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January 2017

January 27

Sabbath rest needed now more than ever

January 27, 2017

Early Christian monks believed in something they called acedia. More colloquially, they called it the “noonday devil,” a name that essentially describes the concept.

The Church aiming to ‘grab hold’ of young people with youth synod

January 27, 2017

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Cardinal Dolan at Vigil for Life: If sanctuary of the womb is violated, no one is safe

January 27, 2017

WASHINGTON – Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York warned that if the sanctuary of the womb is violated, then other sanctuaries are at risk.

Fr. Damian MacPherson steps down from Archdiocese Interfaith post

January 27, 2017

Franciscan Fr. Damian MacPherson is passing on the interfaith torch after 19 years of service.

Catholics south of U.S. border say Trump's wall won't deter desperate migrants

January 27, 2017

MEXICO CITY – Catholics working with the thousands of migrants transiting Mexico in their attempts to reach the United States said a border barricade will fail to dissuade those desperately fleeing countries in Central America with some of the highest homicide rates on earth.

Pope Francis offers prayers, sends greetings to March for Life

January 27, 2017

WASHINGTON – Pope Francis offered his greeting to participants at the 2017 March for Life in Washington, D.C., assuring them of his prayers and imparting his Apostolic Blessing upon all present.

'Life is winning in America,' vice president tells March for Life rally

January 27, 2017

WASHINGTON (CNS) – Vice President Mike Pence told pro-life advocates from across the U.S. Jan. 27 that "life is winning in America, and today is a celebration of that progress."

January 28

Christians assess damage on Iraq's Nineveh plain, ravaged by ISIS

January 28, 2017

ERBIL, Iraq – “I don't understand how people can harm each other so much,” sighs security guard Louis Petrus. Petrus recently returned to his hometown for the first time: the Christian city of Qaraqosh, near Mosul, which he had to flee in August 2014, when Islamic State captured the largest Christian city on the Nineveh plain.

French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray's retirement means the end of an era

January 28, 2017

VATICAN CITY – As Cardinal Roger Etchegaray leaves Rome to retire to France, his homeland, an era has closed.

Canada’s largest food rescue agency sees an ever-growing demand

January 28, 2017

When the Second Harvest truck arrives at Margaret’s Toronto East Drop-In Centre, the homeless are the first ones out the door, crowding around the truck to ask driver Hektor Habili what he’s delivering.

January 29

Church implements Colombian peace accord with reflection, action, prayer

January 29, 2017

NEW YORK – No sector of society can unite Colombia single-handedly after a half-century of war, but the Catholic church's painstaking local reconciliation effort is a significant step to address the complex situation, Msgr. Hector Fabio Henao said.

Book Review: Paths to truth a humbling and painful journey

January 29, 2017

Experts in Humanity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing, by Josephine Lombardi, (Novalis, softcover, 143 pages, $18.95).

Quebec priest hits right note in aid of persecuted Christians

January 29, 2017

MONTREAL – A Quebec priest best known in English Canada for composing the anthem for World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, has released the second edition of a CD to draw attention to the plight of Christians who are being persecuted for their faith.

January 30

Pope's homily: strength of the Church is in the small, persecuted Churches

January 30, 2017

The greatest strength of the Church today is in the little, persecuted Churches. That was the message of Pope Francis at the morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta. At the heart of the Pope’s homily were the martyrs: “Today there are more than in the first ages” – but the media says nothing about them, he continued, because it’s not news. Pope Francis invited us to remember those who suffer martyrdom.

Culture alone cannot be blamed for drop in vocations, Pope says

January 30, 2017

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – While there is a need to evangelize a culture that tells young people money equals success and commitments aren't forever, stopping the "hemorrhage" of people leaving religious orders also requires changes from the orders themselves, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis to the laity: go out and evangelize, or buy mothballs

January 30, 2017

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – When asked in a new interview what specific mission he has for the laity, Pope Francis responded with a frequent appeal: to go outside of oneself and take risks in evangelizing, rather than staying stuffed up at home while the moths move in.

Knights of Malta appoint interim leader, reinstate Grand Chancellor

January 30, 2017

VATICAN CITY – After Pope Francis asked Knights of Malta Grand Master Matthew Festing to resign earlier this week, the Order has accepted the resignation, named an interim leader and reinstated their former Grand Chancellor, Albrecht Freiherr von Boeselager.

"We express our pain and rejection" – Mexico's bishops react to Trump's border wall

January 30, 2017

MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The bishops of Mexico on Thursday reacted to United States' president Donald Trump's executive order to build a wall on the nations' border by urging a more thoughtful response to legitimate security concerns.

Iraqi patriarch: Fast track for Christian refugees will fuel tensions

January 30, 2017

VATICAN CITY – Giving priority to Christian refugees for settlement programs would be "a trap" that discriminates and fuels religious tensions in the Middle East, said Iraq's Chaldean Catholic patriarch.

Trump's ban on refugees prompts outcry from U.S. Catholic leaders

January 30, 2017

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's executive memorandum intended to restrict the entry of terrorists coming to the United States brought an outcry from Catholic leaders across the U.S.