By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — At the end of Pope Francis’ spontaneity-filled meeting with priests, seminarians and religious in the cathedral of Naples, the vial of dried blood of the city’s patron saint appeared to miraculously liquefy. After Pope Francis blessed the congregation with the reliquary …

By Nate Madden Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The number of Catholic marriages in the United States is at its lowest point since 1965. Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate keeps records of Catholic Church statistics going back to 1965, tracking such things as the total number …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis shows people that only by walking the Way of the Cross can they discover the “Way of the Light” — the glory of God resurrected and the salvation of mankind, said the Jesuit editor of a new book. …

  By Catholic News Service ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez advised young Catholics to do three things: talk to Jesus, read the Gospels, and do deeds of love and mercy every day. “The work of Jesus’ words continues through you and though me,” the archbishop said …

  By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ decision to convoke a special Holy Year of Mercy has its roots in the event that led a teen-age Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the priesthood. Pope Francis has recounted the story several times in the past two years. …

By Matt Hadro CNA/EWTN News  Many challenges to families need addressing today, including perhaps too much attention given to college basketball’s “March Madness,” and not enough to studying Church teaching. So said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, the head of the U.S. bishops conference, at a Mar. 16 discussion at …

By Nate Madden Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — Wyoming Catholic College, a Catholic university founded in 2005 in Lander, announced in late February that it “shall not participate in federal student loan programs.” The decision came after months of analysis and deliberations by the college and its board of directors. …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Young people are honest and bold in identifying fakes, which is something church leaders should not be afraid of, Pope Francis told the bishops of South Korea and Mongolia. “When we speak with young people, they challenge us to share the …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — A holy year as a time of spiritual renewal has its biblical roots in the jubilees observed by the Jewish people at 50-year intervals, when debts were pardoned and slaves were freed. The term “jubilee” itself comes from the Hebrew word …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to highlight the Catholic Church’s “mission to be a witness of mercy.” “No one can be excluded from God’s mercy,” the pope said March 13, marking the second anniversary of …