by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis met with Vatican officials Sept. 10 to hear their questions and suggestions about his ongoing reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. The Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, said the meeting lasted nearly three hours and, except for a brief greeting by the pope, was devoted […]
International News
Cardinal Wuerl: Universal Prayer Is a Sign of Hope
by Richard Szczepanowski WASHINGTON (CNS) – As American policymakers debated military intervention in Syria, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl joined Pope Francis and Catholics around the world in calling for peace and a just solution to the violence that has wracked the country and other parts of the world. “Today we pray for those who are […]
Vatican Nuncio to UN: Peace Is the Only Path to Survival
Military strikes on Syria are unjustified and will create a far larger humanitarian disaster for people already suffering from hunger, displacement and critical lack of medical care, said the Vatican nuncio to the U.N. Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt urged, instead, that world leaders work toward a “cessation of violence, not an escalation of violence” in […]
Pope Leads Prayers for Peace
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Leading a crowd in prayer for peace in Syria, Pope Francis said that war is ultimately caused by selfishness, which can be overcome only through expressions of fraternity and never with violence. “Leave behind the self-interest that hardens your heart, overcome the indifference that makes your heart […]
War Begets War
Expect to hear very little in the days and weeks ahead than attempts to stir up the American public to give Washington – and its only most likely ally, France – sufficient cover to mount some kind of retaliatory attack on the Syrian regime. A case must be built to justify a military response with […]
Religious Leaders Do Not Support Bombing Syria
WASHINGTON (CNS) – As speculation mounted about Western air strikes on Syria, a committee of U.S. bishops called for a political solution, and Catholic leaders in Europe warned military intervention could lead to an escalation of hostilities. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International […]
Egyptians Feel US Has Backed the Wrong Side
by James Martone CAIRO (CNS) – Two weeks after the churches he used to pray in were ransacked and burned in the Egyptian port city of Suez, Istafanos Youssif sat “searching for God” in a Cairo convent. He said he hoped to get over the pain, through “reflection and prayer,” and that he understood who […]
Day of Fast for Syria
U.S. Catholics are being encouraged to join a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria, the Middle East and the World Sept. 7 as the U.S. government considers its role in the ongoing struggle in Syria. Pope Francis called the world’s Catholics to the day of fasting and prayer for peace. The statement […]
Pope to Lead Prayer Vigil for Peace in Syria
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On the evening of Sept. 7, days before U.S. lawmakers vote on President Barack Obama’s proposal for a military attack on Syria, Pope Francis will lead thousands in St. Peter’s Square in a prayer vigil for peace. “We will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God’s great […]
Pope Chooses Venezuelan Nuncio as Secretary of State
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Although Pope Francis has not hesitated to break with convention during his brief pontificate, in appointing a seasoned member of the diplomatic corps as the top Vatican official, he resumed a long-standing tradition. The pope appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin, 58, a longtime official in the Vatican secretariat of […]