Cindy Wooden

At Easter the stones of sin, despair, are rolled away, pope says at vigil

April 20, 2019

VATICAN CITY - As individuals and as a church, it can be tempting to dwell on mistakes, failures and sins that block the fullness of life, but Easter is the proclamation that the Lord is victorious and his love will triumph, Pope Francis said.

Vatican firefighter says St. Peter's at much less risk than Notre Dame

April 17, 2019

VATICAN CITY - After the devastating fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris April 15, Romans and tourists could not help looking at St. Peter's Basilica and wondering, "what if?"

Hope from the ashes: President, archbishop vow to rebuild Notre Dame

April 16, 2019

ROME - The president of France and the archbishop of Paris have vowed to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral after a devastating fire, continuing what a professor of architecture described as the natural lifecycle of a historic building.

Official marks retired pope's birthday, commenting on his latest letter

April 15, 2019

VATICAN CITY - Marking retired Pope Benedict XVI's 92nd birthday, the editorial director of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication insisted what the retired Pope wrote about facing the clerical sexual abuse crisis is essentially what Pope Francis has said, too.

Vatican imposes 10-year suspension on Legionaries priest for abuse

April 12, 2019

VATICAN CITY - The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has banned a Legionaries of Christ priest from publicly exercising his priestly ministry for 10 years after he was convicted in Chile of sexually abusing a young girl.

At retreat for South Sudan leaders, Pope literally begs for peace

April 11, 2019

VATICAN CITY - At the end of a highly unusual spiritual retreat for the political leaders of warring factions, Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, begging them to give peace a chance and to be worthy "fathers of the nation."

Human trafficking is 'crime against humanity,' Pope says

April 11, 2019

VATICAN CITY - Human trafficking is a "crime against humanity," because it denies the human dignity of the victim, seeing him or her only as a piece of merchandise to be used to enrich or give pleasure to another, Pope Francis said.

Pope urges students to see human actions behind suffering, war

April 8, 2019

VATICAN CITY - God does not play favorites, but human beings do in little ways at school and in big ways with the global economy, Pope Francis told students from Milan's Istituto San Carlo, a school with students from prekindergarten through high school.

‘Make a ruckus,' Pope tells young people in letter

April 2, 2019

VATICAN CITY — The sex abuse crisis, a history of sexism and an overly narrow focus on a small number of moral issues can keep young people away from the Church, Pope Francis wrote in a new apostolic exhortation.

Fight against sex abuse involves ‘spiritual combat,’ Pope says

April 1, 2019

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME — To fight clerical sexual abuse, the Catholic Church must have clear laws and procedures, but it also must engage in "spiritual combat," because it is obvious the devil is at work, Pope Francis said.