WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two reports on Latinos and religion released the first week of May paint a picture of the U.S. Catholic Church at a potentially precarious point with its fastest-growing demographic. One risk: Hispanics will soon constitute a majority of the U.S. church, but the National Study o...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- God is always by our side, never giving us more than we can handle, Pope Francis said. The countless women and men who stand tall through enormous difficulties, pain and especially persecution, are armed with the divine gift of fortitude that gives them the strength and hope t...
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Q. Is the happiness of heaven dependent on human factors? Specifically, when I die and -- hopefully -- get to heaven, how could I be eternally happy if my children were not to make it with me? (The way things are right now, that is a distinct possibility.) How could I ever be at peace knowing that...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The issues dividing Christian communities have changed over the past 50 years, but a Philadelphia archdiocesan priest working in ecumenical dialogue at the Vatican is confident that Christian unity is possible. "We are people of hope. We trust we have the same Scriptures, the...
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Everyone, at some point, has shifted over from one Communion line to another during Mass because it seemed shorter and, thus, faster. Now imagine what it would be like if you could always have a "fast lane" to receive Communion -- but you had to pay for it. It's a good image to...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Never forget to pray, even while commuting, taking a walk or when waiting in line, Pope Francis said. And don't just stick to prayers memorized from childhood, but include heartfelt requests and pleas for help, advice and guidance, he said. During his weekly general audience i...
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WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The united front of President Barack Obama and advocates for comprehensive immigration reform has tarnished and taken on an increasingly bitter tinge over deportations. Building on huge increases in U.S. Border Patrol resources that began in the George W. Bush administration, Ob...
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ROME (CNS) -- The Orthodox bishop who is coordinating the upcoming pilgrimage to Jerusalem by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople said he hopes the patriarch's May 25 meeting with Pope Francis will give new impetus to efforts for Christian unity. But he also said the two leaders are...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Human smarts aren't enough to truly understand God's word and how he is working in people's lives, Pope Francis said. Christians need the help of the Holy Spirit to "go beneath the surface of reality and peer into the depths of God's thinking and his plan of salvation," he sai...
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Q. Recently, I took my 4-year-old grandson to Mass. Above the altar, we have a very large crucifix and I noticed that, while looking at it, the boy was visibly shaken and quite upset. How does one explain Jesus on the cross to a 4-year-old? (Davenport, Iowa) A. Recognizing that I know precious litt...
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