Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

St. Peter’s Basilica marks 400 years with big upgrade

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By Courtney Mares OSV News ROME — Four hundred years after its consecration, St. Peter’s Basilica is getting a 21st-century upgrade, with the Vatican unveiling plans for artificial intelligence-powered translation services, expanded pilgrim access and high-tech structural monitoring as part of yearlong anniversary celebrations. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, archpriest of St. Peter’s Basilica, announced a wide-ranging […]

Cardinals affirm fraternity, continuity at consistory

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By Paulina Guzik OSV News VATICAN CITY — After an intense day of roundtable discussions, the “low-batteried” but “very pleased” cardinals wrapped the first historic extraordinary consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV in a spirit of fraternity, with a sense of knowing each other better and saying they “discovered” the pope, while he did “more […]

Reflection: A profound journey as pilgrims of hope

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By Father Anthony TranSpecial to the Herald This fall, I had the privilege of leading 60 pilgrims from Hawaii on a grace-filled journey through Europe — visiting Italy, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. What began as a pilgrimage of hope quickly unfolded into a powerful encounter with God’s mercy, the communion of saints and the […]

‘Aspire to great things,’ pope tells youth at jubilee’s end

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By Carol GlatzCatholic News Service ROME — The fullness of life depends on how much one joyfully welcomes and shares in life while also living with a constant yearning for those things that only come from God, Pope Leo XIV told young people. “Aspire to great things, to holiness, wherever you are. Do not settle […]

Reflection: Sharing the pope’s blessing with all

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By Maricel and Mark Sebastian Special to the Herald Maricel and Mark, who were married at Immaculate Conception Church in Ewa in 2016, received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis the same year. Maricel Sebastian: When a friend mentioned we could get a newlywed blessing from the pope, there were no other honeymoon plans but […]

Talk story: Easter greetings help build bridges of hope

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Office for Social Ministry “Let the Church and the world rejoice, for today our hopes no longer come up against the wall of death, for the Lord has built us a bridge to life.” (Pope Francis’ Easter message on the Vatican’s 2025 Easter card from the Dicastery for Integral Human Development) As we celebrate this […]

Vatican reports mixed results in its worldwide tally of Catholics in 2023

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2023, while the number of seminarians, priests, men and women in religious orders, and baptisms all declined, according to Vatican statistics. However, the Vatican’s Statistical Yearbook of the Church said, 9.1 million people received […]

St. Peter’s Basilica to gain ‘digital twin’ for Holy Year

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Aimed at reaching out to people unable to go to Rome for the Holy Year and helping the millions who are expected to visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican has teamed up with Microsoft and other specialized experts to create a “digital twin” of the church […]

15 years a saint: Recalling St. Damien’s canonization

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By Jennifer Rector Hawaii Catholic Herald On Oct. 11, 2009, people speaking different languages and from many nations all united at the Vatican to witness Pope Benedict XVI proclaim Hawaii’s first saint — Father Damien de Veuster of Molokai. The canonization of St. Damien put a spotlight on his courageous story of ministry to Hansen’s […]

Former nuncio to U.S., found guilty of schism, is excommunicated

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former nuncio to the United States, has been excommunicated after being found guilty of schism, the Vatican said. Members of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith met July 4 to complete an extrajudicial penal process against Archbishop Vigano, who was […]