World Sep 07 Vatican won't say if women can vote in 2023 church meeting For years, women activists and even nuns have pressed to be able to vote at Synod of Bishops meetings, which gather the Catholic hierarchy to Rome to discuss pressing issues facing the 1.3-billion strong Catholic Church.
World Jul 14 Pope Francis returns to Vatican 10 days after surgery Pope Francis was discharged from a Rome hospital and returned home to the Vatican on Wednesday, 10 days after undergoing surgery to remove half his colon.
World Jul 07 Pope had severe narrowing of the colon, no mention of cancer Pope Francis' recovery from intestinal surgery continues to be "regular and satisfactory," the Vatican said Wednesday, as it revealed that final examinations showed he had suffered a "severe" narrowing of his colon.
World Jun 30 Pope to meet with Indigenous survivors of Canada's residential schools amid demands for apology Pope Francis has agreed to meet in December with Indigenous survivors of Canada's notorious residential schools. The meeting comes amid calls for a papal apology for Catholic Church's role in the abuse and deaths of thousands of native children.
World Jun 01 Vatican law now criminalizes abuse of adults by priests, laity Pope Francis has changed church law to explicitly criminalize the sexual abuse of adults by priests who abuse their authority, and to say that laypeople who hold church office can be sanctioned for similar sex crimes.
World Mar 15 Vatican bars same-sex union blessing, says God 'can't bless sin' The Vatican's orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy can bless gay unions. Its conclusion was "negative."…
World Mar 07 Where IS ruled, pope calls on Christians to forgive, rebuild Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased…
World Mar 06 Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric deliver message of coexistence Pope Francis walked through a narrow alley in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf for a historic meeting with the country’s top Shiite cleric Saturday, and together they delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence in a country still reeling from…
World Mar 05 Pope arrives in Iraq to rally Christians despite pandemic Pope Francis arrived in Iraq on Friday to urge the country’s dwindling number of Christians to stay put and help rebuild the country after years of war and persecution, brushing aside the coronavirus pandemic and security concerns to make his…
World Dec 27 'Believe in science': EU kicks off COVID-19 vaccine campaign Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worst health…