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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration hosted senators for an extraordinary White House briefing Wednesday at a perilous moment with North Korea, marked by the unpredictable nation's nuclear threats and stern talk of military action, if necessary, from the United States....
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis had special greetings for Polish pilgrims at the weekly General Audience on Wednesday, during which the Holy Father recalled the celebration of the feast of St. Adalbert, one of the Patrons of Poland.Born in the 10th century, St. Adalbert was the bishop of Prague, and a missionary to the Baltic peoples, who received martyrdom for his efforts to bring them the gospel."This past Sunday," said Pope Francis, "on the feast of Divine Mercy, we also commemorated St. Adalbert, Patron of Poland: it was also an occasion to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the institution of the Primatial See at Gniezno. To the protection of this great Bishop and Martyr [St. Adalbert], who carried the gospel message and the witness of Christian life into yuor lands, I entrust all the pastors and the faithful of the Church in Poland."The Holy Father went on to say, "Keep your spiritual and cultural tradition alive for future generations, for that traditi...
(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Holy See Press Office, Greg Burke, held a briefing for the press on the XIX Meeting of the Cardinal Councillors with Pope Francis.The Council of Cardinals, he said, met with the Holy Father for three days: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 24-26 April. All of the members of the Council were present. Pope Francis was absent from the morning meeting on Wednesday on account of the General Audience.The working sessions took place in the mornings from 9-12:30 and in the afternoons from 16:30-19:00. The sessions were dedicated to further considerations on the various dicasteries of the Curia; in particular, there were continued discussions concerning the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide), and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The Cardinals also considered texts to propose to the Holy Father regarding the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; the Pontifical Council for Legislative...
Myanmar’s prominent Catholic Church leader on Wednesday reminded his counterparts from other faiths about their moral obligation to build peace and harmony at the grassroots levels in the strife-torn nation. Speaking at an interreligious peace conference in Yangon, Cardinal Charles Bo told leaders from Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, that the wish for peace needs to shine through every word and deed, and solutions must be found through "dialogue and mutual understanding." The cardinal who is Archbishop of Yangon, stressed the importance of the Panglong conference which seeks to bring together the country's diverse ethnic groups to discuss how to end conflict and negotiate a permanent solution. "Peace and harmony at the grassroots level will help all the future Panglong peace conferences. Religious people have a role in dialogue and peacemaking," Cardinal Bo said in his keynote speech April 26 while addressing some 200 par...
(Vatican Radio) An American Catholic priest ministering in Egypt has said Christians there fear for their safety and talk about wanting to leave their homeland in the wake of the Palm Sunday terrorist attacks north of Cairo that killed dozens of people.Ahead of Pope Francis' visit to Egypt, Father Doug May told Vatican Radio that residents in several predominantly Christian villages that he visited this month are anxious about their future.'Tired of feeling vulnerable'Fr May, a priest of the Maryknoll mission movement, said: “It’s the first time that even the successful [Christian villagers] who have fairly nice houses and a decent lifestyle have told me, "If I could leave, I would leave because I am tired of feeling vulnerable in a country that I should call my own because I am being tolerated at best but I am not being accepted as an equal citizen.”Fr May said he hoped Pope Francis’ visit to Cairo would promote solidarity between leaders ...
Indian Catholic Church officials have urged for dialogue with Maoist rebels after the insurgents killed 25 paramilitary police and injured 6 in their latest attack in a remote region in Chhattisgarh state. Hundreds of rebels ambushed a contingent of paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force guarding road construction workers in Sukma district on April 24. The attack has raised fears that the five-decade insurgency is seeing a revival. This year is already one of the bloodiest in recent years, with 72 soldiers killed in the rebel heartland of Chhattisgarh. By comparison, 36 were killed during all of last year. Monday’s attack was the second such attack this year. At least 12 paramilitary personnel were killed on March 12 in a similar attack in the same district which is a Maoist-stronghold. Indian soldiers have been battling the rebels across several central and northern states since 1967, when the militants - also known as Naxalites - be...
(Vatican Radio) The 2017 Templeton Prize has been awarded to American philosopher Alvin Plantinga for his pioneering work to put religious belief “back on the philosophical agenda”.Beginning in the late 1950s, his research and writing explored a variety of arguments for the existence of God, at a time when academics generally rejected religiously informed philosophy.Listen to our report: His work has influenced three generations of academics, helping to ensure that universities around the world now include philosophy professors who bring their diverse religious convictions to bear on their work.Affirming life's spiritual dimensionThe Templeton Prize is awarded annually to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery or practical works. Previous winners include Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who received the inaugural award in 1973, Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Anglican...
IMAGE: CNS photo/TED.comBy Keanine GriggsVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While searching for a connection today oftenmeans looking for Wi-Fi, Pope Francis said real connections between people arethe only hope for the future."How wonderful would it be if the growthof scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equalityand social inclusion," he said in a video talk played April 25 for 1,800people attending TED 2017 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and posted online with subtitles in 20languages."How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, torediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us," thepope said in the talk that TED organizers had been advertising as that of a"surprise guest."Pope Francis spoke to the internationalconference about combating the current "culture of waste" and "techno-economicsystems" that prioritize products, money and thingsover people."Good intentions and conventionalformulas, so often used to appease our consc...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians always have hope, nomatter how bleak, bad or uncertain the journey, because they know God is alwaysby their side, Pope Francis said.In fact, "even crossing parts of the world (thatare) wounded, where things are not going well, we are among those who, even there,continue to hope," he said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter'sSquare April 26.Just a few days before his visit to Cairo April 28-29,the pope continued his series of talks on the nature of Christian hope, sayingit is rooted in knowing God will always be present, even to the end of time.The Gospel of St. Matthew, he said, begins with the birthof Jesus as Emmanuel -- "God with us" -- and ends with the risenChrist telling his doubtful disciples to go forth and teach all nations,assuring them that "I am with you always, until the end of the age."The apostle shows how "ours is not an absent God,sequestered in a faraway heaven. Instead he is a God 'impas...
NEW YORK (AP) -- Jonathan Demme, the Oscar-winning director of "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia," and whose Talking Heads documentary "Stop Making Sense" is considered one of the greatest concert films ever, has died. He was 73....
