Pope Francis to hold private Lenten retreat for fifth consecutive year
This year’s retreat will start on the first Sunday of Lent, Feb. 18, following the recitation of the Angelus at noon. It will conclude the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 23.…
Religious Americans’ lives possibly at risk in 2024, new report by U.S. bishops says
The bishops said that “were this threat limited to a continuation of the property crimes that have been perpetrated on Catholic churches over recent years, perhaps it would not be…
Americans of faith feel less accepted by society, new survey finds
The new number denotes a 5% decline in religious Americans’ feelings of acceptance from Becket’s 2022 findings. Overall, only 21% of all people of faith in America said that they…
Pope Francis responds to resistance to Fiducia Supplicans: ‘The Lord blesses everyone’
“The Lord blesses everyone who is capable of being baptized, that is, every person,” Francis repeated. “But we are to take them by the hand and help them go down…
Director Martin Scorsese confirms completion of script for ‘A Life of Jesus’
“Right now, ‘religion’ — you say that word and everyone is up in arms because it’s failed in so many ways,” he added. “But that doesn’t mean necessarily that the…
U.S. bishops reflect on ‘rallying cry’ of Martin Luther King Jr.
Quoting King, he wrote: “‘Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that men are made in the image of God … the heirs of a…
Nicaraguan dictatorship releases Bishop Álvarez, brother bishop, and priests
The pope’s call was echoed by U.S. authorities. On Jan. 2, Matthew Miller, spokesman for the U.S. State Department, demanded that the Nicaraguan dictatorship “immediately and unconditionally release Bishop Rolando…
Cardinal Parolin: Fiducia Supplican has ‘touched a very sensitive point’
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s Dec. 18 document has made it permissible for priests to offer nonliturgical blessings for couples in “irregular” situations, including gay couples, noting…
In Iowa home stretch, DeSantis focuses on faith, family, and ‘culture of life’
“I’ve had folks say that they wanted to support me for president financially, but they didn’t like the fact that we battled Disney to fight against gender ideology,” he said.…
What Pope Benedict XVI said about St. Hilary of Poitiers
Hilary was exiled to Phrygia in Turkey in 356 by Arian bishops at the so-called “synod of false apostles” by order of the emperor Constantius, who had aligned himself with…
U.S. and Mexican bishops present proposals to help migrants
On the economic issue, they requested that migrants be given “freedom of movement and the possibility of working” and “offering them the possibility of participating in an economy that allows…
Antisemitic incidents in U.S. up by more than 350% since start of Israel-Hamas war
The group said that since Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded Israel, “there was an average of nearly 34 antisemitic incidents per day,” which put 2023 on track to be “the…