By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Praying for peace in the Holy Land alongside leaders of long-antagonistic nations, Pope Francis called on God to act where human efforts had failed, to end what he described as violence inspired by the devil.

By Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON —The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation voted in early June to encourage the “lifting of the restrictions regarding the ordination of married men to the priesthood in the Eastern Catholic Churches of North America.”

By David Agren Catholic News Service  MEXICO CITY — A priest in north central Mexico has been stripped of his position by the Vatican and faces criminal charges in connection with alleged sexual abuse of a teenage boy. The case marks the first time the Catholic Church in Mexico has …

Speaking the truth can be uncomfortable at times.

By Nancy Frazier O’Brien  Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — As new fertility monitoring apps such as Clue and Glow make news, specialists in natural family planning caution that any technological application is only as good as the expertise behind it and the comfort level of its users.

By Mark Zimmermann Catholic News Service  BOWIE, Md. — On May 18, 1789, about two dozen priests then serving in the new United States of America met at a chapel in White Marsh and had an election at which they nominated Father John Carroll to be the first Catholic bishop …

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service  ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM TEL AVIV — Pope Francis will meet with a group of sex abuse victims for the first time in June, he told reporters May 26. During a wide-ranging inflight news conference on his return to Rome from the …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — Asking prayers for his May 24-26 trip to the Holy Land, Pope Francis said his visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories would be “strictly religious.”

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service  LOURDES, France— It looked like any other military parade with bands playing, flags waving and thousands of men and women marching in colorful uniforms decorated with medals and ribbons.

CNS Reports God makes no one struggle with life’s challenges alone, pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) — God is always by our side, never giving us more than we can handle, Pope Francis said. The countless women and men who stand tall through enormous difficulties, pain and especially persecution, are …