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In an interview with Vatican News, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, the leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, says this Easter, Christ gives them hope and certainty of a better future ahead, and expresses gratitude to Pope Francis for being a singular voice in working toward peace.

Receiving a pilgrimage from the diocese of Crema, from where the missionary killed by the Burmese army 70 years ago departed, Francis invites people to pray for this "tormented land that I carry in my heart." Seminarians from the diocese of Taungngu who are studying in Italy at the PIME seminary because of the war were also present. The death toll from the air force bombing of Pa Zi Gyi village in Sagaing has risen to 165.

Kyiv says Russia has shelled a block of flats in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, killing nine people, including a two-year-old boy. Russia responded by claiming that Ukrainian forces also attacked a town in Russian-controlled Donetsk, killing at least four and injuring 10 people. The clashes have overshadowed Julian-calendar Easter, which many in Ukraine and Russia are celebrating this weekend.

At the Vigil Mass in the Holy Night of Easter in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis says Christ's resurrection invites us to experience the immense surprise and joy of the women who witnessed the empty tomb, adding that we are called to relive the grace of our first encounter with the Lord to grow in faith and hope.

Stunning floral decorations donated by Dutch floriculturists formed the backdrop for Pope Francis’ Mass in St. Peter's Square on Easter Sunday, continuing a tradition which began in 1985 with the beatification of the Dutch Carmelite Saint Titus Brandsma.

Our Editorial Director reflects on the Pope Francis' continuous requests for others to pray for him, especially in light of his recent hospitalization for bronchitis.

Pope Francis meets with Borjana Krišto, Chair of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and discusses a number of topics, including EU enlargement.

New research shows that many Jews received help during the Holocaust from about 100 Catholic religious orders in more than 500 facilities and from over 700 diocesan priests in 600 localities in occupied Poland, according to a new book entitled "Wartime Rescue of Jews by the Polish Catholic Clergy" presented at the Catholic University of Lublin.

Over the first day of the meeting, more than 50 leading firms worldwide joined forces to help solve the global water crisis, while ten new States have expressed their intention to join the UN Water Convention.

Vatican Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher, is on an official visit to Tirana, where he was received by Foreign Minister Olta Xhaçka this Saturday.

Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople will pay a visit to Lithuania next week, Vilnius confirmed on Friday.

Address of the Hiero-Archimandrite of the Kyiv-Pechersk Holy Dormition Lavra, Metropolitan Epiphany, To the brothers of the Lavra and the public

NNA - Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and all the East Yusuf al-Absi, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch John X Yazigi, as well as Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Avram II, met today with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban, within the framework of their official visit to Hungary.

Addressing a group of refugees arriving in Europe through the ‘Humanitarian Corridors’ project, Pope Francis said the initiative protects the dignity of migrants, breaks down walls of indifference, and provides a hopeful vision for the future in Europe.

As we commemorate the ten-year anniversary since the College of Cardinals elected Jorge Mario Bergoglio to lead the Catholic Church, on 13 March 2013, we speak to Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Community of Sant'Egidio, on Pope Francis' closeness to the poor, the discarded, and those on the peripheries.

We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, call upon all parties in the Holy Land to practice restraint and self-control. We have been constantly warning of an exploding, senseless cycle of violence that will only cause hurt and suffering to everyone.

In an interview with Vatican Media, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin shares his hopes that Pope Francis' upcoming Apostolic Visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan will help promote an end to the violence that wounds both nations, saying the Pope's presence "could mark a turning point in the often tragic events in these countries."

Svitlana Dukhovych, with Vatican News' Ukrainian programme, gives her testimony of reporting on the war in Ukraine, on the occasion of the International Day of St Francis de Sales, organised by the French Federation of Catholic Media, the Dicastery for Communication, SIGNIS and UCSI (25-27 January 2023).

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Vatican Media welcomes students from the Institute, headquartered in Geneva and founded in 1946, which Pope Francis visited during the 70th anniversary of the World Council of Churches.

Baku, January 14, AZERTAC
Secretary of State of the Holy See Cardinal Pietro Parolin has said he will visit Azerbaijan as he met with Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Holy See Ilgar Mukhtarov.

Prior to the religious ceremony, Patriarch Pizzaballa said during the press conference held by the Catholic Center for Studies and Media (CCSM): "We pay prime attention to this holy place and affirm our support for the project designed to develop the Baptism Site which was announced by His Majesty King Abdullah II and His Royal Highness Prince GhaziI Ibn Mohammad."

The annual Holy Land Coordination begins on Saturday 14 January, when Bishops from 11 countries will gather in Jordan to meet with the Christian community. There are more than 200,000 Christians in the country. Its Catholic parishes, schools and social projects form an important part of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

It would be hard to name an Australian more polarising than George Pell.
The sudden death of the cardinal, once a right-hand man of the Pope, led to an outpouring of sadness and gratitude for his service by many devout Catholics across the nation and the globe. The bells at St Patrick’s Cathedral in East Melbourne rang for 30 minutes to mark his death and flags outside were flown at half-mast.

As the Church in Cuba celebrates the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s historic visit to the island nation on 21-25 January 1998, Pope Francis sends a letter encouraging Cubans to continue walking together in faithful hope to build a better future.

Cairo (Agenzia Fides) - Homosexual behavior does not conform to the Bible and to the creative will of God, who «created Adam and Eve». This was reiterated by Coptic Orthodox Patriarch Tawadros II, in an Egyptian television interview, Pope Tawadros also referred to specific programs introduced in kindergartens and primary schools that belong to the Coptic Church to raise boys and girls and protect them from theories and theses considered ambiguous and not compliant with the Bible regarding issues related to the relationship between the sexes and sexual orientation.

Yangon (Agenzia Fides) - "We urgently ask the parties for a ceasefire. We ask that they lay down their arms and seek a peaceful solution. We see many people suffering and it is necessary to create humanitarian corridors in areas of extreme humanitarian crisis, which allow all organizations, local and foreign, to assist displaced people", says to Agenzia Fides Joseph Kung, a lay Catholic from Yangon, head of a private university institute, interpreting the feelings and desires of Catholics and many other citizens of other confessions, in the country tormented by an internal conflict between the army and the Popular Defense Forces (PDF), born in the aftermath of the coup.
Currently, he notes, there is an urgent need "to alleviate the suffering of the millions of people who, in many areas of the country, have been forced to flee their homes and seek precarious shelters".

Ishtiaq Saleem is accused of posting pictures of the Prophet Mohammad’s name in Arabic tattooed on his body. Upon his arrest, he was beaten. His wife proclaims his innocence, saying that he is illiterate and the victim of a "conspiracy" based on religion. Pakistan’s electronic crimes law as well as blasphemy legislation are used to target religious minorities.