by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Dec 23, 2023 / 07:00 am It’s a well-known origin story: how the young and wealthy Francis of Assisi freely abandoned his noble patrimony to serve Christ’s Church as a poor, itinerant preacher. One of the world’s most beloved saints, the founder of the Franciscan …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Nov 13, 2023 / 04:55 am Critically ill British infant Indi Gregory died overnight on Monday after her life support was removed over the weekend following a U.K. court order. The 8-month-old Gregory died in her mother’s arms in a hospice at 1:45 a.m. on Nov. …

By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Nov 8, 2023 / 11:50 am The Holy See has signed an interfaith declaration on taking action to protect the environment during a religious summit held ahead of the COP28 climate change conference in Dubai. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, signed the statement on …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Nov 8, 2023 / 14:25 pm The Vatican’s doctrine office has said an adult who identifies as transgender can receive the sacrament of baptism under the same conditions as any adult, as long as there is no risk of causing scandal or confusion to other Catholics. …

By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Oct 28, 2023 / 18:30 pm The Synod on Synodality, the monthlong assembly convened by Pope Francis at the Vatican, released its final document containing the discussion of several hot-button issues which it calls “controversial”: the idea of women deacons, optional priestly celibacy, and the accompaniment …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Oct 25, 2023 / 12:35 pm Pope Francis reaffirmed the impossibility of women becoming priests, or even modern Church deacons, in an interview for a book released Tuesday in Italy. The question of whether some women in the early Church were “deaconesses” or another kind of …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Oct 8, 2023 / 08:45 am Pope Francis and the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem have responded to the sudden outbreak of conflict in Israel and Palestine over the weekend. The pope said at the end of a public address on Sunday he is following the violence …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Sep 14, 2023 / 02:30 am In northern Sicily, 15 miles from the sea and nestled in the foothills of the Madonie mountain range, lies the town of Montemaggiore Belsito. Though the town’s population, once mostly farmers, has declined to under 3,000, it boasts no fewer …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Sep 8, 2023 / 09:15 am Pope Francis received U.S. actor and director Sylvester “Sly” Stallone at the Vatican on Friday morning. The “Rocky” actor met the pope in the Apostolic Palace together with his brother, actor and musician Frank Stallone; his wife, Jennifer Flavin; and …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Aug 31, 2023 / 12:30 pm An archdiocese in Poland is encouraging Catholics to join them in nine days of prayer leading up to the beatification of a family martyred by the Nazis in 1944. Józef and Wiktoria Ulma and their seven children were executed by …