IMAGE: CNS photos/Jacqueline Dorme, Republican-Herald and Gregory A. Shemitz By PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Two Ukrainian Catholic prelates have placed a culinary wager on the outcome of the Feb. 4 Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. Archbishop Stefan Soroka of Philadelphia, metropolitan of U.S. Ukrainian Catholics, is rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Roman Pilipey, EPA By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Vatican efforts to honor those who suffer and die for their faith while trying to negotiate with oppressive regimes to expand religious freedom have been fraught with criticism and real pain for more than 50 years. For example, …

IMAGE: REUTERS By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ migration committee said Jan. 30 that the Catholic bishops welcomed the Trump administration’s proposal to give “Dreamers” a path to citizenship, but at the same time, they are “deeply troubled” about the plan’s “impact on family unity.” On …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Catholics who have accused top members of the Roman Curia of making overtures to China’s communist government without the knowledge of Pope Francis are “fostering confusion and controversy,” said the director of the Vatican press office. The rumors of division …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky BEIT SAHOUR, West Bank (CNS) — Retired Bishop Placido Rodriguez of Lubbock, Texas, remembers the smell of woodworking and the feel of wood in his hands from when he was a child in his family furniture factory in Celaya, Mexico. “Here they are …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Young adults waiting to hear whether lawmakers will grant them the opportunity to stay in the country legally said they don’t want Congress to offer an immigration deal that will help them but in turn produce fear and mass deportation …

By Carol Glatz ROME (CNS) — After special study, the German bishops’ conference decided to stick with the traditional wording in the Lord’s Prayer while the Italian bishops’ conference has decided to change the words of the prayer in their translation of the Roman Missal. The decisions come after the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Joshua Roberts, Reuters By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, a Catholic, to be the new U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the U.S. Department of State. Nominated to the post in July by President Donald Trump, Brownback was confirmed Jan. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Harrison McClary, Reuters By WASHINGTON (CNS) — Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston called for prayers for the victims killed and injured in a pair of school shootings in Kentucky and Texas. In a statement released Jan. 23 after the second shooting in two days, Cardinal DiNardo, president …

IMAGE: CNS/Tony Gentile, Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said he told the bishops and priests of Chile to be uncompromising when it comes to protecting minors from sexual abuse and to trust that God will purify and renew his church during this time of trial. …