by Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) – Jesuit Father James Martin today has a hard time believing that he initially turned down a suggestion to go to Jerusalem as source material for his newest book, “Jesus: A Pilgrimage.” “Initially, I didn’t want to go because I thought my own mental images of Gospel passages and stories […]
by Lise Alves SAO PAULO (CNS) – Many Latin American Church leaders, who in the past have felt excluded from the decisions made at the highest echelons of the Church, expressed appreciation for the perspective Pope Francis has taken to the Vatican. “There is (now) a greater understanding of the Latin American church,” said Bishop […]
In a statement issued by The Catholic League, its president, Bill Donohue, says that militant secularism at home and militant Islam abroad are the two greatest threats to Catholicism today. More Martyrs Today He quotes Pope Francis’ daily Mass homily in which he said, “There are more Christian martyrs today than during the early days […]
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In a letter to an Italian journalist, retired Pope Benedict XVI said questions about the validity of his resignation are “absurd.” “There is absolutely no doubt regarding the validity of my renunciation of the Petrine ministry,” the retired pope wrote in a letter to Andrea Tornielli, a Vatican […]
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As uncertainty reigned in Ukraine and Russian troops appeared to have control of the Crimean peninsula, Pope Francis again asked the world’s Christians to pray for Ukraine and urged the parties involved in the conflict to engage in dialogue. “I ask you again to pray for Ukraine, which […]
by Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Just because many Catholics do not understand the Church’s teaching about the indissolubility of marriage, that does not mean the Church can change that teaching, said Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Speaking to reporters – just days after the College […]
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The three months of protests in Ukraine, that ended with government snipers killing dozens of people, strengthened the commitment to democracy of many Ukrainians, but also left the country vulnerable to further violence and division, said the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church. “The danger that our neighbor (Russia) will provoke […]
by Barbara J. Fraser LIMA, Peru (CNS) – As protests in Venezuela continued, with flare-ups of violence, the country’s Catholic leaders urged dialogue and respect for the demonstrators’ human rights. “We have called for the social and political leaders to engage in deep, sincere dialogue” to address the country’s serious problems, including high rates of […]
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Opening a two-day meeting of the world’s cardinals, Pope Francis said the Church’s pastoral approach to helping couples must be “intelligent, courageous and full of love” because the family today is “looked down upon and mistreated.” “Our reflection must keep before us the beauty of the family and […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and His successors – the popes – Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. To the great surprise of most people present, the retired pope entered St. Peter’s […]
