Catholics in China in recent years have experienced greater difficulties in the practice of their faith as a result of the crackdown on religion being carried out under the regime of President Xi Jin-ping.
Gerard O’Connell
Gerard O’Connell is America’s senior Vatican correspondent and author of The Election of Pope Francis: An Inside Story of the Conclave That Changed History. He has been covering the Vatican since 1985.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, arrested in Hong Kong
The 90-year-old cardinal has been an outspoken defender of human rights and democracy in Hong Kong and strongly critical of Beijing for its suppression of fundamental freedoms in the city.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
‘Amoris Laetitia’ conference aims to promote Pope Francis’ teaching on family, sexuality and marriage
Pope Francis’ teaching on the family hasn’t been fully embraced. This conference on “Amoris Laetitia” seeks to change that.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis: ‘I am ready to go to Moscow’ to end the war in Ukraine
Pope Francis is willing to help negotiate an end to the Russian war against Ukraine, but warned that religious leaders “are not clerics of the state.”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis asks Catholics to pray a rosary for peace in Ukraine every day during the month of May
As the Russian attack on Ukraine entered its 67th day, Pope Francis called on Catholics worldwide to pray the rosary every day during the month of May for peace.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis suspends planned meeting with Russia’s Patriarch Kirill and explains why he hasn’t visited Kyiv
“I am ready to do everything to stop the war,” the pope said in an interview with La Nación. “Everything!”
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
In Easter Message, Pope Francis calls for peace in Ukraine and world: ‘Peace is a duty; peace is everyone’s responsibility!’
“Let us allow the peace of Christ to enter our lives, our homes, our countries!” Pope Francis pleaded.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis calls for an Easter truce in Ukraine, leading to ‘peace through a true negotiation’
On Palm Sunday, Pope Francis made an appeal to “lay down the arms in Ukraine” and asked, “What kind of a victory would it be to plant a flag on a heap of ruins?”
Posted inFaith, Interviews
Interview: Canadian Archbishop Bolen on the visit between Pope Francis and Indigenous peoples
In this exclusive interview, Canadian Archbishop Don Bolen shares the significance of the pope’s meeting with Indigenous survivors of Canada’s residential schools and what he expects from the pope’s pledged visit to Canada.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis picks popular Ghanaian cardinal Peter Turkson to head Vatican academies for sciences and social sciences
It had been rumored for some time that Pope Francis would appoint the internationally well-known and much-liked Ghanaian cardinal to another high-level position in the Holy See.