World News
In announcing new encyclical, Pope Francis reveals his decisive style
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis told members of the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops that he was preparing to publish an encyclical on faith written “with four hands” — his own and those of Pope Benedict XVI. While a formal speech was prepared for the pope’s meeting with the council responsible for […]
50 million new jobs needed to boost global economy, Vatican urges U.N.
GENEVA (CNS) -- Job creation must become a key component of any United Nations plan to lift people out of poverty around the world, said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's observer to the United Nations. He also stressed that people must be seen as more than consumers but as integral members of society whose dignity can be upheld through employment.
Pope Francis talks with bishops about working together more closely
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A meeting with Pope Francis designed as reflection on the last Synod of Bishops turned into a group reflection on strengthening the synod itself and the way the world's bishops assist the pope.
Cardinal Monsengwo sees church’s pastoral work helping stabilize Congo
MONTREAL (CNS) -- The Catholic Church, through its pastoral work and the promotion of justice, can help bring stability and peace in violence-torn Congo, said a cardinal who once helped guide the country from dictatorship to democracy.
Theologian thinks papal trip to Brazil critical for younger generations
MIAMI (CNS) — Look for strong turnout, robust media interest and unscripted moments when Jorge Mario Bergoglio makes his first trip abroad as Pope Francis when he arrives in Brazil in late July, according to a Brazilian writer and academic. In the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, final preparations are underway for the 2013 World […]
Former senior Anglican minister named to head Catholic U.K. diocese
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- Pope Francis has appointed the most senior former Anglican in the hierarchy of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales to head the Diocese of East Anglia. Bishop Hopes, 69, served as an Anglican minister for 24 years until he became a Catholic in 1994 following the decision of the General Synod of the Church of England to allow women to be ordained as priests.
Irish missionary says women can foster peace in Nigeria’s conflict
DUBLIN (CNS) — Women can play an important role in bringing peace and stability to violence-wracked northern Nigeria if some of the country’s discriminatory social rituals ended, an Irish missionary sister working in the West African nation said. Sister Kathleen McGarvey, 45, a member of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles and a lecturer […]
Pope drops ‘boring’ speech, answers students’ questions instead
One teenage boy told the pope that he was trying hard to believe in God and be faithful, but that he often struggled with doubt. "What can you say to help me and others like me?" he asked the pope. Life's journey "is truly the art of looking at the horizon, reflecting on where I want to go, but also putting up with the fatigue from this journey," the pope said. "Don't be afraid of failure," he insisted. The problem with the journey of life and faith isn't falling; it's not getting back up. "Get right back up, immediately, and keep going," he said.
Vatican says Catholics have obligation to aid, defend refugees
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholic laity have an obligation to root out traces of xenophobia in their hearts and recognize refugees as their brothers and sisters — children of God whose dignity must be protected, said a new Vatican document. “Welcoming Christ in Refugees and Forcibly Displaced Persons,” a document of pastoral guidelines for providing […]
Seduced by worldly things, people cheat on God, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Getting caught up in worldly things is like being an adulterer, cheating on God and his love, Pope Francis said in a morning homily. The only path that will lead people to God is faithfully putting him before everything else with “nuptial love,” the pope said at Mass June 6 in […]