When Pope Francis met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Vatican June 10, the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine was the principal topic of their conversation.
International News
Pope Francis Explains a Theology of Poverty
Focusing on poverty and sacrificing for the poor are the heart of the Gospel, not signs of communism, he said.
Excerpts From the Pope’s Encyclical on the Environment
Read highlights from the Pope’s encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”
All Creation Sings God’s Praise, but People Are Silencing It, Pope Says
The earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, Pope Francis says in his long-awaited encyclical.
Encyclical on Environment Due Thursday
As soon as Pope Francis’ eagerly awaited encyclical on the environment is available from Catholic News Service (CNS), we will publish it here.
Encyclical Has Franciscan Title
ROME (CNS) – “Laudato Si,” the title Pope Francis chose for his encyclical on the environment, comes from a hymn of praise by St. Francis of Assisi that emphasizes being in harmony with God, with other creatures and with other human beings, said the head of the Franciscan order. Sitting under towering trees, surrounded by […]
Stop Buying Islamic State Oil
OXFORD, England (CNS) – French Catholics have urged church support for a campaign to stop Western companies from buying oil from Islamic State, in effect funding the mass killing of Christians. “Our brothers and sisters are being massacred, women and children taken into slavery – and while Christians are suffering most, so are Muslims and […]
Patriarch Says World Has Lost Conscience
Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch, visiting war-torn Syria, condemned “the death of the world’s conscience” in its response to the violence in the Middle East.
Outside U.S. and Europe, The Church Is Growing
Results of a study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) said that the highest growth rates in Catholicism are in Africa and Asia.
Encyclical Due June 18
Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, “Laudato Sii” (Praised Be), a line from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures,” will be released June 18.