CHALATENANGO, El Salvador (CNS) -- El Salvador's Jan. 22 beatifications of two priests and two lay companions highlight our Salvadoran church's example as a martyrial church. Jesuit Father Rutilio Grande, Franciscan Father Cosme Spessotto, Nelson Rutilio Lemus, Manuel Solórzano all died for the same cause: the Gospel.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God is not frightened by people's sins, mistakes or failures, Pope Francis said. What God is afraid of is "the closure of our hearts -- this, yes, this makes him suffer -- he is frightened by our lack of faith in his love," the pope said Jan. 19 during his weekly general audience.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God likes to intervene behind the scenes and without fanfare, always ready to help and lift people up, Pope Francis said. "And then, if we are attentive to these 'signs,' we will be conquered by his love, and we will become his disciples," he said to visitors gathered in St. Peter's Square Jan. 16 for his Sunday Angelus address.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When the goal of Christian unity seems far off, "let us remind ourselves that we are making this journey not as those who already possess God but as those who continue to seek him," Pope Francis told members of an ecumenical pilgrimage from Finland.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a time when social networks can tend to divide people, Christian media must instead work to unite men and women, Pope Francis said. Meeting with a delegation from the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land in Rome to commemorate the 100th anniversary of their bimonthly magazine, "Terrasanta," the pope encouraged the group to continue to highlight stories of genuine brotherhood, especially, "the fraternity between Christians of churches and confessions that are unfortunately still separated, but which in the Holy Land are often already close to unity."
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WARSAW, Poland (CNS) -- Two priests in Ukraine asked Western church leaders for support, especially in anticipation of a widely expected Russian invasion. "While our TV news shows tanks and army units deployed on our borders, the war in eastern Ukraine is continuing -- but the church in the West is saying little," said Msgr. Gregory Semenkov, chancellor of the Kharkiv-Zaporizhia Diocese.
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ROME (CNS) -- In the wake of a newspaper report revealing hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse in Spain, the country's bishops assured Pope Francis that every diocese has established a commission that will investigate allegations of abuse.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis approved "Pilgrims of Hope" as the motto for the Holy Year 2025. The motto aims to give a concise sense of the full meaning of the jubilee journey, Archbishop Rino Fisichella told Vatican News Jan. 13.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- St. Joseph's work as a humble carpenter serves as an example of the dignity of hard work that today is often denied to those in need, Pope Francis said. "Many young people, many fathers and mothers experience the ordeal of not having a job that allows them to live peacefully; they just live day by day. And how often the search for work becomes so desperate that it drives them to the point of losing all hope and the desire to live," the pope said Jan. 12 during his weekly general audience.
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ROME (CNS) -- Pope Francis took an evening ride in a white Fiat 500 to visit a record store he used to go to when in Rome as a cardinal. Letizia Giostra, the store owner, told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the surprise visit Jan. 11 was "an immense thrill."
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MANILA, Philippines (CNS) -- A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has warned people against bulk buying and hoarding medicines like acetaminophen and cough syrup to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms. Ucanews.com reported that Bishop Oscar Florencio, who heads the bishops' health care commission, said Jan. 10 that hoarding ultimately victimizes the poor, as the practice results in shortages and price hikes.
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ROME (CNS) -- As coronavirus cases continue to increase across Italy, the country's bishops issued new guidelines and restrictions meant to curb the spread of infection among the faithful. In a statement released Jan. 10, the general secretariat of the Italian bishops' conference said that with the pandemic "showing no signs of ending," it was important for clergy and laity to observe "prudence, a sense of responsibility and respect for the guidelines that are useful in containing the epidemic."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With dozens of people reported dead and thousands detained in Kazakhstan, Pope Francis prayed for the victims and for a return of peace in the former Soviet republic. "I have learned with sorrow that there have been victims during the protests that have broken out in recent days in Kazakhstan," the pope said Jan. 9 after reciting the Angelus prayer with visitors in St. Peter's Square. "I pray for them and for their families, and I hope that social harmony will be restored as soon as possible through the search for dialogue, justice and the common good."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Context is everything. But sometimes Pope Francis assumes people know him and the context of his words. When they don't, hackles are raised. One case in point has garnered huge publicity, again: Pope Francis' view on couples having pampered pets instead of children.
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NEW DELHI (CNS) -- The Missionaries of Charity congregation has been forced to shut Nirmala Shishu Bhawan, a home for orphaned, destitute and abandoned children in Uttar Pradesh state, after its lease expired. The Defence Estates Office demanded $250,000 from the nuns for trespassing.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) -- As Ethiopia celebrated Christmas Jan. 7, Cardinal Berhaneyesus Souraphiel of Addis Ababa called for humility, patience and gentleness, while urging the people to remember those suffering from war.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- A Catholic nurse suffered harassment and discrimination because she refused to remove a small gold cross necklace at work, an employment tribunal ruled. Mary Onuoha, 61, was subjected to "offensive and intimidating" treatment by the National Health Service, her employer, and was unfairly dismissed from her job at the Croydon University Hospital in London, the tribunal concluded.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As many Catholics try to understand what Pope Francis might mean by a "synodal church," he highlighted some of the essential characteristics -- especially humility and trust -- in homilies and speeches over Christmas and early in the new year.
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Just as the Magi were guided by a shining star, Christians can rest assured that the light of Christ will guide them to a happy and meaningful life, Pope Francis said on the feast of the Epiphany. "The Magi teach us that we need to set out anew each day, in life as in faith, for faith is not a suit of armor that encases us; instead, it is a fascinating journey, a constant and restless movement, ever in search of God," the pope said.
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As the foster father of Jesus, St. Joseph is an example of the need for loving fathers and mothers in "an age of notorious orphanhood," Pope Francis said. The "demographic winter" in many Western countries, due in part to couples unwilling to have children, "diminishes us, it takes away our humanity," the pope said Jan. 5 during his weekly general audience.
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ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay (CNS) -- After a life in Paraguay working in the poorest neighborhoods and training several generations of young leaders, Jesuit Father Francisco de Paula Oliva died Jan. 3 in Asunción. He was 93.
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To discriminate against or persecute those who profess their faith is an intolerable act that threatens the fraternal bonds shared by humanity, Pope Francis said. "How can we allow that in this society -- which is so civilized -- there are people who are persecuted simply because they publicly profess their faith? Not only is it unacceptable; it's inhuman, it's insane," the pope said.
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MUNICH (CNS) -- In mid-January, the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl is scheduled to publish a report into the handling of clerical sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The potentially explosive aspect is that three of the highest-ranking officials are still alive: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger -- now retired Pope Benedict XVI -- and Cardinals Friedrich Wetter and Reinhard Marx, reported the German Catholic news agency KNA.
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Although scientists have made great strides in the field of medicine, genuine care and listening to those who suffer must always be at the forefront of any therapy, Pope Francis said. "Patients are always more important than their diseases, and for this reason, no therapeutic approach can disregard listening to the patient, his or her history, anxieties and fears," the pope wrote in his message for the 2022 World Day of the Sick, which the Catholic Church marks Feb. 11, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.
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Christians can rest assured that even when they feel unworthy, God is a good shepherd who goes in search of them, Pope Francis said. Speaking to pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square Jan. 2 for his Sunday Angelus address, the pope said God persists with his children "because he does not resign himself to the fact that we can go astray by going far from him, far from eternity, far from the light."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Catholics begin a new year contemplating the motherhood of Mary, they should be inspired not to let problems weaken their faith or prevent them from helping others grow, Pope Francis said.
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Christian hope grants those who suffer the assurance that God does not abandon his people in their time of need, Pope Francis said. "Problems do not vanish, difficulties and worries are not lacking, but we are not alone; the Father 'sent forth his son' to redeem us from the slavery of sin and to restore our dignity as children," the pope said Dec. 31.
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BONN, Germany (CNS) -- Bishop Georg Bätzing, president of the German bishops' conference, welcomed the decision of the Federal Constitutional Court ordering the parliament to immediately establish rules to protect people with disabilities from losing out in triage decisions made during the coronavirus pandemic.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meditating on the scene of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod's murderous rage, Christians cannot close their eyes to the fact that too many people in the world today also feel forced to flee their homelands, Pope Francis said.
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NEW DELHI (CNS) -- The Missionaries of Charity denied reports that the order's bank accounts have been frozen but said the order's renewal application under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act was not approved. This means the nuns in India may not use any foreign currency account "until the matter is resolved."
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BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) -- The normal crowds of pilgrims and tourists may not have been able to come to Bethlehem for Christmas due to COVID-19 travel restrictions for a second year in a row, but local Palestinian Christians wanted to assure everyone that the Christmas spirit is still alive and well in the city of Jesus' birth.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Preparations for the Holy Year 2025 have already begun, and Pope Francis has asked the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization to take charge of the efforts. In a brief note Dec. 26, the Vatican press office said Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the pontifical council, already has had meetings with officials of the Vatican Secretariat of State and with the offices that will be involved in funding Holy Year activities: the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See and the Secretariat for the Economy.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on families, but with extra patience and faith, bonds can grow stronger, Pope Francis wrote in a letter released on the feast of the Holy Family.
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The celebration of Christmas serves as a reminder that God did not reveal his greatness in a grand spectacle, but rather in the "littleness" of a poor, vulnerable child born in a stable in Bethlehem, Pope Francis said.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- With a view toward staying open and protecting people from a new increase in COVID-19 infections, the Vatican mandated that all employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or show proof of having recovered from it.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis' annual pre-Christmas speeches to the leadership of the Roman Curia often have been reported -- by the media and some members of the Curia itself -- as scoldings. A hint of that tone was present Dec. 23, but overall the talk was more a homily and an encouragement to service.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thanking Cardinal Peter Turkson for his five years of service as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis has decided to name new leadership for the office, said a Vatican communique.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican has reaffirmed its support of COVID-19 vaccines with both the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life and a Holy See communique reiterating Pope Francis' insistence that getting inoculated is "an act of love."
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis met with Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of external relations for the Russian Orthodox Church, for an hour at the Vatican Dec. 22. The two met "in a spirit of fraternity" and discussed a number of issues "of common concern" as well as the shared desire and commitment to seek responses that were "concrete, humane and spiritual," according to a communique by the Vatican.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Among the most vulnerable victims of the COVID-19 pandemic are children and adolescents, whose suffering and distress represent a kind of "parallel pandemic" that must be addressed, the Vatican said in two new documents.
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