By Courtney Mares Vatican City, May 18, 2020 / 05:00 am MT (CNA).- “Thirty-nine years ago today I was on my way into St. Peter’s Square when the pope was shot,” Joan Lewis said over the phone on May 13. It is just one of many vivid memories Lewis has …

CNA Staff, May 16, 2020 / 12:00 pm MT (CNA).- The Polish bishops’ conference is encouraging the faithful to participate in a social media campaign to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Pope St. John Paul II on Monday. Pope St. John Paul II was born Karol Wojtyla …

by Jonah McKeown Denver Newsroom, May 15, 2020 / 02:00 pm MT (CNA).- Pope St. John Paul II— who would have turned 100 years old May 18— was a man of great humility, whose nearly 27-year pontificate nevertheless left a lasting impression on the Catholic Church and the world, according …

by Michelle La Rosa Denver Newsroom, May 14, 2020 / 03:09 pm MT (CNA).- Although some people have raised objections to wearing masks as the U.S. continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic, doing so can be an act of charity for one’s neighbor, a Catholic doctor said. “The simple reason …

CNA Staff, May 15, 2020 / 02:01 pm MT (CNA).- Specific guidelines for reopening churches during the coronavirus pandemic were excluded from a set of documents released by the CDC this week, possibly due to religious freedom concerns, according to a report by the Associated Press. Six one-page documents released …

by Perry West Denver Newsroom, May 16, 2020 / 03:00 am MT (CNA).- An American documentarian says her work is the fruit of a divine calling that began with an encounter with Pope St. John Paul II. She said she hopes her films will help others grow close to Christ. …

CNA Staff, May 14, 2020 / 03:30 pm MT (CNA).- Papal basilicas are considering checking visitors’ temperatures as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus when public Masses resume, the Holy See press office said Thursday. Representatives of the four major Roman basilicas — St. Peter’s, St. Mary Major, St. …

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, May 15, 2020 / 10:15 am MT (CNA).- Ahead of its eventual reopening to the public, St. Peter’s Basilica is being cleaned and sanitized at the direction of the Vatican’s health and hygiene department. Public Masses will resume throughout Italy from May 18 under strict …

CNA Staff, May 15, 2020 / 03:00 am MT (CNA).- John Paul II was a “liberating restorer of the Church” in the turbulent years after the Second Vatican Council, Benedict XVI has said in a letter marking the 100th anniversary of the saint’s birth. In a message to Cardinal Stanisław …

by Kevin J. Jones Denver Newsroom, May 15, 2020 / 11:02 am MT (CNA).- Public health orders to limit the spread of the new coronavirus raise important questions about the U.S. Constitution and religious freedom, and Stanford Law School professor Michael J. McConnell has provided some guidance on these topics. …