Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez blesses parishioners at St. Bartholomew’s Church in Elmhurst during a pastoral visit there on June 23.

Colombian Cardinal Makes Pastoral Visit to Elmhurst

by Antonina Zielinska Colombia continues to work toward peace, the aisles at St. Bartholomew Church, Elmhurst, were packed full of people wanting to hear a message from Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez. The archbishop of Bogota, Colombia, told the mostly Colombian congregation that peace can be obtained through Christ. “We, in this church, have to ask […]

Newly Ordained Have Varied Backgrounds

WASHINGTON (CNS) – After he ordained six new priests for the Archdiocese of Washington June 15, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl encouraged them to take up the call of the new evangelization and help transform the world. “This is the age of the new evangelization,” the cardinal said during an ordination Mass at the Basilica […]

Diocese’s Farewell to Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan (with slideshow)

St. Ephrem’s parish, Dyker Heights, the church of the late Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan’s baptism and childhood, was the scene for his Mass of Christian Burial on June 12. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celebrant. He was joined by 13 bishops, about 130 priests and 1,000 relatives, parishioners and friends. Msgr. Joseph P. Nagle, […]

Ken Hackett, left, retired president of Catholic Relief Services, is pictured with Miguel Diaz, former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, attending the 2012 consistory at the Vatican. President Barack Obama has nominated Hackett as the next U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Former CRS Head to Be Vatican Ambassador

by Dr. Patrick J. McNamara WASHINGTON (CNS) – President Barack Obama June 14 nominated Ken Hackett, retired president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), to be U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Obama’s announcement about Hackett came late in the day, along with his nominees for ambassador posts in Brazil, Spain, Germany, Denmark and Ethiopia. “It […]

Pope: ‘Yes’ to Love, ‘No’ to Selfishness

by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Ideologies and practices that destroy human life arise from false ideas of freedom without God, Pope Francis told a crowd in St. Peter’s Square, including thousands of pro-life activists from around the world. “Whenever we want to assert ourselves, when we become wrapped up in our own […]

A Mission Church

From time to time, it is good to remind ourselves what the “Catholic” modifying our particular church really means. Quite literally, “catholic” means “universal” – or worldwide, embracing everyone. Remembering what we call ourselves – and are, in fact, commissioned to be by our Divine Founder – can be a powerful source of encouragement as […]

Jesuit Blasts Support for Muslim Brotherhood

by Deborah Gyapong OTTAWA, Ontario (CNS) – A priest who directs the Jesuit Cultural Center in Alexandria, Egypt, has blasted Western support of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt during a visit to Parliament Hill. Jesuit Father Henri Boulad, 82, a Melkite Catholic, singled out the U.S., France and Great Britain for their support of the […]

Patriarchs Seek Release Of Kidnapped Bishops

by Doreen Abi Raad BEIRUT (CNS) – Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch and Syria’s Greek Orthodox patriarch called for the release of two Orthodox bishops kidnapped in Syria. “We demand the kidnappers and the countries concerned” to release the two bishops and the two priests kidnapped before them, and all those who have been kidnapped on […]

Kids with Problems Need Support, Not Prescriptions

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When children exhibit behavioral problems, doctors and families should consider social and psychological support and not immediately try to address the difficulty with prescription drugs, said a number of speakers at a Vatican conference. Caution should be used not only because many prescribed medications can cause serious side effects but because […]

Court Dismisses Abuse Charge Against Pope

The International Criminal Court (ICC) declined a request from victims of clergy sexual abuse to investigate Vatican officials and their responsibility for the abuse of children by Catholic priests around the world. In a two-page letter May 31, the court told the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which represented the victims, that the offenses […]