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 […]