Author Archive
Synod emphasizes church’s mission to defend the vulnerable, cardinal says
IMAGE: CNS Photo/Paul Jeffrey By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The objective of the upcoming Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is to highlight the need for religious, political and social leaders to come together and defend the dignity of indigenous men, women and children and an ecosystem …
Justice Stevens changed death penalty views during three decades on court
IMAGE: CNS photo/Larry Downing, Reuters By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, who served on the court for nearly 35 years, died July 16 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at age 99 after suffering complications from a stroke the previous day. The justice, who retired …
Being curator of meteorites allows Jesuit to ‘find God’ in all things
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By James Ramos HOUSTON (CNS) — At the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, Jesuit Brother Robert Macke finds his work as the curator of meteorites for the Vatican Observatory — formally founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII — allows him to, as the …
50 years on, moon landing still generates a wistful sense of wonderment
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — When Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong gingerly stepped onto the surface of the moon July 20, 1969, Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno had no idea that some day he would become the director of the Vatican Observatory. Sixteen at the time, …
Vatican Museums loan Leonardo da Vinci work for special anniversary
IMAGE: CNS photo/A. Bracchetti, Governatorato S.C.V. via The Metropolitan Museum of Art By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci with a painting by the artist that will draw crowds but also …
Vatican City State set to end sale of single-use plastics
IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After current supplies run out, Vatican City State will no longer be selling any single-use plastic items on its tiny territory. While the European Union pledged in May to ban single-use plastic starting in 2021, the Vatican had already …
Update: Administration to apply ‘third country’ rule for asylum-seekers
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Trump administration announced the U.S. departments of Justice and Homeland Security are adopting an interim "third country rule" requiring immigrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to first apply for refugee status in another country. News that the rule …
When Islamic State came, Iraqi monks had just finished hiding manuscripts
IMAGE: CNS photo/Dalia Khamissy By Doreen Abi Raad BEIRUT (CNS) — The first time a band of Islamic State militants "visited" the monks, they presented the monks with a kind of suggestion, in a nonthreatening manner: "Why don’t you become a Muslim?" Already, the four monks at the ancient Syriac …
Faith leaders decry ICE deportations, say action causes anxiety, fear
IMAGE: CNS photo/ICE, Charles Reed via Reuters By Julie Asher WASHINGTON (CNS) — Many Catholic and other faith leaders noted that the Gospel reading for July 14 — the day U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was to carry out deportation orders for some immigrants — was the parable of the …
Love of God, love of neighbor are tied together, pope says
IMAGE: CNS photo/David Mercado, Reuters By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Praying that Catholics would understand and act on "the inseparable bond" between love of God and love of neighbor, Pope Francis again appealed for a solution to the crisis in Venezuela. "We pray that the Lord will inspire …