The text message read, “Meet your replacement.” Soon after, the picture arrived. I saw a litter of puppies, most playing and roaming around in the background, except for one. One puppy stood firmly with his back toward the camera, but with his head turned over his shoulder staring directly into the lens. His two huge Read more
There is no more sacred place in Christianity than the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. And now you can visit it — virtually, anyway — in the nation’s capital at the interactive “Tomb of Christ” exhibit of the National Geographic Museum that unifies cutting-edge science and technology with faith. The science has been Read more
Suffering is an essential ingredient of our faith and humanity. One who doesn’t suffer with suffering brothers . . . must question himself on the sincerity of his faith and of his humanity, Pope Francis says. His comments were made in the context of the Rohingya minority, who are persecuted in Myanmar. Read more
Retired Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun of Hong Kong says the Holy See’s diplomacy seeks a compromise at all costs with the Chinese government, risking “to sell out the faithful Church”. Zen’s comments were made during Mass in his homily, where he recalled Fr. Wei Heping (Yu Heping), who died two years ago in mysterious and Read more
Young people helping the Vatican hierarchy prepare for next year’s Synod say the bishops should be open to hearing young people talk about sex, love and sexuality. The theme for the October 2018 conference is “Young people, faith, and vocational discernment”. To involve young people in planning and preparation for the conference, the Secretariat General of Read more
You probably recognise David Harewood from one of several major television series. In recent years the British actor has played significant roles in Homeland, Supergirl, The Night Manager and Doctor Who, to name but a few. Now he’ll be opening the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) at the BT Tower on September 6 with his Read more
The Vatican says the Pope’s upcoming visit to Colombia is about about renewing the Catholic faith of Colombians so violence may be fought at its root. It is not about making a political statement. Read more
NEW YORK (RNS) Sister Patricia Daly is a Dominican nun who has been lobbying corporations to be socially responsible for so long that she has a rich trove of stories about battling recalcitrant execs and pushing faith-based resolutions at shareholder meetings. But one of her favorites dates from just a few years ago when she Read more
We were nearing the end of a writing workshop and it was time for questions. Given the subjects covered, I expected queries about submissions, publishers or maybe agents. But the first question was, “Do you think writing is like meditation?” and from that evolved a vigorous conversation about the spiritual aspect of inspiration and creative Read more
Not believing in the devil isn’t a good idea, warns Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles Chaput. There is a medieval Christian saying, “no devil, no Redeemer,” he says. “The modern world makes it hard to believe in the devil. But it treats Jesus Christ the same way. And that’s the point.” Read more