Catholic church

Pope Leo XIV challenges Illinois governor over end-of-life legislation

The Illinois bill, which takes effect next September, gives terminally ill adults with a prognosis of six months or less the option to request a medical prescription to end their lives.

Pope Leo XIV addresses the crowd during a meeting with bishpops, priests consacrated persons and personal workers at the shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa, northeast of the capital Beirut, on December 1, 2025.
President Isaac Herzog meets with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, September 4, 2025.

Israel's Herzog, Pope Leo discuss rise in worldwide antisemitism ahead of Christmas

Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai receives a chalice from Pope Leo XIV (R) at a Holy Mass during the pope’s first apostolic journey, in Beirut, on December 2.

Pope Leo decries leaders who invoke religion for violence and nationalism

A woman sits with a veil on a church pew, with others at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, US, December 4, 2025.

New York Catholic Church agrees to mediation for 1,300 sexual abuse claims


Nostra Aetate wasn’t a cure for antisemitism, only the start of repentance - opinion

New research presented at a Nostra Aetate conference challenges the idea that antisemitism was marginal, pointing to unresolved issues within the Church.

 St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

Pope, patriarchs flock to Turkey to commemorate 1,700th anniversary of critical religious council

Catholic leaders visited the basilica beneath Lake Iznik, believed to be the site of the First Council of Nicaea, after falling water levels revealed the submerged ruins.

Pope Leo XIV takes part in a prayer service with Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, near the excavations of the ancient Basilica of Saint Neophytos on November 28, 2025 in Iznik, Turkey.

Pope Leo XIV arrives in tense Lebanon, urging peace amid Hezbollah-Israel strains

Pope Leo's 3-day visit to Lebanon comes as the country faces escalating Hezbollah–Israel tensions. His trip includes appeals for peace, key meetings, and a prayer at the Beirut port blast site.

A billboard depicting Pope Leo XIV, ahead of his planned visit to Lebanon, at the main airport road in Beirut, Lebanon November 21, 2025.

Hezbollah welcomes Pope to Lebanon as Islamist groups stress ties between ‘two Abrahamic faiths'

Pope Leo visited Istanbul's Blue Mosque on Saturday, but was not welcomed by the head of Turkey's state-run religious organization despite earlier plans.

A billboard of Pope Leo XIV is placed along a road, ahead of his planned visit to Lebanon, in Hazmieh, Lebanon November 28, 2025.

Christians in Lebanon's south pray papal visit brings peace - and strength to stay

Rev. Najib Amil said Leo's visit to Lebanon, which has the region's highest proportion of Christians, could encourage the Middle East's Catholics to remain in the region.

A billboard depicting Pope Leo XIV, ahead of his planned visit to Lebanon, at the main airport road in Beirut, Lebanon November 21, 2025.

At least 50 pupils kidnapped from Nigeria Catholic school escape, church says

Friday's incident in Niger state was the largest mass kidnapping of school children since the March 2024 abduction of students in northern Kaduna state.

An interior view of the Christ Apostolic Church, the day after an attack by gunmen in which people were killed and the pastor and some worshippers kidnapped, in the town of Eruku, Kwara state, Nigeria, November 19, 2025.

Catholic bishop in Spain resigns after abuse allegation

Bishop Fafael Zornoza is the first Spanish Catholic bishop known to have been investigated by the Vatican for an abuse allegation.

Bishop Rafael Zornoza speaks during a mass, in Cadiz, Spain in this screengrab taken from an undated handout video.

'Whole world is against Israel': Northern Irish MP Sammy Wilson bears witness to the Jewish state

DIPLOMATIC AFFAIRS: Wilson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, has been an outspoken supporter of Israel for a long time, and said that the Jewish State's democratic strength impressed him.

Northern Irish MP Sammy Wilson [left] stands at mountain outpost.

Calling Virgin Mary 'co-redeemer' is foolish, says Pope Leo

The Vatican's top doctrinal office instructed 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide not to refer to Mary as the "co-reedemer" of the world, arguing that Jesus alone was the savior.

The original statue of Our Lady of Fatima (Virgin Mary) is carried to St. Peter's square before the arrival of Pope Leo XIV to celebrate the Prayer Vigil and Rosary for Peace as part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality in the Vatican on October 11, 2025.

Pope Leo denounces antisemitism at anniversary of declaration on Catholic ties with Jews

The Pope reaffirmed the Catholic Church's stance against antisemitism during his speech at the ceremony commemorating 60 years of the Church's declaration of relations with non-Christian religions.

Pope Leo XIV attends an event called 'Walking Together in Hope' to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration Nostra Aetate on the Church’s relations with non-Christian religions in Paul VI Hall, at the Vatican, October 28, 2025.

Sixty years since Nostra Aetate: Transforming Catholic-Jewish relations - opinion

In 60 short years, the largest religious organization in the world went from being a major purveyor of antisemitic hate to the closest friend of the Jewish community. 

A TAPESTRY with the image of Pope John XXIII hangs on the facade of St. Peter’s facade during a beatification ceremony in 2000.