VATICAN CITY (CNS) – A 10th-century Armenian monk has been named among the doctors of the church. Pope Francis approved the designation for St. Gregory of Narek during a meeting Feb. 21 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes. The church confers this designation on saints whose writings are considered to […]
International News
Kidnapping Forces Jesuits to Reassess Service Sites
Staff have been getting training from experts who have worked for the U.N. or who have military experience to learn how to “monitor and evaluate the security situation” in the places they are working.
Ukrainian Archbishop Wants Pope to Visit
The archbishop told journalists that such a visit would “bring peace to that part of Eastern Europe soaked with the blood of so many martyrs for the unity of the church.”
More Christians Abducted as the West Watches
Dozens of Assyrian Christians were abducted by Islamic State forces during a new offensive against a string of villages in northeastern Syria, aid and civil rights organizations reported.
New Cardinals’ First Official Act: Three New Saints
VATICAN CITY – With the creation of the 20 new cardinals, the College of Cardinals expanded to 227 members, 125 of whom are under the age of 80 and therefore eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. After the new cardinals professed their faith by reciting the Creed and formally swore […]
‘Jesus Was the Last Word on Their Lips’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by Islamic State militants died as martyrs, invoking the name of Jesus, said an Egyptian Catholic bishop. In line with Pope Francis’ assertion at morning Mass Feb. 17, Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza told the Fides news agency that the “diabolical” video of […]
Pope to Cardinals: Your Job Is to Serve Others
The Catholic Church cannot call itself Church if it is a “closed caste” where the sick, the wounded and sinners are shunned, Pope Francis told 20 new cardinals.
Ukraine: Confusion, Disinformation
TWO RECENT interviews in the National Catholic Register suggest that there is considerable confusion about what’s what in Ukraine. Those confusions reflect the success of the extraordinary Russian disinformation campaign that’s been underway for the past 15 months. They may also touch on the delicate, but important question of Russia’s attempts to buy influence in […]
Benedict XVI Has No Regrets About Retiring
He has never doubted his decision to resign, knowing it was the right thing to do for the good of the Church, said Archbishop Georg Ganswein, personal secretary to the retired pope.
Anticipated Encyclical on Environment Generates Groundswell of Excitement
The much-anticipated encyclical by Pope Francis on the environment, expected sometime this spring or early summer, is generating a lot of buzz in Washington and elsewhere.