Michael Swan

Immigrant Canadians give resounding ‘yes’ to Pope

October 1, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - When Pope Francis pleaded with immigrants to hold on to their traditions and culture, a big “yes” rose in Alicia Ledda’s heart. That’s what she came to Philadelphia to hear.

Family gathering opens eyes to the possibilities

October 1, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - Most of the 500 or so Toronto pilgrims and more than 1,000 Canadians in Philadelphia showed up for the last two days of the papal visit to see the Pope. A smaller, hard core of dedicated family activists and advocates formed part of the 18,000 who attended the week-long World Meeting of Families.

Francis wows America

October 1, 2015

PHILIDELPHIA - Pray for the Pope. It’s the one thing he wants. For six days in America, he asked school children, the president, congressmen, senators, UN diplomats, bishops, a million Mass-goers, the homeless and prisoners all to pray for him.

Pope breaks out of the box on families

September 27, 2015

PHILADELPHIA - People were surprised, at least the professional talkers on CNN were surprised, that Pope Francis tossed his script at the Festival of the Families Saturday night.

Pope makes passionate plea for religious freedom

September 26, 2015

Philadelphia, Penn. - American composer Aaron Copland’s stirring “Fanfare for the Common Man” greeted a most uncommon pope, who proceeded to speak to America’s better angels on behalf of common men and women, who thronged Independence Mall in their thousands hoping to catch a glimpse of Pope Francis.

Ethiopians yearn for religious experience

September 26, 2015

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - Ethiopia is not like the rest of Africa. Just ask an Ethiopian.

Africa takes its place in universal Church

September 26, 2015

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA - The Catholic Church is more African than most Canadians realize. We pay no attention to the early African popes — Gelasius I (492 to 496), Miltiades (311 to 314) and Victor I (189 to 199). We gloss over the African origins of some of the most significant writers and thinkers of early Christianity, including the evangelist Mark, author of the oldest Gospel in the canon, and theologians Tertullian, Origen and St. Augustine of Hippo.

Vaccination objections on the rise in Ontario

September 26, 2015

A 50-per-cent increase in the percentage of parents making religious or conscientious objections to getting their kids vaccinated could translate into an extra 10,000 unvaccinated children in Ontario’s public and Catholic school systems, a new study shows.

New York Pope

September 26, 2015

Perhaps the ultimate New York accolade for Pope Francis was on sale Friday at newsstands throughout the city. The gritty, often bombastic New York Post changed its name to the New York Pope for a day when the pope seemed to be all over the city.

Power must not be wielded by the few, Pope tells UN

September 25, 2015

NEW YORK - Pope Francis has come to the powerful to demand limits on power. He came to open a session of the General Assembly of the United Nations Sept. 25, to speak to the world’s diplomatic elite and the powerful forces they represent on behalf of the “victims of power badly exercised.”