Vatican City, Dec 20, 2020 / 06:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis advised Catholics on Sunday not to waste time complaining about coronavirus restrictions, but to focus instead on helping those in need. Speaking from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square Dec. 20, the pope encouraged people to imitate the …

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome, Italy, Dec 10, 2020 / 01:00 pm MT (CNA).- The “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn taking place this month — dubbed the “Christmas Star” — is a pretty sight, but it is impossible to know for sure if it has any connection to the Star …

by JD Flynn “Francesco,” a newly released documentary on the life and ministry of Pope Francis, has made global headlines, because the film contains a scene in which Pope Francis calls for the passage of civil union laws for same-sex couples. Some activists and media reports have suggested that Pope …

by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Dec 18, 2020 / 12:01 pm MT (CNA).- In a revival of an historic custom of the Church, Bishop Douglas Lucia of Syracuse has invited Catholics of his diocese to participate in the Ember Days, traditional days of fasting and prayer, for the intention of …

CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2020 / 04:01 am MT (CNA).- Eight elderly religious sisters died of COVID-19 complications in one week at a retirement home for the School Sisters of Notre Dame near Milwaukee. “Even though they’re older and most of the sisters that did go to God are in …

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2020 / 05:01 pm MT (CNA).- The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a Kentucky Christian school’s plea to reopen for in-person learning, upholding a health order from the governor that barred in-person K-12 education in most areas until January. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s Nov. 18 executive …

Blessed Pope Urban V was born Guillaume de Grimoard at Grisac in Languedoc, 1310. He studied canon law and theology in Avignon and became a Benedictine monk. He was named abbot of his monastery in 1352, and served as a papal diplomat and was eventually sent as an ambassador to …

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2020 / 05:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed Friday a new bishop of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The pope named Msgr. Larry J. Kulick Dec. 18 as the sixth bishop of the diocese founded in 1951. Kulick, a 54-year-old canon lawyer, has served as diocesan administrator since …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome, Italy, Dec 18, 2020 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- A Catholic chaplain at a COVID hospital in Rome said he has seen many reasons for hope this Advent, especially in the dedication of medical workers who give their all to save the lives of coronavirus patients. …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Dec 17, 2020 / 06:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis appealed for a “culture of care” in his message for the 2021 World Day of Peace released Thursday. “The culture of care … calls for a common, supportive and inclusive commitment to protecting and promoting …