ROME (RNS) A passionate manifesto signed on Nov. 16, 1965, on an altar in the Roman catacombs pledged bishops to live simply to be close to the poor. Known as the Pact of the Catacombs, it was ...

In what he said was his first visit to the catacombs, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the feast of All Souls with special words of remembrance for Catholics who still today must worship in secret.

To find catacombs, go to Rome, home of some of the oldest and longest burial underground tunnels in the world. "Hundreds of ...

Hidden beneath the streets of Rome lies a vast underground labyrinth filled with forgotten tombs, sacred art, and the remains of hundreds of thousands of people. These eerie catacombs reveal how ...

ROME — On the evening of Nov. 16, 1965, quietly alerted to the event by word-of-mouth, some 40 Roman Catholic bishops made their way to celebrate Mass in an ancient, underground basilica in the ...