Pope saddened by ‘huge loss of life’ after earthquakes in Turkey and Syria February 6, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Francis expressed his “spiritual closeness” and “solidarity” with those affected by a pair of powerful earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria Feb. 6.
Consecrated persons have ‘special role’ in fulfilling church’s mission, pope says February 3, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News While Pope Francis was “on mission” in Africa he urged consecrated persons to embody the church’s missionary spirit in spreading the Gospel.
Scholars, diplomats reflect on U.S. and church’s response to the Holocaust January 31, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News More than three-quarters of a century after the largest genocide in history, the United States and the Catholic Church are still making sense of their response to the Holocaust.
U.S.-born priest to lead Vatican body overseeing selection of world’s bishops January 31, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News Pope Francis has chosen Chicago-born Bishop Robert F. Prevost of Chiclayo, Peru, to succeed Canadian Cardinal Ouellet as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
Pope Francis condemns ‘spiral of death’ in the Holy Land January 30, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News The “spiral of death” that has materialized in the Holy Land in recent days threatens the little remaining trust that exists between Israelis and Palestinians, Pope Francis said.
Christians in affluent societies must combat ‘throwaway culture,’ pope says January 30, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Christians must combat the prevalent culture of wastefulness by becoming poor in spirit, Pope Francis said.
Ukraine’s religious leaders renew invitation to pope to visit Kyiv January 26, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Crisis in Ukraine, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Ukraine’s religious leaders asked Pope Francis to visit Kyiv, said Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church.
Pope thanks Ukrainian religious leaders for unity in the face of conflict January 25, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Crisis in Ukraine, Ecumenism and Interfaith Relations, Feature, News, Vatican, World News As war ravages Ukraine, the country cannot be divided among religious confessions but must be united behind “mother Ukraine,” Pope Francis said.
After California shooting, pope says world is ‘obsessed’ with guns January 25, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Gun Violence, News, Vatican, World News After the shooting Jan. 21 in Monterey Park, California, that killed 11 people and injured nine others, Pope Francis said that “the world is obsessed with having guns.”
Christians must not be oppressed by guilt, but filled with joy, pope says January 25, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Evangelization, Feature, News, Vatican, World News Christians must not “put pressure on others” to convert or induce in them “feelings of guilt,” but take a weight off their shoulders through joyfully sharing the Gospel, Pope Francis said.
Long homilies are ‘a disaster,’ keep it under 10 minutes, pope says January 23, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News, Worship & Sacraments Lengthy, abstract homilies are “a disaster,” so preaching should be limited to 10 minutes, Pope Francis said.
To improve liturgy, involve the people, pope says January 20, 2023By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News, Worship & Sacraments Religious celebrations must foster the “fruitful participation of the people of God” and not just of the clergy, Pope Francis said.