IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — Recent media coverage that points to potential financial misdealing at the Vatican is creating misperceptions about corruption and fails to adequately explain how the fluid world of financial investing works, said the authors of an article published in a University …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Peace requires setting aside indifference and fear so that a feeling of mutual respect may grow and flourish, Pope Francis told diplomats. "This, in turn, leads to the development of a culture of inclusion, a more just economic system …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Dave Hrbacek, Catholic Spirit By Dave Hrbacek WOODBURY, Minn. (CNS) — Bob Mathewson got a celebrity’s welcome at St. Ambrose of Woodbury Catholic School one early December morning. All it took were three simple words: "Ho ho ho." Well, the bright red velvet suit and white beard had …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Putting up a Nativity scene before Christmas is a reminder to stop and remember what Christmas is really about and to prepare one’s heart like a manger for the coming of Christ, Pope Francis said. At his weekly general …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Spirit Juice, courtesy Knights of Columbus By Andrew Butler The only water available to the people in the mountain region of Santa Maria in Jalapa, Guatemala, was bacteria-infested. Women and girls would spend as much as eight hours per day hauling the water for their families. They would …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis has welcomed dialogue that has led to often candid assessments from clergy and papal advisers about the path he is charting for the Catholic Church. From discussions during the recent Synod of Bishops on the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Evandro Inetti, pool By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has abolished the obligation of secrecy for those who report having been sexually abused by a priest and for those who testify in a church trial or process having to do with clerical sexual abuse. "The …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Nacho Doce, Reuters By Jonathan Luxmoore OXFORD, England (CNS) — Catholic campaigners voiced frustration over a lack of progress at U.N. climate talks in Spain, but vowed to step up demands for firmer international action. "It’s disappointing there’s still a huge gap between what people on the streets …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Katie Rutter By Katie Rutter DAYTON, Ohio (CNS) — Each culture, if not every home, has its own unique rendition of the Nativity. The Christ child may lay on a manger made from materials as diverse as wax, blown glass, yarn, papier-mache and terra cotta. Mary might don …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Warner Bros By Mark Pattison ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS) — The upcoming movie "Just Mercy" "has the potential to wake up out of a slumber the part of society that either doesn’t believe the death penalty is still in practice or chooses to ignore it," according to two leaders …