News
Male, female differences must be recognized, valued, pope says
Efforts to convince people that the differences between male and female are simply social conventions, which limit individual freedom, ignore the fact that men and women need each other in order to understand themselves, Pope Francis said.
Islamic militants announce plan to transform Mosul church into mosque
According to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Islamic State militants posted notices throughout the city announcing that the Syrian Orthodox Church of St. Ephrem, which they emptied last fall, will reopen soon as the "mosque of the mujahideen" or jihad fighters.
In Syria, Maronite patriarch denounces ‘death of the world’s conscience’
In a homily June 7 at the Maronite Cathedral of St. Anthony in Damascus, Cardinal Bechara Rai also issued a call for peace, "for stopping the war, for political solutions and for the honored return" of the 12 million Syrians who have been uprooted by the country's four-year civil war.
South Sudan churches begin own plan to bring peace to war-torn country
"We wish to inform our leaders, our people and the regional and international community that the church is now taking serious steps to bring about a homegrown solution for peace and reconciliation," the leaders said.
Major Vatican artwork coming to Philadelphia in September
Works of art from the Vatican, some never seen publicly, will be on display just in time for the World Meeting of Families and visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia this September.
Today’s teaching on the family
See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
Clergy assignment changes announced
Archbishop Charles Chaput assigned the 21 newly ordained deacons to archdiocesan parishes, and announced other clergy assignments.
South Korean SUV joins elite popemobile fleet
A new, specially modified Hyundai SUV has joined the elite ranks of the popemobile fleet. The open-roof, white Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi had its debut in St. Peter's Square June 3 during Pope Francis' weekly general audience.
Bus operators coming to see Pope Francis urged to register
UPDATE -- Streets in center city Philadelphia may be closed to traffic during the papal events this September, so all bus trips must be preregistered to obtain bus parking.
Winning altar design announced for papal Mass in Washington
A jury consisting of representatives from the Archdiocese of Washington, the national shrine and The Catholic University of America picked the design of the winning team, featuring Catholic University architecture students Ariadne Cerritelli, from Bethesda, Maryland; Matthew Hoffman, from Pittsburgh; and Joseph Taylor, from Eldersburg, Maryland.