By HIROSHIMA, Japan (CNS) — For a long minute on a sunny morning, silence fell over the memorial park that commemorates the Aug. 6, 1945, atomic bombing of the city. A gong sounded repeatedly as local residents and visitors from around the world stopped to remember a similarly sunny morning …

By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The world continues to be silent in the face of widespread persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, Pope Francis said. One year after Islamic State militants drove thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yezidis out of the country, Pope Francis prayed that people around the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office By VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In one thick volume, Vatican offices and departments tell their own stories. The 2014 edition of the “Activity of the Holy See,” released in July, runs more than 1,600 pages. Some offices submitted exhaustive reports, including every …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Chaz Muth By Chaz Muth MOSCOW, Pa. (CNS) — Bob Simon fell in love with two things at the age of 5 — the Catholic Church and building with Lego. Now, as a 51-year-old priest, Father Simon has discovered a way to merge both of these passions.  The …

IMAGE: CNS/Reuters By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — With his election as speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Paul Ryan may have taken the most difficult job in American politics. The Wisconsin Republican is faced with keeping his party’s conference unified as he takes a position that places him …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Diego Azubel, EPA By BEIJING (CNS) — China’s Communist Party leaders announced they would change the nation’s one-child policy, which most strictly applied to Han Chinese living in urban areas of the country. The Oct. 29 announcement was contained in a Xinhua news agency report on the Communist …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Roman Pilipey, EPA By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Catholic Church has long defended the family as the basic unit of society and as a “school of humanity.” The family as a bastion of love and protection in times of war and disaster is a reality, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/M. Migliorato, Catholic Press Photo By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said an apostolic exhortation on the family following the recently concluded Synod of Bishops could be released soon. “I imagine that it won’t take long because usually these …

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The U.S. bishops will consider whether to approve a new introductory note and a limited revision of their quadrennial statement on political responsibility during their Nov. 16-19 fall general assembly in Baltimore. The statement, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” is reissued every …

By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said an apostolic exhortation on the family following the recently concluded Synod of Bishops could be released soon. “I imagine that it won’t take long because usually these things should be done in a relatively short …