IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey By Paul Jeffrey WAU, South Sudan (CNS) — Rita Williams slept under a tree beside St. Mary Catholic Cathedral, her three hungry children beside her. Around them, as many as 16,000 other displaced people filled the cathedral compound, hoping the church would keep them safe as …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jennifer Willems, The By Jennifer Willems PEORIA, Ill. (CNS) — After riding bicycles a little more than 340 miles over five days, three young priests of the Diocese of Peoria sailed across the Indiana state line April 28, bringing Priests Pedaling for Prayers to a close. “It does …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Irish Jesuit Communications By Susan Gately DUBLIN (CNS) — When Jesuit Father John Sullivan is beatified May 13, two archbishops — one Catholic and one Anglican — will present the solemn petition asking that the priest be declared “a blessed.” That is unusual, but Father Sullivan’s life …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Diocese of Tyler By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — In the insurance world, extreme weather events such as tornadoes are often referred to as “acts of God.” But in the small Texas town of Emory, about 50 miles northwest of Tyler and 70 miles east of Dallas, …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Dale Gavlak AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — Pope Francis’ historic, 72-hour visit to Cairo has left a profound mark on Egyptians, Catholic leaders said, as they anticipate increased ties with fellow Orthodox Christians and Muslims. “The pope’s visit was a big blessing to the Egyptians, both Muslims …

IMAGE: Catholic News Service By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — Carrying banners and signs with quotes from Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’,” hundreds of Catholics joined the People’s Climate March to call for moral and prayerful action to protect creation. On a sweltering day that reinforced the message about the …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM CAIRO (CNS) — A diplomatic solution must be found to the escalating tension between North Korea and the United States, Pope Francis told journalists. “The path (to take) is the path of negotiation, the path of a diplomatic solution,” …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz CAIRO (CNS) — The only kind of fanaticism that is acceptable to God is being fanatical about loving and helping others, Pope Francis said on his final day in Egypt. “True faith,” he told Catholics, “makes us more charitable, more merciful, more honest and …

By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — After Arkansas executed its fourth death-row inmate in eight days April 27, Sister Helen Prejean, a longtime opponent of capital punishment, said “future generations will look back upon the events unfolding in Arkansas tonight with horror. The barbarity is overwhelming.” Sister Prejean, a Sister …

By Carol Glatz CAIRO (CNS) — Placing flowers, lighting a candle and praying at the site where dozens of Coptic Orthodox Christians were killed by an Islamic State militant last year, Pope Francis and Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II paid homage to those who were killed for their faith. Pope …