by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Visiting an Italian region especially hard hit by the European economic crisis, Pope Francis blamed high unemployment on globalization driven by greed and said those who give charitable aid to the poor must treat their beneficiaries with dignity. “We want a just system, a system that lets […]
Bishops urge Cubans to live in hope for a better future HAVANA (CNS) – In response to the “aspirations, the hopes and the frustrations of the children of God,” the bishops of Cuba urged Cubans to embrace a vision for a better future for their country. Acknowledging that Cuba has “changed in recent years” and […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis’ Sept. 11 meeting with Dominican Father Gustavo Gutierrez was an informal one, held in the pope’s residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, and not listed on his official schedule. Yet the news that Pope Francis had received the 85-year old Peruvian priest, who is widely considered […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Picking up the telephone and calling people out of the blue is no big deal for Pope Francis, according to a Vatican official. Msgr. Dario Vigano, director of the Vatican Television Center, said the pope told him that the many calls the journalists have brought to light are just the tip […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While a military-backed dictatorship in Argentina was conducting a clandestine war on suspected dissidents, then-Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the future pope, masterminded a secret strategy to save those being targeted, according to a new book. Titled “Bergoglio’s List: Those Saved by Pope Francis; Stories Never Told,” the book also includes the […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Writing in one of Italy’s major secular newspapers, Pope Francis called for a “sincere and rigorous dialogue” between the Church and nonbelievers as an “intimate and indispensable expression” of Christian love. The pope’s words appeared in a 2,600-word letter published in the Sept. 11 edition of the […]
by Francis X. Rocca ROME (CNS) – Acting in his capacity as bishop of Rome, Pope Francis offered words of encouragement to his diocesan priests, assuring them that recent and current scandals cannot overcome the Church’s holiness and urging them to keep their vocations alive through love of God. The pope made his remarks Sept. […]
Bishop Frank Caggiano accompanied diocesan youth on three World Youth Days. Below from top, Bishop Caggiano leads catechesis for English-speaking pilgrims in Rio de Janeiro, 2013… He bonds with youth after a communal dinner in Madrid, Spain, 2011… He waves to diocesan pilgrims as he processes into Mass in Sydney, Australia, 2008… Bishops Nicholas DiMarzio […]
by James Martone ISTANBUL (CNS) – In the small front room of an apartment in a middle-class district of Istanbul, five young men, some with university degrees or halfway there, talked about why they fled their homes in Syria. One of them had arrived from Syria that evening, another more than a year ago, and […]
by Francis X. Rocca ROME (CNS) – Speaking at an assistance center for foreign refugees in Italy, Pope Francis called on wealthy societies and the Catholic Church to do more to help and defend the rights of the needy. “Charity that leaves a poor person just the way he is does not suffice,” the pope […]
