For water-stressed Gaza, the rains were indeed a blessing. Farmers would welcome ... Abu Al Saoud’s shop is no more. There are no cosy gatherings and sweet chatter, no sahleb, no TV.

There is to be no blessing of a new home unless those who will live in it are present. A minister who is a priest or deacon greets those present in the following or other suitable words ...

A few months later, however, another headline read: "Pope: Church open to all, but 'no' to blessings of same-sex unions." Adding to the chaos, the text caught many Vatican officials by surprise ...

Pope Leo XIV called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza with the release of hostages and delivery of humanitarian aid in his first Sunday noon blessing as ...