IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By WASHINGTON (CNS) — In a message of support for the March for Life in Washington, a Vatican official praised “the tens of thousands” of participants for their witness to the “value of every human life” and for upholding the dignity of life from conception to …

By Gail Finke The Toronto Right to Life Association filed a suit against the Canadian government this week, alleging that a change to funding the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program amounts to government discrimination against churches and other religious groups that condemn abortion and hold conservative positions on social issues, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Chicago Catholic By Joyce Duriga CHICAGO (CNS) — Over 5,000 people from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and other Midwestern states gathered Jan. 14 in Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago for the annual March for Life Chicago commemorating the 45th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Zoey Maraist, Catholic Herald By Zoey Maraist ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNS) — The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments declared St. Mary Church in Alexandria a minor basilica, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington announced to parishioners during Mass Jan. 14. “It is an extraordinary honor to …

See minute 30.30 for the exchange about free speech between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and a student. In it Trudeau said that speech and belief are protected by Canadian law, but acting on beliefs is not. Canadian PM’s clarification on Summer Jobs Program funding seems to affirm that churches and other religions that follow their …

By Junno Arocho Esteves SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) — Pope Francis, in his first formal speech in Chile, asked forgiveness from those who were sexually abused by priests. Addressing government authorities and members of the country’s diplomatic corps Jan. 16, the pope expressed his “pain and shame at the irreparable damage …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves SANTIAGO, Chile (CNS) — Pope Francis arrived in Santiago, the first stop on a seven-day, six-city visit to Peru and Chile, where he will take his message of hope to people on the margins of society. Arriving in Santiago after more than 15 …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Being afraid and concerned about the impact of migration is not a sin, Pope Francis said, but it is a sin to let those fears lead to a refusal to help people in need. “The sin is to allow these …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz By Beth Griffin NEW YORK (CNS) — Catholics have a responsibility to look past the noisy rhetoric of the current debate on immigration and answer the “cry of the poor” by engaging with individuals facing deportation. That was the focus of a National Migration Week …

IMAGE: CNS/Bob Roller By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In its continuing coverage of the U.S. immigration debate, the Vatican newspaper noted media reports that President Donald Trump “used particularly harsh and offensive words about immigrants” from several countries. “No agreement on Dreamers” was the headline on the lead …