Church

VATICAN – Pope Francis on Sunday officially declared Mother Teresa of Calcutta a saint of the Catholic Church in front of thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square – a move the entire world has been waiting for.

Prayer for Victims of TerrorismO Lord, God of mercy and compassion,look down with infinite kindness on our brothers and sisters who are innocent victims of terrorism. Call to your side those who have died. Be with those who are critically wounded.Comfort their loved ones, Lord. Embrace them, strengthen them with your love.May terrorists be flushed out and meted due justice for their inhuman crimes. Turn their minds and hearts away from their murderous beliefs that are so contrary to your will.O Loving and Merciful God, heal our broken hearts, our broken relationships, our broken land.

VATICAN ( and//www.catholicnewsagency.com/ CNA/EWTN News ).- In his general audience Pope Francis spoke of the essential role parents play in educating their children – a role he said has been usurped by so-called experts who have taken the place of parents and rendered them fearful of making any correction. If family education regains its prominence, many things will change for the better.

MANILA – More than its international obligations to protect refugees, the Philippines has a moral imperative to help vulnerable migrants who will seek solace at the country’s shores, the Catholic hierarchy said.After other Southeast Asian turned thousands of boat people” from Myanmar and Bangladesh away, refusing them the comfort of even just a temporary stay, CBCP President Archbishop Socrates Villegas said there was a duty to treat the refugees with compassion.

MANILA — Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been elected as the new president of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of global Catholic charities.He was elected by more than 300 Caritas delegates from around the world at the second day of their general assembly in Rome on Thursday.The first Asian elected to head the confederation of worldwide Catholic charities will replace the agency’s current president Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa after serving his second and last term.Cardinal Tagle will become the global representative of the Caritas confederatio

MANILA — A Catholic bishop has expressed his concern for the victims of recent fire at a warehouse in Valenzuela City that left dozens of people dead. We condole with the families and pray for the eternal repose of the victims,” Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros said.

MANILA – Pope Francis has appointed a new bishop to the Apostolic Vicarate of Bontoc-Lagawe.The appointment of Fr. Valentin Dimoc was announced by the Vatican at 6and00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6.Bishop-elect Dimoc will the fifth bishop of the vicariate, which covers the two civil provinces of Ifugao and the Mountain Province.The vicariate has been without bishop since January 2013 after Bishop Rodolfo Beltran, who served the area for seven years, was and installed as bishop of La Union.For two years, it has been under the care of Fr.

MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato - Jolo Bishop Angelito Lampon, OMI will administer today the presbyteral ordination of Rev. Jaime C. Mallo Jr, OMIand Rev. Ronnie Torres, OMI.Members of theOblates of Mary Immaculate and Diocesan clergy are in attendance for the Eucharistic celebration at the Sto Nino Shrine in Midsayap, North Cotabato. Mass starts at 9 a.m. today.Now belonging to the so called Specialists of the most difficult mission of the Church in Mindanao, Rev. Mallo and Torres are the latest addition to the Oblate missionaries serving various ministries in Mindanao, Sulu and Manila.

Kathmandu, Nepal( and//www.catholicnewsagency.com/ CNA/EWTN News )- Pope Francis is praying for the victims of a massive earthquake that shook Nepal and surrounding areas in Kathmandu Valley on Saturday morning, according to a report from Vatican Radio.The earthquake measured a 7.9 on the Richter Scale and wreaked havoc on the densely populated area, where officials fear the death toll could surpass 1,000, and the number of injured could be more than 1,700, according to reports from BBC.The epicenter of the quake was 80 km northwest of th

MANILA, April 26,2015 –- Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle and Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Socrates B. Villegas will address nearly a thousand delegates, faith-based groups’ representatives, academicians, social scientists and concerned citizens during the 2nd Marriage Encounter Foundation of the Philippines (MEFP) National Congress on July 25 at the Century Park Hotel, Manila. Villegas, who also heads the Archdiocese of Lingayen – Dagupan, will speak at 10and00 a.m.