Europe

The Latest

Pope Francis prays during Mass at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024

In Belgium, Pope Francis gives strong warning over scandal of abuse, cover-up

Sep 29, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Holy Father urged the Belgian bishops to bring the evil of abuse to light and not to cover up... Read more

Pope Francis arrives at Laeken Castle in Belgium on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, where he is greeted by the Belgian royal family, Queen Mathilde and King Philippe.

PHOTOS: Pope Francis meets king and queen of Belgium at Laeken Castle

Sep 27, 2024

By Courtney Mares

King Philippe ascended the Belgian throne in 2013 and holds the title “Rex Catholicissimus,” or “(Most) Catholic Majesty.”  Read more

Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin attends a plenary session during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine on June 16, 2024.

Vatican secretary of state warns of Europe’s low birth rates, ‘demographic winter’

Sep 26, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

Cardinal Pietro Parolin in an interview with Vatican Media said Europe “greatly needs” to rediscover its Christian roots and face... Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at his general audience in St. Peter's Square on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.

Pope Francis says the Catholic Church is ‘more alive’ outside of Europe

Sep 18, 2024

By Courtney Mares

In his first general audience since returning from the longest international trip of his pontificate, the pope expressed gratitude to... Read more

Cardinal Christoph Schönborn speaks at the launch of Amoris Laetitia at the Vatican on April 8, 2016.

Cardinal Schönborn: ‘We must accept the decline of Europe’

Sep 10, 2024

By Jonah McKeown

The Austrian cardinal said that despite the decline of the Church’s influence in Europe, he is convinced that the Church... Read more

Altar servers.

German AfD party member challenges removal from church volunteer positions

Jul 25, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The decision, supported by the Archdiocese of Paderborn, has sparked controversy and will likely lead to legal challenges. Read more

Smoke billows from the spire of Rouen Cathedral in Rouen, northern France, on July 11, 2024.

Firefighters quell blaze at French cathedral

Jul 11, 2024

By AC Wimmer

Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol confirmed the incident on social media, sharing an image showing smoke rising from the cathedral’s spire. Read more

The Catholic Cathedral of Limburg in Hesse, Germany.

400,000 Germans quit Catholic Church as talks between Vatican, Synodal Way continue

Jul 1, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The meeting on Friday resulted in Rome demanding the Germans change the name of the body and agree it cannot... Read more

At his Angelus address June 9, 2024, Pope Francis  asked people to pray for the people who are suffering in Myanmar and in Ukraine, giving a special shoutout to some Ukrainians who were in the crowd waving flags.

EU bishop: Elections show citizens concerned about Ukraine war

Jun 25, 2024

By Hannah Brockhaus

The bishop also spoke about the importance of pushing the new EU commission and parliament to reinforce diplomatic action toward... Read more

People cast their ballot in a polling station on June 6, 2024, in The Hague, Netherlands. Voters in 27 European Union countries go to the polls over the next four days to elect members of the European Parliament.

Catholic group urges European Parliament to address ‘demographic winter,’ protect children

Jun 7, 2024

By Kate Quiñones

As this weekend’s elections kick off across EU member states, the policy toolkit “invites incoming parliamentarians to prioritize families in... Read more

German police cars (file image)

Germany thwarts terror plot: Teenage suspects reportedly planned attacks on churches

Apr 12, 2024

By AC Wimmer

The Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office revealed that the suspects, between 15 and 16 years old, were apprehended over the Easter... Read more

Father Patrick Hughes shows how to make a traditional St. Brigid's Cross in County Cavan, Ireland.

Ireland celebrates 1,500th anniversary of St. Brigid’s death

Feb 1, 2024

By Courtney Mares

On Thursday, Ireland celebrates the 1,500th anniversary of the death of St. Brigid of Kildare, the Emerald Isle’s female patron... Read more

Geert Wilders, the leader of the Dutch Party for Freedom (PVV), celebrates in his party office after his party's victory in yesterday's general election, on November 23, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. The Netherlands' far-right, anti-EU leader Geert Wilders won the most votes in parliamentary elections on November 22, dominated by debate around rising immigration in the Netherlands.

Nationalist Firebrand Geert Wilders wins Dutch election in electoral upset 

Nov 23, 2023

By Matthew Santucci

Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party dominated the Dutch election on Wednesday. Read more

The Cross of San Lázaro of Seville, Spain, sculpted in the 16th century, was vandalized on the night of Oct. 21-22, 2023.

‘Anti-Christian hate crimes’ in Europe up 44% in past year, watchdog group says

Nov 17, 2023

By Daniel Payne

The spike in anti-Christian incidents is “connected to a rise in extremist motivation and a higher acceptance of the targeting... Read more

COP28 logo.

Vatican joins interfaith declaration on fighting climate change

Nov 8, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Holy See has signed an interfaith declaration on taking action to protect the environment during a religious summit held... Read more

The Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament.

Polish elections point to possible shift in country’s abortion laws, ‘political clashes’

Oct 17, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Liberal opposition parties won a significant political victory over Poland’s conservative Law and Justice Party on Sunday. Read more

Pope Benedict XVI.

Police: Suspect in theft of Benedict XVI’s pectoral cross arrested

Oct 7, 2023

By AC Wimmer

A 53-year-old suspect has been arrested in the theft of Pope Benedict XVI’s pectoral cross. Read more

null

Bishops condemn European Union’s drafting of ‘right to abortion’ 

Jul 18, 2023

By Daniel Payne

In its Tuesday statement, the bishops argued that the measure would constitute an “ethical indefensibility” against human rights and European... Read more

null

On World Refugee Day, Pope Francis urges action; companies pledge to hire refugees

Jun 20, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

The pope called for greater hospitality “without excuses and without delay, because the effects will be felt, sooner or later,... Read more

Pope Francis spoke about the Christian roots of Hungary during his general audience in St. Peter's Square on May 3, 2023.

Pope Francis: Freedom is under threat in Europe

May 3, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis spoke about Europe, its roots, and the problem of consumerism during his weekly audience with the public May... Read more