Quo vadis? Pope revitalizes ancient theologian's rules as a timely guide
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When Pope Francis gave his first full-length interview after his election in 2013, he was asked about the importance of the church...
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Historian: Church did not give 'carte blanche' for mistreatment of indigenous in Americas
Unlike the "doctrine of discovery" allowing the European conquerors to mistreat indigenous people, a historian points out that "the Church didn't give...
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Witch hunts on the rise worldwide, warns German aid agency missio
AACHEN, Germany (CNS) -- Missio, one of Germany's Pontifical Mission Societies, marked the third World Day Against Witch Hunts Aug. 10 by warning that...
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Desire for eternal youth is 'delusional,' pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The passing of time in one's life is meant to be lived as a God-given grace and not a meaningless pursuit to preserve one's youthfulness,...
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Don't be afraid to make mistakes, pope tells young people
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians must never give in to fear when evangelizing, especially when reaching out to those in need in the digital space, Pope...
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Religious orders call for international intervention in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNS) -- Religious orders working in Haiti have called on the international community to directly intervene to address the reign...
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Bioethics institute urges U.K. to review parental rights of very ill kids
MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- A Catholic bioethics institute urged the U.K. government to speed up a review of the rights of the parents of sick children...
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At least 12 dead as bus carrying Polish pilgrims crashes in Croatia
WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Church leaders offered condolences after a bus carrying Polish pilgrims to the Bosnia-Herzegovina shrine of Medjugorje crashed...
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Detained bishop in Nicaragua says hate must be answered with love
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Nicaraguan Bishop Rolando José Álvarez offered a message of love to the world Aug. 7 even as he continued to be detained by police...
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Vatican reports $3.3 million deficit was significantly less than expected
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican reported that projections of an expected deficit of 33.4 million euros ($34 million) for 2021 ended in a shortfall of...
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Ambassador says pope will visit Ukraine before Kazakhstan trip
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis plans to make his long-awaited visit to Ukraine before his trip to Kazakhstan in September, said Andrii Yurash, Ukraine's...
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Pope advances sainthood causes, including priest killed in Ukraine
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis recognized the martyrdom of Hungarian Father Péter Oros, who was killed at the height of the Cold War by Soviets in...
Read MoreChurch unity threatened by ideology, pope tells Jesuits in Canada
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The unity of the Catholic Church's bishops is fundamental in correcting past wrongs and in confronting challenges today, Pope Francis...
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For first time since pandemic, pilgrims hike Ireland's holiest mountain
MURRISK, Ireland (CNS) -- Thousands of pilgrims hiked up Ireland's holiest mountain for the annual Reek Sunday pilgrimage, held for the first time since...
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Leaving Canada, Pope Francis said it might be time to slow down as health declines
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (RNS) -- On his return flight from a six-day "penitential pilgrimage" to apologize to the Indigenous people of Canada on Friday,...
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At audience, pope reflects on 'penitential pilgrimage' to Canada
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The remembrance, reconciliation and healing from the Catholic Church's past sins committed against Indigenous populations is a reminder...
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Catholic radio stations ordered closed, parish raided in Nicaragua
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- Nicaraguan authorities have ordered the closure of Catholic media outlets and raided a parish in the Diocese of Matagalpa, the latest...
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Cardinal MÜller: 'The German Synodal Way was over before it even started'
Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig MÜller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has sharply criticized the Synodal Way in Germany. In...
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Pope Francis to Medjugorje youth festival: 'Follow the example of Mary'
Pope Francis has urged the thousands of young people gathered at Medjugorje this week to follow the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who leads us closer...
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Stop the war in Ukraine and negotiate, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The only reasonable way to address the suffering of Ukrainians is to stop fighting and negotiate, Pope Francis said. Even during...
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Greed for wealth is behind wars, conflicts, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Unbridled greed for wealth and possessions is a sickness that is the driving force behind wars and conflicts in the world, Pope Francis...
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Vatican: Pope to visit Kazakhstan in September
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Kazakhstan in September and attend an interreligious meeting in the capital city,...
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Courage, resilience: Trip shows tenacity of Canada's Indigenous and pope
IQALUIT, Nunavut (CNS) -- At the end of his six-day visit to Canada, Pope Francis, sitting in a wheelchair, said goodbye to Chief Wilton Littlechild, also...
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Pope says residential-school policy was part of 'genocide' plan
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM CANADA (CNS) -- The planned destruction of the families, languages, cultures and traditions of the Indigenous communities...
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Writing decision to overturn Roe an 'honor,' says Supreme Court justice
ROME (CNS) -- In his first public comments since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its nearly 50-year-old decision that legalized abortion, Justice Samuel...
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UPDATE: German Synodal Path must not create new structures, doctrines, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "It seems necessary to make it clear that the 'Synodal Path' in Germany does not have the power to compel bishops and the faithful...
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Church cannot flee failures, but must reconcile with Indigenous, pope says
STE.-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRÉ, Quebec (CNS) -- In the face of sin and failure, the temptation to wallow in despair and do nothing comes from the devil, Pope Francis...
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Pastor of St. Peter's Basilica: Friar helps tourists become pilgrims
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In his small office next to the world's largest Catholic Church, Conventual Franciscan Father Agnello Stoia spoke about the unique...
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Commitment to multicultural Canada needs real effort, pope says
QUEBEC CITY (CNS) -- In a British-built fort on the highest hill in Quebec City, Pope Francis spoke to Canadian government and cultural leaders about the...
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Indian archbishop resigns at Vatican request amid liturgical dispute
NEW DELHI (CNS) -- An archbishop of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church resigned July 26 at the request of the Vatican after he was accused of defying the...
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Spain: Abuse commission investigates thousands of cases from 1970s, 1980s
ROME (CNS) -- The lawyer leading the Spanish Catholic Church's investigation into clerical sexual abuse said he is currently looking into thousands of...
Read MoreVenice Film Festival will feature documentary on Pope Francis' travels
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will be featured in a new documentary premiering at this year's Venice Film Festival; the film covers his near decade...
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Pope joins Indigenous pilgrims at lake known for its healing waters
LAC STE. ANNE, Alberta (CNS) -- Pope Francis joined Indigenous pilgrims at a lake known for miraculous healings and encouraged them to lay their burdens...
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Honor elders, learn gentle way of faith sharing from them, pope says
EDMONTON, Alberta (CNS) -- Celebrating the feast day of Jesus' grandparents, Pope Francis not only urged people to honor their elders, but he asked them...
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'I am sorry': Canadian Indigenous react to papal apology
MASKWACIS, Alberta (CNS) -- The words "I am sorry" are powerful. For Tammy Ward of the Samson First Nation, those words from Pope Francis brought tears...
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Bishops must be good listeners, says nun at Vatican who helps select them
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While the perfect bishop does not exist, he does have to be a person who knows how to get others involved in the life of the church...
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Indigenous and Catholic: One can proudly be both, pope says
EDMONTON, Alberta (CNS) -- While presented as missionary work, the operation of residential schools by Catholics in Canada was actually an attempt to impose...
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Wildfires force monks out of Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery in Spain
For the first time since 1835, the monks of the Santo Domingo de Silos Monastery in Spain -- known for their Gregorian chant -- have been forced to abandon...
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Returning moccasins, pope apologizes for church role in residential schools
MASKWACIS, Alberta (CNS) -- The first step of Pope Francis' "penitential pilgrimage" to Canada involved him returning two pairs of children's moccasins. The...
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Pope arrives in Canada focused on elders and on repentance
EDMONTON, Alberta (CNS) -- After a flight of more than 10 hours from Rome, Pope Francis landed in Edmonton and met briefly at the airport with Indigenous...
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Vatican investments must follow Catholic social teaching, new policy says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican released a new policy consolidating the investment portfolios of all offices and keeping all current and future investments...
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The pope emeritus puzzle: Will Pope Francis rewrite the rules of resignation?
ROME -- With speculation running rife whether Pope Francis could resign, and whether he might retire to a residence in the Vatican Gardens like Benedict...
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The origins of the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the scapular
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated on July 16, was first instituted in the late 14th century in commemoration of the approval of the rule...
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Pope Francis appoints three women to Dicastery for Bishops
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis on July 13 named three women to the Dicastery of Bishops, the Vatican office responsible for evaluating new members of the...
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Vatican astronomer: Webb telescope space images are 'food for the human spirit'
VATICAN CITY -- The first images from the James Webb space telescope reveal God's creation and feed our souls, a Jesuit brother and astronomer said...
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12 keys to using the Brown Scapular
Pope Pius XII said, "The devotion to the Carmelite scapular has brought down on the world a copious rain of spiritual and temporal graces." On the feast...
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Maronite Catholic officials denounce 12-hour detention of archbishop
BEIRUT (CNS) -- Maronite Catholic officials in Lebanon have denounced the detention of one of its bishops on the country's southern border with Israel. The...
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Documents detailing Portuguese Inquisition to become available online
JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Rare documentation of the Portuguese Inquisition with detailed information about the sentencing trials which took place 500 years ago...
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German Synodal Path must not create new structures, doctrines, Vatican says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- "It seems necessary to make it clear that the 'Synodal Path' in Germany does not have the power to compel bishops and the faithful...
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Covenant between humanity, environment needed, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Humanity can no longer ignore the cries of the earth that is suffering due to greed and the excessive consumption of its resources,...
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'The Catholic Church remembers Ukraine': Archbishop visits wounded soldiers
The president of the Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe met wounded Ukrainian soldiers and their families during a visit to Ukraine this...
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Pope Francis has made College of Cardinals 'less European,' analysis shows
Pope Francis' picks for the College of Cardinals have made the body "less European," giving a greater voice to developing nations in Africa, Asia,...
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Archbishop asks Virgin Mary to intercede for release of jailed Cubans
The archbishop of Santiago de Cuba, Dionisio GarcÍa, asked the Virgin Mary to move the hearts of those who can determine the fate of the Cubans imprisoned...
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Pope's words in Canada may have broader reach, official says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis' July trip to Canada was born out of his meetings with the nations' Indigenous people and was planned around encounters...
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Pope meets with Monaco royalty at Vatican
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis interrupted his traditional July break to meet with Prince Albert II of Monaco and his wife, Princess Charlene, at the...
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The Pope Emeritus Puzzle: Will Pope Francis rewrite the Rules of Resignation?
With speculation running rife whether Pope Francis could resign, and whether he might retire to a residence in the Vatican Gardens like Benedict XVI, it...
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Kidnapped priest killed in Nigeria, another escapes
Following the kidnapping of two Catholic priests in central Nigeria last week, the local diocese announced July 19 that one of the two priests had escaped,...
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War and peace: Ukraine ambassador sees vital role for Vatican
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Since the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, Pope Francis has consistently expressed his closeness to the people of the country...
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New policy says Vatican investments cannot contradict Catholic teaching
A Vatican policy published Tuesday says that the Holy See's financial investments cannot contradict Catholic teaching. The policy stipulates that...
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Peruvian archbishop: No right to euthanasia; 'it's a crime'
In response to the recent decision of Peru's Supreme Court to permit euthanasia for Ana Estrada, a woman with an incurable disease, the archbishop...
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Priest says worst poverty in Cuba is 'lack of freedom'
In a recent interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need, Father Bladimir Navarro, who lives in Spain, said that "the people of Cuba...
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Pope asks Signis to combat toxic media filled with hate, fake news
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholic communicators need to use extra care and educational efforts to combat a situation where some media "become places of toxicity,...
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Pope Francis: Time with the Word of God keeps our efforts from being 'sterile activism'
Practical effort, while necessary, will be only "sterile activism" unless it flows from listening to the Word of God, Pope Francis said Sunday. In his...
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Pope Francis: Canada visit will be a 'penitential pilgrimage'
The papal trip to Canada next week will be a "penitential pilgrimage" to bring healing and reconciliation, Pope Francis said Sunday. The pope is scheduled...
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Two Catholic priests kidnapped in Nigeria
The Nigerian diocese of Kafanchan has asked for prayers after two Catholic priests were kidnapped Friday evening. Father John Mark Cheitnum and Father...
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