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The Good Friday tradition of the ‘Last Words of Christ’

Apr 2, 2021

By CNA Staff

Begun in Peru in the 1600s, the tradition of reflecting on the last words of Christ from the cross is... Read more

Giovanni Angelo Becciu, former prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, pictured June 27, 2019.

Report: Pope Francis celebrates Holy Thursday Mass with Cardinal Becciu

Apr 1, 2021

Italian media have reported that Pope Francis celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who resigned... Read more

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re presides at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper in St. Peter’s Basilica, April 1, 2021.

Cardinal Re at Vatican Mass: ‘Holy Thursday reminds us how much we have been loved’

Apr 1, 2021

Holy Thursday evening reminds us how much God loves us, a Vatican cardinal has said at the Mass of the... Read more

Pope Francis offers the Chrism Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on April 1, 2021.

Pope Francis tells priests at Chrism Mass: ‘The cross is non-negotiable’

Apr 1, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis told priests at Thursday’s Chrism Mass at the Vatican that “the cross is non-negotiable” when preaching the Gospel. Read more

Women in Pemba await the possible arrival of a boat carrying their relatives evacuated from the town of Palma following a March 24 attack.

Catholic group: Mozambique massacre should prompt attention, response

Apr 1, 2021

While recent violence in Mozambique has drawn headlines internationally, the country has been dealing with violence for years, which has... Read more

From left: Relic of the Lignum Crucis, Holy Shroud, and Holy Chalice.

Three relics of Christ’s Passion housed in Spain

Apr 1, 2021

By CNA Staff

While the Shroud of Turin – believed to be the burial cloth that wrapped the body of Jesus after his... Read more

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo preaching at Westminster Cathedral in London, England, May 12, 2016. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Cardinal Bo: ‘Merciless killings’ turning Burma into ‘21st-century Calvary’

Apr 1, 2021

Cardinal Charles Maung Bo has said that “merciless killings” of protesters following a Feb. 1 military coup have turned Burma... Read more

Original painting of the Divine Mercy, by Eugeniusz Kazimirowski in 1934. Wikimedia Commons 4.0.

Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday

Apr 1, 2021

By CNA Staff

The Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday. Read more

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Easter celebrations return to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Mar 31, 2021

Christians will celebrate Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this year after the storied church remained closed last... Read more

The flag of Canada. Credit: Jiri Flogel/Shutterstock.

Canada job program grants saw spike in rejection rates under abortion litmus test

Mar 31, 2021

Rejection rates spiked after a Canadian government job grant program’s 2018 rules required groups to affirm abortion rights, and rejections... Read more

Credit: Unsplash.

Several pro-life bills advance in Texas

Mar 31, 2021

By Christine Rousselle

The Texas Senate passed six pro-life bills on Tuesday, including one banning abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy and... Read more

Archbishop Thomas Wenski speaks at a press conference.

Priests are still essential, says Archbishop Wenski

Mar 31, 2021

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami stressed this week that despite public health distinctions created over the past year, priests are... Read more

Credit: Unsplash.

Black parishes in Chicago closing disproportionately due to low attendance, official says

Mar 31, 2021

Amid a plan to merge and close dozens of parishes, the Archdiocese of Chicago has disproportionately closed parishes that minister... Read more

Martyred Italian judge Rosario Livatino (1952-1990). Public domain.

Pope Francis: Martyred Catholic judge showed mafia’s ‘intrinsic denial of the Gospel’

Mar 31, 2021

In the preface to a new book, Pope Francis says that the martyrdom of Italian Catholic judge Rosario Livatino in... Read more

Online store launched for monastic goods from Spain

Mar 31, 2021

To help Spanish monasteries and convents sell their goods amid the restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic, the Cloister Foundation has... Read more

Credit: I AM NIKOM/Shutterstock

Report analyzes religious groups' risks of internet 'de-platforming', calls for action

Mar 31, 2021

Religious groups that speak on controversial topics are at risk of being removed from social media platforms and need to... Read more

A police officer on duty at St Peter’s Square. Credit: Maciej Matlak/Shutterstock

Is Vatican City’s judicial system in peril?

Mar 31, 2021

By Andrea Gagliarducci

The U.K. court ruling that overturned an account seizure request by Vatican City prosecutors has raised questions about the reliability... Read more

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer statue undergoes major restoration for 90th anniversary

Mar 31, 2021

By Courtney Mares

The massive Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is undergoing restoration ahead of its 90th anniversary... Read more

Pope Francis blesses a young boy in the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Bakhdida, Iraq, on March 7, 2021. Photo credits: Vatican Media.

Iraqi cardinal: Pope Francis gave $350,000 for poor during Iraq trip

Mar 31, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

A cardinal has revealed that Pope Francis gave a donation of $350,000 to the Chaldean Catholic Church during his recent... Read more

Fr. Ferdinand Fanen Ngugban with a religious sister.

Catholic priest and six others killed in attack on church in Nigeria

Mar 31, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Gunmen have killed a Catholic priest and at least six others in an attack on a church in Benue State,... Read more