World News
Strength in adversity: When families are everything
The Catholic Church has long defended the family as the basic unit of society and as a "school of humanity." The family as a bastion of love and protection in times of war and disaster is a reality, not a pious platitude, said two members of the Synod of Bishops.
Cardinal Parolin: Apostolic exhortation on the family could come soon
"I imagine that it won't take long because usually these things should be done in a relatively short time, otherwise it loses its strength a bit, its impact," Cardinal Parolin told Vatican Radio Oct. 28.
Pope: God doesn’t condemn sinners; he weeps, waits for their conversion
God will wait until the final moments of a sinner's life, like he did for the good thief on the cross, who mocked and derided Christ, but then repented and was saved, the pope said in his homily.
Language must change in order to build peace, cardinal says
Expressing everything in terms of balance of power -- the struggles of groups and classes, friends and enemies -- creates fertile ground for social barriers, contempt, even hatred and terrorism and their veiled or open justification.
Church concerned by potential impact of 172-mile canal across Nicaragua
"We have said that it's OK if the canal bring benefits to the people, but the government needs to act with transparency and clarity, because there is not enough information," Bishop Jorge Solorzano Perez.
Rabbi: Openness, humility transform bitter relations into blessings
The improved relations between Jews and Catholics prove that openness and humility can transform even the most poisonous rapport between religions into genuine fraternal respect, a leading rabbi said.
Brazilian priest recalls prayers to Mother Teresa, possible miracle
Brazilian Father Elmiran Ferreira Santos believes that God's hands were leading him when he arrived late one afternoon at his Our Lady of Aparecida Parish and found a grief-stricken parishioner whose husband had been diagnosed with several brain tumors.
Pope calls for prayers, aid after quake hits Pakistan, Afghanistan
"Let us pray for the dead and their relatives, for all those who are wounded and the homeless," he said at the end of his general audience in St. Peter's Square Oct. 28.
World expects believers to work together for peace, pope says
"We can walk together taking care of each other and of creation" in joint projects that fight poverty, war and corruption and help people live in dignity, he told them during a special general audience dedicated to interreligious dialogue.
Integrate migrants by welcoming their contributions, official says
The best way to integrate migrants into a new country is to ensure that they are involved in their host community's social and civic life, a Vatican official said.