Article Archive
Please click below to view any of the articles in our archive.
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Dec. 20, 2024, that he has chosen CatholicVote President Brian Burch to be his ambassador to the Holy See. / Credit: Photo courtesy of CRC AdvisorsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 2, 2025 / 16:25 pm (CNA).The Senate has confirmed former CatholicVote president and founder Brian Burch to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. In a 49-44 vote on Aug. 2, the Senate confirmed the Catholic father of nine from Chicago. "I am profoundly grateful to President [Donald] Trump and the United States Senate for this opportunity to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See," Burch said in a statement shared with CNA reacting to news of his confirmation. "As a proud Catholic American, I look forward to representing President Trump, Vice President [JD] Vance, and Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio in this important diplomatic post." He added: "I ask for the prayers of all Americans, especially my fellow Catholics, that I may serve ...
Gabby is the Ecuador program's mother representative on the Innovation Fund proposal selection committee. Standing before a photo of Unbound's late co-founder Bob Hentzen, she proudly holds the certificate of recognition awarded to her by Unbound for her participation and valuable contributions in the selection process. / Credit: Photo courtesy of UnboundWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Once seen as only recipients of aid, mothers in underprivileged areas across the globe are becoming agents of change as the Catholic nonprofit Unbound empowers them to create paths out of poverty and serve as community leaders."From our founding in 1981, our mission, our reason of being, our approach from our founders, has been driven by a core belief in letting the people that we support make the decisions," Ashley Hufft, president and CEO of Unbound, told CNA."It stems in part from their own faith, from Catholic social teaching, but those closest to the problem … make th...
Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro is the new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. / Credit: ACI StampaWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 15:56 pm (CNA).The new president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, says the Church has plans to address a number of pressing matters surrounding human dignity, including artificial intelligence (AI), health systems, and the environment. When Pegoraro stepped into his new role, he said Pope Leo XIV recommended the academy continue a dialogue "with experts from various disciplines on the challenges facing humanity on the theme of life and the quality of life in different contexts."The academy will also continue its focus on "issues related to the beginning and end of life as well as environmental sustainability, equity in health care systems, the right to care, health, and essential services."In an interview with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Catholic News Service, Pegoraro said as "we li...
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in New York City. / Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 16:19 pm (CNA).President Donald Trump's administration is proposing a rule change that would prohibit medical centers operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from performing both surgical and chemical abortions in most cases and from providing counseling that encourages abortion.The proposed regulatory change, submitted by the VA on Aug. 1, must undergo a 30-day public comment period before it can be adopted.Under the proposal, abortion would only be allowed when the mother's life is at risk. The text also clarifies that women can still receive all necessary treatments for ectopic pregnancies and miscarriages.In an explanation provided with the rule change proposal, VA regulators note that Congress created the department to provide "only needed medical services to our nation's heroes and their families." It states that ...
Young people raise their voices from the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere on Aug. 1, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAACI Prensa Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 16:49 pm (CNA)."We're not tourists in spiritual things. We are pilgrims [searching for] meaning. We come with backpacks full of doubts, wounds, songs, and hope. And with a certainty in our hearts: Christ is alive. And he calls us."Thus begins the "Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe," the heart of the "Rome '25-Way of St. James '27-Jerusalem '33" project, which aims to "restore the soul" of the Old Continent and invites Christians to encounter the Lord through pilgrimage, healing, and evangelization.A young Catholic reads the "Manifesto of the Young Christians of Europe" aloud at St. Mary's Basilica in Trastevere, Aug. 1, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAThis initiative, which began to take shape two years ago with the support of the Bishops' Subcommission for Youth and Children of the Spanish Bishops' Conference, as w...
The relic stolen from St. Dominic Savio Parish. / Credit: St. Dominic Savio ParishACI Prensa Staff, Aug 1, 2025 / 17:19 pm (CNA).A relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis was stolen from the St. Dominic Savio Parish in the Argentine Archdiocese of Paraná. The pastor is seeking to recover it, emphasizing that it has no material value but does have profound spiritual significance for the community.Father Walter Minigutti, the pastor, told local media that the theft occurred minutes after noon on July 25 and was recorded on security cameras. A couple can be seen entering the church and removing the bolted glass case containing the relic, enthroned in 2021."This is truly a very sad day for us, and we need our saint [Carlo Acutis] to return to the parish. We are sharing the security camera footage, where this couple can be seen," Minigutti said in an interview with the Argentine news site El Once.A formal complaint has already been filed with the authorities, and the incident is under police ...
Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace. / Credit: Joe Bukuras/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).Bishop Abdallah Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace, expressed approval of U.S. President Donald Trump's recent comments recognizing starvation in Gaza. "I commend President Trump for acknowledging that starvation is happening in Gaza, especially affecting children," Zaidan wrote in a July 31 statement, adding: "And I urge him to demand the immediate expansion of humanitarian assistance through all channels in Gaza." Zaidan, who leads the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, has remained outspoken in his calls for "lasting peace" in the Holy Land.The Lebanese bishop's comments come after Trump told reporters during a meeti...
Thousands fill St. Peter's Square for the Jubilee of Youth welcome Mass on July 29, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Aug 1, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed.2 Syrian girls share 'moving testimony' at Jubilee of Youth eventDuring a vocation-themed evening in Rome, two young Syrian women, Olga Al-Maati and Christine Saad, moved hearts with their testimony about living faith amid war, CNA's Arabic-language news partner, ACI MENA, reported on Thursday. Representing the Marian youth of Damascus, they told fellow attendees that their presence wasn't about recounting suffering but spreading hope. They spoke of growing up amid bombs and despair yet clinging to Christ and discovering deep meaning in faith. Their testimony, rooted in the Vincentian spirit of charity and perseverance, received a heartfelt response. "Love is stronger than death," Saad declared, highl...
Father Cosimo Schena is a priest at St. Francis Parish in the Diocese of Brindisi in southern Italy. / Credit: Victoria Cardiel/EWTN NewsVatican City, Aug 1, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).With more than a million followers across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and other platforms, Father Cosimo Schena has become one of the most recognizable faces of the so-called "digital missionary" phenomenon in Italy."The illness of this century is loneliness, and we listen to each other very little. I try to convey a simple message, because the Lord is simple," Schena explained.It was four years ago that the priest, philosopher, psychologist, and psychotherapy specialist decided to create a social media profile to proclaim the Gospel in a friendly, positive, and accessible way."I earned a doctorate in philosophy, then studied psychology and specialized in psychotherapy. And that's precisely where the need to convey a beautiful message, a positive message, on social media arose. Because when I go onli...
Fifty-four Missionaries of Charity are in Rome this week for the Catholic Church's Jubilee of Young People, where they are approaching young people one by one to invite them to spend time with Christ in all-day Eucharistic Adoration and to learn about the mission and message of their founder, St. Teresa of Calcutta. / Credit: Courtney MaresRome, Italy, Aug 1, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).Just steps away from the exuberant crowds of Gen Z pilgrims chanting and taking selfies in St. Peter's Square, religious sisters in white saris with blue stripes kneel barefoot in silent adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. More than 50 sisters of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity are in Rome this week for the Catholic Church's Jubilee of Youth offering a striking contrast to the vibrant festival atmosphere filling the Vatican's streets. Their mission: "To give them Jesus," said one 25-year-old sister from Spain, who declined to be quoted by name in accordance with the congregation's rul...
