By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 13, 2020 / 10:33 am (CNA).- In a newly published book, Pope Francis answers questions about himself and St. John Paul II, saying he learned the importance of joy and mercy from his predecessor, and they are in “total harmony” on the subject of …

IMAGE: CNS Photo/Francis Wong By HONG KONG (CNS) — The threat of spreading the coronavirus has forced Catholic officials in Hong Kong to suspend all church programs Feb. 15-28, including Sunday Masses and the Ash Wednesday liturgy that marks the beginning of Lent. Ucanews.com reported Cardinal John Tong, apostolic administrator …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis and top officials of the Roman Curia will leave the Vatican March 1-6 for their annual Lenten retreat, the Vatican announced. And, as is customary when first publishing the pope’s calendar for Holy Week, the Vatican did not provide …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Father Stephen Ries By Rhina Guidos HAVANA (CNS) — The moment was anything but intimate, but it was probably the best chance Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan had to pay respects to a revered Cuban-born priest who helped Irish immigrants in New York. The archbishop of New York, followed …

By Jonah McKeown Washington D.C., Feb 12, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- Black Catholic communities have been a part of the Church in the Washington, DC area for centuries. But it wasn’t until the height of the Civil War that black Catholics in DC began the process of founding a …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Jeffrey By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis released his document on the Amazon region on the 15th anniversary of the assassination in Brazil of U.S. Notre Dame Sister Dorothy Stang, a missionary who defended the poor and the environment. Her life and sacrifice are …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Rhina Guidos By Rhina Guidos HAVANA (CNS) — New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan met privately with the president of the Republic of Cuba Feb. 11, the last full day of a six-day visit to the island nation mostly filled with visits to Cuban prelates and humanitarian organizations …

Vatican City, Feb 12, 2020 / 04:15 am (CNA).- While Pope Francis was expected to focus in the apostolic exhortation published today on a proposal to ordain married priests in the Amazon region, the pope instead emphasized the importance of collaboration in apostolic ministry by Catholics in various states of …

By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Feb 12, 2020 / 07:56 am (CNA).- Pope Francis’ post-synodal exhortation on the Amazon is part of the Church’s ordinary magisterium — that is officially a kind of Church teaching — while the final document of the Vatican’s 2019 Amazon synod is not, Cardinal Michael …

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, Feb 12, 2020 / 04:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis published his response to the Vatican’s 2019 Amazon synod in an apostolic exhortation Wednesday. Despite widespread speculation following the synod, the pope does not call for married priests, but seeks to expand “horizons beyond conflicts.” Querida …