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Catholic News Agency
5 fascinating facts about the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes
By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Feb 11, 2025 / 04:00 am On Feb. 11, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. In Lourdes, France, in 1858, 13-year-old Bernadette Soubirous was collecting pieces of wood as part of her daily chores when she noticed a startling wind …
Pope Francis to U.S. bishops amid mass deportations: Dignity of migrants comes first
By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 11, 2025 / 09:35 am Pope Francis addressed the bishops of the United States on Tuesday about the country’s ongoing mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants, urging Catholics to consider the justness of laws and policies in light of the dignity and rights of people. In …
Mass attendance ticks back up nationally after pandemic falter, data suggests
By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Feb 10, 2025 / 17:40 pm After years of uncertainty over whether in-person Mass attendance numbers would ever rebound after plummeting during the COVID-era lockdowns, new data suggests that Mass attendance levels have quietly returned to 2019 levels nearly six years later. Despite the apparent uptick, …
Can a Catholic attend a same-sex wedding?
By David Ramos Puebla, Mexico, Feb 11, 2025 / 07:00 am Being invited to the wedding of a family member or friend is often a cause for joy, but for many Catholics, being invited to a same-sex wedding can precipitate a deep internal conflict. How can one reconcile loyalty to family …
Vatican official: People ‘terrorized’ by U.S. crackdown on illegal immigration
By AC Wimmer CNA Newsroom, Feb 10, 2025 / 09:30 am A prominent Vatican cardinal said on Monday that people are being “terrorized” by the U.S. government’s “crackdown” on immigration and freeze of Catholic-run aid programs. Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told the …
Super Bowl teams’ bishops renew rivalry with public wager
By Matt McDonald CNA Newsroom, Feb 7, 2025 / 21:05 pm On Super Bowl Sunday, players for the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are vying for a championship, a ring, money ($178,000 for winners versus $103,000 for losers), and a lifetime achievement. The Catholic bishops of their respective dioceses have …
U.S. bishops’ conference lays off 50 amid migrant funding ‘uncertainty’
By Zelda Caldwell Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2025 / 21:55 pm The U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference laid off 50 staff members in its migration and refugee services office Friday, citing a delay in reimbursements from the federal government. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ spokesperson Chieko Noguchi, in a statement shared with CNA, said …
U.S., Venezuelan bishops: Ending temporary protected status for migrants ‘counterproductive’
By Andrés Henríquez Caracas, Venezuela, Feb 8, 2025 / 08:00 am The bishops of the United States and Venezuela are both opposed to the Trump administration’s looming elimination of temporary protected status (TPS) for recent Venezuelan immigrants. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed this week that it will eliminate the …
North Carolina bishops: Immigration policy and enforcement ‘complicated and emotional’
By Tessa Gervasini , Ken Oliver-Méndez Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 6, 2025 / 16:50 pm The Roman Catholic bishops of Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, have issued a joint statement about immigration policy and enforcement in the United States, describing the issue as “both complicated and emotional.” In their statement, Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM …
Pope Francis to take meetings at home while sick with bronchitis, Vatican says
By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 6, 2025 / 12:30 pm Pope Francis will hold the next few days of meetings in rooms at his Vatican residence while sick with bronchitis, the Vatican said Thursday. “Due to bronchitis, from which he is suffering at this time, and in order to continue …
