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Virgin Mary procession draws thousands as Venezuela faces uncertain future

BARQUISIMETO, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of Venezuelans prayed for their country on Wednesday. They gathered in a major Catholic procession in Barquisimeto, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) west of Caracas, to honor Divina Pastora, a title for the Virgin Mary. The longing for peace, prosperity and good health comes during a time of political uncertainty following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro on Jan. 3. After a military operation that took Maduro to the United States, President Donald Trump said that he would run Venezuela at least temporarily and tap its vast oil ...

Pope meets families of young Italian victims of the Swiss Alps bar fire

ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV sought Thursday to console the families of Italian teenagers who were killed or injured in the New Year’s fire in a Swiss ski resort bar, acknowledging their anguish and urging them to try to find hope in “the darkest and most painful moments” of their ...

Everyone wants to fit in

By Mark Wilmoth In The Whisper Test, Mary Ann Bird tells about her childhood: “I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it. I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I looked to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth, and garbled speech. “When schoolmates asked, “What happened to your lip?” I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass. Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different. I was convinced that no one outside my ...

A Savior has been born

Matthew 1:18 — This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about : His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:19 — Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet ...