VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Being afraid and concerned about the impact of migration is not a sin, Pope Francis said, but it is a sin to let those fears lead to a refusal to help people in need. “The sin is to allow these fears to determine our responses, to limit our choices, to compromise
SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) — Pope Francis challenged young Chileans, telling them to always ask themselves, “What would Christ do in my place?” “At school, at university, when outdoors, when at home, among friends, at work, when taunted: ‘What would Christ do in my place?’” he told thousands of young people who came from all over
SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) — When mothers are in prison, “children are the ones who suffer the most,” a female inmate at San Joaquin Women’s Prison told Pope Francis Jan. 16. “Nothing and no one can replace a mother,” the inmate, Janeth Zurita, told the pope on behalf of the hundreds of other women in the
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics to move beyond statistics in discussions of migrants and refugees, and to remember that “each of them has a name, a face and a story,” said John Garvey, president of The Catholic University of America. He made the comments in opening an event titled “On the Margins:
TEMUCO, Chile (CNS) — Celebrating Mass in a land steeped in indigenous history and culture, Pope Francis said the greatest threat facing humanity is the stifling of differences driven by the idea that some cultures are better than others. Greeting members of the Mapuche people and other indigenous peoples living in southern Chile Jan. 17,
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The silence that precedes the opening prayer at Mass is an opportunity for Christians to commend to God the fate of the church and the world, Pope Francis said. Departing from his prepared text at his weekly general audience Jan. 10, the pope urged priests “to observe this brief silence and
In 2003, the Catholic bishops of the United States and Mexico issued a historic binational pastoral letter on immigration, “Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope.” The title takes its inspiration from St. Paul, who, in the second chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, states: “… you are strangers and aliens no
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — To follow Jesus, one must set out like the Magi, leaving comfort behind, following the light and offering the Lord gifts without expecting anything in return, Pope Francis said Jan. 6 during Mass on the feast of the Epiphany. In his homily, the pope asked people to think about the Gospel
CHICAGO (CNS) — More than 8,000 people from around the country gathered at McCormick Place in Chicago in early January to gain the tools to share their faith with the world. They were attending SLS18, a biennial conference sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, known as FOCUS. Mass was the focal point of
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pastors who preach one thing and do another are wounded and harm the church, Pope Francis said. Like the scribes and Pharisees of old, pastors end up leading a double life when they detach themselves from God and his people, the pope said in his homily Jan. 9 during morning Mass
