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Global
By Cindy Wooden
ROME – Walking in a crowded Rome neighborhood with his prayer beads wrapped around one hand, Hassan said, “You must write: Big thanks to the pope because he helps my kids – really.” Hassan and his family, who are Muslim, are being hosted by a Catholic parish in Rome. Out of concern for their safety, […]
Global
By Junno Arocho Esteves
ROME – In a moving gesture of brotherhood and peace, Pope Francis washed the feet of several refugees, including Muslims, Hindus and Copts. Gestures, like Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, “speak louder than words,” he said during the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper March 24. Coming together, he added, is another […]
National
By Carol Zimmermann
WASHINGTON – During oral arguments March 23 at the Supreme Court, attorneys on both sides of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive requirement examined how the mandate either violates or strikes a balance with religious freedom. Lawyers representing the seven groups of plaintiffs said the federal government’s so-called accommodation for religious employers to arrange for a […]
Local
By Dave Borowski
In 1239, Dominican friars gave King Louis IX of France what Christians believed was the crown of thorns placed on the head of Jesus after His trial by Pontius Pilate. The crown was kept on His head as a way of mocking the Savior on His path on the Via Dolorosa to the cross. King […]
Columnists
By Elizabeth Foss
I’m in a precarious position as I write this column. It is the Friday before Palm Sunday. We are but a few days from Holy Week. This column will be published on Holy Thursday, just as the most somber days of the year begin. Three days later, it will be Easter, the most jubilant day […]
Local
To commemorate Holy Week, parishioners throughout the diocese, including St. Anthony Parish in Falls Church and St. Timothy Church in Chantilly, took part in re-enactments of Jesus’ passion.
Local
By Katie Scott
In “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” Pope Francis condemns a culture of self-interest and overconsumption, leading some to claim the pontiff is anti-business. While the characterization is inaccurate, the pope is “vigorously proclaiming” the need for business leaders to adopt a deepened sense of responsibility for those on the peripheries and to […]
National
By Kurt Jensen
WASHINGTON – In the end, the women religious decided it would be good to sing after all. That wasn’t on the agenda for the sunny 90-minute rally in front of the Supreme Court March 23 in support of the plaintiffs in Zubik v. Burwell. But it had a calming effect, so it seemed like the […]
Columnists
By George Weigel
Excavating my desk recently, I found the program notes from a Tallis Scholars concert my wife and I had attended a few months ago. The Tallis Scholars are a marvelous a capella ensemble, but most of their music that night was rather too minimalist for my tastes. In any event, the author of the program […]



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