IMAGE: CNS photo/Rolex Dela Pena, EPA By Simone Orendain MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — A Philippine archbishop is urging Catholics to heed the Ten Commandments before they head to the polls in May to vote for offices ranging from president to local village councilors. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan, who is …

IMAGE: CNS By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With a simple tap, Pope Francis joined Instagram and quickly set a record for gaining 1 million followers. The launch of the “Franciscus” account March 19, the feast of St. Joseph and the third anniversary of the formal inauguration of his …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Chaz Muth SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. (CNS) — Daniel Courtney could feel the tightening grip that drugs and alcohol had on him in the years after he served in the war in Iraq. The former altar server from Rockaway Beach, New York, and Navy war veteran …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Stringer, Reuters By John Mulderig WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Knights of Columbus and In Defense of Christians contend that Christians in Libya, Iraq and Syria are victims of genocide carried out by the Islamic State in a new report. The 278-page document was released March 10 in Washington, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Vatican judicial authorities are investigating the former president and former treasurer of its Bambino Gesu pediatric hospital in a case involving the financing of remodeling work on the Vatican apartment where Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone lives. Giuseppe Profiti, former …

IMAGE: CNS/Catholic Press Photo By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has set April 8 for the release of “Amoris Laetitia” (“The Joy of Love”), Pope Francis’ reflection on the family and family life. The document, subtitled “On Love in the Family,” will be released at a Vatican …

IMAGE: CNS By WASHINGTON (CNS) — Mother Angelica “reflected the Gospel commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference. “Like the best evangelists, she used the communications tools of her time to make this …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Aid to the Ch By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore, Pakistan, said he was grief stricken while visiting hospitalized child victims of an Easter bomb attack in a city park. Speaking with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need …

IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The power of God’s forgiveness “is greater than our sins,” Pope Francis said. Christians have “the certainty that he will never abandon us,” the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 30. “If you …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Less than a week after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive requirement, the court released an order requesting that additional briefs be submitted showing if and how contraceptive insurance coverage could be …