Cindy Wooden

Not ruling on apparitions, pope allows pilgrimages to Medjugorje

May 13, 2019

VATICAN CITY - Parishes and dioceses are now allowed to organize official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, but it must be clear that the Catholic Church has not recognized as authentic the alleged Marian apparitions there.

Pope sends cardinal to Lesbos as refugees continue to arrive

May 9, 2019

MYTILENE, Greece - When a Greek priest suggested that if Greece found a home for all the migrants and refugees in its camps, Turkey would just let more come over, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski balked.

Pope Francis called Jean Vanier to thank him before his death

May 7, 2019

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM NORTH MACEDONIA - Pope Francis told reporters May 7 he had been kept informed about Jean Vanier's failing health and had phoned him a week before his death.

Pope draws lessons from Mother Teresa in city of her birth

May 7, 2019

SKOPJE, North Macedonia - Pope Francis went to the tiny Balkan nation of North Macedonia to pay tribute to a tiny saint who accomplished big things: St. Teresa of Kolkata.

Honoring St. John XXIII, pope and Bulgarians give witness for peace

May 6, 2019

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Prayers for peace are important, but they must lead those praying to roll up their sleeves, reach out their hands and open their hearts, Pope Francis said at an interreligious meeting in Sofia.

After offering instruction, Pope gives first Communion to 245 children

May 6, 2019

RAKOVSKI, Bulgaria - In the Catholic heart of Bulgaria, Pope Francis celebrated a special Mass for 245 children receiving their first Communion and thanked them for helping him, their parents and grandparents remember their own first Communion.

Roses and the cross: Pope meets refugees in Bulgaria

May 6, 2019

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Twelve boys and girls wearing white T-shirts and dark pants sang for Pope Francis at a refugee center on the outskirts of Sofia.

Pope to Bulgarians: Treasure identity as crossroads of cultures

May 5, 2019

SOFIA, Bulgaria - In a country that has seen many of its citizens emigrate in search of work and a better life, Pope Francis asked Bulgarians to be welcoming of and sympathetic to the migrants and refugees who arrive in their country hoping to get to Western Europe.

Word of God must be 'beating heart' of church, pope says

April 26, 2019

VATICAN CITY - Reading the Bible and praying with it is "the best vaccine" against Catholic communities closing in on themselves or focusing only on self-preservation, Pope Francis said.

Continuing Easter celebrations, pope again prays for Sri Lanka

April 22, 2019

VATICAN CITY - On Easter Monday, Pope Francis led thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in praying for the hundreds of people who died or were injured in bomb blasts the previous day in Sri Lanka.