Pope taps Chicago archbishop as member of Congregation for Bishops
IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Catholic New World By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has named Chicago Archbishop Blase J. Cupich a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world. Archbishop Cupich, 67, takes the place …
‘Amoris Laetitia’ at three months: Communion question still debated
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Three months after the publication of Pope Francis’ exhortation on marriage and family, bishops and bishops’ conferences around the world are studying practical ways to apply it. Some still disagree on what exactly the pope meant. In the first week …
Throwback Thursday: The Great Flood of 1913

In the spring of 1913 a massive storm stretching from Nebraska to Michigan to Vermont made its way across the country. Tornadoes in the Great Plains claimed several lives and was then soon followed by heavy rainfall. The storm’s scale of destruction had never before been seen in the United …
Pope meets parents of U.S. student found dead in Rome
IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Meeting the grieving parents of a U.S. student who was found dead in Rome, Pope Francis mourned the death of the teenager, who had been set to begin a study-abroad program. Beau Solomon, 19, was found dead in the Tiber …
Italians finish restoring mosaics in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity
IMAGE: CNS/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — An Italian team has completed restoration of Crusader-era mosaics in the Church of the Nativity, but the mosaics will only be unveiled publicly after work on lighting, electricity and the fire alarm system is also finished. The work involved …
Pray for those who scorn, take advantage of you, pope tells poor
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pray for those responsible for extreme poverty, for the rich who feast unaware of people in need at their door, and for priests who ignore those who are hurting, Pope Francis told people living a precarious existence. Say a prayer …
Father Wenke returning to full-time parish ministry

Father Len Wenke’s tenure as Director of Pastoral Services for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has been filled with grace and blessing. He completed his time in the position in June and became pastor of Holy Family and Our Lady of Lourdes parishes effective July 1. As director, Father Wenke oversaw …
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel remembered for role as world’s conscience
IMAGE: CNS photo/Gary Cameron, Reuters By NEW YORK (CNS) — Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and prolific author who died July 2 at age 87 in his New York home, has been remembered in tributes from around the world for standing up for human dignity and …
At closing Mass, people encouraged to pray, act for religious freedom
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard By Mark Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — The theme for the 2016 Fortnight for Freedom, “Witnesses to Freedom,” unfolded as 1,500 people spent part of their July 4 holiday in Washington attending the observance’s closing Mass and venerating the relics of two English saints martyred …
Organizers: World Youth Day in Poland ‘will involve long walks’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Grzegorz Momot, EPA By Jonathan Luxmoore WARSAW, Poland (CNS) — Young people attending World Youth Day 2016 in Krakow, Poland, may have to walk up to nine miles to and from one of its key sites, event organizers said. “They’ll have to be ready for a long foot …