FEATURED

Lawmakers, lawyers and public officials who attended the Red Mass Jan. 20 were treated to a rousing homily as well as some lighthearted moments.

Families who have lots of children do not cause poverty, Pope Francis said. The main culprit is "an economic system that has removed the human person from its focus and has placed the god of money" as its priority instead.

Pope Francis stressed that, despite church doctrine against contraception, Catholics fail to practice "responsible parenthood" when they have too many children.

Pope Francis told a crowd of at least 6 million gathered in a Manila park to protect the family "against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture."

The Supreme Court Jan. 16 agreed to hear four cases over the constitutionality of same-sex marriage, tackling the questions of whether the 14th Amendment requires states to allow such marriages and whether it requires them to recognize same-sex marriages licensed in other states.

An Illinois bishop suggested 14 ways to close the racial divide. One of them: go to a weekday Mass and pray for guidance.

Commenting on recent killings by Islamist terrorists at a Paris newspaper, Pope Francis condemned killing in the name of God, but said freedom of expression should be limited by respect for religion and that mockery of faith can be expected to provoke violence.

Sr. Mary Beata Im is a sister of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, based in Monroe, New York. She has been here since 2010, and is currently the director of religious education at Christ the King Parish in Mesa.

When the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973, it also unleashed decades of protest and prayer.

The annual Charity and Development Appeal that supports individuals and families in need throughout the Diocese of Phoenix gets underway Feb. 8.