Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was present as Pope Francis proclaimed four 19th-century women religious saints, including two Palestinians.
International News
Pope Francis Tells Italian Bishops to Trust the Laity
Bishops must have “ecclesial sensitivity,” denouncing cultural trends that offend human dignity while trusting their lay faithful to fulfill their vocations, Pope Francis said.
Pope to Visit Cuba for Four Days
The Cuban bishops’ conference announced that Pope Francis will visit the island Sept. 19-22.
Pope Says Father Serra Deserves to Be a Saint
Pope Francis insisted Blessed Serra fits into a host of saints who shaped the history and culture of the Americas, particularly by spreading Christianity, caring for the poor and defending the oppressed.
Number of Priests, Deacons Has Continued to Rise
The number of Catholics in the world and the number of priests and permanent deacons rose slightly in 2013, while the number of men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics.
Vocation Leads to a Life of Service
Following a vocation to the priesthood or religious life is to live an experience of “exodus,” Pope Francis said.
Irish Priest, Parishioners Survive Nepal Earthquake
By Michael Kelly DUBLIN (CNS) – An Irish priest who was among a group of parishioners trapped in Nepal after a catastrophic earthquake has spoken of the group’s brush with disaster, admitting “we’re lucky to be alive.” Father Tom Dalton, a priest of the Ferns Diocese, had just arrived in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, with a […]
Syrian Prelate: Christians Are Being Forced to Flee
By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) – Ties to the land stretching back two millennia keep Syria’s Christian population from fleeing en masse, said Melkite Catholic Archbishop Jean-Clement Jeanbart of Aleppo, Syria. He said people come to him for counsel on whether they should stay or leave in the middle of a protracted civil war among […]
Awakening Cuba: Family Recalls Dining with Benedict XVI
By Rhina Guidos (Fourth in a Series) EL COBRE, Cuba (CNS) – On an island with few treasures, the biggest one Omar Ramirez possesses hangs on a wall. It’s a photo of Ramirez and his wife privately meeting Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to El Cobre. When he visited the nearby Shrine of Our […]
Pope Recommends Reading Dante To Prepare for the Year of Mercy
By Elliot Williams VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” is more than a literary masterpiece, it is an invitation “to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of our human path and to hope to see again the glowing horizon on which the dignity of the human person shines in its fullness,” Pope Francis […]