The biblical theme of the year, he said, will be “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” an admonition that applies “especially to confessors,” the pope said with a smile.
Pope Francis
What is a Holy Year?
For the Catholic Church, a holy year remains a time of great spiritual significance, and emphasis is placed on the examination of conscience and conversion, the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, concrete acts of solidarity and initiatives to restore justice.
A Year of Mercy
Pope Francis caught the world by surprise by announcing a new Holy Year, a Year of Mercy. More than just a special year dedicated to a theme, this would be a Jubilee Year. The details of the year have not yet been fully released, but under the guidance of the Pontifical Council for the New […]
A Short Papacy?
Last week, we celebrated two years in the Petrine office for Pope Francis and as is his way, he gave an interview to a television network, Televisa. In the course of the interview, the Holy Father stated: “I have the feeling that my pontificate will be brief… four or five years. I don’t know, even […]
A Mission of Loving With Integrity
The World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia this September should be more than a vast Catholic “gathering of the clans” around Pope Francis – and so should the months between now and then.
Pope Talks About a Brief Papacy
By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Francis went out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time, he said he did not prepare what he was going to say, but “I felt deeply that a minister needs the blessing of God, but also of his people.” He did not […]
Pope Expected to Canonize St. Therese’s Parents
The couple was beatified in 2008. They are believed to be the first parents of a saint to be beatified, highlighting the important role parents play in their children’s human and spiritual upbringing.
50 Years in the Vernacular
Last weekend, at the Roman church of Ognissanti (All Saints – the titular church of German theologian Cardinal Walter Kasper), Pope Francis commemorated the 50th anniversary of the first time a pope celebrated Mass in the vernacular language (in this case, Italian).
Statue of Romero Vandalized Again
The right hand, which had been holding a cross, was cut off the nearly 10-foot monument, located near Plaza El Divino Salvador del Mundo in San Salvador.
The Reformer Pope Has Enemies Inside And Outside the Church
A prominent church historian says that Pope Francis is a radical reformer who is facing enemies opposed to at least some parts of his agenda.