Vatican decries Russian invasion of Ukraine (CNA) Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin lamented on Thursday the “tragic scenes” taking place in Ukraine after Russia’s attack and said wisdom is needed to save the world “from the folly and horrors of war.” “The tragic scenes which everyone feared are unfortunately becoming reality,” Cardinal Parolin said in a video statement on Feb. 24, after Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion of their country…

Ukrainian archbishop skips papal trip to remain in homeland (CNA) The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is choosing to stay in his home country even as, he says, it risks becoming a “death camp.” Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych remained in the capital city of Kyiv instead of traveling to Florence for a scheduled bishops’ meeting that Pope Francis was expected to address, reports say…

Pope takes notes during dialogue with students (NCR) For nearly two hours on Feb. 24, Pope Francis listened to Catholic university students from across the Americas who shared with him their personal experiences, insights, frustrations and ideas pertaining to climate change and migration. The pontiff took notes throughout the virtual dialogue, which Loyola University Chicago hosted in collaboration with Catholic universities and colleges in North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean. Sitting at a desk in front of a bookcase, Francis often smiled as he followed the dialogue on a laptop computer in front him…

Report: Most young Catholics describe themselves as religious, but that doesn’t mean they go to Mass (America) The vast majority of young, self-identified Catholics describe themselves as at least slightly spiritual and religious. But disagreement with the church on several issues, combined with an openness to other forms of spirituality, mean they practice their faith in ways that might not be familiar to older believers and that they often lack strong ties to churches and other faith communities. Those are the findings from a new report released Feb. 23 by Springtide Research Institute, an independent research organization affiliated with the Christian Brothers that tracks the attitudes of young people about their “human and religious experiences…”