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28

Mar

By stbarnabasgh

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News

Study finds nearly 70% of Catholics who have not gone to confession in the past year want to go

This Lent, a new study finds that two-thirds of Catholics who have not attended confession in the last year say they are open to going. According to “The Catholic Pulse Report: The Confession Study,” which surveyed 1,500 Catholics in the U.S. who attend Mass “at least occasionally,” 67% of respondents who have not been to confession in the past year said they are open to returning, and half of those said they would like to go more often. The study, conducted by the Vinea Research Group, a Catholic nonprofit, found that only 20% of Catholics go to confession regularly (defined as…

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28

Mar

By stbarnabasgh

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News

Catholic groups offer aid, shelter to displaced people in Lebanon

Catholic organizations in the Middle East are helping provide aid, food, and shelter to people in Lebanon who are displaced by the ongoing military conflict, and some people remain concerned that a possible full-scale invasion by Israel could exacerbate the crisis. Lebanon was pulled into the regional conflict when Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters launched missiles into northern Israel and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) returned fire in their strongholds, primarily southern Lebanon. Monalisa Freiha, associate editor and deputy editor-in-chief at An-Nahar Al Arabi, spoke to “EWTN News Nightly” on March 26 with concerns for Lebanese people, saying they “did not choose this…

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28

Mar

By stbarnabasgh

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News

Pope Leo XIV explains why the priesthood is reserved to men

Pope Leo XIV on Wednesday said priestly ministry in the Catholic Church, entrusted only to men, is understood in light of apostolic succession and called for priests who are “ardent with evangelical charity” and “courageous missionaries.” During his March 25 catechesis dedicated to the dogmatic constitution Lumen Gentium, from the Second Vatican Council, Leo explained that the Church “is founded on the apostles, whom Christ appointed as the living pillars of his mystical body.” Speaking in St. Peter’s Square, the pontiff emphasized that the Church possesses a “hierarchical structure that works in the service of the unity, mission, and sanctification of all her…

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28

Mar

By stbarnabasgh

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News

Pope Leo praises organ donation, warns about commodification of the body

Pope Leo XIV on Thursday said organ donation is a noble act that should be governed by fair and transparent criteria, avoiding “any form of commodification of the human body.” He also encouraged the safeguarding of the well-being of patients in his comments to participants of an event organized by the Italian National Transplant Network at the Vatican on March 26. The Holy Father thanked those who serve human life “in its moments of greatest fragility.” The first donation by Blessed Carlo Gnocchi In his speech, the pope recalled the first organ donation carried out in Italy, when Blessed Carlo…

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28

Mar

By stbarnabasgh

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News

Pope Leo XIV set to meet with first female archbishop of Canterbury

The announcement came just two days after Sarah Mullally’s installation as archbishop of Canterbury. Pope Leo XIV is set to meet with Sarah Mullally, the first female archbishop of Canterbury, as part of Mullally’s planned visit to Rome from April 25–28. The announcement of the visit came from Lambeth Palace just two days after Mullally’s installation, which made her the first woman to hold the highest-ranking role in the Church of England. It is also notable that the ascension of Mullally to that post continues to have significant repercussions within Anglicanism. Earlier this month, the Global Anglican Future Conference —…

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28

Jan

By stbarnabasgh

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NewsAI, Aquinas, Artificial Intelligence, St. Thomas Aquinas

What would Thomas Aquinas make of AI?

According to one German theologian, the Catholic saint and doctor of the Church can contribute to contemporary discussions about AI’s risks and role in society. What would Thomas Aquinas think of artificial intelligence (AI), and what does a large language model think of Thomas Aquinas? According to one German theologian, the Catholic saint and doctor of the Church can contribute to contemporary discussions about AI’s risks and its role in society. In an interview with CNA Deutsch, the German-language sister service of EWTN News, Thomas Marschler, who holds the chair of dogmatics at the University of Augsburg, said: “Of course, Thomas could…

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28

Jan

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NewsA.I, Artificial Intelligence, Human Beings

Let communication be conducted by real human beings, not AI, pope says

Humanity must not allow technology, especially AI, to obscure, exploit or suppress human voices, needs, knowledge, talents, creativity and critical thinking abilities, Pope Leo XIV said. Algorithms designed to maximize engagement on social media can lock people into "bubbles" of easy consensus and rage, weakening people's ability to listen and think critically, and increasing polarization, the pope wrote in his message for the World Day of Communications. "Added to this is a naively uncritical reliance on artificial intelligence as an omniscient 'friend,' a dispenser of all information, an archive of all memory, an 'oracle' of all advice," which can also further erode the ability to…

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28

Jan

By stbarnabasgh

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Newsantisemitism, genocide, Pope Leo XIV, prejudice

Pope appeals for end to antisemitism, prejudice, genocide

Pope Leo XIV called for an end to all antisemitism, prejudice, oppression and persecution worldwide. "I renew my appeal to the community of nations always to remain vigilant so that the horror of genocide never again befall any people and that a society based on mutual respect and the common good be built," he said Jan. 28. The pope made his remarks during his greeting to Italian-speaking visitors after leading his general audience talk in the Paul VI Audience Hall. The pope recalled the previous day's commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked Jan. 27 each year, the anniversary of the day in…

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27

Jan

By stbarnabasgh

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NewsChristians, God, Humility, Joy

All Christians must humbly, joyfully invite others to trust in God, pope says

All Christians are called to invite everyone to trust in Christ, who enlightens and consoles, Pope Leo XIV said. "Every authentic encounter with the Lord is, in fact, a transformative moment that grants a new vision and a new direction for the task of building up the Body of Christ," the pope said as he closed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 25 during an ecumenical evening prayer service at Rome's Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Every year, the week "invites us to renew our commitment to this great mission, bearing in mind that the divisions among us — while…

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15

Jan

By stbarnabasgh

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NewsCatholic News, God, Listen

God speaks to the faithful; take time to listen every day, pope says

If Christians are to speak about God, then they must dedicate time each day and week to listening to God's word in prayer and the liturgy, Pope Leo XIV said. "We are called to live and cultivate friendship with the Lord" through prayer, he said Jan. 14 during his weekly general audience. "This is achieved first of all in liturgical and community prayer, in which we do not decide what to hear from the Word of God, but it is he himself who speaks to us through the Church," he said. "It is then achieved in personal prayer, which takes place in the interiority…

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