News
Pope says relativistic ideas of marriage lead to divorce
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said contemporary ideas of marriage as an arrangement defined by personal needs promote a mentality of divorce, and he called for better preparation of engaged couples as well as ministry to Catholics whose marriages have failed.
New study on abortion rate doesn’t tie drop to new state restrictions
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Almost two weeks after the national March for Life rally in Washington, the Guttmacher Institute reported a 13 percent drop in national abortion rates from 2008 to 2011 -- making for the lowest rate since 1973 when abortion on demand was legalized in the U.S.
From tarps to steel roofs: Filipinos move to transitional shelters
TANAUAN, Philippines (CNS) -- Two-week-old Jesse Awa did not seem to mind the sound of loud hammering and saw blades cutting through wood as he slept peacefully, snuggled in his mother's arms. Just a few feet away, carpenters worked under a hot midday sun constructing a new home, albeit temporary, for his family.
Syrians fleeing to Jordan say Homs residents starving from lack of food
MAFRAQ, Jordan (CNS) -- Syrians fleeing to neighboring Jordan from the besieged central city of Homs said some people there are starving to death for lack of food. "People are dying of hunger especially, babies and young children," said Um Mohamed, the mother of four children, who fled with her family to this northern Jordanian town in mid-2013.
USCCB initiative fosters young leaders for church’s social justice work
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Nearly 70 students from Catholic colleges worldwide came to Washington for the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering's Youth Leaders Initiative. Both the annual gathering, held this year Feb. 2-5, and the initiative are projects of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Six agencies of the USCCB sponsor the gathering with 15 other Catholic organizations.
College leaders urged to learn from students’ social media use
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- It's probably no surprise to anyone in academia that their students are very comfortable navigating their way around social media. What they may not have seriously considered is taking a page, online of course, from their students' use of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Archbishop warns against any ‘affiliation, support’ for abortion clinic
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Faced with the looming construction of a multimillion-dollar, regional abortion facility by Planned Parenthood Gulf South, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond has cautioned local Catholics and businesses they would be "cooperating with the evil that will take place" at the clinic if they participated in its preparation or construction.
Legionaries of Christ elect new leaders, apologize to founder’s victims
ROME (CNS) -- Representatives of the Legionaries of Christ, meeting to reform their troubled congregation nearly four years after it was effectively taken over by the Vatican, announced a new slate of leaders and formally apologized to victims of their disgraced founder.
Chester County Catholic school shelters residents without power
Pope John Paul II Regional Catholic School in West Brandywine opened its doors as an emergency shelter Feb. 5 and 6 for people who lost electricity and heat in their homes due to the ice storm that tore through the region Tuesday night.
Villanova U and Rosemont College lose power, shut campuses
The two Catholic colleges on the Main Line succumbed to the ice storm Wednesday, Feb. 5 that left the campuses without power or heat, along with more than half a million PECO residents in the Philadelphia region. The schools will remain closed through Friday while emergency generators provide a minimum of comfort.