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Vatican City, Mar 2, 2017 / 11:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his prayer video for March, Pope Francis prays for persecuted Christians, asking for the prayers and aid of the whole Church toward those mistreated on the basis of their beliefs.“How many people are being persecuted because of their faith, forced to abandon their homes, their places of worship, their lands, their loved ones!” the Pope says in the video.Released March 2, the video shows people from different countries being photographed as if arrested, then holding up signs reading “Protestant,” “Catholic,” and "Orthodox.”“They are persecuted and killed because they are Christians,” the Pope says. “Those who persecute them make no distinction between the religious communities to which they belong.”The video continues with real footage of destroyed churches in the Middle East, followed by clips of adults and children praying in a church, at home, and at a s...
Rome, Italy, Mar 2, 2017 / 11:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis met Thursday with priests of the Diocese of Rome, delivering a lengthy meditation on St. Peter and his example of faith – which, though imperfect, grows and develops throughout his discipleship.Looking at the Gospels, “we see that the faith of Simon Peter has a special character: it is a proven faith, and with it he has a mission to confirm and strengthen the faith of his brothers, our faith,” he said March 2.St. Peter had moments of both weakness and greatness in his faith, the Bishop of Rome pointed out.But in the end, if we follow his example and have the same “awareness of having ‘little faith,’ along with the humility to let ourselves be helped … this is the point of healthy self-esteem in which is rooted the seed of that faith ‘to confirm others,’” he said.As well as to ability to follow the command “‘to build upon this rock’ which i...
IMAGE: CNS/L'Osservatore RomanoBy Junno Arocho EstevesROME (CNS) -- Faith is a continuing path of growth andmaturity that cannot progress without the presence of temptations, Pope Francistold priests of the Diocese of Rome.Howfaith develops in "a man, in a priest" despite his flaws can be seenin St. Peter, the pope said March 2 as he led a meditation with diocesanand religious clergy. "One thing is clear: Temptation is always present in thelife of Simon Peter and temptation is always present in our lives. Moreover,without temptation, you cannot progress in faith. In the 'Our Father,' we askfor the grace to not fall butnot to not be tempted," he said. The meeting, held at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, wasdelayed for roughly 45 minutes as Pope Francis heard the confessions of a dozen priests,according to the Vatican press office. Greeted with a warm applause by the priests, the pope saidthat he would not read his entire meditation and instead focus on key aspectsof his talk, tit...
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of SalesiansBy BANGALORE, India (CNS) -- TheSalesians have organized a special prayer meeting to mark the one-yearanniversary of the kidnapping of Indian Salesian Father Tom Uzhunnalil.The priest was kidnapped in Aden,Yemen, March 4, 2016, in an attack in which four Missionaries of Charity and atleast 12 others were killed."We are deeply distressed by thedelay in assuring his release," the Salesians of Bangalore province saidin a statement reported on by the Rome-based Salesian news agency, ANS. Father Uzhunnalil had beenliving at the home for the elderly and disabled since September 2015, when HolyFamily Parish in Aden was sacked and burned.After the attack, Pope Francisdescribed the Aden murders as an "act of senseless and diabolicalviolence."Bishop Paul Hinder,head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, told Catholic News ServiceMarch 28 that he had "strong indications" that Father Uzhunnalil "isstill alive in the hands of his kidnappers."The pra...
CHICAGO (AP) -- Federal law enforcement officials executed a search warrant Thursday at three central Illinois facilities of Caterpillar, one of the largest construction equipment manufacturers in the world....
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota officials are bracing for billions of dollars in additional health care expenses if congressional Republicans enact a plan they're discussing to replace the Affordable Care Act, according to a draft document obtained by The Associated Press....
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syria's military announced on Thursday it has fully recaptured the historic town of Palmyra from the Islamic State group as the militants' defenses crumbled and IS fighters fled in the face of artillery fire and intense Russia-backed airstrikes....
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) -- President Donald Trump pledged to boost defense spending as he basked in the nation's military might aboard a next-generation Naval aircraft carrier on Thursday....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions twice spoke with the Russian envoy to the U.S. during the 2016 presidential campaign, a fact that seemingly contradicts sworn statements he made to Congress during his confirmation hearings. The revelation prompted calls for Sessions to resign or recuse himself from a probe into Trump campaign contacts with Russia. Some Democrats demanded an investigation into whether the nation's top law enforcement official committed perjury....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Influential Republicans joined a chorus of Democrats Thursday in calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to withdraw from an investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election after revelations he twice met with the Russian ambassador and didn't say so when pressed by Congress....
