ROME (CNS) – When Pope Francis walked through the gate surrounding a group of shacks and very humble homes, it took a while for people to notice. In fact, when a couple of people looked out their doors, the pope’s chief security guard motioned them to come over. “Papa Francisco!” someone shouted in Spanish, and […]
Pope Francis
Pope Announces He’ll Go to Bosnia
The one-day trip, scheduled for June 6, is an effort to bolster a minority Catholic population and encourage dialogue and friendship among once-warring ethnic and religious communities.
Understanding the Pope
It seems that just about every time Pope Francis makes wonderfully “shocking” statements, there are those in the Church who try to slice and dice the value of his words by adding phrases such as “taking his words out of context,” “not what the Church teaches,” “this is what the Pope really means,” and so on.
Pope Calls for Obedience in Consecrated Life
Total obedience to God’s will brings wisdom, joy and hope, Pope Francis told religious men and women.
Pope Opens Path for Romero’s Beatification
Pope Francis formally recognized that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed “in hatred of the faith” and not for purely political reasons.
Unique Challenges for Vatican Diplomacy
The Vatican engages in bilateral diplomacy to secure the freedom of the Catholic Church to be itself in the countries with which the Holy See has, or wishes to have, diplomatic relations.
Concrete Kindness
The Vatican has announced that, in addition to the new showers being built under the colonnade at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City State, barbers in Rome on Mondays (the traditional day off for barbers) will begin offering haircuts and shaves for the homeless and those in need. Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the Papal Almoner, will be in charge of the project, which is set to begin on Feb. 18.
Waking Up the World
Last November, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pope Francis declared a Year of Consecrated Life beginning on that day and to continue until Feb. 2, 2016, the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. As a religious, Pope Francis understands, perhaps better than many, the gift of consecrated life to the Church, as well as the difficulties of leading a consecrated life in the world today.
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 […]