By Gina Christian Women must be able to "exercise their leadership" and become "artisans of peace and guardians of life," as the global community fractures and conflicts increase, the Vatican has told the United Nations. The Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the UN shared its thoughts in a statement on 2 September during the global body's High-Level Forum on implementing the Progr...

By Melbourne Catholic On Saturday 29 August, the Most Reverend Stuart Hall was consecrated as Bishop of Australia’s Military Ordinariate at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. The occasion offered a unique opportunity for clergy, the lay faithful, civic leaders, dignitaries and members of Australia’s defence force to gather in celebration and thanksgiving. The venue for Saturday’s ep...

By Carol Glatz The Catholic vision and culture of love and mercy must overcome the false narratives that create enemies and convince people and nations to "re-arm" in a "culture of power," Pope Leo XIV has said. "Let us, then, together free our lives from suspicion, culture from arrogance, education from ideology, work from the idolatry of profit, and technology and finance from the busi...

Bishop Don Sproxton, Ambassador Keith Pitt, Bishop Nelson Po and Archdiocese Chancellor and Executive Director, Daniel Lynch. Photo: Michelle Tan/Archdiocese of Perth. Perth Auxiliary Bishops Don Sproxton and Nelson Po have last week welcomed Australia’s Ambassador to the Holy See, The Hon Keith Pitt, who was in Perth to deliver a lecture at the University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantl...

Social cohesion grows when individuals allow their attitudes and actions to be shaped by love and humility, "Living the Gospel in Times of Social Division" suggests. Living the Gospel in these times is not a private devotion. It is a public witness that human dignity is not negotiable, that truth matters and that peace is more than the absence of conflict - it is the fruit of justice, recon...

Pope Leo XIV greets pilgrims and residents as he leads the Angelus prayer in Piazza della Libertà in Castel Gandolfo, near Rome, Italy, on 12 July 2026. Photo: OSV News/Elisabetta Trevisan, Vatican News. Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics not to lose hope as conflict continues to spread across parts of the world, warning that the "winds of war" are once again “sowing violence, terror and ...

By Courtney Mares Pope Leo XIV opened the second extraordinary consistory of his pontificate on 26 June, urging cardinals to help him discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church today and reminding them they are not "guardians of particular interests," but disciples called to communion in Christ. In his opening speech for the two-day meeting, Pope Leo told the cardinals gathered...

By Courtney Mares Pope Leo XIV has a message for American teens gathered this summer at the Steubenville Youth Conferences: True joy is not found "spending hours in front of a screen or endlessly scrolling on social media." In a video message released on 20 June for the 50th anniversary of the conferences hosted by Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, Pope Leo told young people h...

Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB has encouraged young people to look beyond themselves and become disciples who respond to the needs of others. Speaking to Catholic primary school students from across the Archdiocese who gathered at Corpus Christi College on 10 June for the Primary Schools Launch of LifeLink Day 2026, Archbishop Costelloe reflected on his own background as a teacher a...

By Courtney Mares With the FIFA World Cup opening this month, Pope Leo XIV has dedicated his June prayer intention to the power of sport to build bridges between cultures and nations, releasing a video prayer calling on athletes, coaches and fans alike to embrace the field as a space of encounter rather than division. The Vatican released the monthly Pray with the Pope video on 2 June in...