Pope Tells Prisoners That They Are Loved

by Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI told inmates at a Rome prison that people say nasty things about him, too, but it’s important to remember that there are other people ready to offer their love and support. During a visit Dec. 18 to Rome’s Rebibbia prison, the pope gave a short speech […]

Why Is the Pope Going to Cuba?

by Patricia Zapor WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to Cuba in the spring will have multiple layers of meaning for the Church and for Cuban society, said a U.S. archbishop who pays close attention to Cuba. The pope will go there as a symbol of peace and hope, as a pilgrim participating in […]

Pope to Visit Cuba, Mexico

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and confirming he will travel to Mexico and Cuba in the spring, Pope Benedict XVI called on the people of Latin America to hold firm to their faith. During his homily at the Mass Dec. 12 in St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope prayed […]

Pope Supports End to the Death Penalty

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Benedict XVI gave a special greeting of encouragement to delegations meeting in Rome – including a group from Illinois – to promote the abolition of the death penalty. During his weekly audience Nov. 30 at the Vatican, Pope Benedict said he hoped the work of the delegations would “encourage political […]

Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio

Meeting with the Pope

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, The Bishops of Brooklyn: Bishop Frank Caggiano, Bishop Octavio Cisneros, Bishop Guy Sansaricq, Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan and I have just returned from our ad limina visit to Rome.  The visit to the Tomb of the Apostles is an ancient practice by which bishops show their communion […]

Pope Will Use iPad to Light Christmas Tree

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – With a tap on an iPad, Pope Benedict XVI will light the world’s largest electronic Christmas tree in the Italian town of Gubbio without having to leave his home in Vatican City. The City of Gubbio and the Diocese of Gubbio announced at a news conference that the pope would light […]