News
Compassion, sharing, Eucharist: Steps on the path to heaven, pope says
Going forward for Communion at Mass, Catholics must do so with a desire to imitate Jesus' compassion for others and with a commitment to sharing what they have, Pope Francis said.
Archbishop says he won’t resign, points to progress on abuse claims
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis said the archdiocese has made significant progress in improving procedures for addressing sexual abuse claims and he will not resign over past missteps on such cases.
Pope lifts suspension of Father D’Escoto, former Sandinista official
Pope Francis has lifted the suspension of Maryknoll Father Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, who was ordered 29 years ago to stop exercising his priestly ministry because he refused to give up his political position in Nicaragua's Sandinista government.
Sign of peace at Mass: Vatican says it stays put, but urges education
In 2005, members of a synod of bishops formally questioned whether the sign of peace should be placed elsewhere in the Mass, for example at the end of the prayer of the faithful and before the offering of the gifts.
Cleric blames surge of rapes in India on pornography, loss of values
Two rapes have been reported every hour for the last 13 years in India, and the rate of sexual violence is rising despite protests. Activists say many cases go unreported because of stigmatization and intimidation by culprits.
Church workers fight fear, myths as Ebola worsens in Sierra Leone
It is hard for people in Sierra Leone not to lose hope as the death toll rises to 729 in three West African countries and worldwide fear grows over the worst Ebola outbreak on record, said the head of Caritas in the Archdiocese of Freetown, Sierra Leone.
With focus on Gaza, Islamists can kill at will in Iraq, Anglican cleric says
Some Christian leaders working in Iraq feel that brutal Islamist militants are literally getting away with murder, now that the world's attention is focused on Gaza's increasingly desperate situation.
Desperation of people in Gaza spurs violence, church leaders say
Israeli and Hamas leaders should use binoculars so they could see that "most of your victims are innocent people," said Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, president of Caritas Internationalis, adding that reconciliation requires recognizing each other as human beings.
Happily married to Jesus
Dozens of women from across the United States who have vowed their virginity as spouses of Christ discussed their lives and unique roles as consecrated virgins, and what it means for the Catholic Church.
Some seeds take time to cultivate
Deacon Michael Pascarella, who has been named to lead the permanent diaconate ministry in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, hesitated when he heard God’s call to ordained ministry as a child, as a young man, and as a family man. Then he answered, and by grace, his life and ministry are full.