Author: Rose Miller

Pope Francis began his three-day visit to Hungary last month, praising the country for its traditional values and making a forceful appeal for European unity, decrying the rise of nationalist populism he faulted for a breakdown in multilateralism.

The Synod of Bishops will include female voting members for the first time, Synod organisers revealed last month in a landmark development for the Church’s Synod process. 

The Secretariat for the Synod announced that 70 ‘non-bishop members’ appointed directly by the Pope – half of whom will be women – will be able to vote at the Synod General Assembly in October.

In a rare gesture, Catholic and Protestant leaders in Papua have come together to appeal to Indonesian President Joko Widodo to stop military operations in the crisis-hit province following the latest move to implement a ‘combat alert operation’. 

Pope Francis has given King Charles III a relic of the True Cross of Jesus as a personal gift ahead of the King’s coronation this month. 

The relic has been incorporated into the Cross of Wales, a new processional cross presented by the King as a centenary gift to the Church in Wales

Pope Francis has called for a ‘new revolution’ in today’s way of thinking human sexuality, by refocusing on its connection with the fundamental vocation of each person, which is the ‘gift of self’.

Tactile maps and illustrative panels in braille are planned to be installed in several churches in Rome, for which short videos translated into LIS (Italian Sign Language) will also be available.

The leader of the Irish Church has said more must be done on reconciliation in Northern Ireland and Church leaders must bring people together. In an interview with The Irish Times, the Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin spoke about growing up in Derry during the Troubles and the challenges for the Catholic Church around Republican funerals.

Robert F Kennedy Jr has become the fourth member of his family to run for the Democrat presidential nomination, launching his campaign in Boston to loud cheers from Democrats gathered.