IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Love and solidarity are what make the world a better place, not a focus on physical perfection and hiding away those who do not fit a commercial ideal, Pope Francis said. “The world does not become better because only apparently …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Growing acceptance of euthanasia does not indicate increased compassion, but highlights the rise of a selfish “throwaway culture” that casts aside the sick, the dying and those who do not satisfy the perceived requirements of a healthy life, Pope Francis said. In …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — No matter how complicated it is to do, all children have a need and a right to religious education and access to the sacraments, said a priest who was born deaf and became blind 16 years ago. Opening the Year of …

IMAGE: CNS/Nancy Wiechec By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Recognizing St. Mary Magdalene’s role as the first to witness Christ’s resurrection and as a “true and authentic evangelizer,” Pope Francis raised the July 22 memorial of St. Mary Magdalene to a feast on the church’s liturgical calendar, the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jessica Able, The Record By Jessica Able LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) — It may seem improbable that the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, a devout Muslim, would be closely connected with a Catholic religious order. As a young teen, Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, worked at the library …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will send high-level observers to the pan-Orthodox council meeting in Crete as a sign of respect, support and encouragement of the Orthodox Church. The Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church was scheduled to open June 19, …

IMAGE: CNS/Nancy Wiechec By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will visit the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau during his visit to Poland for World Youth Day in Krakow. He will also commemorate the 1,050th anniversary of Christianity in Poland, pray at the icon of the …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A “my way or the highway” attitude is not Catholic — it’s heretical, Pope Francis said. “Jesus always walks with us, he gives us the ideal, he accompanies us toward the ideal, he frees us from this cage of rigidity of the law,” …

IMAGE: CNS/Bob Mullen By Philippe Vaillancourt MONTREAL (CNS) — Canada’s most visited Catholic shrine is about to get a facelift. St. Joseph Oratory, managed by the Congregation of the Holy Cross, will see $80 million ($63 million U.S.) in upgrades and new installations in a five-year project set to begin …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine expresses his invitation to share in the joy of the new covenant and reminds people to do as he commands, Pope Francis said. The miracle also shows how he transformed the law …