World News
Pope calls for ‘war against evil,’ including illegal arms trade
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Repeating his recent calls for peace in the Middle East, Pope Francis urged Christians to wage a "deeper war" against evil, including the illegal arms trade that he said drives much of the world's military conflict. The pope made his remarks Sept. 8, before praying the noon Angelus with a crowd in St. Peter's Square, where the previous evening he had led a four-hour vigil for peace in Syria, the Middle East and the world.
Teachers’ tent city drives people away from Mexico City cathedral
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- They come and go, running riot in the Mexican capital, but they always return to a tent city in the central Zocalo Square -- right in front of the Metropolitan Cathedral, which Catholic officials say has been negatively affected by the presence of so many protesting teachers. "It's not very easy to access for the faithful or visitors," said Father Hugo Valdemar Romero, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mexico City.
Franciscan in Holy Land fears U.S. strike on Syria would inflame region
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- The president of the Franciscan Foundation for the Holy Land said his Christian counterparts in the region worry that U.S. strikes in Syria would further inflame a situation where many nations ply for influence. "The concern is that if the U.S. does start military operations in Syria, then Iran will try to do something in Israel and set off a bloody chain of events that it could be a powder keg," Franciscan Father Peter Vasko said.
For the pope, making peace is now part of the job
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis is leading the Catholic Church on an extraordinary campaign to prevent President Barack Obama's proposed military strike on Syria.
Pope: Sanctity of marriage rooted in Christ’s union with church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church closely safeguards the sanctity of marriage because it is a reflection of Christ's union with his bride, the church, Pope Francis said. Jesus often uses the imagery of a bridegroom to help people see the nature of his relationship with the church, the pope said Sept. 6 during his morning Mass in his residence of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Latin America’s growth industries can be matter of life and death
LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- The gas, oil, minerals and timber that have spurred economic growth in Latin America over the past decade are becoming a matter of life and death in remote communities, church workers say.
Pope, Bolivian president discuss poverty, discrimination, Middle East
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The problems of poverty, discrimination and conflict in the Middle East took center stage in private talks between Pope Francis and Bolivian President Evo Morales at the Vatican. During the 32-minute meeting in the pope's library Sept. 6, the two leaders held "cordial talks" concerning Bolivia's "social-economic and religious situation" as well as "the promotion of peace in Syria and the Middle East," said a written statement released by the Vatican.
Writing to Putin, pope leads diplomatic push against strikes on Syria
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis asked leaders of the world's 20 largest economies to "lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution" to the Syrian civil war and promote instead a "peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation." The pope's words appeared in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, host of the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sept. 5-6. The letter was dated Sept. 4 and released by the Vatican the following day, as U.S. lawmakers prepared to vote on President Barack Obama's proposal for a military attack on Syria.
Mexican bishops’ ministry urges action after derailment kills migrants
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- The Mexican bishops' ministry for people on the move called for prayer, reflection and action after a train carrying northbound Central Americans derailed in southern Mexico, killing 11 migrants. "Let us act so that this situation may be resolved; that people have the right to free transit; sufficient security to reach their destination; (and) ... in their own nation, possibilities for development, security and peace," said the statement, signed by Bishop Guillermo Ortiz Mondragon of Cuautitlan, director of the ministry.
With future uncertain for Syria, U.S. cardinal says prayer is needed
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As threats of military intervention against Syria escalate and the country's future remains uncertain, a U.S. cardinal said that, no matter what transpires, prayer is urgently needed. Cardinal Edwin F. O'Brien, grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, said that "whatever happens, if there is going to be peace in Syria and anywhere, prayer has to be a part of it."