VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The loss of the papal states and the declaration of Rome as the capital of a united Italy 150 years ago was a “providential” event that changed the city and the church, Pope Francis said. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, read Pope Francis’ message Feb. 3 at an event
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) — Kathy Folan had many dreams as a young philosophy student at the University of San Francisco in the 1990s. Sharing a stage one day with the child she conceived in a sexual assault and telling their story to a crowd of thousands was surely not one of them. “Now it seems,
OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) — Ian Snyder first heard about the Holy Face of Jesus devotion at a Mass at the Holy Family Shrine outside Gretna, Nebraska. The His Holy Face apostolate in Omaha was promoting it, and initially, he avoided their information table. “It seemed very intense. For a lot of people, it can be
VATICAN CITY — With fake news becoming ever more sophisticated, people need the wisdom, courage and patience to discern and embrace constructive stories, Pope Francis said. “We need stories that reveal who we truly are, also in the untold heroism of everyday life,” Pope Francis wrote in his message for World Communications Day 2020. World
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God’s saving word doesn’t seek pristine and safe places to reside but instead goes in search of the dark corners of people’s lives that it can brighten, Pope Francis said. By taking his ministry to the “periphery” of Galilee, Jesus proves that God “wants to visit the very places we think
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — If many Catholics marry today without fully understanding the permanence of their bond and the grace of the sacrament, it partly is the fault of bishops and priests who did not give them the best teachers — committed married couples filled with the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said. In his annual
WASHINGTON (CNS) — According to Sister Bethany Madonna, vocations director for the Sisters of Life, one’s circumstances change, yet life is a gift. Sister Madonna addressed a crowd of over 700 attendees at the 21st annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life Jan. 25 at Georgetown University. Organized completely by students, the conference is the largest
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican will host a conference on how the Catholic Church can fulfill its mission to care for, welcome and include the elderly in its life, rather than abandoning them like many societies do today. The first International Congress for the Pastoral Ministry to the Elderly is meant to build a
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Bitter or boring evangelizers will not help the Gospel or the Catholic Church, Pope Francis said. The church and the Gospel will only “move forward with evangelizers (who are) joyful, full of life,” the pope said Jan. 28. Christians must not be afraid or embarrassed to express the true joy that
WASHINGTON (CNS) — What you don’t comprehend about the marching portion of the March for Life until you’re in it is, even though it appears somewhat unorganized at the start, is that it’s an intensely polite and orderly experience despite its immense size. For many participants, it’s a pilgrimage. There are no raised voices, there
