Friday, Sep 10, 2010

Church/Vatican

Farewell to arms: Former papal militia serves church with new mission
Sep. 8, 2010, By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY - A small cadre of men wearing sleek, dark blue suits and red ties with thin, yellow stripes keep their eyes on pilgrims streaming through St. Peter's Basilica. The men, who help maintain order and decorum in the basilica, especially during papal ceremonies, are ...

Vatican welcomes US plaintiffs' decision to end abuse lawsuit
Aug. 11, 2010, By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service
While underlining its condemnation of "the horror" of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, the Vatican welcomed as "good news" the imminent end of a lawsuit against the Holy See in a U.S. court.  

Pope urges fair treatment, respect for world’s refugees
Jun. 23, 2010
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI appealed for fair treatment of the world’s refugees, saying they deserve to be welcomed with respect for their rights and human dignity.

Early evidence of devotion to apostles found in Rome catacombs
Jun. 23, 2010, By Cindy Wooden
ROME – In the basement of an Italian insurance company’s modern office building, Vatican archaeologists – armed with lasers – discovered important historical evidence about the development of Christian devotion to the apostles.

Vatican urges measures to lessen maternal deaths
Jun. 23, 2010
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has urged the international community to implement social and health care measures to reduce what it called the “shocking” number of maternal deaths around the world.

The pope reinforces clerical celibacy
Jun. 15, 2010, By Sandro Magister
It is the sign, he says, that God exists and that one allows himself to be seized by passion for him. This makes it a great scandal, and the desire is to eliminate it. The complete transcript of Benedict XVI's latest statement on this issue. And of a surprising preview of it, ...

Pope asks more prayers for priests, cites beatification of two laymen
Jun. 14, 2010, By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
Speaking during his midday Angelus address June 13, two days after he formally closed the Year for Priests, the pope said the year's events were a reminder that "the priesthood is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the church and for the world."

Divorce between faith and life harms the Church, warns Argentinean archbishop
Jun. 14, 2010, By Catholic News Agency
He exhorted priests to avoid falling into a routine, as well as the superficiality that turns them into “religion officials.”

Pope asks Catholics in Cyprus to be witnesses of God’s love
Jun. 9, 2010, By Cindy Wooden
NICOSIA, Cyprus (CNS) – The Catholic minority in Cyprus and the Christian minority in the Middle East are called to be witnesses of God’s love, of hope in the face of suffering and of a tenacious commitment to dialogue for peace, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Pope says priests must be shepherds
Jun. 9, 2010
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As the Year for Priests he proclaimed draws to a close, Pope Benedict XVI said a priest’s foremost role is to be a shepherd to his flock, and he asked the faithful to support their priests in their task of bringing people closer to God.

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