News
Philadelphia priest visits North Korea as silent ‘apostle of peace’
Pope Francis thanked an 81-year-old Maryknoll priest from West Philadelphia for his 51 trips to the country where religion is prohibited and few outsiders are permitted. Father Gerard Hammond brings medicines and wordless witness in an "apostolate of presence."
Pope phones family of slain U.S. journalist
Pope Francis called relatives of the late James Foley in a "long and intense" conversation Aug. 21 to console them for their loss and assure them of his prayers. Foley was killed by Islamic State militants in Syria.
Ebola, war or disaster: how, when global service groups decide to flee
When the Peace Corps announced in late July that it was evacuating its 340 volunteers from the three West African countries most affected by the Ebola virus, the action was far from a panic-driven decision, but instead followed a protocol.
As battles rage, Catholics in Ukraine request Independence Day prayers
As Ukrainians prepared to mark their Aug. 24 Independence Day under the cloud of fierce fighting in the East, Catholic leaders condemned the threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity and prayed for a speedy end to the hostilities.
Judge OKs ban on doctors prescribing abortion drugs via video system
An Iowa judge Aug. 19 upheld a state medical board's ban on a first-in-the-nation videoconferencing system that allows physicians in different locations to dispense abortion-inducing drugs to women in rural clinics.
Holy Cross School grads invited to gala
The Catholic school in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia will host its homecoming event Saturday, Sept. 13 beginning with Mass and followed by dinner and special events, all to benefit the school's scholarship fund.
At Mass, archbishop outlines steps to ‘dismantle systemic racism’
ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- With the strife and violence continuing in the aftermath of Michael Brown's shooting death by a police officer in Ferguson, more than 500 St. Louis Catholics gathered for a votive Mass for peace and justice Aug. 20 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis.
Catholic Church remains in dialogue with Muslims, bishops say
The U.S. bishops' Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs said the Catholic Church remains committed to dialogue with leaders of other religions and Muslims in particular.
Catholic, Orthodox patriarchs visit Irbil to support displaced Iraqis
A delegation of Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs visited Irbil, Iraq, to show their support and solidarity with the more than 100,000 Christians and minorities displaced in the country by the advance of Islamist militants.
Cardinal tells pope about the hopes and trials of the displaced in Iraq
Cardinal Fernando Filoni said Pope Francis "was really taken" by the cardinal's description of Christians and other minorities forced from their homes in northwestern Iraq by militias belonging to the Islamic State terrorist group -- watch a video on the issue.