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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- President Donald Trump's order to ease limits on political activity by religious organizations is being met with both enthusiasm and dread from religious leaders, with some rejoicing in the freedom to preach their views and endorse candidates and others fearing the change will erode the integrity of houses of worship....
PARIS (AP) -- France's election campaign commission said Saturday "a significant amount of data" has been leaked on social networks following a hacking attack on centrist Emmanuel Macron's presidential campaign....
(Vatican Radio) Each year on May 6, the new recruits for the Pontifical Swiss Guard are sworn in at an impressive, and ancient, ceremony in the San Damaso Courtyard of the Apostolic Palace. The forty new Swiss Guards are the first group of recruits to go through the new model of training, which includes a month of instruction at the famous Swiss Guards’ school at Isone in the canton of Ticino before beginning their courses at the Vatican.Ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, the new recruits, with their families and friends, and the other members of the Swiss Guard, were received by Pope Francis at an audience in the Sala Clementina.The presence of so many visitors from Switzerland, the Pope said, “manifests the affection of Swiss Catholics for the Holy See, Christian education, and the good example through which the parents have transmitted to their children the faith, the value of pertaining to the Christian community, and the significance of ecclesial service.”Po...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday accepted the resignation of the Melkite Greek Patriarch of Antioch, His Beatitude Gregory III Laham, from his pastoral office. A letter from the Holy Father to the Patriarch-emeritus and all the Melkite bishops explains that His Beatitude presented his resignation during the course of a special audience with the Holy Father in February, and that the Holy Father has decided to accept the resignation.In the letter, Pope Francis thanks the 83 year-old Patriarch-emeritus, “a zealous servant of the People of God, for the generous service to his Church and for keeping the international community’s attention focused on the tragedy of Syria.”The Holy Father goes on to write, “I invoke upon you all the intercession of The Holy Mother of God and willingly give the Apostolic Blessing to our dear Greco-Melkite Church as a sign of grace and encouragement for the future of communion and witness of the Gospel.”Below, please f...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday received the president of the Swiss Confederation, Doris Leuthard, in audience at the Vatican. President Leuthard subsequently met with Abp Paul Richard Gallagher, secretary for Relations with States.A communique from the Holy See Press Office said, “During the cordial discussions, aside from mentioning the generous service of the Pontifical Swiss Guard on the day of the swearing in of new members, the parties emphasized the mutual wish to further strengthen the existing good relations between the Holy See and Switzerland, and to intensify collaboration between the Catholic Church and the State.”The statement continued, “Various themes of common interest were then considered, such as the future of the European continent, the reception of migrants, the challenge of the world of work for the young, the fight against terrorism and commitment to the protection of the environment.”The Swiss president will be present on Sa...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Saturday appointed an Apostolic Nuncio to Qatar. Filipino Archbishop Francisco Montecillo Padilla who is serving as Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrein, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula, has now been appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Qatar as well. He takes over from Canadian-born Arch. Petar Antun Rajic who was transferred as Apostolic Nuncio to Angola and Sao Tome and Principe in June 2015. Arch. Padilla was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Kuwait and Apostolic Delegate to the Arabian Peninsula in April 2016. The 63-year old prelate has served in the Holy See’s diplomatic missions in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Austria, India, Japan and Australia. He was also Apostolic Nuncio to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. Prior to his appointment to the Arabian Peninsula, Archbishop Padilla was Apostolic Nuncio in Tanzania. The Archbishop is f...
(Vatican Radio) A new Bishop has succeeded in the Diocese of Ba Ria Diocese in Vietnam. After Pope Francis accepted the resignation on Saturday of Bishop Thomas Nguyen Van Tram on reaching the retirement age of 75, Coadjutor Bishop Emmanuel Nguyen Hong Son became the bishop. Unlike an auxiliary bishop, a coadjutor bishop has the right to succession in the case of the retirement, resignation or death of the current bishop. Pope Francis had appointed Bishop Hong Son, who is 64, Coadjutor of Ba Ria in Nov. 2015. Ba Ria is a suffragan of Thanh-Pho Ho Chi Minh (Hochiminh Ville) ecclesiastical territory.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Todd Pletcher will saddle three horses in the Kentucky Derby, a race that features no clear favorite and a chance of early rain....
MONZA, Italy (AP) -- Eliud Kipchoge was 26 seconds from making history on Saturday but the Olympic champion finished just short of becoming the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours....
BEIRUT (AP) -- Relative calm prevailed Saturday in wide parts of war-ravaged Syria despite sporadic violations and clashes after a deal to set up "de-escalation zones" in mostly opposition-held areas went into effect, opposition activists and government media outlets said....