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February 9, 2017
VATICAN CITY – Mali security forces arrested two suspects who they believe were involved in the kidnapping of a Colombian nun Feb. 7 in southern Mali.
WASHINGTON – Receiving a prestigious human rights prize, an Iraqi lawmaker who gained international attention for her oppressed Yazidi religious minority decried the Trump administration's “unfair” executive order on immigration.
This is the fourth in a series of four columns by Fr. Frank Freitas about prayer and praying. (Here's part 1, part 2 and part 3)
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Feb. 19 (Year A) Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:38-48 The Old and New Testaments speak with a unified voice on so many things.
One of the dangers inherent in trying to live out a life of Christian fidelity is that we are prone to become embittered moralizers, older brothers of the prodigal son, angry and jealous at God’s over-generous mercy, bitter because persons who wander and stray can so easily access the heavenly banquet table.
JERUSALEM – The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem warned of "serious consequences" from a new law that allows the government to seize private Palestinian lands where unauthorized Israeli settlements have been built.
VATICAN CITY – In a talk with representatives of Catholic men's religious orders, Pope Francis admitted there’s “corruption” in the Vatican but said he is not troubled by it and is working to reform the church administration.
WASHINGTON – After several rounds of dialogue, China and the Vatican have reportedly reached a "preliminary consensus" regarding the appointment of bishops, said Hong Kong Cardinal John Tong.
SYDNEY – As an Australian government commission heard testimony on how the Catholic Church responded to decades of child abuse in its institutions, church leaders were asking the same questions as the government: How could this have happened? How can we keep it from happening again?
February 10, 2017
On Sunday, Jan. 29, just as I was getting ready to leave church after an evening Mass, a gunman opened fire on a mosque in Quebec City, killing six people and injuring many more shortly after the end of their evening prayers.
Recent events have been dark and disturbing. First we saw U.S. President Donald Trump put a “temporary” travel and immigration ban on seven mostly Muslim countries. Then there was the tragedy in Quebec City where six men were killed and several wounded while praying.
When Fr. Michael Pace first arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
In the weakness of temptation, which we all experience, the grace of Jesus helps us to not hide ourselves from the Lord, but to seek forgiveness in order to get up and go forward. That was Pope Francis’ message during the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The Holy Father was reflecting on the devil’s temptation both of Adam and Eve, in the first Reading, and of Jesus in the Gospel. With Satan, the Pope said, there is no dialogue, because dialogue with the devil ends in sin and corruption.
WARSAW, Poland – As preparations get underway for this year's 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the country's small Catholic Church is keeping a low profile.
STUTTGART, Germany – Five centuries after the start of the Protestant Reformation, leaders of the Catholic and Lutheran churches came together in a demonstration of unity to release new Bible translations.
After being closed for more than a decade, the Cathedral of the Transfiguration north of Toronto has quietly re-opened its doors.
VATICAN CITY – A nation's health-care system cannot be run simply as a business because human lives are at stake, Pope Francis said.
AMMAN, Jordan – Jerusalem Bishop William Shomali, newly appointed to the Latin Patriarchate of Jordan, says that although Christians are a very small minority in Jordan, through the Catholic schools, hospitals and charities their presence is strongly felt in the communities.
PHOENIX – The mother who made headlines as possibly the first unauthorized immigrant to be deported from the United States under President Donald Trump's immigration orders was being sheltered overnight by the Kino Border Institute in Nogales, Mexico, Feb. 9.
DAKAR, Senegal – Catholic bishops from North Africa urged greater support for church life in their region, where migrants from sub-Saharan Africa now make up a large proportion of Catholic communities.