Vatican releases suggestions for lengthier, revamped marriage preparation
Saying "superficial" marriage preparation programs leave many couples at risk of having invalid marriages or unprepared to cope with the struggles that arise in every marriage, Pope Francis endorsed suggestions for a yearlong "marriage catechumenate" drafted by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.
The success of the National Eucharistic Revival depends on each one of us
A year and a half after the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to proceed with a National Eucharistic Revival, this weekend -- the feast of Corpus Christi, observed -- marks the official launch.
Cardinal-designate calls liturgical tensions a ‘tragedy’
Cardinal-designate Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, described as a "tragedy" the tensions within the Latin rite of the Catholic Church over the way the Mass is celebrated.
As charter turns 20, trust in bishops is slow to return, cardinal says
The nation's Catholic bishops have made progress in regaining the trust of the laity since approving a groundbreaking document in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis two decades ago, but for Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory "the task is not complete."
Biden names Schneck, former CUA professor, to religious freedom commission
Stephen Schneck, a Catholic activist and retired professor, was appointed June 15 by President Joe Biden to serve on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent federal watchdog group that monitors religious freedom violations.
Belgian bishop asks pope not to make him a cardinal
Saying he did not want to add to the suffering of survivors of clerical sexual abuse who criticized his appointment as a cardinal, retired Bishop Lucas Van Looy of Ghent, Belgium, asked Pope Francis to withdraw his nomination, and the pope agreed.
Pope: Christianity has answer for those yearning for love
Christianity is not a set of rules and prohibitions designed to control people; it is a "life project capable of bringing fulfillment to every human heart," Pope Francis told 70 young leaders of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.
To evangelize is to live the Gospel, then share it, pope says
One cannot share the Gospel without living it first, Pope Francis said in separate meetings with members of the general chapters of the Pauline Fathers and Comboni Missionaries.
World free of nuclear weapons is necessary, possible, pope says
Nuclear weapons do not increase a nation's or region's security, in fact, they are a "risk multiplier" that gives people a false sense of security, Pope Francis said in a message to an international conference.
Catholics in South Sudan, Congo had hoped papal visit would lead to peace
Mary Akol Chok, a resident of Rumbek, South Sudan, is among thousands of residents who had planned to walk for more than 180 miles to the country's capital, Juba, to meet Pope Francis, Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury and the Rev. Iain Greenshields, moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, during their ecumenical pilgrimage of peace.
