FAITH/STORIES
‘Live simply so that others may simply live’
Don't worry about being imperfect when called to vocation, Pope says
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - Men and women called to a religious vocation should not worry about being imperfect but should trust in God to transform their lives, said Pope Benedict XVI.
Faith is genuine only if coupled with charity for others, Pope says
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - Faith and charity can never be separated nor opposed to each other, just as faith by itself isn't genuine without charity, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Priests offer tips for Catholics long absent from the confessional
By Mark Pattison, Catholic News ServiceWASHINGTON - After "Bless me, Father, for I have sinned" -- even if they get that far -- there are millions of Catholics who don't exactly know what to say next.
Why not women priests? The papal theologian explains
By Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In October, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith dismissed Roy Bourgeois from the priesthood because of his participation in the invalid ordination of a woman.
Lack of faith can hurt marriage, may affect validity, Pope says
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - A lack of faith in God can damage marriage, even to the point of affecting its validity, Pope Benedict XVI said.
Pope marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, calls for end to hatred
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI said the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day calls humanity to work to overcome all forms of hatred and racism and to respect the dignity of each human person.
Three bishops share faith, stories on Saskatchewan roots
By James Buchok, Canadian Catholic NewsWINNIPEG - Three bishops walked into a bar... and there, before an enthusiastic crowd of youth and young adult ministers, they shared their stories of how they came to have the faith that they have today.
Politics without God bound to fail
By Catholic News ServiceROME - Politicians who act as if God did not exist and as if there was no such thing as objective moral truths are bound to fail in their efforts to promote the common good, said the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
“The politics we have today in Europe and North America without ethical foundations, without a reference to God, cannot resolve our problems, even those of the market and money,” said Archbishop Gerhard Muller.
Speaking Jan. 11 at a Vatican bookstore in downtown Rome, Muller said, “Faith and reason are like two people who love each other deeply, who cannot live without each other, and who were intimately made for one another, so much so that they cannot be considered separate from one another and cannot reach their goals separately.”
Bishop in Mali says people in hiding, afraid to enter churches
By Jonathan Luxmoore, Catholic News ServiceOXFORD, England - A Catholic bishop in war-torn Mali whose diocese lies in the path of Islamic insurgents said "people are hiding in their homes, unable to venture out."
In times of tragedy, Jesus’ presence is felt
By Richard Olson, Catholic Register SpecialGUELPH, ONT. - In my role as a vice principal in a Catholic high school, God is revealed in raw emotional landscapes: old-fashioned fist fights, cruel words in 120 character texts that ravage reputations, startlingly tragic losses.
Be like Good Samaritan, help those in need, Pope says in message
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - In a message for the 2013 World Day of the Sick, Pope Benedict XVI called on everyone to be a good Samaritan and concretely help those in need.
Peace is impossible without openness to God, Pope tells diplomats
By Francis X. Rocca, Catholic News ServiceVATICAN CITY - Deploring war, civil conflict and poverty around the world, Pope Benedict XVI told foreign ambassadors assembled at the Vatican that peace-building requires charity, religious liberty, a proper understanding of human rights and openness to divine love.