November 2019

Angela Saldanha: Prayers for departed needed all year

November 20, 2019

Traditionally, November is the time when we especially remember to pray for departed family members, friends and (maybe) enemies.

Fulton Sheen upcoming beatification greeted with joy, thanksgiving

November 20, 2019

PEORIA, Ill. -- With joy and thanksgiving, officials and faithful throughout the Diocese of Peoria and around the globe welcomed the announcement Nov. 18 that Pope Francis has called for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in Peoria Dec. 21.

Unearthed church sites show local Christians as pilgrims in Holy Land

November 20, 2019

JERUSALEM -- Two unearthed Byzantine church complexes shed light on the tradition of Christian pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

Pope Francis: Migration is a principal moral issue today

November 21, 2019

BANGKOK -- Calling migration "one of the principal moral issues" facing humanity today, Pope Francis thanked the government and people of Thailand for the way they've welcomed migrants and refugees, but he urged greater efforts to protect migrants and poor Thais from human trafficking.

Missionaries not "producers of proselytes" but humble beggars, Pope Francis says

November 21, 2019

BANGKOK -- Missionaries are not mercenaries, but beggars who recognize that some brothers and sisters are missing from the community and long to hear the good news of salvation, Pope Francis told the Catholics of Thailand.

Editorial: Environmental sin

November 21, 2019

Thou shalt not commit ecocide.

Readers Speak Out: November 24, 2019

November 21, 2019

Wrong decision Re: Toronto Catholic board votes to include gender terms (Nov. 17):

Church turned into morgue after violence in Bolivia

November 21, 2019

A church located on the outskirts of Bolivia's capital city became an improvised morgue Nov. 20, following another deadly day of protests in the South American country.

Red Wednesday puts spotlight on today’s martyrs

November 21, 2019

On a night dedicated to modern martyrs, Cardinal Thomas Collins urged Christians to “thank God for the gift of martyrs” and to “imitate them.”

Gerry Turcotte: Life’s adversities call forth the bloom

November 21, 2019

I was admiring a friend’s potted plant recently when she noted that I had just missed the flowering. “I forgot to water it,” she noted, “and it just bloomed.”

Religion at play: No shortage of faithful fans

November 21, 2019

There’s a simple reason that life-long Saskatchewan Roughriders’ fan Fr. John Weckend won’t equate sport with religion.

White Fathers at 150: Work of evangelization goes on

November 21, 2019

When Bishop Albert Thévenot says of his Missionaries of Africa order that “we work ourselves out of a job” in their ministry, it seems odd. After all, the order known as the White Fathers has lived on for 150 years and continues to make its mark in the world today.

Mexican Indigenous seek a new path

November 22, 2019

When the Zapatista Army rose up in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas and captured the city of San Cristóbal de las Casas on New Year’s Day 1994, the Jesuits understood their frustrations and their hopes. But they had their doubts, too.

Pope Francis: Missionaries share joy, not rules

November 22, 2019

THA KHAM, Thailand -- In a large, predominantly Catholic village outside Bangkok, tens of thousands of people lined the roads and filled the grounds of a church complex to greet Pope Francis.

Bill-21 facing increased opposition

November 22, 2019

OTTAWA -- Opposition to Quebec’s controversial Bill-21 continues to grow, with Quebec teachers and the Ontario government being the latest groups to denounce what is being called a violation of fundamental rights.

Abuse crisis far from over, says archbishop

November 22, 2019

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Catholics in the United States “have to be prepared for another wave of traumatic narrative” regarding the clergy sex abuse crisis, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said Nov. 13 at the University of Notre Dame.

Another Nicaraguan church besieged by pro-government mob

November 22, 2019

MEXICO CITY -- Pro-government mobs besieged another Nicaraguan parish, further inflaming tensions between the Catholic Church and President Daniel Ortega, whose Sandinista regime is targeting dissidents and attempting to stamp out dissent.

Pope Francis tells Thai religious leaders to be brave enough to dialogue

November 22, 2019

BANGKOK -- Meeting Thai religious leaders and then celebrating Mass with Catholic young adults, Pope Francis encouraged them to strengthen a culture that treasures the past, holds fast to faith, is unafraid of differences and always seeks a way to promote dialogue and cooperation.

Week of Nov 22, 2019

November 22, 2019

Charles Lewis: Time for Catholics to stop the passivity

November 22, 2019

During the federal election I wrote about the unfair treatment Andrew Scheer received in the media.