Prime Minister Rui Maria de Araujo and the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, signed the accord during an official ceremony at the Government Palace in Dili, the capital city, on August 14.

More than 1,000 crosses have been forcibly removed from churches since early 2014.

Ken Hackett has a distinguished record in the humanitarian field having worked for 40 years with Catholic Relief Services.

Pope Francis is convinced that the Holy Spirit is active in popular movements.

Catholics who have divorced and are remarried “are always part of the church."

The ordination of Father Joseph Zhang Yinlin, 44, as coadjutor bishop of Anyang diocese in Henan province, mainland China, on August 4 was conducted in a way that respects church law and would appear to signal that the Chinese authorities wish to reach an accord with the Holy See.

In what could be a bellwether for Sino-Vatican relations for the first time in three years a bishop approved by the Holy See will be ordained for the Catholic Church in mainland China on August 4 Father Joseph Zhang Yinlin will be ordained then as pastor of the diocese of Anyang in the province of

I have been on all the foreign trips Francis has made since becoming pope, but his visit in July to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay revealed new dimensions of the man and the impact of his ministry.“We love people, not concepts or ideas,” he declared during a Mass in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. T

ldquo I believe the pope rsquo s visit has the potential to help us continue to pursue what makes this country great a concern for others a willingness to help others and a commitment to tackle tough problems rdquo That is what the new archbishop of Santa Fe John Wester said when I asked him

Pope Francis acknowledged that he has not given sufficient attention to the middle class when he speaks about the world rsquo s economy but instead has focused much on the polarization between the rich and the poor and the throw-away culture He said he has ldquo erred rdquo in not thinking more