IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By WASHINGTON (CNS) — A group of Catholic scholars Sept. 20 reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s teaching on “the gift of sexuality” and its long-standing prohibition on artificial birth control as outlined in “Humanae Vitae,” Blessed Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical. In a statement released in Washington, they rejected …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Violence in the name of God does not represent the true nature of religion and must be condemned by all faiths, Pope Francis said. “We never tire of repeating that the name of God cannot be used to justify …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Jesus’ cry of thirst on the cross is heard today in the cries of innocent victims of war in the world, Pope Francis said. Christians are called to contemplate Christ in “the voice of the suffering, the hidden cry …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Humanity should feel ashamed it can wage war, kill the innocent, bomb cities and prevent food and medicine from reaching survivors, Pope Francis said. “There is no god of war,” he said. Violence and division are the work of the devil who “wants …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Churches that are not reconciled with one another weaken the experience of mercy that unites believers to God and with each other, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury said. By not reconciling with one other, “our worship is diminished …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — A new exhibit featuring artifacts revolving around St. Thomas More has opened at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. Titled “God’s Servant First: The Life and Legacy of Thomas More,” the exhibit runs through March 31. The …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Religious leaders celebrating the 30th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s Assisi interfaith peace gathering in 1986 called on people from around the world to continue its legacy to combat today’s indifference and violence. The event Sept. 18-20 was …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Nikos Arvanidtis, EPA By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Offering migrants and refugees truly helpful and loving hospitality is the greatest guarantee against terrorism, Pope Francis said. The current refugee and migration crisis, with more than 65 million people forcibly displaced from their homes, has become “the …

IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A nuncio is not simply a “diplomat in a (priest’s) collar,” but must truly be a priest and bishop who listens, supports and serves as a channel of God’s mercy, Pope Francis said. Spending much of the day Sept. 17 …

IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis donned a green hospital gown over his white cassock and entered the neonatal unit of a Rome hospital, peering in the incubators, making the sign of the cross and encouraging worried parents. The trip to the babies’ ward …