Laity are disciples, not ‘second-class members’ of church, pope says
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Laypeople are not second-class members at the service of the church hierarchy, but are disciples of Christ called to “enliven every environment, every activity and every human relationship according to the Gospel,” Pope Francis said. The pope sent a message Nov. 10 …
Priest: Child’s funeral brings mourners to ‘intersection of pain, anger’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Karen Callaway, Cathol By Michelle Martin CHICAGO (CNS) — The execution-style murder of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee was not what God wanted to happen, Father Michael Pfleger said at Tyshawn’s funeral Nov. 10. “This is the face of the reality of evil,” Father Pfleger said. “This is evil right …
World Youth Day host city attractive destination for travelers, pilgrims
IMAGE: Nancy Wiechec By Nancy Wiechec KRAKOW, Poland (CNS) — Guide Ewa Basiura grasped a heavy iron cuff chained to the side of St. Mary’s Basilica. “Any idea what this was used for?” she asked her American tour group. No one ventured an answer. This is where wayward Catholics were …
Chaldean patriarch to Iraqi president: Veto law on child conversions
IMAGE: CNS photo/Ali Abbas, EPA By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — The patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church has called upon Iraq’s president to veto a law that will force some Christian children to convert to Islam. The Assyrian International News Agency reported that Chaldean Patriarch Louis Sako of …
Evangelization congregation denies mismanaging property
By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples strongly denied accusations of cronyism in renting out properties in Rome. The congregation released a statement Nov. 11 after several news reports claimed that Vatican-owned apartments were rented far below market value and that several …
A family that doesn’t eat together is ‘hardly a family,’ pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/Lisa Johnston, St. Louis Review By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A family that chooses to watch TV or play with their smartphones rather than talk at the dinner table is “hardly a family,” Pope Francis said. “When children at the dinner table are glued to …
To help people, church must be in touch with ‘reality,’ pope says
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz FLORENCE, Italy (CNS) — If God and his word are to help people, Christians have to be in touch with what is really happening in people’s lives, Pope Francis said during an afternoon Mass. God became human to live among people, to hear their …
Pope calls for end to economic exploitation, power-hungry church
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz FLORENCE, Italy (CNS) — Meeting workers and addressing a major gathering of the Catholic Church in Italy, Pope Francis demanded an end to economic exploitation, to clerics “obsessed” with power, to apathy among youth and to a cold, fearful church that forgets Christ is …
What keeps me Catholic? The pope in America
It is officially over. Pope Francis has gone back to the Vatican for a well-deserved rest. Now commentators are left to ask what lasting difference, if any, has his visit had on America. For me, the lasting effect of Pope Francis’ trip remains a deep and lingering question: Is America …
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur celebrate 175 years of US service
By Walt Schaefer For The Catholic Telegraph In 1804, Julie Billiart had a meeting with the Bishop of Amiens, France, when she told him of her vision to create a religious order of women educators who would serve worldwide. The bishop and the sister were not in agreement. The bishop …
