Common Good

January 11, 2019

Pope Francis' Romania visit to call for unity, focus on common good

Pope Francis talks with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis during a private audience in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican May 15.

VATICAN – Pope Francis will make a three-day apostolic visit to Romania in late May, the Vatican announced.

Published in International

March 12, 2018

Glen Argan: Pursuit of the common good is the best path

"There is a loud knocking at the door from the tenuous ecological situation of our planet. Self-interest has become a suicidal path," Glen Argan writes.

Perhaps the notion of the common good will soon have its day in the sun.

Published in Glen Argan

November 17, 2016

Today’s warning signs are a call to action

1st Sunday of Advent Nov. 27 (Year A) Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44

The passage from Isaiah is one of the most stirring and inspiring images in the Bible. It represents humanity’s deep yearning for peace, happiness and prosperity, as well as an intimate knowledge of the ways of God.

Published in Fr. Scott Lewis

March 23, 2016

Progress is not always a good thing, says cardinal

Cardinal Peter Turkson was in Toronto March 21 to deliver the 2016 John M. Kelly Lecture at the University of St. Michael’s College.

TORONTO - We have the technology to extend life beyond its natural limits, so why not apply our technological resources to end a life when natural death eludes us? Why not take full responsibility for the control humans already exercise over life?

Published in Canada

July 12, 2015

Close to home, Pope highlights need for cooperation for common good

Pope Francis receives flowers at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asuncion, Paraguay, July 10.

CAACUPE, Paraguay - Pope Francis was as close to home as he has been since becoming pope in March 2013 as he celebrated Mass at Paraguay's popular shrine of Our Lady of Miracles of Caacupe.

Published in International

May 11, 2015

Church must promote dialogue, education, families in Africa, Pope says

Children gather around a South African helicopter that dropped food supplies to families affected by flooding in Quelimane, Mozambique, Jan. 20. Pope Francis urged the Togo bishops to spend time with their people to share the positive aspects of family life, such as a culture of new life and respect for elders, in Africa.

VATICAN CITY - Promoting dialogue, education and strong families, the Catholic Church in Africa fulfills its mission to proclaim God's love and to work for the common good, Pope Francis said in separate meetings with the bishops of Mozambique and of Togo.

Published in International

May 7, 2015

Church voice matters

Some time next month the Vatican will release the Pope’s much-anticipated encyclical on the environment. It will be the first time a pope has devoted an encyclical to environmental matters and already critics are questioning Pope Francis’ qualifications to address this complex scientific issue.

Published in Editorial

May 3, 2015

Chaplain’s spirit will live on at Finamore Field

St. Francis Xavier Secondary School has renamed its athletic field after former chaplain Brian Finamore, left, for his indelible impact on the students and the school community.

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - St. Francis Xavier Secondary School has renamed its athletic field after former cheering chaplain Brian Finamore.

Published in Catholic Education

March 5, 2015

Opening the hearts of the people

Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, London version, by El Greco

John’s account of Jesus’ cleansing of the temple is in sharp contrast to the other Gospel accounts of this dramatic story. In the Synoptic Gospels, this scene takes place at the end of the “Palm Sunday Procession” into the holy city.

Published in Guest Faith Columns

January 23, 2015

Church in Central African Republic readies plans for papal visit

French troops lead a disarmament operation in Bangui, Central African Republic in February during what has been called a humanitarian crisis. The country's church leaders emphasized the "need for healing from the trauma people have experienced," said Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, who visited South Sudan and the Central African Republic July 10-21.

OXFORD, England - Pope Francis plans to visit the Central African Republic late this year in an effort to end two years of intercommunal violence, the vice president of the country's bishops' conference confirmed.

Published in International

November 30, 2014