News
Mary’s life is a lesson in trusting God, pope says
Imitating Mary's life of humility and gratitude, men and women in the church must place complete trust in God's will and not in material possessions or intellectual prowess, Pope Francis said.
Aid slowly makes its way to thousands of Haitians displaced by hurricane
The number of deaths reached 1,000 on Oct. 9, five days after the storm's 145-mile-an-hour winds and torrential rains slammed into the country, according to a tally by Reuters based on conversations with local officials.
Miami Archdiocese calls for prayers, prepares to help hurricane victims
UPDATED -- As Hurricane Matthew headed up Florida's Atlantic coast, it largely spared Miami and its environs. Storm surge flooding along the coast and into South Carolina prompted school closures through Oct. 10.
Archbishop points to ‘troublesome’ misuses of pope’s teaching on family
"While the exhortation does not contain any change in church teaching regarding marriage and family life, some have used 'Amoris Laetitia' in ways that do not correspond with the church's teaching tradition," Archbishop Sample wrote.
Off the beaten path: Pope looks far afield for new cardinals
Choosing new members of the College of Cardinals, Pope Francis once again looked to countries and particularly to dioceses that were not and never had been represented in the body that advises the pope and bears responsibility for electing his successor.
Pope names 17 new cardinals from 11 countries, including three from U.S.
Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, Archbishop Joseph Tobin of Indianapolis and Bishop Kevin Farrell, prefect of the new Vatican office for laity, family and life, will become cardinals Nov. 19, Pope Francis announced.
Hyde Amendment has a bipartisan past but a cloudy future
The amendment does more than bar the federal government from funding abortions through Medicaid -- although not everything pro-lifers may wish it could do -- and with the amendment's 40th anniversary just passed, it may do well to remember how it all came about.
Polish church vows to continue push for stricter abortion controls
Poland's Catholic Church has reiterated support for stricter pro-life controls, after parliamentarians voted down a law that would have sent aborting mothers to jail.
Catholics called to be active in the public square, live faith fearlessly
Followers of Christ "do not walk into the voting booth by themselves, but "do it in him and with him," Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted told those at a Mass celebrated before a legislative seminar on "Catholics in the Public Square."
Entire parish, not just a committee, must offer hospitality, says speaker
There's no doubt Catholic parishes have a lot to learn from their Protestant neighbors about how to throw out the welcome mat for people who perhaps have not darkened the door of a Catholic church in many years, if ever.