As the week began with news of the 37 foreigners killed during the Algerian gas-plant hostage-taking, I began thinking about what else is happening around the world: Toronto: Court watches video of the death of Ashley Smith. Ashley killed herself in her prison cell while guards looked on from the outside. They say they were ...read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Retired Cardinal Jozef Glemp of Warsaw, who served as primate of the Catholic Church in Poland during the final years of communism and during the restoration of democracy, died Jan. 23 at the age of 83. Offering his condolences to Polish Catholics, Pope Benedict XVI said Cardinal Glemp had a “profound ...read more

 By Leanna Cappiello New York (S+L) Welcome to the new year! Since surviving the sorrows and savoring the successes of 2012, everyone is asking the same question, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” The top 3 answers I get when I ask this question are: lose weight, cut spending, and get organized. I see the effects ...read more

40 years ago today on January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wade legalized abortion in all 50 States. It is estimated that 55 million abortions have been legally performed in the United States since that time. People walk past the U.S. Capitol during the second March for Life in 1975 in ...read more

Are you called Carlo? My first name is also Carlo, and so we belong to the same family, the family of all those whose name is Carlo. But did you work to build this church? You did? I imagine you worked very hard. But I tell you that you are still building this church. Because ...read more

The local organizing committee of WYD Rio 2013 organized a visit of the historic image of Saint Sebastian, patron saint of the City of Rio, to various places in the diocese. In the photo above we see the Archbishop of Rio, João Orani Tempesta leading the processions to what was, until recently, one of the ...read more

President John F. Kennedy is pictured with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican in this undated photo. Fifty years after Kennedy campaigned to become the first Catholic U.S. president, much has changed about the religious makeup of the American political scene. Photo description & credit: CNS ...read more

In this week’s edition of Vatican Connection we go through the headline: the Pontifical Council for Culture takes on the issue of doping in sports, we introduce you to one of our Vatican Connections, the director and editor in chief of Catholic News Service and Royalty stops by to visit Pope Benedict. For me, the ...read more

The world was shocked by the news out of Belgium that 45-year-old deaf twins chose to be euthanized after learning that they were losing their vision. The case epitomized the “slippery slope” that euthanasia opponents have been warning about. Euthanasia is usually advocated using the example of terminally-ill patients in unbearable pain who give full ...read more

2567 God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God’s initiative of love always ...read more