The dome of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican is framed by trees June 14, 2018. In the aftermath of the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, Maj. Paolo De Angelis, head of the Vatican fire department, told the Italian news agency ANSA April 16 that the structural differences between Notre Dame and Peter's make a catastrophic fire less likely.

Vatican firefighter says St. Peter's at much less risk than Notre Dame

VATICAN CITY - After the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris April 15, Romans and tourists could not help looking at St. Peter's Basilica and wondering, "what if?"

he Chinese national flag flies in front of a Catholic church in the village of Huangtugang, Hebei province, China, Sept. 30, 2018.

China invites Vatican to have pavilion at Beijing garden expo

VATICAN CITY - Accepting an invitation from the Chinese government, the Holy See is one of a number of nations and organizations participating in an international garden expo in Beijing.

Pope Benedict XVI delivers a blessing at the conclusion of a Mass for the Knights of Malta in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 9, 2013, two days before he announced his resignation. The retired pope marks his 92 birthday April 16.

Official marks retired pope's birthday, commenting on his latest letter

VATICAN CITY - Marking retired Pope Benedict XVI's 92nd birthday, the editorial director of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication insisted what the retired Pope wrote about facing the clerical sexual abuse crisis is essentially what Pope Francis has said, too.

Pope Francis greets Emanuele Village residents April 12, 2019, in Rome. People who live there have Alzheimer's disease.

Pope makes surprise visit to community for people with Alzheimer's

ROME - Drawing attention to the special needs of people with Alzheimer's disease, Pope Francis made an afternoon visit to a community of group homes designed to keep residents active and living as normal a life as possible.

Indian children watch a movie on a cellphone on the roadside in Mumbai Jan. 20, 2016. While digital communications and social media can be used as a tool of evangelization and a place of dialogue with others, they also can be lonely environments where young people fall prey to humanity's worst vices, Pope Francis wrote in his new apostolic exhortation to young people, "Christus Vivit" ("Christ Lives").

Pope urges students to fight their addiction to phones

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis told high school students to break their phone addiction and spend more time on real communication with others and in moments of quiet, personal reflection.

Pope Francis accepts a gift during an audience with members of the Italian Association of Organ Donors at the Vatican April 13, 2019. The pope said that when done ethically and free of charge, organ donation is a selfless gesture.

Organ donation fosters culture of life, Pope says

VATICAN CITY - When done ethically and free of charge, organ donation is a selfless gesture that contributes to fostering a culture of life, Pope Francis said.

Eugène Burnand’s 1898 painting of Peter and John running to the tomb on the morning of the Resurrection.

God's Word on Sunday: Jesus delivers a message of brotherhood

Resurrection of the Lord, April 21 (Year C) Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Psalm 118; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18

It is said that a picture can say more than a thousand words. That is certainly the case with Eugène Burnand’s stirring and evocative painting of the race to the empty tomb on Easter morning.

Cardinal Collins

Mission stays true to message

The National Catholic Mission has seen some changes over its 20 years, but there’s one constant that’s been key to making it a success.

Father John O'Reilly, center, of the Legionaries of Christ arrives at a court in Santiago, Chile, Oct. 15. The court found Father O'Reilly, who moved to Chile from Ireland in 1985, guilty of sexually abusing a pre-teen girl at the private Colegio Cumbres in the affluent neighborhood of Las Condes between 2007 and 2009.

Vatican imposes 10-year suspension on Legionaries priest for abuse

VATICAN CITY - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has banned a Legionaries of Christ priest from publicly exercising his priestly ministry for 10 years after he was convicted in Chile of sexually abusing a young girl.

Pope Francis greets South Sudan President Salva Kiir April 11, 2019, at the end of a two-day spiritual retreat the pope hosted in the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican for the political leaders of South Sudan.

At retreat for South Sudan leaders, Pope literally begs for peace

VATICAN CITY - At the end of a highly unusual spiritual retreat for the political leaders of warring factions, Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, begging them to give peace a chance and to be worthy "fathers of the nation."

Young Nigerian women, rescued from human traffickers, gather in a shelter on the outskirts of Moscow Feb. 21, 2019. Human trafficking is a "crime against humanity" because it denies the human dignity of the victim, seeing him or her only as a piece of merchandise to be used to enrich or give pleasure to another, Pope Francis said.

Human trafficking is 'crime against humanity,' Pope says

VATICAN CITY - Human trafficking is a "crime against humanity," because it denies the human dignity of the victim, seeing him or her only as a piece of merchandise to be used to enrich or give pleasure to another, Pope Francis said.

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