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December 4, 2015
WASHINGTON - Atrocities committed in the name of Islam reverberate in a historic mosque in Washington.
TORONTO - Growing up, Fr. Hector Vila never dreamed of visiting the Yukon. But now the Redemptoris Mater priest from Peru can’t stop thinking about making his first trip to northern Canada.
VATICAN CITY - Whether in Rome or at home, Catholics will have a variety of ways to take part in the Year of Mercy.
CAIRO - Africa is among the world's regions most in need of a "just and clear" global accord to combat climate change, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told the UN climate conference in Paris.
OTTAWA - The federal government is seeking a six-month extension on the Carter decision that had struck down sections of the Criminal Code against assisted suicide.
December 5, 2015
WASHINGTON - While details are still unfolding as to why a California Muslim couple turned to murder, Muslims in the West must step up and admit terrorism is rooted in extremist Islam, said four Muslim panelists speaking at a conservative think tank on Thursday (Dec. 3).
TORONTO - Canada’s largest shelter for homeless youth has been recognized for having one of the best workplace cultures in the country.
Family talk in the Church doesn’t start with all that can go wrong.
TORONTO - Coming to terms with aging through spiritual discernment is critical to sound decision making in the second half of life, said Sr. Mary Rose Marrin.
WASHINGTON - Although the four weeks of Advent focus on waiting for Christmas, the Church does not just sit around and wait for the main event. It celebrates plenty of major feasts with lots of customs, traditions and even special foods during the month of December.
December 6, 2015
TORONTO - The truth part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission process is done; now is the time for Canada to enter into reconciliation, said Anglican Bishop Mark MacDonald.
Dr. Bill Sullivan — Catholic bioethicist, researcher and medical doctor — wants to counter demands for assisted suicide with conversation, care and relationships.
Papal bulls are serious, powerful documents that once commanded the kings and queens of Europe. It was a papal bull that started the Crusades.
When the 750th birthday of Dante Aligheri (1265-1321) was celebrated in Italy in May, Pope Francis invited Catholics all over the world to take up and read one of the cornerstone works of Western and Christian civilization, The Divine Comedy, as an act of preparation for the extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy which launches Dec. 8. Francis says Dante “is a prophet of hope, herald of the possibility of redemption, liberation and the profound transformation of every man and woman, of all humanity.”
December 7, 2015
VATICAN CITY - Heads of states at the U.N. climate change conference in Paris must do everything possible to mitigate the effects of both climate change and poverty "for the good of our common home," Pope Francis said.
VATICAN CITY - Vatican judges have granted a request by one of the defendants to have several prominent Vatican officials take the stand and testify in the so-called "VatiLeaks" trial regarding the leaking and publication of confidential documents.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will open the Catholic Church’s jubilee on mercy on Tuesday, a nearly year-long event that is expected to bring millions of pilgrims to Rome despite security concerns and logistical challenges.
PARIS - Major hurdles stand in the way of a global accord on climate change, including over the questions of human rights and who pays the costs for poor countries to transition into using greener energy, said Catholic and other Church activists on the sidelines of the UN climate conference.
December 8, 2015
One of the victims of the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., was a Messianic Jew who had clashed with co-worker and shooter Syed Farook over religion and politics, including the Holocaust and the right of Israel to exist as a homeland for Jews.
VATICAN CITY - On a cloudy, damp morning, Pope Francis' voice echoed in the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica: "Open the gates of justice." With five strong thrusts, the pope pushed open the Holy Door, a symbol of God's justice, which he said will always be exercised "in the light of his mercy."