God is close, compassionate, not cold, distant, pope says February 5, 2024By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Vatican, World News Christians must let go of the God they think they know and convert every day to the God Jesus presents in the Gospel — the God who is the father of love and compassion, Pope Francis said.
300 parish priests to participate in Vatican synod meeting, meet with pope February 5, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Synodality, Vatican, World News Three hundred parish priests from all over the world will come to Rome and make their contribution to the ongoing Synod of Bishops on synodality by sharing their experiences of parish life, the Vatican said.
Pope, cardinals continue discussion of role of women in the church February 5, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News With the help of a woman Anglican bishop, a Salesian sister and a consecrated virgin, Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals devoted the first morning of their February meeting “to deepening their reflection, begun last December, on the role of women in the church,” the Vatican press office said.
Pope hopes Lunar New Year celebrations will foster friendship, peace February 5, 2024By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News – Pope Francis expressed his hopes that Lunar New Year celebrations would offer opportunities for people to experience warm friendships and to show care.
Northern Ireland has Catholic leading its government for the first time in history February 5, 2024By Michael Kelly OSV News Filed Under: Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, World News Michelle O’Neill of the Sinn Féin party is the first Catholic to head the region’s government.
Pope, in letter to Jews in Israel, condemns antisemitism as a sin February 5, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Conflict in the Middle East, Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, World News In a letter addressed to “my Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel,” Pope Francis expressed his heartbreak at the violence unleashed by the Hamas attack on Israel in October and he repeated the Catholic Church’s condemnation of all forms of antisemitism and anti-Judaism.
Changing words in sacraments can make them invalid, dicastery warns February 5, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News, Worship & Sacraments When a priest or other minister changes the words, gestures or material prescribed for the celebration of the sacraments, he can “rob” the faithful of what they deserve and make the sacrament invalid, the dicastery said in a note published Feb. 3.
Getting off the sidelines: Sportscaster Mark Viviano eager to share his Catholic faith February 5, 2024By Gerry Jackson Catholic Review Filed Under: Feature, Journalism, Local News, News, Sports Mark Viviano has been reporting about Baltimore sports for more than 30 years, but now he says it is time to get in the game of sharing his faith more fully.
Experts: Spending priorities, rising debt make the federal budget a ‘moral document’ February 4, 2024By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Social Justice, U.S. Congress, World News For those Catholics actively ministering to the poor, congressional spending and saving priorities — when measured against the concerns of Catholic social teaching — might appear imbalanced.
Synod and Scripture: Bishop Flores to lead webinars on ‘John 14 and Synodality’ February 4, 2024By Gina Christian OSV News Filed Under: Bible, Feature, News, Synodality, World News An upcoming webinar series hosted by a U.S. bishop will explore synodality through the prism of Jesus Christ’s words at the Last Supper.
Personnel, programs at diocesan Catholic Charities agencies help feed a hungry nation February 3, 2024By Kimberly Heatherington OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Charities, Feature, News, Social Justice, World News During Poverty Awareness Month, OSV News talked with Catholic Charities offices across the country — in Virginia, Mississippi and Nevada — to learn how they help feed a hungry nation.
Bishops say outreach to people in ‘irregular’ relationships needs to go beyond blessings February 2, 2024By Maria Wiering OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Since the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith issued “Fiducia Supplicans” (“Supplicating Trust”) on “the pastoral meaning of blessings” Dec. 18, which proposed “to broaden and enrich the meaning of blessings,” including the extension of non-liturgical blessings to individuals in “irregular” extramarital sexual relationships — especially same-sex couples and cohabiting heterosexual couples — bishops around the world have distilled its pastoral guidance for their specific flocks.