IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a brief outdoor ceremony, Pope Francis administered the sacrament of confirmation to 16-year-old Giuseppe Chiolo, who had come to the Vatican by ambulance from Florence. Chiolo, who is being treated in the oncology ward of a Florence hospital, had …

IMAGE: CNS/Dave Hrbacek, The Catholic Spirit By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Members of the pope’s commission for child protection, including an abuse survivor, have been speaking with new bishops and major Vatican offices as part of a mandate to develop and educate the church about best practices. Pope …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Allana Haynes WASHINGTON (CNS) — Colette Kalvesmaki is trained in the ancient art of iconography, combining her knowledge of theology and her love of art to pass down stories of inspiration to future generations. Growing up in a small town in a nonreligious family, she …

IMAGE: CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As he prays in his house in the Vatican Gardens and, especially, as he ages, retired Pope Benedict XVI said he finds many Scripture passages “more challenging in their greatness and gravity.” Retirement has given the 89-year-old Pope Benedict …

IMAGE: CNS/Bloomsbury By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While retired Pope Benedict XVI said organization and governance are not his strong suits, he also said, “I am unable to see myself as a failure.” In a book-length interview with the German author Peter Seewald, Pope Benedict said that when …

By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — It’s becoming increasingly difficult for Chicagoan Mary Jennett to see and hear daily about the hardship and persecution Christians face, especially in the Middle East. So Jennett decided to do something about it by attending a Sept. 7-9 convention in Washington organized by In …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paramount By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Honoring Star Trek’s 50th anniversary, the Vatican newspaper said the overwhelmingly popular series gave the world a model of peace, tolerance and cooperation at a time of global tensions. The show — whose first episode aired Sept. 8, 1966 — …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Though generally renown for Gregorian chant, curating libraries and offering quiet retreats, some Benedictine monks also brew beer, run farms or play electric guitar, like Abbot Primate Nokter Wolf. Ending his third and final term as leader of the confederation …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Dan Meloy, The Michigan Catholic By Dan Meloy DETROIT (CNS) — In a city with the second-highest murder rate and highest violent crime rate in the country, peace can often feel like a hopeless cause in Detroit. But on a warm August night, with thunderstorms looming, at the …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God did not send his son into the world to cast off the wicked but to offer them a path to conversion through mercy and love, Pope Francis said. Those who object to Jesus’ mercy toward sinners often create …