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October 5, 2014
And together we work wonders
Under blue skies, dressed in black, stand the members of Christian band Darkness Divided. In the serenity of a forest clearing, the band members’ hands are stretched straight up, revealing streams of thick, dark blood pouring from wounds artificially created on their open palms. In the background, lyrics suggestive of Christ’s crucifixion are belted out supported by the severe guitar and drum sounds typical of a metalcore band. This is a scene from “The Hands that Bled,” a single off the band’s newly released album, Written in Blood.
VATICAN CITY - Opening a two-week Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis warned participants against the temptations of hypocrisy, pride and greed, urging them instead to serve the church with "freedom, creativity and hard work."
October 6, 2014
VATICAN CITY - Extremist groups in the Middle East, including the "Islamic State," must be stopped with sanctioned military force and through dialogue, said a Vatican statement.
VATICAN CITY - The Greek root of the word "synod" means "to walk together," which is exactly what bishops and other members of the Synod of Bishops are called to do as they seek to apply the Gospel and church teaching to the challenges facing family life today, said the gathering's general secretary.
VATICAN CITY - The first two married couples beatified as couples and St. Therese of Lisieux were being honored during the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis opened the first working session of an extraordinary Synod of Bishops Oct. 6, urging participants to speak fearlessly and listen humbly during two weeks of discussion of the "pastoral challenges of the family."
VATICAN CITY - Christians cannot follow Jesus while turning away from people who are hungry, Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY - The separation of married couples is a huge issue in the Philippines and other parts of Asia, not because of divorce but because poverty pushes couples to separate in search of jobs abroad, said Filipino Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila.
VATICAN CITY - A married couple told Pope Francis and the Synod of Bishops on the family that Catholic parishes should welcome same-sex couples, following the example of parents who invite their son and his male partner to their home for Christmas.
OTTAWA, Ontario - As Canada debated joining the United States and other nations in military intervention to stop Islamic State militants, a Jesuit priest based in Syria urged caution and called for renewed efforts to find peace.
TORONTO - Fifty years on, it’s time for the ecumenical movement to take on a more pastoral mission and worry less about trying to untie the knots of history and theology, Saint Paul University theology professor Catherine Clifford told a small gathering of bishops, clergy and lay people in Toronto commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism.
NEW YORK - Fr. Benedict Groeschel, a Franciscan priest whose long beard, gray robes, prolific writings and often controversial views made him a distinctive and popular presence in Catholic media, died Oct. 3 at St. Joseph’s Home for the Elderly in Totowa, N.J.
October 7, 2014
WASHINGTON - Rulings that overturned state bans on same-sex marriage in five U.S. states will be allowed to take effect, after the Supreme Court Oct. 6 declined to consider appeals of seven lower court rulings that such prohibitions are unconstitutional.
VATICAN CITY - A papal commission on child protection will be expanding its nine-member panel to include more experts and another survivor of clerical abuse.
VATICAN - In their discussions of sexual and medical ethics, participants at the Synod of Bishops on the family are giving emphasis to the concept of "graduality," as a way of thinking about morality that allows for human imperfection without compromising ideals.
ROME - A Franciscan priest was among about 20 Christians kidnapped from a Syrian village near the border with Turkey the night of Oct. 5-6, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said.
October 8, 2014
VATICAN CITY - When Catholics see couples who are patient, kind, never jealous or rude, they "behold the beauty and simplicity and strength of married love," but the Church also must learn to help and to heal those whose dreams for lifelong love have been shattered, said Scottish Archbishop Philip Tartaglia.
TORONTO - Toronto’s Catholic school board made its second appearance at Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s annual dusk-to-dawn outdoor art exhibit, this year spreading a message of charity.
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - St. Maximilian Kolbe in Mississauga may be one of the Archdiocese of Toronto’s newer parishes, but it is also one of the largest and it continues to grow.