IMAGE: CNS photo/Henry Romero, Reuters By David Agren BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) — Milena Cardenas was 6 years old when rebels of the M-19 guerrilla group seized the Colombian Supreme Court in 1985. The army counterattacked and more than 100 lives were lost, including 12 of the 25 judges. Eleven cafeteria …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Colombia’s transition to a just and lasting peace requires a commitment on behalf of all the nation’s people to taking the first step toward reconciliation, Pope Francis said in a video message. “‘Let’s take the first step’ is the motto of this trip,” …

IMAGE: CNS photo/James Ramos, Texas Catholic Herald By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After leading thousands of pilgrims in praying the Angelus, Pope Francis offered prayers for flood victims in Texas and Louisiana following a devastating hurricane that caused massive flooding. He also prayed for flood victims in …

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced Sept. 5 that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program is “being rescinded” by President Donald Trump, leaving some 800,000 youth, brought illegally to the U.S. as minors, in peril of deportation and of losing permits that allow them to work. Although …

By Mitch Finley VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Although prisoners must pay a price for their crimes, incarceration must not be used as a method of torture but rather an opportunity to become contributing members of society, Pope Francis said. Punishment can be fruitful only when inmates are helped to look …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — By virtue of its very definition, marriage can only be between a man and a woman, Pope Francis said in a new book-length interview. “We cannot change it. This is the nature of things,” not just in the church, but in human history, …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Environmental destruction is a sign of a “morally decaying scenario” in which too many people ignore or deny that, from the beginning, “God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment,” said the leaders of the Catholic and …

By NEW YORK (CNS) — At the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan, Polina Maller, 11, took a few moments from her violin lesson to talk about her appreciation for music. “It’s fun, and I like it. Music makes me feel like I’m free inside; it makes …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Cindy Wooden By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholic social teaching has developed over the past century as new problems — human, social, economic and environmental — come clearer into focus and call out for a faith-based response. Pope Francis’ contribution, with his encyclical, “Laudato Si’, on …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Trudy Lampson handout via Reuters By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis offered his prayers for the people of Texas and Louisiana struggling to cope with the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey and he praised all those engaged in rescuing and caring for the thousands of people …