Holy Saturday is one of those days when the church, though liturgically silent, speaks volumes through signs. In Poland and Ukraine, one of the most popular and deeply symbolic gestures is the blessing of Easter foods, known as “swieconka,” or Easter basket.
Especially in a Jubilee Year, but also every day, priests are called to continual conversion so that they can authentically preach the good news of hope, Pope Francis wrote in the homily he prepared for the Holy Thursday chrism Mass.
In a joyful milestone for the church and lovers of sacred art, Pope Francis declared famed Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí venerable April 14, recognizing his heroic virtues in a decree announced during a Vatican audience with Cardinal Marcello Semeraro. Best known for designing Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia, Gaudí dedicated over 40 years of his life to the masterpiece, now seen as both a symbol of faith and an icon of transcendent beauty.
Pope Francis is going without supplemental oxygen for longer periods and is continuing therapy to recover his voice and to recover his physical strength, the Vatican press office said, but he also is increasing the number of private meetings he is holding with the heads of Vatican offices.
Catholic and other religious leaders are condemning a Palm Sunday attack by Russia on a Ukrainian city that killed 34 – including two children – and injured 119.
For the second year in a row, few foreign pilgrims were in attendance at the traditional Palm Sunday procession from the Mount of Olives into the Old City of Jerusalem due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.
On April 13, Pope Francis, despite the Vatican’s repeated insistence that he is observing a two-month period of rest, made his fourth surprise outing in a week to pray at his favorite Roman basilica.
Pope Francis made another surprise appearance in St. Peter’s Square at the end of Palm Sunday Mass on April 13, starting Holy Week.
More than 500 “rescued” relics were displayed recently at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Oratory in Montclair, New Jersey.
By Justin McLellan VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Carrying the cross means more than bearing personal suffering — it means stepping into the pain of others and walking beside them, Pope Francis wrote at the start of Holy Week. “To carry the cross of Christ is never in vain,” he wrote in his homily for Palm […]
