Jesus suffers with all, pope says after confirming sick teen
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 …
Papal commission steps up work to educate church about abuse
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 …
Iconographer’s curiosity about God led to growing her faith through art
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 …
Retired pope says aging brings intense prayer, awareness of judgment
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 …
Retired pope says governance wasn’t his gift, but Francis is good at it
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 …
Recalling martyrs, group looks for ways to protect Middle East Christians
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 …
Exploring the final frontier, Star Trek offered peace, paper says
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 — …
Creative Commons: Monastic life serves God, fires imagination
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 …
Throwback Thursday: A Church for Our Lady’s Birth
By Sarah Patterson September 8 marks the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her Immaculate Conception having been celebrated nine months prior. Many churches are given various titles to Our Lady, but one alone in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is dedicated to her birth. This is St. …
Detroit parishioners gather on city’s streets praying to end violence
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 …