CAIRO (CNS) – Egypt’s Christians should stay in their country and help it progress instead of taking “the easy way” of emigrating abroad, said a senior member of the country’s Catholic Church. Father Rafic Greiche, head of the Catholic Church press office in Egypt, expressed concern Nov. 20 that hundreds of thousands of Christians have […]
International News
Even Pope Goes to Confession
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he goes to confession every two weeks, knowing that God never tires of forgiving those who repent but also knowing that having a priest say “I absolve you” reinforces belief in God’s mercy. Using the literal Italian translation of a Spanish saying, “It’s better to […]
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem
At the Investiture Dinner Nov. 23 for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem were, from left, Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, diocesan vicar for development; Nicholas Vendikos, director of development, Futures in Education; Manuel Gutierrez; Stefanie Gutierrez, spokesperson for the Diocese of Brooklyn; Vincent LeVien, director of external affairs, DeSales Media Group; Rita Damato, […]
Pope’s First Writing Lays Out a Vision for Church
By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization in a positive key, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn. “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), […]
Technology Sheds Light On Dark Catacombs
By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Early Christian burial sites are now easier to see, both in person and via the Internet, thanks to 21st-century technology and collaboration between Google and the Vatican. “This is perhaps the sign of the joining of two extremes, remote antiquity and modernity,” said Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi Nov. […]
Nightmare in the Philippines
Above, hundreds of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan have dinner and rest under candle light in a Redemptorist-run church where they found shelter in Tacloban, Philippines. Nearly two weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan tore through the central Philippines, Catholic aid workers were still seeing great needs. Below, a man lights a candle Nov. 25 as he […]
Climate Change Brings An Ethical Challenge
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) – Climate change represents an “ethical challenge to civilization,” said the Vatican’s lead representative to an international conference discussing the worldwide impact of climate change. Archbishop Celestino Migliore told attendees at a Church-run conference that the Vatican would help “form consciences and ethical perspectives” on climate change in line with Catholic social […]
Filipinos Pray Homeland Recovers from Typhoon – Mass of Healing at St. Michael’s, Flushing
by Ed Wilkinson Many members of the Filipino community in the U.S. belong to helping professions, such as the medical field. But right now, it is the Filipinos themselves who are in need of help. That was the observation of Father Patrick Longalong, coordinator of the diocesan Filipino apostolate, following a Mass of healing and […]
British Photographer Captures The Spirituality of the Homeless
by Caroline Hroncich ROME (CNS) – As far as English photographer Lee Jeffries knows, Pope Francis has never seen his pictures, yet he is sure they would be to his taste. The pope is a “person of the people,” Jeffries told Catholic News Service. “And these images represent the humanity in all of us. The […]
Author Says Mafia Would Like to Harm the Pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Crime families in Italy are not happy with Pope Francis and would hurt him if they could, said an Italian prosecutor who has spent years investigating organized crime and has written a book about the apparent Catholic devotion of mafia bosses. “I’m not sure organized crime is in a position to […]