On 14 August, the eve of the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, women religious across the globe united in a powerful gesture of hope and solidarity, leading a day of prayer and fasting for peace in response to the ongoing conflicts afflicting humanity. The initiative, spearheaded by the [...]

Extremist settlers entered the Palestinian town of Taybeh, to the east of Ramallah, on 28 July torching cars and spraying hostile graffiti. The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches put out a statement on 29 July expressing their “profound concern” over what they say are recurring incidents. They said: “Several vehicles [...]

A historic replica of the Turin Shroud is the star attraction of a ground-breaking ecumenical event that has just opened in Kazakhstan. The Shroud of Rabat – an exact copy made in the seventeenth century – is the centrepiece of an international exhibition on the Turin Shroud that opened on [...]

Five years have passed since one of the most devastating moments in Lebanon’s recent history—the Beirut port explosion of 4 August 2020. The blast killed over 200 people, injured more than 7,000, and left entire neighbourhoods in ruins. Around 300,000 people were left homeless. Yet amid the trauma and hardship, [...]

In a heart-rending witness account of his recent visit to Gaza, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has described how they walked through the dust of ruins, past collapsed buildings and tents everywhere: in courtyards, alleyways, on the streets and on the beach, and how tents have become homes for those [...]

A gift to young pilgrims: the sacrament of confession as a way to conversion. The Circus Maximus in Rome will be hosting one of the greatest catechetical initiatives of the Holy Year on 1 August, during the Youth Jubilee, with the distribution of 10,000 free copies of a special edition [...]

The Church of the Holy Family, the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip, was hit last Thursday, 17 July, in an attack that left its community mired in pain and uncertainty. A shell, according to initial reports, fired from an Israeli tank killed three people and wounded 15 more, [...]

Religious Sisters in northern Mozambique who were robbed at gunpoint have recounted their ordeal, describing how they were threatened with decapitation during a night-time raid. The Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament broke their silence for the first time since the attack, telling Catholic charity Aid to the Church in [...]

Throughout the Beqaa Valley, signs of hope, resilience and renewal are emerging. The Church in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley is thriving, despite the ongoing armed conflict and economic instability. Christian families and individuals are offering a powerful witness by looking after those displaced by the war. New religious congregations are also [...]

Almost 100,000 children are benefiting from summer camps and other activities funded by the Pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) this summer.  For many years ACN has helped local dioceses and Christian organizations set up and run camps for young people, especially those who live in extremely [...]