Strengthening Marriage through Life’s Humdrums 　　By Lynette Kittle 　　“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” -Ephesians 5:21 　　Often couples believe we have to make grand efforts to bring us closer together. Yet there are simple, everyday ways to draw us nearer to each other. One way is by making the humdrum things in life more of a team...

　　The Vatican secretary of state is seeking to defuse outrage over Pope Francis' latest diplomatic foray, insisting in media interviews that a primary condition for negotiations to endthe war in Ukraineis an end to Russia’s aggression and that any peace must be a “just peace.” 　　Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s chief diplomat, made the rounds with friendly Italian media the...

　　Ukrainian and allied officials Sunday criticizedPope Francisfor saying that Kyiv should have the “courage” to negotiate an end tothe war with Russia, a statement many interpreted as a call for Ukraine to surrender. 　　The foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland, a vocal ally of Kyiv, condemned the pope’s remarks. And a leader of one of Ukraine’s Christian churches on Sunday...

　　The work of protecting minors and other vulnerable people in the Catholic Church involves holding those in positions of power accountable for the abuse they commit,PopeFrancis said. 　　The church's safeguarding efforts must undoubtedly aim at eradicating situations that protect those who hide behind their positions to impose themselves on others in a perverse way, thepopewrote in amessageto participants in a...

　　The saints are not unreachable exceptions of humanity but ordinary people who worked diligently to grow invirtue,PopeFrancis said. 　　It is wrong to think of the saints as a kind of small circle of champions who live beyond the limits of our species, thepopewrote in the catechesis for his generalaudienceMarch 13 in St. Peter's Square. Instead, they are those who fully...

　　Pope Francissays he has no plans to resign andisn’t suffering from any health problemsthat would require doing so, saying in a new memoir he still has “many projects to bring to fruition.” 　　Francis, 87, made the comments in an autobiography, “Life: My Story Through History,” which is being published Tuesday, the 11thanniversary of his installation as pope. Extensive excerpts were...

　　The pope's commission for advancing the Catholic Church's efforts to prevent the abuse of vulnerable persons is due to submit its first annual report on the state of safeguarding in the church. 　　In astatementdated March 8 and sent to reporters March 11, the commission said it had approved the submission of its pilot annual report on safeguarding policies and procedures...

　　Pope Francis' call for the world to address the coming consequences of global climate change has not garnered enough attention at the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference, said a leading American cardinal. 　　In an exclusive interview with National Catholic Reporter in late February, San Diego Cardinal Robert McElroy said the pope's environmental vision has not gotten the attention of the conference...

　　A Prayer for Personal Reflection and Growth This Easter Season 　　By Emma Danzey 　　Philippians 3:12 says, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” 　　Easter is a holiday that we as believers are privileged to celebrate....

　　Government restrictions on religion are at a global high. 　　Social hostility toward religion, however, has ticked downward. 　　So concludes the Pew Research Center in its 14th annual analysis of the extent to which 198 nations and territoriesand their citizensimpinge on religious belief and practice. 　　Some sort of harassment of religious groups was recorded in all but eight. 　　The 2024 report,...

　　Michael Knott, whose music and influence helped cultivate the Christian alternative music scene of the 1990s and 2000s, died Tuesday at the age of 61. He is survived by his daughter, Stormie Fraser. 　　Knott was the founder of the label Blonde Vinyl and later collaborated with Brandon Ebel to launch the highly influential Tooth Nail Records, known for bands like...

　　Tacitus at the beginning of his Annals, after brilliantly summarizing all of Roman history in the space of a few paragraphs, ends by providing an answer to a question that must have arisen in the minds of his Roman readers. Why was it that the present generation offered such little resistance to the revolutionary transformation of the republic into a...