VATICAN CITY (CNS) – The thing Pope Francis dislikes most about his job as pontiff is the paperwork, he told residents of an Argentine slum in which he used to minister. “Paperwork, office work, it’s the thing I always struggled with,” the pope said in response to the question, “What’s the thing you like least […]
Pope Francis
Pope’s Advice to Engaged Couples
by Paul Morisi and Alison Laird On New Year’s Eve 2013 at 8:30 p.m. under the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia, we got engaged. As if we weren’t excited enough, Ana Puente, the coordinator for Marriage Ministry for the Diocese of Brooklyn, arranged for us to partake in a St. Valentine’s Day event at the […]
Pope Addresses Immigrants at Parish Visit
by Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) – Meeting 80 immigrants assisted by members of a Rome parish, Pope Francis said leaving one’s homeland is always painful, but faith can give one the strength to keep going. “The faith that your parents instilled in you will help you move forward,” the pope told the immigrants at the […]
Pope: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone, Get Involved
VATICAN CITY (CNS) – This new year will be brighter only if everyone steps outside their safe havens, gets involved and works together to solve local problems, Pope Francis said. May Mary “teach us to welcome God made man so that every year, every month, every day be overflowing with his eternal love,” he said […]
Pope: Religious Need Dialogue with Bishops
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said he has ordered a revision of what he called outdated Vatican norms on the relations between religious orders and local bishops, in order to promote greater appreciation of the orders’ distinctive missions. The pope’s words were published Jan. 3 in the Italian Jesuit magazine […]
Pope Francis Is World’s Most Interesting Man
Catholic News Service used to survey the editors in the Catholic Press to determine their choices for stories of the year as well as person of the year. I’m not sure why, but last year, it stopped taking the poll. If it was being taken this year, the person of the year category could just […]
Pope’s Exhortation Draws Reactions from All Sides
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”) has prompted plenty of commentary – and not exclusively from Catholic circles. “Pope Francis is a living model of the new evangelization,” said Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. The […]
Catholic Grandparents: Group Assists Elders in Passing on Their Faith
Grandparents often do not realize the sphere of influence they can have over raising their grandchildren. Catholic grandparents especially have so much experience with their faith that they can be valuable resources in passing on that faith to their grandchildren. That is the mission of the Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA), an international grassroots organization that […]
Pope Francis on Art
by Father Robert Lauder Fourth in a series I ENJOY READING interviews with celebrities – at least sometimes. If the interviewee is an actor or actress whom I admire, I hope that the interview will reveal the person as someone to admire, not only on the stage or screen, but also in real life. Even […]
Secretary to Pope Doesn’t See Him as Revolutionary
by Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis has said and done things that have surprised the world – and surprised those who work closest to him – but calling what he is doing a “revolution” is a “frivolous slogan,” said Archbishop Georg Ganswein, prefect of the papal household and personal secretary to retired […]