Pope says all religious leaders must condemn Islamic State
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis deplored the "abuses and inhuman acts" of Islamic State militants, and called on all religious leaders to condemn them "unanimously and unambiguously." He also said he hoped to travel to the Middle East to comfort persecuted Christians there.
Innocence recovered in Jesus
The following is the Christmas message from Archbishop Paul- André Durocher, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
As I write this Christmas message, barely a week has gone by since Remembrance Day, a day marked by the still fresh memory of the recent assassinations of two members of the Canadian Armed Forces. This year, Christmas in Canada will take on a different shading, muted and somber, because of these events which have saddened our hearts and our spirits.
God took on what is ours to give us what is His
The following is the Christmas message from Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, papal nuncio to Canada.
We are just at the threshold of Christmas, a great event which — if we welcome it — is capable of changing our lives. A story by Tolstoy which I learned and owe to Pope Benedict XVI helps me to share the light and life that springs from Christmas:
Pope warns Vatican officials of 'spiritual Alzheimer's,' other ills
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' Christmas greeting to the Vatican bureaucracy this year was an extended warning against a host of spiritual ills to which he said Vatican officials are prone, including "spiritual Alzheimer's," "existential schizophrenia," publicity-seeking, the "terrorism of gossip" and even a poor sense of humor.
Pope: Don't miss Christ this Christmas; take time, be ready, let him in
VATICAN CITY - God is knocking to come into people's lives, so be attentive, humble and courageous to let him in, Pope Francis said.
Believers pray to ‘Our Lady of the Milk’ in this ancient Bethlehem spot where Mary nursed
BETHLEHEM, West Bank - Dozens of photos of smiling babies accompanied by moving testimonials line the walls of Franciscan Brother Lawrence Bode’s office in the Milk Grotto Church where, tradition holds, the Virgin Mary hid in an underground cave in order to breast-feed Jesus as she and Joseph were fleeing King Herod.
'Questionable' financial activities leave Franciscans in serious debt
VATICAN CITY - Ineffective budgetary oversight and "questionable" financial activities have plunged the Order of Friars Minor into significant debt and an extremely serious financial situation, its minister general said.
First showers, now sleeping bags: Pope Francis’ birthday gift to the homeless
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis marked his 78th birthday by giving hundreds of sleeping bags to the homeless in Rome, Vatican officials said Dec. 18.
Pope Francis takes a victory lap after brokering U.S.-Cuba breakthrough
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis welcomed the renewal of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba Dec. 18, saying he was happy to see an end to a half-century standoff between the two nations.
Christians can't ignore differences on life issues, Pope says
VATICAN CITY - Christianity has something to say about human dignity, and "it would be a shame" if differing positions on the sanctity of all human life or on marriage were to increase the divisions among Christian churches and communities, Pope Francis said.
Pope decries 'inhuman terrorist acts' in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis decried the "inhuman terrorist acts" that killed scores of people the previous day in Australia, Pakistan and Yemen.