Pope Says Christians Are United in the Shedding of Their Blood

By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Christians are united in bloodshed as they suffer from violence and persecution in various parts of the world, Pope Francis told Christian leaders. Today’s martyrs are men and women, who through their witness to Jesus, are “persecuted and killed because they are Christian,” the pope said Jan. 25 during […]

Pope Tells Cardinals to Restrain Celebrations

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Writing to the 20 new cardinals he will create in February, Pope Francis said they should graciously accept that their friends, family and faithful will want to celebrate, but they also should ensure that the celebrations are not exaggerated. “As good Christians, they will celebrate because Christians rejoice and know how […]

Pope Says Annulments Should Be Free of Charge

Pope Francis, addressing the Vatican tribunal primarily responsible for hearing requests for marriage annulments, said: “How I wish that all processes were free.”

Understanding Pope

Pope Francis gave another one of his airplane press conferences on his return to Rome from Manila. And, once again, the words uttered by Pope Francis had the world listening and people of all sorts of perspectives taking his words out of the context in which he spoke them.

Pope Supports ‘Responsible Parenthood’

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — Pope Francis stressed that, despite Church doctrine against contraception, Catholics fail to practice “responsible parenthood” when they have too many children. He also denounced the teaching of “gender theory” in schools, likening it to indoctrination of children by the Nazis and fascists. The pope made his […]

Non-Italian Pope in the Movies

Dear Editor: I am writing with an interesting thought about St. Pope John Paul II. Did he ever see the movie “Shoes of the Fisherman” starring Anthony Quinn as Kirel I, the first non-Italian Pope, in this case, a Russian? This is definitely a movie to be shown on NET-TV’s Classics series, followed by a wonderful […]

Pope Makes a Surprise Visit to Buddhist Temple

By Anto Akkara MAKOLA, Sri Lanka (CNS) – When Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a prominent Buddhist temple in Colombo Jan. 14, the head of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka reciprocated by showing the pope historical relics of Buddhas’ disciples, normally exposed only for the annual Buddhist feast in May. “The […]

Pope Confirms US Visit

Pope Francis said his September trip to the U.S. will take him to Philadelphia, New York and Washington – where he intends to canonize Blessed Junipero Serra – but probably no other stops. Pope Francis made his remarks Jan. 19, in an hourlong news conference with reporters accompanying him back to Rome from a weeklong […]

Pope Urges Filipinos to Protect the Family Unit

By Francis X. Rocca MANILA, Philippines (CNS) – Pope Francis told a crowd of an estimated six million gathered in a Manila park to protect the family “against insidious attacks and programs contrary to all that we hold true and sacred, all that is most beautiful and noble in our culture.” The pope’s homily at […]