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Expert sees focus under Francis on Latin American martyrs like Romero

Martyrdom in which a Christian is killed by a non-Christian is usually clear. The Christian is killed by someone because of their faith or because they refuse to renounce their faith. Large numbers of lay catechists, women religious, deacons, and priests were killed in various Latin American countries over the past few decades. In these cases, the people murdering them claimed to be Catholic. Can they still be martyrs?

Paglia: Pope not backing down on pro-life cause, he's doubling down

A recent decision by Pope Francis the re-found the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family may have some pro-lifers nervous, but Italian Arcchbishop Vincenzo Paglia and Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri say there's no need to be: This isn't the pope subtracting anything from the institute, they say, but doubling its importance.

Pope makes surprise visit to Rome rehabilitation center
- Cindy Wooden
- September 23, 2017
Pope Francis visited the Santa Lucia Foundation rehabilitation center in Rome on September 22, The pope began the so-called “Mercy Friday” visits in late 2015 during the Year of Mercy. The visits were designed to reflect the spiritual and corporal works of mercy with “those who live in situations of physical and social exclusion.”
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‘They killed a man but created a saint,’ archbishop says of slain priest
- Maria Wiering
- September 23, 2017
Father Stanley Rother grew up on a farm near Okarche, Oklahoma. After high school, he left home for seminary in Texas, but he was asked to leave after struggling with Latin. Undeterred, he transferred to the Emmitsburg seminary, where he met Harry J. Flynn, who was three classes ahead of him. Flynn later became Archbishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Rother was martyred in Guatemala. Flynn will be at his beatification on September 23.
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In Vatican trial, witness calls spending on cardinal's apartment 'anomalous'
- John L. Allen Jr.
- September 22, 2017
In the latest hearing of the Vatican’s first-ever trial for financial crimes, an official of the Government of the Vatican City State said that a controversial remodeling project for the private apartment of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State under Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, bypassed the normal competitive bidding process and was “singular ” and “anomalous.”
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Burke says he's not a foe of Francis, but 'confusion' needs an answer
- Crux Staff
- September 22, 2017
In a new interview with an Australian journalist, American Cardinal Raymond Burke rejected perceptions of a rift between him and Pope Francis as a “caricature,” but insisted that “the harm done to souls by the confusion and error” resulting from the pontiff’s document ‘Amoris Laetitia’ and its opening to Communion for the divorced and remarried has to be addressed.
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Educate for hope, solidarity, common good, Vatican urges
- Catholic News Service
- September 22, 2017
Currently, there are more than 216,000 Catholic schools and 1,800 Catholic universities around the world “with a student population that exceeds 60 million pupils from every faith and ethnic group.” The Vatican is asking these schools to “humanize education,” helping each student develop his or her talents and discover his or her vocation while understanding that those talents and vocations are designed to be at the service of the community and the common good of all.
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Ending human trafficking requires everyone's efforts, archbishop says
- Perry West
- September 22, 2017
Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, emphasized the importance of “multi-pronged strategies” to prevent human trafficking and aid the affected victims, and he noted the special role of women and religious personnel in offering an avenue of trust. Speaking at the UN, the archbishop said the Catholic Church is collaborating “with both the public and private sectors, including with government authorities” to help fight the crime.
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U.S. Bishops urge caution on Republican-backed healthcare bill
- Christopher White
- September 22, 2017
The United States bishops are urging caution on the proposed Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill that is currently scheduled for a Senate vote next week. Four bishops from pro-life, migration, religious liberty, and justice and human development committees sent on a letter on Thursday rejecting the partisan bill and its rushed timeline.
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Pope expresses concern over intolerance, xenophobia toward migrants and refugees
- Claire Giangravè
- September 22, 2017
“I will not hide my concern before the signs of intolerance, discrimination and xenophobia that can be found in different regions of Europe,” Pope Francis said at an audience at the Vatican. “The contemporary migrant flows represent a new missionary frontier,” he added.
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In Vatican trial, witness calls spending on cardinal’s apartment ‘anomalous’

September 22, 2017

In the latest hearing of the Vatican’s first-ever trial for financial crimes, an official of the Government of the Vatican City State said that a controversial remodeling project for the private apartment of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of State under Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, bypassed the normal competitive bidding process and was “singular ” and “anomalous.”

Pope Francis reboots the John Paul II institute on marriage and family

September 19, 2017

Pope Francis on Tuesday decided to reboot one of the signature institutions of the St. Pope John Paul II era in Catholicism, the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. From now on it will be a theological institute, with the mandate of exploring the “lights and shadows” of family life with “realism” and “love,” while also staying faithful to the Church’s teaching.