Our forte. Get the scoop on what’s current inside the Vatican.
By Matthew Trojacek with CNA Reports - Grzegorz Galazka and CNA photos October Friday 3 Cardinal Koch Congratulates Archbishop-Designate of Canterbury Sarah Mullally On October 3, King Charles III approved the nomination of Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury. She will be the first woman to hold the office, with [...]
By Matthew Trojacek with CNA Reports - Grzegorz Galazka and CNA photos August Wednesday 6 Pope Commemorates Atomic Bombing Anniversary In a message on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Pope Leo XIV called on the international community to renew its commitment to lasting peace and an end to nuclear weapons. “True peace [...]
February Tuesday 11 Holy See calls for digital responsibility to curb anti-Semitism in Europe Father Domenico Vitolo, Secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature to the Nordic Countries, delivered the statement at the annual conference on addressing anti-Semitism in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) region on February 11. He expressed the Holy See’s conviction [...]
December Thursday 12 Pope meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Pope Francis held a 30-minute long meeting December 12 with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine. Speaking to Vatican Media’s Roberto Cetera immediately afterwards, President Abbas described the meeting as “fruitful,” adding that “every time I meet the Pope, it’s like meeting an old [...]
By Matthew Trojacek with CNA Reports - Grzegorz Galazka and CNA photos October Wednesday 16 Pope Francis to release groundbreaking autobiography Hope in 2025 In a historic move, Pope Francis is set to become the first sitting pontiff to release an autobiographical memoir. Titled Hope, the much-anticipated book will be published [...]
By Matthew Trojacek with CNA Reports - Grzegorz Galazka and CNA photos August Friday 9 Pope Francis conveys “message of hope” to Chinese Catholics, desire to visit China Pope Francis conveyed a “message of hope” to Chinese Catholics and expressed his desire to one day visit the Basilica of Holy Mary, the Help of Christians, in [...]
February Thursday 23 Holy See and the Sultanate of Oman establish diplomatic ties The Holy See and Oman have established full diplomatic relations, leaving only six countries worldwide without any diplomatic connection to the Vatican. The announcement on February 23 did not come as a surprise as, in November during Pope Francis’ trip to Bahrain, there [...]
Early Teenage Years In his 1998 book Milestones: Memoirs 19271977, Joseph Ratzinger recounts the circumstances surrounding his entry into the minor seminary at age 12: For us, the seizure of power in Austria by the brown rulers [the Nazi party, in 1938] had a positive aspect. The borders of this neighboring country had been closed by [...]
Against the dramatic backdrop of Hitler's Germany, a boy's faith—and vocation—mature Located in Bavaria, the most densely Catholic region of Germany, the Ratzinger family’s home life was imbued with the Catholic faith. Hitler had come to power when young Joseph was only five, but the family’s faith and spiritual practices fortified them through the difficulties that [...]
By Federico Lombardi Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria. Joseph came into the world into a Bavarian family of deep-rooted Catholic tradition and modest circumstances – his father, also named Joseph, was a policeman, and his mother Maria was a housewife, but occasionally worked as a cook for the [...]
