Vatican City
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Keep hearts open, ready to hold Christ this Christmas, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 21, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Countries with low birthrates suffer from that awful disease called “demographic winter,” Pope Francis said in a morning homily. They do not have children for fear of undermining their economic well-being or they try to justify it with other reasons, he said in his homily during morning Mass Dec. 19 at the Domus […] Full Story | En Español
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In Myanmar and Bangladesh, pope calls for dialogue and respect for all
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 7, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—As on every papal trip, Pope Francis’ visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh included a mix of meetings with government officials and events focused firmly on the nations’ Catholic communities. The political implications of his Nov. 27-30 stay in Myanmar and his Nov. 30-Dec. 2 stop in Bangladesh grabbed the headlines mainly because of […] Full Story
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‘Invest in love,’ pope says on first World Day of the Poor
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 30, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—People have a basic choice in the way they live: either striving to build up treasures on earth or giving to others in order to gain heaven, Pope Francis said. “What we invest in love remains, the rest vanishes,” the pope said in his homily Nov. 19, the first World Day of the […] Full Story | En Español
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Stop taking smartphone snapshots during Mass
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published November 28, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Mass is not a show, but a beautiful, transformative encounter with the true loving presence of Christ, Pope Francis said. That is why people need to focus their hearts on God, not focus their smartphones for pictures during Mass, he said. When the priest celebrating Mass says, “Let us lift up our […] Full Story | En Español
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In the end, everyone faces God with ‘empty hands,’ pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published November 3, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—God waits for everyone, even the worst sinner who repents only with his dying breath, Pope Francis said. “Before God, we present ourselves with empty hands,” he said, meaning that all the good works people have or haven’t done throughout their lives aren’t measured to determine entry into heaven. “A word of humble […] Full Story
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Church can’t be blind, deaf to people with special needs, pope says
By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Published November 2, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Catholic Church must be welcoming and creative in finding ways to not let people’s physical, psychological or intellectual limitations keep them from encountering God, Pope Francis said. “The church cannot be ‘mute’ or ‘tone deaf’ when it comes to the defense and promotion of people with disabilities,” he told differently abled individuals, […] Full Story
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Pope tops 40 million followers on Twitter, 5 million on Instagram
By MATTHEW FOWLER, Catholic News Service
Published October 25, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis’ @Pontifex Twitter accounts reached more than 40 million followers just a few months before the fifth anniversary of when Pope Benedict XVI launched the initiative. The papal Twitter accounts, in nine different languages, have grown by over 9 million followers in the past 12 months, representing the interest and attention of […] Full Story | En Español
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Nothing is in vain, nothing is resistant to love, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published October 23, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christians are never pessimistic, resigned or weak, thinking life is an unstoppable train careening out of control, Pope Francis said. Throughout history, every day is seen as a gift from God and “every morning is a blank page that Christians start writing on” with their good works and charity, he said Oct. 11 […] Full Story
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Silver anniversary: Making the catechism shine in the 21st century
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published October 23, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—As the church marks the 25th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, promoting it as a means of teaching the truth about faith remains a challenge and a priority. Since its publication in 1992, the catechism has been translated into 50 languages, including Swahili, Japanese and Gaelic, and […] Full Story
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Share hope with those seeking better lives, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Services
Published October 5, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The same hope that moves people to seek a better life for themselves and their loved ones also moves the hearts of men and women to welcome migrants and refugees with open arms, Pope Francis said. “Those who come to our land and we who go toward their heart to understand them, to […] Full Story | En Español
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Pope Francis expands scope of John Paul II institute on marriage, family
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
Published September 21, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—To better prepare priests and pastoral workers to help meet the challenges families face today, Pope Francis is strengthening the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family and changing its name to the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and Family. The new institution […]
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Pope: God gives hope for future despite present-day suffering
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published September 7, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—While the world reels from terrorism, natural disasters and division, God weeps with those who suffer and offers the hope of a future full of joy and consolation, Pope Francis said. Recalling the victims of a terror attack in Barcelona Aug. 17, a devastating landslide Aug. 16 in Congo, and “many other” tragic […]
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Pope entrusts to Mary victims of disasters, civil conflicts
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published August 24, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In a week in which natural disasters, war and racial conflicts dominated the headlines, Pope Francis prayed that Mary would bring peace to a divided world. After reciting the Angelus prayer on the feast of the Assumption, the pope asked Mary to obtain “for everyone consolation and a future of serenity and harmony.” […] Full Story
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Pope offers prayers for victims of terrorist attack in Barcelona
By Catholic News Service
Published August 17, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis offered prayers for the victims of a terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, that left at least 12 people dead and injured dozens of others. “With great concern the Holy Father has learned about what is happening in Barcelona. The pope prays for the victims of this attack and wants to express […] Full Story
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At jubilee, Pope Francis urges Pentecostals, Catholic charismatics to ‘walk, work together’
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published August 4, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Holy Spirit continues to give Christians different gifts and to call them to share those gifts with each other in a community marked by forgiveness and “unity in diversity,” Pope Francis said on Pentecost. “In a way both creative and unexpected,” the pope said, the Holy Spirit “generates diversity, for in every […] Full Story
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New path to sainthood: Giving up one’s life in heroic service
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published August 3, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis has approved a fourth pathway to possible sainthood—giving one’s life in a heroic act of loving service to others. In a new apostolic letter, the pope approved new norms allowing for candidates to be considered for sainthood because of the heroic way they freely risked their lives and died prematurely because […] Full Story
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Christians fight evil with love, sacrifice, never violence, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published July 6, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christians are called to detach themselves from power, reject violence and sacrifice themselves for God and others out of love, Pope Francis said. Christians must live the way Christ chose to: not as “persecutors, but persecuted; not arrogant, but meek; not as snake-oil salesmen, but subservient to the truth; not impostors, but honest,” […] Full Story
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Pope asks church to hear cry of the poor and take action
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published June 23, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—People cannot sit back and be indifferent or unresponsive to growing poverty in the world as a privileged minority accumulates “ostentatious wealth,” Pope Francis said. “God created the heavens and the earth for all; yet sadly some have erected barriers, walls and fences, betraying the original gift meant for all humanity, with none […] Full Story
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Vatican releases online questionnaire for youth
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published June 20, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—To involve young people in preparations for the Synod of Bishops on youth in 2018, the Vatican has released an online questionnaire to better understand the lives, attitudes and concerns of 16- to 29-year-olds around the world. The questionnaire—available in English, Spanish, French and Italian—can be found on the synod’s official site: youth.synod2018.va/content/synod2018/it.html […]
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Pope, President Trump speak of hopes for peace
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published June 1, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump spent 30 minutes speaking privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 24, and as the president left, he told the pope, “I won’t forget what you said.” The atmosphere at the beginning was formal and a bit stiff. However, the mood lightened when Pope […]
