Pope Leo XIV has encouraged young Catholics in Iraq to become witnesses of hope and instruments of peace in a country still carrying the wounds of conflict and instability.
The Iraqi government has announced stringent COVID-19 precautions, including the closure of mosques and churches "until further notice," ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to the country.
The care for the elderly has become more urgent as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world, noted a new Vatican document released this week.
The Vatican, the world’s smallest state, began its COVID-19 vaccination program this week, prioritizing doctors, health workers, and the most vulnerable
Pope Francis lambasted the “inefficiencies in the care of the sick” that have become more pronounced last year at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis, in another step toward greater equality for women in the Catholic Church, issued a decree allowing women to serve as readers at liturgies, altar servers, and distributors of communion.
The Vatican has issued a decree this week allowing priests to celebrate up to four Masses on Christmas Day, on New Year’s Day, and on Jan. 6, Feast of the Epiphany.
Pope Francis announced the start of the observance of a Year of St. Joseph on Dec. 8 to mark the 150th anniversary of the saint’s proclamation as patron of the Universal Church.
Pope Francis is offering free coronavirus tests for Rome’s poor and homeless as part of the Catholic Church’s World Day of the Poor activities, the Vatican said on Nov. 12.
The Vatican this week called on Christians and Hindus around the world to build “a culture of positivity and hope in the heart of our societies” despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
