March 7, 2014 CATHOLIC WORLD NEWS
Pope urges Roman priests to be good confessors-- and makes a confession of his own CWN - 4 hours ago
During a March 6 meeting with priests of the Rome diocese, Pope Francis stressed the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and urged the priests to show Christ’s mercy to the faithful. “Do you cry for...
Pope Francis: Lent should ‘shake us from our torpor’ CWN - 17 hours ago
Observing that “we live in an increasingly artificial world” in which “we exclude God from our horizon without even realizing it,” Pope Francis said that the season of Lent calls us “to remember...
Archbishop Sheen moves closer to beatification; preliminary approval of miracle CWN - 6 hours ago
A team of Vatican-appointed medical experts has verified the authenticity of a miracle attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen, moving the renowned preacher closer to...
Ukrainian Catholic leader welcomes Kerry’s support of Ukraine CWN - 15 hours ago
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church welcomed Secretary of State John Kerry’s support for the new Ukrainian government. Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk “thanked John Kerry for...
Survey: Pope Francis popular; Mass attendance unchanged over past year CWN - 16 hours ago
A new Pew Research Center survey has found that Pope Francis remains popular among Catholics in the United States. According to the survey, 85% of Catholics view Pope Francis favorably, up from...
Appeals court rejects attempt by St. Paul archdiocese to block archbishop's testimony CWN - 5 hours ago
An appeals court in Minnesota has rejected a bid by the Archdiocese of St. Paul-Minneapolis to block sworn depositions by Archbishop John Nienstedt and other archdiocesan officials regarding the...
Leaders of Orthodox churches to meet to discuss council preparations CWN - 15 hours ago
The leaders of all of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches will gather at the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from March 6 to 9. The Interfax news agency...
Report documents persecution of Christians, Muslims in India CWN - 15 hours ago
Christian Solidarity Worldwide has published a report surveying the persecution of non-Hindus in India. The report found that “the most significant threat to pluralism in India derives from the...
Patriarch of Jerusalem issues Lenten letter, expresses hopes for Pope’s visit CWN - 15 hours ago
The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has issued a pastoral letter in which he described sacramental confession, along with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, as the four pillars of Lent. Prayer, said...
Former seminary teacher, colleague reflects on leadership of Pope Francis CWN - 5 hours ago
A Jesuit seminary instructor who once taught Pope Francis says that the Pontiff is leading a “revolution of tenderness.” Father Juan Carlos Scannone, a veteran instructor at the San Miguel...
USCCB, Catholic Charities back ‘Second Chance Act’ CWN - 16 hours ago
Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, the chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, joined the president of Catholic Charities...
Pope, Curial leaders will leave Rome (by bus) for Lenten Retreat CWN - March 5
Pope Francis and the leaders of the Roman Curia will travel by bus from Rome to the Casa del Divin Maestro in Albano, Italy, for their annual Lenten Retreat that begins on March 9. Pope Francis...
Catholic bishop in Crimea pleads for peace, coexistence among ethnic groups CWN - March 5
“We cannot let our ethnic background or our religion divide us now,” a Catholic bishop in Crimea has said about the unfolding crisis in the Ukrainian region. Bishop Jacek Pyl, an auxiliary of the...
Slain Italian priest was victimized because of his charity, bishop says CWN - March 5
An Italian priest who was beaten to death was saluted by his bishop as a “discreet martyr of charity.” Father Lazzaro Longobardi was found dead near his parish church in Sibari on March 3. Local...
Pope backs Brazilian bishops' Lenten drive against human trafficking CWN - March 5
Pope Francis has strongly endorsed a Lenten campaign by the Catholic bishops of Brazil to rally opposition to human trafficking. The Brazilian bishops have chosen human trafficking as the theme...
German bishop demands change in Church teachings on sexuality CWN - March 5
A German bishop has said that the unpopularity of Church teachings on sexuality points to the need for a change, igniting an open debate within the German hierarchy. Bishop Stephan Ackermann of...
Pope Francis: Lent is a time to react to material, spiritual misery CWN - March 5
In his Ash Wednesday general audience, Pope Francis emphasized that Lent is a time of conversion in which the faithful grow in awareness of Christ’s redemptive work and recall the mystery of...
Pope Francis praises Humanae Vitae, lauds Pope Benedict’s efforts against sexual abuse CWN - March 5
In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Pope Francis praised Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical on contraception. Emphasizing that confessors should be merciful, Pope Francis said that his predecessor’s “genius proved prophetic: he had the courage to stand against the majority, to defend moral discipline, to exercise a cultural ‘brake,’ to oppose present and...
Priest labors alone in eastern Ethiopia CWN - March 5
For seven years, a Spanish diocesan missionary priest, has been laboring alone in an eastern Ethiopian city, 700 miles from the nearest priest. Describing the territory of Ogaden as a “totally...
Archbishop Kurtz: Ukraine’s religious liberty threatened by ‘invasive actions’ CWN - March 5
The president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops asked Catholic parishes around the country to pray for a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis. “The heroic witness of...
Philippine bishops issue Lenten message on poverty CWN - March 5
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has issued a Lenten message on poverty. The conference’s president, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, called upon the faithful to work against the...
USCCB, Southern Baptist officials call for new religious-freedom envoy post CWN - March 5
The chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission...
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