On Monday, Pope Francis met with Jesuit Father James Martin, an American priest who has dedicated most of the past three years to ministering to LGBT Catholics, whom he describes as the “most marginalized group” in the Catholic Church.
International News
Christians Have ‘Moral Duty’ to Help Migrants, Refugees, Pope Says
Christians have a moral obligation to show God’s care for all those who are marginalized, especially migrants and refugees, Pope Francis said.
Sisters’ Network Fights the Buying, Selling of Human Beings
Knowing that human trafficking is taking place across the globe and often involves forcing victims across borders, a global coalition of Catholic sisters met to strategize ways to fight the criminal business and work with advocates of civil justice.
U.S. Cardinal William Levada, Former Doctrinal Head, Dies in Rome
VATICAN CITY (Catholic News Service) — U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, former head of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation and retired archbishop of San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, died Sept. 26 in Rome. He was 83. When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2005, he named then-Archbishop Levada to replace him as […]
Bishops Say Despite ‘Americans Attacking Me’ Flap, Francis Has Strong U.S. Support
In the wake of a recent flap over Pope Francis saying he considers it an honor when “Americans are attacking me,” two U.S. bishops in Rome this week to present the results of a major assembly of Hispanic-American Catholics say their presence delivers a simple message: Not all Americans think alike, and most aren’t anti-pope.
Trump Decries Christian Persecution, Calls for Religious Freedom
President Donald Trump called out world leaders who advocate for tolerance while failing to support people of faith during a historic gathering on religious freedom at the United Nations on Monday.
Activists Say the Church Needs to ‘Scale Up’ in Face of Climate Emergency
Thousands of Catholics joined in climate strikes on Friday, following the lead of 16-year-old Greta Thunberg, the Swedish climate activist who ignited the global movement, but also that of 82-year-old Pope Francis who has made environmental concerns a centerpiece of his papacy.
Marriage Doesn’t Solve the Priest Shortage, Says Head of Ukrainian Rite
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, has urged those considering allowing priests in the Latin rite to marry in order to help solve a crippling shortage, to proceed with caution, saying marriage has not curbed shortages in his own rite.
Participants at UN Prayer Service Praise Pope’s Abu Dhabi Declaration
Pope Francis’s landmark agreement with the Muslim world, signed earlier this year during his visit to Abu Dhabi, was heralded at the annual prayer service on the eve of the United Nations General Assembly as “an antidote to hatred, violence, extremism and blind fanaticism.”
Cardinal Pell Appeals Abuse Convictions to Australian High Court
Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of child abuse offenses, has lodged an application with Australia’s High Court to appeal his guilty verdict.