In his work for Christian unity, St. John Paul II often expressed the hope that Christianity in its third millennium might “breathe again” with its “two lungs:” West and East, Latin and Byzantine. It was a noble aspiration. And when he first visited Orthodoxy’s ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople in 1979, perhaps the successor of Peter […]
Russia
Complex Issues Await Pope in Turkey
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Almost every papal trip abroad is a complex mix of the religious and political, and that will be especially true of Pope Francis’ Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. Given the country’s crucial geographic position straddling Europe and Asia, its historic importance for both Christianity and Islam and the wars now raging […]
Pope Encourages New Idealism for Europe
By Cindy Wooden STRASBOURG, France (CNS) – The project of European unity and cooperation, ensuring peace on the continent and helping others find peace as well, requires a real commitment to dialogue and respect for others, Pope Francis said. While the pope did not specifically mention the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, both members […]
Faith Groups Joined Climate Change March
Myriad Catholic groups joined a singing, chanting sea of people who streamed along Manhattan’s West Side Sept. 21 to urge global action on climate change. Organizers of the People’s Climate March estimated nearly 400,000 men, women and children rallied to the cause.
Pope Prays for Ukraine Peace Amid Crisis
Pope Francis lamented “tension and conflict” in Ukraine and prayed for “peace and tranquility” there on the country’s Independence Day.
Q&A on Reform of Vatican Finances
Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, spoke to Catholic News Service about a range of issues, including Vatican financial scandals; the need for transparency, “checks and balances,” efforts to internationalize the Vatican bureaucracy and more.
100 Years Ago – Destructive Self-Interest Led to The Outbreak of World War I
BERLIN (CNS) – As the world marks the 100th anniversary of World War I, Germany’s Catholic bishops urged efforts to overcome “destructive self-interest” and acknowledged the shared guilt of churches for the conflict, which left 16 million dead.
Pope – Prez Summit Goes Into Overtime
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In their first encounter, Pope Francis received U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican March 27 for a discussion that touched on several areas of tension between the Catholic Church and the White House, including religious freedom and medical ethics.
Pope Meets with Head of Ukrainian Catholic Church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis met privately at the Vatican with the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, the day after pro-Russian voters on the Crimean peninsula voted to secede from Ukraine in a referendum the United States and European Union called illegal. While Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, head of the Eastern-rite church […]
Lent Takes on New Meaning For Ukraine
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 […]