by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Oct 29, 2022 / 08:55 am For Christmas 2022, the Vatican has commissioned a nativity scene made of life-sized figures hand carved out of alpine cedar trees. The display will be unveiled in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 3 during a lighting ceremony for the …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Oct 20, 2022 / 05:00 am After announcing Bishop John P. Dolan lost his sister to death by suicide, the Diocese of Phoenix on Wednesday renewed his “urgent plea to get mental health ministry underway.” “Our hearts are breaking as we make known the loss …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Aug 10, 2022 / 09:47 am A controversy over a book and statements made on Twitter has recently drawn increased attention to the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life. In late June, the academy’s official Twitter account began promoting a Vatican-published book synthesizing a 2021 seminar on ethics, …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Jul 21, 2022 / 01:00 am Pope Francis, on the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, issued a letter to Catholics on the liturgy and the celebration of the Mass. The letter was published just before the July 16 anniversary of his controversial motu proprio Traditionis …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Jul 19, 2022 / 05:42 am A Vatican policy published Tuesday says that the Holy See’s financial investments cannot contradict Catholic teaching. The policy stipulates that Vatican investments should “be aligned with the teachings of the Catholic Church, with specific exclusions for financial investments which …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jul 13, 2022 / 04:48 am Pope Francis on Wednesday named three women to the Dicastery of Bishops, the Vatican office responsible for evaluating new members of the Catholic Church’s hierarchy. The two religious sisters and one consecrated virgin are the first women to ever …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Jul 12, 2022 / 05:08 am Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed former Air Force chaplain and Fairbanks Bishop Chad Zielinski to lead the Diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota. The seat of the Diocese of New Ulm, which covers almost 10,000 square miles southwest of Minneapolis, …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jul 10, 2022 / 05:45 am Pope Francis on Sunday implored the authorities of Sri Lanka to listen to the cries of their people, suffering under the country’s worst economic crisis in 70 years. “I join in the grief of the people of Sri Lanka, …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jul 4, 2022 / 03:43 am Pope Francis condemned abortion in new comments about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. When asked whether a Catholic politician who supports the right to choose abortion can receive the sacrament of Communion, he warned …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Jun 29, 2022 / 05:00 am House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly received Holy Communion at a Mass with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday. Pelosi took Communion, according to sources present at the Mass, Crux reported on June 29. The Associated Press, citing two …