Vatican City
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Singing is good for the soul, pope tells young choristers
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published January 7, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Singing is good for one’s soul and, as St. Augustine says, Christian life is not a sad path but a joyous one that is done “singing and walking,” Pope Francis said. “Remember this: Sing and walk,” the pope said Dec. 31 to 6,000 young choristers, their families, friends and choirmasters from 18 countries. […]
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New Vatican document reflects on Catholic-Jewish relations
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Catholics are called to witness to their faith in Jesus before all people, including Jews, but the Catholic Church “neither conducts nor supports” any institutional missionary initiative directed toward Jews, says a new document from a Vatican commission. How God will save the Jews if they do not explicitly believe in Christ is […]
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Jubilee spree: Year of Mercy beefs up pope’s already busy year
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—When Pope Francis established the Year of Mercy, a full slate of Jubilee events were slotted into his already packed calendar for 2016. A typical “business as usual” year for a pope is already full with meetings, liturgies and foreign trips. But then add the extraordinary Jubilee Year, which will run until Nov. […]
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Pope recognizes miracle needed to declare Mother Teresa a saint
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 1, 2016VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis has approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Teresa of Kolkata, thus paving the way for her canonization. Pope Francis signed the decree for Blessed Teresa’s cause and advanced three other sainthood causes Dec. 17, the Vatican announced. Although the date for the canonization ceremony will be officially announced […]
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Pope: Be a missionary by first being example of love, humanity
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published December 10, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Missionary spirit is manifested by preaching love, humanity and faith through one’s witness and not through proselytism, Pope Francis said. Faith in Jesus Christ is shared first through “witness then with words,” the pope said Dec. 2 at his weekly general audience. The pope dedicated his audience to reflecting on his trip to […]
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Pope wants Year of Mercy to tenderly transform the world
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 10, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—When Pope Francis planned the Year of Mercy and the opening of the Holy Door, he did not mean to give the starting signal for a frenzied wave of pilgrims to Rome. More than call to sign up for an Eternal City package tour, the pope is inviting people to strike out on […]
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Pray for peace, weep for world at war, Pope Francis implores
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 26, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—“Jesus wept.” Pope Francis opened his morning homily with those words as he spoke about the wars and violence engulfing numerous parts of the world. The Gospel reading for Nov. 19 began, “As Jesus drew near Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If this day you only knew what […]
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Pope says Year of Mercy will be time to heal, to help, to forgive
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 26, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Mercy is what makes God perfect and all-powerful, Pope Francis said in his document officially proclaiming the 2015-2016 extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy. “If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected,” the pope […]
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Mysterious path of Beatitudes leads to happiness, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published November 12, 2015ROME (CNS)—While the Beatitudes can seem counterintuitive, Jesus knew that the poor in spirit, those who mourn or are persecuted and those who work for peace and justice are those who are open to experiencing God’s love and mercy, Pope Francis said. Celebrating an evening Mass Nov. 1, All Saints Day, amid the tombs of […]
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Pope: World expects believers to work together for peace
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published November 12, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The world expects all people of religious faith to work with everyone for a better future, Pope Francis told representatives of major religions. “We can walk together taking care of each other and of creation” in joint projects that fight poverty, war and corruption and help people live in dignity, he told them […]
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The deeper synod question: How should church relate to the wider world
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 29, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Members of the Synod of Bishops on the family agree that Catholic families are the beating heart and busy hands of the church, but the tensions in the synod hall demonstrate that what they don’t agree on is a vision of the church and its primary attitude to the world. As the Catholic […] Full Story
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Synod had difficult moments as it tried to proclaim truth, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 29, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The first task of the Catholic Church “is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but to proclaim the mercy of God,” Pope Francis told members of the Synod of Bishops on the family. At the end of the synod’s final working session Oct. 24, Pope Francis was honest about the differences of […]
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Synod report urges ‘accompaniment’ tailored to family situations
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 29, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—While not specifically mentioning the controversial proposal of a path toward full reconciliation and Communion for the divorced and civilly remarried, members of the Synod of Bishops on the family handed Pope Francis a report emphasizing an obligation to recognize that not all Catholics in such a situation bear the same amount of […] Full Story
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Pope asks forgiveness for scandals, warns of betraying children’s trust
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES, Catholic News Service
Published October 29, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—With 30,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for scandals that have occurred within the church recently. “Before beginning my catechesis, I would like—in the name of the church—to ask your forgiveness for the scandals which have occurred recently both in Rome and at the Vatican,” the pope said. […]
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People face devil’s tricks daily; use God’s Word, pope says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Every day, the devil tries to trick and seduce people with promises of riches, grandeur and power, Pope Francis said. Satan “sows snares and is a seducer. He seduces with charm, with diabolical charm, he leads you to believe everything. He knows how to sell with this charm, he sells well, but he […]
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Synod changes: Making less time for speeches, more time for dialogue
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Although the public is given glimpses of what happens inside the Catholic Church’s world Synod of Bishops, the meetings themselves take place behind closed doors. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the Synod of Bishops has been the object of a continual hunt to balance creating a protected space where bishops could speak […] Full Story
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Pope: Synod is not parliament, rather an expression of the church
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The world Synod of Bishops on the family is not a parliament where participants will negotiate or lobby, Pope Francis said, but it must be a place of prayer where bishops speak with courage and open themselves to “God who always surprises us.” Opening the first working session of the synod Oct. 5, […] Full Story
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Canadian asks synod to speak on women: against violence, for new church roles
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Canadian Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Gatineau, Quebec, said the synod should reflect on the possibility of allowing for female deacons as it seeks ways to open up more opportunities for women in church life. Where possible, qualified women should be given higher positions and decision-making authority within church structures and new opportunities in […]
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U.S. archbishop: Joyful families are best people to evangelize other families
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Synod of Bishops on the family must find ways to give Catholic families a leading role in evangelizing and supporting other families, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops told the synod. “Families who by the grace of God model tenderness, forgiveness and the joy of family life make marriage […] Full Story
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Connect homilies to real life, synod observer says
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published October 15, 2015VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Families need to hear homilies that connect the Gospel to the troubles and joys they experience, said a synod participant. Maria Gomes, the Family and Life director at St. Mary’s Church in Dubai, and an observer at the Synod of Bishops on the family, said the typical scenario is “the priest just talks […] Full Story
