Vatican City
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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 […] Full Story
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […] Full Story | En Español
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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 […] Full Story
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Pope: Jesus walks with those discouraged, with bowed heads
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published June 1, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—If it seems hard to find God in this world, it is because he chooses to be with the defeated and dejected and in places where most people are loath to go, Pope Francis said. “God does not like to be loved the way a warlord would like, dragging his people to victory, […]
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Don’t be rigid; Holy Spirit is gift of God who surprises us, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published May 18, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—God, who created the world, continues to work in it, surprising people and making some of them nervous, Pope Francis said. The phrase “it’s always been done this way” reflects an attitude that “kills,” the pope said May 8 at his early morning Mass. “This kills freedom. It kills joy. It kills fidelity […] Full Story
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In TED talk, pope urges people to make real connections
By KEANINE GRIGGS, Catholic News Service
Published May 5, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—While searching for a connection today often means looking for Wi-Fi, Pope Francis said real connections between people are the only hope for the future. “How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion,” he said in a video talk […] Full Story
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Why be afraid when God is always showing the way, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published May 4, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christians always have hope, no matter how bleak, bad or uncertain the journey, because they know God is always by their side, Pope Francis said. In fact, “even crossing parts of the world (that are) wounded, where things are not going well, we are among those who, even there, continue to hope,” he […] Full Story
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Love Jesus in all who suffer, pope says on Palm Sunday
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published April 20, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Jesus does not ask that people only contemplate his image, but that they also recognize and love him concretely in all people who suffer like he did, Pope Francis said. Jesus is “present in our many brothers and sisters who today endure sufferings like his own—they suffer from slave labor, from family tragedies, […]
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Risen Christ calls all to follow him on path to life, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN AND JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published April 20, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Jesus is the risen shepherd who takes upon his shoulders “our brothers and sisters crushed by evil in all its varied forms,” Pope Francis said before giving his solemn Easter blessing. With tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 16, the pope called on Christians to be instruments of […]
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Fatima at 100: Story of apparitions continues to attract attention
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES
Published April 20, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—While conversion and prayer are at the heart of Mary’s messages at Fatima, Portugal, the miracles and unexplained phenomenon that accompanied the events 100 years ago continue to intrigue believers and nonbelievers alike. The apparitions of Mary at Fatima in 1917 were not the first supernatural events reported there. Two years before Mary […]
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Saving lives must be first concern of immigration policy, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published April 11, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The defense of the life, dignity and human rights of migrants and refugees must come before any other question when enacting migration policies, Pope Francis said. “The defense of human beings knows no limits,” the pope said in an interview with the journal of the Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration of the […]
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No secret: Last three popes share close bond to Fatima
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published April 10, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Recent popes have had a special affection for Our Lady of Fatima, but no pope’s connection can match that of St. John Paul II. “We cannot forget that he was saved by Our Lady of Fatima from the assassination attempt here in St. Peter’s. This is fundamental and central. It is never forgotten,” […]
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Pope: Hope against all hope; God promises the ‘impossible’
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published April 6, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Hope is not built on people’s predictions, assurances or line of reasoning, Pope Francis said. Real Christian hope “is not based on our word, but on God’s Word” and promises of salvation and eternal life, the pope said during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 29. Continuing a series of reflections […]
