Pope Francis prepared resignation letter in case of impairment

Pope Francis said he wrote a resignation letter in 2013, his first year in office, to be used in case he became physically or mentally impaired and unable to fulfill the duties of the papacy.

God's Word on Sunday: God indeed is always with us

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year A) Dec. 18 (Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24)

God, give me a sign! How often we may have wished and prayed fervently for a sign, especially when we were in a desperate situation. 

God's Word on Sunday: Live a worthy life as we await the Lord

Third Sunday of Advent (Year A) Dec. 11 (Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11)

Should we blame God for the dark and frightening state of the world? People tend to do that in one way or another. Either they blame God for “allowing” negative things to happen and then reject God, or they accuse God outright of being the perpetrator. 

For Indigenous, Our Lady of Guadalupe ‘a big thing’

Graydon Nicholas, the former Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick, will share his devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hamilton, Ont., Dec. 12.

God's Word on Sunday: We must lay the foundation for the Saviour

Second Sunday of Advent (Year A) Dec. 4 (Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12)

The prophecy from Isaiah does not describe anyone we have ever met, or the sort of person seen in the media. Although a descendant of King David, the figure seems to be from another world far above our own. He represents humanity’s hope and dream for millennia — someone who will put the world right. The saviour figure is one who is wise, just, righteous in judgment, incorruptible and filled with understanding and knowledge of God. 

In poverty we are with the Crucified Christ

These are dangerously murky times. Passionate voices ring out all over; few listen to each other. We risk losing one another as forces pull and push us apart, like the sudden crush in a crowd, when people going different directions create forces by which some get suffocated and trampled. How can we find our way together amidst such forces?  

Pope Francis pays tribute to predecessor, honours Ratzinger Prize winners

Presenting the Ratzinger Prize to a French Jesuit theologian and a Jewish law professor, Pope Francis paid tribute to his predecessor and his theological work.

Prefect of Vatican economy office steps down, citing illness

Three years after Pope Francis appointed him to speed up financial reforms, transparency and budget controls at the Vatican, Jesuit Father Juan Antonio Guerrero Alves has resigned for health reasons.

Overcoming Christian divisions would give world hope, Pope Francis tells patriarch

While formal dialogue about the theological and historical causes of the splits in Christianity are essential, so, too, is a recognition that "sinful actions and attitudes" have contributed and continue to contribute to divisions in the body of Christ, Pope Francis said.

Violence against women is a 'scourge,' Pope Francis says

Violence against women is "a social scourge that is also linked to cultural attitudes, ingrained mentalities and prejudices," so education, prevention and swifter justice are needed to end it, Pope Francis said.

Cardinals Ladaria, Ouellet outline concerns about German Synodal Path

Top Vatican officials expressed concern that, with the Synodal Path, the German bishops were giving up their role as shepherds and allowing participants to adopt positions in contrast to the faith of the universal church, particularly regarding sexuality and women's ordination.