Journalist in leaks case denounces Vatican’s ‘medieval rules'
ROME - An Italian investigative journalist spoke out against what he called a “medieval” Vatican law that might result in a jail sentence of up to eight years for publishing confidential Holy See documents.
People have right to know environmental causes of illness, doctor says
VATICAN CITY - Patients have a right to a diagnosis that includes the possible causes of their illness, not just treatment addressing the symptoms, said a doctor invited to a Vatican-sponsored congress.
Accepting invite from Rome's Jewish community, Pope to visit synagogue
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis will visit Rome's synagogue and meet with the city's Jewish community Jan. 17, the Vatican announced.
Invited by Rome's Chief Rabbi Riccardo Di Segni, Pope Francis will be the third pope to visit the synagogue; St. John Paul II made his landmark visit in 1986 and Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2010.
World religious leaders condemn Paris carnage
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis raised the specter of a World War III “in pieces,” Muslims issued statements of condemnation, while evangelical Christians in America debated whether to speak of a “war with Islam.”
Francis gives new life to ‘Catacombs Pact’
ROME - On the evening of Nov. 16, 1965, quietly alerted to the event by word-of-mouth, some 40 Roman Catholic bishops made their way to celebrate Mass in an ancient, underground basilica in the Catacombs of Domitilla on the outskirts of the Eternal City.
Discerning God’s will when either choice is good
OTTAWA - Discerning God’s will when one choice is clearly immoral is easy, but discerning among good options can be helped by advice from St. Ignatius, Fr. Timothy Gallagher told a recent retreat in Ottawa.
Back to the catacombs: New emphasis placed on bishops' simplicity pact
VATICAN CITY - Italian Bishop Luigi Bettazzi is the last surviving bishop of the 42 members of the Second Vatican Council who celebrated a Mass Nov. 16, 1965, in the Catacombs of Domitilla and signed a pact promising to live simply and close to the poor.
Vatican advance team, in Mexico, visits border city of Juarez
MEXICO CITY - Pope Francis is exploring the possibility of visiting the previously problematic border city of Ciudad Juarez, where a battle between drug cartels during the past decade cost more than 10,000 lives in a four-year period.
A family that doesn't eat together is 'hardly a family,' Pope says
VATICAN CITY - A family that chooses to watch TV or play with their smartphones rather than talk at the dinner table is "hardly a family," Pope Francis said.
Security a top concern for Pope Francis’ Africa visit
NAIROBI, Kenya - From stitching 2,000 vestments to training large-scale security teams, Catholic Church leaders and Kenyan officials say they’re ready to host Pope Francis.
To help people, church must be in touch with 'reality,' Pope says
FLORENCE, Italy - If God and his word are to help people, Christians have to be in touch with what is really happening in people's lives, Pope Francis said during an afternoon Mass.