Faith

Cardinal Parolin says church divisions stem from misunderstanding 'reform'

April 6, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- Three days after the preacher of the papal household called on Catholics to repent for the ways they are dividing the church, the Vatican secretary of state said the divisions are real and they are harmful.

Pope Francis: Easter season is time to seek the risen Lord, experience joy

April 6, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- The Easter season, which lasts until Pentecost, is a time for rejoicing and for always seeking out the risen Christ, Pope Francis said.

Christ's victory over death proclaims a second chance for all, Pope Francis says

April 4, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- The Easter liturgies -- with the fire, sharing of light from the paschal candle, the renewal of baptismal promises and the proclamation that Jesus has risen -- assure people that it is never too late to start again, Pope Francis said.

Cardinal, at Pope Francis' Good Friday service, decries divisions within church

April 2, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- As Pope Francis presided over the Liturgy of the Lord's Passion, the preacher of the papal household called on bishops and all Catholics to examine their consciences for ways they may be harming the unity of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis celebrates Holy Thursday Mass with Cardinal Becciu

April 2, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis celebrated a private Mass on Holy Thursday with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the former prefect of the Congregation for Saints' Causes who was forced to resign amid an investigation into suspected financial malfeasance.

Papal charity to run Holy Week vaccination clinic

March 31, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- The Office of Papal Charities has purchased enough doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to offer inoculations in Rome to 1,200 of “the poorest and most marginalized people who, because of their situation, are the most exposed” to the coronavirus.

Pope Francis elevates Ireland's national Knock Shrine to international status

March 22, 2021

DUBLIN -- Pope Francis has elevated the National Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock to the status of an International Shrine of Eucharistic and Marian Devotion.

Gift of the Holy Spirit connects people to Christ, Pope Francis says at audience

March 17, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- Every Christian is unique because the Holy Spirit inspires something new and original in each person, creating "an endless field of holiness," Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis names woman Scripture scholar as secretary of biblical commission

March 12, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis has named Sister Nuria Calduch-Benages, an Old Testament scholar and professor at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University, to be secretary of the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

Returning from Iraq, Pope Francis talks about 'risks' taken on trip

March 8, 2021

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM IRAQ -- The Catholic Church's commitment to dialogue with other churches and with other religions flows from the Gospel, but Pope Francis said he knows some Catholics disagree.