With the pope surrounded by empty seats in Kazakhstan, critics questioned the efficacy of his diplomacy of encounter and his strategy of silence when it comes to outright condemning human rights violations in China, Russia and Nicaragua. But Vatican diplomacy insiders urge patience, arguing that
A meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, appears to be scrapped after the cleric, who has been widely criticized for his justifications for the invasion of Ukraine, pulled out of a meeting of religious leaders in Kazakhstan
In defiance of some U.S. bishops, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi reportedly received communion during a mass presided over by Pope Francis on Wednesday for the celebration of the feast of St. Peter and Paul. The Catholic congresswoman is banned from receiving the sacrament
A film chronicling Martin’s ministry to LGBTQ Catholics — “Building a Bridge,” which was produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese and premiered last year at the Tribeca Film Festival — is streaming now on AMC+. This comes as Martin launches an LGBTQ Catholic resource called
In a year the Black Lives Matter movement spread across the globe, Brazilians are beginning to focus on the role the Catholic Church played in the institution of slavery in the country. Read full piece
Catholics split almost evenly in supporting Donald Trump or Joe Biden in the presidential election. Now they’re divided over a declaration by the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that the president-elect's support for abortion rights presents the church with a “difficult and
In an Apr. 25 conference call for Catholic leaders and educators, President Donald Trump identified himself as the “best [president] in the history of the Catholic Church,” where he warned that issues at stake in the upcoming presidential election, particularly on abortion and religious liberty,
With the outbreak of COVID-19, many historic Hispanic Catholic sites are limiting access — or outright closing — to pilgrims seeking a last hope prayer. The cancellations come even as Catholics seek divine protection — in the form of healing sand, holy water or a
(RNS) — It is normal and customary to identify Pope Francis's conservative critics as "traditionalists." But much of what they say is a far cry from Catholic tradition — not least their criticism of the pope itself. We need a new way to identify them.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking law Thursday (May 9) requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by their superiors to church authorities.