By Kristina Millare Vatican City, Dec 25, 2024 / 12:54 pm Pope Francis on Christmas Day delivered the traditional Urbi et Orbi address and blessing in Vatican City, inviting all individuals and nations to “silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.” Delivering his Christmas Day message overlooking crowds of thousands …

By Daniel Payne CNA Newsroom, Dec 23, 2024 / 09:40 am President Joe Biden on Monday commuted the death row sentences of more than three dozen federal prisoners, ordering that the formerly condemned inmates serve out life sentences instead of being executed by the government. The White House announced the clemencies on …

By Kate Quiñones CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2024 / 19:45 pm U.S. President Joe Biden accepted an invitation to visit Pope Francis next month and discuss efforts to advance peace, the White House announced on Thursday. Biden, the country’s second Catholic president, is set to travel to Rome from Jan. 9–12 …

The Jubilee has always been an event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church. Ever since 1300, when Boniface VIII instituted the first Holy Year – initially celebrated every hundred years, then, following its biblical precedent, every 50 years, and finally every 25 years …

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On Pope Francis’ 88th birthday, two major newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean published two different excerpts from his new book on hope. The New York Times published the pope’s words on the importance of humor as a “guest essay” in its opinion section, …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Dec 6, 2024 / 09:25 am The Catholic bishops of New Mexico this week articulated a strongly worded statement against a policy of mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants, a policy that President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to enact. “A mass deportation policy will not fix the broken …

On the evening of Tuesday, December 24, Pope Francis will preside over the celebration of Holy Mass in St. Peter’s Square to officially open the Holy Jubilee Year of 2025, the theme of which is Pilgrims of Hope. The Holy Father begins his solemn Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary …

By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Nov 27, 2024 / 10:45 am U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Pope Francis on Wednesday morning at the Vatican. While the Holy See did not comment on the nature of the audience, the State Department said discussions focused on ongoing conflicts in the …

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Nov 25, 2024 / 12:45 pm Pope Francis recognized a miracle attributed to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s intercession on Monday, paving the way for his canonization as a saint during the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Youth next summer. Frassati, who died at the age of 24 …