Highly skilled carpenters from four different companies are working together to rebuild the iconic Notre Dame spire before the grand reopening of the most famous European cathedral on Dec. 8, 2024. Among the craftsmen assigned to the prestigious task are two Americans: Jackson Dubois from New York and Michael Burrey from Boston.

Donations to the annual Peter’s Pence collection, which supports the work of the Roman Curia and funds the charitable activity of the pope, were down in 2022, but the amount of money the fund distributed increased significantly thanks to the proceeds of property sales, the Vatican said.

Ukraine must develop “a new social consensus” and “a new constitution” to ensure its post-war future, said Archbishop Borys Gudziak and several other endorsers of a June 28 document from Lviv’s Ukrainian Catholic University.

July 6 marks the 50th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Akita. On June 12, 1973, Sister Agnes Sasagawa of the Handmaids of the Eucharist began receiving heavenly visions in a convent located in Akita, Japan.

All wars are “utter disasters” for everyone, especially families, children, the elderly, refugees, communities and creation, Pope Francis said.

The Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches should join efforts to promote peace before threats of a “major global armed conflict,” the head of the Russian Orthodox Church told Pope Francis’ envoy on a peace mission to Moscow.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 in favor of a Christian web designer who argued she had a First Amendment right to refuse to provide services for same-sex marriages despite a Colorado law prohibiting discrimination against people who identify as LGBTQ+.

About a dozen candidates are currently seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. In a field currently dominated by an ex-president, other Republican candidates are seeking ways to break out so that they might win their party’s nomination to challenge President Joe Biden next year.

As Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine through a full-scale invasion, Ukrainians — and the West itself — must commit to building “a culture that gives life,” said Metropolitan Archbishop Borys Gudziak, head of Ukrainian Catholics in the U.S.

Sitting in front of a replica of Michelangelo’s Pietà — the sculpture of Mary holding her crucified son — the bishops of the Atlanta province signed a joint statement June 27 urging “decisive action” on legislation to curb gun violence.