Junno Arocho Esteves

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, concluded a two-day visit in Denmark with a meeting with the country's king and foreign minister as tensions between Europe and the United States still loom.

The Holy See, "obviously, finds itself in a different situation than other countries, so there will be a different consideration," Cardinal Pietro Parolin said.

Pope Leo XIV expressed his condolences to the families of victims of a devastating accident in which two high-speed trains collided in southern Spain's Andalucia region.

As anti-government protests in Iran continue despite an internet blackout and the use of lethal force against demonstrators, Pope Leo XIV expressed his concern over the escalating situation.

Each year, the annual Marian procession of the "Divina Pastora" ("Divine Shepherdess") draws millions of pilgrims and devotees in Venezuela. The Jan. 14 procession, however, was of particular significance following the United States' capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores Jan. 3.

According to the decree, Leo has established that from Jan. 10, following the closing of the church's Jubilee Year, until Jan. 10, 2027, a special Year of St. Francis may be proclaimed, in which every Christian, "following the example of the Saint of Assisi, may himself become a model of holiness of life and a constant witness of peace."

Victims of abuse are cautiously optimistic regarding an agreement between the Catholic Church and the Spanish government that would seek to provide reparations to victims of clergy sexual abuse.

While providing no specifics, the Vatican said the consistory is taking place "within the context of the life and mission of the church, and intends to strengthen the communion between the Bishop of Rome and the cardinals, who are called to collaborate in a particular way in solicitude for the good of the universal church."

"We want to replant hope within the Christian community over here in the Holy Land," said Anton Asfar, secretary-general of Caritas Jerusalem.

Pope Leo XIV said he is "deeply saddened" by the attack on Australian Jews at a celebration of the first day of Hanukkah. Sydney's archbishop and U.S. prelates also condemned the "horrific" shooting and offered prayers.

"From when he was a child until he became a priest and then left for Peru, he has always been somewhat the same person," said Vatican News journalist Salvatore Cernuzio.

The 63-year-old Austrian priest, who has served as apostolic administrator for the Archdiocese of Vienna since January, will succeed Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who has led the archdiocese since 1995.

A 17th-century monastery in northern Italy where recently canonized St. Carlo Acutis received his first Communion was in ruins after a massive fire ravaged the historic building.

 Construction of the basilica began in 1882, and is considered a masterpiece of Antoni Gaudí, a Catholic whose cause for sainthood is underway. 

It all has the vibe of a World Youth Day, the Catholic Woodstock festival that Pope John Paul II inaugurated and made famous in 2000 in Rome at the very same Tor Vergata field. 

Rome's historic Risorgimento Square was transformed into an outdoor concert venue to host a festival marking the close of the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers, which was part of the larger Jubilee of Youth taking place in Rome.

Msgr. Carlo Alberto Capella, a former Vatican diplomat who was convicted of distributing and possessing child pornography, continues to work at the Vatican Secretariat of State as one of several clerks, a report says.

In an unusually blunt statement published June 15, the Cuban bishops' conference said that throughout the country, "it is continuously heard that things are not well, that we cannot continue like this, that something must be done to save Cuba and restore hope to us."

In the first week of Leo pontificate, the leading expert on the abuse crisis — as well as several survivors and victims of abuse — has come to the defense of the newly elected Roman pontiff after two organizations advocating for victims of abuse raised concerns regarding Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost's record on the matter not long after he was elected.

While members of the College of Cardinals famously take an oath, so do Vatican staff members, including the elevator operator, doctors and attendants, who will be assisting with the everyday tasks and needs of the cardinals during the conclave which begins May 7.