Catholic News

The Latest

Fr. Fabián Pedacchio Leaniz.  CNA file photo.

Pope's personal secretary will return to Vatican Congregation for Bishops

Nov 25, 2019

The personal secretary to Pope Francis will leave his position in December, after nearly seven years of service to the... Read more

Pope Francis (L) leaves after meeting with Japan's Emperor Naruhito (R) at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on November 25, 2019.

Pope Francis meets the Japanese Emperor, who, like the pope, came after an unexpected resignation

Nov 25, 2019

Pope Francis met Monday with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. It was the first meeting of the two less, less than... Read more

Pope Francis speaks to authorities in Tokyo, Japan Nov. 25, 2019.

Economics must prioritize human dignity, pope tells Japanese authorities

Nov 25, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

In the measure of a country, concern for human dignity and life is more important than economic strength, Pope Francis... Read more

Pope Francis says Mass in Tokyo, Japan Nov. 25, 2019.

Pope in Tokyo: Christ is the lens that helps us prioritize our lives

Nov 25, 2019

Amid the confusion and anxiety often found in modern society, Christ offers us the perspective and freedom to order our... Read more

Pope Francis meets with youth in Japan Nov. 25, 2019.

Lack of prayer creates spiritual ‘zombies,’ pope tells Japanese youth

Nov 24, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

If people neglect prayer and the interior life, they are at risk of becoming spiritual zombies, who seem fine on... Read more

Pope Francis meets with victims of Japan’s 2011 ‘triple disaster’ Nov. 25, 2019.

Meeting with disaster victims, pope says human suffering demands a response

Nov 24, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

In a meeting Monday with people affected by Japan’s 2011 “triple disaster,” Pope Francis criticized society’s indifference toward the suffering... Read more

Pope Francis speaks at Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan.

Pope Francis in Hiroshima: 'Never again war'

Nov 24, 2019

Pope Francis prayed for peace Sunday at the site of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, where he called for an... Read more

Pope Francis greets Japanese Catholics at Mass in Nagasaki, Japan Nov. 24, 2019.

Be witnesses of hope in the face of evil, Francis urges Catholics in Nagasaki

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

On the Feast of Christ the King Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to not be indifferent to evil, but to... Read more

Pope Francis at the Nagasaki Martyrs’ Monument on Nishizaka Hill Nov. 24, 2019.

Pope Francis honors heroism of Japanese martyrs of Nagasaki

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

Pope Francis Sunday honored the many martyrs who died in Japan during two centuries of persecution, encouraging Catholics in the... Read more

Pope Francis prays at the Nagasaki ground zero site on Nov. 24, 2019.

At Nagasaki ground zero, pope denounces 'unspeakable horror' of nuclear weapons

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

At the ground zero site of the 1945 nuclear attack on Nagasaki, Pope Francis said the threat of using nuclear... Read more

A 17th-century Japanese depiction of St. Francis Xavier, from the Kobe City Museum collection.

What does it mean to be Japanese and Catholic? Pope Francis in Japan raises the question

Nov 23, 2019

For centuries, Japanese intellectuals, emperors, and missionaries have asked the same question: What does it mean to be both Japanese... Read more

Students and young people at Tokyo's Sophia University discuss the Nov. 23-26 2019 visit of Pope Francis to Japan.

Japanese Catholic youth: Pope Francis 'like a grandfather to us'

Nov 23, 2019

Wearing a t-shirt with a cartoon image of Pope Francis, Minori Takeuchi energetically bounces while she walks outside Joseph Hall,... Read more

The flag of Nicaragua.

In Nicaragua, armed mob raids Catholic church hosting anti-government vigil

Nov 23, 2019

Parishioners holding vigil at a church to pray for detained foes of President Daniel Ortega came under attack from supporters... Read more

Ashley Stricklin celebrates with friends on the occasion of her First Holy Communion. Courtesy photo.

How Ashley Stricklin found the Catholic Church at her Baptist college

Nov 23, 2019

By Christine Rousselle

Ashley Stricklin says she had a typical Texan upbringing. She was raised a Southern Baptist in a town outside of... Read more

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square June 17, 2015.

Pope Francis lands in Japan, where he once hoped to be a missionary

Nov 23, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

In a meeting with bishops in Tokyo Saturday, Pope Francis recalled his former desire to be a missionary to Japan,... Read more

Demonstrators clash with police in La Paz, Bolivia Nov. 21, 2019.

Bolivian bishops: 'Enough violence! Enough death!'

Nov 22, 2019

The Bolivian bishops’ conference called for an end to violence, as protests continue in the wake of former president Evo... Read more

Proposed changes to US Commission on International Religious Freedom draw fire

Nov 22, 2019

With the current authorization for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) expiring this year, proposed changes to the... Read more

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf speaks at a rally against pro-life legislation in Conshohocken, Dec. 11, 2017.

Pa. Catholic conference: Gov. Wolf failed to protect 'humanity's most vulnerable lives' with Down syndrome abortion veto

Nov 22, 2019

By Perry West

Pennsylvania governor Tom Wolf this week vetoed a bill that would have banned the abortion of children prenatally diagnosed with... Read more

Ban on elderly nun’s habit in retirement home went too far, French mayor says

Nov 22, 2019

An elderly nun in France has received an apology from a French mayor after retirement home staff wrongly rejected her,... Read more

Cardinal Stepinac. public domain.

How this Croatian cardinal saved thousands of Jewish lives

Nov 22, 2019

By Mary Farrow

The story of Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac.  Read more