Msgr. Peter Wells High-Ranking American in Vatican “Humbled” by Appointment as Nuncio On Tuesday it was announced that Pope Francis has appointed Msgr. Peter Bryan Wells (photo), the highest-ranking American in the Vatican Secretariat of State, as his new ambassador to South Africa and Botswana. “I am extremely humbled and honored by the faith [...]
Pope Francis’ September 2015 trip started in Cuba and then took him to Washington, New York and Philadelphia in the United States. It generated enormous media coverage. For days, the Pope was “in the news” in an extraordinary way. Now Gilberto Marengo has analyzed this trip in Pope Francis Meets the New World (Vatican Publishing House [...]
“The faith of the Apostle Paul is the experience of being loved by Jesus Christ in a totally personal way; it is the consciousness of the fact that Christ has faced death not for something anonymous, but for love of him — of Paul — and that, as the Risen One, He still loves him, that [...]
"The Crucifixion in Central Park" “Art is a spiritual, immaterial respite from the hardships of life.” —Fernando Botero Born in Medellín, Colombia, on April 19, 1932, Fernando Botero, whose signature style, also known as “Boterismo,” depicts overly rotund human figures both in his paintings and in his sculptures, is one of today’s most prolific [...]
St. Seraphim Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) Has Been Canonized On February 3, at the 5th plenary session of the Holy Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, held at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, the proposal to canonize Archbishop Seraphim (Sobolev) was approved. The members of the Council, which included Patriarch Kirill of [...]
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, the celebration of Easter The Resurrection of Christ “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We venerate Thy cross, O Christ, and Thy holy Resurrection we praise and glorify. For Thou art our God, and we know none other than [...]
The icon of "Extreme Humility" depicting the King of Glory in His Tomb One of the most powerful icons for the Lenten season is that depicting the King of Glory in His tomb, commonly called “Extreme Humility.” The grave is the great human equalizer, of course; princes and paupers alike must descend into death [...]
Cain about to kill his brother Abel. He is an example of man's incapacity to create, which leads to destruction Recognizing how we hurt other people can be the first step in becoming more charitable to our neighbor One of the sad facts of human existence, as mentioned by St. Augustine, is that, wittingly [...]
The display with the various examples of papal blessings available from the Almoner's office in the Vatican Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, Pope Francis’ Papal Almoner, carries on the legacy of St. John Paul II, whom he served With the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis, poor people were given a new place in the [...]
Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople embrace during a prayer service in the patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, November 29 (CNS photo/Paul Haring) This humble Bishop of Rome, who says we can learn “the meaning of episcopal collegiality” from the Orthodox, has been “the right Pope at the right time” [...]