News/International

Pope Francis greets hospital workers at Gemelli hospital in this file photo taken in Rome July 11, 2021, when the pope had been in the hospital for 10 days to recover from a scheduled colon surgery.

Pope Francis hospitalized for respiratory infection, Vatican says

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After having difficulty breathing, Pope Francis went to Rome's Gemelli hospital March 29 where he was diagnosed with a respiratory infection that will be treated in the hospital for several days, the Vatican press office said.

A family recovers belongings from their destroyed home in Rolling Fork, Miss., March 26, 2023, after a tornado swept through the town. At least 25 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Mississippi as the massive storm ripped through more than a half-dozen towns late March 24.

'Pray for God's hand' over Mississippi: destructive tornado kills, injures dozens

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Powerful tornadoes tore through rural Mississippi the night of Friday, March 24, killing or injuring dozens and causing widespread destruction.

Franciscan Father Stéphane Milovitch, director of the Cultural Heritage Office for the Custodia Terrae Sanctae in Jerusalem,with some of its 450 earthenware pharmaceutical pots from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Holy Land Franciscans advance Jerusalem museum

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The priest-director of the Cultural Heritage Office for the Custodia Terrae Sanctae, or Custody of the Holy Land, in Jerusalem opened a drawer of vestments and casually dropped an unexpected historical tidbit about a clerical chasuble he was showing a group of foreign guests. The chasuble was part of a collection of vestments the archbishop of Paris wore for the marriage of Emperor Napoleon III of France with the Empress Eugenie, and which the empress later donated to the Church in the Holy Land.

St. John Paul II greets the crowd in Czestochowa during his 1979 trip to Poland. The country's bishops March 15, 2023, announced they will create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past -- an investigation that would cover the era that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future pope, governed the Archdiocese of Krakow.

Polish bishops form independent commission to investigate 'full picture' of JPII archives

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The bishops of Poland March 14 announced they will create a commission of experts to investigate cases of abuse of minors by clergy from the past in the country -- an investigation that would cover the era that St. John Paul II governed the Archdiocese of Krakow as Cardinal Karol Wojtyla.

A man puts a sign on the door of the Silicon Valley Bank as an onlooker watches at the bank’s headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., March 10, 2023.

Bank failures underscore 'obligation' for prudence

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After the failures of two banks in March, the U.S. government has taken steps to prevent similar failures and the risks such failures would present to the economy. The precarious situation illustrates what one Catholic commentator described as the need for government and banks to take seriously the "solemn obligation" of prudence in banking policy for the sake of society's common good.

People attend the fifth synodal assembly in Frankfurt March 9, 2023. The final assembly will conclude March 11 after discussing issues including blessings for homosexual couples, ordination of women, a relaxation of mandatory celibacy and more church involvement for lay people.

Resolutions of German Synodal Assembly support laity to preach at Mass, church blessings of same-sex couples

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The final assembly of the German Synodal Way took place in Frankfurt March 9-11, where 230 bishops and lay representatives discussed issues such as blessings for homosexual couples, the ordination of women, a relaxation of mandatory celibacy and greater church involvement for lay people.

Bagpipers march past St. Mary Church during the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade in East Islip, N.Y., March 5. The feast of St. Patrick, patron of Ireland, is March 17.

Bishops add spiritual ‘meat’ to St. Patrick’s Day plate

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With St. Patrick’s Day falling on a Lenten Friday this year, many U.S. bishops have issued dispensations from abstinence on March 17, allowing the faithful to enjoy the American Irish tradition of eating corned beef (or ham) and cabbage in good conscience.

As bishop of Krakow in the 1960s, Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was a prolific writer. He is pictured in an undated photo.

Polish experts reject claim JPII 'covered up abuse,' urge all church records be opened

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The fact that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla -- the future Pope John Paul II -- knew about abuse when he was an archbishop of Krakow, Poland, is neither new nor surprising, experts say.

Former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick arrives at Dedham District Court in Dedham, Mass., Sept. 3, 2021, after being charged with molesting a 16-year-old boy during a 1974 wedding reception. McCarrick, who is trying to escape criminal charges by claiming dementia, told a reporter Feb. 28, 2023, he recalled the name of the man he allegedly sexually abused as a child but denied the sexual assaults.

McCarrick admits knowing victim as a child, denies sexual assaults

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Disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose attorneys have argued he should not stand trial due to "progressive and irreparable cognitive deficits," recalled the name of the man he allegedly sexually abused as a child, although he denied the sexual assaults.

Volunteers with Caritas Lebanon's Emergency Response Unit (in black) are seen with members Caritas Syria (with tan vests) as they help with relief operations during the Lebanon group's Feb. 9-16, 2023, trip to neighboring Syria to assist victims of the devastating Feb. 6 earthquake.

Catholic aid groups network to serve needs of Turkey, Syria quake survivors

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Catholic aid agencies are working alongside other international humanitarian organizations to house, feed and administer additional life-saving assistance to tens of thousands of people in Syria and Turkey.

A cardinal holds his biretta as Pope Francis celebrates Mass with new cardinals in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Nov. 29, 2020. Two U.S. prelates have recently traded what one called some "strong words" in the media, debating the reception of holy Communion, sexual sin, pastoral outreach to marginalized Catholics and allegations of heresy among church leadership.

U.S. prelates spar in the media over the Eucharist, 'radical inclusion' and 'heresy'

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Two U.S. prelates have recently traded what one called some "strong words" in the media, debating the reception of holy Communion, sexual sin, pastoral outreach to marginalized Catholics and allegations of heresy among church leadership.

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