An elderly religious sister who worked for many years at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the papal residence, was at her congregation’s house recovering from surgery when she received an unexpected visit from Pope Francis.
Pope Francis
Official: Youth Called to be Leaders and Protagonists in the Church
More than 100 Catholic theologians and young people will gather this week beginning on July 31 for the first U.S. summit focused on Pope Francis’s major letter on young people released last spring.
Pope Francis and Teenagers
About three months ago, I was invited to give a talk to a class of juniors at a Catholic high school. Though in my more than 55 years as a priest and almost as many years as a professor I have given countless talks, I was a little anxious because an audience of high school students is not my usual audience. The subject I was invited to speak about was the great Catholic short story writer Flannery O’Connor.
Group Hopes St. Kateri Tekakwitha Will Show U.S. Importance of Amazon Synod
Ahead of October’s upcoming Rome summit on the Amazon region, one stateside organization is hoping the legacy of a lesser-known saint – Kateri Tekakwitha – may help Catholics in the United States realize the significance of indigenous people for the Church.
Iraq Could be Francis’s Shot at ‘Most Important Papal Trip of All Time’
Within just the last few days, two senior Catholic prelates from Iraq have referred to plans for Pope Francis to visit the country next year as, essentially, a done deal.
CAR Bishop Holds the Line Against a ‘Philosophy of Vengeance’
Bishop Nestor-Desire Nongo-Aziagbia of the Central African Republic has been kidnapped on one occasion and shot at on another, yet his peaceful and calm disposition hasn’t been rattled.
Pope Writes Syrian President, Urging Him to Protect Civilians, Seek Peace
Pope Francis urged Syrian President Bashar Assad to put an end to his country’s eight-year-long conflict and seek reconciliation for the good of the nation and its vulnerable people.
Pope Appoints New Vatican Press Office Director
Pope Francis appointed Matteo Bruni to serve as director of the Vatican press office, replacing Alessandro Gisotti, who had been serving as interim director since Dec. 31.
United States to Co-Host Vatican Summit on Religious Freedom
U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Callista Gingrich announced on July 17 that the United States and the Vatican will co-host a summit on religious freedom in October of 2019.
Miami Archbishop says Trump ‘Rhetoric’ Causing Fear in Migrant Community
Reflecting on Pope Francis’s recent Mass on the 6thanniversary of his visit to Lampedusa – the small Italian island where he remembered the estimated 20,000 migrants who have died crossing the Mediterranean – Miami’s archbishop says “Lampedusa has been happening off the coast of Florida for the past 50 years.”