by Carol Glatz No matter how some media may want to spin it, Pope Francis won’t fit into the political categories of left or right, and he will challenge everyone with the truth of the Gospel, said the Vatican’s media adviser. “Pope Francis is not a politically correct pope,” rather, he is “a loyal son […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – When Pope Benedict XVI answered a journalist’s 2010 question about condom use by offering a nuanced reflection on the ethical complexities of a hypothetical case, his words led to a worldwide media sensation, a clarification by the Vatican spokesman and a statement from the Congregation for the […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis said women’s “vocation and mission” today remain essentially connected to their capacity for motherhood but warned against unjustly restricting their participation in the Church or civil society on that basis. “Many things can change and have changed in our cultural and social evolution, but the […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Before a congregation of more than 100,000 in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis formally entrusted the world to Mary. “We are confident that each of us is precious in your sight,” the pope said Oct. 13, facing the statue of Mary that normally stands in the shrine […]
by Marie Elena Giossi Creatures, both great and small, gathered with their human companions at St. Francis College’s inaugural animal blessing on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Oct. 4, in Brooklyn Heights. As locals hurried to work and students arrived for classes, Father Brian Jordan, O.S.F., college chaplain, welcomed an array of “friends […]
by Francis X. Rocca ASSISI, Italy (CNS) – Making his first pilgrimage as pope to the birthplace of his papal namesake, Pope Francis called on the whole Church to imitate St. Francis of Assisi, embracing poverty and stripping itself of the “spirit of world.” “A Christian cannot coexist with the spirit of the world,” he […]
WASHINGTON (CNS) – A new poll shows that nearly 70 percent of U.S. Catholics agree with comments made by Pope Francis in his recent extensive interview with a Jesuit Italian journal where he stressed that Catholics cannot “insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods.” According to the […]
by Carol Glatz WASHINGTON (CNS) – Boston Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley urged Catholics to “share the truth about human life” with the world in his Respect Life Month message. The cardinal, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said any work on behalf of life must be grounded in “love that seeks to […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – Pope Francis made his international advisory panel on Church governance a permanent council of cardinals, thereby emphasizing the importance and open-endedness of its work among his pontificate’s various efforts at reform. The Vatican made the announcement Sept. 30, a day before Pope Francis was scheduled to meet […]
by Francis X. Rocca VATICAN CITY (CNS) – In his latest wide-ranging interview, Pope Francis said that he aimed to make the Catholic Church less “Vatican-centric” and closer to the “people of God,” as well as more socially conscious and open to modern culture. He also revealed that he briefly considered turning down the papacy […]
