VATICAN CITY (CNS) — What makes a politician “Catholic” is not party affiliation, but dedication to promoting the common good, particularly through listening to and empowering people who often are overlooked, Pope Francis said. “I invite you to live your faith with great freedom, never believing that there exists only one form of political commitment
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Long, orange flames consumed the palms Massgoers had brought in to Washington’s Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land March 3 to burn ceremonially before the noontime crowd that gathered for their last Sunday Mass before Lent. “This is kind of a graphic reminder of how Lent starts: We make the ashes, we
HAMPTON, Va. (CNS) — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Those words from Chapter 4 of St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians are words by which Melanie Paul lives. Deaf since she was 12, Paul has had a successful career as a guidance counselor and has helped countless people through her
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The time has come for an “all-out battle” against the abuse of minors, erasing this abominable crime from the face of the earth, Pope Francis said, closing a global four-day summit on child protection in the Catholic Church. For quite some time, the world has been aware of the “serious scandal”
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Lenten season is a reminder for Catholics that overindulgence ruptures communion with God, with others and with creation, Pope Francis said. A failure to live as children of God can give way to sin, which “takes the shape of greed and unbridled pursuit of comfort, lack of concern for the
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will issue a document on “young people, faith and vocational discernment” five months after the world Synod of Bishops gathered to discuss the topic. The Vatican announced Feb. 24 that the pope will present his post-synodal apostolic exhortation March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, during a visit to
VAN NUYS, Calif. (CNS) — In the few moments she spent up close and personal with the incorrupt heart of St. John Vianney during its visit to St. Elisabeth of Hungary Church in Van Nuys Feb. 22, Milagros “Lally” Guiao only asked the legendary saint for one thing. “Give us holy priests.” There were plenty
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The long-awaited “Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church,” nicknamed the abuse summit, was an extraordinary and historic gathering that surpassed many expectations while perhaps disappointing others. Historic in that it brought together the heads of 114 bishops’ conferences from the entire world, as well as the leaders of
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Technology holds the potential to benefit all of humankind, but it also poses risky and unforeseen results, Pope Francis said. The rapid evolution of increased technological capacities, for example with artificial intelligence and robotics, creates a “dangerous enchantment; instead of handing human life the tools that will improve care, there is
CHARLESTON, S.C. (CNS) — Hundreds of people who were affected by the recent government shutdown received much needed help from Catholic Charities of South Carolina. The shutdown was the longest in U.S. history, lasting from Dec. 22 until Jan. 25. It caused thousands of federal employees to work without paychecks while many others were furloughed.
