day blessing from the main balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 25, 2017. CREDIT: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino
Pope Francis dealt a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump in his annual Christmas message on Monday, hitting the U.S. leader on immigration and calling for a pea

In a press statement released on Sunday, the Holy See Press Office reiterated the Pope's concerns regarding the volatile situation in and around Jerusalem.
In expressing sorrow for the clashes of the past few days that have left people dead, the Holy Father renews his appeal for wisdom and prudence

Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid and a delegation of political and religious authorities were on the tarmac to meet him together with a group of children who welcomed him with flowers, singing and dancing.
After the welcome ceremony the Pope visited the National Martyr’s Memorial and Bangabadhu Mem

as well as by crowds of ordinary people who lined the road to the archbishop’s residence where he’ll be staying for the three-day visit.
Philippa Hitchen is in Yangon to report on this papal journey and was among the crowds waiting for the Pope and his entourage to arrive in the city centre.
It’s

and urged Christians to overcome indifference and seek ways to actively love the poor that they meet.
“In the poor, we find the presence of Jesus, who, though rich, became poor,” the Pope said Nov. 19. Because of this, “in their weakness, a saving power is present. And if in the eyes of the world t

The cordial conversation that took place on Saturday morning during a private audience in the Apostolic Palace between the Pope and President Bai Koroma focused mainly on the good relations that exist between the Holy See and the west African nation of Sierra Leone and on the important contribution

and leaving more than 500 injured as thousands of frantic concert-goers screamed and ran for their lives, Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo said Monday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
President Trump called the attack "an act of pure evil" and said the FBI and Depart

In remarks prepared for the occasion, and delivered to participants during the course of an audience that began shortly before noon in the Consistory Hall of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, Pope Francis reflected particularly on the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy that ran through 2016, und

shared an emotional meeting with Pope Francis, saying that throughout his time as a prisoner, he offered his suffering for the Pope and the Church.
According to a Sept. 13 article published in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, the encounter took place at the Pope's residence in the Vatica

Pope Francis expressed his “deepest sympathy” for the victims of Thursday’s terrorist attack on Barcelona “Las Ramblas Boulevard” with a telegram to the city’s Archbishop, Cardinal Juan José Omella.
The telegram was signed by Cardinal Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin.
Pope Francis condemned the

Fr. Peter Sebastian Goveas, the Vicar General of Bhagalpur Diocese, also in Bihar, is the new bishop of Bettiah. The see of Bettiah has been vacant since July 13, 2013, when Pope Francis transferred Bettiah’s first Bishop Victor Henry Thakur to the Archdiocese of Raipur.ý
Education and training

The message was read out by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State.
At the end of the message, Cardinal Parolin officially announced that Pope Francis will visit the Rome headquarters of the FAO on World Food Day, 16 October 2017, at the invitation of its Director-General, José Grazian

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he had ordered strikes against what he called terrorist camps, declaring in a televised address that states that sponsored terrorism would be punished.
Egyptian military sources said six strikes took place near Derna in eastern Libya at around sundown, hours afte

in a friendly encounter which included an emphasis on protection of life and freedom of conscience.
According to a May 24 Vatican communique, Pope Francis and Trump expressed satisfaction "for the good existing bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America, as well as th

Upon his arrival in Israel on Monday, US President Donald Trump delivered a message of hope for peace, saying his meetings in Saudi Arabia with King Salman and other Arab leaders gave him "new reasons for hope."
"We have before us a rare opportunity to bring security and stability and peace to thi

With delicate diplomatic meetings facing him, including three summits, Trump faces the challenge of advancing his "America First" agenda without alienating key allies.
Stepping off Air Force One in sweltering heat with his wife, Melania, Trump and his entourage received a red-carpet welcome from S

The Holy Father’s reflections were based on a passage from the Gospel of St John, which relates how St Mary Magdalene was the first to see Jesus after His Resurrection. Her visit to Jesus’s tomb, the Pope said, mirrored “the fidelity of so many women” who visit cemeteries to keep alive the memory of

saying he never judges another person’s views until he hears them for himself.
Pope Francis and President Trump will meet at the Vatican on May 24. The two have been at odds on some issues in recent months.
During the in-flight press conference returning from Fatima to Rome on May 13, a reporter a

Speaking during the homily at morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope reflected on the liturgical reading of the day in which St. Paul tells the story of Salvation leading up to Jesus.
During the course of history, Pope Francis said, many of our conceptions have changed. Slavery, for example

a harsher-than-expected ruling critics fear will embolden hardline Islamist forces to challenge secularism in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.
Tuesday's guilty verdict for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama comes amid concern about the growing influence of Islamist groups, who organized m

Amongst the topics elaborated upon, he spoke of his concern for the North Korea crisis for which he urged diplomatic mediation, of the phenomenon of populism in Europe and across the world and of the dramatic situation of forced migrants and refugees in many refugee camps.
Please find below CNA and

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis
Holy Mass, Cairo
29 April 2017
As-salamu alaykum! Peace be with you!
Today’s Gospel of the third Sunday of Easter speaks to us of the journey to Emmaus of the two disciples who set out from Jerusalem. It can be summed up in three words: death, resurrection

Francis's trip, aimed at improving Christian-Muslim ties, comes just three weeks after Islamic State suicide bombers killed at least 45 people in two Egyptian churches.
"Let us say once more a firm and clear 'No!' to every form of violence, vengeance and hatred carried out in the name of religion o

during which the Holy Father recalled the celebration of the feast of St. Adalbert, one of the Patrons of Poland.
Born in the 10th century, St. Adalbert was the bishop of Prague, and a missionary to the Baltic peoples, who received martyrdom for his efforts to bring them the gospel.
"This past Sun

(to the city and the world) message from the central loggia of St Peter’s Basilica on a sunny Easter Sunday.
The Pope said that “by his resurrection, Jesus Christ has set us free from the slavery of sin and death, and has opened before us the way to eternal life.”
In every age, the Holy Father und

The liturgy is held every year in every diocese, and is typically celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday, with the clergy gathered around the bishop in a sign of unity.
It is called the “Chrism Mass” because it is during the liturgy that the sacred oils to be used in the Sacraments are blessed:

situated in north of capital city Cairo while no claim of responsibility was confirmed by any terror organization.
Coptic Christians were offering Palm Sunday prayers when blast struck at Mar Girgis church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta, 120km north of Cairo, Egyptian media reports said.
Images

and start explaining the big picture, shedding light on the causes behind migration.
“The mass media should be driven by the need to explain the different aspects of migration, also making the public aware of the causes of this phenomenon,” he said in an interview published April 7.
“The violation

Officials said the individual was inspired by “Islamic terrorism” before he mowed down crowds on Westminster Bridge and stabbed policeman Keith Palmer to death outside Parliament.
Four people died, including a policeman and the attacker, and 29 others were injured – seven of whom are in a critical

A communique from the Holy See Press Office said their discussions were "cordial".
"The Parties focused on the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and Lebanon, underlining the historic and institutional role of the Church in the life of the country. Satisfaction was then expressed for the

Casa Divin Maestro, nestled away in the woods on Lake Albano, is just a short distance from the Papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo in the town of Ariccia, some 16 miles outside of Rome.
One view from the retreat house encompasses the lake and the town of Castel Gandolfo; even the dome of St.

Pope Francis' advisory board in his ongoing reform of the Roman Curia affirmed their support of the Pope and his work.
On behalf of the group, Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga greeted Pope Francis at the start of the councils of cardinal's Feb. 13 meeting.
He thanked the Pope for his Chri

Vatican City: January 6, 2017. (Reuters) Pope Francis gave 300 homeless people and refugees a sandwich and a drink to thank them for helping to hand out religious pamphlets at an Epiphany feast day service on Friday.
The picnic, announced by the pope's charity office, was the latest gesture from th

The message, entitled ‘Non-violence: A style of politics for peace’ was published in December to mark the Catholic Church’s observance of World Peace Day on January 1st.
In the message the Pope notes that violence leads to suffering through forced migrations, environmental destruction, terrorism an