News
CLINIC marks 25 years of helping immigrants through church agencies
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Like it was yesterday, Vanna Slaughter pulls from memory the details of what was happening when Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., known as CLINIC, was created -- 25 years ago. When the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference established CLINIC as a legal services adjunct to the more policy-focused Migration and Refugee Services, the immediate goal was to provide legal support to Catholic agencies that were assisting with a new immigration law that was helping millions of people legalize their status.
For Jesuit, Syrian war is professional challenge, personal heartache
Jesuit Father Nawras Sammour works in Damascus, Syria, for Jesuit Refugee Service and he was born in Aleppo, where his mother, brother and sister still live. Tens of thousands of Syrians have died and millions have been displaced in more than two years of fighting between President Bashar Assad's government and rebels seeking his resignation. "Sometimes I can't believe we Syrians have reached that level of violence," Father Sammour said. "I'm shocked. Shocked. We need to step back and realize that we went too far."
Vatican’s U.N. observer stresses need to eradicate world hunger
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Finding a solution to the "ongoing scandal" of worldwide hunger should be a top priority, said the Vatican's representative to the United Nations. Addressing a U.N. General Assembly meeting on sustainable development goals May 23, Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt urged the U.N. to find "sustainable models of food security and nutrition" to end hunger for nearly 1 billion people worldwide particularly when the international community can "produce sufficient food for every human being."
Father Greeley, sociologist and best-selling author, dies at 85
CHICAGO (CNS) -- Father Andrew Greeley, a Chicago archdiocesan priest and well-known novelist, journalist and sociologist, died late May 29 at his home in Chicago's John Hancock Center. He was 85 years old.
Vatican bank head says reputation needs more work than operations do
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the popular imagination, the Vatican bank is so shady that even the German businessman appointed its president in February thought his task would be “cleaning out and dealing with improper deposits.” But Ernst von Freyberg, president of the Institute for the Works of Religion, the formal title of the […]
Graduate School of Theology confers degrees on laity, religious
More than 30 lay people and religious sisters received degrees or certificates at graduation ceremonies May 25 of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Graduate School of Theology and Program of Catholic Studies.
On the hills of the West Bank, building the good life for Palestinians
RAWABI, West Bank (CNS) — About 20 minutes from the Palestinian economic hub of Ramallah, the new city of Rawabi is sprouting on a rocky hillside. Visitors sense pride as young professionals work on the first Palestinian city built with a master plan and the first new Palestinian city to rise up among the scattered […]
U.S. bishops’ second annual Fortnight for Freedom to be June 21-July 4
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops' second annual Fortnight for Freedom -- a period of prayer and fasting to raise awareness of challenges to religious liberty, both nationally and internationally -- is planned for June 21 to July 4. The website www.Fortnight4Freedom.org has details of fortnight events and suggested activities for parishes and families, as well as fact sheets, educational resources and suggested prayers for the observance.
Belgian bishops welcome court condemnation of 2010 cathedral raid
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- The Belgian Catholic bishops' conference has welcomed judicial condemnation of a 2010 police raid on the cathedral and residence of Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Mechelen-Brussels. On May 28, Belgium's Court of Cassation condemned the June 24, 2010, raid, during which documents were seized and the tombs of two cardinals were pried open. The raid occurred during a bishops' plenary meeting, and the bishops were held all day as police confiscated cell phones, documents and computers.
Cardinal Wuerl, co-author examine why Catholics call churches home
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In their book "The Mass: The Glory, the Mystery, the Tradition," co-authors Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Mike Aquilina wrote about the Mass, the place "where heaven meets earth" as Catholics receive Christ in the Eucharist and then are called to go forth and bring Christ to the world.