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
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
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,
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
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
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
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
MOTHER MARGARITA’S experience of Christ the Redeemer was the driving force behind her mission. I am sure that if we even came close to understanding the immensity of the Redemption: Life, Death and Resurrection of Jesus, we would be holy people ourselves, and sainthood would not elude us. But Mother Margarita not only possessed a
