IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Rhina Guidos BALTIMORE (CNS) — Though the Catholic Church has responded to racism for many years, some leaders and church institutions have at times been part of the problem, said a bishop who is heading a committee against racism. Bishop George V. Murry, speaking to …

By Carol Zimmermann BALTIMORE (CNS) — Young people in the church want to be heard and be invited to be a part of church leadership, according to a report by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in preparation for next year’s Synod of Bishops on youth. They are often at …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Dennis Sadowski BALTIMORE (CNS) — Acknowledging wide divisions in the country over issues such as health care, immigration reform, taxes and abortion, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for civility to return to the public debate. Contemporary challenges are great, but …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Marriage and family life are blessings for individuals and for society, but both are filled with difficult choices that Catholic couples must be helped to face prayerfully and in the light of their consciences, Pope Francis said. Unfortunately, too …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Global problems associated with climate change demand global cooperation, Pope Francis told a group of heads of state from the Pacific Islands. The planet Earth, when viewed from space, is a world without borders, he said, and “it reminds us of the need …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The role of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and other bishops’ conferences around the world is “catholic” — working together to promote the church’s mission, but also “to support peacebuilding and human development throughout the world,” said Cardinal Pietro …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of the Colombian Navy By Manuel Rueda BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) — Pope Francis sent a handwritten letter to a Colombian soldier who lost his sight during the country’s civil war. The pope met Edwin Restrepo, a retired marine, during his September visit to Colombia. On Nov. 9, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/jason Szenes, EPA By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will celebrate the Catholic Church’s first World Day of the Poor Nov. 19 by celebrating a morning Mass with people in need and those who assist them. After Mass, he will offer lunch to 500 people in the …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The existence of nuclear weapons creates a false sense of security that holds international relations hostage and stifles peaceful coexistence, Pope Francis said. “The threat of their use as well as their very possession is to be firmly condemned,” the pope told …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 “is unacceptable” as currently written and it “contains many fundamental structural flaws that must be corrected,” said the chairmen of three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In a Nov. 9 …