IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Colombia’s long and arduous path toward reconciliation and a lasting peace after nearly half a century of war is a sign of hope for all Christians, Pope Francis said. Speaking to pilgrims Sept. 13 at his weekly general audience, …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Indian Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted by Islamic State militants in Yemen and held captive for more than a year, was freed. According to Oman’s state-run news agency ONA, Father Uzhunnalil was “rescued” by Oman authorities “in coordination with the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Bonar, The Register By Karen Bonar CAWKER CITY, Kan. (CNS) — In the cozy rectory behind Sts. Peter and Paul Church sits Father Don McCarthy with myriad items relating to his friend, Father Stanley Rother. “It’s kind of like a shrine in here,” he said, looking around. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Daytona Beach Police Department handout via Reuters By MIAMI (CNS) — A weakened Hurricane Irma churned in Florida after ripping through southern portions of the state and the Caribbean islands, flooding cities, knocking out power to millions, destroying homes and businesses and killing more than 20 people. The …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Daytona Beach Police Department handout via Reuters By MIAMI (CNS) — A weakened Hurricane Irma churned in Florida after ripping through southern portions of the state and the Caribbean islands, flooding cities, knocking out power to millions, destroying homes and businesses and killing more than 20 people. The …

By Cindy Wooden ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM COLOMBIA (CNS) — Politicians who call themselves pro-life must be pro-family and not enact policies that divide families and rob young people of a future, Pope Francis said. Flying from Colombia back to Rome late Sept. 10, Pope Francis was asked about …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By David Agren CARTAGENA, Colombia (CNS) — Pope Francis capped a five-day trip to Colombia with a call for culture change in a country attempting to pursue a path of peace and reconciliation after decades of armed conflict and centuries of social exclusion. The pope issued his …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden CARTAGENA, Colombia (CNS) — At the Church of St. Peter Claver, a saint venerated throughout the Americas as a champion of human rights, Pope Francis offered special prayers for Venezuela and its people suffering in the midst of a huge political and economic …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Mickey Conlon By Mickey Conlon LARGO, Florida (CNS) — The stories, like the people, are all over the map. There’s the woman from California, the accountant from Ohio, the local roofer, who relocated from a mile away. All for the moment were in Largo, specifically Largo High School, …

By Barb Fraze WASHINGTON (CNS) — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called for prayers for all those in the path of Hurricane Irma as it approached the United States. Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, whose diocese was hit by flooding from Hurricane Harvey, noted that …