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Pakistan's Christian leaders have created a heightened awareness about an upcoming census that could affect how many minority parliamentary seats are available to Christians in the Muslim-majority republic.At a Karachi conference held Feb. 13, Catholic and Protestant bishops urged their pastoral workers to promote awareness among Christians about the countrywide census scheduled for March.Catholic Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi and Bishop Sadiq Daniel of the Church of Pakistan jointly presided over the conference to raise awareness on the issue among clergy, pastoral workers, Christian social and political workers."Let's step forward to unite the entire Christian nation without any distinction between creed; let's involve every single pastoral worker, including bishops, pastors, catechists and lay people, in order to get the correct numbers," Archbishop Coutts said.Bishop Daniel said that the census is very important for the Christian community. "It...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICANCITY (CNS) -- Humankind will haveto answer to God for the bloodshed of the innocent victims of war, andthe blood spilled by greed and arms trafficking, Pope Francis said. While Godhas given peace to the world, inside all human beings "there is still thatseed, that original sin, the spirit of Cain who out of envy, jealousy, greedand the desire for domination,makes war," the pope said Feb. 16 during his early morning Mass in thechapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae."Todayin the world, blood is being spilled. Today the world is at war. So manybrothers and sisters die, even innocents, because the great, the powerful wanta bigger piece of the earth; they want a little bit more power or want to gaina bit more through arms trafficking," he said. The popecentered his homily on the day's first reading in which God makes a covenantwith Noah and all of humanity after the flood and warns that he "willdemand an account for human life."Thiscovena...
IMAGE: CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano, handoutBy Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The athletes of the Special Olympicswitness to the world the beauty and value of every human life and the joy thatcomes from reaching a goal with the encouragement and support of others, PopeFrancis said."Together, athletes and helpers show us that there areno obstacles or barriers which cannot be overcome," the pope toldrepresentatives of the Special Olympics World Winter Games, which will takeplace in Austria March 14-25."You are a sign of hope for all who commit themselvesto a more inclusive society," the pope told the group Feb. 16. "Everylife is precious, every person is a gift, and inclusion enriches everycommunity and society. This is your message for the world, for a world withoutborders, which excludes no one."Pope Francis praised the passion and dedication of theSpecial Olympians as they train for their events, and said sports are good foreveryone, physically and mentally."The constant trai...
BOSTON (AP) -- Need a tooth pulled or a cavity filled? Forget the dentist. A number of states are allowing or considering letting "dental therapists," professionals with a lower level of training, do the job....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Leading Republicans described some of their plans for remaking the nation's health care system to rank-and-file House members Thursday. Participants said conflict remained, and the details and timing of how the GOP will deliver on its long-promised replacement of President Barack Obama's law went unanswered....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Thursday confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to run the White House budget office, giving the Republicans' tea party wing a voice in the Cabinet....
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysian authorities announced two more arrests Thursday in the death of the North Korean leader's half brother, whose apparent assassination this week unleashed a wave of speculation and intrigue: a pair of female assailants, a broad-daylight killing and a dictator-sibling out for blood....
BEIT EL, West Bank (AP) -- President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Israel may be causing controversy in Washington. But in this West Bank settlement, he is a well-known friend....
(Vatican Radio) War begins in a person’s heart, for this reason we are all responsible for caring for peace. This was Pope Francis’ message during his morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta.Pope Francis at Mass spoke about the sufferings of so many people whose lives are upset by wars waged by the powerful and arms traffickers.The dove, the rainbow, and the Covenant. The Holy Father spoke about these three images, present in the day’s First Reading from the Book of Genesis, in which Noah releases a dove after the flood. This dove, which returns with an olive branch, is “a sign of what God desired after the flood: peace, that is, that all would live in peace.” He said, “The dove and the rainbow are fragile. The rainbow is beautiful after a storm, but then a cloud comes and it disappears.” Even the dove, he added, is fragile. The Pope said he was reminded of when at a Sunday Angelus two years ago a seagull swooped in and killed the two d...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Thursday meeting with a delegation from the Special Olympics International in the Vatican, said they were “a sign of hope for all who commit themselves to a more inclusive society.”Listen to Lydia O’Kane's report This March the Special Olympics World Winter Games, takes place in Styria, Austria and on Thursday Pope Francis met a delegation from the Special Olympics International telling them “you will be, as the theme of this year’s event says, a “heartbeat for the world”.In a way, the Pope told those gathered, “at the heart of all sporting activity is joy: the joy of exercising, of being together, of being alive and rejoicing in the gifts the Creator gives us each day. He continued, “the sweetest victory is when we surpass ourselves – we realize what true and well-deserved joy feels like.”Sport, the Holy Fathered noted, “helps us to spread a culture of encounter and solidar...
