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May 22, 2017
HONG KONG – Every evening, no matter how busy or tired she may be, Yiu reads the Bible at home to her 7-year-old granddaughter. Sometimes, parishioners from Changzhi Diocese in north-central China's Shanxi province, come and join her, reports ucanews.com.
WASHINGTON – Within the next 10-20 years, a new and controversial fertility technology called in vitro gametogenesis could make it possible to manipulate skin cells into creating a human baby.
DUBLIN – Bronagh Matthews, an office manager in her 30s, lives on the rural edge of North County Dublin. She attended an all-girls Catholic high school and a Catholic college and still identifies as Roman Catholic.
May 23, 2017
It is only the Holy Spirit Who can teach us to say: “Jesus is the Lord.” That was the focus of Pope Francis’ reflections during the morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Monday. The Holy Father emphasized that we must open our hearts in order to hear the Holy Spirit, and thus be able to bear witness to Christ.
On the second anniversary of the beatification of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed in 1980 by military squadrons linked to the Regime in San Salvador as he defended the poor, Pope Francis recalled Romero’s religious fervor and passion for justice while warning the faithful against a ‘lukewarm’ Church.
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – The Mexican Bishops' Conference offered prayers for journalists as they face increased violence in their efforts to uncover truth.
CARACAS, Venezuela – The Venezuelan bishops' conference reiterated its rejection of a government proposal to draft a new constitution, after a rare meeting between the conference president and top government representatives.
MANILA, Philippines – In the most recent clash between the government and the Catholic Church in the Philippines, authorities have banned hanging rosaries and religious icons in vehicles, citing safety concerns.
WASHINGTON – Tens of thousands of Haitians enrolled under the Temporary Protected Status program can stay in the United States until at least January.
DEAD SEA, Jordan – Arab Christians voiced hope and concern over U.S. President Donald Trump's first foreign visit and his speech in Saudi Arabia to the Muslim world, in which he urged a peace-focused Islam as a counter movement to extremism.
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez dedicated his appointment as El Salvador's first Catholic cardinal to his longtime friend and mentor, Blessed Oscar Romero, a slain archbishop who has come to symbolize the small Central American country's fight for justice.
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis announced he will create five new cardinals June 28; the new cardinals-designate come from Mali, Spain, Sweden, Laos and El Salvador.
MANCHESTER, U.K. – After what has been deemed a terrorist attack that killed 22 people – mostly youth – at a theatre in Manchester Monday night, local Bishop John Arnold condemned the act, saying there is no justification for such violence.
OTTAWA – When it comes to revitalizing Catholic parishes, don’t be afraid to borrow ideas, even from Protestant churches, said an American pastor who tripled his weekend Mass attendance.
May 24, 2017
Human trafficking has become a billion-dollar industry that is projected to overtake arms sales as the most lucrative illegal business in the world, said international expert Sr. Imelda Poole.
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump spent 30 minutes speaking privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 24, and as the president left, he told the Pope, "I won't forget what you said."
There’s nothing older or more essential to the Church than the laying on of hands. In the Acts of the Apostles, one of the first things the newly formed Church does is commission seven men who speak different languages and represent different cultures. They were ordered (ordained) to make sure that the widows and orphans of every ethnicity, tribe and clan within the young Church are cared for.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The recent scene in downtown Nashville of mobs of hockey fans was almost unthinkable a decade ago.
May 25, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – Gunmen claiming to have links with the Islamic State group threatened to kill hostages, including a Catholic priest, who were taken from the southern Philippine city of Marawi May 23.
Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Pope Francis welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a papal audience in coming days.