British Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe poses in a chapel at the Canadian Montmartre in Quebec City Feb. 18, 2019. (CNS photo/Philippe Vaillancourt, Presence)

After crisis, church will grow anew, says former head of Dominicans

Posted by - March 2, 2019

QUEBEC CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church should not be afraid of crisis; through crisis, it will grow and spring new life, said Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe. “If you look at human beings, we grow up through crisis,” said the 73-year-old English theologian. “It’s our way. And so we believe, I believe, it’s the fate

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Pope Francis holds a soccer ball presented by someone in the crowd during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Feb. 13. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

When it comes to prayer, there is no room for individualism, pope says

Posted by - February 24, 2019

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Prayer is not just a private and intimate dialogue between a person and God, but rather an opportunity for Christians to bring the needs of others before the Lord, Pope Francis said. “There is no room for individualism in the dialogue with God,” the pope said Feb. 13 during his weekly

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Pope Francis arrives for a meeting with members of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments at the Vatican Feb. 14, 2019. The pope urged members of the congregation to promote a love of and appreciation for the liturgy, avoiding "sterile ideological polarizations" and attitudes that would view the Mass as a place for "do-it-yourself" adaptations. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Need to change hearts, not just books, to improve liturgy, pope says

Posted by - February 24, 2019

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The sacred liturgy is meant to help the people of God conform their heart, mind and actions more closely to Christ, Pope Francis said. “We know that it is not enough to change liturgical books to improve the quality of the liturgy. To just do this would be a deception,” he

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Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna of Malta and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago, members of the organizing committee for the Feb. 21-24 Vatican meeting on the protection of minors in the church, attend a press conference to preview the meeting at the Vatican Feb. 18, 2019. Also pictured is Alessandro Gisotti, interim Vatican spokesman. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Vatican summit: Silence, denial are unacceptable, archbishop says

Posted by - February 24, 2019

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When presented with an accusation that a priest has sexually abused a child, “whether it’s criminal or malicious complicity and a code of silence or whether it is denial” on a very human level, such reactions are no longer tolerable, said the Vatican’s top investigator of abuse cases. Archbishop Charles Scicluna

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A women becomes emotional meeting Pope Francis Feb. 15, 2019, after a Mass for migrants and members of Italian Catholic parishes, religious orders, organizations and individuals who assist them. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Welcome Christ present in migrants and refugees, pope urges

Posted by - February 24, 2019

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Even if Christians struggle to recognize him with his “torn clothes (and) dirty feet,” Jesus is present in the migrants and refugees who seek safety and a dignified life in a new land, Pope Francis said. If Jesus’ words, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you

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New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan speaks during a news conference Feb. 18, 2019, introducing representatives of six church-related organizations that help pregnant women in need. Pictured are Dr. Anne Nolte, co-founder of the Gianna Center for Women's Health and Fertility in Manhattan; Mother Agnes Mary Donovan, superior general of the Sisters of Life; Dolores Ortiz, assistant executive director of Catholic Guardian Services; and Christopher Bell, president of Good Counsel, which runs four homes in the Archdiocese of New York for single pregnant women and their children. (CNS photo/Chris Sheridan, Catholic New York)

Dolan: Church loves, welcomes pregnant women, is ‘honored’ to serve them

Posted by - February 24, 2019

NEW YORK (CNS) — In a robust demonstration that actions speak louder than words, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan Feb. 18 introduced representatives of six church-related organizations that help pregnant women in need. Standing in the modest living room of a convent that Sisters of Life share with expectant and new mothers and their

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World Youth Day pilgrims from the Archdiocese of New York display a banner in the lobby of a Panama City hotel before beginning their walk to attend a vigil with Pope Francis Jan. 26, 2019. The group attend the gathering Jan. 22-27. (CNS photo/Armando Machado, Catholic New York)

U.S. pilgrims still feeling joy, renewal from attending World Youth Day

Posted by - February 24, 2019

NEW YORK (CNS) — Pilgrims from the New York Archdiocese who attended the world-class retreat led by Pope Francis that was World Youth Day in Panama felt renewed in their faith journey and are still cherishing the moment as a joyful turning point they will always remember. “These are some really special young people. I

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Six-year-old Clarisa Jugadora touches a photo of her grandparents, who were taken by police from their home in a slum in Manila, Philippines, in 2016. Their bodies were found the next day. They were killed, allegedly as part of the Philippine government's war on drugs. The girl believes her grandparents are in heaven and talks to their photograph every day, keeping them apprised of her life. (CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey)

Philippine bishop: Duterte’s drug war is ‘illegal, immoral and anti-poor’

Posted by - February 23, 2019

KALOOKAN, Philippines (CNS) — A Catholic bishop in the Philippines said his government’s controversial war on drugs is really a war against the country’s poor. “There is no war against illegal drugs, because the supply is not being stopped. If they are really after illegal drugs, they would go after the big people, the manufacturers,

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A woman receives ashes during an Ash Wednesday Mass Feb. 14 at St. James Church in Setauket, N.Y. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

Palms to ashes: A few things to know about Ash Wednesday

Posted by - February 23, 2019

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Ash Wednesday is March 6 this year. Here are some things to know about Ash Wednesday and the kickoff to Lent: In the Table of Liturgical Days, which ranks the different liturgical celebrations and seasons, Ash Wednesday ties for second in ranking — along with Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Pentecost, Sundays of Advent,

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Kerry Weber hosts a workshop titled "Women in the Church" Feb. 14, 2019, during the Mid-Atlantic Congress at the Hilton Baltimore Hotel. (CNS photo/Kevin J. Parks, Catholic Review)

Mid-Atlantic Congress offers attendees ongoing formation, fellowship

Posted by - February 23, 2019

BALTIMORE (CNS) — Spending the weekend in Baltimore was just what Elizabeth Butler needed to reinvigorate adult catechesis at her Washington parish. Butler, a parishioner of Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian on Capitol Hill, called the Mid-Atlantic Congress “a good kick in the pants.” She’s also administrator of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults program at

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