Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for the Economy, gestures during an interview at the Vatican in this Aug. 5, 2014 file photo.

Cardinal Pell expects October Synod to uphold traditional doctrine on family

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ROME - Australian Cardinal George Pell expects the upcoming Synod on the Family in October will uphold traditional Church teaching.

Moussa Faddoul captured the vocation of motherhood in these photos. You can see his selected works at Toronto's Contact photography festival at CBC's Front Street headquarters until May 31.

Mothers dedication to children the same worldwide

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Motherhood statements are rarely welcomed. They are too obvious and can’t be disagreed with. They add nothing to the conversation. A motherhood statement just repeats what we already know.

Brenda Ezman, left, is hoping to spearhead a mothers’ group at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Toronto with Liz Santoro, middle, and Liz Nicassio, right. Dorothy Pilarski, second from the left, is leading the archdiocese-wide effort to create more mothers’ groups.

Archdiocese commits to fellowship groups for mothers

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TORONTO - Dynamic Women of Faith and the Archdiocese of Toronto are joining together to initiate fellowship groups for mothers in parishes across the Greater Toronto Area.

Deacon Jim O’Rourke from the the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, N.Y., right, speaks during a memorial service on April 28, 2015 at Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery in Niskayuna, N.Y., for mothers who lost their children before and after birth.

For Mother’s Day, a place to mourn the babies who never came home

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NISKAYUNA, N.Y. - The night she miscarried in 1968, Dorothy Caruso remembers remaining calm, as if she was watching someone else losing a much-wanted pregnancy. The baby was about three months along; she’d already bought a white baby sweater and a set of blocks.

Pope Francis and Jordan's King Abdullah II pose for photos during a private audience at the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse at the Vatican April 7, 2014. The Jordanian king honoured Scarboro Missions for their interfaith efforts in a ceremony April 20, 2015.

Jordan’s King honours Scarboro Missions’ for its interfaith efforts

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TORONTO - In a world where the Islamic State threatens religious minorities in the Middle East, Boko Haram kidnaps Christian girls in Nigeria, Jews worldwide are forced to defend the existence of Israel, it might be said that interfaith relations are no walk in the park.

Jesuit Father Michael Lapierre will turn 100 May 2, and is taking it all in stride.

Jesuit centenarian knew what he wanted in life

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When you are about to turn 100 there’s a tendency for people to fuss over you and ask silly questions.

When people began asking 99.9-year-old Fr. Michael Lapierre what it felt like to turn 100, he told them “I don’t have a choice.” On May 2, Canada’s oldest Jesuit will take his 100th birthday in stride.

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal leads the Easter procession in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem's Old City April 5. Christians in the Middle East are called to help the light of peace emerge from the violence and anguish of war in much of the region, drawing inspiration from the resurrected Jesus, Patriarch Twal said in his homily.

Latin Patriarch urges Christians to help light of peace emerge from war

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JERUSALEM - Christians in the Middle East are called to help the light of peace emerge from the violence and anguish of war in much of the region, drawing inspiration from the resurrected Jesus, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal said in his Easter homily.

The ritual of the family meal goes a long way in keeping families closer and its youth out of trouble, studies show.

The Last Supper and the ritual of family meals

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During Holy Week, Catholics are called to reflect on the Last Supper, when the apostles came together like a family to break bread with Jesus for the final time. It was from that simple meal, with bread at its centre, that Christ gave mankind the Eucharist.

Cardinal Thomas Collins pours the chrism oil on the altar at St. Padre Pio Church in Kleinberg, Ont.

Oils consecrated at chrism Mass central to Church’s sacraments, rituals

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MIAMI - Some of the Church’s most ancient traditions and rituals are witnessed during Holy Week, including the preparation, blessing and distribution of oils central to the Catholic Church’s sacraments and rites.

Pope Francis goes to confession during a Lenten penance service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 13. During the service the pope announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to be celebrated from Dec. 8, 2015, until Nov. 20, 2016.

In Holy Year, Pope wants to share experience of mercy he had as teen

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VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' decision to convoke a special Holy Year of Mercy has its roots in the event that led a teenage Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the priesthood.

Kevin Reilly, left, a former NFL player whose arm and shoulder were amputated, and Darrell Miller, a former major league baseball player and director of the league's Urban Youth Academy, speaks at a Catholic Men of Faith Conference March 7 at St. Philip Church in Franklin, Tenn.

Catholic men urged to evangelize 'home front,' then go out to community

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FRANKLIN, Tenn. - The Catholic Church needs men to fully commit to their faith, and men have all they need from God "to be a force" for the church, a former major league baseball player told a men's conference in Franklin.

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