By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY - The Swiss finance lawyer hired to monitor the legality and transparency of Vatican financial activity said the Italian central bank’s concerns about the Vatican’s vulnerability to money laundering are not shared by other European countries or international agencies. Citing a supposed lack of Vatican controls to prevent money laundering, the Bank of Italy...

By Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY -- The Sistine Chapel sounded a bit like a nursery Jan. 13, as Pope Benedict XVI baptized 20 babies, whose crying provided a constant accompaniment to the two-hour Mass on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Referring to the day's reading from the Gospel St. Luke, which recounts the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist, Pope Benedict said that in...

Some Christians – including Catholics – have treated Jews as if they were the enemy. Slight problem: Jesus is a Jew; so are Mary and Joseph. Treating Jews as the enemy is unacceptable, says Church spokesman.

By Cindy Wooden Politicians who want to act as if God did not exist and as if there was no such thing as objective moral truths are bound to fail in their efforts to promote the common good, said the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. "The politics we have today in Europe and North America without ethical foundations, without a reference to God, cannot resolve our...

One of the country's leading Catholics helped mediate between the Seleka rebel alliance and government leaders, resulting in a peace agreement to end fighting that left a Catholic journalist dead. Father Dieu-Beni Mbanga, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Bangui, confirmed that Archbishop Dieudonne Nzapalainga represented civil society and helped mediate at the talks in Libreville, Gabon....

By Mark Pattison A Catholic university in the US is spinning off its current economics and business curriculum from its School of Arts and Sciences and fashioning a new business school with the idea of infusing ethics into all course offerings. In 2014, graduates of the Catholic University of America will receive their degrees from the new School of Business and Economics, the univers...

Forget the feel good preening; peace and economic well-being are a real possibility, but they are demanding and presume a radical respect for life and its author, says Pope Benedict XVI in his World Day of Peace message.

By Francis X Rocca VATICAN CITY - In the Vatican’s latest move to expand its use of media, an article on the meaning of Christmas by Pope Benedict XVI appeared in Britain’s Financial Times newspaper on December 20. “While Christmas is undoubtedly a time of great joy, it is also an occasion for deep reflection, even an examination of conscience,” the Pope wrote. “At the end of a yea...

‘Listen to the streets’ on family, thousands of Parisians tell French politicians A French bishops' spokesman urged politicians to "listen to the streets" after hundreds of thousands of people rallied against same-sex marriage. "We're facing questions about society -- what the family is, what marriage is, and whether there's a difference between men and women," Msgr. Bernard Podvin, s...

By Pope Benedict XVI Dear Cardinals, Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Once again we find ourselves at the end of a year that has seen all kinds of difficult situations, important questions and challenges, but also signs of hope, both in the Church and in the world. I shall mention just a few key elements regarding the life of the Church and my Petrine ministry....