News
Bruised, not broken: Pope encourages Colombians to pursue peace
Pope Francis said he had no magic words or special recipes for Colombians seeking peace, but rather he wanted to listen to them, learn from them and travel a bit of the road with them.
N.Y. court ruling that upholds ban on physician-assisted suicide welcomed
The director of pro-life activities for the New York State Catholic Conference applauded the state's highest court for unanimously determining that the state constitution does not include a fundamental right to physician-assisted suicide.
Irma weakens at it heads north, but leaves path of destruction
The massive hurricane was forecast to die out over southern states later in the week. Officials in Florida and across the Caribbean, meanwhile, started to dig out and evaluate the full scope of the disaster Irma left behind.
Church leaders, including from U.S., pray for victims of quake
At the end of Mass in Villavicencio, Colombia, Sept. 8, Pope Francis prayed "for all the people who are suffering because of the earthquake last night in Mexico."
Manila cardinal asks churches to ring bells to remember drug-war deaths
In a letter dated Sept. 8, Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle again called attention to the sustained killings of mostly poor people, either in police anti-drug operations or unexplained deaths that human rights groups have called vigilante murders.
In Caribbean Colombia, Jesuits try to continue legacy of St. Peter Claver
Afro-Colombian communities live in the periphery of Cartagena, in shabby barrios with rutted roads, inadequate city services and ocean access coveted by developers wishing to evict them from their lands to build hotels.
In Cartagena, pope prays for Venezuela, denounces modern slavery
At the Church of St. Peter Claver, a saint venerated throughout the Americas as a champion of human rights, Pope Francis offered special prayers for Venezuela and its people suffering in the midst of a huge political and economic crisis.
Look for vocations in imperfect places, pope tells Colombians
Pope Francis called on Catholics to find their future priests and religious in rough and imperfect places. People from such places, he told an audience of priests, seminarians and religious, were indispensable for promoting peace and reconciliation in a country such as Colombia.
Cardinal DiNardo offers prayers for those in path of Hurricane Irma
"As the people off the Gulf Coast just begin to sift through the damage brought by Hurricane Harvey, our nation, tragically, must attempt to comprehend the approach of Hurricane Irma," he said in a statement Sept. 9.
At final Mass in Colombia, pope calls for change of culture
Pope Francis capped a five-day trip to Colombia with a call for culture change in a country attempting to pursue a path of peace and reconciliation after decades of armed conflict and centuries of social exclusion.