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Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rouen, France. | Credit: Archdiocese of Rouen

Altar Vandalized, Sacred Vessels Stolen from Sacred Heart Basilica in France

Nov 17, 2023

During the night of Nov. 14–15, unidentified persons destroyed the altar and stole sacred vessels from the Sacred Heart Basilica in the Archdiocese of Rouen.

Pope Francis speaks during a meeting with local religious leaders at a memorial dedicated to sailors and migrants lost at sea on the first of a two-day visit to Marseille, France, Sept. 22, 2023. | Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA

Pope Francis in Marseille: It’s "a duty of humanity" to Save Migrants Abandoned at Sea

Sep 22, 2023

“We can no longer watch the drama of shipwrecks, caused by the cruel trafficking and the fanaticism of indifference,” the pope said Sept. 22.

Pope Francis speaks at the general audience on Aug. 23, 2023. | Vatican Media

Pope Francis: People — not machines — are the Value of Work

Aug 29, 2023

Pope Francis told a group of entrepreneurs this week that work’s greatest value comes from human beings, not from machines.

Pope Francis offers Mass in Bari, Italy on Feb. 23, 2020. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA.

Vatican Announces Schedule of Pope Francis' Trip to France in September

Jul 29, 2023

Less than three weeks after he returns from Mongolia in early September, Pope Francis will travel internationally again with a day trip to Marseille, France, Sept. 22–23. It will be his third trip over a six-week period, as he will be in Lisbon, Portugal, Aug. 2–6 for World Youth Day.

Father Benjamin Sellier. | Credit: Archdiocese of Cambrai, France

French Catholic Priest Accused of Abusing a Young Girl Commits Suicide

Jul 17, 2023

Father Benjamin Sellier of the Archdiocese of Cambrai in France died by suicide in the early hours of July 11 after learning that he was being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse of a young woman.

People look at burning tyres blocking a street in Bordeaux in south-western France on June 29, 2023, during riots and incidents nationwide after the killing of a 17-year-old boy by a police officer's gunshot following a refusal to comply in a western suburb of Paris. | Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

Unrest in France: Religious Leaders Call for Dialogue and Calm

Jul 3, 2023

France’s bishops joined other religious leaders over the weekend in responding to the ongoing unrest in their country with a call for peace, dialogue, and a return to calm.

Pope Francis greets pilgrims at the Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square on March 22, 2023. | Daniel Ibanez/CNA

Pope Francis Says He Will Travel to Mongolia

Apr 15, 2023

Pope Francis said Friday that he plans to visit Mongolia, the world’s most sparsely populated sovereign country.

Skull of St. Thomas Aquinas Unveiled at 700th Anniversary of His Canonization

Jan 28, 2023

The skull of St. Thomas Aquinas has arrived at the Dominican Convent of Toulouse, France, and placed in a new reliquary as the order celebrates the 700th anniversary of the saint’s canonization in the Catholic Church.

Sister André Randon. | Credit: EHPAD Sainte Catherine Labouré

Oldest Person in the World, French Catholic Nun Sister Andre, Dies at 118

Jan 17, 2023

Sister Andre Randon, a French nun and the oldest person in the world, has passed away at the age of 118. 

Pope Francis meets with members of Lazare Association from France at the Vatican, Aug. 28, 2021. Vatican Media

Pope Francis Tosses Speech to Listen to 200 Formerly Homeless People

Aug 30, 2021

The pope asked those present: ‘What do you expect from the Church?

Fr. Olivier Maire, French provincial superior of the Montfort Missionaries (the Company of Mary). Olivier Faure on Twitter

Police Question Rwandan Immigrant Suspected of Murdering Catholic Priest in France

Aug 9, 2021

A 40-year-old Rwandan immigrant already suspected of starting a devastating fire at a French cathedral was questioned by police in connection with the murder of a Catholic priest on Monday in western France.

Fr. Olivier Maire. G.Moreau - Diocèse de Luçon

Who was Fr. Olivier Maire, the Catholic Priest Murdered in France?

Aug 9, 2021

The 60-year-old priest was a popular leader of retreats.

The flag of France. Creative Photo Corner/Shutterstock.

Breaking: Catholic Priest Murdered in France, Says Country’s Interior Minister

Aug 9, 2021

Gérald Darmanin wrote: “All my support to the Catholics of our country after the dramatic murder of a priest in Vendée.”

Solignac Abbey in west-central France. Courtesy of the Diocese of Limoges.

Benedictine Monks Return to Historic French Abbey for First Time after 230-Year Absence

Aug 5, 2021

Anti-clerical revolutionaries expelled the Benedictines in 1790.

Portraits of Nadine Devillers, Vincent Loques, and Simone Barreto Silva. / Screengrab from the livestream of the Nice attack victims' memorial Nov. 7, 2020.

Pope Francis to Meet with Families of the Victims of the Nice Basilica Attack

Nov 8, 2020

Pope Francis will meet with families of the victims of the Nice basilica attack, the city’s mayor said Saturday at the national memorial service for the victims.

Notre-Dame de Nice, the site of an Oct. 29, 2020 terrorist attack. / LimeWave Photo (CC BY 2.0).

French Police Make Second Arrest in Nice Attack

Oct 30, 2020

An unnamed French official told the New York Times on Friday that police have arrested a 47-year-old man in connection with a deadly terrorist attack inside Notre-Dame de Nice.

Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice, France. / Victor Kiev/shutterstock.

Nice Basilica Terrorist Attack: Who Were the Victims?

Oct 29, 2020

This story is developing and will be updated: Bells tolled in Catholic parishes across France in memory of the three people killed in a knife attack at the Basilica of Notre-Dame in Nice Thursday morning.  

Fr. Jacques Hamel, who was killed by Islamic State terrorists as he offered Mass July 26, 2016.

After Teacher Beheaded, Some in France Turn to Fr. Jacques Hamel

Oct 20, 2020

Religious leaders gathered at a memorial to slain French priest Fr. Jacques Hamel Sunday, following the beheading of a Paris school teacher in an Islamist terror attack.

The renovated Saint-Louis Cathedral in Senegal. It is known to be the oldest church building in West Africa. / Saint-Louis Diocese.

Renovation of West Africa’s Oldest Cathedral Inspires Understanding, Collaboration: Bishop

Oct 11, 2020

The process of renovating Saint Louis Cathedral of Senegal’s Diocese of Saint Louis that has taken some 15 years has been described as a source of inspiration for the values of “understanding, collaboration, unity” among the people of God in the West African nation.

Pope French discusses Laudato si’ with French ecological experts Sept. 3, 2020. Credit: Vatican Media.

Science and Faith Together can Help Protect Environment: Pope Francis

Sep 5, 2020

Pope Francis said Thursday that science and faith together can help humanity to overcome ecological crises.