News

In Turkey, pope will tour crossroads of Christian Europe and Muslim Middle East

During prayers with Orthodox Christian leaders and meetings with Turkish government officials, Pope Francis will also visit Istanbul's Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia Museum, a masterpiece once regarded as the finest church of the Christian Byzantine Empire.

What Mission Sunday Mass revealed about the church today

Archbishop Charles Chaput celebrated the annual Mass on Sunday at which he spoke about the dearth of people going to church and what that means for today’s missionaries – lay and religious – passing on the faith to the next generations.

Presentation on baptism

Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Warminster, Bucks County, will host the talk, “Baptism: More Than a Bath and Party” on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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.”

Catholics learn to use digital media for parish communications

The Digital Church Conference held Oct. 18 at St. Joseph's University urged participants to improve the parish website, since people visit it before visiting the church or school. Catholic communication, said a speaker, "should lead to communion."

Pope beatifies Blessed Paul VI, the ‘great helmsman’ of Vatican II

Beatifying Blessed Paul VI at the concluding Mass of the Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis praised the late pope as the "great helmsman" of the Second Vatican Council and founder of the synod, as well as a "humble and prophetic witness of love for Christ and his church."

Seeking the common good and avoiding polarization in Catholic media

Pope Francis' call to Christians to examine and reconsider the way they treat others brings challenges for Catholic publications in combatting polarization within the church, said a panel of editors and publishers Oct. 16.

Synod ends by affirming tradition, leaving controversial questions open

Ater several days of animated debate over its official midterm report, the Synod of Bishops on the family agreed on a final document more clearly grounded in traditional Catholic teaching. Yet the assembly failed to reach consensus on especially controversial questions of Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried and the pastoral care of homosexuals.

Archbishop Kurtz urges more transparency at next family synod

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, said the October 2015 world Synod of Bishops on the family should return to the practice of previous synods in publishing participants' interventions, for the benefit of their discussions and the information of the outside world.

Synod of Bishops sends message of encouragement to traditional families

On its last day of business, the Synod of Bishops on the family approved and released a three-page message expressing solidarity with Christian families around the world.