Vatican City, May 10, 2015 / 01:51 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Following a private meeting at the Vatican with Pope Francis, who has helped to broker improved relations between Cuba and the United States, the president of the Caribbean nation suggested he could return to the Church in the future. “I will start praying again and return to the Church” if the Pope continues what he has been doing, Raul Castro said on Sunday. Castro is president of Cuba and the younger brother of Fidel, … [Read more...]
Raul Castro to Pope: Thanks to you, I may come back to the Church
May 10, 2015 by
Pope Francis sends a hug to moms worldwide for Mother’s Day
May 10, 2015 by
Vatican City, May 10, 2015 / 09:28 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Sunday, Pope Francis extended a special greeting to all those around the world who are celebrating Mother's Day, after offering advice on loving to the point of laying down one's life. “We remember all mothers with gratitude and affection,” the Pope said to the crowds gathered in Saint Peter's Square under the hot sun for the recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer May 10. Speaking to the mothers after … [Read more...]
From Europe’s Christians, a call for a vision of freedom with and for others
May 10, 2015 by
Rome, Italy, May 10, 2015 / 06:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- True freedom rejects mere consumption and satisfaction and embraces a duty to rescue the migrant, to save women from violence, and to help young people struggling to work and care for their families. In short, freedom includes responsibility towards God and neighbor, Europe’s Christian leaders have said. “Our Christian freedom is God-given, rooted in Christ, and calls us into a life of service of one another. Christ challenges … [Read more...]
Virginia bishops on the death penalty: We’re having the wrong debate
May 9, 2015 by
Richmond, Va., May 9, 2015 / 04:52 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- As discussions surrounding a “more humane” death penalty in the United States continue, the two Catholic bishops of Virginia have released a statement asking the faithful to take a stance against the use of capital punishment in today’s society. “By ending the use of the death penalty we would take one important step – among significant others we must take – to abandon the culture of death and embrace … [Read more...]
Synod will endorse Church teaching on family – Cardinal Pell
May 9, 2015 by
Vatican City, May 9, 2015 / 02:23 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy, spoke this weekend on issues surrounding the family and the upcoming Synod of Bishops, saying the synod is unable to change Church teaching. Church teaching, he said, referencing papal documents such as those of St. John Paul II on marriage and family, can’t be “abdicated, (because) it’s based on the teachings of … [Read more...]
What’s unprecedented about Pope Francis’ Year for Mercy
May 9, 2015 by
Vatican City, May 8, 2015 / 06:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- In tune with his knack for making history, Pope Francis' Year for Mercy will include things no other jubilee has: worldwide “missionaries of mercy,” and “holy doors” in every diocese for pilgrims to walk through. “For the first time in the history of the Jubilee tradition, there will be an opportunity for individual dioceses to open a Holy Door – the Door of Mercy,” … [Read more...]
Catholic Charities ready to help tornado, flood victims in Midwest
May 8, 2015 by
Oklahoma City, Okla., May 8, 2015 / 03:21 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- After a series of damaging tornadoes and flooding in Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, a Catholic Charities affiliate said it is ready to provide long-term help. “People today are showing back up at their homes and finding out that there’s no roof, or that there’s just a foundation,” Sonny Wilkinson, senior director of mission advancement for Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City, told CNA May 7. “They … [Read more...]
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