Church News

A 38-year-old woman from Mexico, who asked not to be identified because she is living without documents in Arizona, poses for a photograph inside her home in Tucson in this July 2010 file photo. (CNS file photo/David Maung)

Dec. 12, 2011   By Patricia Zapor, Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON - An emotional pastoral letter to immigrants from the U.S. Hispanic and Latino Catholic bishops offers love, encouragement, welcome, sympathy and assurance that "you are not alone or forgotten."

"We recognize that every human being, authorized or not, is an image of God and therefore possesses infinite value and dignity," begins the strongly worded letter released on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Dec. 12. "We open our arms and hearts to you, and we receive you as members of our Catholic family. As pastors, we direct these words to you from the depths of our heart." Read the full article

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Faceboook and YouTube pages on John Paul II Beatification

The Holy See Press Office has published the following communique:

"In  view of the beatification of John Paul II on 1 May 2011, Vatican Radio and the Vatican Television Centre (CTV) have organised a number of initiatives and made a wide range of documentary material available.

"A new page dedicated to John Paul II for his beatification has been activated on Youtube.The page is available at the following address: http://www.youtube.com/giovannipaoloii and includes video clips on the pontificate year by year, as well as video  clips with the Pope's voice in various languages and situations (on trips and in the Vatican)."

Facing budget cuts, advocates fight to save international aid

Catholic advocates are urging their grassroots base in dioceses across the country to help save U.S.-funded programs that aid the world's poor. Such programs face funding cuts of more than 25 percent as Congress debates how to save money and reduce the federal deficit. Read more...

New media help church listen, build community, says Vatican official

A secret ingredient to good communication is listening, and interactive technologies are making that so much easier to do, said a Vatican official.

Msgr. Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, said the key to using new media successfully is in "building relationships; it's not just about transferring information."  Read about the Vatican meeting titled "Language and Communication."

Developers of new app say it could bring Catholics back to Confession
Can modern technology help strengthen our faith? Some techno-savvy Catholics from South Bend think so. Read about this new App for the iphone and find out how it could be helpful.

iPhone confession app 'no substitute' for the sacrament
A Vatican official said a new iPhone application can help Catholics prepare for Confession, but cannot substitute for the sacramental encounter between a penitent and a priest. The rest of the article can be found here.

Digital access to Vatican news now available

Recently, the Vatican announced a new “Smooth Streaming” service to broadcast papal Christmas events via the websites of Vatican Radio, the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, the council’s Pope2you site and iPhone.

Bishops’ website for marriage saw rise in popularity in 2010

The popularity of the U.S. bishops’ website for strengthening and supporting marriage, www.foryourmarriage.org, continued to grow in 2010. According to a report from Google Analytics, the website received nearly half a million visits, a 23 percent increase over 2009.

In preparation for World Marriage Day, February 13, the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth offered the following reflection on the bishops’ efforts to highlight marriage as a pastoral priority. "Is your parish a “marriage-building” community?" The file is available by clicking below.