Russia’s Catholic Church expressed surprise and concern after a wave of raids on its parishes and charities, part of a government clampdown on organizations with foreign links.
The Irish cannot afford to be complacent about violence, even though they have lived with a peace agreement for 15 years, said Ireland’s most senior Catholic leader.
Each member of the church has a role in the community and society, and responsibilities that require specific preparation and particular characteristics, according to Pope Francis.
The election of Pope Francis, an Argentine, to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics confirms what observers have long known: Vast demographic shifts in the Catholic population are reconfiguring the face of the church and shifting the institution’s center from its historic European heartland.
In his first weeks as head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has echoed many of the concerns that he and fellow prelates raised in a conference of Latin American bishops six years ago.
Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, said he has “deep gratitude” and “solidarity and appreciation” for those who have challenged the contraceptive mandate of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that forces employers to pay for contraceptive services.
A “double life” that honors both worldly values and the teachings of Jesus is not an option for Christians, even when obedience to God leads to persecution, Pope Francis said in a morning homily April 11.
The head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea said North Korea’s recent threats of aggression may be an attempt to shore up foreign aid while preserving pride.
A Christian isn’t a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, “act like him, love like him,” Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.
Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel, foundress of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, will be beatified Nov. 10 in Paderborn, Germany, according to the order’s Colorado Springs motherhouse.