Crux Now

On contraception mandates, polls pivot on question being asked

A new poll by the Pew Research Center finds that two-thirds of Americans believe employers should be required to cover birth control, conflicting with a Marist poll showing that a majority say the government is being unfair to the Little Sisters of the Poor -- showing it's all about the question being asked.

From homeless to meeting the Pope – a story of inspiration
- Hannah Brockhaus
- September 28, 2016
On Sept. 7, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis stopped to speak with two women from the U.S. after giving his usual Wednesday General Audience, one of whom is homeless and the other runs pilgrimages for homeless people to visit the Eternal City.
Pope Francis condemns bombing of Aleppo in Syria
- Associated Press
- September 28, 2016
As the Syrian government and its Russian allies unleash a major assault on Aleppo, Pope Francis on Wednesday condemned the fresh violence, expressing “deep pain and strong worry for what’s happening” and saying he’s united in suffering through prayer and spiritual closeness” with Aleppo’s people.
U.S. bishops carefully unpacking 'Amoris Laetitia,' report says
- Carol Zimmermann
- September 28, 2016
In response to a follow-up request from the Vatican’s Office of the Synod of Bishops, prelates in the U.S. report they are “proceeding carefully” in implementation of “Amoris Laetitia,” Pope Francis’s landmark document on the family.
Children in Syria to send drawings to Pope in a plea for peace
- Inés San Martín
- September 27, 2016
Syrian Muslim and Christian children from the city of Aleppo will come together on Oct. 6 to pray for an end of the dirty war that has torn the country apart. They will also produce a statement to be sent to the world’s major powers, appealing for an end to the massacres that have seen hundreds killed in the last week alone.
National security, foreign policy concerns a factor in 2016 election
- Tom Tracy
- September 27, 2016
While foreign policy typically pales in comparison to domestic policy issues such as economic growth, income equality, health care and taxes, national security concerns seem to resonate strongly with a significant percentage of Americans in 2016.
Prayer beats pills when times are tough, pope says
- Carol Glatz
- September 27, 2016
Don’t respond to grief or anguish with pills, alcohol or avoidance, Pope Francis said in a morning homily. Figure out what is going on inside your heart, then turn to God and beg him for help, he said Sept. 27 during an early morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae.
Claretian religious order sued over sex abuse allegations
- Associated Press
- September 27, 2016
A lawsuit filed by a man who claims he was sexually abused when he was seven years old by a teenager who later became a prominent Catholic priest lawsuit names the Claretians Missionaries, a 165-year-old order that has around 3,000 priests and brothers in about 60 countries, as the principal defendant.
Catholic charity to sell Pope Francis's cars used in Poland
- Associated Press
- September 27, 2016
Three identical cars that Pope Francis used during his July visit to Poland are being auctioned online by a Catholic Church charity to fund support for Syrian refugees and Polish people in need, following similar auctions after the pontiff’s visit to the United States last year.

Pope has a chance to bond with natural Muslim ally

September 26, 2016

When Pope Francis makes a brief stop in the small Caucasus nation of Azerbaijan on Sunday, he has a chance not simply to improve Catholic/Muslim relations generally but to exploit the possibility of a natural alliance with Shiite Muslims, the second largest branch of Islam.

Vatican strives to revive idea that there’s only one “America”

September 26, 2016

With the backing of Pope Francis, the Vatican is striving to revive the “prophetic intuition” of St. Pope John Paul II that despite global divisions between north and south, there’s really only one “American” continent, stretching from Canada to the pontiff’s own native Argentina.