By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Don’t fall for hate and fearmongering from others; make new friends instead and always help and show concern for others, Pope Francis told the world’s teens. “Be brave and go against the tide, be friends of Jesus, who is the prince of peace,” …

By EL PASO, Texas (CNS) — The Diocese of El Paso has scrapped plans for a border Mass that would have taken place at the same time as the closing Mass of Pope Francis’ visit to Mexico in February. However, the Feb. 17 papal Mass at the fairgrounds in Ciudad …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God’s mercy is constant and limitless; he is faithful in his mercy for his children, even when they are unfaithful, Pope Francis said. The greatness and power of God unfolds in his “love for us, who are so small, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Dale Gavlak By Dale Gavlak AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — With crises in Syria and Iraq deepening, Catholic bishops on a solidarity visit with the “forgotten” Christians of the Middle East are urging stepped-up peace efforts to resolve conflicts tearing apart the troubled region. Highlighting the ongoing plight of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Warner Bros. By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Movies depicting exorcisms could be an important medium for showing how God always triumphs over evil, but instead, they misrepresent the faith and exaggerate human and satanic powers over God, a leading exorcist wrote in the Vatican newspaper. Television …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Arms flailing, the exuberant and perhaps hyperactive Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni described Pope Francis as a masterful minister of God’s mercy, which is always active and always on the move. Benigni brought the house down Jan. 12 during …

IMAGE: Nancy Wiechec By Nancy Wiechec TUMACACORI, Ariz. (CNS) — Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, an Italian missionary to the American Southwest known as the “Padre on Horseback,” was honored Jan. 10 at the Tumacacori National Historical Park with Kino Legacy Day. The celebration of the priest — who founded …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky BEIT JALLA, West Bank (CNS) — A U.S. bishop visiting the Holy Land for the second year in a row said Palestinians whose land has been divided by the Israeli separation barrier “have lost hope.” “It was very sad to see the present …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cold indifference to migrants, the poor, the hungry and the persecuted must be overcome through the warmth of mercy, which can transform people into artisans of peace, Pope Francis said. In a lengthy speech Jan. 11 to …

IMAGE: CNS/Gruppo Mondadori By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Being ministers of God’s mercy, church members overcome “prejudice and rigidity,” taking risks like Jesus did in order to heal and to save, Pope Francis said. In Jesus’ day, lepers were cast out of the community “to avoid contamination: the …