ROME (CNS) — The clerical abuse scandal has caused everyone in the Catholic Church “pain and unbearable suffering,” Pope Francis said, but it also is a call to repentance and the renewal of the church. “Our humble repentance, which remains silent between our tears for the monstrosity of sin and the unfathomable greatness of God’s
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When facing temptation, Christians should follow Jesus’ example by not engaging in fruitless talk with the father of lies, Pope Francis said. When responding to the devil’s temptations during his 40 days in the desert, Jesus “does not enter into dialogue, but responds to the three challenges only with the Word
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — Three Catholic priests, known for being outspoken against a wave of drug-related killings, claimed they have received death threats in recent weeks, reported ucanews.com. Jesuit Father Albert Alejo, Divine Word Father Flavie Villanueva and Father Robert Reyes told a hastily organized media briefing March 11 that they fear for their lives.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis asked 50-year-old Benedictine Abbot Bernardo Gianni to lead his Lenten retreat, the abbot said he told the pope he felt “very inadequate.” “The pope responded to me that that was a great precondition for doing it well,” the abbot of Florence’s Abbey of San Miniato al Monte told
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Lent is a time to ask for God’s grace to chip away at hypocrisy, which is seen in the natural human attempt to appear “worthier than we are,” Pope Francis said. “I must appear to be what I am, and that is our work in Lent,” the pope said March 8
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The percentage of Catholics in the world has remained steady, while the number of priests has decreased for the first time in almost a decade, according to Vatican statistics. Meanwhile, the numbers of bishops, permanent deacons, lay missionaries and catechists have all increased, it said. At the end of 2017, the
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CNS) — When it comes to upholding tradition and pride in a particular school, the Whalen family of suburban New Albany takes a back seat to no one. The Whalens stand alongside families in which it’s not unusual for three and even four generations of students to have attended the same Catholic high
ROME (CNS) — Lent is a good time to concentrate on fighting the urge to gossip about others and instead trying to correct one’s own faults and defects, Pope Francis said. Reciting the Angelus prayer at noon March 3 with pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square and visiting the parish of St. Crispin in Labaro, a
COLUMBUS, Ind. (CNS) — Smoke billowed from a small fire pit, rising nearly as high as the steeple of St. Bartholomew Church in Columbus. About 100 students watched from a safe distance March 4 as church staff stoked the flame and periodically tossed in handfuls of dry palm branches. The smoldering ashes that remained were
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Taking care of those who are sick or struggling with illness requires taking care of the whole person — including their spiritual needs, Pope Francis said. Offering care and healing is focused not just on “the disease of an organ or of cells but of the person in his or her
