IMAGE: CNS photo/Ed Langlois, Catholic Sentinel By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — The headlines from a March 13 Gallup Poll about the growing number of U.S. Catholics who have thought about leaving the church because of the clergy abuse crisis did not faze one researcher of Catholic data too much. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Fredrick Nzwili By Fredrick Nzwili NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — The head of an African youth network urged the world’s religions to embrace the voices of young people, as the leaders explore ways to tackle the current global ecological crisis. Allen Ottaro, founder and executive director of the Catholic …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Jacob Comello WASHINGTON (CNS) — Lent is a penitent season — a time for sincere reflection on one’s mistakes and a time to make amends for one’s life before the joy of the Easter season. And some say that the Catholic bishops need to be …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Nativity School on James Island By Theresa Stratford JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (CNS) — When Nativity School was approached with the idea of integrating a child with Down syndrome into a regular classroom setting, officials’ first reaction was "sure, let’s figure this out and make it work," said …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Nick Bramhill DUBLIN (CNS) — Alcohol, smoking and chocolates are some of the most well-known vices that people traditionally give up during Lent. But now Massgoers in Ireland are being urged to make what might be an even harder sacrifice throughout the penitential six-week period …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Erik Anderson, Reuters By MELBOURNE, Australia (CNS) — Cardinal George Pell, 77, was sentenced to six years in prison March 13, just over two weeks after a Melbourne court allowed the publication of news that he had been found guilty of sexually abusing two boys. Cardinal Pell, who …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Andreea Campeanu, Reuters By SILVER SPRING, Md. (CNS) — Officials with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network criticized the federal Department of Homeland Security for its March 8 decision granting an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status for South Sudan because it does not include recent arrivals from the …

IMAGE: CNS By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The preparation, blessing and distribution of oils are central to the Catholic Church’s sacraments and rites — and are among some of the church’s most ancient traditions and rituals witnessed during Holy Week. The oils include the oil of the sick, used in the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Chicago Catholic By Michelle Martin CHICAGO (CNS) — When Lauren Teruel Ridloff stepped through the door at Children of Peace School, she said she felt like nothing had changed. "It was a little overwhelming," said Ridloff, 40, who was last in the school — then known …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media via Reuters By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis asked 50-year-old Benedictine Abbot Bernardo Gianni to lead his Lenten retreat, the abbot said he told the pope he felt "very inadequate." "The pope responded to me that that was a great precondition for …