IMAGE: CNS/Nancy Wiechec By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In an effort to help contemplative women religious renew their life and mission in the church and the world, Pope Francis issued a series of new rulings dealing with formation, assets, prayer life, authority and autonomy. The new rulings include …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Carlo Allegri, Reuters By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta has been appointed as chair of a new task force of the U.S. bishops to deal with racial issues brought into public consciousness following a series of summertime shootings that left both citizens …

IMAGE: By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When Pope Francis goes to Poland to meet with an expected 2 million young people from around the world, he’s going with a firm idea of the dreams, fears and challenges so many of them face. He knows what lies inside the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jok Solomun, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis sent a high-ranking cardinal to South Sudan to urge a peaceful end to the escalating violence in the country. Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, met with President Salva …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion By Sean Gallagher INDIANAPOLIS (CNS) — Violence ripped through the country the first part of July with police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana and the killing of five police officers in Dallas. A day after the July 7 shootings in Dallas, violence ripped through …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Greg Erlandson By Julie Asher WASHINGTON (CNS) — Greg Erlandson, former president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, has been named director and editor-in-chief of Catholic News Service, effective Sept. 12. Msgr. J. Brian Bransfield, general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, announced the appointment …

IMAGE: Nancy Wiechec By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis said he looks forward to his upcoming visit to Poland for World Youth Day and that his visit will be inspired by mercy during this Jubilee Year. The “blessed memory of St. John Paul II, who instituted …

IMAGE: CNS photo/William Rieter By Dennis Sadowski CLEVELAND (CNS) — Sister Julie Ann Krahl knew that a cup of lemonade on a hot summer day can go a long way toward making friends. So she offered a refreshing drink from a cooler pulled along in a child-size wagon and talked …

By Dennis Sadowski CLEVELAND (CNS) — When Msgr. Kieran Harrington delivered the invocation on the opening night of the Republican National Convention, it wasn’t just a coincidence that he ended up on the same stage where high-scale politics would dominate for four days. The priest from the Diocese of Brooklyn, …

By Jennifer Brinker ST. LOUIS (CNS) — Since its release in the United States July 6, Pokemon Go has quickly become a cultural phenomenon. In the first week, the mobile game attracted nearly 21 million users, according to data from Survey Monkey, making it the most popular app in U.S. …