Vatican City
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Pope tells new cardinals to show courage, unity, compassion
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and his successors—the popes—Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. To the great surprise of most people present, the retired pope entered St. Peter’s Basilica about 15 minutes before the new cardinals and Pope […] Full Story
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Cardinal outlines possible paths to Communion for divorced, remarried
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The Catholic Church needs to find a way to offer healing, strength and salvation to Catholics whose marriages have failed, who are committed to making a new union work and who long to do so within the church and with the grace of Communion, Cardinal Walter Kasper told the world’s cardinals. Jesus’ teaching […] Full Story
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Legionaries adopt new constitutions
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Celebrating the closing Mass for the extraordinary general chapter of the Legionaries of Christ and ending his service as papal delegate overseeing the order, Cardinal Velasio De Paolis told the priests that the Lord had healed their order and reaffirmed his love for them. With the adoption of a new constitution, the election […]
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Pope Francis’ constant refrain: ‘Go forth,’ evangelize, help the poor
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis’ most frequent advice and exhortation to Catholics—from laypeople in parishes to bishops and cardinals—is “Go forth.” In Italian, the phrase is even snappier: “Avanti.” As the world’s cardinals gathered at the Vatican in early March 2013 to discuss the needs of the church before they entered the conclave to elect a […] Full Story
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Pope Francis: Go directly to confession, don’t wait
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published March 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—If you haven’t been to confession recently, don’t wait, Pope Francis told people at his weekly general audience Feb. 19. One may walk into the confessional with a heavy heart, but forgiveness brings freedom and lightness. “If a lot of time has passed, don’t lose even one more day. Go,” the pope said, […]
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Pope, cardinal advisers study Vatican financial, administrative offices
By CINDY WOODEN and FRANCIS X. ROCCA, Catholic News Service
Published February 20, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis met for the third time in late February with his international Council of Cardinals, an eight-member group advising him on the reform of the Vatican bureaucracy and other issues. The Feb. 17-19 meetings focused on financial and bureaucratic matters even as the council was rumored to be working on a draft […] Full Story
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Pope to Notre Dame: Defend, preserve Catholic identity
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published February 20, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Catholic universities must give “uncompromising” and “unambiguous” witness to church teaching and defend themselves from all efforts to dilute their Catholic identity, Pope Francis said. Catholic universities, “by their very nature, are committed to demonstrating the harmony of faith and reason and the relevance of the Christian message for a full and authentically […]
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Pope: Sacrifice key to reaping wealth of God’s love, fighting misery
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published February 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Courageously follow Jesus in seeking out the poor and sinners, and in making difficult sacrifices in order to help and heal others, Pope Francis said. Christians are called to confront the material, spiritual and moral destitution of “our brothers and sisters, to touch it, to make it our own and to take practical […]
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Pope Francis: Make sure your children are confirmed
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published February 6, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Many Catholic parents go to great lengths to ensure their children are baptized, and they must make similar efforts to see that their children are confirmed, Pope Francis said. Without confirmation, he said, young people will remain “halfway” on the path of Christian maturity and membership in the church. Confirmation “unites us more […] Full Story
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Pope: Japan church history can aid persecuted Mideast
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 23, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Christians facing difficulties and discrimination, especially in the Middle East, can learn a valuable lesson from Japanese Christians who survived by clandestinely baptizing, praying and hiding during 250 years of harsh persecution, Pope Francis said. “Difficulties and persecution, when they are lived with trust, confidence and hope, purify the faith and strengthen it,” […]
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Kerry, Vatican counterpart meet on Syria, Mideast, U.S. health mandate
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 23, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Cardinal-designate Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, hosted a lengthy meeting with his U.S. counterpart, John Kerry, to discuss ongoing tensions in the Middle East, as well as the U.S. bishops’ concerns about the Obama administration’s health care mandate. “The meeting was very broad; it lasted about one hour and 40 minutes,” said […]
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Vatican hosts top world leaders; experts to push for end to Syrian war
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published January 9, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Egyptian Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei are among the key political experts invited by the Vatican for a one-day meeting aimed at promoting a cease-fire in Syria, the protection of Christians there and a transitional and unified government. The Vatican meeting Jan. 13 will come ahead […]
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Pope: Time to stop violence, discord, and begin making peace at home
Published January 9, 2014
VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Welcoming in a new year, Pope Francis said it was time to stop provoking and ignoring violence, tragedy and conflict in the world, and begin building peace at home. “Justice and peace at home, among us—you begin at home and then you move on to all of humanity. But we have to start […] Full Story
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Vatican prospects for 2014
Published January 9, 2014
VATICAN CITY (CNS)—After a year that included the historic resignation of Pope Benedict XVI and a series of celebrated innovations by Pope Francis, it is hard to imagine 2014 at the Vatican could be nearly as eventful. Of course, the biggest stories are likely to be those that come by surprise, but in the meantime, […]
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Christmas is time to feel God’s closeness, pope says
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published January 9, 2014VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Celebrating the first Christmas since his election, Pope Francis preached the goodness and tenderness of God, and prayed that men and women around the world would allow God’s grace to transform them into peacemakers. “Let us allow our hearts to be touched, let us allow ourselves to be warmed by the tenderness of […] Full Story
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Cardinal: Church reform is work of Spirit for pope
By CINDY WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Published December 19, 2013VATICAN CITY (CNS)—For Pope Francis, the reform of the Catholic Church and its structures “isn’t a project, but an exercise of the Spirit” that will take time, said Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa. The cardinal, coordinator of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinals, which is working on the reform of the Roman Curia and […]
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In document, pope lays out his vision for an evangelical church
By FRANCIS X. ROCCA, Catholic News Service
Published December 5, 2013VATICAN CITY (CNS)—In his first extensive piece of writing as pope, Pope Francis lays out a vision of the Catholic Church dedicated to evangelization in a positive key, with a focus on society’s poorest and most vulnerable, including the aged and unborn. “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), released by the Vatican Nov. 26, […]
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To go forth in evangelization, Pope Francis confronts the enemy within
By FRANCIS X. ROCCA, Catholic News Service
Published December 5, 2013VATICAN CITY (CNS)—When the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization met at the Vatican in October 2012, among the top items on the agenda was the threat of militant secularism in a post-Christian West. “It is as if a tsunami of secular influence has swept across the cultural landscape, taking with it such societal […]
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Best gift in life is encountering Christ, pope says at start of Advent
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 5, 2013VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The best present in life is encountering Jesus—an encounter that will last a lifetime, Pope Francis said. A Christian’s whole life “is an encounter with Jesus: in prayer, when we go to Mass, when we do good works, when we visit the sick, when we help the poor, when we think of others, […]
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Pope: To face death well, stay close to Jesus in needy
By CAROL GLATZ, Catholic News Service
Published December 5, 2013VATICAN CITY (CNS)—The thought of death and losing a loved one is scary when there is no faith in Jesus guiding people to an everlasting life, Pope Francis said. “If we live united with Jesus, are faithful to him, we will be able to face with hope and serenity even the coming of death,” he […]
