News
Two priests murdered in Mexican rectory, victims of apparent robbery
Five suspects, including two minors, were arrested for the stabbing deaths of the parish pastor and vicar Nov. 29. "This assassination -- so violent; as Christians we see that it is nothing good, but we have to also forgive," said the region's archbishop.
In clearest statement to date, pope prays for victims of sex abuse
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In his clearest public reference as pope to the subject of clerical sex abuse, Pope Francis urged bishops to support abuse victims while also reaching out to priests who have "fallen short of their commitments."
Christians must work together to protect religious freedom, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis, in a message to Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, called for increased cooperation among Christians to protect religious freedom and the right to promote Christian values in society without discrimination. There is “an urgent need for effective and committed cooperation among Christians in order to safeguard everywhere the […]
White House, farm advocates mull cuts to SNAP; silence from Congress
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Both the White House and Catholic Rural Life raised the specter of possible huge cuts in funding for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. The Senate's version of the farm bill slices $4 billion over the next 10 years. The House's version would slash nearly $40 billion over the same time period.
Pope meet with Israel’s Netanyahu, discusses Middle East peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel Dec. 2, and discussed prospects for peace in the Middle East and the pope’s still-unscheduled trip to the Holy Land. The two met privately for about 25 minutes in the pope’s library. A statement from the Vatican press office said the […]
Pope Francis declares 2015 dedicated to religious life
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During a three-hour meeting with 120 superiors general of men's religious orders, Pope Francis said the church would make consecrated life its focus in 2015. Consecrated men and women "can wake up the world," the pope said at a closed-door meeting during which he listened to the superiors and responded to their questions.
German bishops eye guidelines for divorced Catholics to take Communion
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Church officials in Germany defended plans by the country's bishops' conference to allow some divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion, insisting they have the pope's endorsement.
Current state of U.S. immigration ‘an offense against God,’ say bishops
SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- In a new pastoral letter "Family Beyond Borders," the bishops of the border region of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico humanize the immigration debate by placing it in a moral context with specific illustrations of struggling children and families.
USCCB evangelization chair, others laud pope’s apostolic exhortation
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel") is winning plenty of praise, and not exclusively in Catholic circles. The pope "is showing us how to live the Gospels and reach out to the world with what every person needs, a relationship with God," said Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wis., chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.
Syrian refugees: Aid agencies adapt, begin plans to resettle some
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- With an estimated 6.5 million Syrians -- one-third of the country's population -- displaced from their homes, aid agencies are scrambling to meet needs that go beyond traditional emergency assistance. Many people are crowding into established cities and towns, taxing services like electricity, water and sewage systems, and overcrowding schools.