World News

By Angelo Stagnaro | Those who laud scientific advancement as the sine qua non of human civilization should take note of how easily the most industrial and scientifically advanced nations in the history of humanity were brought ... read more

By Mary C. Tillotson | Nearly everyone in my social media feeds is sharing coronavirus-related memes and articles with varying levels of anxiety, poignance and humor. But some, I imagine, are ... read more

The papacy is a nearly 2,000-year-old institution. Catholics understand the papacy to have been founded during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, when he told Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). The Petrine office has gone through many changes since that time, to put it mildly. There were dizzying heights of ... read more

The papacy is a nearly 2,000-year-old institution. Catholics understand the papacy to have been founded during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, when he told Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Matthew 16:18). The Petrine office has gone through many changes since that time, to put it mildly. There were dizzying heights of ... read more

Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2020 / 04:00 pm (CNA).- The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear the Archdiocese of Washington’s appeal to place religious ads on public transit in Washington, D.C. The denial leaves in place the D.C. Circuit Court’s 2018 ruling against the archdiocese, which had sought a mandatory preliminary injunction to place ads on Washington Metropolitan Area ... read more

By Father Raymond J. de Souza | The unanimous decision by Australia’s High Court — equivalent to the Supreme Court — to quash the convictions of Cardinal George Pell is momentous for both ... read more

IMAGE: CNS photo/Handout via ReutersBy Rhina GuidosWASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grow in the U.S. faster than anywhere else in the world, the Catholic bishop of El Paso, Texas, is asking local authorities to release nonviolent migrants at his local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities. "Faith and reason tell us that the right thing to ... read more

IMAGE: CNS photo/Kathleen Flynn, ReutersBy Mark PattisonWASHINGTON (CNS) -- The call to solidarity in Catholic social teaching is "an X-ray in our society that exposes the inequalities in our society, the fragmentation," said author and columnist David Brooks during an April 6 online forum sponsored by Georgetown University's Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. "Solidarity is a commandment ... read more

Vatican City, Apr 7, 2020 / 02:35 pm (CNA).- During the coronavirus pandemic, saving the elderly must be just as important as saving others, the Vatican’s Laity, Family, and Life dicastery has said. In an April 4 statement, the dicastery said “despite the complexity of the situation we live in, it is necessary to clarify that saving the lives of ... read more

“From the Chapel” is a series of short, daily reflections on life and faith in a time of uncertainty. As people across the world cope with the effects of the coronavirus — including the social isolation necessary to combat its spread — these reflections remind us of the hope that lies at the heart of the Gospel. Conspiracies exist; this ... read more

Washington D.C., Apr 7, 2020 / 02:00 pm (CNA).- It is a pious Catholic tradition to visit seven altars of repose following Mass on Holy Thursday. With churches closed and strict social distancing in force in many places, one diocese has created a virtual pilgrimage to help Catholics offer their spiritual devotion during the coronavirus pandemic.  The Diocese of Arlington ... read more

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Sr. Krista von Borstel, Sisters of St. Mary of OregonBy Kristen HannumBEAVERTON, Ore. (CNS) -- Mary Garcia, supervisor for environmental services at Maryville, a Beaverton care facility, saw the warning signs of the coronavirus pandemic -- and potential shortages of personal protective equipment -- hitting close to home before most saw it. "Her wonderful idea came more ... read more

Hospitals and funeral homes in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city, are overwhelmed by the rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, said Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera. ... read more

By Catholic News Agency | OKLAHOMA CITY, Ok. — Catholic dioceses in Oklahoma joined other Christian leaders on Monday to ask a federal court to let stand a state order halting elective abortions ... read more

BEAVERTON, Ore. (CNS) — Mary Garcia, supervisor for environmental services at Maryville, a Beaverton care facility, saw the warning signs of the coronavirus pandemic — and potential shortages of personal protective equipment — hitting close to home before most saw it. “Her wonderful idea came more than a month ago,” said Sister Josephine Pelster, a Sister of St. Mary of ... read more