Pope Francis

Chinese mainland gets bishop for first 'new Catholic diocese' since communist revolution

rome – the state-sanctioned catholic church in china has seen a new bishop’s appointment made alongside the establishment of a new diocese o...

The meaningless vacuity of just being 'nice'

the week of prayer for christian unity has changed its character over the years. it used to be the ecclesiastical version of birdmen leaping...

A journey of contrasts: leading Herald pilgrims along the Way of St Francis

on the evening before our motley group of 14 herald pilgrims headed off on our 108 km trek from terni towards assisi, we gathered at a littl...

The Catholic churches of Hertfordshire

a county of new towns and london sprawl still has some interesting catholic heritage. i had forgotten hertfordshire, the large unwelcome fie...

Confusion reigns as Pope says new blessings are for same-sex couples but not their unions

pope francis has attempted to further clarify the vatican document permitting non-liturgical blessing for couples in same sex or irregular r...

The Catholic Herald

Rome’s Chief Rabbi expresses 'great disappointment' with Vatican's stance on Gaza

rome – having already warned of “many steps backward” in catholic-jewish relations as a result of contrasting reactions to israel’s war with...

Is the Pope after an ‘Assisi on the Tiber’ to promote his spiritual vision

mikhail gorbachev once declared that while he remained an atheist, he had to admit that soviet communism had never produced anyone quite lik...

Pope urges Vatican press corps to resist sinking to ‘commercial media’ standards

rome – in a rare session with members of the vatican press corps, pope francis thanked journalists for their work, urging them to base their...

Dutch cardinal could get papal successor boost after response to ‘Fiducia Supplicans’

rome – this week voters in the new hampshire primary will head to the polls, taking part in what has long been the premier proving ground in...

First ever papal trip to Vietnam likely after thaw in bilateral relations

rome – after meeting vietnamese officials, a top vatican diplomat has said he will travel to vietnam this spring as the two countries contin...