FAITH/STORIES
Pope to appoint advisory board in removing negligent bishops regarding sex abuse
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY – Pope Francis will set up a panel of legal experts to help him in deciding whether to remove a religious superior or bishop from office for failing to protect minors and vulnerable adults from sex abuse.
Text from homily for Mass with canonization
Pope Francis delivered the homily at Mass on Sunday morning, the 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, during which he also presided over the canonization of two new saints: Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, and Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad.
Pope calls for gathering to find ways to end, prevent drug abuse
By Carl Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has requested a special study session at the Vatican to look at how to solve the growing problem of drug abuse, especially narcotics.
Good priests don't own gloves, they get their hands dirty, says Pope Francis
By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY – Like the Good Shepherd, good priests do not privatize their time and demand to be left alone, but rather are always willing to risk everything in search of the lost sheep, Pope Francis said at the closing Mass of the Jubilee for Priests and Seminarians.
Full text from Mass of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
On Friday 3 June, Pope Francis celebrated Holy Mass with priests in St Peter's Square as part of a special Jubilee of Mercy for Priests.
Christians serve with joy and not with a grimace
Pope Francis on Tuesday urged Christians to serve other people, without delay or hesitation, saying if we learnt how to reach out in this way, the world would be a very different place. His remarks came during his homily at the morning Mass in the Santa Marta residence where he used the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary for his reflections on the concept of a Christian at the service of others.
Church needs courageous women like Mary, Pope says at morning Mass
By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY – The Church needs the service of the many women who continue to follow Mary's example of courage and service despite the odds, Pope Francis said.
Themes of Christian life: memory, prophecy and hope
Pope Francis celebrated Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta on Monday morning. In remarks to the faithful following the Readings of the Day, the Holy Father focused on the threefold theme of the dynamic unity in Christian life, the signs of which are living memory, the prophetic spirit, and the sure horizon of hope.
To Deacons: ‘you are called to serve, not to be self-serving’
Pope Francis on Sunday told Deacons from across the globe that they must be generous with their lives and with their time.
Pope Francis tells Internet celebrities to take 'path of optimism and hope'
By Rosie Scammell, Religion News ServiceVATICAN CITY – Pope Francis is already a celebrity and an internet sensation in his own right, so it was perhaps no surprise that he had words of wisdom for some of YouTube’s top stars in a meeting over the weekend — and that a few Hollywood A-listers were also lining up for a photo-op.
Ignore the church schedule and serve the people, pope tells deacons
By Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY – Deacons are called to be servants who set aside their own self-serving plans and are generous with their lives, Pope Francis said.
Woodworker creates ministry building caskets out of reclaimed lumber
By Katie Scott, Catholic News ServiceFRONT ROYAL, Va. – Above the hum of the table saw, one story was told, then another.
In Lebanon, Muslims and Christians visit Marian shrine at Harissa
By Doreen Abi Raad, Catholic News ServiceHARISSA, Lebanon – High on a summit overlooking the Mediterranean, Our Lady of Lebanon stands majestically with her arms outstretched, welcoming her children.