Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Vatican officially names panel of judges for canonical trial of Father Rupnik
Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, speaks to reporters at the Vatican Sept. 19, 2024. The cardinal confirmed July 3, 2025, the Vatican has officially named a panel of judges for the canonical...

Vatican leak undermines Pope Francis and inflames debate over Latin Mass
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our...

‘The Exorcist’ and the Devil
“What are the Church’s greatest needs at the present time? Don’t be surprised at our answer and don’t write it off as simplistic or even superstitious: one of the Church’s greatest needs is to be defended against the evil we call the Devil.” —...

Vatican document leak reignites Latin Mass debate
Documents have emerged, in what appears a leak at the Vatican, which indicate that the majority of Catholic bishops did not support the move by Pope Francis to restrict the Latin Mass. The texts from the Vatican’s doctrine office were posted...

Artificial Intelligence challenges ‘tranquility of order’, says Pope
Humanity is at a crossroads and facing the immense potential generated by the digital revolution driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to a message from Pope Leo XIV. In a letter sent to experts on the pontiff’s behalf by the Vatican...

Vatican grants exemption from Traditional Latin Mass restrictions to Texas parish
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 2, 2025 / 14:51 pm The Vatican has granted a parish in Texas an exemption from restrictions to the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) imposed by Pope Francis’ encyclical Traditionis Custodes. The exemption, requested by...
)
Pope Leo XIV signals zero tolerance for abuse in latest Vatican appointment
On Saturday, Pope Leo XIV appointed France’s Bishop Thibault Verny to lead the Vatican’s child protection advisory group, signalling his determination to maintain the fight against clerical sexual abuse. Verny, 59, replaces Cardinal Sean O’Malley,...

The curious case of Father Freddy, a former South Side pastor accused of child sex abuse
Is the Rev. Freddy Washington a child molester or not? The Catholic priest is part of a religious order known as the Spiritans, and once ministered on the South Side and attended the same Catholic graduate school in Hyde Park as Pope Leo XIV....

VATICAN - Climate crisis and ecological debt, the Bishops of Asia, Africa and Latin America: the “green Economy” risks being reduced to “modernization of capitalism”
Tuesday, 1 July 2025 Wolfgang Hasselmann. Pixabay Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – Saying “enough” to “false solutions” and calling on rich countries to settle “with urgent action” the ecological debt owed to the poorest nations. This is the meaning...

Wife of Political Prisoner José Daniel Ferrer Arrested After Demanding Proof of Life
The leader of UNPACU began a hunger strike this Saturday to denounce the poor conditions at the Mar Verde prison. “Two Castro hitmen arrested Nelva Ortega and took her to an unknown location” / Facebook 14ymedio, Havana, July 1, 2025 — Around...

Kenyan, South African, Burkinabe Catholic Bishops among New Members to Vatican Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue
The Chairman of the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya (IRCK) was appointed the Local Ordinary of Malindi Diocese in December 2020 and ordained as Bishop in March 2021, succeeding the late Bishop Emanuel Barbara. Before his Episcopal appointment,...

Rising hunger and poverty impacting families in the West Bank
Hunger, poverty, and uncertainty are increasing across the West Bank. A new report reveals that 74% of families now live below the minimum standard of living, with the most affected being children. By Janina Eddy A report just released by World...

How a Belarusian Blogger and Journalist Discovered the Facts of Catholicism
Asya Poplavskaya encountered Christ in the course of her career. Belarus has significantly lower wages compared to Western European countries. Most people can’t afford traveling or dining out at restaurants. But Asya Poplavskaya was an exception....

How to Solve the Development Crisis With Quality Finance
With debt increasingly crippling low- and middle-income countries, overhauling the prevailing approach to development has never been more urgent. If poor and developing countries are ever to transform their economies and fulfill their development...

Turkey’s first lady meets Pope Leo XIV in Vatican
Turkey’s first lady, Emine Erdogan (@EmineErdogan), has met with Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex) in the Vatican, the country’s presidency said on July 2. The meeting was held during Erdogan’s visit to attend the “Fraternal Economy Session on Ethical...

Vatican Radio participates in European Broadcasting Summit in London
From 2 to 4 July, the BBC headquarters in London host the 94th General Assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), marking the organisation's 75th anniversary. Vatican Radio, a founding member of the EBU, will be represented by Alessandro...

Vatican defends science from politics, ideology and misinformation
(RNS) — Around the world, we are “witnessing an alarming rise in attempts to discredit, politicize or suppress scientific knowledge,” the Vatican says in a new (June 16) Pontifical Academy of Sciences document defending the freedom of science....

Vatican exhibits Raphael’s legacy with the reopening of the Hall of Constantine
Vatican City, Jun 30, 2025 / 07:00 am After a decade of painstaking restoration, the imposing Hall of Constantine in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which houses Raphael’s masterpiece depicting Constantine’s victory over Maxentius at the Milvian...

25 Historical Trivia and Hot Takes: July 2025
Intro To Historical Trivia 1. When you have no other ideas of what to write about in your blog you can always write about historical trivia. You can tweet short or blog long about it. Historical Trivia is a way to remember the interesting tidbits...

The Vatican’s ethical crusade in the age of AI: An interview with Bishop Tighe
In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming society, the Vatican has emerged as an influential voice in the global conversation on AI ethics. Advocating for a human-centred approach to technology, the Holy See emphasises the...