World News
Youth rally on Sunday aims to help anxious teens trust in God
All Catholic high school-aged students are invited to the Generation Phaith Youth Rally March 2 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., which will include live music, workshops, lunch, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, confession and Mass.
Cardinals say synod on family will seek to balance truth, God’s mercy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Balancing the need to uphold Christ's teaching about the permanence of marriage and the call for the church to show God's mercy for those who have failed their marriage vows will be a major theme of discussion by the world's bishops.
Coptic Orthodox condemn killings of Egyptians in Libya
CAIRO (CNS) -- The Coptic Orthodox Church has condemned the killing of seven Egyptian Christians in neighboring Libya. "We demand the arrest of the terrorist elements behind this painful attack," the church said in a statement Feb. 25.
Ukrainian archbishop sees lingering threat of war, but signs of hope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The three months of protests in Ukraine that ended with government snipers killing dozens of people strengthened the commitment to democracy of many Ukrainians, but also left the country vulnerable to further violence and division, said the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Venezuela’s Catholic leaders urge dialogue, respect for demonstrators
LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- As protests in Venezuela continued, with flare-ups of violence, the country's Catholic leaders urged dialogue and respect for the demonstrators' human rights.
Victims of war, conflict deserve mourning, not indifference, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis urged people to overcome indifference and to mourn for the innumerable victims of war and conflict around the world. He also condemned those who profit from the manufacturing of weapons and "live large," lounging in their "parlors" while children in refugee camps starve.
Pope establishes panel, with lay members, to oversee Vatican finances
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a move reflecting both his drive to reform the Vatican bureaucracy and his oft-stated desire to include laypeople in the leadership of the church, Pope Francis established a new panel, to include almost as many lay members as clerics, to oversee the finances of the Holy See and Vatican City State.
Bishops in southern Congo denounce increasing violence, child soldiers
LUBUMBASHI, Congo (CNS) -- Bishops in southern Congo have denounced growing separatist violence in Katanga province and criticized the national government for ignoring it. "Besides grave violations of human rights, socio-political insecurity is disrupting our province's economic fabric and amplifying our people's misery," said bishops from the eight dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Lubumbashi.
Pope Francis, with retired Pope Benedict present, creates new cardinals
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and his successors -- the popes -- Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI.
Felt hats, head wraps, red robes: Cardinals represent worldwide church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The tasseled felt hats of German horse riders and the brightly colored head wraps of women from the Antilles were just a few signs of the Catholic Church's universality on display Feb. 22, as pilgrims celebrated the creation of new cardinals.