Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Pope Francis, an unidentified clergyman and Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, England, attend an ecumenical prayer service with other Christian leaders in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20.

Pope, Christian leaders pray for peace, victims of war at interfaith gathering

By

ASSISI, Italy – Jesus' cry of thirst on the cross is heard today in the cries of innocent victims of war in the world, Pope Francis said.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Pope Francis attend an ecumenical prayer service with other religious leaders in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20.

Justice, respect are essential for peace, patriarch says

By

ASSISI, Italy – The richness of the diversity found within humanity and in the created world at large is something that must be respected and never destroyed, said Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

Pope Francis lights a candle during an interfaith peace gathering outside the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20. The pope and other religious leaders were attending a peace gathering marking the 30th anniversary of the first peace encounter.

No war is holy, Pope says at interreligious peace gathering

By

ASSISI, Italy – Violence in the name of God does not represent the true nature of religion and must be condemned by all faiths, Pope Francis said.

Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, England, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, speaks during an ecumenical prayer service with Pope Francis and other religious leaders in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20.

Failure of ecumenism would imprison mercy, Anglican archbishop says

By

ASSISI, Italy – Churches that are not reconciled with one another weaken the experience of mercy that unites believers to God and with each other, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury said.

Pope Francis exchanges greetings with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as he arrives for an interfaith peace gathering at the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy, Sept. 20. The peace gathering marks the 30th anniversary of the first peace encounter in Assisi in 1986.

Religious leaders praise Patriarch Bartholomew as a great ecumenist

By

ASSISI, Italy – As leaders of dozens of religions gathered in Assisi for dialogue and prayers for peace, they honored Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as an exemplar of one who is so deeply rooted in his own religious tradition that he can reach out to others without fear.

Pauline Winogron working on the restoration of a crucifix.

Faithful make new connection with statues, restorers finding

By

OTTAWA – An Ottawa couple has discovered a calling restoring and re-painting religious statues, as they have found that the veneration of statues is “making a comeback” after falling into disuse in the years after Vatican II.

Recent study by a Georgetown University researcher finds that organized religion in the United States is estimated to be worth $1.2 trillion annually to the country's economy.

Study puts dollar value of organized religion in the U.S. at $1.2 trillion

By

WASHINGTON – Religion is big bucks — worth $1.2 trillion annually to the American economy, according to the first comprehensive study to tabulate such a figure.

Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, seen here in 2015, said the global economy needs to shift from its profit-driven model.

Economic focus must shift from profit to people, cardinal says

By

VATICAN CITY – The current economic model that places profit over the common good of all human beings must change in order to confront the challenges the world is facing today, a Vatican official said.

Pope Francis arrives to lead his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Sept. 7. The Pope thanks a group of Argentine bishops for providing concrete guidelines regarding divorced and remarried couples.

Pope praises bishops' guidelines on helping divorced, remarried couples

By

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis thanked a group of bishops in Argentina for providing their priests with concrete guidelines for implementing the section of his apostolic exhortation on the family about circumstances in which divorced and civilly remarried couples might eventually be allowed to receive Communion.

Pope Francis greets Giuseppe Chiolo, 16, in St. Peter's Square during a Year of Mercy general audience at the Vatican Sept. 10. The pope administered the sacrament of confirmation to the young man, who is being treated in the oncology ward of a Florence hospital.

Pope gives confirmation sacrament to gravely ill teen

By

VATICAN CITY – In a brief outdoor ceremony, Pope Francis administered the sacrament of confirmation to 16-year-old Giuseppe Chiolo, who had come to the Vatican by ambulance from Florence.

Abbot Gregory Polan, the new leader of the confederation of Benedictine monasteries, is pictured at St. Anselm Abbey in Rome Sept. 13. Abbots and priors from Benedictine men's communities around the world elected Abbot Polan of Conception Abbey in Missouri to be abbot primate.

Benedictine abbots elect head of Conception Abbey abbot primate

By

ROME – A room with a view of the dome of St. Peter's Basilica from a monastery atop the Aventine Hill is very nice, but Abbot Gregory Polan knows he will miss his brother monks at Conception Abbey in Missouri very, very much.

Page 73 of 102