Vatican official says Archbishop Romero's sainthood cause 'unblocked'

VATICAN CITY - Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family and the official promoter of the sainthood cause of the late Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador, said the process to beatify and eventually canonize the slain Salvadoran archbishop has been unblocked.

Pope ordains new priests, talks about learning to hear Jesus' voice

VATICAN CITY - Before ordaining 10 men to the priesthood, Pope Francis prayed privately with them in the sacristy and entrusted them to Mary's care.

Pope reaffirms call for reform of U.S. nuns’ group

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has reaffirmed the Vatican’s call for reform of the U.S.-based Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Self-giving love is not optional

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 28 (Acts 14:21-27; Psalm 145; Revelation 21:1-5; John 13:1, 31-33, 34-35)

Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ was not an easy task in the first century. It often involved the loss of friends, the estrangement of family and alienation from one’s culture. Occasionally violent persecution was thrown in.

Jesus shows us how to pray in a crisis

How do we lift our darkest, most depressed, most lonely moments up to God? How can we pray when we are most deeply alone, helpless and our whole world seems to be collapsing?

Battle with the devil: Pope Francis frames the fight in Jesuit terms

VATICAN CITY - In the teaching of Pope Francis, the devil has a more dastardly agenda than just convincing people to break one of the Ten Commandments; "the enemy" wants them to feel weak, worthless and always ready to complain or gossip.

Br. Anthony found his home in God

Every immigrant who ever came to Canada dreaming of something better, something worthy of their best hopes, struggled, wished they had never come and wanted to go home has a soul brother in Br. Anthony Kowalczyk.

True faith withstands all

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C) April 21 (Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelation 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30)

Major imperatives within mature discipleship

In his autobiography, Morris West suggests that at a certain age our lives simplify and we need have only three phrases left in our spiritual vocabulary: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! He is right, if we understand fully what is implied in living out gratitude. Gratitude is the ultimate virtue, undergirding everything else, even love. It is synonymous with holiness.

Being Christian means acting, loving like Christ, Pope says at audience

VATICAN CITY - A Christian isn't a person who simply follows some commandments, but is a person who tries to think like Christ, "act like him, love like him," Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience.

Pope names head of Franciscans to Vatican office overseeing religious

VATICAN CITY - In his first appointment to the curia, Pope Francis named the superior of the Franciscans as secretary of the Vatican office that oversees the world's religious orders.