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November 2015

November 13

Back to the catacombs: New emphasis placed on bishops' simplicity pact

November 13, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Italian Bishop Luigi Bettazzi is the last surviving bishop of the 42 members of the Second Vatican Council who celebrated a Mass Nov. 16, 1965, in the Catacombs of Domitilla and signed a pact promising to live simply and close to the poor.

Discerning God’s will when either choice is good

November 13, 2015

OTTAWA - Discerning God’s will when one choice is clearly immoral is easy, but discerning among good options can be helped by advice from St. Ignatius, Fr. Timothy Gallagher told a recent retreat in Ottawa.

As air strikes against Islamic State end, Canada ponders its Mideast role

November 13, 2015

MONTREAL - For two prominent Catholic agencies based in Canada, the new Liberal government's decision to stop air strikes against Islamic State positions in the Middle East begs the question: How should Canada act in that region?

‘An attack on peace,’ Vatican says

November 13, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Here is a translation of a statement issued by the director of the Holy See press office, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, shortly after the terror attacks in Paris Nov. 13.

November 14

Film puts Boston clergy abuse crisis in Spotlight

November 14, 2015

The clergy abuse-themed drama Spotlight is a movie no Catholic will want to see. Whether it’s a film many mature Catholics ought to see is a different question entirely.

Out of the Cold: A history of caring

November 14, 2015

Editor’s note: Launched almost 30 years ago as a project at Toronto’s St. Michael’s College School, the Out of the Cold program is a remarkable story of Christian outreach that last winter provided food and shelter to more than 12,000 homeless men and women. That success is celebrated in a just-released book by Catholic Register associate editor Michael Swan. In this excerpt from Out of the Cold: A history of caring, Swan recounts how the program found a home in one downtown Toronto church.

Family services jazzes it up to end abuse

November 14, 2015

Members of Toronto’s jazz community are coming together for one night of swingin’ and scattin’ to help end violence against women and their families.

November 15

Faith a pillar of Canada’s foundation

November 15, 2015

Greg Pennoyer calls it “living in a culture of amnesia.” Canadians may know bits and pieces of their history — the date of Confederation, where Henry Hudson froze to death, how General Wolfe defeated the Marquis de Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham. But we’ve lost the thread of the whole story.

Francis gives new life to ‘Catacombs Pact’

November 15, 2015

ROME - On the evening of Nov. 16, 1965, quietly alerted to the event by word-of-mouth, some 40 Roman Catholic bishops made their way to celebrate Mass in an ancient, underground basilica in the Catacombs of Domitilla on the outskirts of the Eternal City.

November 16

Nothing can justify terrorist attacks, Pope says

November 16, 2015

VATICAN CITY - "This is not human," Pope Francis said after a night of terror in Paris left more than 120 people dead and more than 200 people injured.

We don't put our Christian identity up for auction

November 16, 2015

The single thought, humanism that takes the place of Jesus, destroys the Christian identity. We don't put that identity card up for auction. Those were the words of Pope Francis on Monday during Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.

Canadian theologian visiting Paris was minutes away from the bloodshed

November 16, 2015

MONTREAL - When Daniel Laliberte planned his Paris getaway with his wife, he had no clue he would end up being only meters away from the biggest terrorist attack Europe has known in the past decade.

World religious leaders condemn Paris carnage

November 16, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis raised the specter of a World War III “in pieces,” Muslims issued statements of condemnation, while evangelical Christians in America debated whether to speak of a “war with Islam.”

November 17

After attacks, Muslims in Paris fear being targeted anew

November 17, 2015

PARIS - Shortly after the string of deadly, near-simultaneous attacks around the French capital, Faical Ouertani got a call from distraught friends in Tunisia.

Accepting invite from Rome's Jewish community, Pope to visit synagogue

November 17, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will visit Rome's synagogue and meet with the city's Jewish community Jan. 17, the Vatican announced. Invited by Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Pope Francis will be the third pope to visit the synagogue; St. John Paul II made his landmark visit in 1986 and Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2010.

Philippine church leaders: Don't let poor get forgotten at APEC summit

November 17, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - As world leaders started arriving in Manila Nov. 17 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit, church leaders voiced concern that the poor might be forgotten once again in the high-level meeting.

People have right to know environmental causes of illness, doctor says

November 17, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Patients have a right to a diagnosis that includes the possible causes of their illness, not just treatment addressing the symptoms, said a doctor invited to a Vatican-sponsored congress.

Ghana's bishops urge citizens to fight environmental destruction

November 17, 2015

ACCRA, Ghana - Ghana's Catholic bishops called on Ghanaians to fight the indiscriminate destruction of the environment and supported a hands-on project to fight pollution.

Respond to attacks with mercy, not fear

November 17, 2015

Catholics should be guided by mercy, not fear, in the wake of the Paris terror attack, said Hamilton Bishop Douglas Crosby three days after co-ordinated terrorist attacks killed at least 129 and sent 415 people to hospital.

November 18

Canadian food bank use up, especially in Alberta

November 18, 2015

OTTAWA - This year’s HungerCourt 2015 report reveals food bank use in Canada has risen for the second consecutive year and remains at near record levels.