Yesterday Pope Francis raised eyebrows around the world after declaring his openness to establishing a commission to study the female deaconate, but a careful look at his full response is less of a shocker, and points to nothing new. In fact, in addition to giving a brief summary of a

Northern Ireland’s voters should use their vote to uphold the right to life, not violate it, the Catholic bishops of the region said. “The social and moral teaching of the Church is clear, that it is never morally acceptable to support any policy that undermines the sacred inviolability of the

The world continues to be “hostile to the Gospel,” just as it was four centuries ago when St. John Ogilvie was martyred for his faith in Scotland, but continuing to witness to Christ will change the world, Pope Francis said on Thursday. This was the message of the Holy Father

The problem of sex-selective abortion is not limited to China and India, but is increasing in communities within Western countries, a new report by the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute says. “I think for a long time we’ve been denying that sex-selective abortion happens in the United States,” said Anna Higgins,

Pope Francis’ latest writings on the family include a strong affirmation of the need to welcome children even in difficult circumstances. He praises large families and adopted families, rejects abortion as “horrendous,” reflects on the errors of “gender ideology,” and advises pastoral care for people with same-sex attraction. “Each child

BRUSSELS, Belgium — “…I just want to tell you that life is a wonderful thing, and the world is really full of remarkable people.” So starts a letter written by one of the survivors of the bomb attacks at the Brussels Zaventem international airport last week, according to CNN. The author of the

Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, foundress of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), passed away on March 27 after a lengthy struggle with the aftereffects of a stroke. She was 92 years old. “Mother has always and will always personify EWTN, the network that God asked her to found,”

CNA/EWTN News — Louisiana law can’t force Catholic priests to violate the seal of the confessional, a judge in the state reaffirmed on Friday. State District Judge Mike Caldwell said in court Feb. 26 that a state law requiring clergy to report sex abuse of minors violated a priest’s religious freedom protections

What do you do with an excess of chrism and a plethora of Catholic men with beards? Tony Vasinda, a director of faith formation at a Catholic parish in Seattle, Wash., was faced with that dilemma two years ago when he ordered some of the fragrant, liturgical oil for his

Vatican City — In his hour-long inflight news conference on his way from Juarez to Rome, Pope Francis touched on a wide range of hot-button topics, including immigration, pedophilia, the spread of the Zika virus and his meeting with Patriarch Kirill. In the 60 minute interview, the Pope answered 12 questions posed