Vatican

From Pius XI to Pope Francis: A history of Spiritual Exercises at the Vatican

Feb 27, 2021

For nearly 100 years, popes have set aside time for an annual retreat and meditation on spiritual exercises.
Pope Francis’ guide for Lent: The call to pastoral conversion

Feb 27, 2021

In his 2013 apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), Pope Francis spoke of his dream for a “missionary option” (No. 27).
Holy See reiterates calls for nuclear disarmament, arms control

Feb 25, 2021

During the High-Level Segment of the 2021 Conference on Disarmament, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, highlights the importance of joint efforts geared towards disarmament, calling it an “ethical imperative” as the world continues on the path towards peace and fraternity.
Former Vatican ambassador in Baghdad looks ahead to Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq

Feb 24, 2021

When Cardinal Fernando Filoni served as the papal nuncio in Iraq in the early 2000s, he remained in Baghdad amid bombings and suicide attacks.
Pope sends telegram on the death of Italian Ambassador in DRC

Feb 24, 2021

On Tuesday evening, Pope Francis sends a telegram to Italian President Sergio Mattarella noting the 'exemplary witness' of the Italian Ambassador, and the 'expert and generous service' of the police offier both slain in an attack on Monday.
Archbishop Gallagher to UN: Inalienable human rights must be defended

Feb 24, 2021

The Vatican Secretary for Relations with States sends a video message to the United Nations, and highlights the inalienable nature of human rights that must be respected, even amid measures implemented to curb the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Italian ambassador killed in attack on UN convoy

Feb 24, 2021

Condolence messages pour in from religious and civil authorities in the wake of the brutal killings of Luca Attanasio, the Italian Ambassador to the D
Pope Francis on Divine Mercy anniversary: ‘Let us ask Christ for the gift of mercy’

Feb 23, 2021

Pope Francis urged Catholics to ask Christ for the “gift of mercy” in a letter marking the 90th anniversary of the first appearance of Jesus to St. Faustina Kowalska on Monday.
Vatican cardinal reflects on the value of penance in a time of pandemic

Feb 23, 2021

The penance called for in the Christian life, and accentuated during Lent, can help us make sense of the sacrifices we have been called on to make during the coronavirus pandemic, a Vatican cardinal has said.
Holy See: Post-Covid-19 recovery will require better multilateral cooperation

Feb 23, 2021

Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, the Vatican's Permanent Observer to the UN in Geneva, expresses the Holy See's desire for improved multilateral cooperation in the wake of the pandemic, in an address to the UN's trade conference.