Vatican City
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Church experience more than just a cut-and-run flash mob, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO, Catholic News Service
Published March 24, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Young men and women can live a true experience of the church by joining together and reconnecting with the past, Pope Francis told Catholic young people. “The genuine experience of the church is not like a flash mob, where people agree to meet, do their thing and then go their separate ways,” the […]
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Pope: Even in dark times, don’t lose hope in God’s love
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published February 23, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christians must never lose hope and should remind themselves that God loves them even at their worst, Pope Francis said. God’s love provides “security” both in difficult moments and even when “I have done something terrible and evil,” the pope said Feb. 15 during his weekly general audience. “No one can take this […] Full Story
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Pope: As Christians, live joyfully expecting to see the face of God
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published February 9, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christian hope isn’t about believing in something that may or may not come true, like hoping tomorrow’s weather will be pleasant, Pope Francis said. “Christian hope is the expectation of something that already has been fulfilled and that certainly will be attained for each one of us,” that is, knowing Christ died and […] Full Story
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Iraqi patriarch: Fast track for Christian refugees will fuel tensions
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 30, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Giving priority to Christian refugees for settlement programs would be “a trap” that discriminates and fuels religious tensions in the Middle East, said Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic patriarch. “Every reception policy that discriminates (between) the persecuted and suffering on religious grounds ultimately harms the Christians of the East” and would be “a trap for […] Full Story
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Pope offers prayers for Trump as he becomes 45th U.S. president
By Catholic News Service
Published January 20, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis sent best wishes and prayers to incoming President Donald J. Trump shortly after he took the oath of office. “I offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office,” the pope’s message […]
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Magi’s journey reflects longing for God, pope says on Epiphany
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published January 12, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Magi had the courage to set out on a journey in the hope of finding something new, unlike Herod who was full of himself and unwilling to change his ways, Pope Francis said. The Wise Men who set out from the East in search of Jesus personify all those who long for […]
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New Year calls for courage, hope; no more hatred, selfishness, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 4, 2017VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Whether the new year will be good or not depends on us choosing to do good each day, Pope Francis said. “That is how one builds peace, saying ‘no’ to hatred and violence—with action—and ‘yes’ to fraternity and reconciliation,” he said Jan. 1, which the church marks as the feast of Mary, Mother […]
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Pope: Take a break from busy holidays to prepare for real Christmas
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 22, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Make time to get ready for what Christmas really is about—the child born in Bethlehem signaling that “God is with us,” Pope Francis said. “This week let’s make sure we try to find some time to stop, be quiet and imagine Our Lady and St. Joseph who are going to Bethlehem,” he said […]
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Pope recognizes martyrdom of Oklahoma priest killed in Guatemala
By CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE
Published December 22, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Father Stanley Rother of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, making him the first martyr born in the United States. The Vatican made the announcement Dec. 2. The recognition of his martyrdom clears the way for his beatification. Father Rother, born March 27, 1935, on his family’s […]
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Give flesh to the Gospel like Mary did, pope says on Guadalupe feast
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 12, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope Francis described Mary as a strong woman who inspires believers to give “flesh to the Gospel” in societies often marked by distrust and blindness. “To look at the Guadalupana is to remember that the presence of the Lord always passes through those who manage […] Full Story
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People need ‘ecological conversion,’ pope says, asking scientists to lead
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Humanity does not own God’s gift of creation and has no right to pillage it, Pope Francis said. “We are not custodians of a museum and its masterpieces that we have to dust off every morning, but rather collaborators in the conservation and development of the existence and biodiversity of the planet and […] Full Story
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Time of mercy: Holy doors close, but mission of mercy continues
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Year of Mercy brought more than 20 million pilgrims to Rome, but for Pope Francis, the idea always was that the celebration of God’s mercy would be local: have people experience God’s love in their parishes and send them out into the world to commit random acts of mercy. While concrete works […]
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Proclaim Christ the king of mercy, pope says at end of Holy Year
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Following Christ the King, whose regal power is love and mercy, means the whole church and each Christian must “follow his way of tangible love,” Pope Francis said. Celebrating the feast of Christ the King Nov. 20 and officially closing the extraordinary jubilee celebration of the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis insisted, “we […]
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Pope to interfaith leaders: Mercy is core of true religion
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 17, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Authentic religions help people understand that they are, in fact, loved and can be forgiven and are called to love and forgive others, Pope Francis said. “We thirst for mercy, and no technology can quench that thirst,” the pope told Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and other religious leaders. “We seek a love […]
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Top Vatican official congratulates Trump, offers prayers
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 9, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Congratulating Donald Trump for his victory in the U.S. presidential election, the Vatican secretary of state expressed hope that people would work together “to change the global situation, which is a situation of serious laceration, serious conflict.” Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Pope Francis’ top aide, spoke about the election early Nov. 9 during a […]
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Vatican releases instruction on burial, cremation
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 3, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Professing belief in the resurrection of the dead and affirming that the human body is an essential part of a person’s identity, the Catholic Church insists that the bodies of the deceased be treated with respect and laid to rest in a consecrated place. While the Catholic Church continues to prefer burial in […]
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For vocations, one must go out, listen, call, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 3, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In its ministry to young people, and especially in vocations promotion work, church workers must step out of the sacristy and take seriously the questions and concerns of the young, Pope Francis said. Young people are searching for meaning, and the best response is to go out to where they are, stop and […] Full Story
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Mary’s life is a lesson in trusting God, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published October 20, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Imitating Mary’s life of humility and gratitude, men and women in the church must place complete trust in God’s will and not in material possessions or intellectual prowess, Pope Francis said. In choosing Mary to bear his son, God chose “a simple young woman of Nazareth, who did not dwell in the palaces […]
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Pope: Anyone who repents, desires God’s embrace can be saved
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published October 6, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The church is not just for people who are good, who think they’re good or pretend to be good, it is for everyone, especially the bad because the church is mercy, Pope Francis said. No one is excluded from God’s forgiveness, even the worst sinners, who only must draw near to Jesus with […]
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St. Teresa of Kolkata will always be ‘Mother’ Teresa, pope says
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES and CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published September 23, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—With a large tapestry bearing the portrait of the woman known as the “Saint of the Gutters” suspended above him, Pope Francis proclaimed the sainthood of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, hailing her courage and love for the poor. Despite the formality of the occasion though, “her sanctity is so close to us, so […]
