IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As the Vatican Secretariat for Communication works to unify Vatican media efforts, a key pastoral concern is to keep open all the channels that allow Pope Francis to speak to the world. “With a pope who is so naturally communicative, …

By BALTIMORE (CNS) — Cardinal William H. Keeler, the retired archbishop of Baltimore who was known for his vital role in ecumenical and interreligious relations, died early March 23 at St. Martin’s Home for the Aged in the Baltimore suburb of Catonsville. He was 86. The Baltimore Archdiocese said funeral …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Sebastian Scheiner, Reuters By Judith Sudilovsky JERUSALEM (CNS) — Less than a year after restoration work began, the Edicule — the traditional site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection — was inaugurated in an ecumenical ceremony led by representatives of the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian churches, including …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Justin Lane, EPA By Julie Asher WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. bishops in a pastoral reflection released March 22 called all Catholics to do what each of them can “to accompany migrants and refugees who seek a better life in the United States.” Titled “Living as a People …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christian hope is built on patiently enduring everything life brings and knowing how to see God’s presence and love everywhere, Pope Francis said. God “never tires of loving us” as he “takes care of us, dressing our wounds with the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Nancy McNally, Catholic Relief Services By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Some 5 million people in South Sudan — half of its total population — are on the brink of starvation and a quarter of a million children are already severely malnourished, a representative from the U.S. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The confessional is a place where one can go to humbly seek forgiveness; it is not a dry cleaners where one goes to remove the occasional stain, Pope Francis said. While forgiveness is “God’s great work of mercy,” …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Young men and women can live a true experience of the church by joining together and reconnecting with the past, Pope Francis told Catholic young people. “The genuine experience of the church is not like a flash mob, where people agree to …

IMAGE: CNS By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — These days when Pope Francis talks about integral human development and his vision of a church that goes to the margins of the world, he undoubtedly thanks a predecessor of 50 years ago for the inspiration. Blessed Paul VI addressed “the progressive …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Clodagh Kilcoyne, Reuters By Michael Kelly DUBLIN (CNS) — Martin McGuinness, 66, who went from being a paramilitary leader to laying the foundations for peace in Northern Ireland, died March 21. McGuinness was diagnosed with a rare heart condition in December and died in a hospital in Londonderry, …