Vatican News

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

Pope Francis speaks at a meeting with priests from the Diocese of Rome in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran on Jan. 13, 2024.

Pope Francis responds to resistance to Fiducia Supplicans: ‘The Lord blesses everyone’

Jan 15, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis responded publicly to questions about the Vatican’s declaration on blessings for same-sex couples for the first time in... Read more

Pope Francis appears in the window of the Apostolic Palace to give his Sunday Angelus address on Jan. 14, 2024.

Pope Francis: ‘War itself is a crime against humanity’

Jan 14, 2024

By Courtney Mares

Speaking at the end of his Angelus address, the pope urged people to pray for all who are suffering due... Read more

Cardinal Pietro Parolin celebrates Mass for peace in Ukraine on Thursday in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, Nov. 17, 2022.

Cardinal Parolin: Fiducia Supplicans has ‘touched a very sensitive point’ 

Jan 13, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

The Vatican’s secretary of state acknowledged the divided reaction to Fiducia Supplicans, which allows nonliturgical blessings for couples in “irregular”... Read more

The ordination of St. Hilary of Poitiers.

What Pope Benedict XVI said about St. Hilary of Poitiers

Jan 13, 2024

By CNA Staff

St. Hilary of Poitiers, who was named a doctor of the Church, battled against the Arian heresy that Jesus was... Read more

Pope Francis meets with representatives of DIALOP, Transversal Dialogue Project, an association of European leftist politicians and academics that seeks to bridge Catholic social teaching and Marxist theory, on Jan. 10, 2024, at the Vatican.

Pope Francis calls for greater dialogue and cooperation between Christians, Marxists

Jan 12, 2024

By Matthew Santucci

Pope Francis this week called for cooperation between Christians and Marxists as a way to achieve greater “dialogue” and help... Read more

St. Arcadius.

Today the Church honors 3 groups of martyrs as Christians worldwide continue to face persecution

Jan 12, 2024

By Tyler Arnold

On Jan. 12, we honor the feast days of several martyrs and groups of martyrs at a time when there... Read more