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Giving is not enough, people must also ‘touch poverty,’ pope says
Giving to others in need is not enough; people must look those they help in the eyes and be willing to touch their poverty with their hands and hearts, Pope Francis said.
Nigeria’s sorrow is ‘overflowing,’ bishop says after Christians massacred over Christmas
Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Nigeria’s Plateau state declared a week of mourning Jan. 1-8 to honor the deaths of at least 200 Christians killed over Christmas by Fulani Muslim herders, targeting Christians in the country.
Pope sends condolences to victims of two suicide bombings in Iran
Pope Francis expressed his condolences and prayers after two bombings in Kerman, Iran, claimed the lives of 84 people and wounded scores more at a memorial for an assassinated Iranian military officer.
U.S. bishops asked to hold new rounds of Synod on Synodality listening sessions
Dioceses across the U.S. are asked to hold additional listening sessions in the next few months, following a request from the Vatican’s Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops which is preparing for the second session of the global Synod on Synodality in October.
Pope tells young people to sow peace in the peripheries
A person does not have to travel far from home to find people living on the margins of society and in need hearing the message of the Gospel, Pope Francis said.
Dicastery doubles down: Bishops shouldn’t stop blessings for gay couples
While bishops may take a cautious approach to the Vatican’s guidance on blessing same-sex or other unmarried couples, they should not deny their priests the possibility of discerning and imparting blessings on people who ask for them, the Vatican doctrinal office said.
Analysis: Israel’s war on Hamas raises significant moral concerns as Gaza death toll soars
With more than 22,100 deaths and 57,000 injured as reported by Jan. 2 by Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the question is being asked: Can Israel’s conflict conduct be considered a “just war” under the Catholic understanding of the concept?
Pope: Catholics working in media can de-escalate today’s war of words
Help “de-weaponize” the way language is used in the media by being respectful to others and fostering greater understanding and peace between people, Pope Francis told a group of Catholics journalists from Germany.
Appeals court rules emergency abortions not required in Texas under federal law
The Biden administration cannot use a 1986 emergency health care law to require hospitals in Texas to perform emergency abortions, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled Jan. 2.
‘Padre Pio’ actor Shia LaBeouf fully enters the Catholic Church New Year’s Eve
Shia LaBeouf, a Hollywood veteran and star of director Abel Ferrara’s film “Padre Pio,” received the sacrament of confirmation, completing his initiation into the Catholic faith, during the New Year holiday weekend, according to announcements posted Jan. 2 to Facebook and Instagram by the Capuchin Franciscans’ Western American Province.