Browse › 2018 › April

April 2018

April 1

Urbi et orbi: Death, fear do not have the last word, Pope says

April 1, 2018

VATICAN – Easter makes it clear that in the life of Jesus, but also in the lives of modern men and women, "death, solitude and fear" do not have the last word, Pope Francis said before giving his Easter blessing.

April 2

Pope's Easter appeals for peace include special prayers for Syria, Gaza

April 2, 2018

VATICAN – In his Easter appeal for peace throughout the world, Pope Francis made special mention of the ongoing "carnage" in Syria and the recent violence along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, violence the Pope said had not spared "the defenseless."

Venezuelan bishops: Jail fire that killed 68 could have been prevented

April 2, 2018

CARACAS, Venezuela – A jail riot and fire that killed 68 people in Venezuela's deadliest tragedy in decades could have been prevented, according to the Venezuelan bishops' conference.

Christ is victorious over all that divides people, Pope says

April 2, 2018

VATICAN – Easter is a feast that calls Christians to gather together, make a commitment to dialogue and to work for the common good, Pope Francis said.

April 3

In Mexico, ongoing violence continues during Holy Week

April 3, 2018

MEXICO CITY – A pair of passion plays were interrupted by gunfire on Good Friday as the violence convulsing Mexico continued claiming lives through the Holy Week holidays.

Islamic State claims it killed four Catholics in southern Pakistan

April 3, 2018

QUETTA, Pakistan – Four members of a Catholic family were killed in a militant attack in southern Pakistan a day after the minority community celebrated Easter.

Mideast Catholic patriarchs evoke Resurrection hope in Easter messages

April 3, 2018

BEIRUT – In Easter messages, Catholic patriarchs of the Middle East evoked the hope of the Resurrection.

First Nations not giving up on Pope Francis apology

April 3, 2018

OTTAWA – Assembly of First Nations Chief Perry Bellegarde wants a face-to-face meeting to ask Pope Francis to reconsider his rejection of a call to come to Canada to issue a formal apology to Indigenous peoples.

Pro-life, disability rights activists take euthanasia concerns to MPs

April 3, 2018

OTTAWA – Euthanasia opponents and disability rights activists are uneasy about a process to liberalize Canada’s euthanasia law — a law which they say still lacks regulations and proper safeguards.

No sign Liberals will budge on Summer Jobs attestation despite continuing protest

April 3, 2018

OTTAWA – The Liberal government shows no sign of budging from requiring the pro-abortion Canada Summer Jobs attestation, despite pleas from faith leaders and news of a second Liberal MP breaking ranks.

For converts, Easter brings sense of relief

April 3, 2018

EDMONTON – Levi Breederland and his wife Kaitlyn feel a strong sense of relief as they approach Easter — after months of preparation they will finally be received into the Catholic Church.

Albinos’ plight sends Canadian into action

April 3, 2018

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. – Abandoned. Beaten. Ostracized. Dismembered. Children in Tanzania with albinism face rejection and brutal attacks due to local superstitions about their condition.

Special education, mental health funding given helpful boost in Ontario public schools

April 3, 2018

A pre-election $625 million injection of cash into Ontario’s education system has put a smile on the faces of Catholic school trustees as they anticipate more help dealing with mental health issues in the student body and the spiralling costs of educating special needs students.

Faith opens up wallet for international aid, study finds

April 3, 2018

Faith is the force Development and Peace counts on when they ask for money. A new study by the Angus Reid Institute shows they have the right idea — but also that it may not be enough.

Fr. Raymond J. De Souza: Rosica pulls back curtain on ‘a new dictatorship’

April 3, 2018

Fr. Thomas Rosica, CEO of Salt & Light Catholic Media Foundation, published a blistering assessment of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the pages of a Jesuit magazine, identifying in practice what Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger memorably called the “dictatorship of relativism.”

Charles Lewis: Silence much easier said than done

April 3, 2018

Many of us were fortunate enough to hear Cardinal Robert Sarah speak at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica last month. He is truly a holy man and strong voice in a world of banalities. How many people do you know whose cause is silence?

Bob Brehl: Coyote attack a sign of upside down world

April 3, 2018

Do you ever wonder if sometimes the world is upside down?

April 4

Pope, Martin Luther King share common dream, Vatican official says

April 4, 2018

VATICAN – The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of a dignified life for all men and women regardless of color or creed continues to live on in the teachings of one his most influential admirers, Pope Francis, a Vatican representative said.

Leave Mass committed to Christian witness, not with a 'loose tongue', Pope says

April 4, 2018

VATICAN – The final words at Mass – "Go in peace" – are an invitation to Christians to proclaim God's blessings through their lives, not an opportunity to go outside and speak ill of others, Pope Francis said.

Seminarian who carried cross at Pope's Easter Mass dies in Rome

April 4, 2018

ROME – Friends and fans called him a "gentle giant," a faithful "prayer warrior" and a Clark Kent whose superman power was helping people grow in holiness and faith.