Pope on Good Friday: Jesus' church offers truth, comfort despite efforts to discredit it
ROME – Leading a prayer to God for the grace to feel ashamed and repentant for so many sins in the world, Pope Francis highlighted the hope that always comes from Jesus.
Youth have a mission to rescue human love, papal preacher says
VATICAN – Papal preacher Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa dedicated his Good Friday homily to young people, comparing them to the apostle John and urging them to have the courage to go in the opposite direction of the selfishness of the world, running instead toward the sacrificial love of Jesus on the cross.
Christians may be sinners, but they can't be corrupt, Pope says
VATICAN – Though they may go to church and say they are people of faith, the corrupt and "mafioso" have absolutely nothing Christian about them, Pope Francis said.
Canadian bishops: Let Easter be our call to reconciliation
The following is the Easter message from Bishop Lionel Gendron, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
- By CCCB
Mary, Mother of the Church should be celebrated this year, Cardinal Sarah says
VATICAN – Reminding bishops, pastors and Catholics around the world that all Latin-rite Catholics should celebrate the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church on the Monday after Pentecost this year, Cardinal Robert Sarah said the celebration should take precedence over any other possible liturgy that day.
The Easter Triduum leads to understanding of Passion
On Ash Wednesday, the mark of ashes on our foreheads led us into our journey of faith in the Holy Season of Lent. Throughout this journey, we have tried to make some progress in our spiritual lives so we can be ready to celebrate Easter.
If you cannot say 'no' to yourself, you cannot say 'yes' to serving others, papal preacher says
VATICAN – If Catholic morality in the past seemed so obsessed with preventing sexual sin that it ignored sins of injustice, today "we have gone to the opposite extreme," seemingly concerned only with how people treat others, not with how they treat the gift of their bodies, the papal preacher said.
Five wounds of Christ: Pope urges recovery of traditional devotion
VATICAN – Pope Francis seems to be fixated on the wounds of Christ. And he has suggested that other Catholics might want to be as well.
Present in the Eucharist, Jesus transforms those who receive him, Pope says
VATICAN – Despite the chill and gusts of wind in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis welcomed the beginning of spring with an impromptu lesson about gardening and how to grow into being better Christians.
Robert Kinghorn: Young evangelists heed cries of the poor
Recently I found myself in the basement of a downtown church surrounded by a confirmation class of children, teachers and parents. The church sits in an area where the outreach of the Church on the Street is most challenging, and the class had responded to the call of Pope Francis in The Joy of the Gospel: “We cannot passively and calmly wait in our church buildings; we need to move from a passive ministry of mere conservation to a decidedly missionary pastoral mission.”
The crucifix is for contemplation, not decoration, says Pope
VATICAN – On Sunday Pope Francis said that the crucifix is not just something decorative to hang on the wall or wear, it is an important sign of our beliefs – and should be truly looked at and prayed before as the source of our salvation.