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Vatican

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu. | Credit: Alan Holdren/CNA

Vatican Court Sentences Cardinal to 5 Years in Jail for Embezzlement

Dec 16, 2023

Five other defendants in the "Trial of the Century" received similar sentences.

Credit: Carlos Perez via Cathopic

Vatican Doctrine Office Encourages Single Mothers to Receive Communion after Confession

Dec 14, 2023

The Vatican’s doctrine office published a letter on Thursday confirming that single mothers can receive Communion after going to confession.

Ana de Lobera y Torres (1545-1621), better known by her religious name Sister Ana de Jesús, helped expand the Discalced Carmelites to France and Belgium. Painting in the monastery of the Discalced Carmelites, Brussels, ca. 1650. | Credit: AnonymousUnknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pope Francis Recognizes Miracle Attributed to St. Teresa of Ávila’s Spiritual Daughter

Dec 14, 2023

In a decree signed Dec. 14, Pope Francis authorized the beatification of Ana de Lobera y Torres, better known by her religious name Sister Ana de Jesús.

Pope Francis speaks at his general audience Dec. 13, 2023, in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Says That He Wants to Be Buried in Marian Basilica in New Interview

Dec 13, 2023

Pope Francis has said that he wants to be buried in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome because of his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Pope Francis | Credit: Compañía de Jesús and ACI Press / Daniel Ibañez

Pope Francis Celebrates 54 Years as a Priest

Dec 13, 2023

On Dec. 13, 1969, just four days before his 33rd birthday, Jesuit Jorge Mario Bergoglio — who today is Pope Francis — was ordained a priest.

Bishops process into St. Peter's Basilica for the closing Mass of the first assembly of the Synod on Synodality on Oct. 29, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Synod on Synodality Next Steps: Pope to Choose "big questions" for Further Study

Dec 12, 2023

The possible ordination of women to the diaconate is among the “matters of great relevance” that synod delegates in October said require further consideration.

Cardinal-elect Víctor Manuel Fernández was appointed by Pope Francis on July 1, 2023, to become the next prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. | Credit: Courtesy of Archdiocese of La Plata

Vatican: Small Part of Cremated Ashes Can Be Kept in Personal Place in Certain Cases

Dec 12, 2023

The guidance came from a letter written by Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, who serves as the prefect for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Oleksandr Kniaziev / Shutterstock

Pope to Vatican Employees: Lure of Corruption is Dangerous and "we must be vigilant"

Dec 12, 2023

Pope Francis received in an audience on Monday the members of the Office of the Auditor General.

Pope Francis meets with the prefects of the Italian Republic in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace on Dec. 11, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Expresses Concern about Italy’s Low Birth Rate

Dec 11, 2023

Pope Francis on Monday received the prefects of the Italian Republic in the Clementine Hall of the Apostolic Palace.

Pope Francis gazes at a nativity scene during a meeting with two delegations at the Vatican Dec. 9, 2023 — a community from Macra, located in the Alps who provided this year’s Christmas tree, and people from the Diocese of Rieti, who donated this year's Nativity scene. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis: Vatican Nativity Scene Should Prompt Prayers for the Holy Land 

Dec 10, 2023

The pope made his remarks in a Saturday morning audience in Paul VI Hall with two delegations who donated the Christmas tree and Nativity scene.

Pope Francis delivers his Angelus message on Dec. 10, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope at Angelus: "Through silence and prayer, we make space for Jesus"

Dec 10, 2023

Pope Francis highlighted the importance of listening to God by embracing the example of John the Baptist. 

The Vatican unveiled its annual Nativity scene on Dec. 9, 2023, paying special tribute to the origins of the beloved tradition on its 800-year anniversary. | Credit: Credit: Daniel Ibañez/EWTN

Vatican unveils Nativity scene honoring St. Francis of Assisi and devotion’s 800-year-old origin 

Dec 9, 2023

The scene in St. Peter’s Square depicts not only Mary and Joseph standing beside the manager, but also St. Francis of Assisi and others.

Pope Francis waves from the window of the Apostolic Palace as he gives his Angelus address for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. | Credit: Vatican Media

Pope Francis Announces Catholic Church’s First World Day of Children

Dec 8, 2023

The event was inspired by a 9-year-old boy named Alessandro, who proposed the idea to the pope to have an international event for younger children.

The House of Mary community poses for a photo on Dec. 8, 1994, in St. Peter's Square, the first time they brought their blue banner with the words "The Immaculate Conception will Triumph" to the Angelus with Pope John Paul II. The group has continued to bring the banner to every Sunday Angelus for 29 years. | Credit: Comunita Casa di Maria

The Story Behind the Immaculate Conception Banner at Every Vatican Angelus

Dec 8, 2023

The banner’s declaration recalls the Marian spirituality of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who had a special devotion to the Immaculate Conception.

A firefighter scales a long ladder to the top of a nearly 40-foot-high column to pay tribute at dawn to the Blessed Virgin with a wreath of flowers on Dec. 8, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

PHOTOS: Pope Francis Honors Virgin Mary on Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

Dec 8, 2023

Pope Francis prayed in front of a statue of the Immaculate Conception near Rome’s Spanish Steps, which sits atop a nearly 40-foot-high column.

Pope Francis greets members of Italy's National Association of St. Paul on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023. | Credit: Vatican

Pope Francis Reads Speeches Unassisted for the First Time in Nearly Two Weeks

Dec 7, 2023

The pope seemed to show improvement Thursday by reading out his speeches during his various meetings on Dec. 7. 

Pope Francis at the general audience at the Vatican on Dec. 6, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News

Pope Francis’ cardinal advisers hear from 2 female professors on women’s role in the Church

Dec 7, 2023

The pope’s Council of Cardinals has been discussing the role of women in the Church since February 2022.

Pope Francis at his general audience on Nov. 22, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Signs Interfaith Climate Statement As Part of COP28 Summit in Dubai

Dec 4, 2023

“Our faith instills in us a sacred duty to cherish not only our human family but also the fragile ecosystem that cradles us,” the document said.

Papal aide Monsignor Paolo Braida reads Pope Francis' prepared remarks for the Sunday Angelus on Dec. 3, 2023, from the chapel at the papal residence at Casa Santa Marta. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis on First Sunday of Advent: "I’m improving, but my voice still doesn’t work"

Dec 3, 2023

Pope Francis, for the second consecutive Sunday, was assisted by an aide in praying the Angelus, as he continues to recover from an acute bronchial infection.

Pope Francis at his general audience on Nov. 22, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis to COP28: Environmental Destruction is "an offense against God"

Dec 2, 2023

Pope Francis canceled his scheduled trip to Dubai days before the climate summit at the request of his doctors.