News
Pope restricts use of old Mass by Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis' order restricting the use of the pre-Vatican II Latin Mass in communities of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate addresses problems within the religious order and does not contradict retired Pope Benedict XVI's permission for wider use of the old Mass throughout the church, the Vatican spokesman said.
Bishop apologizes for sexual abuse of students at two Scottish schools
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- The bishop of Aberdeen, Scotland, has apologized for the abuse of children at two Catholic schools in Scotland over a 30-year period.
Senate confirms Hackett, retired CRS leader, as ambassador to Vatican
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Ken Hackett, retired president of Catholic Relief Services, received Senate confirmation Aug. 1 as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
West Chester parish hosting Alpha Course this fall
SS. Simon and Jude Parish in West Chester is hosting the Alpha Course, an adult education program, on Thursday evenings this fall at the Meehan Center, 8 Cavanaugh Court, located on the lower level of the church just off Rt. 352 and West Chester Pike. Find the answers to questions such as: Do you feel […]
Speaking of divorce, pope refers to practice of Orthodox churches
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Pope Francis spoke to journalists about the need for a stronger Catholic pastoral approach to marriage and to divorced people, he made a parenthetical reference to how the Orthodox churches handle the breakup of marriages differently. "The Orthodox have a different practice," he told reporters July 28. The Orthodox "follow the theology of 'oikonomia' (economy or stewardship), as they call it, and give a second possibility; they permit" a second marriage.
Pope denounces ‘poison’ of consumerism in ‘society based on profit’
Young people witness the "emptiness of meaning and values that surrounds them. And they, unfortunately, pay the consequences," Pope Francis said before leading the Angelus Aug. 4 in St. Peter's Square. "True wealth is the love of God, shared with one's brothers, that love that comes from God and makes us share among ourselves, and makes us help one another," he said.
Motherly tenderness: Pope says Church must embody, mirror God’s mercy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Mercy is a word Pope Francis uses often, and an attitude he believes the Catholic Church must embody and all Catholics must mirror. “This is the time for mercy,” Pope Francis told reporters July 28 during his flight back to Rome from Brazil. “The church is mother and must follow the […]
Pro-lifers hope North Carolina law leads to day when all choose life
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CNS) -- A new law that tightens regulations on North Carolina's 16 abortion clinics, bans abortions based on the child's gender, and expands conscience protections for health care providers is to go into effect Oct. 1. Signed into law by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory July 29, the legislation requires the state's Department of Health and Human Services to adopt procedures making abortion clinics conform to similar safety standards as outpatient surgery centers -- the first regulatory overhaul for abortion clinics since 1994.
Against the tide: the pope rallies a counterculture
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Of the many strands of continuity between the pontificates of Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI, none is clearer than their common conviction that Christian faith puts the believer at odds with the materialist "idols" of today's secular society.
Pope writes to world’s Muslims at end of Ramadan, urges mutual respect
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As a sign of his "esteem and friendship," Pope Francis said he personally wanted to write this year's Vatican message to Muslims about to celebrate the end of their monthlong Ramadan fast. The pope's message, released by the Vatican Aug. 2, focused on the need for Catholics and Muslims to promote respect for one another, especially through the way they educate their youth.