International News

Catholic and civic leaders called for peace and unity in the hours after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet and a spectator was killed July 13 in an assassination attempt during the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

A new civilization rooted in human dignity and capable of overcoming division is needed to ensure the peace, stability and prosperity of all people, speakers said at a Vatican conference on promoting peace.

"The time has come for a new Jubilee when once more the Holy Door will be flung open to invite everyone to an intense experience of the love of God that awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ," Pope Francis said in a document formally proclaiming the Holy Year 2025.

Journalist Joyce Napier has been appointed Canada’s new ambassador to the Holy See.

Israel's escalation in Rafah is only worsening the humanitarian situation for countless men, women and children caught in the crossfire, said Ireneusz Krause, deputy director for Caritas Poland.

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued HeartbeatInternational, an anti-abortion group, and 11 crisis pregnancy centers May 6, accusing them of misleading and potentially causing harm to women by claiming that they can provide a treatment that reverses the effect of the abortion pill mifepristone.

At 83, Alex Rosin, born Elek Rebensztok, is among the youngest child survivors of the Holocaust. As fewer survivors are able to give their testimony, he feels an urgency to tell people his story, especially considering the increasing antisemitism he senses following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities and the subsequent war in Gaza.

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith will publish its new norms for the discernment of apparitions and other supernatural phenomena May 17, the Vatican press office said.

The spiritual practice of reparation "may be somewhat forgotten or wrongly judged obsolete" today, but it is essential for the promotion of justice and healing, including on behalf of those who have suffered abuse in the church, Pope Francis said.

Adding another distinguished medal to her already sizable collection, Katie Ledecky - the most decorated woman in swimming history - was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 3 in a White House ceremony.