Author Archive
Advocates for migrants in Arizona, Sonora gather at border for ‘posada’
IMAGE: CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec By Nancy Wiechec NOGALES, Mexico (CNS) — Kenia Salas, about to play the role of Mary in a Christmastime commemoration popular across Mexico, said she imagines Mary as a woman of strength. “I think she was worried about her baby,” Salas, 17, said before participating in …
Seasonal checkup: Pope prescribes spiritual virtues to fight curial ills
IMAGE: CNS photo/Alberto Pizzoli, pool via Reuters By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — If Pope Francis sees the church as a field hospital after battle, then his annual Christmas address to the Roman Curia often looks like the triage tent, with him holding the charts. Instead of a typical …
Marriage ruling said to leave unanswered questions for religious groups
IMAGE: CNS photo/Joshua Roberts, Reuters By Angela Cave NEW YORK (CNS) — There are still unanswered questions about the legal implications of June’s Supreme Court same-sex marriage ruling, but analysts agree religious institutions face big challenges in the months and years to come. The landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges …
Number of refugees, displaced people at highest since World War II
IMAGE: REUTERS By Tom Tracy WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CNS) — The explosive global refugee crisis — likely the top debate-generating news story of 2015 — seems destined to dominate domestic and foreign politics for years to come at a time when Pope Francis has been calling for a compassionate …
Pope names U.S. layman as No. 2 in press office, promotes Irish prelate
IMAGE: CNS/Nancy Phelan Wiechec By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis appointed a U.S. media adviser as the vice director of the Vatican press office and an Irish prelate known for revolutionizing the Vatican’s approach to social communication as bishop and adjunct secretary of the Pontifical Council …
Jubilee spree: Year of Mercy beefs up pope’s already busy year
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis established the Year of Mercy, a full slate of Jubilee events were slotted into his already packed calendar for 2016. A typical “business as usual” year for a pope is already full with meetings, liturgies and foreign …
Follow Christ on the path of forgiveness, not vengeance, pope says
IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — To follow a path toward Christ, one must follow the good path of forgiveness, peace and solidarity, and avoid following the evil path of vengeance, war and selfishness, Pope Francis told hundreds of Italian children. The members of Catholic …
Biden, not on program, wows crowd at Georgetown interfaith peace forum
IMAGE: CNS photo/Georgetown University By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — Even though he wasn’t on the program, Vice President Joe Biden stole the show at a Georgetown University program promoting peace in wake of terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. Laila Brothers, a Georgetown freshman, had just given …
Sacred art restoration gives museum holy facet to holiday exhibits
IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Chaz Muth NEW YORK (CNS) — Frank Chambers was looking for a peaceful moment as he strolled through the noisy holiday exhibits at the New-York Historical Society Museum & Library on a recent December afternoon. “I love the antique trains that are running through the …
Few pilgrims, no sales: Mideast situation dampens Bethlehem Christmas
IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) — Though the Christmas tree was lit in Nativity Square in the traditional ceremony, and some traditional pre-Christmas parades have taken place, the Christmas spirit this year in Bethlehem has been dampened by the political situation which, since October, …