World News
Ushering in New Year, Pope Francis calls for peace
Even in the year 2015 that was marked by war and acts of terrorism, and their accompanying evils, the pope encouraged all people not to lose hope for peace in 2016. He offered a three-point plan for world leaders.
Observers say Chinese government-religious relations worsened in 2015
Relations between China's faithful -- Christian, Buddhist and Muslim -- and the Communist Party have not been this strained for decades. Policies have led to bulldozed churches and forced removal of crosses.
El Nino-spawned storms take lives, wreak havoc in U.S., U.K., Latin America
Pope Francis called on Christians to pray for victims of several natural disasters that have hit parts of the United States, Great Britain and Paraguay. In 13 U.S. states recently, 35 people were killed by tornadoes and floods.
Pope Francis has not broken with St. John Paul’s teachings, Polish archbishop says
Ahead of the pope's visit to Poland for World Youth Day next July, Poland's Catholic primate spoke about the church in his country, where Catholics make up 90 percent of the population and account for a quarter of priestly vocations in Europe.
At Christmas, Maronite Catholics recall births of Jesus and Muhammad
In Beirut, Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai urged Christians and Muslims to work to preserve peaceful coexistence, and he called for more help for refugees. Today there are about 500,000 Palestinians in Lebanon, plus 1.5 million Syrian refugees.
Only mercy can free humanity from evil, pope says
Some 50,000 people heard the Christmas message of Pope Francis at the Vatican Dec. 25. Victims of terrorism, as well as new peace accords, were in the pope's thoughts and prayers. "All sadness has been banished, for the Child Jesus brings true comfort to every heart," he said.
Families open to God learn joy and forgiveness, pope says
The joy of families "is the result of the deep harmony between people, who savor the beauty of being together, of supporting each other on life's journey," Pope Francis said. He suggested mothers and fathers bless their children at the start and end of each day with the sign of the cross.
Pope to Vatican employees: Take care of your marriage, grandparents
The pope continued a tradition he started last year of inviting people who work at the Vatican, along with their families, to receive pre-Christmas greetings. Parents should focus more on doing things with the kids and less about material things, he said.
They’ll have a bleak, bleak Christmas in Nepal
Catholics in Nepal are preparing for a harsh Christmas due to an economic blockade imposed by India that has led to shortages of electricity, fuel and medicine, as winter sets in. Efforts to recover from a devastating earthquake in April have stalled.
As doctor of the church, pope prescribes strong medicine
Pope Francis used a year-end meeting with his top officials to offer "fraternal correction," spiritual direction and his clear expectation of their role as servants, not masters, of the church. He described virtues as treatments for the bishops' spiritual ailments.