IMAGE: CNS photo/Doreen Abi Raad By Doreen Abi Raad BEIRUT (CNS) — His upbringing planted the seeds of faith. There were family prayers, the rosary and faith-filled conversations. By age 6, he was "in the church every day, around the priests. I grew up in this spirit," 89-year-old Maronite Father …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Rhina Guidos EL PASO, Texas (CNS) — At the start of a week focused on the plight of migrants, El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz asked Sept. 23 whether Christians are ready to encounter a Christ who exists in the migrants at the U.S. border, …

By Rhina Guidos Catholic News Service AS VEGAS (CNS) — The University of Notre Dame Sept. 21 released a groundbreaking report that looked at sexual harassment in U.S. Catholic seminaries, revealing that just 6% of seminarians reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment or misconduct, while 90% reported none. Another …

By Kurt Jensen Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — The pro-life community is cheering a report released Sept. 18 that indicates the number and rate of abortions nationwide have fallen to their lowest levels since the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion on demand in 1973. The numbers were …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Yara Nardi, Reuters By ALBANO, Italy (CNS) — Christians are not licensed “inspectors of other people’s lives,” but rather disciples who reach out to others, assuring them of God’s love and welcoming them into the community, Pope Francis said. Celebrating an outdoor evening Mass Sept. 21 in Albano, …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The international community must ramp up its efforts if it expects to mitigate the negative effects of climate change, Pope Francis said. In a video message sent Sept. 23 to participants at the U.N. Climate Action Summit in New York, the pope …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church must not become a distant memory for men and women today but must be a welcoming place where everyone feels at home, Pope Francis said. Too often, people judge the church to be either irrelevant …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — Father Sterlin Londono has been a priest for 21 years among his fellow Afro-Colombians in his home region of Choco in Colombia, which is rich in gold — but also rich in coca. Choco also is home to Father Londono’s …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves By Junno Arocho Esteves QUITO, Ecuador (CNS) — The upcoming Synod of Bishops for the Amazon will focus on the devastating effects of climate change on the environment and on indigenous communities, but it also will look at ways to meet the spiritual needs of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Francois Gloutnay, Presence By Francois Gloutnay MONTREAL (CNS) — The former president of Development and Peace, the Canadian member of the international Caritas organization, said the Catholic bishops’ attitude toward their charitable agency is hurting its membership and credibility. Development and Peace is being criticized by a handful …