OXFORD, England (CNS) – French Catholics have urged church support for a campaign to stop Western companies from buying oil from Islamic State, in effect funding the mass killing of Christians. “Our brothers and sisters are being massacred, women and children taken into slavery – and while Christians are suffering most, so are Muslims and […]
International News
Patriarch Says World Has Lost Conscience
Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch, visiting war-torn Syria, condemned “the death of the world’s conscience” in its response to the violence in the Middle East.
Outside U.S. and Europe, The Church Is Growing
Results of a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) said that the highest growth rates in Catholicism are in Africa and Asia.
Encyclical Due June 18
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Sii” (Praised Be), a line from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures,” will be released June 18.
Religious Voice Cannot Be Excluded from Public Debate
A society that does not include religious views and challenges in public debate becomes an “enemy of freedom,” said the Vatican’s foreign minister.
Medjugorje Statement Coming
Pope Francis said the Vatican was ready to make an announcement concerning the alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Pope Brings Peace Mission To Bosnia
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (CNS) – To overcome fear, discrimination and conflict, people must have a deep desire to open themselves up to God and His mercy, and work actively for peace every day, Pope Francis said.
Vatican Official Under Investigation
Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family and lead Vatican organizer of September’s World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, is under investigation by Italian prosecutors for alleged embezzlement.
Bishops Are Preparing for Synod
The presidents of the bishops’ conferences of Germany, France and Switzerland organized a study day in Rome to discuss issues likely to be raised at the Synod of Bishops on the Family.
Reality Check for Church in Ireland
DUBLIN (CNS) – Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said the Church needs a “reality check” after Irish voters overwhelmingly supported same-sex marriage.