World

During the Angelus on Sunday, with pilgrims in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo XIV reflected on the abundance of God's grace and every Christian's mission to share Christ's forgiveness with all people. Recalling on the day's Gospel (Mt 9:36-10:8), Pope Leo said: "The Son of God looks at the people; He looks at humanity: He sees the oppression that burdens and the violence that causes strength to fad... Read More

Water has become a daily concern for our family, shaping both the small and significant details of our lives. Every summer, we expect interruptions in the water supply. It has become an unfortunate part of life in Bethlehem. Yet this year, the situation has gone far beyond the usual seasonal shortages. For more than two months, we have experienced repeated disruptions. In recent weeks, the crisis ... Read More

Pope Leo XIV has released his message for the 10th World Day of the Poor, to be observed on 15 November 2026. Reflecting on Psalm 14, "The Lord is the refuge of the poor," the Pope notes that they were written during a dramatic period marked by the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, when the people "felt deprived of God's presence and experienced unprecedented material and moral misery." In h... Read More

A humanitarian convoy organized by the Apostolic Nuncio in Lebanon, Archbishop Paolo Borgia, together with Caritas and other Catholic organizations, which was heading toward three Christian villages in the south of the Cedar Country, was forced to change its route "because of an exchange of fire between the parties" - the Israeli army (IDF) and Hezbollah militias. Archbishop Borgia reported the i... Read More

The final Mass of Pope Leo's Apostolic Journey to Spain took place with the stunning backdrop of the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean glistening behind him. In his homily, Pope Leo invited the faithful to contemplate the Sacred Heart of Jesus as the centre of human history - a place where the joys, hopes, sorrows, and anxieties of all resonate. "No human being i... Read More

On the final day of his Apostolic Journey to Spain, Pope Leo went to Tenerife where he met a group of migrants and refugees, church groups, charities and civil organisations working with them, in Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna. Beginning his address, Pope Leo referred to a description he had heard of La Laguna as "a city without walls." The image, he suggested, points to a deeper challenge. He exp... Read More

In a statement, the World Council of Churches executive committee acknowledged the profound challenges affecting the Holy Land, where the Israeli occupation, entry restrictions, conflicts, wars and insecurity have curtailed access to Palestine. "Yet even amid these challenges, the executive committee wishes first and foremost to affirm the steadfast witness of the Palestinian Christian community, ... Read More

Archbishop Richard Moth, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, has joined fellow presidents of the Bishops' Conferences of the G7 states to make a series of calls on the leaders who will gather for the 52nd G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France. The meeting will be held from 15-17 June 2026. In a joint statement titled Building Bridges for Peace, Justice... Read More

The 2026 FIFA World Cup - the largest in the competition's history - kicked off yesterday, 11 June, across the United States, Mexico and Canada and will run until 19 July. But behind the headlines of which teams qualify in the knockout stages, millions of people living in 14 out of the 48 participating countries continue to face restrictions on their freedom of religion or belief, according to Mar... Read More

On the sixth day of his Apostolic Journey to Spain on Thursday, Pope Leo visited the Canary Islands. Standing on the docks of Arguineguín, the so-called 'Port of Shame' on the southern coast of Gran Canaria that has become one of Europe's most poignant symbols of migration, Pope Leo issued an urgent appeal for compassion, responsibility and solidarity, insisting that "human dignity has no passpor... Read More

A Christian leader in Lebanon has appealed to the international community to do whatever it can to protect innocent civilians from the war devasting the country. Melkite Greek Catholic Archbishop Georges Iskandar of Tyre, in southern Lebanon, has released a statement calling for everyone who can intervene in the war between Israel and Hezbollah, to do so. He said: "I urgently appeal to all ecclesi... Read More

A priest whose home was hit by missiles in Lebanon has warned of a deepening crisis in the country, saying the danger increases each week. Father Youssef Semaan, parish priest of Kfour, Nabatieh District, said the conflict in Lebanon emptied his village - and is threatening decades of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims. The Maronite priest told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) he ... Read More

Pope Leo celebrated Mass in the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona this evening, on the centenary of the architect Gaudí's death. He then blessed the Tower of Jesus Christ - the tallest church the world - which was illuminated in a blaze of fireworks. Thousands of people had waited all day outside for this moment. Describing the Basilica as "a catechesis made of stone, colour, and light," the ... Read More

Israel yesterday issued an evacuation order for the entire Lebanese city of Tyre and its surrounding areas. The order includes the ancient Christian quarter. Leaders from the Maronite Catholic, Melkite Greek Catholic Church and Greek Orthodox Churches have appealed to neighbouring countries, as well as the Lebanese government, to "take immediate and serious action to spare the old quarter of Tyre ... Read More