Just what does it mean to be named a 'chaplain of His Holiness'?

Father Fermín González Melado, who was recently named a "chaplain of His Holiness" by Pope Leo XIV, explains the qualifications and purpose of bestowing this honorary title.

Pope Leo to mark start of Lent with historic procession on ancient Roman hill

Pope Leo XIV will preside over the traditional Ash Wednesday procession and Mass on Feb. 18 on Rome's Aventine Hill, an important place of Christian pilgrimage for more than 1,500 years.

Catholic bishop calls on Bangladesh's new leaders to protect minorities

A Catholic bishop calls on Bangladesh's newly elected government to protect minority rights after the BNP's landslide victory in the country's first election since the 2024 uprising.

European Parliament votes to condemn Turkey's expulsion of Christian workers

The near-unanimous resolution calls on Ankara to respect religious freedom and allow expelled Christian workers to return.

ICE must allow Communion, distribution of ashes at Illinois processing facility, judge says

Clergy had argued they "have lost their own religious freedom, by blanket denial of any opportunity to provide spiritual consolation."

Catholic priest who was abducted in Cameroon appointed auxiliary bishop

Father John Berinyuy Tatah was among six Catholic priests abducted in Cameroon's Bamenda Archdiocese last year and later released.

Pope appoints Catholic Harvard professor to Vatican social sciences academy

Tyler J. VanderWeele, a Catholic, is an epidemiologist and director of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University.

Pope Leo XIV tells Opus Dei no decision yet on revised statutes

Pope Francis moved the prelature's Vatican oversight from the office for bishops to that of clergy, triggering an ongoing review and rewrite of its governing norms.

Pope Leo XIV: 'All lives are not equally respected' amid war and inequality

The pope told the Pontifical Academy for Life it is hypocritical to call health a universal value while ignoring policies that drive disparities.

Lawmakers urge White House to restore visas for international adoptions

"Adoption visas are not guaranteed" amid a travel freeze, said lawmakers who have asked the State Department to restore a "categorical exemption for adoption visas."