IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Too often Catholics know what is going on in their neighbor’s house but pay little or no attention to the normal spiritual struggles going on in their own hearts and souls, Pope Francis said. Life involves a continuing battle …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Blake family By James Ramos HOUSTON (CNS) — At 17, Matthew Blake was living the dream of most young baseball players. A stroke of luck got him in Minute Maid Park prepping dugouts as a teenage batboy for the Houston Astros and their visiting teams. For four …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Unplanned.com By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — For U.S. elections, candidates and political parties may develop something they call a "50-state strategy." But for the Oct. 25 premiere in Mexico of the Spanish-language version of "Unplanned," actor Eduardo Verastegui, the movie’s executive director, has employed a 32-state strategy. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Addressing concerns about a proposed Amazonian rite in the Catholic Church, an indigenous participant at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon called on Catholics to soften their hearts and understand the needs of Catholics in the region. …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller By Barbara J. Fraser VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Cardinal John Ribat of Papua New Guinea was young, he and his neighbors noticed that their well water tasted of salt. Crops also failed as the soil became salty. Papua New Guinea consists of a large island …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion By Sean Gallagher INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) — It wasn’t easy for Daryl Whitley to stand before a diverse audience of listeners as he prepared to share his experiences of racism. But he knew that doing so could promote justice and racial healing. So, crediting the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Junno Arocho Esteves By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The way to rid the Catholic Church of clericalism is by giving laywomen a greater role in making decisions, a Bolivian bishop said. Bishop Ricardo Ernesto Centellas Guzman of Potosi told Catholic News Service Oct. 23 that …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The church resolves conflicts and discerns God’s will by patiently listening, discussing and deciding under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said. "It is the Spirit, in fact, who helps overcome narrow-mindedness and tensions, and works within …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Like most parish priests, Msgr. Stephen Rossetti celebrates Mass, baptizes babies, gives marriage preparation talks and provides pastoral care that often involves listening to people or praying with them. He also frequently blesses baseball bats. That’s because the priest, a …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Barbara J. Fraser VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Solutions to environmental problems discussed at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon must involve not just Amazonian nations, but countries in Europe and North America, bishops said. "This is a special synod, but it has universal consequences," …