AI is human creation that must be controlled by humans, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Artificial intelligence or any other technology that worsens inequality around the world and increases fake news should not be embraced...
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Pilgrimages are 'safe,' Holy Land church leaders say, telling pilgrims: 'We're waiting for you'
(OSV News) -- Catholic leaders in the Holy Land called on Christian pilgrims to return to the region following the implementation of the long-awaited ceasefire...
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Holy Year pilgrimage is chance to begin again, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A holy year is an opportunity to start fresh with one's relationship with God and with other people, Pope Francis told thousands...
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Vatican diplomats discuss paths toward peace in Middle East
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Vatican's top diplomat met with papal representatives to various Middle Eastern countries to discuss possible avenues toward...
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Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire, hostage agreement, as Gaza Catholics rejoice
(OSV News) -- After more than a year of war and thousands killed or wounded, negotiators representing Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal. A six-week...
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Christian persecution on the rise worldwide, new report says
MALMÖ, Sweden (OSV News) -- A new report by Open Doors International said that more than 380 million Christians faced persecution and discrimination...
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Cuba to release 553 prisoners for Jubilee at pope's request
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Taking up the spirit of the recently inaugurated Holy Year 2025, the Cuban government has announced the release of 553 people currently...
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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to focus on Creed
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Christian churches prepare to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will...
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Pope looks back on his life, urges people to look to future with hope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While calling himself an "old man" and saying he never expected to be pope this long, Pope Francis said he still has dreams for the...
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Divest from companies that exploit children, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- People and institutions can protect children by changing what they buy and what they invest in, Pope Francis said. "Fighting exploitation,...
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Kidnapped Nigerian nuns released unconditionally, congregation says
(OSV News) -- Two Nigerian women religious who were kidnapped Jan. 7 as they returned home from a meeting in Ogboji, a town in Anambra state in Nigeria,...
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Sister Clare Crockett, who lived 'exceptional, holy life,' begins road to sainthood as cause opens
(OSV News) -- Her wide smile and eyes beaming with joy are a signature of Sister Clare Crockett, a 33-year-old Northern Irish nun, who tragically died...
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Pope appoints three US experts, two of them women, as dicastery members
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has named three U.S. experts -- two women and an abbot -- to be members of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the...
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Italian bishops say don't automatically exclude gay men from seminary
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Italian bishops' new program of priestly formation, approved by the Vatican, repeats a prohibition against admitting to the seminary...
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U.S. sister killed in the Amazon honored at Rome 'new martyrs' shrine
ROME (CNS) -- "It's quite an honor for her to be here with the likes of St. Oscar Romero," Tom Stang said after a relic of his sister was placed on an...
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Best gift a child can receive is faith, pope says at baptisms
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- When children are baptized, their parents and the church are giving them the greatest gift ever: the gift of faith, Pope Francis...
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Chapel onboard historic Italian naval ship designated a Jubilee church
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Italian naval ship "Amerigo Vespucci," currently completing its global tour, has been designated a Jubilee church for the Holy...
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Bishops call for Venezuelan vote to be respected
(OSV News) -- Venezuela's bishops called for the country's electoral decision to be respected on the eve of the Jan. 10 inauguration of President Nicolás...
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Pope to diplomats: Sweep away 'clouds of war,' let 'winds of peace' blow
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- During the Holy Year 2025, the international community should strive "to overcome the logic of confrontation and embrace instead...
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At age 116, religious sister from Brazil is the oldest person on the planet
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (OSV News) -- Teresian Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas from Brazil has become the world's oldest person, reaching 116 years and 210 days. She...
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Pope condemns economy that 'does not respect life,' exploits children
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While society is increasingly focused on pushing the limits of human achievement, it must not lose sight of its duty to protect the...
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Spain's famed Camino wraps up the year with a record half million pilgrims
(OSV News) -- The boom in the number of pilgrims on Spain's famous El Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James, hit a new record of almost half a million...
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St. Peter's Holy Door sees more than half million pilgrims in two weeks
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- More than half a million pilgrims crossed the threshold of the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in the first two weeks after Pope...
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Christ's birth brings light to a troubled world, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a troubled world, the birth of Christ reveals God's unwavering determination to draw all people to himself and illuminate even...
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Pope names Consolata Missionary as the first woman dicastery prefect
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has appointed Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla to be the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery, naming...
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Spanish public television mocks the Sacred Heart of Jesus on New Year's Eve
MADRID (OSV News) -- The president of the Spanish bishops' conference, Archbishop Luis Argüello of Valladolid, reacted to Spanish public television's...
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Catholic priest in Belarus convicted of treason, sentenced to 11 years in penal colony
MINSK, Belarus (OSV News) -- Father Henrykh Akalatovich, pastor of the Catholic parish in Valožyn, was sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony in...
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Change of heart key to Holy Year indulgence, Latin patriarch says in Nazareth
NAZARETH, Israel (OSV News) -- An indulgence granted during the Jubilee Year is not just an occasion to "get something" but rather is a sign of the Holy...
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Pope praises Jimmy Carter's 'deep Christian faith'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Offering his condolences, Pope Francis praised former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's Christian faith and his lifelong mission to advance...
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Vatican says 13 missionaries were killed in 2024
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Thirteen Catholic "missionaries" were killed in 2024, most of them during the commission of a robbery, but several obviously were...
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Pope Francis, bishops pray for families of those who perished in South Korean plane crash
MUAN, South Korea (OSV News) -- A passenger plane arriving from Bangkok exploded after skidding off the runway at a South Korean airport in Muan Dec. 29,...
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Holy Family is a model of dialogue, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The Holy Family, though made up of saints and God incarnate, faced real challenges and offers a model for navigating the "dramatic"...
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Gunmen shoot Catholic priest dead in Nigeria on Boxing Day
IHIALA, Nigeria (OSV News) -- In a dark sign of descending security in Africa's most populous country, a Catholic priest has been shot dead on the open...
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God wants all people to be saved; he forgives all who repent, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God wants to save each and every person, and Christians are called to give witness to that fact by praying even for people who have...
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Don't lose hope, pope says as he opens Holy Door at Rome prison
ROME (CNS) -- Wearing red vestments for the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis knocked on the door of the church in Rome's...
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For Holy Land Christians, Christmas means life, as patriarch preaches Jubilee hope
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (OSV News) -- The Christmas spirit in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, was festive yet overshadowed on Christmas Eve by the grim...
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Pope urges war-torn world to walk through door of peace on Christmas
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As millions of pilgrims prepare to cross through the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis called on individuals, nations...
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Christians protest in Syria after Christmas tree burned
(OSV News) -- A Christmas tree was reportedly set ablaze in a Christian-majority town in Syria, prompting protests in the war-torn nation just two weeks...
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Pope at Christmas: Jesus' birth brings hope for world of justice, peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Celebrating Christmas Mass after opening the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis said the birth of Jesus fills Christians with hope and...
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Pope opens Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching 'Jubilee of Hope'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the quiet of Christmas Eve, Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, launching what he called a "Jubilee of...
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