VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Fear and the shame of admitting one's own sins leads to pointing fingers and accusing others rather than recognizing one's own faults, Pope Francis said.     "It's difficult to admit being guilty, but it does so much good to confess with sincerity. But you must...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis began 2018 by praying that the world would demonstrate a marked increase in solidarity and welcome for migrants and refugees.             "Let's not extinguish the hope in their hearts; let's not suffocat...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Only relics that have been certified as authentic can be exposed for veneration by the faithful, said a new Vatican instruction.    Published Dec. 16 in Italian by the Congregation for Saints' Causes, the instruction clarifies and details the canonical procedure...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Celebrating his 81st birthday, Pope Francis blew out the candles on a 13-foot long pizza after being serenaded with song and dance by children and employees from a Vatican pediatric clinic.     A group of children receiving assistance from the Vatican's St. Mart...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A Nativity scene and Christmas tree, like those displayed in St. Peter's Square, are visible reminders of God's benevolence and closeness to all men and women, Pope Francis said.     The traditional Christmas displays are "the signs of the heavenly Father's comp...
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NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (CNS) – The plight of the ethnic Muslim minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state was front and center in speeches by Pope Francis and Aung San Suu Kyi, but neither publicly used the word Rohingya.             After private m...
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WASHINGTON (CNS) – The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Communications has urged the Trump administration to keep current net neutrality rules in place because an open internet, he said, is critical to the nation's faith communities and how they interact with their members.  &#...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Mass is the highest form of prayer and not an appropriate moment for small talk, Pope Francis said.     At church, Catholics should spend their time in silence before Mass, preparing "to meet with Jesus" instead of engaging in "chitchat," the pope said Nov. 15 d...
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WASHINGTON (CNS) – During their Nov. 13-14 general assembly in Baltimore, U.S. bishops are scheduled to elect the next secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, a religious liberty committee chairman and chairmen-elect for five committees, and hear an update from the bishops' work...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Like stained glass windows, the saints allow the light of God to permeate the darkness of sin in the world, Pope Francis said on the feast of All Saints.     Just as light enters a church through multi-colored windows, the lives of saints shine forth "according...
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