News

Cause opens for Florida martyrs who proclaimed faith ‘at all cost’

The outdoor Mass and opening of the sainthood cause for 86 Florida martyrs -- known as Antonio Cuipa and Companions -- was celebrated Oct. 12, just east of Tallahassee, the site of what will become the Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Martyrs.

‘Nostra Aetate’ at 50: The ‘Magna Carta’ of interreligious dialogue

Representatives of the world's religions gathered in Rome to commemorate and reflect on the 50th anniversary of "Nostra Aetate," the Second Vatican Council's declaration on relations with other religions.

Wanted: More exorcists to meet demands in Philippines

"These days we have around 80 to 100 cases at any given time," Father Jose Francisco "Jocis" Syquia, chief exorcist at the Archdiocese of Manila Office of Exorcism, told Catholic News Service.

What does the Philippine church look for in a potential exorcist?

Dominican Father Winston Cabading, a Manila exorcist, said in early training sessions with potential exorcists, they found priests from provincial dioceses had brought in psychics whose gifts for detecting spirits did not appear to have come from the Holy Spirit.

Irish-born actress Maureen O’Hara dies; was icon of golden age of movies

Maureen O'Hara, one of the last icons of the golden age of movies, died Oct. 24 in Boise. She was 95. A lifelong Catholic and native of Ireland, she moved to Boise in 2012 to be close to her grandson.

House bill holds up federal funds for Planned Parenthood for a year

The provision is part of a reconciliation bill -- H.R. 3762 -- that voids some major provisions of the Obama administration's Affordable Care Law.

Energetic Georgia priest wins Catholic Extension’s Lumen Christi Award

The construction of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Ray City, scheduled to be dedicated in March, is a dream come true for Catholics in this area of southern Georgia near Valdosta in the Savannah Diocese.

Peruvian-based Catholic movement pledges inquiry after claims of abuse

The allegations were described in a new book, "Mitad Monjes, Mitad Soldados" ("Half Monks, Half Soldiers"), by Pedro Salinas, a former member of Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, who interviewed about 30 other former members.

Bishops from around the world plead for climate change action

The presidents of the U.S. and Canadian bishops' conferences joined leaders of the regional bishops' conferences of Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania and Europe in signing an appeal for government leaders to reach a "fair, legally binding and truly transformational climate agreement" at a summit in Paris.

Hospice patients teach a lot about facing death, doctor says

Dying patients, in the view of a doctor working 40 years in hospices, can teach lessons of trust and gratitude. They offer four gifts: the opportunity to say "I'm sorry," "I love you," "thank you" and "goodbye, I'll be OK."