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With the arrival of twenty-four young astronomers from twenty-two countries, the new edition of the Vatican Observatory Summer School (VOSS) officially began on June 1, 2025, hosted as usual in the evocative location of the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo. This Summer School, now in its nineteenth edition since 1986, represents a high-level biennial event in the international panorama of astronomical education.
On January 15–16, 2026, Davide Giordano from the Internet Provider Service of the Vatican City’s Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems and a member of the Governorate’s Commission on Artificial Intelligence, took part in the conference “AI as Catalyst – Reimagining Medical Education and Workforce Development,” held at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Boston.
Holy Christmas MMXXV
On the occasion of the 2025 Christmas festivities and the closing of the Jubilee Year, the Postal and Philatelic Service of the Governorate of the Vatican City State has issued the customary philatelic series dedicated to the Nativity.
One hundred and sixty years since the foundation of the Italian Red Cross in Milan on 15 June 1864, four States will jointly issue a commemorative stamp: the Postal Administrations of Vatican City State, Italy, San Marino and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
The Postal and Philately Service of the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of the Vatican City State has produced a commemorative philatelic series, a folder, a commemorative envelope, and a special postmark dedicated to the 325th anniversary of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, a historic institution of the Holy See founded in 1701 with the mission of training diplomats destined to serve the Catholic Church throughout the world.
Recently, the Observatory successfully completed the robotization and automation of its Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope (VATT), located on Mt. Graham in Arizona (USA). This was accomplished thanks to the generosity of the Thomas Lord Charitable Trust. It means, among other things, that astronomers can use the telescope remotely, without having to be up on the mountain. Vatican Observatory (VO) astronomers are now utilizing its exciting capabilities.
The members of the “Italian and International” Chapter of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, led by Sabrina Zappia, President and Amy Gallant Sullivan, Chair of the Chapter, visited the Vatican Museums on Friday afternoon, May 23.
They were welcomed by Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Secretary General of the Governorate of the Vatican City State and by Monsignor Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums.
Ilse Aigner, President of the Bavarian Landtag (the parliament of the Free State of Bavaria), accompanied by an official delegation, was received on the morning of September 10 by Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
A warm meeting of friendship and sharing took place between Sister Raffaella Petrini, President of the Governorate of Vatican City State, and a group of 17 young university students from the Diocese of Trieste, on Tuesday morning, 4 March, in the Palace of the Governorate. The students were led by Fr. Lorenzo Magarelli, Episcopal Delegate of the Diocesan Service of University Pastoral Care and Director of the diocesan weekly, “Il Domenicale di San Giusto”, and Fr. Sergio Frausin, Episcopal Delegate of Culture and University Pastoral Care.
Nearly twenty-five years after the first technical internship inside the Vatican carried out with students from Villanova University in Pennsylvania, a delegation from the Directorate of Telecommunications and Information Systems of the Governorate of Vatican City State visited the campus of the American university, which had been previously attended by Pope Leo XIV.
Relations between scientists and the Church have not always been easy. So much so that Galileo was condemned in 1633 for defending heliocentrism. It was not until 1992 and a speech by John Paul II that a famous error was officially recognized. Things have changed since then. In the 20th century, the Belgian canon Georges Lemaître developed his famous Big Bang theory. In 1930, the Vatican opened its observatory in Castel Gandolfo. Today, the Holy Father has become a privileged partner in astronomical research. Direction: the cosmos.
The 2026 edition of the WSIS Forum, the United Nations' leading multilateral event dedicated to the information society, opens today in Geneva. The Forum is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with UNESCO, UNDP, and UNCTAD.
After almost 10 years of restoration works, the Vatican Museum's Hall of Constantine was inaugurated during an official ceremony on Wednesday, 26 February. The ceremony was attended by Sr. Raffaella Petrini, Secretary General of the Governorate, Mr. Giuseppe Puglisi-Alibrandi, Deputy Secretary General, Barbara Jatta, Director of Museums and Cultural Heritage, Monsignor Terence Hogan, Coordinator of the Office for Relations with the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums, and Donna D’Urso, leader of the New York Chapter, accompanied by 25 members of the Patrons. The New York Chapter and the Eileen Carlson Estate financially supported the restoration, with a generous contribution. The massive restoration, which began in 2015, was one of the longest projects to be funded, to date.
With a brief ceremony on Monday morning, 24 February, a restored Lithuanian wooden Cross was officially replaced in the Vatican Gardens. The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of Lithuania to the Holy See, H.E. Ms. Sigita Maslauskaite-Mažiliene, accompanied by ChiefClerk, Elze Di Meglio. The Cross was restored by the Vatican Museums.
At the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), the first results of the strategic objectives to catalyze collaboration and knowledge-sharing are taking shape, promoting innovation for a more inclusive digital future.
is the motto of the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-25), which takes place from November 17 to 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in the ultra-modern Baku Convention Center, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations agency for telecommunications of which the Vatican City State is a member .
Placing the Human Person at the Center: Towards an Economy of Care and Dignity
In recent decades, two epochal events—the global financial crisis in 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic—have profoundly shaken the foundations of traditional economic models, clearly exposing their structural limitations. In this context, a reflection has gained renewed momentum across academic, political, and religious spheres: the urgent need to rethink the economy starting from the centrality of the human person, with his or her inviolable dignity and inherent fragility.
“Spirituality and Astronomy 2024 -- ‘When They Saw the Star, They Rejoiced with Great Joy’” is the theme of a workshop that takes place from 30 August to 1 September at the Vatican Observatory headquarters. The workshop will include introductory lessons, moments of prayer and sharing, visits to telescopes and evenings dedicated to observing the skies. Participants will be accompanied by members of the Jesuit community, Vatican Observatory researchers, professors and amateur astronomers.
"This isn't the end; it's just the beginning," Angela Kopp said enthusiastically on the final full day of the 2026 ACME workshop. Ms. Kopp, a Science Specialist at Holy Cross Catholic School in Overland Park, KS, was one of 25 participants in at ACME--Astronomy for Catholics in Ministry and Education--a biennial weeklong seminar held at the Redemptorist Renewal Center outside of Tucson, AZ. This year's 25 participants included priests, a deacon, science teachers and catechists from around the country--and two from the United Kingdom.
Today, at the Palaexpo in Geneva, the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 Conference, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), officially began. The event will run for five days, concluding on Friday, July 11.
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