IMAGE: CNS photo/Dale Gavlak By Dale Gavlak AMMAN, Jordan (CNS) — With crises in Syria and Iraq deepening, Catholic bishops on a solidarity visit with the “forgotten” Christians of the Middle East are urging stepped-up peace efforts to resolve conflicts tearing apart the troubled region. Highlighting the ongoing plight of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Warner Bros. By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Movies depicting exorcisms could be an important medium for showing how God always triumphs over evil, but instead, they misrepresent the faith and exaggerate human and satanic powers over God, a leading exorcist wrote in the Vatican newspaper. Television …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Arms flailing, the exuberant and perhaps hyperactive Italian actor and comedian Roberto Benigni described Pope Francis as a masterful minister of God’s mercy, which is always active and always on the move. Benigni brought the house down Jan. 12 during …

IMAGE: Nancy Wiechec By Nancy Wiechec TUMACACORI, Ariz. (CNS) — Jesuit Father Eusebio Francisco Kino, an Italian missionary to the American Southwest known as the “Padre on Horseback,” was honored Jan. 10 at the Tumacacori National Historical Park with Kino Legacy Day. The celebration of the priest — who founded …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Debbie Hill By Judith Sudilovsky BEIT JALLA, West Bank (CNS) — A U.S. bishop visiting the Holy Land for the second year in a row said Palestinians whose land has been divided by the Israeli separation barrier “have lost hope.” “It was very sad to see the present …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cold indifference to migrants, the poor, the hungry and the persecuted must be overcome through the warmth of mercy, which can transform people into artisans of peace, Pope Francis said. In a lengthy speech Jan. 11 to …

IMAGE: CNS/Gruppo Mondadori By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Being ministers of God’s mercy, church members overcome “prejudice and rigidity,” taking risks like Jesus did in order to heal and to save, Pope Francis said. In Jesus’ day, lepers were cast out of the community “to avoid contamination: the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Kevin Lamarque, Reuters By Mark Pattison WASHINGTON (CNS) — When President Barack Obama unveiled a series of executive orders Jan. 5 intended to make a dent in gun violence in the United States, people reacted. And how. “Thank God that someone finally has the courage to close the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/James Martone By James Martone PARIS (CNS) — Mohammed Chirani was pursuing a midlife career change in the United Kingdom when news erupted out of his native France that Muslim extremists had attacked the Paris headquarters of a satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people, including eight of …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Lucie Parsaghian, EPA By Doreen Abi Raad BEIRUT (CNS) — While the flow of migrants into Europe and the West has sparked controversy, Lebanon continues to bear the brunt of absorbing massive numbers of refugees. A commonly cited figure is that one in four people in Lebanon is …