VATICAN CITY (CNS) – To help set the agenda for the 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, the Vatican is sending the world’s Catholic bishops’ conferences a list of questions on a range of topics, including matters of marriage and sexuality that proved especially controversial at the 2014 family synod. Together with the final […]
International News
Vatican Report on US Women Religious Life Due This Week
By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The final report of a five-year, Vatican-ordered study of communities of women religious in the U.S. will be released by the Vatican Dec. 16. The top two officials of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and three leaders of women’s congregations were […]
Saintly Celebration at Greenpoint Parish
Ornate Indian parasols decorated the exterior of St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus Church in Greenpoint, where hundreds of Indian Catholics rejoiced over their newest saint. Devotees from Brooklyn and Queens as well as New Jersey, Connecticut and Philadelphia attended a Sunday afternoon Mass of thanksgiving on Dec. 7 to celebrate the canonization of St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara. […]
Pope Says End of World Will Not Be a Time of Destruction
Believing in eternity and in the final establishment of the kingdom of God, Christians throughout history – starting with the disciples – were filled with questions such as when the end will come and what will happen to the created world, Pope Francis said.
In Turkey, Pope Visits ‘Invisible’ Christians
Ankara and Istanbul were gray and cold, at least compared to Rome, during Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. And the general reception, outside of the pope’s official meetings, was hardly warmer.
Changing Times Mean Change in Religious Life
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Religious orders and the Vatican congregation that assists them must be bold in assessing whether current structures and practices help or hinder the proclamation of the Gospel, the pursuit of holiness and the service of the poor, Pope Francis said. “We must not be afraid to leave ‘old […]
Trust Underlies World Economy, says Jesuit Priest
VILLANOVA, Pa. (CNS) — Economic activity depends on a foundation of trust that can’t be compromised without creating harmful consequences for all parties, said Jesuit Father Drew Christiansen, distinguished professor of ethics and global development at Georgetown University. Reflecting on the global financial crisis of 2006-2010 and the Church’s efforts to “promote the common good […]
Complex Issues Await Pope in Turkey
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Almost every papal trip abroad is a complex mix of the religious and political, and that will be especially true of Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. Given the country’s crucial geographic position straddling Europe and Asia, its historic importance for both Christianity and Islam and the wars now raging […]
Pope Encourages New Idealism for Europe
By Cindy Wooden STRASBOURG, France (CNS) – The project of European unity and cooperation, ensuring peace on the continent and helping others find peace as well, requires a real commitment to dialogue and respect for others, Pope Francis said. While the pope did not specifically mention the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, both members […]
Challenges in Feeding the World’s Hungry
ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) – With projections putting the planet’s population at 9 billion by 2050, the question of how to feed them is taking on ever-greater importance. But at the “Faith, Food & the Environment” symposium Nov. 5-7 in St. Paul, held at the University of St. Thomas and sponsored by more than a […]