News
Priest’s presence seen as comfort for Kennedys upon return from Dallas
One Youngstown diocesan priest, the late Father Robert Brengartner, was present to meet the Kennedy family when they returned from Dallas to what was then called the Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington.
Pope prays for peace, full religious freedom for all in Middle East
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- After a two-hour private meeting with the patriarchs and major archbishops of the Eastern Catholic churches, Pope Francis prayed for peace and full religious freedom throughout the Middle East.
In Central African Republic, thousands turn to bishop for protection
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- More than 35,000 people are living on the 40-acre diocesan compound in Bossangoa, Central African Republic, seeking protection from rebels who are targeting Christians, said the local bishop.
Convicted murderer executed for ‘merciless’ violence ‘fueled by hate’
ST. LOUIS (CNS) -- The state of Missouri executed convicted murderer Joseph P. Franklin Nov. 20, after two federal judges had issued stays of execution that were reversed by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Quality of life depends on loving care, not just medicine, speakers say
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More people live longer, but their quality of life may actually worsen because too often the elderly are not respected and, when they get ill, they may be abandoned, said speakers at a Vatican conference.
‘The hungry need to be heard,’ Georgia bishops tell Congress
SAVANNAH, Ga. (CNS) -- Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory and Savannah Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer called on lawmakers in Washington to listen to the needs of the hungry at home and abroad as they negotiate the 2013 farm bill. At stake are "programs that help the hungry here at home and abroad," they wrote in a newspaper.
Video captures sight of massive twister, family’s prayers for safety
WASHINGTON, Ill. (CNS) -- Viewers around the world have been captivated and inspired by both the sight and the sound of a 54-second video shot through a basement window by Anthony Khoury, 21, as a massive tornado devastated his Washington neighborhood Nov. 17.
Texas abortion law stays in place; New Mexico rejects late-term abortion ban
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Nov. 19 to allow Texas to continue enforcing abortion restrictions. The justices ruled to leave in place a provision requiring doctors who perform abortions in clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.
Memoir recalls bishop writing, delivering Kennedy eulogy
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Auxiliary Bishop Philip Hannan of Washington was a close friend and confidant of President John F. Kennedy, but he had kept that friendship secret. Then he was called upon to deliver the eulogy at the funeral Mass for the country's first Catholic president, killed by an assassin in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963. "My own grieving ... would have to wait," wrote then-retired New Orleans Archbishop Hannan in his 2010 memoir. "First lady Jacqueline Kennedy had asked that I deliver the eulogy for her husband -- and my friend."
Vatican, Google team up to bring ancient Christian catacombs to light
Using advanced laser techniques, restorers have uncovered vivid late fourth-century frescoes inside a Roman complex of early Christian tombs depicting Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and SS. Peter and Paul accompanying Christians into the afterlife. Jesus' face resembles portraits of the Emperor Constantine, who legalized Christian worship exactly 1,700 years ago.