Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, told thousands of faithful that Pope Francis sent him to preside over the inauguration and consecration of a new Catholic church at the banks of the Jordan River as a sign of the universal church’s closeness to all Christians in the Middle East.

The Italian naval ship “Amerigo Vespucci,” currently completing its global tour, has been designated a Jubilee church for the Holy Year 2025, transforming its onboard chapel into a pilgrimage destination at sea.

The Franciscan friars in Syria are accustomed to overcoming obstacles and living in uncertain times, and now they are bracing for the new Islamic rule in the country with both “encouraging” and “worrying” signs on the horizon.

Since Cardinal Robert W. McElroy’s Jan. 6 appointment to the Archdiocese of Washington, church watchers have interpreted the move as a papal endorsement of the prelate’s outspoken support for the poor and those on the margins.

Pope Francis is scheduled to complete the Christmastime liturgies by baptizing babies in the Sistine Chapel Jan. 12, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Sam Laganà and his wife were among the dozens of Corpus Christi parishioners at a special Mass celebrated by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels to pray for those affected by the fires raging through parts of Los Angeles County.

Venezuela’s bishops called for the country’s electoral decision to be respected on the eve of the Jan. 10 inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro, whose victory in the July 28 election is disputed by the opposition and not recognized by the United States.

As he drove frantically past charred buildings along the smoky streets of Altadena in his SUV early on the morning of Jan. 8, Deacon José Luis Díaz had one prayer on his mind: God, please spare my church.

Christians and Indigenous minorities protested publicly against the beating of a minority woman and the burning of her house in Gobindganj, in the northern Gaibandha district of Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Meeting young people receiving care at an oncology-hematology clinic in Poland, Pope Francis told them they are witnesses of hope, and he reminded them Jesus is their friend.