Vatican City
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U.S. bishops taking ‘ad limina’ visits to Rome
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 23, 2020The bishops of the U.S. prepared detailed reports on their dioceses to take to the Vatican. The U.S. bishops’ visits “ad limina apostolorum” began in 2019. Bishop Joel M. Konzen, SM, diocesan administrator for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, and Bishop Bernard E. Shlesinger III will take ad limina visits Feb. 7-15.
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Pope lifts secrecy obligation for those who report having been abused
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 17, 2019Pope Francis has abolished the obligation of secrecy for those who report having been sexually abused by a priest and for those who testify in a church trial or process having to do with clerical sexual abuse.
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Pope’s 2019: Preaching the Gospel globally, dealing with scandals
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 12, 2019For Pope Francis, 2019 included his sixth anniversary as pope and his 50th anniversary as a priest, but it also was a year that saw him still confronted with the clerical sexual abuse crisis and with Vatican financial scandals. He earned more points than ever on his frequent-flyer card, making seven foreign trips in 2019.
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Kindly lights in gloomy world: Pope declares five new saints
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 17, 2019Pope Francis formally declared five new saints for the Catholic Church Oct. 13 including St. John Henry Newman.
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Cardinal Sarah: To oppose the pope is to be outside the church
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 9, 2019Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, said the people who portray him as an opponent of Pope Francis are being used by the devil to help divide the church.
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Commitment to fighting climate change still weak, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published September 24, 2019The international community must ramp up its efforts if it expects to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, Pope Francis said in a video message sent Sept. 23 to participants at the U.N. Climate Action Summit.
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U.S. delegation brings V Encuentro results to pope, Vatican
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published September 19, 2019A delegation of U.S. bishops and laypeople came to Rome to share with Pope Francis and Vatican officials the joyful experiences and valuable recommendations that came out of last year’s Fifth National Encuentro.
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Lofty titles do not guarantee entrance to heaven, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published August 26, 2019A life marked by humility, faith and love determines whether Christians enter heaven, not who they know, Pope Francis said at the Aug. 25 Angelus prayer.
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Spirituality of silence is a journey toward God, priest says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published August 8, 2019Silence is an important part of Christian spirituality and mental wellbeing, but scarce in a busy, noisy, world.
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Christian community a place of welcome, solidarity, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published June 26, 2019To be part of a Christian community is to belong to a group of believers who shun selfishness and give witness to God’s love by loving and caring for one another, Pope Francis said at his June 26 general audience.
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Pope advances sainthood causes for first African American diocesan priest
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published June 12, 2019Pope Francis advanced the sainthood cause of Father Augustus Tolton, who was the first African American diocesan priest in the United States.
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Catholic minorities can still change the world, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published May 16, 2019Visiting the small Catholic communities in Bulgaria and North Macedonia offered an opportunity to encourage the faithful to remember God’s miracle of feeding a multitude with just a few loaves and fishes, Pope Francis said.
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Papal document addresses challenges of evangelizing in the digital age
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published April 3, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS)—While digital communications and social media can be used as a tool of evangelization and a place of dialogue with others, they also can be lonely environments where young people fall prey to humanity’s worst vices, Pope Francis wrote. In his new apostolic exhortation to young people, “Christus Vivit” (“Christ Lives”), the pope […] Full Story
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‘Spiritual combat’ must be part of fight against sex abuse, pope says
By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service
Published April 1, 2019ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT TO ROME (CNS) — To fight clerical sexual abuse, the Catholic Church must have clear laws and procedures, but it also must engage in “spiritual combat,” because it is obvious the devil is at work, Pope Francis said. After the Vatican summit on abuse in February, the pope said, he read […] Full Story
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Some traditional formalities do not ring true with Pope Francis
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
Published March 28, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has made it more than obvious that he does not like people kissing his ring. The viral video of him yanking his right hand away from a string of about 17 people coming up to him one-by-one during a trip to Loreto, Italy, March 25, caught many people by […] Full Story
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Worn marble steps of Holy Stairs to be uncovered for public to climb
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published March 21, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS)—For the first time in 300 years, the marble steps of the Holy Stairs will be free from the thick wooden panels installed in 1723 to protect the stairs and left uncovered for the public. For at least 40 days, people will be able to touch and climb the bare stones that, according […] Full Story
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Faith and flowers: Special rules keep God’s house simply beautiful
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published March 14, 2019VATICAN CITY—Of the many traditions and penitential practices observed during the season of Lent, one of the more visible is the stark change in church decor and a complete absence of flowers. The small floral arrangement usually seen on the corner of the altar of the chapel in the papal residence for morning Mass has […] Full Story
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After the Vatican’s summit on abuse, the stakes are clear
By GREG ERLANDSON, Catholic News Service
Published February 25, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The long-awaited “Meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church,” nicknamed the abuse summit, was an extraordinary and historic gathering that surpassed many expectations while perhaps disappointing others. Historic in that it brought together the heads of 114 bishops’ conferences from the entire world, as well as the leaders of religious congregations, […] Full Story
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Cardinal: Can the church step up, lead way in protecting children?
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
Published February 22, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Only together, by humbly sharing their experiences, encouragement and corrective advice, can the bishops and leaders in the Catholic Church work to prevent the abuse of minors and help bring healing to survivors, said the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India. Church leaders also must cooperate fully with local […] Full Story
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Religious superiors admit denial, slowness to act against abuse
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published February 22, 2019VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Twisted ideas of power and authority in the Catholic Church have contributed to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, leaders of religious orders said, but sometimes the positive “sense of family” in their own communities also made them slow to act. “Pope Francis rightly attacks the culture of clericalism which has hindered our fight […] Full Story | En Español
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