World News
‘Minnesota’s Mother Teresa’ to get private papal audience in Washington
Mary Jo Copeland, 73, who founded Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985, will meet the pontiff in person, along with her husband, Dick, and Auxiliary Bishop Andrew H. Cozzens of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
Serve people, not ideology, pope tells Cubans at Havana Mass
HAVANA (CNS) -- As Cubans finally face the prospects of calmer relationships and greater ease of communication and commerce with the United States, Pope Francis told the Cuban people that love and service, not anyone's ideology, are the keys to their happiness.
Pope visits Fidel Castro before formal meeting with Cuba’s president
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said that after the Mass Sept. 20 in Havana's Revolution Square, Pope Francis was driven to the ailing 89-year-old's residence for the meeting, which lasted 30-40 minutes.
Pope urges Cuba’s youths, consecrated people to love and hope
In a hot and steamy cathedral after listening to a Daughter of Charity talk about her work with people with severe disabilities, Pope Francis set aside his prepared homily and spoke about serving those the world considers "useless."
Holguin Catholics delighted their time has come for papal visit
Popes have come and gone from Cuba, and this city of 300,000 or so always has prepared but never has been picked for a visit by a pope -- until now.
Cuban dissidents say they hope pope highlights human rights
A week before Pope Francis arrived here, the communist government agreed to pardon 3,522 prisoners, including elderly people and people under 20 with no prior offenses.
After decades of separation, Cuban-Americans return to homeland
HAVANA (CNS) — With looks of astonishment and joy, dozens of Cuban-Americans stepped off a charter flight from Miami to Havana Sept. 18 in advance of Pope Francis’ visit. For many, it was a first return to the island nation after decades of separation and distrust following the Cuban Revolution. The 2015 papal visit, along […]
U.S. diplomat tells pilgrims they can help normalize relations with Cuba
"As we all know, this visit from Pope Francis comes in the context of his role in the U.S.-Cuba rapprochement process, and obviously to reach normalization relations with Cuba it will be a long and complex role," Jeffrey DeLaurentis, a career member of the foreign service and charge d'affaires at the U.S. Embassy to Cuba, told pilgrims from the archdioceses of Boston and Miami during an evening reception Sept. 20.
Beer festival offers ‘peaceful resistance’ to Middle East conflicts
As Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem once again became embroiled in violence, locals and guests in Taybeh were enjoying ice-cold beers, grilled meats, frosted doughnuts and throbbing music as the all-Christian Palestinian village celebrated its 11th Oktoberfest.
Migration, freedom, ecology to be topics on pope trip, cardinal says
Arriving in the United States from Cuba, Pope Francis "will enter as a migrant" as millions of people have done before him, said Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.