Pope Plans to Visit Ireland in 2018

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – After meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the pope confirmed he will visit Ireland in 2018 and that trip organizers would look at the possibility of a stop in Northern Ireland.

Pope’s Schedule Released As Christmas Tree Rises

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – As a towering spruce tree was erected in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican released Pope Francis’ liturgy schedule for Advent, Christmas and the month of January.

Defending Pope Francis By Slandering Church

IF THE CIVIL NEW YEAR is an occasion to resolve to “do better” in the future, the liturgical new year, the real new year that begins at First Vespers on the First Sunday of Advent, is an even better moment for such resolutions. So permit me to suggest a Real New Year’s resolution to those who think it necessary to support Pope Francis by rewriting recent Church history: Stop it.

Pope: Acts of Mercy Must Continue

Acknowledging and sharing God’s mercy is a permanent part of the Christian life, so initiatives undertaken during the special Year of Mercy must continue, Pope Francis said.

Pope, Bishops Ask Trump To Care for Immigrants

The day before Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, Pope Francis said he would make no judgments about the candidate and was interested only in the impact his policies would have on the poor.

Chinese Bishops Must Be Approved by the Pope

No matter what the motivation or how seriously threatened one may believe the Catholic Church in China is, the ordination of bishops without a mandate from the pope is a serious violation of church law, the Vatican said.

Pope Warns About Rigidity

People rigidly bound to the law suffer pain, pride and often live a double life, Pope Francis said. God’s law was made not “to make us slaves but to make us free, to make us children” of God, he said in his homily at a recent Mass at Domus Sanctae Marthae.