IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Addressing concerns about a proposed Amazonian rite in the Catholic Church, an indigenous participant at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon called on Catholics to soften their hearts and understand the needs of Catholics in the region. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Barbara J. Fraser VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Cardinal John Ribat of Papua New Guinea was young, he and his neighbors noticed that their well water tasted of salt. Crops also failed as the soil became salty. Papua New Guinea consists of a large island …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion By Sean Gallagher INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) — It wasn’t easy for Daryl Whitley to stand before a diverse audience of listeners as he prepared to share his experiences of racism. But he knew that doing so could promote justice and racial healing. So, crediting the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The way to rid the Catholic Church of clericalism is by giving laywomen a greater role in making decisions, a Bolivian bishop said. Bishop Ricardo Ernesto Centellas Guzman of Potosi told Catholic News Service Oct. 23 that …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The church resolves conflicts and discerns God’s will by patiently listening, discussing and deciding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said. "It is the Spirit, in fact, who helps overcome narrow-mindedness and tensions, and works within …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Like most parish priests, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti celebrates Mass, baptizes babies, gives marriage preparation talks and provides pastoral care that often involves listening to people or praying with them. He also frequently blesses baseball bats. That’s because the priest, a …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Barbara J. Fraser VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Solutions to environmental problems discussed at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon must involve not just Amazonian nations, but countries in Europe and North America, bishops said. "This is a special synod, but it has universal consequences," …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Knights of Columbus By Andrew Fowler Trever Miller was born to be a pitcher. The Kentucky native loved the challenge baseball presented. The struggle between two men. One with a ball. The other 60 feet 6 inches away, holding a bat. Over a 21-year career in professional …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna said that as a European member of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, his first task is to listen and his second task is to examine ways his lifestyle and that of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Yara Nardi, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — An Italian author who was once tried and acquitted by a Vatican court for publishing leaked documents is claiming in a new book that decades of mismanagement, shady deals and decreasing donations will leave the Vatican no …