St. Peter’s Holy Door to Be Sealed Jan. 16
The Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the last of four papal basilicas for the Jubilee of Hope, will be sealed shut. With the final sealing on Jan. 16 of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy See will complete the closing — which includes the actual masonry work — of the four […]
Angola Among African Countries Pope Leo XIV Will Visit
Archbishop Imbamba thanked Pope Leo XIV for accepting the invitation to visit Angola. Angola is one of the countries Pope Leo XIV plans to visit in what will be his first pastoral trip to the continent of Africa as pontiff, the apostolic nuncio in the southern African nation has announced. Addressing journalists during a press […]
Vatican Prosecutor Steps Aside in London Property Appeal
The appeal trial is scheduled to resume Feb. 3. The Vatican’s Court of Cassation has cleared the way for the appeal phase of the Secretariat of State funds trial — commonly tied in headlines to Cardinal Angelo Becciu — rejecting last-ditch procedural challenges and accepting the recusal of Vatican Promoter of Justice Alessandro Diddi from […]
Manila’s Black Nazarene Feast Draws 9.6 Million Devotees
In a fiery homily at the fiesta Mass for the feast of the Black Nazarene, Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. of the Diocese of Balanga called on politicians implicated in infrastructure corruption to resign. More than 9.6 million Catholics joined the annual feast of the Black Nazarene, one of Asia’s biggest religious events, seeking miracles and […]
Pope Leo XIV: Make Time Each Day to Speak With God
Pope Leo XIV urged Christians Wednesday to set aside time in their daily lives to speak with God in prayer and warned about the harm to one’s relationship with him when this is ignored. “Time dedicated to prayer, meditation and reflection cannot be lacking in the Christian’s day and week,” the pontiff said during the […]
What Paul VI Really Meant by the ‘Smoke of Satan’
COMMENTARY: The famous phrase from Pope St. Paul VI is widely invoked in discussions about the Catholic Church. But what did he actually have in mind? In recent weeks, as the Church marked the 60th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council, a quotation from Pope St. Paul VI — “from some fissure […]
Charlotte Priests Ask Vatican About Ban on Altar Rails
Reacting to Bishop Michael Martin’s Dec. 17, 2025, pastoral letter announcing the impending abolishment of altar rails and kneelers in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, 31 of the diocese’s priests have signed a letter to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Legislative Texts containing a set of questions, or “dubia,” related to the matter. According to […]
Pope Leo XIV Charts Early Direction After First Consistory
COMMENTARY: Early signs from Leo’s first consistory suggest continuity with Pope Francis’ original pastoral vision — more in what he said than in how he later governed. The direction of the Leonine pontificate is still not yet clear, but the consistory of cardinals last week gave some further indications. Pope Leo XIV intends to continue […]
Order of Malta Seeks Greater UN Role Amid Bethlehem Crisis
The Order of Malta’s Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem is facing severe operational constraints and its mobile clinics remain unable to reach Bedouin villages in the West Bank due to movement restrictions and violence, the order’s grand master told diplomats Jan. 10. Fra’ John Dunlap said in his annual address to the diplomatic corps that […]
The Story Behind Pope Leo XIV’s New Papal Staff
Last week during the Jan. 6 closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIV used a new papal staff, or ferula, which is used by pontiffs in solemn ceremonies and represents their leadership as bishop of Rome and supreme pastor of the entire Church. According to the Office of Liturgical Celebrations […]
