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An aerial view shows over 4,000 deacons gathered in St. Peter's Basilica for the special jubilee Mass, Feb. 23, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNACNA Newsroom, Feb 23, 2025 / 08:40 am (CNA).Prayers filled St. Peter's Basilica Sunday as Archbishop Rino Fisichella delivered Pope Francis' prepared homily to over 4,000 permanent deacons gathered for a special jubilee Mass, while the pontiff remains hospitalized with pneumonia.The message, centered on selfless service and forgiveness, emphasized three fundamental aspects of diaconal ministry that the pope described as "forgiveness, selfless service, and communion.""Indeed, forgiveness is an indispensable element of every ecclesial vocation and a requirement of every human relationship," the pope's homily stated, read by Fisichella, who serves as pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization.Deacon candidates lie prostrate during their ordination ceremony at St. Peter's Basilica, Feb. 23, 2025. Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNADuring the Fe...
Judge Frank Caprio served for decades as chief municipal judge in Providence, Rhode Island. / Credit: StephanieRPereira, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsACI Prensa Staff, Feb 23, 2025 / 09:30 am (CNA).Judge Frank Caprio has become one of the most recognizable faces in the U.S. judicial system for his acts of kindness and compassion. For nearly 40 years, he listened to people who came to the main municipal courthouse in Rhode Island and went out of his way to show them mercy.His work was featured in the four-time Emmy-nominated show "Caught in Providence" and in 2017 videos of his court cases went viral, reaching more than 15 million views.Today, at 88, the retired judge, a Catholic, asks for prayers after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. "EWTN News In Depth" correspondent Colm Flynn recently traveled to Florida to meet the man who is known as "the kindest judge in the world."A judge with a heart"I had the most privileged childhood I could imagine… I had the privi...
North and South Kivu have been embroiled in armed conflict for years. / Credit: MONUSCO/Clara PadovanACI Africa, Feb 23, 2025 / 10:30 am (CNA).Locals at a village in the embattled North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are appealing for prayers after approximately 70 bodies were found inside a church building in the village.Local sources contacted by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International said the killings took place between Feb. 12 and Feb. 15 in Maiba, a village in the eastern region of the DRC. In a report that ACN published on Feb. 21, the sources said that on Feb. 12, rebels from an Islamist terrorist group, originally from Uganda, entered the village and took approximately 100 people hostage.The sources recounted that on Feb. 15, about 70 bodies were discovered inside a Protestant church. "Many of them had been bound and some beheaded. Among the victims were women, children, and the elderly," said the source, which ACN did not ident...
"The Thorn" is a live-action theatrical performance depicting Jesus' life, death, and resurrection that features a cast of more than 40 performers, including aerialists, dancers, actors, and musicians, and combines choreography, music, and state-of-the-art visuals to create an experience that immerses the audience in the story of Jesus. / Credit: The ThornDenver, Colo., Feb 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).A live-action theatrical performance depicting Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is selling out mainstream venues across the United States as it begins its spring tour visiting 25 cities before Easter. Originally created as a play for youth at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, "The Thorn" has grown into a large-scale production featuring a cast of more than 40 including aerialists, dancers, actors, and musicians. It combines choreography, music, and state-of-the-art visuals to create an experience that immerses the audience in the story of Jesus.John Bolin, the ...
A statue of St. John Paul II is seen in front of the entrance to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 22, 2025, where Pope Francis continues to receive treatment for respiratory issues. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNACNA Newsroom, Feb 23, 2025 / 06:19 am (CNA).As Pope Francis continued his treatment at Rome's Gemelli Hospital Sunday, he expressed gratitude to medical staff while marking the approaching third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a prepared Angelus message."On my part, I am confidently continuing my hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy!" the pontiff said Feb. 23.The Holy Father thanked "the doctors and health workers of this hospital for the attention they are showing me and the dedication with which they carry out their service among the sick."Vatican sources confirmed that following a prolonged respiratory crisis on Saturday, the pope continues to require supplemental oxygen thr...
Religious sisters gather outside Gemelli hospital to pray a rosary for Pope Francis on Feb. 22, 2025 / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Feb 23, 2025 / 06:59 am (CNA).Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis, the Vatican said. After a full week in medical care, the Vatican announced Feb. 22 the Holy Father had suffered a respiratory crisis and required a blood transfusion. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Pope Francis attends the general audience at the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez / EWTN NewsCNA Newsroom, Feb 22, 2025 / 14:11 pm (CNA).Pope Francis remains in critical condition and "is not out of danger," the Holy See Press Office announced Saturday evening in Rome.The 88-year-old pontiff "experienced an asthma-like respiratory crisis of prolonged intensity" Saturday morning that required the administration of high-flow oxygen, according to the Vatican's medical update.Blood tests revealed a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia), associated with anemia, which required blood transfusions. While the Holy Father remains alert and spent the day in an armchair, he is "more uncomfortable than yesterday," the statement said, describing the prognosis as guarded.The Vatican confirmed earlier Saturday that the pope will not lead the traditional Sunday Angelus prayer on Feb. 23. During a press conference at the Gemelli hospital on Friday, the medical team caring for th...
Religious sisters and faithful gather at Gemelli hospital to pray the rosary for Pope Francis on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 22, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNAVatican City, Feb 22, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA).Pope Francis was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis, the Vatican said. After a full week in medical care, the Vatican announced Feb. 22 the Holy Father had suffered a respiratory crisis and required a blood transfusion. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Altar of the Chair in St. Peter's Basilica, where Bernini's gorgeous bronze monument to the Chair of Peter acts as a massivebronze reliquary for the historic wooden chair. / Credit: Vatican MediaVatican City, Feb 22, 2025 / 11:00 am (CNA).Every year on Feb. 22, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Chair of St. Peter, a tradition that dates back more than 1,600 years.The feast honors not just a physical chair but what it represents: the authority of St. Peter, the first pope, and the unbroken line of his successors.References to the "Chair of Peter" date back to the early centuries of Christianity. St. Jerome, a biblical scholar of the fourth century, wrote in a letter: "I follow no leader save Christ, so I enter into communion with … the Chair of Peter, for this I know is the rock upon which the Church is built."The feast itself has been celebrated on Feb. 22 since at least A.D. 336, according to Monsignor Tiziano Ghirelli, a canon of St. Peter's Basilica. ...
Sviatoslav Shevchuk is major archbishop of Kyiv-Galicia and primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. / Credit: Screenshot/EWTN News NightlyWashington D.C., Feb 22, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church during a visit to Washington, D.C., this week advocated for a lasting peace in Ukraine "that does not appease dictators" as the U.S. begins negotiations with Russia."Putin's objectives are clear: He wants to erase Ukraine, its people, and its church," Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk stated during a panel discussion at the Hudson Institute on Thursday."If Russia succeeds in occupying Ukraine, our church will not survive. For us, it's a matter of life and death," Shevchuk said. He continued: "History teaches us that whenever Russia takes control of territories with Eastern Catholics, it enforces them into the Russian Orthodox Church, drives them into exile, or sends them to perish in prison camps."Shevchuk's visit comes as the Trump ...
