Joshua J. McElwee

One of the highest-ranking cardinals in the Catholic Church resigned his Vatican post unexpectedly Sept. 24, with the city-state giving no explanation for the dismissal.

Prominent Catholic women across the globe are continuing to raise objections to the title of Pope Francis' forthcoming new encyclical, "Fratelli tutti," which uses the Italian masculine plural to address the world's population.

The head of the Vatican's powerful doctrinal congregation Sept. 22 defended his office's request that an Irish priest sign four strict oaths of fidelity to Catholic teachings, saying the move, while "very unpleasant," was part of their duty as the global church's orthodoxy watchdogs.

The Vatican is firmly reiterating its objection to the legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide, calling the intentional killing of sick patients an "intrinsically evil act" akin to murder and warning that legislators who approve such laws "become accomplices of a grave sin."  

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is asking a popular Irish priest suspended from public ministry in 2012, primarily over his support for women's ordination, to sign four strict oaths of fidelity to Catholic teachings.

The Vatican's decision in August to clarify the formula that should be used in the Catholic rite of baptism attracted unusual interest after it caused something of a theological head-scratcher.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, widely seen as a possible future pontiff, has tested positive for the coronavirus upon returning to his native Philippines.

NCR Connections: Having lived through the coronavirus surge and some of the strictest lockdown protocols in Italy this spring, I worry about another round of restrictions here — and about our readers, friends and family living in other places.

Although difficult issues may be on the table — including the status of the Catholic community in Hong Kong and the Vatican's relations with Taiwan — both sides seem to want to continue the pact for now, experts say.

Pope Francis is long known as something of an enthusiast for gelato. And now, thanks to an intrepid Italian gelateria owner, we even know the pontiff's favorite flavor

Pope Francis named six women to the high-level group that oversees the Vatican's finances Aug. 6, in what may represent the most senior appointments yet of women among the Catholic Church's exclusively male leadership structure.

The Vatican reiterated July 20 that Catholic parishes should normally be led by priests, stressing to bishops across the world that arrangements for religious sisters or laypeople to head local parish communities can only be made when there is a shortage of ordained ministers.

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith directed the world's Catholic bishops July 16 to investigate claims of sexual abuse against minors even when they appear unfounded, reminding the prelates that failure to do so can lead to their removal from office for negligence of duty.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan has sent copies of a book that suggests qualities desirable in a future pope to cardinals across the globe.

Vatican judicial authorities ordered the acquisition of documents and other materials from the office that manages the maintenance of St. Peter's Basilica, the city-state announced June 30, in an apparent sign of an investigation into how the office negotiates contracts with outside vendors.

Pope Francis praised the example of the early Christian community in his homily for the annual feast of saints Peter and Paul June 29, saying its members prayed for their leaders instead of criticizing them.

Divine Word Missionary Fr. Paul Daisuke Narui, who has been serving in Rome since 2015 as his order's coordinator for peace and justice issues, will return to Japan later this month as the new head of the diocese of Niigata, about 200 miles northwest of Tokyo.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI left the Vatican June 18 for his first sojourn abroad since renouncing the papal ministry in 2013, in order to visit his ailing 96-year-old brother in Germany.

Reuse of water in Vatican fountains, more ecological garden fertilizers and new lighting systems among the initiatives

Leaders at the three major U.S. publishers of Catholic worship resources are expressing concern about how the continuing coronavirus pandemic will impact their operations, which largely rely on bulk sales of hymnals and missalettes to individual parishes.