Francis X. Rocca - Catholic News Service

The working document for the October 2014 extraordinary Synod of Bishops offers a picture of the Catholic Church today struggling to preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings amid a "widespread cultural, social and spiritual crisis" of the family.The 75-page "instrumentum la

Pope Francis says our world economic system inevitably promotes military conflict.

Given the Holy Land's long and complex history of military, religious and cultural conflict, the run-up to Pope Francis' May 24-26 pilgrimage was inevitably marked by fears it would be marred by controversy—or worse.Now that the pope's second international trip is over, so are thos