Hawaii Catholic Herald

Newspaper of the Diocese of Honolulu

Pontiff says cardinals, top church officials, must pay rent for Vatican-owned housing

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By Justin McLellan Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Cardinals and other senior Vatican officials who have been living rent-free in Vatican-owned apartments in Rome will now have to pay “ordinary” unsubsidized rates, Pope Francis said. A rescript written by Maximino Caballero Ledo, the prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy, and signed by the […]

Vatican reports global decline in clergy, religious women

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By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The number of Catholics and permanent deacons in the world rose in 2021, while the number of seminarians, priests, and men and women in religious orders declined, according to Vatican statistics. At the end of 2021, the number of Catholics in the world reached 1.378 billion, […]

Pope Francis marks a decade sharing the joy of the Gospel

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10 years By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — For a decade, even when discussing the internal workings of the Vatican, Pope Francis has insisted the church is not the church of Christ if it does not reach out, sharing the “joy of the Gospel” and placing the poor at the center of […]

Victims of violence in Congo share their grief with pope

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service KINSHASA, Congo — Ladislas set a machete under the crucifix. Bijoux laid a wicker mat there. And Emelda dropped military fatigues. The three of them and other victims of violence in eastern Congo told Pope Francis horrifying stories of watching their families be slaughtered or of being kidnapped or […]

Francis urges displaced S. Sudanese to be peacemakers

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service JUBA, South Sudan — In a twist of fate despite a horrible situation, the millions of displaced South Sudanese people can contribute to rewriting their nation’s history by working together and living peacefully side by side in the displaced people’s camps that dot the country, Pope Francis said. “You […]

Pope Benedict XVI: Eight years as pontiff capped long ministry as teacher and defender of the faith

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By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — Retired Pope Benedict XVI, who had an impressive record as a teacher and defender of the basics of Catholic faith, is likely to go down in history books as the first pope in almost 600 years to resign. He died Dec. 31 at the age of […]

2022 in review: Abortion decision dominates Supreme Court’s year

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By Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision — overturning Roe v. Wade — is no doubt one for the history books. The 5-4 decision in June in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization had been anticipated for months. The decision was leaked a month early and became a hot […]

Twins share many things, including call to priesthood

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By Jennifer Barton Catholic News Service FORT WAYNE, Ind. — Johnathan and Michael Hickey share a great many things — hobbies and interests, musicality, their love of Corgis. They even share the same face — they are identical twins. It’s not unusual for twins to share just about everything, but in the Hickeys’ case there […]

Greg Erlandson: The advent of population decline

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AMID THE FRAY As we celebrate the birth of the Savior Child, it seems fitting to note that in many parts of the developed world, the lack of babies is a growing concern. This is a surprising change for those of us raised on “The Population Bomb,” a wildly inaccurate prediction that the world’s population […]