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National & World News
Planned Parenthood CEO at Georgetown said dismissive of pro-life views
IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Kurt Jensen WASHINGTON (CNS) — The controversy over the appearance by the head of Planned Parenthood at Jesuit-run Georgetown University April 20 became the background to a standing ovation. Cecile Richards was greeted warmly by more than 400 students, most of them women, at Lohrfink …
Brothers, sisters, fathers: Religious orders key to child protection
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a continuing effort to protect children, the Catholic Church’s focus is now turning to religious orders of men and women. Much of the attention had been on how dioceses and national bishops’ conferences have been responding to victims and …
Lay missionaries find purpose and spiritual growth during work abroad
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of Connor Bergeron By Chaz Muth WASHINGTON (CNS) — Before Connor Bergeron of Reston, Virginia, left to serve as a lay missionary in Bolivia, he wasn’t sure how the experience would impact his life, other than soaking in the excitement and intrigue of living abroad. After graduating …
Charity begins at home, but must not stop there, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Angelo Carconi, EPA By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Charity is an essential sign of Christian faith, one that is learned in family relationships and must spread from there, Pope Francis told leaders and volunteers from Italy’s diocesan Catholic charities. “The cradle and the home” of Catholic …
Dominican nuns keep hope alive among displaced in northern Iraq
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey By Paul Jeffrey IRBIL, Iraq (CNS) — When the Islamic State group rolled across Iraq’s Ninevah Plain in 2014, tens of thousands of Christians fled for their lives to Kurdish-controlled areas of the country. They still wait in limbo in crowded camps, facing an undefined future. …
Groups ask Congress to pass conscience protection for health care workers
By WASHINGTON (CNS) — For decades, Congress and U.S. presidents — both Republican and Democrat — have approved federal laws “protecting conscientious objection to abortion,” but it is increasingly clear current laws “offer far less protection in practice than in theory,” said a group of faith-based, health care and pro-life …
Look at your own sins before judging others, pope says at audience
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians must look to their own sins and failings and not fall into the temptation of hypocrisy that causes them to believe they are better than others, Pope Francis said. “The relationship of salvation” with God cannot move forward …
Education, trauma counseling key to helping Syrian refugees in Lebanon
IMAGE: CNS photo/Dale Gavlak By Dale Gavlak ZAHLE, Lebanon (CNS) — On a rainy spring day, the misery of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees is compounded as they shelter in dilapidated shanties dotting a long muddy swathe of the verdant Bekaa Valley. Colorful plastic sheeting, advertising cameras and cosmetics, …
Pope reminds world of suffering in war-torn Ukraine
IMAGE: CNS photo/Alexander Ermochenko, EPA By Gaby Maniscalco VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis’ pleas for humanitarian aid for Ukraine is bringing needed attention to a forgotten war, said Ukrainian Catholic leaders. The 2-year-old war has caused thousands of deaths and forced more than 1 million people to seek refuge …
Refugees are not a problem, they are a gift, pope says
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Refugees, often perceived by society as an added cost or a problem, are a gift and a reflection of the face of God, Pope Francis said. People who escape oppression, war, pollution or “the unjust distribution of the planet’s resources are a …