· Pope Francis canonizes Mother Teresa · He holds her up as the model of holiness for the world of volunteer work More than a hundred thousand people gathered in St Peter’s Square for the solemn right, one of the central moments of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. During his homily for the canonization Mass, [...]
We should bite our tongue when tempted to speak ill of others, because a “gossip monger” is a Christian counter witness, and even causes divisions in the Church. Francis warned against this behaviour, which is unfortunately widespread in Church settings, during Mass at Santa Marta on Thursday morning, 12 May. “Lifting up his eyes to heaven, [...]
Pope Francis opens the Holy Door as he begins the Holy Year of Mercy at the start of a Mass with priests, religious, catechists and youths at the cathedral in Bangui, Central African Republic, Nov. 29. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-BANGUI-MERCY Nov. 29, 2015. Pope Francis told reporters he is well aware that [...]
Pope Francis tells scholars that Christians and Muslims need to study each other’s faith and values and “draw near each other on tip toes” without “raising dust”. Education about one’s own faith and the faith of others is the most effective antidote to interreligious violence, Pope Francis told participants in a conference on Catholic-Muslim scholarship and [...]
Cardinals, defenders of the faith. The new cardinals chosen by Pope Francis are pastors of rapidly growing flocks in many “peripheral” regions of the world. But they are not “progressives.” Rather, they are staunchly orthodox men of Christian faith who are leading the Church into her future — which may not include the traditional “heartland” of the [...]
"I can tell you a nice story. Pope Francis granted a lengthy interview to Jesuit Padre Spadaro who is the director of the most important Jesuit magazine Civiltà cattolica in August, which was published too, so after Padre Spadaro had given Pope Francis the first issue of this magazine, the Pope gave it to me telling me [...]
It is a lovely, cool December evening in Rome, the eve of Christmas. Cold, but not bitter cold. And still clear, not raining. Pope Francis will soon celebrate the birth of Jesus, 2013 years ago, above the tomb of Peter, in the great basilica. It is a quiet evening... a "silent" night... The other [...]
May 4, 2013, Saturday -- Francis, Mary, and the Deceiver Pope Francis returned to the Basilica of St. Mary Major this evening for the second time since he became Pope -- the first time was at 8 a.m. on March 14, the morning after his election, to pray before an icon of the Virgin known as [...]
