World News
Pope Francis pledges almost $5 million to help pay World Youth Day debt
An audit shows World Youth Day had an accumulated debt of $38.4 million after the event last summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. After renegotiating with suppliers and selling a property, the Rio archdiocese was able to reduce the debt to a little over $18 million.
Egypt’s president visits Coptic pope to extend Christmas greeting
CAIRO (CNS) -- In an unprecedented and highly symbolic move, Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour paid a Christmas visit to the leader of the country's Coptic Orthodox, Egyptian Pope Tawadros II.
Pope Francis announces visit to Holy Land, energizing hopes
AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) -- Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem welcomed the announcement of Pope Francis' visit to the Holy Land May 24-26 and said he hopes the pilgrimage will be a "cry for peace," particularly for Palestinians, Israelis, Syrians and others beset by conflict.
Pope restricts ‘monsignor’ honor for priests
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has decided to limit the honor of "monsignor" among diocesan priests and grant it from now on only to those at least 65 years of age.
Pope orders new rules on relations between bishops, religious orders
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis said he has ordered a revision of what he called outdated Vatican norms on the relations between religious orders and local bishops, in order to promote greater appreciation of the orders' distinctive missions.
Pope tells Jesuits to dream big, change the world
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- True faith is marked by the daring desire to change the world with the loving heart of Jesus, Pope Francis said. The zealous proclamation of the Gospel must never be coupled with "inquisitional clobbering, with condemnation. No, the Gospel is proclaimed with kindness, fraternity and love," he told more than 300 of his fellow Jesuits Jan. 3.
Sub-Saharan refugees in Cairo find challenges blending with society
CAIRO (CNS) -- Refugees from South Sudan living in Egypt say the outbreak of violence in their homeland is caused by political squabbles over power, not conflicts between tribes.
Churches inundated as violence continues in Central African Republic
OXFORD, England (CNS) -- Church leaders in the Central African Republic report an increasing humanitarian crisis and warn that international forces, which have been in their country a month, had not secured law and order.
Pope: Time to stop violence, discord, and begin making peace at home
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Welcoming in a new year, Pope Francis said it was time to stop provoking and ignoring violence, tragedy and conflict in the world, and begin building peace at home. “Justice and peace at home, among us — you begin at home and then you move on to all of humanity. But […]
More than 6.6 million attended Vatican events with Pope Francis in 2013
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the first nine and a half months of Pope Francis’ pontificate, more than 6.6 million people participated in papal events at the Vatican, including weekly general audiences, group audiences, liturgies and recitations of the Angelus and “Regina Coeli” on Sundays and holy days. The statistics, compiled by the Prefecture of […]