By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The surprising news in November that the Vatican had asked U.S. bishops not to vote on several proposals for responding to the sexual abuse crisis was motivated by a lack of time given the Vatican to study the proposals and potential conflicts with …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A new year is a chance for a new start, a time to remember that all people are brothers and sisters and a time to nurture amazement that God became human to save all people, Pope Francis said. The Jan. 1 feast of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The end of one year and beginning of next naturally leads people to think about the passing of time and about love, which gives time — and everything else — real meaning, Pope Francis said. To mark the end …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Saying they thought Pope Francis should be "completely free to assemble a new team" for Vatican communications "at this time of transition," the director of the Vatican press office announced he and the vice director had resigned. Pope Francis accepted …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Melissa Pohlmeier, Catholic Herald By Stacy Rausch DUMFRIES, Va. (CNS) — For high school student Rebecca Pohlmeier, it all started with her love of St. Therese of Lisieux and drawing. Now Pohlmeier, a student at John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, has a business, Glory …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Trash was not picked up around some of the most famous of monuments in Washington, and the White House Visitor Center and other tourist spots in the nation’s capital closed as the president and lawmakers refused to find …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Richard Meek, The Cath By Richard Meek BATON ROUGE, La. (CNS) — An Election Day mistake opened the door wide for some real evangelization. It began as some voting locations Nov. 6 ran out of "I Voted" stickers, which are traditionally provided by the Louisiana Secretary of State’s …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Sanjeef Gupta, EPA By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — Defending and protecting human life means rejecting abortion, caring for the sick, offering a decent welcome to immigrants, valuing the contributions of the elderly, encouraging families to have children and caring for the environment, the bishops of Italy said. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Baz Ratner, Reuters By KINSHASA, Congo (CNS) — The new archbishop of Kinshasa warned peace will be endangered if elections — repeatedly delayed — are not held Dec. 30. Archbishop Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, installed as archbishop of Kinshasa in late November, preached about peace and the elections during …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jorge Silva, Reuters By JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) — Catholic Relief Services is working with local partners to help determine the greatest needs of survivors of Indonesia’s Dec. 22 tsunami, said Yenni Suryani, country manager for the U.S. agency. "People whose homes were destroyed are staying in evacuation centers …