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 […]
International News
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 […]
Prayers for Egypt – Coptic Catholics Recall Experience in Homeland
by Antonina Zielinska As Christians in Egypt continue to face violent persecution, Catholic Egyptians in the Diocese of Brooklyn continue to take refuge in the protection of the Church. When Father Francis Fayez offered Mass at Resurrection Coptic Catholic Church, Park Slope, he did so before American-born Egyptians, immigrants and religious refugees. Coptic Catholics are […]
Pope Francis Meets the King of Jordan
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As international leaders increasingly discussed the possibility of some form of armed intervention in Syria, the Vatican announced Pope Francis would interrupt the last week of his summer break in order to meet Aug. 29 with Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Jordan and Syria share a border, and Jordan […]
Pope: War in Syria Sows Destruction and Death
by Carol Glatz Pope Francis called again for an end to the fighting in Syria, denouncing the “multiplication of massacres and atrocious acts,” including the suspected chemical weapons attack that left hundreds dead. As U.N. weapons inspectors received permission from the Syrian government Aug. 25 to visit the site of the alleged attack, Pope Francis […]
On the Olympic Controversy
by Jonathan Luxmoore WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — Calls for an Olympic boycott because of a Russian law banning “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” have become “highly politicized,” said an official of the Russian bishops’ conference. Msgr. Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of the bishops’ conference, said the Catholic Church would not be adopting an official stance on […]
Egypt’s Copts Trace History Back to Jesus
by James Martone CAIRO (CNS) – The Coptic Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary sits in a tiled courtyard a few miles outside Cairo, on the left bank of the Nile as the river bends south toward Upper Egypt. The structure’s front doors overlook the famed river, which Egyptian Christians who pray and worship here […]
In Egypt, Christians Fear to Buy Food
(CNS) — A Catholic bishop in Luxor, about 400 miles south of Cairo, said Muslims and Christians are afraid to leave their homes; because the shops are closed and no one is venturing outside, many are running out of food. Coptic Catholic Bishop Youhannes Zakaria of Luxor told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation […]
Bolivia the Site of Korean Apostolate’s Mission
by Katherina Hwang The Korean Apostolate of the Brooklyn Diocese held its sixth annual Bolivia Mission Trip. The volunteers had helped the Cristo Salvador parish – Father Francisco Ma, pastor – located in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, from July 1-13, mainly by building a chapel in Brecha Dies, a countryside region that lacks electricity. The volunteers […]