News
Conclaves: Vatican Library official shares interesting, strange facts
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Ambrogio Piazzoni, vice prefect of the Vatican Library and author of the book, "History of Papal Elections," shared facts and curiosities with journalists at the Vatican Feb. 20.
Canonist explains ‘rigid, highly formal’ rules for electing pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The voting by cardinals to elect the next pope takes place behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, following a highly detailed procedure that underwent major revisions by Blessed John Paul II and a small, but very significant change, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Twelve to watch as cardinals gather in Rome
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Wherever journalists and bookmakers may be getting the names on their lists of top candidates for the next pope, it's not from the cardinals who will actually vote in the election. Both custom and canon law forbid the cardinals to discuss the matter in such detail with outsiders. Moreover, the true "papabili" -- literally, pope-ables -- are likely to emerge only after all the worlds' cardinals -- not just the 117 who will be under 80 and eligible to vote -- begin meeting at the Vatican in the coming days.
Milan cardinal’s theological expertise is focused on culture, family
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Angelo Scola of Milan is a tweeting, intellectual archbishop deeply concerned about the negative impact modern culture is having on the faith lives of Christians. He also is convinced that Christian values have the potential to build societies that are more virtuous and more respectful of the rights of all.
Canon law sets specific steps to follow before a parish can be closed
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Rarely is closing a parish easy. Even though the task has been undertaken countless times in the history of the U.S. Catholic Church as neighborhoods change and faith communities evolve, the process has received wider attention in recent years as the number of closings has escalated, prompted by changing demographics, fewer priests […]
Catholic Charities Appeal launches with goal to ‘transform reality’ via annual fund drive
The reality is, human needs abound in any community. In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia those needs include shelter for those without a home, care for special-needs people, a safe environment for children after school, and many others. Charity – the material outreach of love – can transform those realities and improve the human condition.
To reach youths who have drifted from church, go ‘where they are’
OMAHA, Neb. (CNS) — Todd Christensen can’t really pinpoint when he started to drift away from the Catholic Church. Growing up, the 27-year-old attended Mass with his family and religious education classes at St. Leo the Great Parish in Omaha. But like so many young adult Catholics, that changed after high school when Christensen moved […]
US House passes bill to help storm-ravaged houses of worship rebuild
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Many churches "were the only shelter available to people who lost their homes" during Hurricane Sandy, said Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., in arguing for federal assistance to help houses of worship still trying to recover from the storm. On Feb. 13, the House of Representatives passed a bill in a 354-72 vote that will allow Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster funding to go to churches, synagogues, temples, mosques and other houses of worship.
Austrian cardinal-theologian known for patient pastoral approach
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Since his installation as Vienna's archbishop in 1995, Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn has weathered several major storms with his patient pastoral approach. Whether it was the controversy of clergy dissenting over church teachings, massive parish closings or the scandal of clerical sex abuse, the 68-year-old theologian is quick to wield his diplomatic and administrative abilities and create an atmosphere of openness and dialogue.
Cardinal Sandri on those who doubt church: ‘We must prove them wrong’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, 69, may have very little direct pastoral experience, but remarks he made to a group of U.S. bishops last year seem to show he knows the church has an image problem, and it's up to the church to fix it. "Many people today have come to doubt that there is still holiness or honesty in the church and in the clergy. We must prove them wrong," he told a group of Eastern Catholic bishops from the United States. "We can be a true community of saints who shine as models of chastity and charity before a culture in great need of this witness," the cardinal told the bishops, who were making their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican.