WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Russian Orthodox Church's decision to sever ties with the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople will affect ecumenical dialogue, but long-term implications remain unknown.
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Kyiv, Ukraine, Oct 15, 2018 CNA/EWTN News.- The Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow has cut ties with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, claiming his recognition of an independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine departed from Orthodox Christian norms.
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Washington D.C., Oct 15, 2018 CNA.- President Donald Trump has reportedly chosen a Catholic lawyer, Pat Cipollone, to replace White House counsel Donald McGhan. In addition to his professional work, Cipollone serves on the board of directors for the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., and co-founded the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in 2004.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Although bishops should make up the majority of voting members at a Synod of Bishops, the fact that the body is only consultative means women should be included as full members just as priests and religious brothers are, said three priests who are voting members.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The Rev. Andrew Brunson, an evangelical Presbyterian pastor who had been jailed by Turkish authorities for nearly two years, returned to U.S. soil Oct. 13 after being freed the day before by Turkey.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Religions, which are meant to build bridges, contradict their very nature if they stop pursuing the path of peace, Pope Francis said. "Our differences, therefore, must not pit us one against the other; the heart of a true believer seeks to open paths of communion always and everywhere," the pope said in a written message to an annual international gathering of religious and cultural leaders.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis and many people attending the canonization Mass in St. Peter's Square were alive when St. Paul VI and St. Oscar Romero were alive, but the new saints' relics and those of five other people canonized Oct. 14 still were present at the Mass as reminders that the saints were flesh-and-blood people who lived holy lives.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Carrying Pope Paul VI's pastoral staff and wearing the blood-stained belt of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, Pope Francis formally recognized them, and five others, as saints of the Catholic Church.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an unprecedented move, Pope Francis removed from the priesthood two Chilean bishops accused of sexual abuse. In a statement released Oct. 12, the Vatican said 84-year-old Francisco Jose Cox, the former archbishop of La Serena, and 53-year-old Marco Antonio Ordenes, the former bishop of Iquique, were dismissed from the clerical state by the pope and there would be no appeal.
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PENSACOLA, Fla. (CNS) -- In the wake of Hurricane Michael, which left 13 known dead and more than 1 million without power two days after it ravaged the Florida panhandle, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee, whose territory was smack in the path of the Category 4 storm, is moving from prayer to action.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A new documentary about Blessed Oscar Romero, featuring a rare interview with him, revealed the martyred archbishop's thoughts regarding accusations that he became too progressive.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One U.S. observer warned Pope Francis and the Synod of Bishops that the current immigration system in the United States "blatantly threatens" and disrespects the lives and dignity of migrants.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl as archbishop of Washington but did not name a successor. When the pope's decision was announced Oct. 12, the Archdiocese of Washington released a letter from Pope Francis to the cardinal, making clear his support for Cardinal Wuerl's ministry and leadership, but also praising the cardinal for putting the good of the church first.
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NORTH READING -- The Church in the United States has observed October as Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday of October as Respect Life Sunday, since 1972. The Boston Archdiocese sponsors a Respect Life Mass each year.
Read moreCardinal Seán P. O'Malley released the following statement Oct. 11: This past August, I assembled a committee of men and women with the highest integrity and expertise to conduct a review at St. John's Seminary in the Archdiocese of Boston. This review is in response to postings on the Archdiocesan Facebook page by two former seminarians stating that during their time at the seminary, they witnessed and experienced activities that are directly contrary to the moral standards and requirements of formation for the Catholic priesthood. Within days of these Facebook postings, the committee was appointed, announced publicly and preparations begun to review the culture of the St John Seminary regarding the personal standards expected and required of candidates for the priesthood, including any seminary issues of sexual harassment or other forms of intimidation or discrimination. I also committed to make available whatever resources the committee felt necessary to undertake this review.
Read moreThe archdiocese announced Oct. 10 that the members of the search committee for the next Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Boston had been named by Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley. The current Superintendent, Kathy Mears, announced in July that she will leave her position in June 2019 to return to Indiana to be closer to her family.
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CANTON -- How many ways can one student represent her school -- its students, programs, and culture? Eighth grader Jacqueline "Jackie" Wells has found a wide variety of ways to embody her school's culture, both metaphorically and literally.
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SALEM -- Locals are all too aware that their city is considered the witchcraft capital of the world, and that October is its busiest and most lucrative season for tourism. What better time and place to hold a symposium on witchcraft, exorcisms, and the demonic?
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Saturday afternoon, I went to Sacred Heart in Lynn for the celebration of their 125th anniversary. Father Brian Flynn is the pastor there, and the parish is part of the Lynn Catholic Collaborative with St. Mary's. In fact, they used the occasion of the Mass to distribute their Local Pastoral Plan for the collaborative.
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A few years ago, I asked a Salvadoran priest whether he believed Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, the best known of the martyrs of El Salvador, would ever be recognized by the Catholic Church as a saint.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Catholic Church must find a way to look at secularization as an opportunity to find new ways to proclaim the Gospel, the Jesuit superior general told the Synod of Bishops.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Unless they recognize themselves as sinners rescued by Jesus, adults cannot be effective in helping young people find the path to faith and doing God's will, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago told the Synod of Bishops.
Read moreBRAINTREE -- Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley announced in an Oct. 11 statement that he has engaged an outside law firm to conduct the inquiry into conduct and culture at St. John's Seminary as well as expand the scope of the inquiry to include all three seminaries sponsored by the Archdiocese of Boston.
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MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- The United Kingdom's Supreme Court has upheld the right of a bakery to refuse to make a cake emblazoned with a slogan in support of same-sex marriage. In a unanimous ruling, five judges overturned a series of decisions by the lower courts to conclude that "nobody should be forced to have or express a political opinion in which he does not believe."
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HOUSTON (CNS) -- In an action to be more transparent, the 15 Catholic dioceses in Texas will release the names of clergy who were credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor, according to an Oct. 10 statement issued by the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops in Austin.
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BANGKOK (CNS) -- Bishop Joseph Guo Jincai, one of two Chinese participants attending the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, concelebrated Mass with St. John Paul II twice in 1995. Although he was a member of the government-approved Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association -- not recognized by the Vatican -- it was only after his illicit ordination as a bishop of the Chinese-designated Diocese of Chengde that he was automatically excommunicated.
Read moreVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Twelve synod members have been named to a commission to draft the final report summarizing the discussion at the Synod of Bishops on young people. The report will be given Pope Francis.
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ROME (CNS) -- Blesseds Paul VI and Oscar Romero crossed paths on their road to sainthood and formed a personal friendship that strengthened each other's resolve in the face of growing challenges, an Italian professor said.
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ROME (CNS) -- The Catholic Church is one throughout the world, and Pope Francis' agreement with the communist government of China is a sign of that, Bishop John Baptist Yang Xiaoting of Yan'an told members of a Rome parish.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The teachings, life and holiness of St. John Paul II can help guide and protect people on their daily journey toward Christ, Pope Francis said. Greeting Polish pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Krakow, which Pope John Paul led from 1964 until he was elected pope in 1978, Pope Francis thanked God for this "great pope" who led the church into the new millennium. The group was in Rome to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their countryman's election as pope Oct. 16, 1978.
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Vatican City, Oct 10, 2018 CNA/EWTN News.- In his general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis said that abortion “suppresses innocent and helpless life in its blossoming.” “Is it right to take a human life to solve a problem? It's like hiring a hitman,” Pope Francis said in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 10, in a departure from his prepared remarks.
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Canberra, Australia, Oct 9, 2018 CNA/EWTN News.- Two pro-life activists are challenging Australian “buffer zone” laws in the country’s high court in Canberra. The laws in the states of Victoria and Tasmania bar any protests within 150 meters (nearly 500 feet) of a clinic or hospital that performs abortions.
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Church leaders and members need to be "spiritual mentors" -- like Jesus and the saints -- befriending, accompanying and enriching the lives of young people, one U.S. observer told the Synod of Bishops.
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