IMAGE: NS photo/Simon Caldwell By Simon Caldwell LIVERPOOL, England (CNS) — Myanmar’s first cardinal has thanked the Christians of the West for helping to bring democracy to his country. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of Yangon said the Catholic Church was “at the forefront” of supporting the people of Myanmar, formerly …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Holiness doesn’t depend on superhuman powers, but rather demands a heart filled with courage, hope and grace that strives for conversion each and every day, Pope Francis said at his morning Mass. In fact, holiness is reached by taking tiny steps, like biting …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After five years of tension and top-level silence, Pope Francis and the grand imam of one of the most important Sunni Muslim universities in the world embraced at the Vatican May 23. “The meeting is the message,” …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Christina Lee Knauss, The Catholic Miscellany By Christina Lee Knauss ST. MATTHEWS, S.C. (CNS) — For years, Matthew Quay picked up paper clips from desks and absent-mindedly straightened them while listening to discussions or presentations at work. He also carried some in his pockets to straighten during Mass …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Rafael Marchante, Reuters By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Sixteen years after the Vatican released the text of the so-called Third Secret of Fatima, rumors cyclically arise claiming that the Vatican still is keeping part of Mary’s message to three children in Fatima, Portugal, secret. The Vatican …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Father Liam Dunne By Francis Njuguna NAIROBI, Kenya (CNS) — Missionaries and other Catholics gathered in Nairobi May 23 for a requiem Mass for a Slovak nun killed in Yei, South Sudan. Holy Spirit Missionary Sister Veronika Theresia Rackova, 58, director of St. Bakhita Medical Center in …

IMAGE: GIAMPIERO SPOSITO By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — When Emmanuele Trincas described Roman Cocco as a “bomber” on the soccer field, they both laughed, but it also gave Cocco the confidence he needed to talk about his experience as a Special Olympics athlete. “I know it’s not modest,” Cocco …

IMAGE: CNS/USCCB By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — The annual report on the implementation of the U.S. bishops’ “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” warns against complacency in dioceses, and the firm contracted to conduct audits of dioceses and parishes said there was “plenty of room for …

IMAGE: CNS photo/James Martone By James Martone SHKODER, Albania (CNS) — Human bones, old shoes and deteriorating priest collars fill cardboard boxes in the office of Franciscan Brother Vincenzo Foca, an Italian who lives and works in Shkoder. The “relics” belong to Catholics killed under Albania’s previous communist, staunchly atheist …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Diocesan bishops must consult with the Vatican before establishing a diocesan religious order, Pope Francis ruled. The consultation “is to be understood as necessary for the validity of the erection of a diocesan institute of consecrated life,” said the rescript or ruling approved …