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Pope Francis addresses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican after the recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer on April 14, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaRome Newsroom, Apr 14, 2024 / 10:56 am (CNA).Pope Francis expressed his concern over escalating tensions in the Middle East following Iran's missile attack Saturday against Israel, a concern he raised after imploring Christians to share their stories of encountering Christ, which he said would create a richer and more beautiful environment for all."I follow in prayer and with concern, even pain, the news that has arrived in the last few hours on the worsening of the situation in Israel due to the intervention by Iran," the pope said to all those gathered before him in St. Peter's Square on April 14."I make a heartfelt appeal to stop any action that could fuel a spiral of violence with the risk of dragging the Middle East into an even greater conflict of war. No one should threaten the existence of others," he add...
New technologies can both enable and enhance the contemplation of beauty in church architecture. / Credit: ShutterstockACI Prensa Staff, Apr 14, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).There are many beautiful churches in the world that combine impressive construction with splendid works of art. While some are on the more austere side, others contain so many details that it's a challenge for the human eye to take it all in.However, new technologies today allow us to contemplate from different angles, inside and outside, these stellar churches dedicated to the worship of God. Below are seven videos that in addition to giving you extraordinary views will enhance the way you see these churches.1. Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes (France)According to the Lourdes Shrine website, the complex covers over 130 acres and includes 22 places of worship, including three basilicas. The first is a chapel that has the title of Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, built over the grotto where Our Lady of Lour...
St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. / ShutterstockCNA Staff, Apr 13, 2024 / 14:41 pm (CNA).The Holy See on Saturday confirmed that it had sent a diplomatic letter to the French embassy over a French court ruling involving a Canadian cardinal's alleged wrongful dismissal of a nun.A French court in Lorient, in Brittany, earlier this month had fined Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, along with several other parties, for the October 2020 wrongful dismissal of Sabine Baudin de la Valette, whose religious name was Mother Marie Ferréol.Baudin de la Valette, 57, had reportedly lived in the French monastery since 1987 without any significant incidents, but in 2011 she denounced "serious abuses and facts" happening in the community. She was dismissed from the community after a visit from Ouellet. It was never made public what exactly the Vatican accused her of, though the former sister reportedly said the dismissal decree "accused her of having an evil spirit but gave no concre...
Pope Francis speaks at the Vatican's Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibanez/CNASydney, Australia, Apr 13, 2024 / 12:14 pm (CNA).Pope Francis has reacted with deep sorrow at news on Saturday from Australia, where a 40-year-old man armed with a large knife killed six people in a Sydney shopping center and injured several others, including a 9-month-old child. "Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the violent attack in Sydney, and he sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all affected by this senseless tragedy, especially those who are now mourning the loss of a loved one," read a telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, on behalf of the pope. The Holy Father offered prayers for the deceased, the wounded, and the first responders, invoking divine blessings of consolation and strength for the nation.Daniel Ang, director of the Sydney Centre for Evangelization at the Catholic Archdiocese of...
Archbishop Mario Antonio Cargnello of Salta, Argentina. / Credit: Archdiocese of SaltaACI Prensa Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 16:30 pm (CNA).A civil court judge in Argentina's Salta province ruled in favor of the Carmelite sisters in Salta, the provincial capital, in a case of gender-based violence against the local archbishop, Mario Antonio Cargnello, a bishop emeritus, and two priests, ordering them to undergo psychological treatment and training on gender issues in addition to an existing restraining order.The case involves the Discalced Carmelite sisters of San Bernardo convent, who have been in conflict with the archdiocese for years. In addition, the bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Nuevo de Julio, Martín de Elizalde, is also among the defendants along with the judicial vicar, Father Loyola Pinto y de Sancristóval, and Father Lucio Ajaya.According to the Argentine news site Infobae, the issue underlying this situation is the conflict over the alleged apparitions of the Virgin M...
Pope Francis waves to pilgrims in St. Peter's Square gathered for his weekly general audience on April 3, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 17:00 pm (CNA).A new Pew Research study has found that three-quarters of Catholics in the U.S. view Pope Francis favorably, though that figure has dipped 8% since 2021. In addition, the Pew report suggests that a majority of Catholics in the U.S. want the Church to change its teaching on a number of key issues, including the all-male priesthood, contraception, and so-called same-sex marriage. But broken down by political affiliation, significant differences in opinion emerge. "Regardless of their partisan leanings, most U.S. Catholics regard Francis as an agent of change. Overall, about 7 in 10 say the current pope represents a change in direction for the Church, including 42% who say he represents a major change," the new April 12 Pew report reads. Francis' approval rating among U.S. Catho...
Police in California on April 11, 2024, announced the arrest of a man suspected of posing as a priest to gain access to, and rob, several Catholic parishes across the country. / Credit: Diocese of Brooklyn; Riverside County SheriffCNA Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).Police in California have announced the arrest of a man suspected of posing as a priest to gain access to, and rob, several Catholic parishes across the country. Multiple Catholic parishes in both New York and Texas over the last several months reported encountering a man who in some cases identified himself as "Father Martin" and who managed to gain access to private parish areas and steal hundreds of dollars. The scammer was most recently reported at several New York-area parishes; at one he succeeded in stealing nearly $1,000.On Thursday of this week, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department in Riverside, California, announced in a media release that they had apprehended the individual suspected o...
Pope Francis blesses an unborn baby during the Papal Foundation's annual pilgrimage in Rome on Friday, April 12, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaCNA Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 12:45 pm (CNA).The Papal Foundation, a U.S.-based organization that provides funding for Catholic projects around the world, announced on Friday the distribution of nearly $15 million in grants, scholarships, and charitable aid "to care for those in need and grow the Catholic faith around the world."The group said in a press release that it would be distributing nearly $10 million in 2024 alone to more than 100 projects and recipients in several dozen countries. Among the beneficiaries include efforts at "providing for basic needs such as access to clean water," "constructing schools and renovating classrooms," and "translating Church teachings for evangelization."The money will also go toward "restoring Churches, convents, and seminaries in desperate need of repairs," "providing students in remote areas wit...
Pope Francis meets with a group of 200 children studying catechism and in a relaxed manner answered some of their questions on April 11, 2024, at St. John Mary Vianney Parish in Borghesiana, Italy. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 13:30 pm (CNA).Pope Francis made a special "getaway" from the Vatican yesterday afternoon and met with a group of 200 children at a parish in metro Rome.A brief statement released by the Holy See's Press Office said that the Holy Father went to St. John Mary Vianney Parish in Borghesiana, east of the Italian capital.There Pope Francis met with a group of 200 children studying catechism and in a relaxed manner answered some of their questions.Pictures from the meeting posted on social media show the Holy Father happily greeting the children and even giving them playful "high fives." According to the Dicastery for Evangelization, for approximately one hour, the "pope catechized with the children."Responding to their questions...
German police cars (file image) / Mike Baumeister via Unsplah (CC0)CNA Newsroom, Apr 12, 2024 / 14:00 pm (CNA).German authorities have reported the arrest of four suspects allegedly planning terror attacks in Germany. According to Bild newspaper, the group intended to target Christians attending church services and police stations with knives and Molotov cocktails.The Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office revealed that the suspects, who are between 15 and 16 years old, were apprehended over the Easter weekend."The suspects are strongly suspected of having planned an Islamist-motivated terrorist attack and of having agreed to commit it," authorities stated, as reported by CNA Deutsch, CNA's German-language news partner.The arrests were conducted following an investigation by the Public Prosecutor General's Office and the anti-terror unit, ZenTer NRW. North Rhine-Westphalia's interior minister, Herbert Reul, detailed the case at a press conference in Düsseldorf on Thursday, notin...
