Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Father Kenneth Doyle | QUESTION CORNER: Was the crucifixion necessary?

by

Q: I have been a Catholic all my life, but I have never really understood why Jesus had to die for our sins. Couldn’t God have just forgiven us? (Eagan, Minnesota) A: Your question is one that has occupied theologians over the entire history of Christianity. I side with your position: God is God, and […]

Message of mercy: Let Jesus cleanse you of your sins, Pope Francis urges

by

Pope Francis gives the homily while celebrating Mass at St. Mary Mother of the Redeemer Parish on the outskirts of Rome March 8. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)   VATICAN CITY — Christian faith and a moral life are responses to God’s mercy and not the result of “titanic” human effort, Pope Francis said. In meetings and […]

Vatican security always on high alert, chief says after IS threats

by

VATICAN CITY — The head of Vatican security said Islamic State militants have threatened the Vatican, but there are no indications of any planned attack. The Vatican gendarmes, Swiss Guards and the Italian state police that patrol the perimeter of Vatican City State are always on high alert, said Domenico Giani, the commander of the […]

Pope Francis’ handy tips to prepare for a Lenten confession

by

Pope Francis hears confession during a penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 28, 2014. Pope Francis surprised his liturgical adviser by going to confession during the service. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)   VATICAN CITY — As Catholics are encouraged to make going to confession a significant part of their lives […]

Father Theodore Hesburgh | 1917-2015: Notre Dame president served nation, church, world

by

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Holy Cross Father Theodore M. Hesburgh, who led the University of Notre Dame through a period of dramatic growth during his 35 years as president and held sway with political and civil rights leaders, died Feb. 26 at the age of 97. As the longest serving president of Notre Dame, from […]

Pope Francis has given sheep and shepherds a renewed emphasis

by

A 13th-century mosaic of the Good Shepherd is seen in the Basilica of Santa Maria in the Trastevere neighborhood in Rome March 5. The biblical metaphor of the Christian leader as a shepherd has taken on renewed emphasis with Pope Francis’ call for clergy to be “shepherds living with the smell of sheep.” (CNS photo/Paul […]