This morning (1st July) in the Holy See Press Office a presentation was given for the “Great Event of the Year of Faith, a Day for seminarians, novices, and all those who have taken the path of vocation”. The participants were Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president [...]

On Sunday, 23rd June a Syrian priest, François Murad was killed in Gassanieh, in northern Syria. Fides Agency has confirmed priest’s death but stated that the circumstances are not fully understood. Mainstream newspapers say the priest was beheaded and a video of the killing was broadcast.

Fides states that the monastery where [...]

On 27 June in the Holy See Press Office, there was a presentation of the agreement between Vatican Television and Canal 21 (the television channel of the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina) as well as of the new Master Control Room that will make digital archiving possible.

WASHINGTON—Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration, commended, June 28, the U.S. Senate for passage of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The U.S. Senate passed S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Competitiveness, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, by [...]

The US Supreme Court decisions June 26 striking down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and refusing to rule on the merits of a challenge to California’s Proposition 8 mark a “tragic day for marriage and our nation,” said Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. [...]

World Youth Day is one of the most extraordinary experiences a young person can have Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said.

Speaking at the launch of a specially organised Dublin youth faith festival which will coincide with WYD2013 in Brazil at the end of July, the Archbishop said one of [...]

The Vatican’s Congregation for Eastern Churches is mourning the brutal murder of Fr Franҫois Mourad, a Syrian monk. In a statement issued Tuesday the Prefect Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, expresses “the deepest condolences to the Syro-Catholic Church, with the Patriarch SB Ignace Youssef III Younan, the Custody of the Holy Land [...]

The first ever symposium on Joseph Ratzinger’s theology to be held in Ireland took place in Maynooth this weekend and brought together former students of the pope emeritus as well as speakers from Ireland, Poland and Germany.

‘The Dynamism of Ratzinger’s Theology’ was held at the Divine Word Missionaries’ house in Co [...]

The US Catholic bishops’ Fortnight for Freedom initiative promoting awareness of religious liberty and the challenges to it, begins today, Friday, June 21st, on the eve of the feast of St. Thomas More and St John Fisher: models of public service and Church leadership, who were martyred for the faith.

Archbishop [...]

A new website dedicated to Blessed Chiara Luce Badano offers news and reflections to the many people she inspires.

The words life, love, light have been connected to the name of Chiara Luce Badano since the day of her beatification, and these words are now continued on this website officially dedicated [...]

WASHINGTON—The Communications Department of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOA) have launched www.faithandsafety.org, a resource for adults to help children safely navigate online.

The website and complementary social media channels (http://twitter.com/faithandsafety and http://facebook.com/faithandsafety) address safe use [...]

US President Obama has urged young people to constantly  remind people about peace in Northern Ireland. The American President visited  Belfast before attending the G8 summit in Co Fermanagh, and told the many schoolchildren among the audience of 2,000 in Waterfront Hall:

“There are still wounds that have not been healed [...]

Money, politics and economics must serve, not rule. They must serve people and promote an ethics of truth. This was the thread running through Pope Francis Letter to the British Prime Minister on the eve of the G8 Summit.

The Holy Father’s Letter was in response to one sent by David [...]

Trócaire and Concern have launched emergency appeals for Syria. Trócaire warns that the situation in the region threatens to reach catastrophic levels following the dramatic deterioration in the situation in Syria and neighbouring countries.

“Over eight million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid,” said Maurice McQuillan, Trócaire’s Head of Humanitarian [...]

The Catholic bishops of Ireland have asked the faithful in parishes all over the country to join Pope Francis this weekend in praying in support of the “Gospel of Life”.  Celebrating the encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae, Pope Francis will join in the special event entitled, ‘Believing, May They Have Life’ which [...]

WASHINGTON— As the U.S. Senate begins debate on immigration reform legislation this week, Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Migration, urged Congress to approve S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which would reform [...]

Hong Kong – Tireless work to “contribute to the formation and development of man”: is what is carried out by Caritas Hong Kong, one of the largest diocesan Caritas in the world, with over 10 thousand volunteers and projects in India, Japan, Vietnam, New Zealand, Australia, China. This is what [...]

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, joined the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences of the Group of 8 nations (G8) to urge national leaders to protect the poor and assist developing countries at the upcoming G8 Summit in the United Kingdom.

In a letter [...]

Millionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and a host of other well-known names are leading tens of thousands of people in London’s Hyde Park on Saturday in a campaign to help end global hunger.

The ‘Enough food for everyone IF..’ campaign is calling on leaders of [...]

The Minister of State for Trade and Development, Joe Costello, has paid tribute to the “enormous work” done by Irish missionaries throughout the world.

Speaking to ciNews following his address to the ‘Mission, Today and Tomorrow’ conference in All Hallows in Dublin, Minister Costello said, “We feel that the work that they [...]

Pope Francis met with humanitarian groups dealing with the Syrian crisis on Wednesday before his general audience. The event was organized by the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”.

“In the face of ongoing and overwhelming violence, I strongly renew my appeal for peace,” said the Holy Father. He encouraged the inititatives of [...]

The Sisters of Mercy in America are taking their bus out on the road again this year. The second ‘Nuns on the Bus’ as their action is named, will call for fair immigration reform that puts families and basic human needs first. The Senate immigration reform bill S.744 is to [...]

“Working with almost 1,000 Irish prisoners in the UK, we are extremely concerned about the effect these proposals will have on our clients.  Prisoners – including those with learning disabilities and mental health issues – will no longer have access to legal aid to address grievances about their treatment that [...]

A member of the singing sensation, The Priests, says that the people of his two parishes are “very much part of the journey” and when he sings,  he brings them with him.

Fr Martin O’Hagan is part of the internationally acclaimed classical music group called the Priests, made up of three [...]