VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Jesuits have elected their first-ever Latin American leader, following in the footsteps of the cardinals who elected the Jesuit Pope Francis as history’s first Latin American pope. A gathering of Jesuit priests from around the world on Friday elected the Rev. Arturo Sosa of Venezuela to lead the order. Sosa […]

FREEPORT Catholic Charities Maine will celebrate the opening of its newest Threads of Hope Thrift Store with a ribbon cutting event on Oct. 19 at noon at 136 Main St., Freeport. The Freeport opening will mark the sixth Threads of Hope location for CCM, with additional stores in Caribou, Portland, Presque Isle, Monticello and Sanford. […]

“But I say to you. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Matt. 5:44 Love Your Enemies How do we go about loving our enemies as Jesus commands us to do? The Greeks have a word for it. It is called agape, which is not the sentimental, emotional type of love, but […]

GENEVA A group of advocacy organizations has awarded its annual prize for human rights defenders to imprisoned Chinese Muslim minority economics professor Ilham Tohti, shining new attention on a case that has brought strong international condemnation. The Martin Ennals Award is bestowed by 10 rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. A ceremony […]

“Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” my first-grader recently asked. It’s a question I’ve heard from my children before. A decade ago, when our 17- year-old son, Gabriel, was also in first grade, he faithfully asked God to help his little sister, Ruth, who had cerebral palsy, to walk and talk. I did too. Day […]

DEMOREST, GA. Take me to the river — the saying still resonates in some Southern churches where the tradition of river baptism remains alive. The chilly, rapid waters of North Georgia’s Chattahoochee and Coosawattee rivers serve to baptize members of the River Point Community Church in Cornelia and the Resaca Church of God in Resaca. […]

“You crown the year with your bounty: your wagon tracks overflow with richness.” Psalm 65:11 Transitioning The slow transitioning of autumn into winter has begun. There is a shifting of light and a sort of melancholy fills the air as the world around us gives way to the will of nature. The long season of […]

JERUSALEM The world’s oldest man has finally celebrated his bar mitzvah — a hundred years later than usual. Israel Kristal, 113, has lived through both World Wars and survived the Auschwitz concentration camp. Earlier this year, Guinness World Records awarded him a certificate as the world’s oldest man. But there was a ceremony the super-centenarian […]

VATICAN CITY Pope Francis implored sports leaders on Wednesday to do a better job of keeping corruption off the playing field. Speaking at the first global conference on faith and sport, Francis said sports must be protected from manipulations and commercial abuse. “It would be sad for sport and for humanity if people were unable […]

While listening to the radio, I recently caught a story on NPR that made me weep, an all-too-common occurrence in these days of troubling news. But this story stayed with me because of the heroism involved and the powerful message. Earlier this summer, a Jewish family of settlers was driving near the West Bank city […]