World News
Humility, service attract people to church, not power, pride, pope says
The strength of the Gospel "is precisely in humility, the humility of a child who lets himself be guided by the love and tenderness of his father," Pope Francis said Oct. 1 during morning Mass in his residence. He concelebrated the Mass with the eight cardinals he chose in April to advise him on reforming the governance of the Roman Curia.
Furthering transparency efforts, Vatican bank publishes annual report
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As part of its continuing efforts to promote transparency and to demonstrate its stability and adherence to industry standards, the Vatican bank published its annual report for the first time in its history. The Institute for the Works of Religion, as the bank is formally known, released its independently audited report […]
In Mexico, Catholics turn parishes into aid stations after hurricanes
MEXICO CITY (CNS) — Caritas chapters across Mexico have collected everything from canned goods to clothing for the victims of Hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel, which battered both coasts, cost more than 100 lives and left thousands homeless, incommunicado and possibly even buried beneath mudslides. In the hard-hit state of Guerrero, to the south of Mexico […]
Priest hails U.S. report on conditions for Haitians in Dominican fields
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (CNS) — A Catholic priest who long fought for the rights of Haitians working in Dominican sugar fields said he applauds a new report on the situation by the U.S. Department of Labor. The Labor Department has rebuked the Dominican Republic and the country’s sugar industry for violating labor laws and […]
Pope to canonize Blessed John XXIII, John Paul II April 27
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Recognizing that Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II have widespread reputations for holiness and that years of studying their lives and actions have proven their exceptional virtue, Pope Francis announced he would declare his two predecessors saints at a single ceremony April 27.
Pope establishes advisory panel as permanent Council of Cardinals
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis made his international advisory panel on church governance a permanent council of cardinals, thereby emphasizing the importance and open-endedness of its work among his pontificate's various efforts at reform. The Vatican made the announcement Sept. 30, a day before Pope Francis was scheduled to meet for the first time with the panel.
Philippine bishops call for release of hostages as gunfights rage
MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- Bishops in southern Philippines have condemned rebels' use of hostages as human shields in gunfights with government troops. The gunfights have escalated since Sept. 9 after hundreds of Moro National Liberation Front fighters reportedly attacked government troops who were securing five coastal districts in Zamboanga.
Pope: Church must show what unity looks like, avoid divisions, gossip
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Backstabbing and gossip hurt people and harm God's desire for a united human family, Pope Francis said. Unity is a gift from God, "but often we struggle to live it out," he said. "We are the ones who create lacerations."
Agencies stretching to meet needs of Syrians displaced by civil war
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Governments and nongovernmental agencies are struggling to keep up with the needs and pressures created by the displacement of nearly a third of Syria's population because of the country's civil war. Assistance to the refugees and displaced people is coming from around the world, although resources are thinly stretched.
As migration rises worldwide, pope calls for international cooperation
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis called for greater international cooperation to improve conditions for the world's rising numbers of migrants and called on the media to combat prejudices that make immigrants unwelcome in their new countries. The pope's words came in his annual message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated Jan. 19, 2014. The message was released by the Vatican Sept. 24.