Europe

European bishops have called for unity on the continent following U.S. President Donald Trump ordering a “pause” on U.S. assistance to Ukraine.

The head of the Tuscan Bishops' Conference said the passage of a new law in Italy allowing medically assisted suicide was "not an achievement, but a defeat for everyone."

Even though a pilgrimage peak is some months away, the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated its wintery feast day Feb. 11 with a number of pilgrims who flocked to the French holy site on the anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

Pro-life groups welcomed comments by the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales bitterly criticizing attempts by government-aligned parliamentarians to rush through a bill allowing doctor-assisted suicide.

The Catholic community in Sheffield, England, is in shock after the "tragic" stabbing of 15-year-old schoolboy Harvey Willgoose at All Saints Catholic High School led to the death of a student hailed as "one of our own" and "a best friend to all."

Pope Francis said he was "deeply saddened" by the tragic shooting in a Swedish school, sending "assurance of his spiritual closeness to all affected by this traumatic incident," in which 10 students of an adult education centre lost their lives.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou wants to split an "end of life" bill to separate the issue of "active assistance in dying" from that of palliative care -- a proposal seen as a smart attempt to give a pro-life approach to the legislation without antagonizing rival political sides.

After Notre Dame Cathedral's splendid reopening, the attention of Paris Catholics turned to the nearby Church of Notre Dame de Boulogne Jan. 12 as it was solemnly elevated to the rank of minor basilica, following a decree from Pope Francis, signed June 29.

Father Henrykh Akalatovich, pastor of the Catholic parish in Valožyn, was sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony in Belarus in a move that highlights the growing persecution of Catholics in the Russia-aligned country.

Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych set Ukrainian hopes high for the Jubilee Year by saying that Pope Francis accepted an invitation to visit Ukraine in 2025.