Forgive others and find peace, pope says during brief visit to Assisi
IMAGE: CNS/Reuters By ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Celebrating how God’s mercy has been experienced for 800 years in a tiny stone church in Assisi, Pope Francis said people need to experience God’s forgiveness and start learning how to forgive others. “Too many people are caught up in resentment and harbor …
Training prepares dioceses for terrorism, mass shootings, other disasters
IMAGE: CNS/Greg Tarczynski By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — To help before tragedy occurs, a Washington-based priest and psychologist is conducting a free webinar at the end of August to prepare priests, religious and other church members to deal with the trauma that follows a natural disaster, an act of …
Cardinal Ouellet urges Catholics to reread ‘Amoris Laetitia’
By Michael Swan TORONTO (CNS) — Cardinal Marc Ouellet, whose writings were once strongly identified with resistance to any change to the ban on Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, has given a ringing endorsement to “Amoris Laetitia,” the apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis that sums up two synods …
Pope names six women, six men to panel to study women deacons
IMAGE: CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has appointed six men and six women to a commission to study the issue of women deacons, particularly their ministry in the early church. In addition to the 12 members named Aug. 2, the pope tapped …
Aid agencies brace for displaced as military prepares offensive on Mosul
IMAGE: CNS photo/Dale Gavlak By Dale Gavlak IRBIL, Iraq (CNS) — The upcoming military offensive to root out Islamic State militants from Mosul and surrounding villages will be a “huge challenge,” the United Nations says, as it expects about 1.5 million people to flee the warfare in a short amount …
World at war needs signs of brotherhood, friendship, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Max Rossi, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a world traumatized by war, young people gathered for World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, gave strong signs of hope and brotherhood, Pope Francis said. World Youth Day was a “prophetic sign for Poland and Europe” …
Stories of same-sex attracted Catholics propel growth of Courage
“Persons with homosexual desires have always been with us,” and a fully-Catholic program aiming to assist those persons has been around now for more than 25 years. While new to the Archdiocese Cincinnati, the Courage ministry is growing. The “About Us” section of Courage International’s website starts with the above …
Ex-NFL player, now with ALS, exhorts: ‘Relentlessly seek your purpose’
IMAGE: CNS illustration/Liz Agbey By Christine Bordelon GREAT FALLS, Mont. (CNS) — As U.S. Air Force Maj. Justin Secrest organizes moving boxes in the family garage, his wife, Jennifer, surveys the kitchen to see what she can do without before the movers come in a few weeks to take their …
At Father Hamel’s funeral, Rouen archbishop urges forgiveness
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jacky Naegelen, Reuters By ROUEN, France (CNS) — During the Aug. 2 funeral Mass for Father Jacques Hamel, killed a week earlier by men claiming allegiance to the Islamic State, Archbishop Dominique Lebrun of Rouen stressed the need for forgiveness. “As brutal and unfair and horrible as (Father) …
Memory of Shoah a call to action for Jews, says Poland’s chief rabbi
By Junno Arocho Esteves KRAKOW, Poland (CNS) — The memory and pain of the world’s silence during the Shoah should be a call to action for Jews to defend those suffering persecution today, especially Christians, said the chief rabbi of Poland. While Jews have experienced expulsions and holocausts for the …