Suspects arrested in alleged plot against Vatican, Israeli embassy
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Italian authorities arrested six suspects who allegedly received orders from the Islamic State terrorist group to attack the Vatican and the Israeli embassy in Rome. The arrests made in Lombardy and Piedmont April 28 were the result of a joint operation coordinated …
Mapping with the stars: Nuns instrumental in Vatican celestial survey
IMAGE: CNS/courtesy Vatican Observatory By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Of the many momentous or menial tasks women religious perform, one of the better-kept secrets has been the role of four Sisters of the Holy Child Mary who were part of a global effort to make a complete map …
Ryan says he was ‘wrong’ about views on poor in latest talk at Georgetown
IMAGE: CNS photo/Yuri Gripas, Reuters By Kurt Jensen WASHINGTON (CNS) — House Speaker Paul Ryan apologized for his earlier criticism of recipients of government benefits as “takers and makers,” and said Republicans strive for a country that is “open, diverse, dynamic” in a speech at Georgetown University. Ryan’s one-hour talk …
Seminary displays chalices of men to be ordained
Each year, the Athenaeum of Ohio’s Maly Library displays chalices belonging to the men of Mount St. Mary’s seminary who will soon be ordained to the priesthood. This year, seven men from the seminary will be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and three others will be ordained elsewhere. …
Throwback Thursday: Students prep for first communion with ‘Mass’
Springtime is here with all that means. The Easter season continues, pollen counts are high, and thousands of young boys and girls are preparing to meet Jesus Christ in their first reception of Holy Communion. Since the spring doubles as “first communion season,” today’s Throwback Thursday highlights the second graders …
Associate director retires after 36 years of highs, lows in pro-life work
IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Nancy O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) — Many paths led Richard Doerflinger into pro-life work. And now his path is taking him into retirement as associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities and eventually across the country to Washington state. Doerflinger, a 63-year-old native …
USCCB Report: More than 500 to be ordained priests in U.S. this year
An April 21 news release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops reported that 548 men are slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the U.S. this year. That number is slightly down from 595 in 2015, but up from 477 in 2014. The same report that notes the total number …
After job-swap show, Irish street cleaner pledges help to Filipinos
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy RTE By Nick Bramhill DUBLIN (CNS) — An Irish Catholic street cleaner, who was filmed by a TV documentary crew as he temporarily swapped his job in the Irish capital for the poverty-stricken Philippines, has pledged to spend the rest of his life helping the struggling family …
True believers serve others, pope says at audience
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — To ignore the suffering of another person is to ignore God, Pope Francis said. And going to church does not automatically make someone love their neighbor, the pope said April 27 as he reflected on the Gospel parable of the …
Pope says pastors must ‘serve, not use’ laypeople
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Clericalism is a danger to the Catholic Church not only because on a practical level it undermines the role of laity in society, but because theologically it “tends to diminish and undervalue the baptismal grace” of all believers, whether they are lay or …