News
Pope, synod join in prayers for peace in Middle East
Gathered with a worldwide representation of bishops, including patriarchs and other bishops from the Middle East, Pope Francis dedicated the morning prayer of the Synod of Bishops on the family to pleas for peace in the Middle East.
Nuncio asks Arkansas governor to commute death sentences for eight men
The nuncio released the letter Oct. 7 in light of the execution dates set by the governor. Pope Francis and Little Rock Bishop Anthony B. Taylor have recently spoken about the Catholic Church's teaching against capital punishment.
Sentencing reforms working their way through Congress, but slowly
In the past 20 years under harsh federal sentencing guidelines meant to combat the war on drugs, gripes about the military-industrial complex gave way to concerns about a prison-industrial complex.
Pope’s remarks seen as a road map of urgent actions for U.N. to take
Speakers at an Oct. 7 side event hosted by the Holy See's permanent observer to the U.N. said the organization's top priorities must be nuclear disarmament and the protection of civilians in conflict areas.
Philippines latest Asian nation to stand in for Australia on refugees
Asia's most Catholic country, the Philippines, is poised to burnish its reputation as the most refugee-friendly nation in Asia as it prepares to ink a deal with Australia to take in as many as 1,000 refugees from the controversial Manus Island detention center in Papua New Guinea.
Many prayers and dollars help Francis Fund ‘undo the knots of poverty’
The Knotted Grotto at the cathedral in Philadelphia is coming down but it will live on at two new Project HOME residences in the city, thanks to $1.4 million raised to honor Pope Francis' commitment to the poor.
Families need homilies connecting Gospel to real life, observer says
Catholics, she said, want their priest "to cover real facts of what's happening in the family and how important the family is today."
Ugandan bishops ask Catholics to prepare spiritually for papal visit
"The nature of this visit is primarily pastoral and spiritual," the bishops said in a letter signed by Archbishop John Baptist Odama of Gulu, president of the Uganda Episcopal Conference.
French court dismisses genocide charges against priest; Rwanda not happy
"This decision lays bare a French court which claims to be independent, but merely serves as protector of a political and military class whose role led to the genocide," it said.
More open approach at synod can ease fear of manipulation, cardinal says
Greater emphasis on small-group discussions and incorporating that work into the synod's final draft document is helping alleviate any suspicion of the synod being manipulated, said one of the four synod presidents.