Free from ordeal in Sudan, woman condemned for apostasy meets pope
Pope Francis spent 30 minutes with Ibrahim, her husband and two small children July 24, just hours after she had arrived safely in Italy following a brutal ordeal of imprisonment and a death sentence for apostasy in Sudan. The pontiff thanked Ibrahim for "her steadfast witness of faith," a Vatican spokesman said.
Catholics urged to pray for cancellation of ‘black mass’
Fr. John Lankeit, rector of Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix, is urging local Catholics to gather for a 7 p.m. holy hour July 25 in order to pray that a black mass scheduled to take place Sept. 21 in Oklahoma City will be canceled.
Along the border: Agent has keen eye for signs of people on move
A former teacher is now among the 4,100 agents in the Tucson sector of U.S. Border Patrol charged with security along 262 miles of linear border extending from Arizona's Yuma County to the New Mexico state line. He gave Catholic News Service a tour of Border Patrol operations in southern Arizona.
Executive order prohibits firing of gays by U.S. government, contractors
President Barack Obama's executive order of July 21 has installed workplace rules forbidding the firing of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people by the federal government and federal contractors -- a key provision in the Employment Non-Discrimination Act languishing in Congress.
Papal puzzler: Leo XIII anonymously published riddles in Latin
The pope created lengthy riddles, known as "charades," in which readers had to guess a rebus-like answer from two or more words that together formed the syllables of a new word. A reader who submitted the correct answer to the riddle would receive a book of Latin poetry written by either Pope Leo or another noted Catholic figure.
Pope calls for prayers as militants chase all Christians out of Mosul
As the last Iraqi Christians in Mosul fled the city, Pope Francis urgently called for prayers, dialogue and peace.
At AIDS conference, Catholics remember colleagues killed on Malaysian flight
Catholics involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS took a few moments July 21 to remember their friends and colleagues who perished in the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down over eastern Ukraine.
Catholic leaders speak out about policy toward migrant kids, families
A Latin America expert for Catholic Relief Services, the head of the bishops' migration committee and the president of a Catholic college in Michigan were among those urging the government toward humanitarian responses to a surge of children and families crossing the U.S. border from Central America.
Pope urges Israeli, Palestinian leaders to end Holy Land hostilities
Pope Francis telephoned Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, both of whom he "considers to be men of peace and who want peace," urging all sides to end hostilities. The pope told the leaders that the conflict was creating "numerous victims and was giving way to a state of serious humanitarian emergency."
Love of baseball, chance to evangelize lead priest to do play-by-play
For the past decade, Fr. Craig Collison has been the play-by-play announcer for the Xs, whose home ballpark is Lewis and Clark Stadium in Sioux City. He commits to the home games of the Explorers for the season, with a particular caveat.