Catholic officials and observers expressed hope the pope’s July 8-10 visit to Bolivia offers the opportunity to turn the page on nearly 10 years of mutual suspicions, public criticisms and the church losing its previously privileged position in a newly approved constitution.
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Greek Archbishop Hopeful for New Deal
‘For now, people just hope to survive these truly terrible conditions.’
California Assisted Suicide Bill Stalls
The primary sponsors of legislation legalizing physician-assisted suicide pulled the bill hours before a state Assembly hearing July 7, with its authors saying the bill was dead for this year.A group of Southern California Latino Democratic Assembly members broke ranks with their party to oppose the
Prominent Jesuit, Murdered in ’80, Hailed for Aiding Bolivian Democracy
Jesuit Father Luis Espinal was returning from a movie in March 1980 when he was intercepted, tortured and killed. His remains were found in a landfill. Paramilitaries were blamed for his death. Outrage ensued, with an estimated 70,000 Bolivians attending his burial in La Paz."I think it probabl
Churches Central to Communities in Bolivian City
Belfries and spires poke the sky in this ramshackle city of impromptu developments, rutted roads and brick buildings, billed by locals as one of the highest in the world at more than 13,000 feet above sea level.In the Villa Adela neighborhood, an onion dome towers over the Cuerpo de Cristo parish&md
Francis in Ecuador: Building Catholic Unity Is Key to Evangelization
Catholics will never be effective evangelizers if they are squabbling among themselves, and they cannot show the world how faith in Christ responds to the human yearning for freedom and peace if they are divided, Pope Francis said.
Cardinal Pell: Same-Sex Votes Show Society Abandoning Christian Foundations
The outcome of May's same-sex marriage referendum in Ireland and the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on the same issue clearly show the extent to which Western society is abandoning many of its Christian legal foundations, said Australian Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican's Sec
Ecuador: Jesuit Church Where Pope Will Pray a ‘Baroque Icon’
When Pope Francis enters the Jesuit church here July 7 for a moment of private prayer, he will step into an architectural gem where trees once grew up through the floor.The Iglesia de la Compania—the Jesuits, or Society of Jesus, are known as the Compania de Jesus in Spanish—is a "B
Catholic Economist: Pope Has ‘Measured’ Critique of U.S. Economy
Harsh criticisms meted out by Pope Francis on free-market capitalism have sparked backlash from some fiscal conservatives and have led some people to call him "anti-capitalist" or even Marxist.Ahead of his apostolic visit to the United States in September, some are bracing themselves for m
‘Unusual’ Alliances, Vibrant Democracy Needed to Fight Global Warming, Poverty
Democracy must return to politics and unusual alliances must form in order to get the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle poverty, said a panel of speakers attending a Vatican conference.But as people band together for change, world leaders will have to commit to real binding action
