Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Pope’s ground zero visit was somber moment for 9/11 survivors, relatives

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Pope Francis meets family members of victims of the 9/11 terror attacks as he visits the ground zero memorial in New York Sept. 25. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)   NEW YORK — Pope Francis’ Sept. 25 visit to ground zero was unlike any of his other stops in New York or Washington. It was somber, quiet […]

Pope Francis in Cuba: ‘We do not serve ideas, we serve people’

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People cheer as Pope Francis arrives for Mass in Revolution Square in Holguin, Cuba, Sept. 21. (CNS photo/Edgard Garrido, Reuters)   HAVANA — As Cubans finally face the prospects of calmer relationships and greater ease of communication and commerce with the United States, Pope Francis told the Cuban people that love and service, not anyone’s […]

Pope makes annulments quicker, cheaper, more pastoral

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Byzantine Bishop Dimitrios Salachas of Greece, second from left, speaks at a a press conference for the release of Pope Francis’ documents concerning changes to marriage annulments at the Vatican Sept. 8. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)   VATICAN CITY — While a juridical process is necessary for making accurate judgments, the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process […]

Stephen Colbert discusses faith, joy and humor

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Stephen Colbert, who took over Sept. 8 as host of CBS’ “Late Night” program, said in an interview for Canada’s Salt and Light Television that his “Colbert Report” character was intended to be a “well-intentioned, poorly informed, high-status idiot.” Colbert is pictured in a 2013 photo. (CNS photo/Lucy Nicholson, Reuters)   WASHINGTON — Stephen Colbert, […]

Father John Catoir: Trusting in God’s hidden hand

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Faith teaches us that divine providence is somehow at work behind the scenes in the day-to-day events of our lives. Ask yourself, How did your parents meet? What sparked the mutual attraction between them? They probably met by accident, or so it seemed to them. Whatever the explanation might have been, the fact is that […]

Father Kenneth Doyle: Are announcements part of Mass?

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Q: I am uncomfortable when Mass is interrupted by announcements relating to parish activities and events prior to the actual end of Mass. After holy Communion at our parish, when the vessels have been cleaned and the priest is seated behind the altar, general announcements are made. Then, after the reader has concluded, the priest […]

Pope extends possibilities for absolution in Year of Mercy

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Pope Francis, seen praying during his weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Aug. 26, has issued a letter offering a series of instances in which absolution can be granted during the Year of Mercy. (CNS photo/Ettore Ferrari, EPA)   VATICAN CITY — In an extraordinary gesture for the Year of Mercy, Pope […]

Priests in U.S., Canada can already absolve those who had abortions

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BALTIMORE — Pope Francis’ Sept. 1 announcement that priests worldwide will be able to absolve women for the sin of abortion will have little effect on pastoral practices in the United States and Canada, where most priests already have such authority in the sacrament of reconciliation. “It is my understanding that the faculty for the […]

The Francis challenge: The Holy Father will call on the U.S. Congress, U.N. General Assembly to live up to their ideals

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Pope Francis waves as he arrives to attend an audience with some 9,000 altar servers in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Aug. 4. (CNS photo/Giampiero Sposito, Reuters)   VATICAN CITY — Along with having a winning smile and a warm embrace, Pope Francis is known for challenging people. He does it regularly at morning […]