In many ways, it’s the quintessential image of Christ’s birth. With her hands folded in prayer and a golden halo encircling her equally golden hair, the Blessed Virgin Mary kneels before her newborn son. A white-haired Joseph stands nearby, carrying a lantern. Animals recline near the serene babe, while a bearded shepherd gazes at winged...Read More

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI shares “the outrage, betrayal and shame” felt by Irish Catholics over cases of clerical sexual abuse and the way abuse claims were handled by church leaders, and he plans to write a special pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, the Vatican said.Read More

DUBLIN, Ireland – The Irish bishops have apologized as a group for clerical abuse of children and agreed to work with the government to set up a mechanism to ensure that abuse allegations are properly handled.Read More

OSLO, Norway – U.S. President Barack Obama, accepting the Nobel Peace Prize Dec. 10, said extremists who “kill in the name of God” have a “warped view of religion” that is incompatible with the purpose of faith.Read More

It didn’t take Daniela Mittelkamp long to break swimming records at The Catholic High School of Baltimore.Read More

A very holy Irish Priest once said: “If you want to know what the church believes, watch how the church prays.” Yes, the Bible, creeds and catechisms are important. They give us intellectual concepts about God. They are the fingers that point toward God.Read More

In 1888, Pope XIII declared Peter Claver a saint. Under St. Peter Claver’s patronage came the African Missions, African-Americans, slavery and interracial justice. The saint is also the patron of the Diocese of Lake Charles and the Diocese of Shreveport, both in Louisiana. Pope Leo wrote of this saint, known as “the slave to the...Read More

OTTAWA – The Quebec government may be trying to usurp federal jurisdiction in launching consultations on assisted suicide, said Canadian euthanasia opponents.Read More