Author: casciatalbert

Vatican City, Feb 13, 2020 / 10:33 am (CNA).- In a newly published book, Pope Francis answers questions about himself and St. John Paul II, saying he learned the importance of joy and mercy from his predecessor, and they are in “total harmony” on the subject of priestly ministry. “I think that joy is the most important characteristic of the encounter with the risen Jesus,” Pope Francis said, noting the joy and mercy of John Paul II’s pontificate, “I learned from him.” Pope Francis’ thoughts on his predecessor and other…

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Munich, Germany, Feb 12, 2020 / 11:30 am (CNA).- German Church leaders have offered markedly distinct responses to Querida Amazonia, the apostolic exhortation on the Amazon region released by Pope Francis Feb. 12. Catholic officials in Germany paid close attention to the 2019 Vatican synod that preceded the papal document, because synod recommendations to relax clerical celibacy norms and ordain women as deacons closely mirrored calls made by some leaders of a two-year Church synodal process taking place in Germany. Pope Francis’ document did not respond affirmatively to those suggestions.  …

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Munich, Germany, Feb 11, 2020 / 11:36 am (CNA).- Cardinal Reinhard Marx has notified German bishops that he will not stand to be elected to a second term as head of the German bishops’ conference. Marx, who is 66 and the Archbishop of Munich-Freising, one of Germany’s largest local churches, cited his age and his desire to spend more time in his archdiocese as the reasons. The cardinal was elected to lead the German bishops in 2014. If he had been elected to second term, the cardinal would have been…

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Washington D.C., Feb 10, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will once again observe National Marriage Week as part of the celebration of World Marriage Day. World Marriage Day is the second Sunday of February each year. This year, it was held on February 9.  National Marriage Week gives people “the opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting, promoting, and upholding marriage and the family,” the bishops’ conference said in a statement.  Since National Marriage Week…

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Vatican City, Feb 9, 2020 / 06:15 am (CNA).- Pope Francis appealed Sunday for the protection of women and children fleeing violence in northwestern Syria, as more than half a million people have been displaced in two months. “Painful news continues to arrive from the northwest of Syria, in particular on the conditions of many women and children, people forced to flee due to military escalation,” Pope Francis said Feb. 9. At least 520,000 people have been displaced from their homes since December during the Russian-backed Syrian government’s offensive in…

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Washington D.C., Feb 8, 2020 / 06:01 am (CNA).- Several state-level pro-life measures cleared legislative hurdles this week. Lawmakers have considered several of the proposals before, and already a number of the proposals have advanced further than they did last year. A bill that would temporarily revoke a doctor’s license for performing an abortion has advanced in the Oklahoma House of Representatives and will proceed to the Senate. HB 1182 passed the Oklahoma house Feb. 6 by a vote of 71-21. The bill would revoke a physician’s medical license for…

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Washington D.C., Feb 7, 2020 / 01:00 pm (CNA).- Catholic theologian Charles Camosy has resigned from the board of Democrats for Life of America (DFLA), writing in an op-ed on Thursday that the Democratic Party’s extreme support of abortion left him “no choice” but to leave his party.   “Anything even hinting that abortion is less than good now violates party orthodoxy,” Camosy wrote in a Feb. 6 column in the NY Post. Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg’s refusal to limit abortion at any point in pregnancy was, for Camosy, “[t]he…

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Washington D.C., Feb 6, 2020 / 11:00 am (CNA).- President Donald Trump chastised political opponents, touted strong economic numbers, and asked for votes at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of his remarks, President Trump spoke of the “terrible ordeal” he had been through, caused, he said,  “by some very dishonest and corrupt people.” On Wednesday afternoon, a Senate vote failed to convict Trump on two impeachment counts of abuse of office and obstruction of Congress. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the only Republican…

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Washington D.C., Feb 5, 2020 / 12:00 pm (CNA).- President Donald Trump used the State of the Union address on Tuesday evening to highlight U.S. commitment to restoring democracy in Venezuela, inviting the opposition leader to attend as a guest of honor. Juan Guaidó, leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly and recognized by the U.S. as the interim president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, watched the speech from the House Gallery on Tuesday. “Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland,” Trump told Guaidó. “All Americans are united…

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