IMAGE: CNS photo/Cody Weddle By Cody Weddle CARACAS, Venezuela (CNS) — Gloria Gallardo, 59, and her granddaughter Diana Diaz, 14, woke before dawn for the two-hour bus ride into Caracas. Although they had made the journey hundreds of times before, this time felt different. They worried about the news they …

By UNITED NATIONS (CNS) — Conditions in many parts of the world force women and girls to bear the burden of carrying out everyday chores for their families and communities, keeping many of them from getting even a basic education, the Vatican’s U.N. nuncio said Oct. 6. Females are often …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Justin Lane, EPA By NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CNS) — A new survey shows that almost six in 10 Americans, or 57 percent, believe that celebrating Columbus Day is a “good idea,” while only 29 percent oppose the holiday. Almost two-thirds of respondents who said they were Catholic, or …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Trump administration Oct. 6 issued interim rules expanding the exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious employers, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, who object on moral grounds to covering contraceptive and abortion-inducing drugs and devices in their employee …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will commemorate all those who have died in war by celebrating Mass at an Italian cemetery where thousands of American soldiers killed during World War II are buried. The Vatican announced Oct. 6 that the pope will celebrate the feast …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Roughly half of the Vatican’s 110 acres is devoted to gardens, and a major project is underway to keep them as “green” as possible. It’s not about watering the plants, although that was a big concern this year with a …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Acknowledging how often the Catholic Church failed to protect children from sexual abuse, Pope Francis pledged “to work strenuously and with foresight for the protection of minors and their dignity,” including online. “As all of us know, in recent years the church has …

IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Acknowledging how often the Catholic Church failed to protect children from sexual abuse, Pope Francis pledged “to work strenuously and with foresight for the protection of minors and their dignity,” including online. “As all of us know, in recent years …

US Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) introduced a version of a “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” that would restrict most abortions after the 20th week of gestation yesterday. In a press conference broadcast on YouTube, he said, “I assure every pro-lifer out there that it will be on the [Senate] floor …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While societies must find a way to overcome the subjugation of women, pretending there are no differences between men and women or even using technology to change a person’s sex is not the answer, Pope Francis said. Using science …