VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI’s four-day visit to Portugal will focus on spiritual, political and economic questions seen as crucial for the country and the rest of modern Europe.Read More

Today is the feast of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which honors her presentation in the temple when she was just a child. The feast began circa the seventh century; however, it was brought to the Western church in the 14th century. Pope Pius V eliminated the feast, but Pope Sixtus V brought...Read More

Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents. These innocents are the children killed by Herod while he attempted to kill the infant Jesus. The Holy Innocents are patron saints of infants and children’s choirs.Read More

WASHINGTON – Two recent outbreaks of violence that claimed nearly 1,000 lives in northern Nigeria show that the country’s political leaders are unable to effectively resolve conflicts that transcend both socio-economic and religious issues, said a U.S. government commission.Read More

HAVANA – Economic woes and accusations of human rights abuses have thrust Cuba into “a difficult situation, the most difficult we have experienced in the 21st century,” said Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino.Read More

WASHINGTON – Pope Benedict XVI has named Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., 59, as archbishop of Miami and accepted the resignation of Archbishop John C. Favalora, 74, who has headed the archdiocese since 1994.Read More

During the preparation of the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Pope Paul VI proposed that the constitution’s discussion of papal primacy include the affirmation that the pope is “accountable to the Lord alone.” This suggestion was rejected by the Council’s Theological Commission, which wrote that “the Roman Pontiff is also bound to...Read More

MINNEAPOLIS - The annual convention of the National Catholic Educational Association April 6-8 in Minneapolis featured keynote speakers and workshops tailored to address different Catholic school interests including marketing, administration and religious education for the 8,500 Catholic educators, administrators and leaders in attendance.Read More