Caritas Internationalis issued a statement on “the man-made famine and assault on Gaza City” following the Israel Defense Forces’ latest incursion into the embattled enclave, where the United Nations declared famine last week. “This is not war. It is the systematic destruction of civilian life,” the renowned international Catholic aid organisation wrote in its August…
Category: World Report
School district backs off violating student’s free speech, religious freedom rights
Sabrina Steffans, a high schooler in New York, US is now allowed to decorate her school parking space with Christian messages after her high school reversed course after initially rejecting her faith-based artwork. Grand Island High School allows seniors to paint their parking spots, but when Ms Steffans, a Christian who leads a Bible club…
Pope Leo XIV brings about unity in the Syro-Malabar Church
The Holy See Press Office has published a series of decisions by Pope Leo XIV to bring about unity in the Syro-Malabar Church of India, which has been at serious risk of schism in recent years due to liturgical disputes. The Syro-Malabar Church is one of the 23 Eastern churches in full communion with the…
Pope Leo prays for victims of ‘terrible tragedy’ in Minneapolis Catholic school shooting
Pope Leo XIV said he was offering prayers for the victims of the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting, one he described as an “extremely difficult” and “terrible” tragedy. Two children were killed in a shooting incident at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, United States on August 27, with the gunman taking his own life after the deadly…
EU ambassador to the Vatican: confront Putin and Trump robustly
“Age of strong men”: Martin Selmayr warns of uncertainty in world relations and argues in favour of a strong EU stance. At the Catholic annual reception in Dresden, the diplomat had clear words. According to the EU Ambassador to the Holy See, Martin Selmayr, the world is in an “age of aggressive competition between powers”,…
Israeli President travelling to the Pope
While the Gaza war rages on, diplomatic efforts are being made to find ways to achieve peace. The Vatican is playing an important role in these endeavours. Israeli President Isaac Herzog will be travelling to the Vatican on Thursday to visit Pope Leo XIV. The focus of the visit “at the Pope’s invitation” will be…
Church urges immediate entry of all Afghans with promise
Every day counts: The Protestant Church is calling for the rapid entry of all endangered Afghans with a promise of admission to Germany who are currently stuck in Pakistan. This involves around 2,300 people. Hanover/Dresden (KNA) The Protestant Church in Germany (EKD) is calling for the immediate entry of all Afghans who are stuck in…
Greek prosecutors charge Catholic clerics, civilians in 3 million euro embezzlement case
Prosecutors on the Greek island of Syros have filed felony charges against two Catholic clerics and six civilians in connection with the alleged embezzlement and money laundering of more than 3 million euros in diocesan funds. The indictments this month follow an investigation that began in late 2024 when Greece’s Anti-Money Laundering Authority uncovered suspicious…
Józef Kowalczyk, papal diplomat and Polish primate, dies at 86
Józef Kowalczyk, the first papal ambassador to postwar Poland and a former Primate of Poland, has died at the age of 86. The Archdiocese of Gniezno, where he once served as archbishop, announced his death on Thursday. Kowalczyk had been hospitalised for more than three weeks in a serious condition. At the end of July,…
Nigeria, Iran, China top priority countries for new religious freedom commission chair
Nigeria is the deadliest country in the world for Christians, according to the new chair of the US Commission on International Freedom (USCIRF). Vicky Hartzler became chair of the commission in June. In an interview with CNA, she said of her new mission: “We want to make a difference. We want to save lives.” Hartzler’s…










