News
Sectarian strife scaring Egypt’s Christians into leaving
CAIRO (CNS) -- Mounting sectarian violence in Egypt is pushing tens of thousands of Egyptian Christians to look for security abroad, say Christian community members, church leaders and aid workers.
Central African Republic church leaders ask world to help restore order
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- Church leaders in the Central African Republic appealed for international help in restoring order after a wave of attacks on Catholic clergy and churches. "Parishes, churches and communities of nuns have been pillaged and ransacked by rebel units, losing their cars and other possessions," said Msgr. Cyriaque Gbate Doumalo, secretary-general of the Catholic bishops' conference. "We appeal to the international community not to forget us, but to help restore peace and security."
Korean Bishop: North Korea’s threats might aim to increase aid, preserve pride
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- The head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea said North Korea's recent threats of aggression may be an attempt to shore up foreign aid while preserving pride. "It is our presumption that they wish to draw out some financial assistance from abroad without conceding their pride or self-esteem," said Bishop Peter Kang U-Il of Cheju, South Korea. His fellow bishops "feel very sorry" that tension provoked by North Korean threats are making "the whole world very uncomfortable and anxious."
Demographic shifts mean Europe no longer Catholic Church’s center
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- The election of Pope Francis, an Argentine, to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics confirms what observers have long known: Vast demographic shifts in the Catholic population are reconfiguring the face of the church and shifting the institution's center from its historic European heartland. What that means for the church remains unknown, but Europeans who have long viewed themselves as Catholicism's traditional guardians are likely to find they will have to share that role with others.
God’s love is source of salvation, dignity, hope, pope says at Mass
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God's love is the source of salvation, true dignity and hope, Pope Francis said in a brief homily at his morning Mass. "It's beautiful to believe in love. This is the truth, the truth of our lives," he said at Mass April 10 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse where he has been living since his election in March.
Being Christian means acting, loving like Christ, pope says at audience
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Christian isn’t a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, “act like him, love like him,” Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience. (See the text of the pope’s address.) More than 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for […]
Archdiocese announces clergy assignment changes
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput announced the following four appointments April 10, effective as noted.
Eight students awarded scholarships from St. John Vianney Parish
Parishioners from St. John Vianney Parish in Gladwyne presented a $3,000 a year scholarship April 4 to Naybria Brown, an eighth grade student from St. Martin de Porres School in Philadelphia. The scholarship will enable Brown to attend any archdiocesan high school for all four years.
Canada’s bishops issue ‘call to action’ on environment
OTTAWA, Ontario (CNS) -- The Canadian Catholic bishops' justice and peace commission is encouraging reflection and action on recent church teaching on the environment. "Having an overarching vision of God's purpose in creation and the rightful place of human beings in creation allows us to see the interconnectedness between different moral questions," said Bishop Donald Bolen of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, a member of the commission.
Archbishop hopes release of abuse records help victims, families heal
ST. FRANCIS, Wis. (CNS) -- The Archdiocese of Milwaukee announced April 3 that it will publicly release approximately 3,000 pages of documents that contain details about clergy sexual abuse and will post them to the archdiocesan website by July 1.