News
Sister Miriam Vincent Jafolla, I.H.M., longtime teacher, dies at 91
Sister Miriam Vincent, I.H.M., formerly Madeline Agnes Jaffola, died recently at Camilla Hall, Immaculata, in the 73rd year of her religious life. She was 91 years old. Born in Philadelphia, Sister Miriam entered the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1939 from St. Joachim Parish in Philadelphia, and professed […]
At Chrism Mass, Archbishop Chaput warns Archdiocese of dangers, calls for renewal
Archbishop Charles Chaput said he thought about Philadelphia when he heard Pope Francis say when the Church does not come out from itself and evangelize, it becomes self-referential and sick. “Perhaps the humiliation that we have experienced in the last several years has been in some way God calling us out of that worldly Church to be a humbler Church and be once again an evangelizing Church,” the Archbishop said. There has to be some grace from the humiliation and pain the Church has experienced, he suggested, “a grace that calls us to holiness; a grace that calls us to renewal.”
Same-sex marriage cases may not provide game-changing rules
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As Georgetown University law professor Michael Gottesman put it, the people who lined up outside the Supreme Court for days to be able to watch a legal argument about the validity of same-sex marriage must have been surprised to find half the court's time devoted to debating legal standing, jurisdiction and states' rights versus federalism. Gottesman opened a March 27 panel discussion at the Georgetown Law Center about oral arguments in two cases related to same-sex marriage heard at the court that day and March 26 by observing that both cases may well be decided over legal questions unrelated to marriage.
Choice of Vatican secretary of state seen as key to curia reform
As Pope Francis moves beyond words and gestures to the stage of substantive actions, no decision he makes will be of greater consequence for reform of the church's bureaucracy than his choice of a secretary of state, the Vatican's highest official, who oversees both the internal affairs of the Holy See and its relations with 180 other states.
British Catholic legislators ask pope to relax priestly celibacy rule
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — Twenty-one Catholic members of Parliament have written to Pope Francis to ask him to relax the rule on priestly celibacy for Latin-rite priests. The members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords said in a March 25 letter to the pope that the rule should be changed to […]
Pope urges Catholics to let grace transform, work through them
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholics must allow the grace of their baptism and of the Eucharist to transform their lives and make them instruments of God's grace in the world, Pope Francis said.
At Easter pope calls Christians to be channels of mercy, justice, peace
"Let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish," the pope said after celebrating Easter morning Mass March 31.
In efforts to sell church, Berlin Archdiocese uses eBay
OXFORD, England (CNS) — The Berlin Archdiocese is continuing to try to sell unused churches and even listed a church on eBay. “Virtually every diocese in Germany has sold churches over the past decade, so this is nothing special,” said Stefan Forner, spokesman for the Berlin Archdiocese. “The parish in question was helped by professionals, […]
Catholic Charities, Notre Dame studying how well local programs work
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic Charities USA and researchers at the University of Notre Dame are joining together to study which local social services work best in moving people out of poverty. The effort, which the two organizations describe as an alliance, will identify local programs that might be duplicated elsewhere in the drive to help […]
Pope leads Good Friday liturgy, begins rite in silent prayer, adoration
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Lying prostrate on the floor before the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis celebrated the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion. The pope presided at the service March 29 to commemorate Christ's death on the cross.