Francis the tireless Pope responding to questions from reporters on the flight back to Rome from Tel Aviv May 26 announced that he will meet 8 victims of abuse by clergy in early June and revealed that three bishops are currently under investigation for this crime He clarified that the early Ju

In the modern world it 39 s never easy finding the right way to frame spiritual themes particularly for skeptical audiences like young men and women in high school Classic religious or spiritual documents -- whether the New Testament or the works of St Augustine -- simply don 39 t capture them

On last morning in Holy Land, Pope Francis reaches out to Muslims and Jews.

Half a century after a historic encounter between their predecessors, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in the same place to seek inspiration for Christian unity at the site of Christ's death and resurrection."We need to believe that, just as the stone before the tomb wa

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Francis celebrated and extended the outreach of their predecessors Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras yesterday Meeting at the Apostolic Delegation in the Old City of Jerusalem the contemporary heads of the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic ch

Vatican Correspondent Gerard O'Connell reports from Jerusalem.

The pope understands well that the family can be "a matrix of tragedy."

JERUSALEM -- nbsp At a time when the United States seems to have abandoned any hope of brokering a peace accord between Israelis and Palestinians under the present Administration and the rest of the world watched on helplessly Pope Francis on Sunday May 25 stepped forward with a daring new appro

Celebrating Mass a few steps from the spot traditionally believed to the birthplace of Jesus, Pope Francis said that the way society treats its young reveals its moral character.Children are a "diagnostic sign, a marker indicating the health of families, society and the entire world," the

Pope Francis told young Palestinian refugees to look to the future and to always work and strive for the things they wanted."Remember that violence cannot be defeated by violence; violence can only be defeated with peace -- with peace, effort and dignity to move the nation forward," he tol

Pope Francis invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres to pray together at the Vatican for peace between their nations.The pope made the announcement May 25, after praying the "Regina Coeli" at the end of Mass that Abbas attended in Manger Square, in Be

Jordan's powerful and marginalized joined together at the banks of the River Jordan to welcome Pope Francis at the site believed to be where Jesus was baptized.Jordan's King Abdullah II, his wife, Queen Rania, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, the monarch's personal representative

Beneath the Latin Church complex or ldquo convent rdquo in the village of Smakieh Jordan may be found a set of caverns unearthed by Francisan archeologists in the early twentieth century nbsp The underground chambers date back to the Stone Age but what makes them memorable are the small red cr

AMMAN Jordan nbsp mdash nbsp On 13 June 2013 nbsp Pope Francis granted an interview to Israel rsquo s Channel 2 TV at Santa Marta the Vatican guesthouse where he lives That interview made history it was the first time that a TV crew entered Santa Marta to interview the pope What is not known

For students, responding to God's will need not be an exercise in spiritual isolation.

A long line of cars trailed down the road next to the Church of the Nativity as Franciscan Father Ibrahim Faltas helped coordinate the placement of the electricity generator for the May 25 papal Mass."We are working night and day," he said calmly May 23, as he worked to quickly free up the

The work of "achieving peace" between the Israelis and Palestinians peace needs "your continued, determined engagement," U.S. Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders told Secretary of State John Kerry."We believe the time for Israeli-Palestinian peace is now," they said in

ROME (RNS) A United Nations panel blasted the Vatican for the second time this year for failing to respond adequately to the child sexual abuse scandals that have swept the Catholic Church, but stopped short of saying the Holy See had violated U.N. treaty obligations on torture.The report

Does travel insurance cover diplomatic faux pas Let rsquo s hope the Vatican has invested in the deluxe package for Pope Francis He begins tomorrow a whirlwind visit to the Holy Land that he insists is NOT political but personal and religious so naturally his every gesture will be mdash has alrea

U.S. Father Robert W. Oliver argues more must be done to address negligence.