Medical advancements do not help if they treat people as objects or when they are applied only to those people who are not considered a burden and “deserve” to be helped, Pope Francis said.
Rome
St. John Paul II’s Challenge Is Still Valid: “Learn Rome!”
Back in the day, when St. John Paul II would meet with seminarians in the Eternal City each year, he would challenge them to “imparare Roma.” It’s a phrase that technically violates the rules of Italian grammar, but everyone knew what he meant: “Learn Rome!”
St. Joseph’s Parishioner Meets Pope
Kelly Calderon, who grew up in East Flatbush and is a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Co-Cathedral, Prospect Heights, had an experience in June that many Catholics only dream about: She met the Holy Father in person.
In Letter, Pope Encourages Priests Dejected by Abuse Crisis
Pope Francis acknowledged the shame and frustration felt by priests who are discouraged by the actions of fellow clergy members who betrayed the trust of their flock through sexual abuse and abuse of conscience and power.
California Catholics Urged to Pray for Defeat of Medication Abortion Bill
Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco is urging Catholics in the archdiocese to join in a novena for the defeat of a “dangerous and unprecedented” bill requiring California State and University of California college health centers to provide medication for abortions.
Pope Makes Surprise Visit to Nun Recovering From Surgery
An elderly religious sister who worked for many years at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the papal residence, was at her congregation’s house recovering from surgery when she received an unexpected visit from Pope Francis.
After 6 Years, Family Of Kidnapped Jesuit is ‘In Limbo’
Family members of an Italian Jesuit priest who was kidnapped in Syria by members of ISIS in 2013, held a press conference in Rome on Monday to mark the anniversary of his disappearance and appeal to international authorities to find answers.
Benedict XVI Takes Short Trip Outside Vatican, Visits Towns Outside Rome
It is widely understood that Pope Francis is not a big vacation guy, preferring to spend his Summer in the Domus Sanctae Marthae where he lives. But as a heat wave breaks records across Europe, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI decided to visit the cooler papal estate of Castel Gandolfo on Thursday.
Rome’s ‘Festival of Peoples’ Amid Anti-Immigrant Backlash
“The Festival of Peoples wishes to offer an important witness of civil cohabitation between different peoples.”
Trevi Fountain Coins Continue to Bring Fortune to Rome’s Needy
While millions of tourists throw a coin over their shoulder into Rome’s Trevi Fountain hoping to return to Rome one day, the money scooped out of the fountain each week offers more concrete hope to the city’s poor.