Worldcrunch
From elephant ivory crucifixes to rhino horn handles for Muslim ceremonial daggers, sacred wildlife products fuel an overlooked driver of the illegal trade. This unbridled demand is pushing some species toward extinction, forcing faith leaders to reconcile devotion with biodiversity conservation.
This excerpt of an exclusive interview given by then-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost on August 7, 2024, at St. Jude Parish in New Lenox, Illinois is included in Antonio Spadaro’s book “Da Francesco a Leone” (From Francis to Leo) available in Italian on July 31.
Jumping straight into the geopolitical fray, the words of the U.S.-born pontiff are meant to single out Vladimir Putin — a notable difference with Pope Francis. The timing may also be just right to help his fellow American, Donald Trump, orchestrate the end to the war.
The conclave in which Pope Francis was elected had as its task the salvation of the Church. At the conclave that chose Cardinal Robert Prevost to be Pope Leo XIV, we ask him to fill in where politics has failed.
May 9 – May 22, 2025
Italian novelist Viola Ardone reflects on childhood dreams, institutional patriarchy, and why the Catholic Church still silences women as 133 cardinals gather to elect the next pope.
If a compromise was found in pre-Conclave talks, it would likely be a shorter wait for white smoke. Keep an eye on the Italians.
As the conclave approaches, Vatican intrigue intensifies, with Italian ambitions, global rivalries and conservative strategy shaping the next papal election.
Despite his distance from traditional centers of power, Pope Francis strengthened the Church’s role as a global mediator, a legacy now highlighted by the remarkable Trump-Zelensky encounter at his funeral.
In the wake of Pope Francis’s death and Trump’s return to power, fears of civilizational decline abound. But Italian political analyst Gabriele Segre argues that apocalyptic narratives risk becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.
Pope Francis had a profound impact on Africans. A visit with people in Gabon paying tribute to him, hailing a humble man, close to the marginalized, who knew how to speak to Africa from the heart. Could his successor be from nearby?
April 25 – May 1, 2025
The link between political developments in the Middle East and the theological and cultural exchange between Judaism and Christianity has always remained tight. Since Oct. 7, old ghosts have appeared — and ugly insinuations against the late Pope.
The Argentine-born pontiff appeared equal parts combative and caring, and apt to share parts of papal life long held secret by his predecessors. A look back on a of a pope who was more like you and me than bishops of Rome are thought to be — and who seemed to be just fine with it all.
It took China a full day to finally issue a polite statement on the Pope’s death. It was one more sign of the utter failure of the Vatican to normalize relations with the Chinese as Francis had hoped.
In life and in death, Francis has been praised as a reformer, even if he basically left the Church structurally untouched. His image was shaped more by clever media strategy than genuine change.
To revisit the life and journey of Pope Francis, we are republishing a La Stampa article from shortly after his rise to the papacy.
One day after the announcement of Pope Francis’ death, the global press is paying hommage to the pontiff.
Pope Francis’s final days were marked by calls for mercy and solidarity, including a critical meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance over immigration policies. He dedicated his final energy to being with his flock for one last Easter Mass.
By most accounts, Pope Francis was close to death in his recent illness, before recovering. He said the experience was “brutto” bad. Just what did he mean by that? Should death be faced with obedience or resistance? Should we cling to life or welcome what comes next? Reflections from an Italian theologian.
With photographs from Tokyo, Istanbul, Paris and Buenos Aires — among other places.
The election of a new Pope, a mysterious UFO sighting, and the birth of a controversial figure.
A special meeting of Cardinals has reportedly been scheduled, though the Vatican denies that it is linked to any announcement of the 88-year-old pontiff stepping down. Still, others ask why the Pope hasn’t at least appeared from his hospital window. In both cases, the example of his two predecessors, John Paul II and Benedict XVI hang over the question of resignation.
With striking shots from Rome, Riyadh, Toronto — and more.
The Pope has once again caused outrage because of a homophobic statement he made last week. This is far from being the first time the pontiff has sparked controversy for something he said — by mistake or otherwise.
While busy delivering the best international journalism, the Worldcrunch team also stumbles on a fair deal of downright strange stuff happening around the world, reported in every language.
Pope Francis appears incapable of grasping that for Ukraine to “raise the white flag” would be to concede defeat, and accept the victory of evil over good. Is he a poor theologian or a poor global strategist, or both?
Updated March 13, 2024 at 12:30 p.m. Pope Francis was elected on this day in 2013, becoming the 266th Pope of the Catholic Church, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. What are Pope Francis stands? He is known for his progressive views on social and economic issues, as well as his efforts to promote […]
Argentina’s rabidly privatizing president, Javier Milei, had a curiously warm meeting with “socialist” and fellow Argentine Pope Francis. As both have an emotive side and abhor the technocratic élites, it could even open the door to an unlikely entente, and even a long-awaited papal visit.
For decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been left unresolved. Hamas’s recent attack has forced politicians to confront facts: the conflict needs a definitive solution. Yet the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank may make the two-state solution impossible to implement.
It is not only the health of the Pope that worries the Holy See. From the collapse of vocations to the conservative wind in the USA, there are many ills to face.
The synod had promised to bring forth revolutionary ides for both members of the LGBTQ and women within the Church. But looking at the first session’s conclusion reveals that hopes for change may have come too early.
As Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh are forced to flee their homes, is culture or corruption or something more sinister forcing a people to suffer so greatly a century after a genocide tried to wipe them out?
Two synods by the Catholic Church, to be held in Rome in late 2023 and 2024, are to debate possible and even radical changes to the Church’s practices and rules in line with the Argentine pope’s vision of a social and inclusive Church.
The Vatican may soon canonize the Mama Antula, an Argentine woman who started a spiritual movement at a time when religious intellectualism was strictly the domain the men.
Before heading to South Sudan to continue his highly anticipated trip to Africa, the pontiff was in the Democratic Republic of Congo where he delivered a powerful speech, in a country where 40 million Catholics live.
An agreement between the Vatican and Beijing was quietly renewed recently. However, China still views Catholicism with a mix of deep suspicion and general distraction. Meanwhile the faithful and pastors are caught between two very different worlds.
Seven months after Russia’s invasion, the Pope finally called on Vladimir Putin directly to stop the war. But just days earlier, Francis had offered an elaborate theory on the causes of the war, which he blamed on competing “imperialisms” of Russia and the West, and the need to have wars to sell weapons.
Andriy Yermak, the Head of the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on Twitter that a mass burial of soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been discovered near the liberated town of Izyum, in the Kharkiv region. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage. Sign up to […]
Ukraine is celebrating its Independence Day. Thirty one years ago, without a single shot being fired, the Soviet Union finally broke up and all of its republics set out to build their statehood. Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage. Sign up to our free daily newsletter. The […]