U.S. & World News
Pope names five women to International Theological Commission
Pope Francis, who has said the Catholic Church has “not yet come up with a profound theology of womanhood,” named five women, a record number, to the International Theological Commission.
Despite 50 years of ‘War on Poverty,’ prosperity for many seems elusive
According to the Census Bureau’s new statistics, released Sept. 16, poverty in the United States is down, but only slightly.
Cardinal Pell rules out change on Communion for divorced, remarried
In a book coming out just before October’s extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, Cardinal George Pell rules out proposed changes to church practice that would allow divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion.
Pope: Don’t leave home without it; take Gospel on the go, to the world
Tuck the Gospel in your pocket and put on your walking shoes to share Christ’s love, peace and joy with the world, Pope Francis said.
U.S. physician-deacon now in Liberia felt called to help Ebola patients
According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has infected at least 4,784 people, and claimed the lives of more than 2,400 as of Sept. 15. It is the worst Ebola epidemic in history.
At wedding, pope says spouses make each other better men and women
Presiding over the wedding of 20 couples in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis celebrated marriage as the union of a man and woman playing complementary roles during their common journey through life. “This is what marriage is all about: man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a […]
Sistine Chapel weathers fallout from ‘Francis effect’ on attendance
The “Francis effect” has spilled over into the Sistine Chapel, bringing a surge in visitors but also increasing risks to maintenance of what Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican Museums, calls “the world’s chapel.”
Diocese asks U.S. Supreme Court to hear case involving confessional seal
The Diocese of Baton Rouge has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a Louisiana Supreme Court decision that a priest may be compelled to testify as to what he heard in the confessional in 2008 concerning an abuse case.
CRS looks at Central American programs to help fight push factors
At an immigration center for receiving busloads of deportees returning to El Salvador, Catholic Relief Services’ Executive Vice President Joan Rosenhauer spoke with a widowed mother of six children who was awaiting her son.
Pope mourns murder of three missionary sisters in Burundi
Pope Francis mourned the deaths of three Xaverian Missionary Sisters of Mary, who were murdered in two separate attacks in their residence in Burundi.
‘The Amazing Parish’ explores ways to revitalize Catholic communities
Catholic heavyweights behind a Denver-launched parish revitalization movement shared with evangelizers ideas on how to convert the unchurched into front-pew regulars.
In Google Hangout, pope helps launch worldwide social network
The future “is in your heart, it’s in your mind and your hands,” and if people cultivate constructive thoughts and feeling and do good things, “the future will be better.”
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