According to a range of scholars at a Pan-African Congress on Theology, Pastoral Life, and Society, the pope’s metaphor for the Church as a “field hospital” provides particular resonance for the African continent – and, they say, must guide pastoral practice in the realms of education, liturgy, and the laity.
A much-anticipated Pan-African Congress opened Dec. 5 with a plea for justice, both for the continent and its people.
They’re often the first people he greets when holding an audience, so it came as no surprise Dec. 3 when Pope Francis released a message for the World Day of Persons with Disabilities, calling for them to be fully integrated in society, not only through legislation but a much-needed change in mentality.
Most Americans support life imprisonment over the death penalty, according to a Gallup poll released Nov. 24, revealing a shift in the majority opinion on this issue for the first time in 34 years.
Cándido Arcángel opens the basement of his shop to homeless men so that they will have a warm and safe place to sleep at night. He is a Catholic from the Dominican Republic who attends Mass at St. Catherine of Alexandria in Borough Park.
Speaking to people from 18 different religions on Nov. 22, Pope Francis said that the complex challenges of the world today – including globalization, the rapid advances of technology and the persistence of civil conflicts resulting in migration, refugees, famine and war – makes the need for cooperation between religions all the more pressing.
One of Pope Francis’s closest allies in fighting clergy abuse praised the American church for going “a step further” than the Vatican’s new global guidelines for bishop accountability by requiring a third-party reporting system, which is set to take effect next year.
A Pew Research Center study released on Oct. 17 shows that Americans who identify as “nones” — those describing themselves as atheists or agnostics or having no religious affiliation — are the biggest group in the country, outnumbering Catholics.
While most of the religiously unaffiliated people, the so-called “nones” are young, speakers at an Oct 15 symposium at Jesuit-run Fordham University said the trend encompasses all age groups and has enormous implications for American society.
Promoting religious freedom, providing humanitarian assistance and fighting human trafficking are three major issues the Vatican and the U.S. administration agree on and on which they will continue to coordinate efforts, panelists said at a joint symposium.
