ROME (CNS) — Wearing red vestments for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome's Rebibbia prison complex and walked over its threshold.After reciting a formal prayer before opening the prison's Holy Door Dec. 26, the pope took the microphone back to explain that he had inaugurated the […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As millions of pilgrims prepare to cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis called on individuals, nations and the global community to take a transformative step toward peace and reconciliation by walking through the "door of salvation" that is Jesus Christ."Jesus is the door of peace," he said from the balcony of […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the quiet of Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching what he called a "Jubilee of Hope."As the doors opened, the bells of the basilica began to peal.After the reading of a brief passage from the Gospel of John in which Jesus describes himself as "the door," Pope Francis […]

WASHINGTON –  “These commutations are a significant step in advancing the cause of human dignity and respect for human life from womb to tomb in our nation,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Upon hearing the news that President Biden has commuted the federal death sentences of 37 men to terms of […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A key part of a jubilee in the Bible was releasing prisoners, and Catholics today can join a global campaign to press for the release of thousands of people imprisoned in poverty because of their nations' foreign debt, said an official of Caritas Internationalis.  Victor Genina Cervantes, director of integral human development at Caritas Internationalis, speaks […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Leading the recitation of the Angelus prayer from inside the chapel of his residence because of a cold, Pope Francis nevertheless blessed the baby Jesus figurines children and adults will put in their Nativity scenes — and he brought one of his own as well.  Pope Francis, seated in the chapel of his Vatican residence, places […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The cardinals, bishops, priests, religious and laypeople who work in the Roman Curia are called to spread the blessings of God, but they cannot do that if they habitually speak ill of one another, Pope Francis said.Humility is "the way of blessing, the way of God in which Jesus descends and comes to inhabit our human […]

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed Most Reverend J. Gregory Kelly, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, as Bishop of Tyler. The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on December 20, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.The biography for Bishop Kelly may be found here.The Diocese of Tyler is comprised of 23,443 square miles […]

The following release has been amended to correct the geographic locations of the parishes in the biographies for Bishop-elect Fedek and Bishop-elect Siemianowski. WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Timothy O’Malley, Very Rev. Lawrence J. Sullivan, Rev. José Maria Garcia Maldonado, Rev. Robert Fedek, and Rev. John S. Siemianowski, as auxiliary bishops of Chicago. The appointments were publicized in Washington, […]

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will meet with outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden at the Vatican Jan. 10 to discuss efforts to promote peace worldwide, the White House's press secretary said.The two leaders also spoke by telephone Dec. 19 during which the 82-year-old president thanked the pope "for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to […]