Synod calls church to accept gay people and couples of all kinds

In strikingly conciliatory language on situations contrary to Catholic teaching, an official midterm report from the Synod of Bishops on the family emphasized calls for greater acceptance and appreciation of divorced and remarried Catholics, cohabitating couples and homosexuals.

Mind your language, bishops tell each other in Vatican synod

"Language such as 'living in sin,' 'intrinsically disordered' or 'contraceptive mentality' are not words that invite people to draw closer to Christ and the church," one bishop reportedly said at the Synod of Bishops on the family. Bishops are calling for a new kind of church language more appropriate for pastoral care today.

Married life is better with NFP, couples tell bishops

Catholic couples who ignore church teaching on contraception "don't know what they are missing," a Wisconsin couple said at the Synod of Bishops on the family in Rome. They called for new ways to share church teaching about the beauty of family life.

Synod hears of positive, negative aspects of Catholic-Muslim marriages

When a Catholic and a Muslim marry, each brings a strong commitment to family life and their union can be a seedbed for teaching respect for other religions, but fundamentalist currents often create serious challenges for the Catholic spouse, said members of the Synod of Bishops.

Nurse says listening to God’s call to volunteer ‘changed my life’

When Alexis Weber decided to answer a classified advertisement for volunteer nurses in the Pittsburgh Catholic diocesan newspaper in 1994, it led her to a mutually beneficial relationship with St. Joseph House of Hospitality.

Proceed with caution

In confronting the quandary of Iraq and Syria, President Barack Obama is tasked with choosing the least worst among a number of awful policy options.

U.S. couple at synod calls for ‘robust, creative’ family programs

Existing diocesan programs and Catholic organizations aimed at helping Catholic families fulfill their vocation clearly are not strong enough to meet modern needs, a Wisconsin couple told the Synod of Bishops.

Life of newly beatified New Jersey sister called ‘recipe for holiness’

More than 2,200 people packed the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark Oct. 4 to celebrate the first beatification liturgy in the United States.

Know the candidates in Pa. before Nov. 4 election

The following Candidate Questionnaire was prepared by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) and distributed by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Office for Communications.

Synod members called to seek unity in diversity, cardinal says

The Greek root of the word "synod" means "to walk together," which is exactly what bishops and other members of the Synod of Bishops are called to do as they seek to apply the Gospel and church teaching to the challenges facing family life today, said the gathering's general secretary.