Europe News

Father Marko Rupnik.

Discipline of sister who led community co-founded by Rupnik raises questions

Sep 27, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Sister Ivanka Hosta is staying in a monastery in Braga, Portugal, following the conclusion of an investigation into her leadership... Read more

The Church of St. Mary of the Isle, located in Douglas on the Isle of Man in the British Isles.

Pope makes church first co-cathedral in history of British Isles

Sep 26, 2023

By Madeleine Teahan

St. Mary of the Isle on the Isle of Man has become the first co-cathedral in the British Isles to... Read more

Sudiksha Thirumalesh died Sept. 12, 2023, after a legal fight to circumvent a ruling in the United Kingdom that she was not competent to make decisions about her care.

Family of UK teen who died fighting rare disease speaks out

Sep 26, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

“After a year of struggle and heartache, we can finally say our beautiful daughter and sister’s name in public without... Read more

The historic Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.

England’s historic Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham gets new rector

Sep 25, 2023

By Marcin Mliczko

The ancient medieval shrine is one of the oldest religious sites in England and is considered “a significant place in... Read more

Bishop Felix Gmür of Basel told Swiss newspaper “NZZ am Sonntag” on Sept 24, “It’s time to abolish mandatory celibacy.”

Swiss bishop calls for women’s ordination, end to celibacy ahead of synod

Sep 25, 2023

By AC Wimmer

“It’s time to abolish mandatory celibacy,” Bishop Felix Gmür of Basel told the Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag on Sept... Read more

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki faces mounting pressure from multiple fronts, including local media — and some clergy: In open defiance, several priests conducted an event blessing same-sex couples outside the iconic Cologne Cathedral Sept 21, 2023.

German bishops in tug of war over blessing same-sex unions

Sep 25, 2023

By AC Wimmer

Ahead of the bishops’ meeting several priests conducted an event blessing same-sex couples outside the iconic Cologne Cathedral. Read more

Pope Francis celebrates Mass for an estimated 50,000 people at the Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille, France, the last stop in his Sept. 22-23, 2023, visit to the port city to speak at an ecumenical meeting of young people and bishops called the “Rencontres Mediterraneennes,” or Mediterranean Encounter.

Pope Francis: Be Christians who ‘leap for joy’ in the face of life

Sep 23, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis celebrated Mass for an estimated 50,000 people in Marseille’s Vélodrome Stadium on Sept. 23. Read more

Pope Francis speaks at the closing session of the Mediterranean Encounter in Marseille, France, on Sept. 23, 2023.

Pope Francis: Migrant crisis requires wisdom, not ‘alarmist propaganda’

Sep 23, 2023

By Rachel Thomas

“Those who risk their lives at sea do not invade, they look for welcome,” the Holy Father insisted. Read more

Dominican Sister Lucía Caram on the television program “Cuentos Chinos” (“Tall Tales”) in Spain.

Dominican nun speaks in favor of homosexuals being able to marry in the Church

Sep 22, 2023

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

“I would be in favor of gays getting married in the Church because God always blesses love,” Dominican Sister Lucía... Read more

“This isn’t 1984, but 2023 —I should never have been arrested or investigated simply for the thoughts I held in my own mind,” Isabel Vaughan-Spruce, who was arrested for praying outside of an abortion clinic, said Sept. 22, 2023.

Woman arrested for silent prayer at UK abortion clinics gets police apology

Sep 22, 2023

By Kevin J. Jones

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce has received a police apology and confirmation that she will not face charges for violating a local “buffer... Read more

Pope Francis entrusted a meeting of Mediterranean bishops and youth to the Virgin Mary during the first appointment of a two-day trip to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. The model ships hanging in Marseille's Basilica de Notre-Dame de la Garde are a testament to the faith of the sailors who have relied on the intercession of Our Lady over the centuries.

Pope Francis entrusts to Mary ‘Mediterranean Encounter’ with youth and bishops

Sep 22, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

After landing in Marseille, France, Sept. 22, the pope made his way to the Basilica of Notre Dame de la... Read more

Aerial view of Saint-Maurice Abbey in the Valais region of Switzerland, Sept. 20, 2023.

Oldest monastery in the West was built on the spot of St. Maurice’s martyrdom

Sep 22, 2023

By Anna Kurian

The Abbey of Saint-Maurice in Switzerland is the oldest monastery in the West to have remained in continuous operation since... Read more

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan speaks during a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 21, 2023, in New York City. The security council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.

‘Destruction’ of ethnic Armenians is imminent, experts warn

Sep 21, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

On Wednesday, ethnic Armenians in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to lay down their arms and dissolve their military... Read more

The sanctuary of the Virgin of Flowers Shrine in Álora, Málaga, Spain, was found desecrated Sept. 19, 2023.

Shrine of Virgin of Flowers whose name traveled to Mars with NASA desecrated

Sep 20, 2023

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

The incident took place Monday night but was not discovered until early Tuesday, when the person who opened the church... Read more

St. Teresa of Calcutta.

Spanish priests criticize radio personalities who say Mother Teresa took advantage of poor

Sep 20, 2023

By Nicolás de Cárdenas

On Monday, a contributor to a Spanish radio station news program claimed that St. Teresa of Calcutta was part of... Read more

Protestors gather in downtown Yerevan, Armenia, on Sept. 20, 2023, as separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan’s authorities announced they would cease hostilities, signaling the end of an “anti-terror” operation launched just one day earlier by Azerbaijan’s forces in the breakaway region.

Ethnic Armenians surrender and disarm following Azerbaijan offensive

Sep 20, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

A day after an Azerbaijan offensive in which as many as 100 were killed, ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed... Read more

Armenians protest to urge the government to respond to the Azerbaijani military operation launched against the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region outside the government building in central Yerevan on Sept. 19, 2023.

Azerbaijan unleashes military strikes against Armenian Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh

Sep 19, 2023

By Peter Pinedo

Azerbaijan said the attacks will not stop until the ethnic Armenians’ total surrender.  Read more

Archbishop Domenico Battaglia holds up the reliquary with the liquefied blood of St. Januarius on the martyr bishop's feast day Sept. 19, 2023. The announcement that the blood had liquefied was made at the start of Mass in the Naples Cathedral by Abbot Vincenzo De Gregorio.

Blood of St. Januarius ‘completely liquefied’ on feast day

Sep 19, 2023

By Hannah Brockhaus

The blood “is not an oracle to consult and even less a city horoscope whose function is to predict misfortune... Read more

Participants at the March for Life in Cologne, Germany, Sept. 16, 2023.

Historic twin marches for life in Germany face disruptions and defiance

Sep 18, 2023

By AC Wimmer

The dual marches drew thousands and were met with both enthusiasm and confrontation as counterdemonstrators attempted to disrupt the events.  Read more

A group of pilgrims who followed the spiritual retreat with Claude and Marie France Delpech in front of St. Hildegard Abbey in Ebingen, Germany, Sept. 17, 2012.

Couple spends retirement sharing St. Hildegard of Bingen’s wisdom and faith

Sep 17, 2023

By Anna Kurian

Through the sale of products and hosting retreats, Claude and Marie France Delpech are helping to bring the renowned saint’s... Read more