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July 2017

July 1

How Facebook is like church, according to founder Mark Zuckerberg

July 1, 2017

CHICAGO – Its members gather to comfort and encourage one another. They check in on the sick and struggling. They wish each other a happy birthday.

How Catholic culture can thrive on the internet

July 1, 2017

QUEBEC CITY – Social media can be difficult to navigate, but Catholics can reach out with a content-savvy approach that can truly engage people, young social media professionals told Catholic media leaders on Thursday.

Christians who fled Aleppo now returning with help from local Church

July 1, 2017

ALEPPO, Syria – Christians who fled Aleppo because of the four year battle for the city are now returning, and in the face of such challenges as poverty, destruction, and a shortages of basic goods, they persevere with the help of the local Church.

Ministry by motorcycle: meet the Cross Bearers

July 1, 2017

EDMONTON – Priests wear collars, friars wear habits, and the Cross Bearers, well, they wear black leather vests.

July 2

Review: Despicable Me 3

July 2, 2017

NEW YORK – Director Pierre Coffin's animated comedy "Despicable Me 3" (Universal) – the second direct follow-up to the 2010 original – turns out to be something of a disappointment, falling short when compared to its predecessors.

Iceland consecrates new wooden church, a gift from Slovakian Catholics

July 2, 2017

REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Bishop David Tencer of Reykjavik last week consecrated a new wooden church building, a gift from the Slovak Catholic Church.

To understand Pope Francis, you have to understand the Jesuits

July 2, 2017

ROME, Italy – Discernment is one of the words Pope Francis repeats most, especially when speaking to priests and seminarians – a concept that may seem obscure without an understanding its importance to the Pope's Jesuit formation.

Caritas Palermo: First stop for many migrants who cross Mediterranean

July 2, 2017

PALERMO, Italy – Young African men crowded the courtyard, while others squatted on the cool, gray marble floor inside the Caritas diocesan facility near the gritty central train station of the Sicilian capital.

July 3

As consecrated virgins, three women promise lifelong fidelity to Christ

July 3, 2017

DETROIT – Three brides in long, white dresses stood before the altar of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. There was not a single groom in sight.

Resilience, resourcefulness help Gazans cope with daily hardships

July 3, 2017

JERUSALEM – Gazans demonstrate an "inspiring" resilience and resourcefulness and more importantly, a sense of hope, despite the daily hardships they face, said the regional director for Palestine and Israel of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association.

What China can learn from the Vatican in handling Hong Kong

July 3, 2017

Pope Francis and President Xi Jinping came into their present roles within a day of each other in 2013 – Pope Francis was elected March 13 and Xi became president March 14. However, they have each followed a completely different path in governing immense and cumbersome entities – the People's Republic of China and the universal church.

July 4

Despite rumours, soccer superstar Messi not denied Catholic wedding

July 4, 2017

LIMA, Peru – An Argentine diocesan official has clarified that the local archbishop did not deny a sacramental Catholic wedding to Argentinian soccer player Lionel “Leo” Messi and his girlfriend, Antonella Roccuzzo.

Doctors say it's a miracle that toddler survived ninth-floor fall

July 4, 2017

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – The doctors at the Children's Hospital in San Miguel, Argentina, find no explanation for the quick recovery of Martin Chain – a three-year-old boy who fell from the ninth floor when he was playing on the balcony of his apartment.

Pope: Hunger caused by 'indifference of many, selfishness of a few'

July 4, 2017

VATICAN CITY – The international community must not remain resigned to the plight of those suffering hunger and malnutrition, which is often caused by indifference and selfishness, Pope Francis said.

Arizona fire forces residents from homes; blaze fuelled by high winds

July 4, 2017

PHOENIX – Residents of the town of Mayer, including roughly 100 families who regularly attend Mass at St. Joseph Mission, were allowed to return home June 29 after evacuating for a time because of the Goodwin Fire burning in the nearby Prescott National Forest.

Vietnamese Catholic blogger sentenced to 10 years in prison

July 4, 2017

HANOI, Vietnam – A Vietnamese court sentenced a Catholic blogger to 10 years in prison for propaganda against the Communist government. Rights activists described the sentence as "heavy."

Pope Francis donates $75,000 euros to Greek island struck by earthquake

July 4, 2017

ATHENS, Greece – Pope Francis has donated 50 thousand euroes ($73,000) to the island of Lesbos, Greece, which is recovering from a June earthquake.

Pope calls for respecting UK parents' wishes to care for dying child

July 4, 2017

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis called for respecting the wishes of a terminally ill child's parents to accompany and care for their child "until the end."

Christian, Muslim leaders highlight Lebanon as country of coexistence

July 4, 2017

BEIRUT – Top Christian and Muslim leaders and Lebanese government representatives agreed that Lebanon should be highlighted as an example of peaceful coexistence, noting that "the deepening of democracy in Lebanon sends a message of hope to the Arabs and to the world."

German bishops regret lawmakers' vote to legalize same-sex marriage

July 4, 2017

OXFORD, England – Germany's bishops' conference expressed regret over a June 30 parliamentary vote to allow same-sex weddings, vowing to defend the "Catholic understanding of marriage."