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Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, left, preacher of the papal household, prepares to give the last of his Friday Lenten meditations for Pope Francis and members of the Roman Curia in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel at the Vatican March 23.

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.
St. Francis kissing the feet of Christ, from a painting of a crucifix in Arezzo, Italy.

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.
Pope Francis' zucchetto is blown away by a gust of wind during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 21.

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

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.” 

Pope Francis blesses with a crucifix during an audience with people who have autism in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Nov. 2014.

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.
The closing date to sign up to the pre-Synodal Facebook group is Friday, 16th March.

Vatican invites youth to participate in pre-synod meeting via Facebook

VATICAN – As the pre-synod gathering on youth approaches, Vatican organizers are inviting young people around the globe to join in the discussion through Facebook groups in six different languages.
An image showing a letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI to Msgr. Dario Vigano, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, is seen in this photo released by the Vatican March 12. On March 14 the Vatican admitted that it blurred the last lines in the image of the letter.

Vatican office altered photo of Benedict's letter on Francis's theology

VATICAN – A Vatican office has acknowledged blurring portions of a letter written by Benedict XVI regarding Pope Francis' philosophical and theological formation, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The statue of St. Peter is seen as Pope Francis leaves his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican March 14.

Pope Francis: How many people go beyond the mindless recitation of the Lord's Prayer?

VATICAN – Forgiving those who have caused pain or offense is not easy, Pope Francis said.
Archbishop Luis Ladaria, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, arrives for a news conference to present the document "Placuit Deo" at the Vatican March 1. The document, approved by Pope Francis, focuses on two errors the pope sees in a growing number of Christians.

Salvation of souls the primary purpose of pastoral care, Doctrine of Faith prefect says

VATICAN – Promoting and defending Catholic teaching is itself a pastoral practice, said Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, S.J., the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
A letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI to Msgr. Dario Vigano, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communications, was released by the Vatican March 12. The retired pope defends Pope Francis in the letter, which was written as a promotion for a book series titled, "The Theology of Pope Francis."

Pope Francis' theology contradicts "foolish prejudice" against him, Pope Emeritus says

VATICAN – On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' election, retired Pope Benedict XVI defended the continuity of the church's teaching under his successor and dismissed those who criticize the Pope's theological foundations.
A clergyman hears confession from Pope Francis during a Lenten penance service March 9 in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. The service marked the start of the worldwide celebration of "24 Hours for the Lord," a period when at least one church in every diocese was invited to be open all night -- or at least for extended hours -- for confession and eucharistic adoration.

Confessors should seek to bring penitents closer to Jesus, Pope says

By truly listening to the penitent during confession, "we listen to Jesus himself, poor and humble; by listening to the Holy Spirit, we put ourselves in attentive obedience, becoming listeners of the Word" in order to know what God wants to be done, he said.
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