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Vatican News

Pope Francis: The heart of our faith is love
At the Angelus on Nov. 3, 2024, Pope Francis asked for prayers for Valencia, a region in southeast Spain that was hit by devastating flash flooding in late October. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Nov 3, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

Every Sunday, Pope Francis appears at a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square to give a brief spiritual reflection before leading the Angelus prayer.


Pope Francis prays in cemetery for unborn children on All Souls’ Day
Pope Francis prays at the “Garden of Angels” section of the Laurentino Cemetery in Rome on All Souls’ Day, Nov. 2, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Newsroom, Nov 2, 2024 / 08:34 am (CNA).

Upon arrival, Francis laid white roses on a memorial stone marking the Garden of Angels and silently prayed for several moments.


 This is Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of November
Pope Francis prays during the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Oct. 27, 2024, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Nov 2, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of November is for those who have lost a child.


Pope Francis in All Saints’ Day Angelus highlights Christians’ ‘identity card’
Pope Francis waves to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square from his window in the Apostolic Palace during his Angelus address on the solemnity of All Saints, Nov. 1, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2024 / 17:05 pm (CNA).

In his Angelus address on Friday, the solemnity of All Saints, Pope Francis spoke about the “identity card” of the Christian.


‘Dilexit Nos’: wisdom from 20 saints on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Top, left to right: St. Catherine of Siena, St. John Paul II, Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St. Francis de Sales. Bottom, left to right: St. John Henry Newman, St. Gertrude of Helfta, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and St. Thomas Aquinas. / Credit: Brooklyn Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Gov.pl, CC BY 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons; Leiloeira São Domingos, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Corrado Giaquinto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Giovanni Battista Lucini, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Herbert Rose Barraud, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; Public domain via Wikimedia Commons; Céline Martin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; Carlo Crivelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Nov 1, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

“Dilexit Nos,” meaning “He Loved Us,” describes how devotion to the heart of Christ “reappears in the spiritual journey of many saints.”


Pope Francis to parents of aborted children: Evil does not have the last word
Pope Francis with members of “Project Hope,” a program of accompaniment for the spiritual and emotional healing of women and men who suffer the consequences of having chosen abortion, on Oct. 30, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 31, 2024 / 15:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis received in audience members of “Project Hope,” a program of accompaniment for the healing of those who suffer consequences of abortion.


Pope Francis: Secular world needs teachers with ‘a big heart’ and high ideals
Pope Francis meets with participants of Italy’s Educational Commitment Movement of Catholic Action (MIEAC) national congress on Oct. 31, 2024, at a private audience held in the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 31, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).

“Christian education crosses unexplored terrain, marked by anthropological and cultural changes, on which we are still seeking answers ...,” the Holy Father said.


In Rome, theologians reflect on ‘reception’ stage of Synod on Synodality
An academic congress — “From the Council to the Synod: Rereading a Church’s Journey, 60 Years on Since Lumen Gentium (1964–2024)” — was hosted by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from Oct. 28–30, 2024. / Credit: Pontifical Gregorian University

Vatican City, Oct 30, 2024 / 15:25 pm (CNA).

The academic congress was hosted by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from Oct. 28–30.


Pope Francis: Confirmation is the ‘sacrament of witness,’ not the ‘sacrament of goodbye’
Pope Francis waves to pilgrims as he enters St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for his Wednesday general audience on Oct. 30, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 30, 2024 / 10:40 am (CNA).

The Holy Father during his Wednesday general audience said confirmation is a “gift of God” and a “milestone” that should not mark a departure from the Church.


Here’s what Pope Francis is doing for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days 2024
Pope Francis says Mass for All Souls' Day at the Laurentino Cemetery outside Rome, Nov. 2, 2018. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 30, 2024 / 10:10 am (CNA).

For All Souls’ Day, Francis will continue his custom of holding a Mass in a local cemetery to pray for the dead, especially the holy souls in purgatory.


Cardinal O’Malley: Church acknowledges damage of abuse but ‘celibacy is not the cause’
Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley attends a press conference to present the first report of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors on Oct. 29, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images

Vatican City, Oct 29, 2024 / 15:45 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Seán O’Malley stated that he has “never seen any serious studies that have indicated that celibacy and sexual abuse is related.”


Vatican publishes first report on Church safeguarding efforts worldwide
Pope Francis joines the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors in prayer at the Vatican on March 7, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 29, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

The 50-page report by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors is the first in an annual series that aims to provide analysis of safeguarding measures.


Pope Francis cuts salaries of Vatican cardinals again
Cardinals outside the Paul VI Hall. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

ACI Prensa Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 18:40 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has decided to cut the salaries of the cardinals working at the Vatican again, a measure that will take effect Nov. 1.


Cardinal Renato Martino, longtime Vatican diplomat, dies at 91
Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, who served for 16 years as the top Vatican diplomat to the United Nations and headed up two key pontifical councils in Rome for several years, died Oct. 28, 2024, at age 91. / Credit: Ninocento at Italian Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Renato Raffaele Martino, who served for 16 years as the top Vatican diplomat to the United Nations, has died.


Pope Francis to open Holy Door in Roman prison on feast of St. Stephen for 2025 Jubilee
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door in L’Aquila, Italy. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 28, 2024 / 13:25 pm (CNA).

The Holy Father will open the second of five Holy Doors for the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope in Rome’s Rebibbia prison on Dec. 26, the feast of St. Stephen.


Meet ‘Luce’: The Vatican’s cartoon mascot for Jubilee 2025
The official mascot for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year is named “Luce,” which is Italian for “light.” / Credit: Simone Legno/tokidoki/Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 28, 2024 / 12:55 pm (CNA).

The mascot, named Luce — which means “light” in Italian — is intended to engage a younger audience and guide visitors through the holy year. 


Why is St. Jude the patron saint of lost causes?
A candle of St. Jude. / Credit: Francesca Pollio/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 28, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

On Oct. 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Jude, also known as Thaddeus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus.


Pope Francis in Angelus address mourns Catholic priest murdered in Mexico
Pope Francis delivers his Sunday Angelus message from a window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 27, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2024 / 11:40 am (CNA).

The pope called the slain priest “a zealous servant of the Gospel and God’s faithful people” and said he joined the local diocese in Mexico in mourning his loss.


Live updates: Synod on Synodality concludes with Pope Francis forgoing apostolic exhortation
Pope Francis speaks at a Mass and canonization of 14 new saints in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Oct 27, 2024 / 09:10 am (CNA).

Follow EWTN News’ live coverage of the 2024 Synod on Synodality at the Vatican. Get real-time updates, expert analysis, and key insights.


In synod closing Mass, Pope Francis calls for ‘a Church that hears the cry of the world’
Pope Francis addresses bishops gathered in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican for the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Oct. 27, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2024 / 08:55 am (CNA).

At the Synod on Synodality closing Mass on Sunday, Pope Francis said that a synodal Church must be “on the move” following Christ in serving those in need.


10 questions (and answers) about the Synod on Synodality’s final document
Pope Francis gives a blessing to participants at the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality at the Vatican, Oct. 26, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Oct 27, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).

From its magisterial status to proposals on Church governance, here are answers to the most pressing questions about the synod’s final document.


Victims feel ‘betrayed’ as Vatican investigation of Rupnik hits one year with no answers
Lawyer Laura Sgro, left, sits with Gloria Branciani, center, and Marjiam Kovač during a press conference in Rome on Feb. 21, 2024. Branciani and Kovač allege that they were subjected to spiritual, psychological, and sexual abuse by famous mosaic artist Father Marko Rupnik. / Credit: Matthew Santucci/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 27, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

One year after the Vatican announced it would open a canonical case on Father Marko Rupnik, victims say they feel disappointed and betrayed.


The Synod on Synodality’s final document: What you need to know
Participants of the Synod on Synodality gather for a group photo on Oct. 26, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Oct 26, 2024 / 16:48 pm (CNA).

The text also addresses accountability measures, calling for enhanced financial transparency, and protocols for abuse prevention.


Pope Francis ratifies Synod on Synodality’s final document, marking new approach to Church reform
In a surprising move at the conclusion of the Synod on Synodality on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, Pope Francis ratified the final report, approved its immediate publication, and said he will not publish a separate postsynodal document. / Credit: Vatican Media

Rome Newsroom, Oct 26, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis has announced that the final Synod on Synodality document will be adopted without a traditional papal exhortation.


‘We walk together’: U.S. bishops reflect on last global session of Synod on Synodality
Pope Francis meets with other delegates of the Synod on Synodality at a roundtable discussion in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Oct. 17, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2024 / 11:00 am (CNA).

“We walk together and, of course for us, we walk together with Christ,” Archbishop Timothy Broglio said.


Tokyo’s new cardinal shares what he is looking for in the next pope
Cardinal-elect Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi speaks to CNA on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024, in Rome. / Credit: EWTN News

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

“If a conclave happens very soon, I think what we need is somebody to succeed the policy of Pope Francis,” Cardinal-elect Tarcisio Isao Kikuchi said.


Cardinal Fernández says female diaconate will be studied ‘more intensively’
“I’m not known in the Church for being a closed-minded medieval, am I? So you can be sure that I have an open heart to see where the Holy Spirit leads us,” said the prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2024 / 16:50 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Victor Fernández also stated that the female diaconate question, although Pope Francis considers it not “mature,” is not a “closed issue.”


Cookies and empanadas in Dilexit Nos: food references in the teachings of Pope Francis
Pope Francis drinks mate while in Paraguay in July 2015. / Credit: Photo courtesy of Mariana Moreno

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2024 / 16:20 pm (CNA).

The Holy Father has made reference to food in a humorous tone on several occasions.


Dilexit Nos: 7 takeaways from Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the Sacred Heart
Painting of the Sacred Heart found in Rome’s Church of the Gesù, the mother church of the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits. On Oct. 24, 2024, Pope Francis released a new encyclical, “Dilexit Nos” (“He Loved Us”), in which he calls on Catholics to rediscover the love and compassion found in the heart of Jesus Christ. / Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2024 / 15:20 pm (CNA).

The encyclical, issued on Oct. 24, examines the transformative power of Jesus’ heart as a font of healing for a divided world.


Jesuit priest gifts Pope Francis a special wheelchair from Cambodia
Father Enrique “Kike” Figaredo on Oct. 23, 2024, presents Pope Francis with a wheelchair made by land mine survivors in Cambodia. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Kike Figaredo

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Apostolic prefect of Battambang in Cambodia Father Enrique “Kike” Figaredo presented Pope Francis with a wheelchair made by land mine survivors in Cambodia.


10 inspiring quotes from Pope Francis in his encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’
A smiling Pope Francis is depicted on a sign outside the APEC Haus in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on the occasion of the pontiff's visit, Sept. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 15:30 pm (CNA).

Here are some of the most inspiring quotes from Pope Francis in his new encyclical “Dilexit Nos” on the divine and human love of the heart of Jesus Christ.


Analysis: What will the final document of the Synod on Synodality be like?
Theologian Myriam Wijlens, a Synod on Synodality consultant, speaks at an Oct. 23, 2024, press briefing, where she emphasized that Pope Francis has called for “reconfiguring the Church in a synodal way.” / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 14:30 pm (CNA).

The Synod on Synodality final document is set to be discussed and voted on this weekend. What will be in it?


‘People of God’ should be involved in selecting bishops, cardinal says
Cardinal Robert Prevost speaks to members of the media during a Synod on Synodality briefing on Oct. 23, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Francis Prevost said the question of the selection process for bishops and the way in which it is carried out has been one of the issues discussed at the synod.


Sacred Heart encyclical ‘key’ to Pope Francis’ pontificate, theologian says
Archbishop Bruno Forte speaks to journalists at the presentation of the encyclical “Dilexit Nos” on Oct. 24, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Julia Cassell/EWTN News

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 12:00 pm (CNA).

Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, Italy, presented Dilexit Nos (“He Loved Us”) at a press conference at the Vatican on Oct. 24.


‘The wheelchair bishop’: Father Kike Figaredo dedicates ministry to disabled in Cambodia
Father “Kike” Figaredo with one of the disabled children he helps in Cambodia. / Credit: Courtesy of Father Kike Figuredo

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 11:30 am (CNA).

Father Kike Figaredo told ACI Prensa that people are not “disabled” but have “different abilities.” However, “they have special needs” and caring for them is essential.


Cardinal Czerny: Legacy of Synod on Synodality will be a ‘refreshed’ missionary Church
Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, on the set of EWTN News live from at the Synod on Synodality, Oct. 22, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 24, 2024 / 10:15 am (CNA).

“The central insight of Vatican II is that we are all enjoying equal dignity as Christians by our baptism,” Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny told EWTN News.


Sacred Heart shows path forward in AI era, Pope Francis says in new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’
Pope Francis speaks at the general audience in St. Peter's Square on Oct. 23, 2024. An altar painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus by Francesco de Rhoden inside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome, Italy. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA [L] CNA file photo [R]

Rome Newsroom, Oct 24, 2024 / 06:01 am (CNA).

Pope Francis released “Dilexit Nos,” the first encyclical on the Sacred Heart in nearly 70 years, arguing Catholic devotion offers answers to today’s challenges.


Pope Francis: The Holy Spirit is ‘essential’ for unity in marriage
Pope Francis waves to the crowds gathered in St. Peter’ Square as he arrives for his general audience on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2024 / 13:35 pm (CNA).

“What can the Holy Spirit have to do with marriage, for example? A great deal, perhaps the essential…” the pope said during his general audience Oct. 23.


French diocese to hold ordinations after two-year halt by Vatican
Bishop Dominique Rey (left), and Coadjutor Bishop François Touvet of Fréjus-Toulon, France. / Credit: Claude Truong-Ngoc via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0) and G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Oct 23, 2024 / 11:10 am (CNA).

Ordinations were halted by the Vatican in June 2022 following a fraternal visit to the diocese by Archbishop (now Cardinal) Jean-Marc Aveline of Marseille.


African bishops speak: How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Church in Africa?
Congolese Cardinal Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, Archbishop Andrew Nkea Fuanya of Cameroon, and Bishop Edouard Sinayobye of Rwanda talk with journalists at Synod on Synodality press briefings in October 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

How has the Synod on Synodality impacted the Catholic Church in Africa? And, in turn, how has the Church in Africa impacted the global synodal process?


5 ways St. John Paul II changed the Catholic Church forever
In 1984, Pope John Paul II met in Rome with 300,000 young people from all over the world in a meeting that laid the foundations for today’s World Youth Day. / Credit: Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Vatican City, Oct 22, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

St. John Paul II was the second-longest-serving pope in modern history with 27 years of pontificate and the first non-Italian pontiff since Pope Adrian VI in 1523.


Fernández: Diaconate ‘is not today’ the answer for promoting women in Church leadership
“Rushing to ask for the ordination of deaconesses is not today the most important response to promote women,” Cardinal Víctor Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Oct. 21, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Vatican City, Oct 21, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Víctor Fernández at a speech at the general congregation on Oct. 21 recalled that for the Holy Father the question of the female diaconate “is not ripe.”


Pope Francis to release new encyclical ‘Dilexit Nos’ on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on Oct. 9, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 21, 2024 / 07:49 am (CNA).

The encyclical, titled “Dilexit Nos,” meaning “he has loved us,” will be published on Oct. 24.


Pope Francis canonizes 14 new saints, including priests martyred in Syria
Statuary sits before imagery of the recently canonized saints in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 20, 2024 / 11:00 am (CNA).

In a Mass in St. Peter’s Square on Oct. 20, the pope declared three 19th-century founders of religious orders and the 11 “Martyrs of Damascus” as saints.


Cardinal Fernández promises follow-up meeting after controversial absence
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks during a press conference about a new Vatican document on human dignity on April 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 20, 2024 / 08:30 am (CNA).

Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández has reportedly apologized for what he called a “misunderstanding” regarding his absence from an Oct. 18 meeting.


Synod, Zen, and Sinicization: Vatican’s China deal sparks tensions 
The Catholic Church of the Saviour, also called Xishiku Church or Beitang, in Xicheng District, Beijing, China. / Credit: Fotokon/Shutterstock

Vatican City, Oct 19, 2024 / 11:05 am (CNA).

Cardinal Joseph Zen and George Weigel voice sharp critiques of the Synod on Synodality.


Synod delegates urge young Catholics to learn how to listen to others in a polarized world
More than 30 students — most of whom were from the U.S. — from over 10 universities attended “The University Students in Dialogue with Synod Leaders,” an Oct. 18, 2024, event organized by the General Secretariat of the Synod held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. / Credit: Synod-va YouTube screenshot

Vatican City, Oct 19, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich drew attention to the upcoming Nov. 5 U.S. elections and stressed the importance of seeing the person behind the opinion. 


Here’s what’s happening during the last week of the Synod on Synodality
Delegates at the 2024 Synod on Synodality participate in roundtable meetings on Oct. 10, 2024, in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 19, 2024 / 08:30 am (CNA).

The focus going forward will be the writing and editing of the Synod on Synodality’s final document.


Analysis: Is the Synod on Synodality’s focus on the local Churches a Trojan horse?
Pope Francis meets with other delegates of the Synod on Synodality at a roundtable discussion in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Oct. 17, 2024. / Credit: Vatican Media

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2024 / 15:15 pm (CNA).

One gets the impression that many Synod on Synodality participants view the subject of local Churches as a kind of Trojan horse.


Why did the Synod on Synodality hold extra theological meetings in 2024?
The Vatican held four different public conferences from Oct. 9 and 16, 2024, in Rome to explain the “theological undertone of the synodal process,” according to a conference moderator and expert at this month’s Synod on Synodality.  / Credit: Hannah Brockhaus/CNA

Vatican City, Oct 18, 2024 / 10:55 am (CNA).

At the forums, speakers drew heavily on the Church’s dogmatic constitution from Vatican II, Lumen Gentium, in their defenses of synodality.