Vatican Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Angelina Jolie paid a personal visit to children who have fled from Ukraine.

Angelina Jolie paid a personal visit to children who have fled from Ukraine.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDisney Plus confirmed launch dates — and pricing — for the 42 countries and 11 new territories across Europe, West Asia and Africa.Disney’s flagship streaming service will bow in South Africa on May 18, followed by all other countries listed in June (see below for dates and pricing). The media conglomerate earlier this year announced plans for summer 2022 expansion to countries including Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.The countries set to get Disney Plus are: Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine Territories, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.

Pope Francis on a mission to promote peace traveled to the Polish-Ukrainian border to meet with refugees. He will highlight “the sad similarity between the Ukrainians’ sufferings and the protracted conflicts that no longer attract the world’s attention,” the Vatican said, citing the pope’s frequent denunciation of suffering in wars in Ethiopia, Yemen and Syria.Uncertainty and relief continued along the border among the thousands of arriving Ukrainians.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has got himself a bit of a reputation for terrible time keeping.

Dan Walker has given fans a glimpse inside his recent family trip to Rome, having jetted off for a half-term holiday. BBC Breakfast star Dan, 44, headed off to the capital city alongside his wife Sarah, and their three children, Joe, Susanna, and Jessica. While the Strictly Come Dancing star usually keeps his family life away from the spotlight, he shared a collection of photos from the sunny getaway on Instagram, as he gushed over the "lovely" trip.

EXCLUSIVE: Bernd Schlotterer’s German outfit Palatin Media is launching world sales on Richard Armitage thriller The Man From Rome. Moonstone Entertainment’s Etchie Stroh is serving as a sales consultant.

ROME -- The Vatican and an Italian Catholic bishop on Wednesday protested a performance at Italy’s Sanremo music festival that featured a “profane” faux baptism on stage, lamenting in particular that it was broadcast on public television.On the opening night of the annual song contest, a tattooed, bare-chested and barefoot singer named Achille Lauro gyrated and grabbed his crotch as he sang “Domenica” (“Sunday”), backed up by singers from the Harlem Gospel Choir. He finished by kneeling on stage, hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer, and poured water from a bowl over his forehead.Sanremo Bishop Antonio Suetta said the performance contained “words, attitudes and gestures that are not just offensive to religion, but to human dignity.”In a statement, Suetta said he considered not saying anything, knowing that his protest would only draw attention to the performance.

Disney+ To Launch In 42 Countries

Naman Ramachandran The Walt Disney Company’s streamer Disney Plus has confirmed a summer 2022 launch across Europe, Africa and West Asia in 42 countries and 11 new territories. New countries for the service include South Africa, Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.The countries that the streamer will launch in include Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine Territories, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.

EXCLUSIVE: Unseen is the next project from Epix’s and Blumhouse’s eight TV movie deal and will star Jolene Purdy (The White Lotus) and Midori Francis (The Sex Lives of College Girls). The thriller will mark Yoko Okumura’s feature directing debut.

Noticias Telemundo announced a new leadership team under Patsy Loris, who took over as head of the news division on January 1.

ROME -- Pope Francis has long lamented that he can't walk around town unnoticed like he used to before becoming pope. But he seems to have nevertheless kept his sense of humor after he was caught on camera making an unannounced visit to a Rome record shop this week.Francis wrote a note to the Vatican reporter who happened to be in the right place at the right time Tuesday evening when the pope slipped out of the Vatican to bless the newly renovated Stereo Sound shop near the Pantheon.Javier Martinez-Brocal, director of the Rome Reports news agency, filmed Francis leaving the shop, in footage that went viral and even got written up in the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.Martinez-Brocal wrote the pope a note afterward, explaining that he wasn’t a paparazzo and regretting Francis can't move around unnoticed anymore, but adding that the story provided a much-needed dose of good news for a world inundated with tragedy.“I won’t deny that it was (bad luck) that after taking all the precautions, there was a journalist waiting for someone on the taxi line,” Francis replied.

In a development that Catholic Church observers consider to be unprecedented, a high-level Vatican official apologized last week to LGBTQ people and to the Mt. Rainier, Md., based LGBTQ Catholic group New Ways Ministry for removing from a Vatican open forum website a link to an LGBTQ supportive video on New Ways Ministry’s website.

NBC News reports that the Diocese of Marquette, which encompasses Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, issued the guidance in July — although it only recently gained wider attention.The seven sacraments, including baptism, marriage, and receiving Communion, are used to express faith and channel the grace of God in Catholicism.But “persons with same-sex attraction” and “persons with gender dysphoria” will be expressly denied such holy rituals under the diocese’s guidance.

A Catholic diocese in Michigan has asked its pastors to deny baptism, communion and other sacraments to gay, trans and non-binary people, unless they have “repented.”Warning: This story has details of homophobic and transphobic views of a religious organisation and might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Bishop Reverend John F Doerfler of the

The 1960s were a time of cultural upheaval for society in general, but also within the Roman Catholic Church.

Dee Devlin and Conor McGregor certainly seem to have had a wonderful time on their recent visit to Italy where their baby son was christened at the Vatican.

US President Joe Biden is due to arrive in Scotland on Monday morning ahead of the COP26 climate change conference.

Only Conor McGregor would decide to get his son baptised at the Vatican in Rome.

An Italian DJ has claimed Conor McGregor broke his nose with a single punch just hours after he had his son baptised in the Vatican.

Only Conor McGregor would decide to get his son baptised at the Vatican in Rome.

son Rian, who was born in May, the third child of the 33-year-old Irish pugilist and his partner Dee Devlin.The often feisty McGregor beamed brightly as he walked through St.

The Pope will not visit Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference, it has been revealed.

Italy was commemorating the 500th anniversary of Raphael’s death with a series of shows.The nearly life-sized paintings of Saints Peter and Paul are normally kept outside public view in the Papal Audience Apartment of the Apostolic Palace.

Secrets abound in the upcoming Paramount+ Original The Envoys, from Juan José Campanella for ViacomCBS International.