World News
Beauty and beer: Monks’ outreach is part of new evangelization
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even before retired Pope Benedict XVI set up a pontifical council for new evangelization and convoked a world Synod of Bishops on the theme, a new group of Benedictine monks was using Latin and liturgy to reach out to those whose faith was weak or nonexistent. Now they've added beer to the blend, and people are flocking to the monastery in Norcia, the birthplace of St. Benedict, about 70 miles northeast of Rome in the Umbrian countryside.
Vatican’s Year of Faith celebrations to resume in September
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Vatican activities for the Year of Faith begin again in late September with an international meeting of catechists, followed in October by a Marian pilgrimage in the presence of the original statue of Our Lady of Fatima and a celebration of faith and family life.
Egyptians running out of food because they fear going outside, bishop says
UPDATED -- VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Catholic bishop in Luxor, about 400 miles south of Cairo, said Muslims and Christians are afraid to leave their homes; because the shops are closed and no one is venturing outside, many are running out of food.
Canonization date for John Paul II, John XXIII to be known in September
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will host a meeting of cardinals Sept. 30 to formally approve the canonization of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII; the date for the canonization will be announced at that time, said Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes.
Christians in Egypt targeted by Muslim extremists
CAIRO (CNS) -- Attacks on Christian churches and institutions in Egypt appeared to be the result of Islamist extremists' anger over what they perceived as Christian support for the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi.
Catholic, Orthodox leaders in Egypt say army is fighting terrorism
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Speaking on behalf of Catholics in Egypt, Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak said the violence and unrest in his country are "not a political struggle between different factions, but a war against terrorism."
Text of Egypt’s Coptic Catholic patriarch on recent events in country
CAIRO (CNS) -- Here is the English text of the Aug. 18 statement by Coptic Catholic Patriarch Ibrahim Isaac Sedrak on recent events in Egypt.
Jerusalem, shared ‘security blanket,’ key to Israeli-Palestinian peace
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Coveted as a spiritual and political capital by both Israelis and Palestinians, the status of the city of Jerusalem has stood out as one of the pivotal topics in their ongoing peace negotiations. Yet, because of its perceived sensitivity, the topic has always been left for the final status discussions and has yet to be broached directly in the negotiations, which resumed Aug. 14 in Jerusalem.
Catholic spokesman defends Egyptian army crackdown against protesters
Egypt's Health Ministry confirmed Aug. 15 that more than 500 protesters and police were killed and more than 3,700 injured when security forces used bulldozers, tear gas and live ammunition to disperse protest camps in Cairo and other cities around the country. A spokesman for Egypt's Catholic Church said Western media had falsified the situation in Egypt by portraying the conflict as political when it mostly concerned violent acts by a small minority of Egypt's 82.5 million inhabitants. Pope Francis led prayers to Mary, queen of peace, calling for calm in the country.
Pope Francis discovers charismatic movement a gift to the whole church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During World Youth Day celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, July 23-28, many worshippers in the crowds could be seen swaying from side to side, arms raised in the air, wearing rapt or joyous expressions on their faces. Such scenes, along with on-stage appearances by celebrities such as Father Marcelo Rossi, a mega-church pastor whose records and movies regularly top the charts in his native Brazil, testified to the Catholic Charismatic Renewal's strong influence on the church in Latin America today.