Church is essential for faith; there are no ‘free agents,’ pope says
At his weekly general audience June 25, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the church, telling an estimated 33,000 people that there is no such thing as "do-it-yourself" Christians or "free agents" when it comes to faith. Pope Francis described as "dangerous" the temptation to believe that one can have "a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christ without communion with and the mediation of the church."
Pope points to St. John the Baptist as model for evangelizing
In sharing the Gospel with others, Christians must be like St. John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Lord, pointing him out to others, then stepping aside, Pope Francis said.
Texas diocese responds to immigrants’ need in surge of children
More than 52,000 minors traveling alone and 39,000 families have been picked up this fiscal year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. They've been dropped off at bus stations at odd hours. As the numbers escalated, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley opened two assistance centers to respond to immediate needs.
Sudanese Catholic woman convicted of apostasy is released from prison
Meriam Ibrahim, 26, a Catholic woman convicted of apostasy for marrying a Christian, was released from prison June 23, her lawyer said.
Pope on Corpus Christi: Jesus in the Eucharist gives life, love
The body and blood of Christ, Pope Francis said, can give people eternal life because "the substance of this bread is love."
Living the Catholic faith, the pope said, means "allowing yourself to be nourished by the Lord and building your life not on material goods, but on the reality that does not perish: the gifts of God, his word and his body."
Catholic-Shiite dialogue brings agreement on weapons of mass destruction
A joint declaration by two U.S. Catholic bishops and two Shiite Islam religious leaders from Iran decries the use, and the threat of use, of weapons of mass destruction.
Pope’s words give inmates hope, say advocates for fair sentencing
The pope responded to hundreds of letters from inmates incarcerated for life as juveniles, assuring them of his prayers and that the Lord "knows and loves each one of them."
A larger movement of people is working to reform the way in which juveniles are held accountable for crimes committed as youth.
Faith compels archbishop to go to march, tell ‘whole truth’ of marriage
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco said June 16 that his Catholic faith requires him to "proclaim ... the whole truth" in support of traditional marriage.
Church rediscovers its role as mother by welcoming, loving, pope says
"If the church is not a mother — I know it is bad to say this, but she becomes an 'old maid,'" and cannot bring forth children," Pope Francis said. The church, he said, must have "a heart without limits, but not just a heart: also a certain gaze, the sweetness of Jesus' gaze, which often is more eloquent than many words."
World must help unaccompanied minors fleeing violence, official says
There's been a huge increase in the number of children traveling alone to flee war or violence calls for urgent action by the international community, a Vatican official said. "A new form of protection" is needed.