VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis asked for prayers for his trip to Cuba and the United States, calling it "a mission" he had high hopes for. He said while the main purpose of his 10th apostolic journey abroad, Sept. 19-28, was to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, he also high...
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Q. It has been 30 years since I last saw this happen, but at Sunday Mass yesterday a couple and their two children got up from a pew in front of me just as Communion was about to be distributed and walked around our section of pews in order to get in line to receive from the priest instead of from...
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Coming hard on the heels of Pope Francis' trip to the United States will be the Synod of Bishops on the family in October, at which themes raised during the U.S. visit may come to the fore. And given recent events, maybe one of the key angles to consider is economic issues and...
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Backgrounder   WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- Flanked by Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner -- two high-profile Catholic politicians -- the visual of Pope Francis' Sept. 24 address to Congress will signal an evolving narrative. The improbability of a pope standing before...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A church that lives according to the Gospel must always have its doors open and be a welcoming community, not "an exclusive, closed sect," Pope Francis said. "Churches, parishes, institutions with closed doors must not call themselves a church; they must call themselves museu...
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Q. Over the past few years, my husband has suffered a traumatic brain injury and, more recently, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I would like him to participate in all the sacraments, as he has done faithfully since he was a child. He attends Mass with me but does not remember any pray...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While a juridical process is necessary for making accurate judgments, the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process must be quicker, cheaper and much more of a pastoral ministry, Pope Francis said. Rewriting a section of the Latin-rite Code of Canon Law and of the Co...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Given the ongoing crisis of people fleeing from war and poverty, Pope Francis asked every parish and religious community in Europe to take in a family of refugees as a concrete sign of hope and God's mercy. "The Gospel calls us, asks us to be near the least and the abandoned....
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The smile and love of a family can light up the world, bringing warmth and hope to communities that have become cold, lifeless and depressed, Pope Francis said. "No economic and political engineering is able to substitute this contribution from families," he said Sept. 2 duri...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an extraordinary gesture for the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis has extended to priests worldwide the authority to absolve women for the sin of abortion and has decreed the full validity during the year of the sacrament of confession celebrated by priests of the traditionalist...
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