The archives, or Archivum Secretum Apostolicum Vaticanum, contain historical records chronicling intriguing historical events. Its contents, once plundered by Napoleon and moved to Paris, span 12 centuries. Read more details here.
A priest distributes Communion to soldiers during World War II in Russia. In a joint ecumenical service May 8, 2020, marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Christian churches in Germany issued a call for a commitment to work for peace. (Credit: CNS photo/KNA.)
Henry David Thoreau. (Credit: Stock image.)
An Orthodox icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the child Jesus. (Credit: Stock image.)
Three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor from the northern German city of Lubeck were executed by the Nazis Nov. 10, 1943. The three Catholic martyrs, pictured clockwise from bottom left, are Blesseds Eduard Mueller, Johannes Prassek and Hermann Lange. The Rev. Karl Friedrich Stellbrink is pictured at bottom, right. (Credit: CNS photo.)