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Catholic News Agency
‘O crux, ave spes unica!’: The story of the crucifix St. John Paul II held on his last Good Friday
CNA Staff, Apr 2, 2021 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- Days before Pope John Paul II’s death on April 2, 2005, Vatican television cameras captured extraordinary footage of the Polish pope. He was sitting alone facing the altar of his private chapel. Beneath the crucifix and tabernacle was a television …
Easter celebrations return to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
CNA Staff, Mar 31, 2021 / 10:20 pm MT (CNA).- Christians will celebrate Easter at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre this year after the storied church remained closed last Easter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, presided over Palm Sunday Mass on March …
Survey: Two-thirds of Catholics say Biden should be able to receive Communion
Washington D.C., Mar 31, 2021 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- Two-thirds of U.S. Catholics say that President Joe Biden, who has contradicted Church teaching on abortion, marriage, and gender ideology, should be allowed to receive Communion. According to a Pew Research Center survey released on Tuesday, 67% of U.S. Catholics …
Kentucky bishops applaud passage of school choice bill
by Kate Scanlon Washington D.C., Mar 30, 2021 / 03:00 pm MT (CNA).- Kentucky lawmakers voted Monday evening to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of school choice legislation. Both the state’s House and Senate voted to override Beshear’s veto of House Bill 563, which would use tax credits to fund …
Catholic priest and six others killed in attack on church in Nigeria
by Courtney Mares Rome Newsroom, Mar 31, 2021 / 07:25 am MT (CNA).- A Catholic priest and at least six others were killed by gunmen in an attack on St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Benue State, Nigeria, the Diocese of Katsina-Ala confirmed Wednesday. Fr. Ferdinand Fanen Ngugban had just offered …
Eric Talley funeral: Catholic father of seven ‘died a hero’
by Jonah McKeown Denver, Colo., Mar 29, 2021 / 02:18 pm MT (CNA).- A funeral Mass was held Monday in Denver for Officer Eric Talley, a Catholic father of seven who was killed while responding to last week’s mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, CO. “Eric has shown …
Report: Church membership among Catholics declined nearly 20% since 2000
Washington D.C., Mar 29, 2021 / 03:51 pm MT (CNA).- The percentage of Catholics who say they are a “member” of a church has dropped by nearly 20 points since the year 2000, according to a new report by Gallup released on Monday. Among respondents who said they were Catholic, …
Cardinal Zen expresses ‘pain and indignation’ at St. Peter’s Basilica private Mass restrictions
CNA Staff, Mar 30, 2021 / 01:35 am MT (CNA).- Cardinal Joseph Zen on Tuesday expressed “pain and indignation” at restrictions on private Masses in St. Peter’s Basilica. The former bishop of Hong Kong said March 30 that if he could, he would fly to Rome and kneel outside the …
After China retaliates with sanctions, U.S. religious freedom advocates say they won’t be silenced
Washington D.C., Mar 30, 2021 / 09:00 am MT (CNA).- After China announced retaliatory sanctions against U.S. human rights advocates this weekend, advocates responded they would not be silent about the “genocide” in Xinjiang. “The Chinese government’s baseless sanctions on U.S. and foreign government officials who advocate for human rights …
Cardinal Sarah asks Pope Francis to reinstate individual Masses at St. Peter’s Basilica
by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Mar 29, 2021 / 08:28 am MT (CNA).- Cardinal Robert Sarah has asked Pope Francis to reinstate the celebration of private Masses at the side altars in St. Peter’s Basilica, after individual Masses were suspended earlier this month in favor of concelebration. “I humbly beg …
