“Being close to the created world is a way of being close to the creator, and that’s why sciences played such an important role in the apostolates of the Jesuits,” said the director of the Vatican Observatory.

A Vatican-approved Chinese bishop remains in detention more than one year after his arrest for allegedly violating the communist country’s repressive regulations on religious affairs.

“You realize that the rest of the world is looking toward Pope Francis as maybe the one person who could end this [war], who could bring peace,” Ambassador Donnelly told Gerard O’Connell.

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.

On “Inside the Vatican,” veteran Vatican reporter Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle explore why Cardinal Joseph Zen appears to pose such a grave threat to the Chinese government.

Before he dies or retires, Pope Francis needs to make changes in the process of electing a new pope to avoid the possibility of a deadlocked conclave.