Only God can bring peace to Holy Land, Pope tells Peres, Abbas
VATICAN CITY - Praying for peace in the Holy Land alongside leaders of long-antagonistic nations, Pope Francis called on God to act where human efforts had failed, to end what he described as violence inspired by the devil.
Advisors urge Pope Francis to slow down for a summer break
WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has been working nonstop since his election more than a year ago, and he has shown remarkable resilience for a 77-year-old confronted with an array of Church crises. But he is also fatigued at times and his advisors are hoping that he will take a break this summer.
The ‘Francis Doctrine’ puts the Vatican back on the world stage
When Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas meet at the Vatican June 8, it will be another sign of how Pope Francis has returned the Vatican to the global stage to a degree not seen since the 1980s, when John Paul II’s shuttle pilgrimages helped end the Cold War.
Struggling for our father’s blessing
When I was in elementary school, we were made to memorize a number of poems by William Blake. We didn’t understand them, but they had a wonderful jingle to them, were easy to commit to memory and remain branded inside me to this day.
God’s compassion, mercy journey by our side
Trinity Sunday (Year A) June 15 (Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; Daniel 9; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; John 3:16-18)
The people in the Bible perceived God in diverse and sometimes contradictory ways. Throughout the book of Exodus, the people of Israel alternated between resentment and complaint towards God on the one hand and sheer terror on the other. They complained bitterly to God continually out of their fear and lack of trust. But when Moses approached the mountain to encounter God, the people refused to go anywhere near it. They were quite content to send him in their place, and in fact Exodus referred to him as the one who spoke face to face with God as if to a friend.
Pope internationalizes Vatican financial watchdog agency
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis named a slate of new members to the Vatican's financial watchdog agency, replacing an all-Italian panel with members from Italy, Switzerland, Singapore and the United States.
Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew may join Vatican prayer summit
VATICAN CITY - Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople may join Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres when they meet Pope Francis to pray for peace this weekend.
Pope Francis tells couples not to substitute dogs and cats for children
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on June 2 warned married couples against substituting cats and dogs for children — a move that he said leads to the “bitterness of loneliness” in old age.
Indian cardinal's death leaves College of Cardinals with 214 members
VATICAN CITY - An Indian cardinal who had been the editor of a Catholic weekly newspaper before coming to Rome to serve as head of the Vatican Congregation for Eastern Churches died in Rome at the age of 90.
‘One God, one world, one people’
Pentecost Sunday (Year A) June 8 (Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23)
People have many different understandings of the Holy Spirit. For some, it is a life-changing encounter with the divine, while for others it remains a distant and abstract theological formula. Even within the pages of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is cloaked in differing forms and works in various ways.
Hearts on fire
It can be tough to speak up even when something burns inside you. Especially if everybody seems happiest not saying or hearing it, and you wonder if you’re crazy or misguided, and won’t you look like a fool or a downer if you do say it.