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January 2015

January 15

Pope says respect for religion should limit freedom of expression

January 15, 2015

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Commenting on recent killings by Islamist terrorists at a Paris newspaper, Pope Francis condemned killing in the name of God, but said freedom of expression should be limited by respect for religion and that mockery of faith can be expected to provoke violence.

Is it about the unborn?

January 15, 2015

I’ve spent 25 years in the pro-life movement. I’ve been physically attacked, had soiled underwear pushed in my face, been insulted, speeches picketed, family abused, jobs denied. I’ve also been one of the most public faces of the battle against abortion in media. So I feel a little qualified to pass comment on the issue and its participants.

Francis a gift for Sri Lanka

January 15, 2015

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA - It happened here again, but this time rather unexpectedly. In 1970 and in 1995, when Blessed Paul VI and St. John Paul II visited Sri Lanka, the president who invited them was no longer in office when they arrived. So it was for Pope Francis’ arrival this week, but more dramatically so.

Praying good for the brain, not just the spirit

January 15, 2015

A friend popped by the other day while I was working on a Sudoku puzzle.

The response to blasphemy should be Christ-like

January 15, 2015

When I was an undergraduate at the University of Toronto, a student tabloid printed on its cover a photo of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a banana on its head. I was so furious, I remember my rage 20 years later.

Buddhist centre breaks tradition, shows Pope revered relic

January 15, 2015

MAKOLA, Sri Lanka - When Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a prominent Buddhist temple in Colombo Jan. 14, the head of the Maha Bodhi Society of Sri Lanka reciprocated by showing the Pope historical relics of Buddhas' disciples, normally exposed only for the annual Buddhist feast in May.

Bishops appointed for Chaldean Church in Toronto, Sydney, Baghdad

January 15, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis named new bishops for Chaldean Catholics in Toronto and Sydney and confirmed the election of a Chaldean priest, who is currently ministering in Detroit, to be a new auxiliary bishop in Baghdad.

Vatican clarifies Pope's comments on Charlie Hebdo attack

January 15, 2015

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican Press Office has issued a "clarification" to state that Pope Francis was not justifying last week's terrorist attacks in Paris after he told journalists that people who "provoke" can "expect a punch."

January 16

Surprise papal meeting with former street kids features songs, hugs

January 16, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - Pope Francis did not disappoint hundreds of former street children who were part of a massive campaign to show him one of the centres where they have found safety and love.

Tragedy comes to Toronto’s streets

January 16, 2015

When temperatures dropped to -12 degrees Celsius in early January, a homeless man dressed only in a t-shirt and jeans was stuck on the cold streets of downtown Toronto. Vulnerable to the freezing temperature and bitter winds, he sought protection in a bus shelter.

Pope's canonization announcement surprises Franciscan's promoters

January 16, 2015

WASHINGTON - Surprising even the people who have been promoting the sainthood cause of Blessed Junipero Serra, Pope Francis announced Jan. 15 that in September, he hopes to canonize the 18th-century Spanish Franciscan who founded a string of missions across Mexico and California.

Evangelizing Pope Francis style

January 16, 2015

TORONTO - Pope Francis’ “profound sense of authenticity” is what attracts young people to the pontiff, says Catholic media personality Cheridan Sanders.

O’Gara ecumenical essays published

January 16, 2015

TORONTO - One of Canada’s greatest theologians is still publishing more than two years after she died.

Transform yourselves to transform world, Pope tells Philippine clergy

January 16, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - The Gospel has the power to transform society, ensuring justice and care for the poor, but that can happen only if Christians -- beginning with the church's ministers -- allow the Gospel to transform them, Pope Francis said.

Pope tells Filipinos same-sex marriage threatens family

January 16, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - Appealing to the traditional values of Filipino Catholic families, Pope Francis made one of his strongest calls as Pope against movements to recognize same-sex unions as marriage.

Pope urges end to corruption, which he says keeps people poor

January 16, 2015

MANILA, Philippines - In a nation plagued repeatedly by corruption scandals, Pope Francis urged "everyone, at all levels of society, to reject every form of corruption, which diverts resources from the poor."

January 17

Salesians carry on 200-year legacy of St. John Bosco

January 17, 2015

TORONTO - In a west end Toronto neighbourhood, the 200-year legacy of St. John Bosco lives on.

You can really call this wine ‘vintage Francis’

January 17, 2015

NAPA, Calif. - It was a good thing for Trinitas Cellars that Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio took the name Pope Francis, and not, say Pope Malbecius.

Majority of British Jews feel they have no future in England, Europe

January 17, 2015

CANTERBURY, England - British Jews fear a return to the 1930s and question whether they have a long-term future in this country, according to a survey conducted by the Campaign Against Anti-Semitism.

Here’s the faith in the American Sniper you won’t see in the film

January 17, 2015

Chris Kyle, often described as the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history, wrote in his autobiography that he prioritized his life in the following order: God, country, family.