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Marian novena an ‘Ice bridge’ moment

Marian novena an ‘Ice bridge’ moment

Dennis Girard considers the Canada54 Novena from Jan. 6 to Feb. 28 an “ice bridge” moment for the Marian Devotional Movement.

Pope Francis accepts a gift during an audience with an ecumenical delegation from Finland at the Vatican Jan. 17, 2022. Presenting the gift were Lutheran Bishop Jukka Keskitalo of Oulu, flanked by two Lutheran pastors, the Rev. Tuomo Huusko and the Rev. Mari Valjakka. The two pastors, who are wearing traditional Sámi dress, minister to the Indigenous community.

Seeking God together will bring Christians closer to each other, Pope Francis says

VATICAN CITY -- When the goal of Christian unity seems far off, "let us remind ourselves that we are making this journey not as those who already possess God but as those who continue to seek him," Pope Francis told members of an ecumenical pilgrimage from Finland.

Dr. Mohammad Arrad, a Syrian refugee, attends to a patient at a public hospital in Amman, Jordan, in this Dec. 9, 2021, file photo. In a message for the Feb. 11 World Day of the Sick, Pope Francis emphasized a patient-centered approach to medical care.

Progress must never trump care, says Pope Francis

Although scientists have made great strides in the field of medicine, genuine care and listening to those who suffer must always be at the forefront of any therapy, Pope Francis said.

People in the Kayah state of Myanmar attend Catholic Mass in the Htaykho village in this 2015 file photo.

Vatican pays tribute to 22 church workers murdered in 2021

VATICAN CITY -- In situations of extreme poverty, war or civil tensions, 22 Catholic church workers were murdered in 2021, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leads his Christmas message and blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 25, 2021.

Pope Francis prays Christmas will bring yearning for peace, dialogue

VATICAN CITY -- Before giving his Christmas blessing to the city of Rome and to the world, Pope Francis drew attention to the many places around the globe and within human hearts in need of Jesus, the prince of peace.

Pope Francis kisses a figurine of the baby Jesus at the start of Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 24, 2021.

Pope Francis at Christmas: 'God comes into the world in littleness'

The celebration of Christmas serves as a reminder that God did not reveal his greatness in a grand spectacle, but rather in the "littleness" of a poor, vulnerable child born in a stable in Bethlehem, Pope Francis said.

Cardinal Peter Turkson, left, Cardinal Michael Czerny and Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli are seen in this composite photo. Pope Francis accepted Cardinal Turkson's resignation as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development Dec. 23, 2021, and has asked Cardinal Michael Czerny and Salesian Sister Alessandra Smerilli to oversee the dicastery until a new prefect is named.

Pope Francis names Cardinal Czerny interim head of dicastery

VATICAN CITY -- Thanking Cardinal Peter Turkson for his five years of service as prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis has decided to name new leadership for the office, said a Vatican communique.

Pope Francis greets children during a meeting with youngsters assisted by the Vatican’s St. Martha pediatric clinic in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican Dec. 19. The Pope offered Christmas blessings and urged the children to listen to and help people in need.

Pope’s World Day of Peace message stresses dialogue, education

VATICAN CITY -- Governments must pour more money into education and drastically reduce military spending for there to be genuine progress and peace in the world, Pope Francis said in his annual message for the World Day of Peace Jan. 1.

The Nativity scene is pictured in St. Peter's Square during a preview for journalists at the Vatican Dec. 9, 2021. The Nativity is from Peru's Huancavelica region and will be unveiled to the public Dec. 10 during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.

Vatican Nativity crèche inspired by Peru's Andean region

VATICAN CITY -- The representation of Peru's diverse Indigenous communities in this year's Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square embodies the joy and hope of their faith, said Peruvian Bishop Carlos Alberto Salcedo Ojeda of Huancavelica, Peru.

A firefighter places a wreath on a tall Marian statue overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome Dec. 8, 2021, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Francis prayed at the statue before daybreak, continuing the papal tradition of visiting the Spanish Steps on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

In early morning darkness, Pope Francis pays tribute to Immaculate Conception

ROME -- An hour before sunrise, Pope Francis set a basket of white roses at the base of a statue of the Immaculate Conception in the center of Rome, praying Mary would help all who suffer.

Pope Francis talks with Orthodox Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and all Greece during a meeting with their delegations in the Throne Room of the archbishopric in Athens, Greece, Dec. 4, 2021.

Pope Francis asks pardon for sins that drove Catholic, Orthodox apart

ATHENS, Greece -- Like St. John Paul II before him, Pope Francis apologized to members of the Orthodox Church of Greece for the ways Catholics over the centuries had offended them, and he told Catholic leaders that they must embrace their minority status with humility.

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