Ivory Coast Bishops Wary of ‘Apparition’

The Catholic bishops of Ivory Coast have denounced the increasingly recurrent circulation in their country of emails and text messages claiming to include messages from Mary.

UN: Pope Will Speak on Sept. 25

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the announcement that Pope Francis would address the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 25.

Pope Francis Visits Poor in Naples

Pope Visits Poor, Immigrants in Naples

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Hope is the first act of resistance to evil, Pope Francis told the people of Naples as he pleaded for respect for the dignity of immigrants, jobs for the unemployed and the conversion of the city’s notorious mafia families. “The Gospel teaches that the truly blessed are the […]

Pope Announces Holy Year of Mercy

The biblical theme of the year, he said, will be “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” an admonition that applies “especially to confessors,” the pope said with a smile.

What is a Holy Year?

For the Catholic Church, a holy year remains a time of great spiritual significance, and emphasis is placed on the examination of conscience and conversion, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, concrete acts of solidarity and initiatives to restore justice.

Vatican Sets Date for Romero’s Beatification

Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero will be beatified in San Salvador May 23, said Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the chief promoter of the archbishop’s sainthood cause.

Pope Francis Talks of Brief Papacy

Pope Talks About a Brief Papacy

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Francis went out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time, he said he did not prepare what he was going to say, but “I felt deeply that a minister needs the blessing of God, but also of his people.” He did not […]

Pope Expected to Canonize St. Therese’s Parents

The couple was beatified in 2008. They are believed to be the first parents of a saint to be beatified, highlighting the important role parents play in their children’s human and spiritual upbringing.