VATICAN CITY — Using a newly simplified rite, Pope Francis proclaimed six new saints and praised them for the love and self-giving with which they served God and built up his kingdom by serving the poor and needy. Creating the two Indian and four Italian saints Nov. 23, the feast …
Upcoming Synod of Bishops seeks frank, open discussion of issues
VATICAN CITY — The extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family will be shorter than a usual synod and will include new rules aimed at helping the bishops really grapple with the issues together, said the general secretary of the synod. “We want a frank, open, civilized discussion,” Cardinal Lorenzo …
Pope Francis to attend 2015 World Meeting in Philadelphia
FARGO, N.D. (Catholic News Service) — Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Pope Francis has accepted his invitation to attend the World Meeting of Families in the United States next year, even though the Philadelphia Archdiocese still has not received official confirmation from the Vatican. Archbishop Chaput made the announcement …
Supreme Court hears case of firms’ HHS mandate challenge
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Oral arguments in two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court March 25 focused on whether for-profit corporations have religious grounds to object to the new health-care law’s requirement that most employers provide contraceptive coverage in their employee health plans. Crowds on both sides of the issue gathered …
World Meeting of Families will be open to all as Vatican, Philadelphia get ready
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year will be open to families and people of different faiths, including no faith at all, to engage the wider society in dialogue and to serve and strengthen all families, organizers said. The gathering Sept. 22-27, 2015, “is …
Ukrainian Catholics fleeing from Crimea
OXFORD, England (CNS) — Members of the Ukrainian Catholic Church are fleeing Crimea to escape threats of arrest and property seizures, a priest told Catholic News Service just four days after Russia finalized the region’s annexation. “The situation remains very serious, and we don’t know what will happen — the …
God is always present with those who suffer, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The fragility of human life is part of its beauty and is something people only really learn by being close to, sharing with and caring for those who are suffering, Pope Francis said. “Even in suffering, no one is ever alone because God — in his …
World embraces simple hug by Pope Francis
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For someone who has frequently been shunned and humiliated because of a disease that has severely disfigured his entire body, receiving the pope’s loving embrace was like being in paradise. Vinicio Riva, who is afflicted with neurofibromatosis, said his brief encounter with Pope Francis Nov. 6 …
Pope to canonize John XXIII, John Paul II
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Recognizing that Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II have widespread reputations for holiness and that years of studying their lives and actions have proven their exceptional virtue, Pope Francis announced he would declare his two predecessors saints at a single ceremony April 27. The …
Cardinal says 40 years of legalized abortion has demoralized U.S. society
VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Forty years of legalized abortion have profoundly demoralized American society, not only weakening respect for human life but undermining marriage, parenthood and individuals’ sense of duty to others, said U.S. Cardinal J. Francis Stafford. The cardinal, a former archbishop of Denver and former head of two Vatican offices, …
Catholic leaders call for reduction in gun violence
WASHINGTON (CNS)—Two former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican and two retired officials of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were among more than 60 Catholic leaders urging members of Congress who consider themselves pro-life to “show greater moral leadership and political courage” in acting to cut U.S. gun violence. “We …
Priest’s response after school shooting called powerful
Monsignor Robert Weiss of St. Rose of Lima Church had a ‘sacramental sense” of outreach RYE, N.Y.—The “sacramental sense” of a Catholic pastor’s outreach after the horrific violence that took place at a Connecticut elementary school “has brought the church to bear in the most intimate and powerful way,” said …
