By Carol Glatz ROME (CNS) — The sin committed most frequently in Christian parishes and groups is bad-mouthing and backstabbing each other, which not only divides the community, it drives away people who come seeking God, Pope Francis said. “Truly, this pains me to the core. It’s as if we …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Octavio Duran By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis announced he will create five new cardinals June 28; the new cardinals-designate come from Mali, Spain, Sweden, Laos and El Salvador. Unusually, the group of prelates announced by the pope May 21 includes an auxiliary bishop whose …

By Rhina Guidos WASHINGTON (CNS) — Decrease military spending and help the poor, said the U.S. bishops in a May 19 letter addressed to Congress, before lawmakers prepare to work on the federal budget for the upcoming 2018 fiscal year. The budget requires difficult decisions, but lawmakers must “give central …

IMAGE: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Like parish priests throughout Italy do during the Easter season, Pope Francis spent an afternoon May 19 going door to door and blessing homes. Continuing the “Mercy Friday” visits he began during the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis chose a …

IMAGE: CNS By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Despite a few pointed comments in the past and fundamental differences on issues such as immigration, economic policy, military spending and climate change, sparks are not expected to fly May 24 when Pope Francis welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump to the …

By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Christians who turn doctrine into ideology commit a grave mistake that upsets souls and divides the church, Pope Francis said. From the beginning, there have been people in the church who preach “without any mandate” and become “fanatics of things that aren’t …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Dominican Sister Marie Bernadette Thompson can’t help but see things through a teacher’s eyes after spending eight years teaching elementary and high school students and belonging to an order whose charism is education and the faith formation of young people. …

By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — If the Catholic Church recognizes as “worthy of belief” only the initial alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, it would be the first time the church distinguished between phases of a single event, but it also would acknowledge that human beings and a …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Claudio Peri, EPA By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The frailty associated with illnesses like Huntington’s disease is not a reason to shun the sick but a reminder of the value of life, Pope Francis said. Jesus came to tear down the walls of stigma and …

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will celebrate the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ and the Corpus Christi procession on a Sunday — June 18 — and not on the traditional Thursday feast day, which is June 15 this year. Throughout Italy and in …