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Gaza: Caritas Italy offers full support to Caritas Jerusalem
As Israel announces measures that could restrict Caritas Jerusalem’s ability to provide humanitarian aid, Caritas Italy’s deputy director expresses the Catholic aid agency’s support for the life-saving programs carried out by the Caritas network in Gaza and the West Bank.
Venezuela: Strong explosions in Caracas, President Maduro captured
The capital of the Latin American country has been hit by a series of attacks that Venezuelan authorities have described as a “U.S. aggression.” US President Trump says President Nicolas Maduro has been captured together with his wife and flown out of the country.
Swiss Bishop: The Church is close to the families of the Crans-Montana victims
Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey of Sion, Switzerland, discusses the fire that broke out on the night of January 1 and caused more than 40 deaths and hundreds of injuries, emphasizing, “The Church is called to share the pain and to make itself present: families must believe in the possibility of light.”
Lord's Day Reflection: New Year, Same Star
As the Church celebrates the Second Sunday of Christmas, Jenny Kraska offers her thoughts on the day's Gospel reading.
Switzerland in mourning as 40 die in massive bar blaze
Swiss investigators have begun the grim process of identifying victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, killing at least 40 people and injuring some 115.
Nigeria: Your compassion became a lifeline – the gratitude of the OLA Sisters
Following the liberation of all the children and staff abducted from St. Mary’s School – Papiri in Nigeria, the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) have expressed deep gratitude for the support received during the trying period. The OLA Sisters are the managing agency of St Mary’s School - Papiri.
Pope prays for victims of Crans-Montana fire
Pope Leo XIV expresses his closeness to the victims and their loved ones of the January 1 fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, that caused around 40 deaths and over 110 injured.
Cardinal Bo renews appeal for peace in embattled Myanmar
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, the President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Myanmar (CBCM), makes a strong appeal for peace and disarmament in his Christmastime message.
Pope to US youth: Be open to what God has in store for you!
In a video-message to participants in the SEEK youth conference in the United States, Pope Leo invites young people to spend time with Jesus, whether they are meeting Him for the first time or deepening their relationship with him, and to always be open “to what the Lord has in store”.
Pope: Start today to build a year of peace
At his first Angelus greeting of 2026, Pope Leo urges everyone to “build a year of peace, by disarming our hearts and refraining from every form of violence.”
Pope Leo: Pray for peace in our world and our families
In his first Angelus address for 2026, Pope Leo reminds us that the Jubilee has taught us how to cultivate hope for a new world, and says that God is inviting us “to renew our times by finally ushering in an era of peace and friendship among peoples.”
Pope: New year is ‘a journey to be discovered’
Pope Leo celebrates his first public Mass of 2026, telling believers that Mary has revealed the ‘unarmed and disarming’ face of God.
Pope Leo: Jubilee Year ‘a powerful sign of a new world’
In a homily delivered at the final liturgy of the year, Pope Leo reflects on “the mystery of Christ, which points to a plan for human history” - a plan that stands in stark contrast to “armed strategies, concealed beneath hypocritical rhetoric.”
Jubilee 2025: A look back at the year
2025 was marked by the death of Pope Francis, the conclave, the election of Pope Leo XIV, and the beginning of a pontificate shaped by journeys, meetings, and calls for peace. All of this unfolds in the midst of the Jubilee Year of Hope, which is set to conclude on January 6. Let us take a look back at this Holy Year.
The Popes and the new year: a time for thanksgiving and hope
As 2026 approaches, Vatican News revisits some reflections by the Popes on this transitional period between the end of 2025 and the arrival of the new year.
Cardinal Koch: Pope Benedict XVI taught us to seek face of God
On the third anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s death, Cardinal Kurt Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, celebrates Mass in the Vatican Grottoes and recalls the German Pope’s desire for Christians to seek the face of God throughout our earthly lives.
Pope at Audience: As we cross from old year to new, let us entrust everything to God
At the final General Audience of 2025, Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to give thanks for the past, seek forgiveness, and entrust the journey ahead to God’s mercy.
Against the logic of war: History and hope define Realism as "Peace"
As global conflict reaches levels unseen since the Second World War, Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Peace challenges a war-centred understanding of security. Neil Thorns, CAFOD’s Director of Advocacy, reflects on why redefining “realism” is now essential.
Mayor of Rome: 2025 Jubilee Year ‘will remain in memory’
Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, speaks to Vatican News-Vatican Radio about the 2025 Holy Year, describing it as a time of "very rich content and very deep spiritual values".
Reflecting on Pope Leo’s call for an unarmed peace for a wounded world
Reflecting on Pope Leo XIV’s first World Day of Peace message, Marie Dennis, the director of Pax Christi’s Catholic Institute for Non-Violence, highlights a vision of peace that is unarmed, disarming, humble, and persevering. In a world marked by fear and conflict, she points to Gospel non-violence as a concrete, hopeful path already being lived in communities across the globe.