IMAGE: CNS/Courtesy Holy See Press Office By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A day after appealing for an end the violent persecution of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in Myanmar, the Vatican announced Pope Francis will visit the country in late November. After the visit Nov. 27-30 …

By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic dioceses and charities are quickly organizing to help in the aftermath of a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall with winds of 130 miles per hour late on Aug. 25 into the Rockport, Texas area, northeast of Corpus Christi. The hurricane, named Harvey, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Darren Abate, EPA By James Ramos HOUSTON (CNS) — Hurricane Harvey’s pending landfall is bringing up memories of the last major storm that aimed for the Texas Gulf Coast. Almost 12 years ago, Hurricane Rita churned through the Gulf of Mexico, aiming straight for the Texas coastline. While …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Daniel LeClair, Reuters By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholics in Oklahoma have been preparing for a long time for this moment. Many, like Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, had faith it would come, but there’s still a sense of awe, to think that a farm …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Joe Skipper, Reuters By Ana Rodriguez-Soto DORAL, Fla. (CNS) — They called Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a dictator and a gangster. They recounted personal experiences of torture, beatings and intimidation at the hands of government thugs and jailors. They told of blatant disregard for the rule of law …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy John McElroy By Sarah Mac Donald KNOCK, Ireland (CNS) — The president of the 2018 World Meeting of Families stressed that “there is no such thing as the ideal family” but that “there is an ideal of family,” which is what the church is seeking to promote …

By Junno Arocho Esteves 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 …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church must continue to work to understand the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and why they were made, rather than rethinking them, Pope Francis said. “After this magisterium, after this long journey, we can affirm with certainty and …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — By creating a committee to deal with racism, the country’s Catholic bishops are standing up for the American value of equality and for a Gospel that refutes the hatred and violence the country witnessed Aug. 11 and 12 during white …

By WASHINGTON (CNS) — Saying there is an “urgent need” to address “the sin of racism” in the country and find solutions to it, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has established a new Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism and named one of the country’s African-American Catholic bishops to chair …