Paris, France, Jun 25, 2019 / 03:10 pm (CNA).- A clock nearly identical to the one destroyed in the fire at Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris has been found in storage. The duplicate was found at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Paris, in what is being called a “miraculous discovery.” This find brings new hope restoration efforts at the landmark cathedral. 

The original clock was located near the cathedral spire, which collapsed during the April 15 fire. It was feared there would be no way to rebuild the clock, as there were no surviving drawings of its mechanism or any digital records of how the clock was made. 

Rome, Italy, Jun 25, 2019 / 12:45 pm (CNA).- In a statement today, Cardinal Raymond Burke issued a correction to a now-removed LifeSiteNews article, which claimed that Burke was collaborating with former President Donald Trump advisor Stephen Bannon on a film exposing homosexuality in the Vatican.

The film in question will be based off a book on the same subject by Frédéric Martel, entitled “In the Closet of the Vatican.”

London, England, Jun 25, 2019 / 11:02 am (CNA).- Following a decision by the Court of Appeals in England to overturn an order for a forced abortion on a disabled woman, new details have emerged about the case.

Lawyers told the appeal court Monday that doctors had prepared the woman for the enforced abortion by promising her a new doll after the procedure. 

In his book The Machine and the Garden the social and political philosopher Leo Marx describes the cultural dynamics of the United States as an outgrowth of the pastoral tendencies of the Western mind.  Beginning with the Greeks, the romanticism of nature has resonated deeply in Western culture.  While taking many different forms, this theme has always evoked a longing for harmony – a return to nature that can alleviate the burden of man-made sufferings.  It was the Roman poet Virgil who first placed this theme in political context, defining the “middle landscape” as that balance-point between the corruption of the city and the savagery of the wilderness.  The pastoral wisdom of the middle landscape provided a check on the machinations of human society, holding the religious, social and political constructs of a given culture accountable to the natural, to the real. When the accumulated weight of human tragedy and…

The birth of a child always represents both an end and a beginning.

Amazon released the hit mini-series Good Omens this year to the rave reviews it deserves. Good Omens proves itself well acted, cinematically sizzling, and entertainingly both frivolous and deep. Good artistry captures the prevailing spirit of its age, and Good Omens does unveil Western society’s spiritual-religious zeitgeist. Caught literally between heaven and hell, Aziraphale (the posh angel) and Crowley (the troubled demon) stage a plot to prevent the Last Days from ending. Strewn throughout both their actions and banter bubbles up a telling anthropological question: Does humanity need the admixture of both virtue and sin in order to be, well, free and human? Good Omens situates the viewer into a cosmic worldview that presents both heaven and hell in telling caricatures. Scenes in Heaven lead us to something of an Apple store, with tattooed and flannel-wearing hipsters replaced by stuffy squares; it’s pure in its…

by Ryan Ringuette Volunteering has (accidentally) become my family’s tradition. Both my father and mother are Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (Morocco and Nepal), and both my sister and I are current Peace Corps Volunteers (Paraguay and Uganda). Additionally, my recently retired father volunteers with the USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program (F2F). F2F leverages the expertise of US […]

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Peru as they endure hardships brought about by heavy rains, flooding and mudslides. Light a candle and join us in prayer at the CRS Virtual Votive Chapel.         There are significant needs in the Diocese of Chulucanas (Province of Piura)—made worse by the continuing rain. A […]

By The Most Rev. Thomas Wenski Editor’s Note: At the recent meeting of the CRS Board of Directors—the USCCB-appointed group of bishops, religious, and laity tasked with governing and supporting the work of CRS—Archbishop Thomas Wenski (Miami) celebrated mass for his fellow bishops, board members and CRS staff.  What follows is his homily.  The “Charmaine” he […]

Last month, our family gathered at the dinner table with an honored guest: our dear priest friend, Fr. Al, who is 94 years old. As usual, I hung on his every word. “Every morning, as soon as I wake up, I thank the Lord…” Fr. Al said, and then paused briefly. I waited for him […]

It was the end of a beautiful but long ordination weekend. One of our dear friends was now a priest, and we were ready to begin our trip back home. As we were leaving the reception after his first Mass, we passed by the church. The doors to the church were open, and our toddler […]

‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.’ He calls each and every one to holiness; he asks each and every one to love him: young and old, single and married, healthy and sick, learned and unlearned, no matter where they work, or where they are. […]