James Willis kisses his wife, Diana Kontonotas, following their wedding at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hempstead, N.Y., in May. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic)VATICAN CITY – Men and women have a natural right to marry, but that does not mean they have a right to a Catholic wedding, Pope Benedict XVI said.

For the Catholic Church, marriage is a sacrament that is witnessed by a priest or deacon, but performed by the couple who pledge their union will be forever and that they will be open to having and educating children, the pope said.

"The right to contract marriage presupposes that one is able to and intends to truly celebrate it, that is, in the truth of its essence as taught by the church," Pope Benedict said Jan. 22 when he met with members of the Roman Rota, a Vatican-based tribunal that deals mainly with marriage cases.

Because the church has a very specific religious understanding of what marriage is, "no one can claim the right to a marriage ceremony" in the church, the pope said.

In his annual meeting with the tribunal officials, Pope Benedict said he wanted to focus on the legal or juridical aspect of Catholic marriage preparation programs, because too often engaged couples – and even those preparing them for marriage – consider the courses simply a bureaucratic hurdle to overcome before the wedding.

Pope John Paul II waves as he arrives at Miami International Airport Sept. 10 at the start of his 1987 [...]

Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., and other priests concelebrate a Jan. 11 healing Mass at St. Odilia Church in Tucson, Ariz., for victims of the Jan. 8 shootings. The church was packed and more people watched a TV feed in the parish hall. (CNS photo/Greg Bryan, pool via Arizona Daily Star)TUCSON, Ariz. – More than 800 people filled St. Odilia Church and its nearby parish hall Jan. 11 to pray for the victims of the shooting spree outside a Tucson supermarket Jan. 8.

Roxanna Green, the mother of slain 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, a member of the parish, looked on as Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas spoke at a special Mass to heal the community, remember those who died and console the victims and their families. The St. Odilia Mass, televised locally, was the first of the formal religious services to memorialize the victims.

Many of the people who attended were St. Odilia's parishioners, but others had no connection to the church. Law enforcement officers, many in civilian clothes, could be seen throughout the congregation.

The opening song, "Amazing Grace," was led by the parish children's choir, of which Christina was an enthusiastic member.

"The memory of that Saturday morning will haunt all of us for a long time," Bishop Kicanas said in his homily. "May it also prod us to treasure each moment with loved ones, to find ways to work together, despite our differences, to enhance our community.

"May it also move us to commit our efforts to rid our communities of violence and all that causes and encourages it," the bishop said.

Citing the "many thoughtful, kind, supportive words from people all over the world," Bishop Kicanas said many recognize "how this community in Tucson has pulled together so beautifully to face the tragedy that struck so unexpectedly."

The bishop said "we are grateful for the world's concern, their solidarity, and their love.

"Everyone takes pride in the bravery of Tucsonans subduing the suspect, the first responders who instantly reacted to assist those hurt, and the medical staff at University Medical Center."

Half a dozen priests and several deacons participated in the liturgy. United Methodist Bishop Minerva Carcano of Phoenix spoke at the end of the Mass. She had hosted an ecumenical prayer service at Catalina United Methodist Church earlier that day which Bishop Kicanas attended.

A woman holding a rosary prays during a Mass outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 12. The cathedral was destroyed in the January 2010 earthquake. (CNS photo/Jorge Silva, Reuters)WASHINGTON – As recovery efforts slowly move forward a year after a massive earthquake leveled Haiti's most densely populated communities, aid and development agencies have begun focusing on building the skills of Haitians to better address the numerous challenges facing the impoverished nation.

Such efforts are taking advantage of the resiliency, determination and entrepreneurial spirit of Haitians, who have been forced to deal with oppressive or unresponsive governments and the remnants of colonial rule for generations.

Aid and development workers call the effort "capacity building." Representatives of Catholic Relief Services, the U.N. Office of the Special Envoy to Haiti and the U.S. Agency for International Development told a gathering to mark the one-year anniversary of the earthquake Jan. 11 that no matter how much aid they provide, the sooner Haitians develop the ability to deal with the country's social, political and disaster-related challenges, the better off the Caribbean nation will become.

Nancy Dorsinville, senior policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton in the U.N. Office of the Special Envoy to Haiti, said people across the country want to develop their "own sense of agency."

A native of Haiti, Dorsinville told a lunchtime program for congressional staffers and other invited guests in the Rayburn House Office Building that Haitians know best what local communities need.

"Participation and understanding the priorities set by the communities where the (nongovernment organizations) are working is really important," she said.

A girl and her father light a candle at a memorial Jan. 9 outside Tucson University Medical Center in Arizona where victims of a Jan. 8 shooting are recovering. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was in critical condition at the center after being sh ot in the head by Jared Lee Loughner, 22. He is accused of killing six people and wounding 14 others in the Jan. 8 shooting rampage. (CNS photo/Rick Wilking, Reuters)TUCSON, Ariz. – With flags nationwide flying at half-staff and people pausing for a moment of silence Jan. 10, the victims of the Jan. 8 mass shooting in Tucson were being remembered for their warmth and goodness, some for their sense of public service, and several for their involvement in their churches.

The attack during a Saturday morning meet-your-congressional-representative event at a Safeway shopping center left six people dead and another 14 wounded, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, 40, who hosted the event. The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was stopped by bystanders and is being held on initial federal charges related to the deaths of two U.S. government employees – a federal judge and a congressional aide – and the attempted murder of Giffords and two of her staff members.

A Haitian woman infected with cholera grimaces in pain at a clinic in Port-au-Prince Dec. 11. Haiti continues to reel [...]

Visitors look at a display of plaques honoring war veterans at the Mount Soledad Veterans' Memorial in the La Jolla [...]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — St. Nicholas, from whom some believe the character of Santa Claus comes, looms large in Alaska where multiple Catholic and Orthodox churches bear the third-century saint’s name.

His generosity and kindness to children is legendary, and veneration of the saint spans 1,700 years.

Known in the West as the patron of children, St. Nicholas is seen in the East primarily as the patron of sailors, based on accounts of his calming the seas during his return from a pilgrimage in the Holy Land and his appearance to storm-tossed sailors off the coast of Lycia.

These miracles were related across the world, especially by missionaries to Russia. St. Nicholas is the patron of Russia and many cities and towns throughout the world.

Deacon Charles Rohrbacher, an iconographer at the Catholic Cathedral of the Nativity in downtown Juneau, said there are many icons and images of St. Nicholas on fishing boats and other sailing vessels in Alaska and elsewhere.

According to Fr. Michael Oleksa, an Orthodox priest who is rector of St. Alexis Church and chancellor of the Orthodox Diocese of Sitka, Anchorage and Alaska, more churches in the Orthodox tradition are named for St. Nicholas than for any other saint.

The oldest of these in Alaska is St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Juneau, established in 1894.