Pope Francis and the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, together charged 19 pairs of Catholic and Anglican bishops to return to their home countries and work together to promote joint prayer, joint proclamation of the Gospel and especially joint works of charity and justice.
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Posted inPolitics & Society, Signs Of the Times
News Briefs
Pope Francis made a surprise visit on Oct. 4 to the town of Amatrice in Italy, recently devastated by an earthquake, and told survivors there: “From the first moment” of the tremblor on Aug. 24, “I felt the need to be here.”
Posted inFaith, Signs Of the Times
L.G.B.T. Catholics Should Be ‘Accompanied,’ Pope Francis Urges
Flying back to Rome on Oct. 2 after a visit to Georgia and Azerbaijan, the pope was asked how, given his criticism on Oct. 1 of “gender theory” and of what he calls “ideological colonization,” he would provide pastoral care to a person who felt his or her sexuality did not co
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Saving Hyde
Jeanne Mancini, executive director of the March for Life, observed the 40th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal Medicaid funding of abortions, by warning that Hyde was at risk because the Democratic Party platform and the presidential standard-bearer, Hillary Clinton, have said the
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Extension to Cuba
Catholic Extension plans to expand its outreach in the Caribbean region, funding church reconstruction in Cuba and expanding its century-long involvement in Puerto Rico in response to the island’s ongoing debt crisis, the Rev. Jack Wall, president of Catholic Extension, said during a news conf
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Peace Deal Defeated
The stunning defeat of a referendum on Oct. 2 for a peace deal with leftist rebels leaves Colombians with no Plan B to save an accord that sought to bring an end to a half century of hostilities. Instead of winning by an almost two-to-one margin on Sunday, as polls had predicted, those favoring the
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News Briefs
Subtly acknowledging Georgia’s ongoing territorial dispute with Russia, Pope Francis urged greater efforts to sow peace throughout the Caucasus region shortly after arriving in Tbilisi on Sept. 30. • On Sept. 27 Catholics joined a group of other faith leaders as part of the “We Stan
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News Briefs
The Nigerian government reported on Sept. 22 that President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking U.N. assistance in negotiations to exchange the kidnapped schoolgirls from Chibok for captured leaders of Boko Haram. • Catholic Extension officials announced on Sept. 19 that Melva Arbelo, director of the S
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Three Priests Killed Over Two Days
A missing priest was found shot dead off the side of a highway in western Mexico days after he was kidnapped from his parish residence, state prosecutors said on Sept. 25. He was the third Roman Catholic priest to be slain in Mexico in the last week.The Michoacan state Attorney General's Office
Posted inSigns Of the Times
Saving Christians
Speakers addressing the Helsinki Commission, a Congressional advisory group that monitors global human rights conditions, on Sept. 22 called upon the United States to step up efforts to provide financial support to nongovernmental organizations that serve thousands of displaced people in northern Ir