Pope Francis prayed that President Joe Biden would work to heal the divisions in U.S. society and promote human dignity and peace around the globe.
Pope: King’s ‘vision of harmony, equality for all’ remains timely
With “social injustice, division and conflict” threatening the common good, people need to rediscover and recommit to the vision of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to work nonviolently for harmony and equality for all, Pope Francis said.
For Ash Wednesday, Vatican asks priests to ‘sprinkle’ ashes on heads
The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments asked priests to take special anti-COVID-19 precautions this year when distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, including sprinkling ashes on the top of people’s heads rather than using them to make a cross on people’s foreheads.
Assault on U.S. Capitol shocks the world
The breach of the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 sent shock waves around the world.
National Prayer Vigil for Life will be virtual this year
Catholics across the country are instead being are encouraged to take part in a nationwide prayer vigil from Jan. 28 through Jan. 29, marking the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalizing abortion.
Church bells to ring Dec. 30 in honor of 336,000 lives lost to COVID-19
Churches will ring bells at noon Dec. 30, to remember and honor the more than 336,000 people who have died in the United States from COVID-19.
Nativity light-sound show projected on U.S. cathedral called joyful, hopeful
The gentle and hopeful show came as the nation grapples with COVID-19, stark political divisions and racial tensions brought by the death of George Floyd.
Netflix to release series illustrating pope’s call for ‘alliance’ of young, old
Netflix has announced that in 2021 it will release a documentary series based on “Sharing the Wisdom of Time,” a book in which Pope Francis called for creating “an alliance between the young and old people” by sharing their stories.
In Nigeria, nun cares for abandoned children labeled as witches
Throughout Africa, a witch is culturally understood to be the epitome of evil and the cause of misfortune, disease and death. Consequently, the witch is the most hated person in African society and subject to punishment, torture and even death.
Sister Prejean decries federal execution on Human Rights Day
Calling the Dec. 10 federal execution of Brandon Bernard an injustice carried out by the country’s criminal justice system, Sister Helen Prejean urged Americans to speak up to stop a series of upcoming executions in the final weeks of the Trump administration.
Cause opens for Louisiana priests who sacrificed their lives in 1873 epidemic
The sacrifice of five Catholic priests who gave their lives ministering to people in Shreveport during the 1873 yellow fever epidemic is memorialized in stained glass at Holy Trinity Church in downtown.
Pope says Catholics can receive plenary indulgence for Guadalupe devotion
With the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe closed for her feast to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Pope Francis said Catholics still can receive a plenary indulgence Dec. 11 and 12 for their Marian devotion if they follow certain conditions.