A small cohort of young people from Estonia begin their pilgrimage toward World Youth Day in Lisbon, Portugal, entrusting their spiritual journey to God and the Estonian Servant of God Eduard Profittlich.
 
If you’re an American, you might not know much about a decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two small countries located in the Caucasus region, where Europe and Asia meet.
 
In two papal telegrams, Pope Francis offers his spiritual closeness and prayers for victims of severe storms and wildfires that have hit Italy and Greece. The Pope thanks the emergency workers who have come to help them.
 
Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) - "In recent months, attacks on Christian clergy, churches and holy places have roused the anxiety of many of our Christian faithful, particularly in Jerusalem and Haifa", says a statement sent to Fides by the Justice and Peace Commission Assembly of the Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. 
 
Archbishop Viktor of Artsyz, Vicar of the Diocese of Odesa, has sent a letter to Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev) and all members of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in connection with the Russian attack on Odesa on Saturday night.
 
Pope Francis presides over Mass on the Third World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, and praises intergenerational exchange as a means to learn the beauty of life and strengthen the life of the Church.
 
Pope Francis releases a brief video message for pilgrims destined for World Youth Day in Lisbon, and encourages them to journey together filled with the joy of encountering Christ.
 
The interlocutor of the agency recalled that the pontiff had repeatedly spoken about his readiness for meetings with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine, as well as for trips to both capitals.
 
ROME – In 2011, the last time an Israeli Foreign Minister came calling in the Vatican, there was hope the encounter might lend momentum toward an agreement to stabilize the tax and fiscal status of Church-owned properties in the Holy Land, as an addendum to the 1993 Fundamental Agreement launching diplomatic relations between the two states.
 
I sat down with Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich at the Jesuit Curia in Rome on the afternoon of June 30. The following article, based on that conversation, is the second part of that interview. The first part can be found here.
 
Cardinal-elect Agostino Marchetto has worn many hats during decades of service to the Church and to the Holy See. In an interview with Vatican Radio, he expresses his view that Pope Francis has chosen to give him the red hat thanks, above all, to years of service at the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.
 
In a statement at the 53rd Regular Session of the Human Rights Council on the recurrent desecration of the Quran in some countries, Vatican representative Monsignor David Putzer reaffirms that freedom of expression must never be used as an excuse to despise others.
 
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, speaks at a presentation of a new book in Italian entitled "Ukrainian Lessons", and highlights Pope Francis' efforts to foster peace, especially in Ukraine.
 

Brief biographies of 21 future Cardinals

As Pope Francis announces he will create 21 new Cardinals, we offer a brief biography of each of the future Cardinals who will be given 'red hats' on 30 September 2023.
 
The Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar presents the programme, logo and motto of the the Pope’s upcoming Apostolic Journey to Mongolia, remarking that it is an historic event for the young Church in the Asian nation.
 

Pope Francis appeals for Holy Land & Ukraine

Following his Sunday Angelus address, Pope Francis appeals for dialogue in the Holy Land, for prayers for war-torn Ukraine, and announces a consistory for the creation of new cardinals on 30 September 2023.
 
At the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis urges us to allow ourselves to be “impressed” by the great things God accomplishes and the good deeds that silently change the world.
 
Pope Francis appeals to Christians not to forget the many conflicts and clashes that are wreaking death, suffering and damage across the globe, and asks us never to tire of praying, as “prayer is the gentle force that protects and sustains the world.”
 
The Holy See Press Office releases a communiqué to retrace Cardinal Matteo Zuppi's two-day mission to Russia as Pope Francis' envoy, and reports that “the results of the visit will be brought to the knowledge of the Holy Father, in view of further steps to be taken, both at the humanitarian level and in the search for paths to peace.”
 
Pope Francis' appeal for prayers and peace in Ukraine on Sunday came after residents in Kyiv were kept awake overnight by the first massive Russian drone strike in nearly two weeks.
 

A safe haven for the oppressed

The Jews who once fled persecution in Rome found shelter in a convent in the peripheries. Today, its doors are open to welcome "the oppressed" of all wars.
 
An armed mutiny in Russia that threatened to escalate into a coup and civil war appeared over Sunday. It was seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin's most significant challenge to his authority since gaining power over two decades ago.
 
London, England, Jun 18, 2023 / 06:00 am
“Record-breaking attendance” is expected for the upcoming annual pilgrimage to England’s famous Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, according to the Latin Mass Society (LMS) of England and Wales, which is organizing the summer event.
 
by Victor Gaetan*

Good news has been rare for Syria since 2011.
Ravaged by over a decade of war, compounded by poverty and a pandemic, more persecution arrived on February 6 when earthquakes killed some 6,000 people living near the country’s northwest border with Turkey and displaced over 330,000
Aleppo, the region’s largest city, has long been a center of Christianity.
 
During Sunday's Angelus prayer, Pope Francis remembers the victims of the tragic shipwreck of migrants off the coast of Greece, and renews his prayers for all. He implore's every effort to prevent such tragedies.
 
Pope Francis‘ special peace envoy to Ukraine concludes his 2-day mission to the war-ravaged nation.
 
Sister Esther, a member of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, shares what she has learned and experienced while carrying out her ministry as a midwife in the maternity ward of the hospital in Nsawam, Ghana. Besides assisting with childbirth, Sr Esther offers health care education to mothers to make responsible decisions and change their lives for the better.
 
Cardinal Zuppi heads to Ukraine, tasked by Pope Francis with “listening in depth to the Ukrainian authorities about possible ways to achieve a just peace.”
 
The World Meeting on Human Fraternity, to be held in St Peter’s Square on the 10th June, will bring together artists, young people, charity workers, and Nobel peace prize winners from across the world.
 
Pope Francis launches an appeal to authorities to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to peoples struck by a powerful cyclone in the Bay of Bengal that has wreaked death and destruction in areas between Myanmar and Bangladesh.