Pope John Paul II

“I felt a burning inside me, like a sacred fire…”

A concert offered by the Courtial Foundation at the Church of St. Ignatius in Rome   Hans Albert Courtial, president of the International Foundation of Sacred Music and Art. He came from Germany to Rome, and never left... We are looking down upon the statues that encircle St. Peter’s col­onnade. To our left we [...]

The Family and the New Totalitarianism

Reflections on the Synod After the conclusion of the October Bishops’ Synod on the Family (October 4-25), reactions to the events and controversies associated with it and its final, 94-paragraph document, the relatio, largely fell, not unpredictably, along “conservative” and “progressive” lines. But in both camps there was considerable uncertainty. Many “progressives” seemed to feel they [...]

Reflections on the Traditional Latin Mass by Curial Cardinal

On July 25, 2013, feast of the Patron Saint of Spain, Saint James the Greater, Cardinal Antonio Cañi­zares Llovera, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, put his signature on the preface to a remarkable work, the doctoral thesis presented by his fellow Spaniard, Fr. Alberto Soria Jiménez, O.S.B., dedicated [...]

The recollections of Pope Benedict

We publish below extracts of a recent interview Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI gave to Wlodzimierz Redzioch in which he pays tribute to the newly-canonized Pope John Paul II. The complete interview appears in a book just published in Italian entitled Beside John Paul II — Friends and Collaborators Speak (Ares 2014). The interview, one of 21 with the late Pontiff’s close friends and associates, runs to 12 pages in total. It is entitled: “It Became Ever More [...]

Three Popes of Inside The Vatican

“I arrived in Italy on the same day as Bob — on May 17, 1984. He arrived in Rome by plane from the United States; I entered northern Italy by bus from Poland. I wanted to be at Monte Cassino on May 18, but the pilgrimage was organized in such a way that we were there [...]

How the Canonization Process Works

Pope Pius XII St. Pius X (Pope from 1903 to 1914) was the last Pope to be canonized. Now, after almost six decades, causes for the last five Popes, with the exception of Benedict XVI, have been initiated. Don’t you think that’s too many? And why almost all at the same time? Don Nicola [...]

An interview with Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo

After spending four years in Venezuela, Archbishop Pietro Parolin will re­turn to the Vatican as the new secretary of state. Pope Francis announced his decision during the hot Roman summer, in August (in theory, the summer holiday of the Curia). Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone will hand over his office to his successor on October 15. The Pope [...]

Interview with Zion Evrony, Ambassador of Israel to the Holy See

“Pope Francis brings a universal message of modesty, caring for the poor, struggle for peace and care for the environment,” Zion Evrony said to Inside the Vatican. “We very much hope to see him visit Israel during the year 2014. He has been officially invited by President Peres, by Deputy Foreign Minister Elkin, and by me to [...]

Death: Will It Be Followed By Eternal Life?

  Pat Morse and Pope John Paul II “The level of commitment required is determined by the value of the prize we seek.” —George “Pat” Morse, on the effort needed to prepare for death. From the moment of our birth, we are moving inexorably toward the most important event in our lives: our “Death.” [...]

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