Fear of the political crisis and, in particular, the targeting of the Catholic Church is driving many Nicaraguans to flee to the U.S. border in search of asylum, as panelists discussed during a March 6 event.
Hundreds of international Catholic volunteers were recalled from their countries of service at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. A year later, they and their volunteer programs are still struggling to adapt.
Since the Catholic Church forbids same-sex marriage as a sacrament, some Catholics, and even some bishops, have discussed having a blessing for such couples as an alternative. But the Vatican said no.
The Vatican warned March 12 that it has nearly depleted its financial reserves from past donations to cover budget deficits over recent years, as it urged continued giving from the faithful.
Ireland's Catholic bishops plan to hold a synod within the next five years to — among other things — hear from people who were raised Catholic but have walked away from the church.
A week before Pope Francis was scheduled to arrive in Iraq, the Vatican nuncio in Baghdad and several members of the staff tested positive for COVID-19 and began self-isolating.
Pope Francis told attendees at this year's all-virtual Los Angeles Religious Education Congress to look for hope amid the pandemic in the very theme of their gathering: "Proclaim the Promise!"
In the wake of the economic fallout due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy said it expects a multimillion-dollar deficit in its budget for 2021.
