American Alan Gross has been released in an apparent exchange with Cuba that has allowed the United States to proceed with a historic normalization of relations with Cuba after decades of hostility suspicion and economic embargo that has previously been lamented by Vatican officials as unproductive
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Five years after quake, Haiti makes slow but noticeable progress
More than 85,000 people still live in dozens of tent camps in expansive earthquake zone.
Climate pact fails to protect poor countries, say Catholic observers
The agreement reached at the end of the most recent round of international negotiations for a new climate-change treaty fails to protect the poorest and most vulnerable countries, Catholic observers said.The accord fell far short of a call from Catholic bishops from around the world to take strong m
Pakistani Catholic official calls attack on school ‘barbaric, inhuman’
Taliban attack has left at least 126 children and others dead and 250 injured.
‘Hell Has Touched Sydney,’ as Hostage Crisis Ends Violently: Archbishop: Darkness of siege cannot overcome Christ’s light
Archbishop: Darkness of siege cannot overcome Christ’s light
Religious Women’s Visitation ‘Painful at Times,’ But Promoted Unity
The apostolic visitation of U.S. communities of religious women, though initially met with some resistance, ended up promoting a greater sense of unity in the church and helped the women become more aware of how God is working in their lives, said the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Co
Vatican report calls U.S. women religious to continued dialogue
A massive, detailed Vatican-ordered investigation of U.S. communities of women religious ended with a call to the women themselves to continue discerning how best to live the Gospel in fidelity to their orders' founding ideals while facing steeply declining numbers and a rapidly aging membership
Shutdown averted but does new budget protect the poor?: Despite year-end budget deal, future spending trends less certain
The $1.1 trillion federal spending bill approved by the House of Representatives Dec. 11 and pending in the Senate avoided a repeat of last year's government shutdown and largely keeps in place social services spending, especially programs benefiting low-income families.Beyond the current fiscal
Fleeing persecution, Christian converts find safe houses in England
As a 17-year-old convert to Christianity living in Pakistan, Ali (not his real name) was stabbed in the chest and left for dead by Muslims upset he had rejected their faith.When he fled to England, his assailants tracked him down and threatened him.A chance meeting with an Anglican priest led to tem
Pope Francis continues to take ‘the world by storm’ : A pontiff popular in many nations says Pew Research
During the second year of his pontificate, Pope Francis was still feeling the love, and not just from Catholics or those from his homeland of Argentina.A Pew Research Center study released Dec. 11 showed that the pope has broad support across much of the world. Sixty percent of the 43 nations polled
