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The Vatican Observatory has named four asteroids after key figures in its history. Among them is Pope Leo XIII, who refounded the institution in 1891. The newly named asteroids were discovered by the telescope the Vatican operates in Arizona. The asteroid “Gioacchinopecci” honors Pope Leo XIII, born Gioacchino Vincenzo Raffaele Luigi Pecci, whose legacy is…
Pope Leo XIV granted ecclesiastical communion to the new patriarch of Baghdad of the Chaldeans, His Beatitude Mar Paul III Nona, who now serves as the head of this Eastern Catholic Church based in Iraq, which is in full communion with Rome. Tweet What is the Chaldean Church? The Chaldean Church is one of more…
The U.S. Supreme Court said a New Jersey faith-based pregnancy center may challenge a state subpoena demanding donor information. The court in a unanimous ruling April 29 decided the case could proceed in federal court, reversing a lower court decision that had deemed the lawsuit premature. The pregnancy center had raised First Amendment concerns about…
The vociferous protests over a Hindu activist calling St. Francis Xavier — patron of the tiny Indian state of Goa, a former Portuguese colony on Indiaʼs west coast — a “terrorist” at a Hindu groupʼs convention subsided after state police traced the absconding insulter to the state of Himachal Pradesh in the foothills of the…
Catholic bishops of the European Union closed their spring plenary in Cyprus with an urgent appeal for peace in the Middle East and a public gesture of solidarity with the islandʼs Maronite Christians, whose villages and churches lie in the north of the island, under Turkish military control since 1974. Meeting in Nicosia from April…
JERUSALEM — Catholic soldiers were among the three dozen young Israeli servicemen and servicewomen invited to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday, April 26. The meeting was a rare opportunity for Christians serving in the Israeli military to share their views and experiences with the leader of Israel’s government. “Iʼm here in…
Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday condemned a surge of violence in Colombia, following a weekend of deadly attacks in the southwest part of the country. Since Friday, rebel groups have carried out more than two dozen attacks on civilians and military bases, just ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for May 31. The deadliest incident…
With the aim of keeping alive the pastoral, spiritual, and social legacy of Pope Francis, the free book “Legado de Francisco a la Iglesia y a la Vida Religiosa” (“Legacy of Francis to the Church and to Religious Life”) is now available online. The book consists of essays written by academics and religious from various…
The push to legalize assisted suicide in the United Kingdom is “losing momentum” after legislation to legalize it stalled, according to a euthanasia prevention advocate. The House of Lords, the upper chamber of the U.K. Parliament, halted consideration of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on April 24. More than 1,300 amendments were…
On April 29, Catholics celebrate the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, a Dominican, Church reformer, mystic, and one of the four female doctors of the Church. During the 14th century, the Catholic Church was in a weakened state as it faced internal crises and the devastating impact of the Black Death. St. Catherine lived…
