Pope Francis begins the celebration of Palm Sunday Mass at the obelisk in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 9. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Love Jesus in all who suffer, pope says on Palm Sunday

Posted by - April 15, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Jesus does not ask that people only contemplate his image, but that they also recognize and love him concretely in all people who suffer like he did, Pope Francis said. Jesus is “present in our many brothers and sisters who today endure sufferings like his own — they suffer from slave

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An image from the Stations of the Cross at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington shows the 14th Station, "Jesus is laid in the tomb." (CNS photo/Bob Roller)

An empty tomb and a bodily resurrection: why it matters

Posted by - April 15, 2017

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholics and other Christians have grown up believing in the Resurrection, but the Apostles themselves were among the first who were skeptical that Jesus arose from the dead. They didn’t believe it at first when they were told by the women who had come to anoint the crucified Jesus’ body but instead

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Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass in Carpi, Italy, April 2. (CNS photo/Alessandro Garofalo, Reuters)

Scars of past wounds give strength for the future, pope says

Posted by - April 7, 2017

ROME (CNS) — While the wounds of past trials have healed, the scars that remain will serve as a reminder of strength and courage for future generations, Pope Francis told survivors of an earthquake. Visiting Carpi and Mirandola April 2, nearly five years after a 5.8-quake rocked the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, the pope

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This is a promotional image for World Meeting of Families to be held Aug. 21-26, 2018, in Dublin. The theme of the meeting is "The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World." (CNS illustration/World Meeting of Families)

Loving families are central to bringing joy, mercy to world, pope says

Posted by - April 7, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis urges families to discover God’s love and be generous, forgiving, patient, helpful and respectful. Family life will be better if people use the words “please,” “thank you,” and “I’m sorry” every day, he said, and the world will be a better place if the church reaches out to the

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A child receives treatment inside a field hospital in Idlib, Syria, after an April 4 chemical attack. Pope Francis strongly condemned the attack, which left more than 70 people, including at least 10 children, dead. (CNS photo/EPA)

Pope horrified by ‘unacceptable massacre’ in Syria

Posted by - April 7, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis strongly condemned a shocking chemical attack in Syria that left some 70 people, including at least 10 children, dead. “We are horrified by the latest events in Syria. I strongly deplore the unacceptable massacre that took place yesterday in the Idlib province, where dozens of civilians, including many children,

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Philippine bishops say they oppose Duterte’s policies, not the man

Posted by - April 7, 2017

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines assured the government that the country’s church leaders are not against President Rodrigo Duterte. “What we are against are issues, not the person,” said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, president of the episcopal body. His remarks from an April 4 television

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Pope John Paul II is pictured with Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos, the last of the three Fatima visionaries alive in 1991. Recent popes have had a special affection for Our Lady of Fatima, but no pope's connection can match that of now St. John Paul II. (CNS photo/Joao Paul Trindade via EPA)

No secret: Last three popes share close bond to Fatima

Posted by - April 7, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Recent popes have had a special affection for Our Lady of Fatima, but no pope’s connection can match that of St. John Paul II. “We cannot forget that he was saved by Our Lady of Fatima from the assassination attempt here in St. Peter’s. This is fundamental and central. It is

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Pope Francis embraces a girl during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 5. The pope strongly condemned a chemical attack in Syria the previous day that left 70 people dead. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Make room for kindness, not hopeless ‘mafia’ mentality, pope says

Posted by - April 7, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Hope cannot remain hidden within but must break free to overcome vengeful, mafia-like mentalities with mercy and humility, Pope Francis said. Christians must give witness to hope through their lives as Jesus did and make room for him in their hearts to fight evil by doing good to others, even their

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Cross is sign of God’s love, not just a shiny trinket, pope says

Posted by - April 7, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The cross is a sign of God’s love for humankind and not just an emblem of Christianity or a piece of jewelry to display, Pope Francis said. The cross is a symbol of “the power of God who made himself sin to heal us,” and its significance can be lost due

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Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, gives the keynote address March 25 at the Florida Eucharistic Congress in Jacksonville. (CNS photo/Brandon Duncan, St. Augustine Catholic)

Catholics urged to be open to Christ’s miraculous power to transform

Posted by - March 30, 2017

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (CNS) — Drawing on the imagery of the empty jars at the wedding feast at Cana, Archbishop Christophe Pierre challenged Catholics at the 2017 Florida Eucharistic Congress to identify what is missing from their lives and ask Jesus to transform them as he did water to wine. Archbishop Pierre, the apostolic nuncio to

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