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.

|ByREUTERS
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

The pope expressed his pride in Israel’s diverse and thriving Christian communities, who will gather at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem for an annual festive meeting in the coming weeks.

|ByESTHER DAVIS
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

"It has become increasingly common to drag the language of faith into political battles, to bless nationalism, and to justify violence and armed struggle in the name of religion," said the pope.

|ByREUTERS
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

The mediation to settle sexual abuse claims could result in one of the largest payouts ever by the church in the United States.

|ByREUTERS

Pope Francis, in hospital, has 'slight fever' but is stable, Vatican says

Despite his periodic health issues and reduced mobility, Francis has kept up a busy schedule, including foreign travel.

FEBRUARY 14, 2025ByREUTERS
Pope Francis attends the weekly general audience, in Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican, February 12, 2025.

Pope names Italian sister as first woman to lead major Vatican office

Pope Francis has elevated women to leadership roles at the Vatican throughout his 11-year papacy, naming a range of women to second-in-command positions at various offices.

JANUARY 6, 2025ByREUTERS
Sister Simona Brambilla, first woman named to oversee Catholic religious orders.

Pope Francis names Trump critic McElroy as Washington's new archbishop

Cardinal McElroy criticized Trump's mass deportation campaign in 2019, adding that Catholics "simply can't stand by and watch [immigrants] get deported."

JANUARY 6, 2025ByREUTERS
Cardinal McElroy at the pulpit

As improved relations quaver, a new guide aims to educate Catholics about antisemitism

In the document published last week, the AJC’s “Translate Hate” ongoing glossary — which has entries on antisemitic terms — has been appended with Catholic commentaries on 10 of those entries.

DECEMBER 16, 2024ByBEN SALES/JTA
Members of the Palestinian embassy to the Holy See give a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, to Pope Francis during a Christmas ceremony at St Peter's Square at the Vatican, Dec. 7, 2024.

Anti-Israel protestors disrupt religious service at Northern Irish cathedral

As parishioners of Armagh's Saint Patrick's Cathedral were receiving communion, dozens of pro-Palestinian activists silently marched down the aisle.

DECEMBER 3, 2024ByMICHAEL STARR
Flags of Palestine and Ireland flutter next to each other over the International Wall in support of Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, March 29, 2024.

Pope Francis calls for worldwide peace to mark anniversary of Hamas attack

Last year, before the massacre, Pope Francis urged Israelis and Palestinians to foster a "climate of trust."

OCTOBER 6, 2024ByYOAV ETIEL, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Pope Francis looks on, at a mass to open the Synod of Bishops in St. Peter's square at the Vatican, October 2, 2024.

Pope Francis says refusing aid to migrants a 'grave sin'

Pope Francis condemned the refusal to aid migrants crossing the Mediterranean and called for global migration governance based on justice and solidarity.

AUGUST 28, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis holds the weekly general audience at the Vatican, August 28, 2024.

Catholic Church split on women deacons, Vatican document shows

The Vatican document stressed the need to "give fuller recognition" to women in the Church, saying that "by virtue of Baptism, they enjoy full equality".

JULY 9, 2024ByREUTERS
Pope Francis reacts on the day he holds a weekly general audience at Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican, June 26, 2024.

American Jews should take a look at Catholic universities - opinion

The conventional measures of institutional prestige cannot provide two vital pieces of information: What does an institution teach, and what kind of students does it attract?

MAY 2, 2024ByGREG WEINER, PHD
A demonstrator holds a sign across from the Columbia University campus with a student protest encampment in support of Palestinians, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., April 25, 2024.

60% of US Catholics say abortion should be legal, reflecting political divides within the Church

The survey also uncovered notable demographic shifts and regional variations within the US Catholic community.

APRIL 17, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Abortion rights protesters demonstrate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Dobbs v Women’s Health Organization abortion case, overturning the landmark Roe v Wade abortion decision in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 27, 2022.