Europe

Romanian abbey dispute deepens after attempted eviction of Norbertine abbot

A disputed attempt to remove a Norbertine abbot from his historic abbey during Mass has turned a local property battle in Romania into a wider controversy over Church rights
The Catholic Herald

Rocamadour, the Black Madonna and Houellebecq's crisis of belief

A journey inspired by Michel Houellebecq’s novel leads to Rocamadour’s Black Madonna and reflections on faith, nationhood and modern Europe
James Jeffrey

What really happened at Tuam?

The discovery of hundreds of children’s deaths at a former Irish home shocked the world, yet much of what was widely believed about Tuam has not been borne out by the evidence
David Quinn

The international response to Trump’s attack on Pope Leo

Political leaders and Church figures across Europe and beyond criticise President Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV, calling the remarks “unacceptable”
The Catholic Herald

Hungary after Orbán

Viktor Orbán’s electoral defeat marks a political turning point, but his legacy and Péter Magyar’s programme resist easy interpretation
Jan C. Bentz

France sees surge in adult baptisms as numbers rise 220 per cent in a decade

France records 13,234 adult baptisms this Easter, a 20 per cent annual rise driven largely by young people and urban converts
Thomas Edwards

Ireland’s quiet rise in anti-Catholic attacks

Recent attacks on priests’ houses and churches suggest a deepening hostility towards Catholicism in Ireland, shaped by cultural change, political rhetoric and a wider loss of the sacred
Ruadhan Jones

Spanish bishops offer access to the Pope for a minimum of €500,000

Spain’s bishops face scrutiny after a dossier revealed donation tiers offering varying levels of access to the Pope during his forthcoming visit
The Catholic Herald

4 per cent of deaths in Belgium are euthanasia cases

Belgium recorded a record 4,486 assisted deaths in 2025, with nearly a quarter involving people not expected to die in the short term, according to official figures
The Catholic Herald

SSPX pilgrims refused entry to Marian shrine in Italy as tensions with Rome grow

Catholic pilgrims linked to the Society of St Pius X were locked out of a Marian shrine in northern Italy despite planning only to pray, in the latest sign of growing tensions ahead of planned episcopal consecrations in July
Niwa Limbu