News
Pope warns comfortable living ‘paralyzes us’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis warned against "gentrification of the heart" as a consequence of comfortable living, and called on the faithful to "touch the flesh of Christ" by caring for the needy. The pope's words came in a homily during Mass in St. Peter's Square May 12, when he canonized the first Colombian saint, as well as a Mexican nun and some 800 Italians martyred by Ottoman Turks in the 15th century.
Audit shows number of abuse allegations in church dropped in 2012
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The annual audit of diocesan compliance with the U.S. Catholic Church's "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" found a drop in the number of allegations, number of victims and number of offenders reported in 2012. The report found "the fewest allegations and victims reported since the data collection for the annual reports began in 2004." Most allegations reported last year were from the 1970s and 1980s with many of the alleged offenders already deceased or removed from active ministry.
Obama administration won’t seek to block injunction in HHS mandate case
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Obama administration told a federal appellate court May 3 that it would not seek to block an injunction the court had granted in November that had allowed a Christian book publisher to not comply with the contraceptive-coverage mandate of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Tyndale House Publishers, based […]
Increasing number of men pursuing ‘delayed vocation’ to the priesthood
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In the parable of the vineyard in the Gospel of Matthew, "I'm the guy who was hired at 3 o'clock in the afternoon," said Deacon Michael Fragoso. "The promise ended when my wife died," he said, explaining that her death after 31 years of marriage made him a single man again, allowing him to discern what he called a "delayed vocation" to the priesthood. After working as a pediatrician for 24 years in central New Jersey, this summer he will become a priest of the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J.
Pope says Catholics, Coptic Orthodox united by ‘ecumenism of suffering’
"Just as the blood of the martyrs was a seed of strength and fertility for the church, so too the sharing of daily sufferings can become an effective instrument of unity," Pope Francis told Pope Tawadros II, leader of 10 million Coptic Orthodox May 10. The remark appeared to refer to increased violence over recent decades against Coptic Christians in Egypt, including a car bomb that exploded outside a church in Alexandria on New Year's Eve 2011, killing at least 21 people.
At funeral, Bishop McFadden recalled as champion of new evangelization
With a solemn Mass of Christian Burial, faithful from Harrisburg, Philadelphia and beyond filled Holy Name of Jesus Church to offer the ultimate prayer for Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, who died suddenly of a heart attack May 2 while in Philadelphia to attend a meeting of the state’s bishops. A congregation of nearly 2,000 mourners filled the pews and the extra chairs set up for the Mass. Among them were Cardinal Justin Rigali, Archbishop Charles Chaput and other archbishops, bishops, priests, deacons, religious sisters, lay faithful and people from other faith traditions.
Blind singer-pianist says he relies on God to be his eyes
ANNANDALE, Va. (CNS) — Behind all the musical prowess of Carlos Ibay is a young man whose strong connection to the heart of Jesus can be recognized through the many outlets of his ingenuity. It’s evident in his life, his voice and his song. On a recent Sunday, seated high above the congregation in the […]
Blogging Catholic moms share their faith as ‘digital disciples’
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- One of Mary's titles is "Christ's First Disciple," and some of Christ's earliest followers were women. Now some 2,000 years later another special group of women, specifically Catholic moms who blog on the Internet about their faith, the Catholic Church, as well as the joys and challenges of parenthood and everyday family life, can be considered among Christ's newest evangelizers or "digital disciples."
Nun, other activists found guilty of ‘intending to harm’ U.S. security
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- An 83-year-old woman religious and two other peace activists were found guilty May 8 in a federal court for breaking into a nuclear weapon-producing facility and defacing its walls last summer.
Spring cleaning at the Vatican reveals 1494 painting of native Americans
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A little bit of spring cleaning or a much needed renovation can turn up the most unexpected things — especially if you’re sprucing up or digging through the Vatican. Home of hundreds of thousands of artifacts, archived documents, ornate frescoes, plaster niches and underground tombs, it can be heavenly for a […]