This 15th century manuscript is known as the “Mona Lisa” of book illumination. Because the legendary Book of Hours has to be restored, there is now a rare opportunity to view the work up close. You only see such “jewels of art” once in a lifetime. We are talking about what is probably the most…
Study: Spiritual vocations often linked to Marian devotion
Marian devotion is of great importance in the Catholic faith. It also plays an important role in vocations, as a study has shown. This took up a suggestion from Pope Francis. A recent study sees a connection between Marian devotion and a vocation to a spiritual way of life. According to the study published on…
Rome invests 80 million euros in Catholic youth event
Construction continues in Rome for the Catholic Holy Year 2025, which has already been underway for months. An open-air arena has now been built for the Roman ‘World Youth Day’. The costs for Italy’s government are considerable. The Holy Year 2025 in Rome is not only a major religious event, but also an opportunity to…
New pathway launched as synod enters next phase under Pope Leo XIV
Recently, the Vatican released ‘Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod’, a 24-page roadmap for dioceses around the world as the Church enters a crucial new phase of the global synodal process. This marks a continuation—and deepening—of the reform project begun by Pope Francis and now shepherded forward by his successor, Pope Leo XIV.…
Lifelong rulers are a dying breed The twilight of the gods throughout the 21st century
Dalai Lama, Inca, Tenno: for centuries, peoples of the world were ruled by god-like rulers – until their death. But the hectic, globalised 21st century is sapping the strength of the lifers. There have been many reasons in history why rulers who were also worshipped as deities had to descend from Olympus. Political defeats and…
Francesca Cabrini – Founder of a religious order and soon to be a cinema heroine
Pope Leo XIII described her as the most impressive woman he had ever met. The founder of the order, Francesca Xaviera Cabrini, left behind an impressive life’s work. There will soon be a cinema film about it. When Francesca Xaviera Cabrini stepped off the ship in New York in 1889, she found a country in…
Bishop cancels Sunday obligation for migrants in fear of deportation
Raid instead of church service: In California, worshippers with fear of deportation are allowed to stay away from mass. Bishop Alberto Rojas calls for a more humane immigration system. The bishop of the San Bernardino diocese in California has cancelled the Sunday obligation for people who are afraid of imminent deportation. The diocese published…
Bayeux Tapestry
It is one of the most important pictorial representations of the High Middle Ages. At 68 metres long, the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Battle of Hastings in 1066, the only time in history that England was conquered. Thanks to its wealth of detail and sophisticated storyboard, the Bayeux Tapestry is one of the most important…
Thousands of participants at peace march for Srebrenica victims
An approximately 100-kilometre-long memorial route leads survivors of the Srebrenica massacre and activists through forests, mountains and villages. The events of 1995 continue to complicate coexistence in Bosnia-Herzegovina to this day. Starting on Wednesday, more than 6,000 people in Bosnia-Herzegovina will commemorate the victims of the Srebrenica massacre with a three-day “peace march”. The approximately…
Six million Notre Dame visitors since reopening
Since its reopening in December, Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has recorded record-breaking visitor numbers. Other world-famous attractions in France can hardly keep up. More than six million people have visited Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris since it reopened just over six months ago. With an average of 35,000 visitors per day, it is currently the most…











