Pope Francis meets with Iraqi president
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis met with Iraq's president for private talks underlining the need for promoting stability, reconstruction, national sovereignty and dialogue in the country as well as guaranteeing security for Christians.
God's Word on Sunday: With patience, it will come to pass in God’s time
Presentation of the Lord (Year A) Feb. 2, Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 24; Hebrews 2:10-22, 13b-18; Luke 2:22-40
Saints and ascetics have often achieved great feats of self-denial and mortification. But there is a spiritual practice that is far more difficult although not as showy, and it is reserved for spiritually mature individuals. This is the art/skill of waiting — but only with the correct frame of mind.
A long, sad farewell to a monastery
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- As Christmas approached and the year came to a close, the Monastery of St. Clare, home to the Poor Clare contemplative nuns for 87 years in Tennessee, quietly closed.
Abuse happens within women's orders, too, cardinal says
VATICAN CITY -- Sexual abuse and the abuse of authority have occurred and are occurring within religious orders of women and must be addressed with transparency and boldness, said Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Pope Francis meets with Mike Pence at Vatican
VATICAN CITY -- After Pope Francis and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence met privately for nearly an hour at the Vatican, Pence told the pope that his Roman Catholic mother will be pleased with the visit.
Czerny takes over Rome parish
Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, son of migrants to Canada and head of the Vatican department that works on behalf of migrants and refugees, took possession of his parish in a heavily immigrant neighbourhood of Rome Jan. 19.
Put people first, Pope Francis tells leaders at Davos
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis told global business and government leaders that everyone has the moral responsibility to seek the integral development of all people, but especially those who are in need, suffering injustice or whose lives are threatened.
U.S. bishop asked Pope Francis about McCarrick report
VATICAN CITY -- Bishop Joseph E. Strickland of Tyler, Texas, said he asked Pope Francis about the Vatican investigation into Theodore E. McCarrick and the release of a promised report on how the former cardinal managed to rise through the church ranks.
Pope Francis decries 'barbaric resurgence' of anti-Semitism
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis condemned the "barbaric resurgence" of anti-Semitism and criticized the selfish indifference that is creating the conditions for division, populism and hatred.
God's Word on Sunday: God’s light can shine in darkest times
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 26 (Year A) Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17-18; Matthew 4:12:23
Light and darkness are two of the most powerful and frequently used symbols in the Scriptures.
Pope Francis speaks to U.S. bishops about pro-life issues, transgender ideology
VATICAN CITY -- Protecting human life is the "preeminent" social and political issue, Pope Francis said, and he asked the head of the U.S. bishops' Committee for Pro-Life Activities to convey his support to the pro-life community.