The election of delegations from the US and Spain have Catholic conservatives at least slightly buoyed about their chances of winning the debate at the next and final Synod on family issues in the Catholic Church. The Extraordinary Synod that
In his historic trip to Turkey Friday, Pope Francis decried the “tragic” situation in the Middle East, above all in Iraq and Syria. “Everyone suffers the consequences of these conflicts, and the humanitarian situation is unbearable,” he said. “I think
The Pope traveled to Turkey Friday morning for a long-awaited three-day visit for meetings with religious and political authorities. But upon arriving at the presidential palace in Ankara, the Pope came out swinging, immediately focusing on Turkey’s soft underbelly: religious
Asked whether dialogue with the Islamic State is possible, Pope Francis said it wouldn’t be easy, but that he would never rule it out. Pope Francis tackled this and other issues in his Q&A session with journalists on the plane
VATICAN CITY (AP) — When a pope last visited Turkey — Benedict XVI in 2006 — Muslim-Catholic tensions were so high that the Vatican added a stop at Istanbul’s famed Blue Mosque at the last minute in hopes of showing
A gang of four thugs who beat a law professor so badly he needed facial reconstruction surgery all had previous criminal convictions in Poland, a court has heard. Kingston Crown Court were told that the gang’s ring leader, Dawid Tychon,
As Pope Francis’ was still preparing to travel to Strasbourg to give his first speech to the EU Parliament on Monday, a Femen protester mounted the altar in Strasbourg’s gothic cathedral, flashing her naked torso and waving the EU flag.
It is beautiful “to think of Heaven,” said Pope Francis Wednesday. “All of us will meet there, everyone. It is beautiful; it gives strength to the soul.” At his general audience in St Peter’s Square this morning, before a crowd
In his address Tuesday morning to the European Parliament, Pope Francis issued a powerful plea to Europe to rediscover its religious roots and to place the human person at the center of society. “A Europe which is capable of appreciating
In a long-awaited decision, Pope Francis has tapped a conservative African cardinal, Robert Sarah of Guinea, as head of the Vatican’s liturgical office. This is the second nomination of a conservative African to an influential position in less than a
Pope Francis said that the current economic crisis requires “initiative” to overcome the consequences of economic difficulties and unemployment, avoiding the temptations of “welfarism” and “indifference.” “We must renew working relationships,” Francis said in a video message released by the
American Cardinal Raymond Burke, recently demoted from the highest legal office in the Vatican, told a conference in Ireland that Catholic layman should write to the Pope to voice their opinions about the general Synod of Bishops to take place
The people of God can forgive their priests when they have a weakness, or when they slip up, said Pope Francis Friday. “But there are two things that the people of God cannot forgive: a priest attached to money and
“There is need for hope and light at this time, particularly because of the darkness that sometimes surrounds us,” says Cardinal Timothy Dolan, “and the visit of Pope Francis to the United States is a carrier of this light.” After
No one can say Pope Francis doesn’t practice what he preaches. Even as he daily urges Christians to do more for the poor, he keeps finding ways to help them personally. This time the Pope has decided to raffle off
In his two addresses today, Pope Francis reiterated the importance of strong, stable families for the future of society, insisting that man and woman are both essential. In his first address, delivered before a group of several hundred scholars and
On Monday morning, Pope Francis personally confirmed that he will visit the United States in September 2015 to attend the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. This will be the Pope’s first visit to the U.S. The Pope made the
Rock legend Patti Smith, the “Godmother of Punk,” will join 17 other artists performing at the Vatican’s annual Christmas concert on December 13, 2014. The concert, at Conciliation Auditorium in Rome, a few steps from St. Peter’s, will be broadcast
Three members of the feminist protest group Femen took to Saint Peter’s Square yesterday in criticism of Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the European Parliament. Dressed only in black leather miniskirts, the three got down on all fours and simulated
“The reigning mentality sometimes proposes a ‘false compassion,’” said Pope Francis Saturday, “the idea that supporting abortion somehow helps women, or that euthanasia is an act of dignity.” The Pope was speaking in the Vatican to a large group of
In his meeting with more some 7,000 accountants Friday, Pope Francis focused on the humanity of their work, reminding them that “behind each piece of paper there is a story, there are faces.” He invited them to “go beyond” numbers
Next Monday, work will begin to renovate Vatican restrooms for pilgrims, but Pope Francis has also given instructions for showers to be installed where Rome’s homeless can wash. Bishop Konrad Krajewski, or “Don Conrado” as he is familiarly known, is
Speaking to tens of thousands pilgrims Wednesday, Pope Francis said that no one is a bishop, priest, or deacon because he is “smarter, more talented or better than others,” but only by virtue of a gift of love bestowed by
In a meeting with African bishops Monday, Pope Francis called for more careful instruction for seminarians on dealing with Muslims. “I think it is important that the clergy receive a more structured training in the seminary in order to carry
Nicki Minaj assumes the role as dictator in her latest music video entitled “Only” which critics argue blatantly glorifies Hitler because of its prominent use of Nazi imagery. In the video, Minaj perches on a throne before an army of
This morning after his usual prayer of the Angelus Pope Francis commemorated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and made special mention of the role of his predecessor, Saint John Paul II. On November 9, 1989
Not all those who claim to be Christians really are, said Pope Francis Friday morning. Some are Christians “in name only,” he said. “They bear the name of Christians but live a life of pagans.” In his homily at Mass,
In a meeting with the World Evangelical Alliance Thursday, Pope Francis expressed his hope in greater unity and collaboration between the two faith communities. “If we really believe in the abundantly free working of the Holy Spirit,” he said, “we
Being a bishop “is not a position of prestige, or an honorific post,” Pope Francis said Wednesday. “The episcopate is not an honor, it’s a service, and that is how Jesus wanted it,” he said. “There should be no place
Cardinal Raymond Burke has said he is at the service of Pope Francis, has no personal animosity towards him, and those who claim the American cardinal is an opponent of the Pontiff are trying to discredit him. The head of
“Jesus Himself revealed that the death of the body is like a sleep from which He will awaken us. It’s nice to think that Jesus Himself will awaken us,” said Pope Francis Sunday. November 2 marked the feast of All
Pope Francis has conveyed to the United Nations his “strong support for the rapid adoption of steps that would lead to the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.” He also called for “the reduction of the world’s reliance on armed
Pope Francis spoke about the devil once again Thursday morning, stressing that “he is not a myth” and that “we have to fight him.” The Pope spoke these words during his homily at morning Mass, celebrated in the chapel of
“In the face of the worsening Ebola epidemic,” Pope Francis said Wednesday, “I wish to express my deepest concern over this relentless disease that is spreading above all on the African continent, especially among the most disadvantaged groups.” At the
In the Church, “we often experience our fragileness and our limitations,” said Pope Francis. “We all have them. We are all sinners.” The Pope pronounced these words in Saint Peter’s Square during his weekly General Audience Wednesday morning, before a
Sir Elton John told a group of star-studded celebrities and donors at his annual AIDS fundraiser in New York on Tuesday that Pope Francis was his hero because of his pro-gay activism within the Catholic church. Elton John reportedly helped raise $3.7 million while
“There is no worse material poverty than that of not being able to earn one’s daily bread,” said Pope Francis Tuesday morning. Unemployment is not inevitable; it is, rather, “the result of a prior social option and an economic system
According to Pope Francis, priests devoted to the ministry of exorcism “manifest the Church’s love and acceptance of those who suffer because of the devil’s works.” Francis wrote these words in a message addressed to Father Francesco Bamonte, the president
The Big Bang “doesn’t contradict the intervention of a divine Creator, but demands it,” Pope Francis said Monday morning, because the beginning of the world “is not the work of chaos.” The Pope was addressing the plenary assembly of the
What does God look like? According to Pope Francis, one discovers Him in the face of every brother and sister–especially the most helpless. “In the midst of the dense forest of rules and regulations,” Pope Francis said to a crowd of
