News
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.”
National meeting in Philadelphia explores poverty before papal visit
Before Pope Francis’ visit to Philadelphia this September, his message of greater solidarity with poor people was the subject of two-day conference last week in Philadelphia, launching a year-long effort.
U.S. priest lives with ‘suffering Christ’ at U.N. base in South Sudan
Behind the blue-helmeted U.N. soldiers ringing the periphery, their tanks and heavy weapons pointed outward, Maryknoll Father Mike Bassano's parish is a tightly packed maze of tents and tarpaulins filled with people hiding from war.
Pope Francis to meet Raul Castro ahead of Cuba visit
The meeting between the pope and Castro will take place "in a strictly private manner" in the study of the Paul VI audience hall, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said May 5.
Pope: Marriage is brave promise to love like Jesus, not showy ceremony
Marriage is an act of faith between a man and woman who are both fragile and limited, but courageous enough to follow Christ and seek to love each other as he loves them, the pope said May 6 during his general audience in St. Peter's Square.
Baltimore prays for peace, progress in addressing systemic injustices
The calls for prayer followed hours of rioting and looting the night of April 27-28 that rocked West Baltimore. The violence came in response to the death of Freddie Gray, who died April 19, a week after he was seriously injured while in police custody.
Jordan faces shortfall in aid to support 1.4 million Syrian refugees
With no end in sight to the Syrian conflict, now in its fifth year, officials are calling the situation critical. So far this year, Jordan has received only 7.2 percent of $2.9 billion needed for services to Syrian refugees and host communities.
In paintings, Syrian artist shows the pain war has caused his country
At a recent exhibit, his oil on acrylic works ranged from depictions of damaged church and mosque mosaics, to a broken icon of Mary and a refugee woman forced into servitude by the need to survive.
Archbishop cites Olympic champion, says migrants should not be feared
Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, vice president of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, held up Mo Farah as an example of why migrants should not be feared, saying his life was a "wonderful story of optimism and hope."
Vatican unveils logo, prayer, details of Holy Year of Mercy
The Holy Year of Mercy will be an opportunity to encourage Christians to meet people's "real needs" with concrete assistance, to experience a "true pilgrimage" on foot, and to send "missionaries of mercy" throughout the world to forgive even the most serious of sins, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella.