U.S. bishops’ annual religious freedom essay contest opens for high schoolers March 11, 2024By OSV News OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Religious Freedom, Schools, World News High school juniors and seniors are invited to enter an annual religious liberty essay contest hosted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, along with the USCCB Secretariat of Catholic Education and Our Sunday Visitor Institute.
Survey shows faith influences views on some, not all, social issues March 11, 2024By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, World News, Young Adult Ministry A survey of attitudes among young people in eight countries about religious beliefs, prayer and social issues found that while about 25 percent identified as being atheist or agnostic, believers and non-believers were very likely to both agree about the severity of environmental problems and the danger of political corruption in the world.
Franciscan AI expert warns of technology becoming a ‘pseudo-religion’ March 11, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, World News Artificial intelligence risks giving technology a “pseudo-religion” status by shaping the way people engage with information and reality, a leading expert on artificial intelligence said.
Pope calls for the ‘courage of the white flag,’ negotiation, in Ukraine March 10, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, War in Ukraine, World News – Encouraging negotiations to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, Pope Francis called for the warring sides to have the “courage of the white flag,” a term usually associated with surrender.
Vatican Year of Prayer resource available free online March 10, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News Pope Francis has asked Catholics to dedicate 2024 to intensifying their prayer lives in preparation for the celebration of the Holy Year 2025, and the Vatican has published a resource guide to help them.
Papal preacher: Christians are ‘wounded healers,’ meant to help others March 9, 2024By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Lent, News, Vatican, World News Jesus frees Christians from all fear because not only is he the Good Shepherd who protects his flock, but also because he has “conquered the world” and death, the papal preacher said.
Sister of murdered French priest tells story of forgiveness, friendship with killer’s mother March 9, 2024By Caroline de Sury OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, World News Spending most of her life in Armentières, a northern small French town bordering Belgium, Roseline Hamel, 84, would never have expected it to take such a dramatic turn when her brother, Jacques, 86, was murdered while celebrating Mass at his little church in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in France’s Normandy region on July 26, 2016.
In fight to end human trafficking, educating migrants about risks they face called ‘essential’ March 9, 2024By Kurt Jensen OSV News Filed Under: Feature, Immigration and Migration, News, Social Justice, World News Ask women religious leaders on the front lines of the fight against human trafficking and the exploitation of cheap migrant labor, and you hear less about government programs and more about educating the migrants.
Pope tells priests: ‘Don’t ask too much’ during confession, forgive always March 8, 2024By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service Filed Under: Lent, News, Vatican, World News Catholics should not be afraid to bear their sins before God whose mercy is a model for the church’s ministers, Pope Francis said.
Catholic Charities, three other major nonprofits ‘team up’ to counter polarization in U.S. March 8, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Catholic Charities, News, Social Justice, World News Four major nonprofits have launched a joint effort to counteract rising polarization and isolation in the U.S., including Catholic Charities USA, the organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States.
In boisterous State of the Union, Biden calls for Ukraine aid, abortion law and immigration reforms March 8, 2024By Kate Scanlon OSV News Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, U.S. Congress, War in Ukraine, World News In his third State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Biden said “this is no ordinary moment” in U.S. history.
Act of Contrition is affirmation of God’s loving mercy, pope says March 8, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: News, Vatican, World News, Worship & Sacraments A Christian’s awareness of being sinful should be directly proportional to their “perception of the infinite love of God,” Pope Francis said.