Author: Rose Miller

The bronze bell used for track and field competitions during the Paris Olympic Games will ring during every Mass at Notre Dame Cathedral when it reopens in December. 

The Church in South Korea has officially set the stage for World Youth Day 2027 with a launch event at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. 

Under the theme ‘Hope Ignites in Seoul. Success for WYD Seoul 2027’, the ceremony, held on Sunday 28 July, marked the beginning of preparations for the highly anticipated international gathering.

September will be a busy month for Pope Francis, and for the faithful of the four countries preparing to welcome him as he visits them on his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. The Pope will be visiting the four countries over a period of less than two weeks. 

When Pope Francis visits Papua New Guinea in September, Fr Mario Abzalón Alvarado Tovar, the Superior General of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, says the Holy Father will find a Church with a strong practice of faith, but in the style of Papua New Guinea.

Pope Francis met with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, last month at the Vatican to discuss climate change. The meeting was at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Pope’s residence. 

The Pope’s charitable efforts continue towards Ukraine, a country he has long described as ‘martyred’, with trucks loaded with essential supplies leaving Rome for the war-torn country.

In a surprise announcement, Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Richard G Henning of the Diocese of Providence as archbishop-elect of Boston. Henning, who has only been a bishop since 2018, will replace 80-year-old retiring Cardinal Seán P O’Malley, who has served as one of Francis’ closest advisers since the beginning of his papacy.

Pope Francis will make an official visit to Belgium, 26–29 September, where he will preside over the Eucharist before more than 35,000 people. The event has generated significant enthusiasm, with all tickets for the Mass already distributed.