VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Going to Mass and receiving the Eucharist should make a difference in the way Catholics live, Pope Francis said; they should be more accepting of others and more aware of their sinfulness. “If we don’t feel in need of God’s mercy and don’t think we are sinners, it’s better not to […]
International News
Queen Elizabeth to Visit Pope
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) – The Queen of England will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican in April, Buckingham Palace announced. A Feb. 4 statement said Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will meet the pope on April 3. The queen and prince will visit Rome at the invitation of […]
Petition Urges Pope to Condemn Death Penalty
Religious sisters and pro-life advocates have launched a petition drive to urge Pope Francis to call for an end to capital punishment in the U.S. and to personally intervene in the case of a prisoner in Indiana. The Sisters of Mercy and Cherish Life Circle, a pro-life advocacy group founded by the religious community, launched […]
Vatican Says UN Committee Unfairly Attacked Church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The Vatican said that a report issued by the U.N. Committee on the Rights of the Child is unfair to the Church. The committee continues to insist that the Vatican compile and publish detailed statistics on clerical sexual abuse of minors and that the pope, as head of the Church, can […]
Relic of Blessed John Paul Recovered
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Less than a week after a relic of Blessed John Paul II disappeared from a country chapel east of Rome, Italian police recovered the venerated piece of fabric stained with the late pope’s blood. Auxiliary Bishop Giovanni D’Ercole of L’Aquila told reporters that one of three men arrested for the theft […]
Al-Qaida Fights to Oust Christians from Mideast
by James Martone CAIRO (CNS) – The two worlds Armenian Catholic Bishop Krikor Okostinos Coussan knows best are engulfed in violence. In Syria, where he’s from, a war has led to the death of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others. In Egypt, where he lives and currently serves, civil unrest combined […]
Lithuanians Host Bishop from Homeland
The Lithuanian community of Annunciation parish, Williamsburg, hosted a visit from Bishop Kestutis Kevalas, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Kaunas, Lithuania. It was arranged through the New York Lithuanian Catholic Youth Organization, “Ateitis.” Bishop Kevalas began the day with a visit to the children of the parish, including those who are preparing to receive […]
Pope: Universities Must Maintain Catholic Identity
by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Catholic universities must give “uncompromising” and “unambiguous” witness to Church teaching and defend themselves from all efforts to dilute their Catholic identity, Pope Francis said. Catholic universities, “by their very nature, are committed to demonstrating the harmony of faith and reason and the relevance of the Christian message […]
Pope Wants Greater Role for Women
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Women should play a greater role in society and the Church without sacrificing their essential attention and contribution to their families, Pope Francis said. Women’s distinctive skill sets and sensibilities make them invaluable not only for building “peace and harmony” in families but for all of humanity, too, he said. The […]
Pope Francis Ushered in A ‘New Era’ for Church – Seeks New Kind of Care for the Needy
by Jonathan Luxmoore OXFORD, England (CNS) – The cardinal who heads Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals said the Catholic Church is entering a “new era” and accused critics of the pope’s statements on economic injustice of failing to “understand reality.” “I’m firmly convinced we are at the dawn of a new era in the church, […]