News
Youth Day attendees find it energizing, engaging, chance for fellowship
Nearly 12,800 teens from across the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, neighboring dioceses and beyond kicked off the 2017 Religious Education Congress with Youth Day, held all day Feb. 23.
Fasting: Lent’s spiritual practice creates space for prayer
There is no getting around fasting during Lent. Not only is it one of the three pillars of spiritual practice along with prayer and almsgiving, but it also bookends the period of preparation for Easter.
Situation for Iraqi refugees in Jordan ‘critical and dangerous’
Catholic leaders have expressed concern for tens of thousands of Iraqi Christian refugees sheltering in Jordan as access to international aid tightens with crises deepening in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Prayers planned for Indian Salesian kidnapped last March in Yemen
The priest was kidnapped in Aden, Yemen, March 4, 2016, in an attack in which four Missionaries of Charity and at least 12 others were killed.
Russian Catholics hope for a new springtime for small Byzantine church
One of the smallest Eastern Catholic churches, the Russian Catholic Church, faces big issues, including its survival. Its leaders will meet in June against the backdrop of a historic meeting last year of the pope and the Russian Orthodox patriarch.
Embrace trust in a thirsting, divided world, pastor urges congress
A pastor from Washington urged attendees at the 2017 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress to embrace God's trust in times of political division and turmoil, such as the nation and the world currently are experiencing.
Catholics called to stand against ‘alt-right’ views but seek dialogue
For the truth to win out "we must engage these folks" and the wrong approach is to think that we're "better than" they are, even if they hold views that may be difficult to hear, said Christopher Hale, executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.
Faith can’t grow without temptation, pope tells Rome priests
How faith develops in "a man, in a priest" despite his flaws can be seen in St. Peter, the pope said March 2 as he led a meditation with diocesan and religious clergy.
Papal academies: Bigger threat to planet is greed, not population growth
Increasing threats against biodiversity, unsustainable use of the earth's resources and accelerated extinction rates are driven more by overconsumption and unjust wealth distribution than by the number of people on the planet, a Vatican workshop concluded.
Dutch church leaders speak out against populist shift
Dutch church leaders have signed a petition against the "exploitation of Christianity" by populist politicians in upcoming elections, as the Catholic bishops' conference urged voters to back parties "contributing to the common good."