Anyone can lend a hand to the four-day conference and events surrounding the visit of Pope Francis to Philadelphia in September. Registration for volunteers is now open at the World Meeting of Families 2015 website: www.worldmeeting2015.org. The meeting runs Sept. 22-25 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Pope Francis
Amazing Depth in New History of the Jesuits
By David Gibson With the 2013 election of history’s first Jesuit pope, interest mounted exponentially in the now-worldwide Society of Jesus that St. Ignatius Loyola, with nine friends, founded in the 16th century. What Pope Francis’ election means for the Jesuits “remains to be seen,” writes Jesuit Father John W. O’Malley, author of “The Jesuits: […]
Pope Recommends Reading Dante To Prepare for the Year of Mercy
By Elliot Williams VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” is more than a literary masterpiece, it is an invitation “to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of our human path and to hope to see again the glowing horizon on which the dignity of the human person shines in its fullness,” Pope Francis […]
Pope: Unequal Treatment of Women Is Scandalous
The “radical equality” of spouses in Christian marriage must now bear “new fruit” in society, including “the right to equal pay for equal work,” said Pope Francis.
Awaiting Ecology Encyclical
Anticipation is building for Pope Francis’ upcoming statement on the environment.
Pope Visits Amusement Park on His Way to Parish Visit
Before celebrating Mass in a parish in Ostia, Rome’s seaside community, Pope Francis stopped to see two Little Sisters of Jesus who live in a trailer at an amusement park.
Pope Tells New Priests: No Boring Homilies
Ordaining 19 men to the priesthood, Pope Francis offered advice on how to ensure their preaching would touch people: speak from your heart.
Pope Sends Prayers, Donation to Nepal
Pope Francis prayed for those affected by the deadly earthquake in Nepal, encouraged rescue and emergency workers in their efforts, and sent an initial donation of $100,000.
Terrorists Planned Attack on the Vatican
Italian police arrested at least nine people in what officials described as a terrorist cell that had planned, in 2010, to strike at the Vatican with a suicide bomber.
Words of the Mass
In his words of advice to new priests, it was good to hear Pope Francis suggest that they take their time with the Eucharistic Prayer at Mass. The Holy Father ties his point about preaching well-prepared homilies with the idea of reverently, carefully offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.