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Pope Prays for Victims of Oklahoma Tornado

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 21 May 2013 06:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As the death toll rose from the massive tornado that struck near Oklahoma City May 20, Pope Francis offered a special prayer for the victims during his early morning Mass May 21, offered his condolences through his Twitter account and through a message to the city's archbishop.

Diversity Is a Blessing When All Are United in Faith, Pope Says

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Calling for unity — not uniformity — in the church, Pope Francis said diversity is a blessing only when all Catholics recognize and follow church teaching.

Parishioners Mobilize after Tornado in Northern Texas

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:00:00 EST

GRANBURY, Texas (CNS) — "Overwhelmed." That's how relief volunteer Julie Lyssy described the families who sought shelter inside St. Frances Cabrini's Family Life Center after a tornado ravaged their neighborhoods May 15.

Campus Missionaries Help College Students Find 'Meaning'

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 18 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

FAIRFAX, Va. (CNS) — A diverse group of young college women lounged on couches at the entrance of the George Mason University Student Union on a recent afternoon.

Vatican Legal: Project Underway to Update Sections of Canon Law

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 17 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta has a special briefcase he uses exclusively to carry documentation for a project that would completely revise an entire section of the Catholic Church's basic law.

Embryonic Stem-Cell Advance Decried as Morally Troubling

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON (CNS) — As Oregon scientists announced May 15 that they had successfully converted human skin cells into embryonic stem cells, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities warned that the technique is morally troubling on many levels.

Women Religious Unite in Effort to End Human Trafficking

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Human trafficking is so widespread that congregations of women religious are uniting in a nationwide effort to limit its reach.

Tens of Thousands March for Life in Rome

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke and U.S. pro-life leaders joined tens of thousands of demonstrators in Italy's third annual March for Life May 12, which ended with a personal greeting from Pope Francis.

Pope Canonizes More Than 800 Saints

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis warned against "gentrification of the heart" as a consequence of comfortable living, and called on the faithful to "touch the flesh of Christ" by caring for the needy.

Catholic Moms Share Their Faith as 'Digital Disciples'

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON (CNS) — One of Mary's titles is "Christ's First Disciple," and some of Christ's earliest followers were women, two of whom he appeared to first after his resurrection.

Nun Found Guilty of 'Intending to Harm' U.S. Security

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) — An 83-year-old woman religious and two other peace activists were found guilty May 8 in a federal court in Knoxville of "intending to harm national security" by breaking into the nuclear weapon-producing facility and defacing its walls last summer.

German Bishops Not Divided by Remarks over Women Deacons

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

OXFORD, England (CNS) — A German church spokesman denied the country's Catholic bishops are divided after the bishops' conference president, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, provoked controversy by advocating a form of diaconate for women.

Pope Tells Sisters Church Needs Them, They Need the Church

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis told 800 superiors of women's orders from around the world that the Catholic Church needs religious women and that religious women need to be in harmony with the faith and teachings of the church.

Inaugural Walk to Mary Leaves Pilgrims Tired but Invigorated

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

CHAMPION, Wis. (CNS) — At the end of the inaugural Walk to Mary pilgrimage May 4, the approximately 500 participants were sore and tired, yet invigorated.

Pope Celebrates Diversity of Popular Piety, Unity of Church

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 07 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis celebrated popular piety as a means of transmitting the faith and cultivating it in ordinary Catholics but said such piety must be practiced in communion with the hierarchy in order to maintain the church's unity.

Cardinal: Dialogue Was Missing from Vatican's Look at LCWR

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 06 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

ROME (CNS) — The Vatican-ordered revision of the statutes of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious will continue, but it must be accompanied with a real dialogue, which has been missing from the process, said Brazilian Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and ...

License Laws Left in Place Please Immigrant Advocates

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Supreme Court April 29 let stand a lower-court ruling that tossed out restrictive provisions of an Alabama immigration law. Later in the week, three jurisdictions acted to make it easier for people without legal immigration status to get driver's licenses.

Cardinal Dolan Prays for Kidnapped Orthodox Clergy

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

NEW YORK (CNS) — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan challenged Massgoers to hold onto hope and to pray for the safety and well-being of two Orthodox archbishops kidnapped in Syria in late April while carrying out a humanitarian mission.

Pope, Lebanese President Appeal for Aid for Syrian Refugees

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 03 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Meeting at the Vatican May 3, Pope Francis and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman called on the international community to offer concrete aid to Lebanon and other countries hosting hundreds of thousands of refugees from Syria.

Retired Pope Benedict to Return to Vatican Today

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI is scheduled to move into a remodeled convent at the Vatican May 2, the Vatican spokesman said.

Vatican Official Says Curia Reform Needs Time

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 01 May 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Amid widespread speculation about a complete and quick reorganization of Vatican departments and rumors in the Italian media that Pope Francis was going to close the Vatican bank, a top Vatican official told everyone to calm down.

Israeli President Invites Pope to Visit Jerusalem

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Israeli President Shimon Peres officially invited Pope Francis to Israel and left their meeting at the Vatican telling the pope, "I am expecting you in Jerusalem and not just me, but all the people of Israel."

Mexico's Soon-to-Be-Saint Recalled for Her Ministry to Poor

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST

GUADALARJARA, Mexico (CNS) — A shy woman stopped to pray in front of statue of Blessed Maria Guadalupe Garcia Zavala while visiting the Santa Margarita Hospital. She knew little about the founder of the facility, who will be canonized May 12, but, like many, she had heard stories from hospital patients ...

Vatican Official Says July Trip to Brazil Being Tailored to New Pope

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Visiting Rio de Janeiro, the chief organizer of papal trips confirmed Pope Francis will participate in the key events of World Youth Day July 23-28 and he said other parts of the papal trip are being tailor-made for the new pope.

Pope Francis: From Argentina to the World

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST

The sun had set over Vatican City on March 13 as the white smoke barreled out of the chimney atop the Sistine Chapel, announcing the election of a new pope. The smoke eventually stopped, but the rain did not, and those crowded into St. Peter’s Square seemed unfazed. The anticipation could be ...