Youths find ‘amazing’ atmosphere, high energy at pro-life rally, Mass

Just as the sun rose Jan. 22, thousands of Catholic teenagers and young adults from across the country poured into the Verizon Center to meet other pro-lifers, pray for the unborn and celebrate the joy of being alive at the annual Youth Rally & Mass for Life.

It’s up to young people to ‘end the scourge of abortion,’ says teenage speaker

UPDATED - On a chilly and cloudy morning on the National Mall in Washington, crowds gathered Jan. 22 for the annual March for Life, this year marking the 42nd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion virtually on demand.

‘We shall overcome’ in fight against abortion, says Cardinal O’Malley

A crowd of more than 11,000 at the National Shrine in Washington heard the Boston cardinal liken the pro-life movement with the civil rights struggle in a Mass the night before the annual March for Life today.

State of the Union speech hits on numerous social justice themes

The president of Catholic Charities USA praised "bold ideas" in President Obama's Jan. 20 address, but called for addressing the plight of the 45 million Americans who live at or below the poverty line.

Despite limits on liberty, Vietnam’s new cardinal-designate sees hope

Vietnam's cardinal-designate sees hope and continuing challenges ahead for the church in a nation that still has to fully embrace religious freedom.

Today’s teaching on the family

See the daily excerpt from the preparatory catechesis for the 2015 World Meeting of Families, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”

Vatican names Di Ruzza to head Financial Intelligence Authority

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, named Tommaso Di Ruzza to be the next director of the Vatican’s Financial Intelligence Authority. The Vatican announced the appointment Jan. 21. [hotblock] Di Ruzza was an official at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace before he was appointed an assistant at the […]

Supreme Court will take up same-sex marriage cases

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- UPDATED -- The high court will tackle questions of whether the 14th Amendment requires states to allow such marriages and whether it requires them to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states.

Finding the God of mercy through prayer

Effie Caldarola knew God loved her -- theoretically. A retreat on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius 20 years ago helped her to really believe God loved her. She is still working on it.

Inoculating families to the virus of materialism

Jesuit Father William Byron looks to the World Meeting of Families and sees that in our wealthy society, material abundance constitutes a threat to all families, even those of modest means, of becoming possessed by their possessions.