'Share the journey,' embrace migrants, refugees, Pope says
VATICAN CITY – Christ calls believers to welcome migrants and refugees "with arms wide open, ready to give a sincere, affectionate, enveloping embrace," Pope Francis said, launching the "Share the Journey" campaign of Catholic charities around the world.
Bishops not ready to invite Pope Francis to Canada
Worst sin is doubting God waits for all sinners to convert, Pope says
VATICAN CITY – The worst sin of all is not trusting in God's infinite love and not believing that God is always waiting for his sinning children to return to him, Pope Francis said.
Recognize God's presence, be open to solace he brings, Pope says
VATICAN CITY – Christians must learn to expect and recognize God's consolation and hold dear the peace and tranquility it leaves behind, Pope Francis said.
Vatican, former Vatican auditor give differing accounts of resignation
VATICAN CITY – The first person to serve as the Vatican's independent auditor said he was forced to resign after opponents of Pope Francis' financial reforms mounted a campaign against him.
Editorial: Liturgical caution
Pope Francis caused a buzz in the Catholic world on Sept. 9 when he announced a relaxation of the Vatican’s stranglehold on liturgical texts in favour of sharing responsibility with local bishops.
Bishops are in no rush to revise Missal
OTTAWA - Despite an edict from Pope Francis to allow broad input on liturgy, the English translation of the new Roman Missal is unlikely to be revised any time soon in Canada, say bishops.
Pope prays for victims of Mexico quake
VATICAN CITY – As search and rescue operations continued in central Mexico, where more than 200 people died after a strong earthquake Sept. 19, Pope Francis offered his prayers for the victims.
Pope, Bolivian bishops discuss rise of 'parallel' churches
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis urged the bishops of Bolivia to faithfully guide their flocks as breakaway groups comprised of former priests and seminarians are gaining ground in the country.
Pope praises Rome's first interreligious half-marathon
VATICAN CITY – After thousands of runners completed the first ever "multireligious" half-marathon in Rome, Pope Francis praised the initiative, which was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture.
Priests buoyed by Francis the pastor
After a quarter million dead, six million driven from their homes and 50 years of violence, what Colombia needed was a pastor, not a politician, said Colombian-born Toronto pastor Fr. Carlos Augusto Sierra Tobon.
Belgian brothers group to keep offering euthanasia at psych facilities
OXFORD, England – Belgium's Brothers of Charity Group, which runs 15 centers for psychiatric patients, has rejected a Vatican order to stop offering euthanasia.
Bruised, not broken: Pope encourages Colombians to pursue peace
CARTAGENA, Colombia – Pope Francis said he had no magic words or special recipes for Colombians seeking peace, but rather he wanted to listen to them, learn from them and travel a bit of the road with them.
Pope says he hopes Trump reconsiders DACA decision
ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM COLOMBIA – Politicians who call themselves pro-life must be pro-family and not enact policies that divide families and rob young people of a future, Pope Francis said. Flying from Colombia back to Rome late Sept. 10, Pope Francis was asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed some 800,000 young people brought to the United States illegally as children to stay in the country, working or going to school.
At final Mass in Colombia, Pope calls for change of culture
CARTAGENA, Colombia - Pope Francis capped a five-day trip to Colombia with a call for culture change in a country attempting to pursue a path of peace and reconciliation after decades of armed conflict and centuries of social exclusion.