Pope Francis lamented “tension and conflict” in Ukraine and prayed for “peace and tranquility” there on the country’s Independence Day.
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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 […]
Ukrainians Pray for Independence
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 […]
A Mission for Peace – Nun Presents Alternative View of Syrian Conflict on Six-Week Speaking Tour
A 63-year-old Lebanese Carmelite nun with firsthand knowledge of the Syrian conflict spoke Dec. 6 at St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Downtown Brooklyn. Mother Agnes-Mariam of the Cross, mother superior at the Monastery and Convent of St. James the Mutilated in Qara, Syria (north of Damascus), recently went on a six-week speaking tour through the […]
US Bishops Applaud Deal With Iran
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The interim multilateral accord that could put the brakes on Iran’s nuclear development program is a steppingstone for a long-range deal that “enhances genuine peace in the region,” according to Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. In a letter […]
Pope and Putin Talk Primarily About Peace
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Peace in the Middle East, particularly the ongoing war in Syria, topped the agenda Nov. 25 as Pope Francis welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Vatican. The Russian president “conveyed the greetings of (Russian Orthodox) Patriarch Kirill, but there was not a discussion of ecumenical relations,” said […]