FAITH/STORIES

Pope Francis talks with Cardinal Philippe Barbarin of Lyon, France, during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 11, 2018.

Administrator named for Lyon as cardinal appeals conviction

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VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has named a retired bishop to serve as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Lyon, France, three months after refusing to accept the resignation of Cardinal Philippe Barbarin.

Pope Francis meets with participants attending the International Youth Forum during an audience at the Vatican June 22, 2019.

Pope Francis announces themes for upcoming WYD celebrations

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VATICAN CITY -- Announcing the themes for the next three World Youth Day celebrations, Pope Francis called on young men and women to meditate on the path of Christian life that God has called them to walk.

Pope Francis poses for a photo with Australian bishops during their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican June 24, 2019. The bishops traveled to Rome to report on the status of their dioceses.

Australians bishops begin 'ad limina' visits acknowledging impact of crisis

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VATICAN CITY -- The president of the Australian bishops' conference told his fellow bishops that it is "a time of humiliation" for Catholic Church leaders, but he is convinced that God is still at work.

June 24, 2019
Pope Francis celebrates Mass marking the feast of Corpus Christi at Santa Maria Consolatrice parish in Rome June 23, 2019.

Pope Francis: Receive Communion every time as if it were the first time

VATICAN CITY -- Every time a Catholic receives Communion, it should be like his or her first Communion, Pope Francis said.

St. John Paul II swings a St. Louis Blues’ hockey stick given to him by young people during his visit to the Kiel Center in St. Louis for a rally on Jan. 26, 1999.

Was there a little help from a friend?

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ST. LOUIS -- Before the St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins in Game 7 on June 12 to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in the team’s 52-year history, Twitter was alive with hopes for a little divine intervention for such a victory — maybe even from St. John Paul II.

June 21, 2019
Pope Francis arrives for a conference on theology and the Mediterranean in Naples, Italy, June 21, 2019.

Pope Francis: Theologians must be people of compassion, prayer

VATICAN CITY -- Theology develops through dialogue, not an aggressive defense of doctrine that seeks to impose its beliefs on others, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis attends a conference on theology and the Mediterranean in Naples, Italy, June 21, 2019.

Patriarch criticizes European governments on immigration

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NAPLES, Italy -- The Mediterranean Sea, which has been and again could be a route for a meeting of peoples and cultures, instead is a "border not to be crossed" between the poor South and the wealthy North, said Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople.

Msgr. John Kennedy, head of the disciplinary action section at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, gives a talk at the Catholic Media Conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., June 19, 2019. Msgr. Kennedy related his experiences handling clerical sexual abuse cases, and their effect on the church as well as him personally.

Vatican official praises Catholic media for coverage of sex abuse crisis

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In a remarkably frank and detailed speech, the Vatican official heading the department charged with reviewing clergy sexual abuse allegations told an assembly of Catholic journalists that his investigators and the press "share the same goal, which is the protection of minors, and we have the same wish to leave the world a little better than how we found it."

June 19, 2019
Pope Francis greets pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican June 19, 2019.

Wednesday Audience: Church born from the fire of love

VATICAN CITY -- Like an orchestra conductor leading a symphony of different sounds and harmonies, the Holy Spirit creates a masterpiece of unity and communion that extols God's love, Pope Francis said.

Brenda Noriega, Hispanic ministry coordinator in the Diocese of Fresno, Calif., is pictured in an April, 2015, photo. The U.S. bishops chose Noriega as one of their delegates to take part in a post-synod Youth Forum at the Vatican June 19-22, 2019, with more than 280 young people from 109 countries.

Young adult leaders gather for post-synod discussion

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VATICAN CITY -- Catholic young adults felt the hierarchy started listening to them in preparation for the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, and they will do whatever they can to make sure their voices continue to be heard, said a youth minister from New Zealand.

A priest holds a Bible as he leads pilgrims in prayer along during an annual river procession and pilgrimage on the Caraparu River in Santa Izabel do Para, Brazil, in this 2012 file photo.

Use of term 'viri probati' questioned by Synod bishop

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VATICAN CITY -- While the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Amazon aims to highlight the damage wrought by climate change and exploitation, the possibility of ordaining married men to minister in remote areas of the rainforest continues to garner more attention.

Archbishop Michel Aupetit of Paris celebrates Mass in the Chapel of the Virgin inside Notre Dame Cathedral June 15, 2019. It was the first Mass since a huge blaze devastated the landmark building in April.

Mass returns to Notre-Dame

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PARIS -- The archbishop of Paris wore a hard hat as he celebrated the first Mass in Notre Dame Cathedral since a huge blaze devastated the landmark building in April.

A firefighter hands Pope Francis a fire helmet made specifically for him to wear June 16, 2019, as he visits the Camerino cathedral, which suffered major damage during an earthquake in October 2016.

Don't let quake shake your hope, Pope Francis tells earthquake survivors

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CAMERINO, Italy -- Wearing a firefighter's helmet painted white and gold for the occasion, Pope Francis entered the earthquake-damaged cathedral in Camerino and prayed before a statue of Mary missing the top of its head.

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