SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – Cardinal-designate Baltazar Porras Cardozo of Merida, Venezuela, is known throughout his country, and his appointment as a cardinal gave the people something to celebrate, said a woman who has worked with him for 20 years.
'God calls us to be merciful and good, not rigid'
Pope Francis on Monday warned against excessive rigidity and said God gives us the freedom and the gentleness to be merciful.
Pope tells Jesuits to walk to peripheries, be open to future
ROME – Pope Francis, speaking both as pope and a Jesuit, asked members of the Society of Jesus to continue to journey to where Christ is most needed, and always ask God for consolation, compassion and help in discernment.
Papal summer residence opens to the public for the first time
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy – Pope Francis is throwing open the doors to the papal apartment – including the bedroom where popes have slept – in the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo.
Christians needs to reject envy and conflicts and work for unity
Pope Francis said humility, gentleness and magnanimity are the three key attitudes to build unity within the Church and urged Christians to reject envy, jealousy and conflicts. He was speaking at his Mass celebrated on Friday in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.
Catechism is not enough to know Jesus, we need prayer
Pope Francis said the catechism on its own is not sufficient to truly know Jesus and we need prayer, worship and to recognize ourselves as sinners. His words came during his morning Mass celebrated on Thursday in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.
A good shepherd shuns power and money and is never embittered
Pope Francis said a good shepherd is one who follows Jesus rather than power, money or cliques and even if deserted by everybody may be sad but is never embittered. He was speaking at his morning Mass on Tuesday celebrated in the chapel of the Santa Marta Residence.
Canonization of seven new saints
Pope Francis on Sunday canonized seven new Saints including Argentina's “gaucho priest'' Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero.
Pope canonizes seven saints who 'fought the good fight of faith'
VATICAN CITY – The seven new saints of the church were holy not because of their own efforts but because of "the Lord who triumphs in them and with them," Pope Francis said.
Promote culture of life, inclusion, hope, Pope tells grandparents
VATICAN CITY – In a world that glorifies physical strength and appearances, grandparents must uphold the values that really matter and bring hope and wisdom to younger generations, Pope Francis said.
Media reports miss ‘most beautiful aspects’ of 'Amoris Laetitia'
OTTAWA – The Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada has expressed disappointment that most media reports on the family-centred Apostolic Exhortation by Pope Francis have focused on homosexuality and on communion for the divorced and remarried.
The Pope is not the only keeper of the keys in the Vatican
VATICAN CITY – The sun is not yet up and Gianni Crea is making his way down a pitch-black corridor inside the Vatican’s world-famous museums.
Italian cardinal-designate says experiences of other new cardinals make him reflect
VATICAN CITY – Being named a cardinal along with the nuncio who refuses to leave war-torn Syria, an Albanian priest sentenced to death and tortured by an atheist regime and a young African archbishop who put his life on the line to sow peace and reconciliation in Central African Republic has made Cardinal-designate Renato Corti pray and think hard.
Pope sends emergency funding to hurricane victims in Haiti
VATICAN CITY – As a sign of his closeness and concern, Pope Francis sent aid money to hurricane-stricken Haiti.
Hypocrisy is a kind of spiritual schizophrenia
Pope Francis urged Christians to always tell the truth to avoid succumbing to hypocrisy which he described as a kind of spiritual schizophrenia that makes us say many things but without putting them into practice. He was speaking at his Mass on Friday morning celebrated in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence.