FAITH/STORIES
On New Year's Eve, believers and non-believers alike give thanks for all they have received in the last 12 months and express their hopes for the coming year, but Christians are called to cultivate their gratitude and hope following the example of Mary, Pope Francis said.
Late Pope Benedict remembered on first anniversary of his death
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceAs an expression of ongoing affection and gratitude for the late Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis led tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in a round of applause for his predecessor on the first anniversary of his death.
The Vatican publishing house announced it will release a book of some 130 homilies given by the late Pope Benedict XVI at private Sunday Masses -- 30 given while he was pope and more than 100 given to members of his household once he retired.
Pope Francis' Christmas message: Say 'yes' to the Prince of Peace, 'no' to war
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceCelebrating the birth of Jesus, the prince of peace, should mean making a commitment to opposing all war, to cherishing human life, feeding the hungry and speaking up for those who have no voice, Pope Francis said.
At Christmas, God shows love through 'littleness,' not power, Pope Francis says
More than two millennia after the Holy Family was denied a room at the inn and Jesus was born in a manger, war once again renders his birthplace in the Holy Land inhospitable, Pope Francis said.
Doctrinal dicastery explains how, when gay couples can be blessed
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceA Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office said.
Pope Francis condemns targeting of unarmed civilians in Gaza
Pope Francis condemned the Israeli military's killing of two Christian women sheltering at a Catholic parish in Gaza and an attack on a convent, noting that in the current fighting "unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire."
Cardinal Becciu, five others sentenced to prison at Vatican trial
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceThe Vatican City State criminal court sentenced Cardinal Angelo Becciu to five years and six months in prison on two counts of embezzlement and one of aggravated fraud but found him not guilty of abuse of office or witness tampering.
Pope Francis plans to be buried outside the Vatican, is simplifying papal funeral rites
By Justin McLellan, Catholic News ServicePope Francis said he has decided to be buried in Rome's Basilica of St. Mary Major instead of in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican and that he has simplified the rites for a papal funeral.
Synod council to ask Pope Francis to authorize studies on key synod topics
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServiceThe council of the Synod of Bishops will ask Pope Francis to authorize studies on the need to update canon law, revise the rules for priestly formation, deepen a theological reflection on the diaconate -- including the possibility of ordaining women deacons -- and consider revising a document that provides norms for the relationship of a bishop with members of religious orders in his diocese.
Vatican offers further guidance on handling cremains
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceThe Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has upheld a rule mandating that the ashes of the deceased be preserved in a consecrated place, but it also said family members could request "a minimal part of the ashes" be kept in a sacred place "of significance for the history of the deceased person."
Pope Francis, Council of Cardinals discussed the role of women in the church
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News ServiceWith the input of two women and a priest, Pope Francis and members of his international Council of Cardinals discussed the role of women in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis planning to withdraw Cardinal Burke's Vatican salary, sources say
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News ServicePope Francis told the prefects of Vatican dicasteries that he saw no reason for the Vatican to continue giving U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke a monthly salary and questioned why the Vatican should be providing him with a free apartment in Rome, various sources have confirmed.