on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, on the second day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Finland: a laboratory of ecumenism and Christian unity 

Jan 22, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

Finland is a traditionally Lutheran country, but in many ways it retains unique links with the Catholic tradition that has... Read more

Pope Francis meets with the journalists who cover the Vatican in the Apostolic Palace on Jan. 22, 2024.

Pope Francis thanks Vatican journalists for reporting on scandals in the Church

Jan 22, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Journalists accredited to the Holy See Press Office met the pope in a private audience at the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace... Read more

Pope Francis presides over Mass for the Sunday of the Word of God in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 21, 2024.

Pope Francis calls for release of 6 religious sisters taken hostage in Haiti

Jan 21, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Armed gunmen took the religious sisters hostage in Port-au-Prince on Friday during a bus hijacking. Read more

Pope Francis  announced the start of a Year of Prayer in his Angelus address from the window of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace on Jan. 21, 2024.

Pope Francis announces Year of Prayer to prepare for 2025 Jubilee

Jan 21, 2024

By Courtney Mares

In his Angelus address, the pope said that a Year of Prayer starting Jan. 21 will be “a year dedicated... Read more

Pope Francis presides over Mass for the Sunday of the Word of God in St. Peter’s Basilica on Jan. 21, 2024.

Pope Francis: Return to God’s word rather than social media’s ‘violence of words’

Jan 21, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Speaking of the “immense power” that the word of God can unleash in people’s lives, Pope Francis encouraged us to... Read more

Pope Francis blesses a mosaic of St. Charbel after his general audience Nov. 15, 2023, in St. Peter’s Square.

St. Charbel mosaic blessed by Pope Francis installed in Vatican grottoes

Jan 19, 2024

By Almudena Martínez-Bordiú

The mosaic was installed in the grottoes located beneath St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Read more

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, speaks with EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief Andreas Thonhauser on Jan. 18, 2024.

Vatican prefect: Fiducia Supplicans draws ‘some negative reactions’ from Christian leaders

Jan 19, 2024

By Matthew Santucci, AC Wimmer

In an exclusive EWTN interview and in comments to the Vatican’s news agency, Cardinal Kurt Koch said he has received... Read more

Pope Francis receives a delegation from Vietnam’s Communist Party government at the Vatican on Jan. 18, 2024.

Could Pope Francis become the first pope to visit Vietnam?

Jan 18, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Vietnam has one of the largest Catholic populations among countries never visited by a pope. Pope Francis is keen to... Read more

Pope Paul VI meets Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I at his residence of the apostolic delegation on Jan. 5, 1964. The meeting between the two church leaders ended a 900-year standoff between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity commemorates historic meeting of two lungs of the Church

Jan 18, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The theme for 2024 is “You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself.” Read more

Pope Francis delivers a speech to all of the world’s ambassadors to the Vatican on Jan. 8, 2024.

Pope: World Economic Forum meeting an opportunity to find ‘ways to build a better world’

Jan 17, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

On the occasion of the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Pope Francis sent a... Read more

Cardinal Mauro Gambetti greets animals and offers his blessing in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024.

PHOTOS: Animals blessed in St. Peter’s Square for feast of St. Anthony Abbot

Jan 17, 2024

By Courtney Mares

On the feast of the co-patron saint of animals, the Vatican welcomed animals large and small to be blessed by... Read more

Pope Francis delivers a message at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Francis issues new regulations setting spending limits for Vatican offices

Jan 17, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis amended the Vatican’s financial regulations on Tuesday, enshrining a spending limit into law. Read more

Pope Francis gives a blessing at his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican.

Pope Francis: ‘In Christianity, there is no condemnation of the sexual instinct’

Jan 17, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

In a continuation of his catechetical series on vice and virtue, Pope Francis on Wednesday dedicated his general audience to... Read more

Pope Francis takes part in the Roman Curia’s Lenten retreat in Ariccia, Italy, on March 6-10, 2016.

Pope Francis to hold private Lenten retreat for fifth consecutive year

Jan 16, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

For the fifth consecutive year the joint retreat between the Holy Father and the Roman Curia has been canceled. Read more

Pope Francis appearing on Che Tempo Che Fa on Jan. 14/

Pope Francis: ‘I like to think of hell as empty’

Jan 15, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis appeared on Italy’s most popular prime-time talk show on Sunday night where the pontiff shared how he hopes... Read more