News Around Christendom

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Lk 4:18). Jesus began his preaching with this verse, which also begins today’s first reading (cf. Is 61:1). At the beginning, then, the Spirit of the Lord is present. Dear brothers in the priesthood, today I would like to reflect with you on the Holy Spirit. For without the Spirit of the ...

At the presentation of Father Antonio Spadaro’s book ‘The Atlas of Francis, Vatican and International Politics’ the Vatican Secretary of State sketched a picture of the ‘diplomacy of mercy’ carried out by Pope Francis in these ten years of pontificate, which allows the Holy See to be a ‘super partes’ actor in the international arena. By Valerio Palombaro Ten years ...

A look back over 10 years of quotes about mercy from the Holy Father By Joseph Pronechen It is not easy to entrust oneself to God’s mercy, because it is an abyss beyond our comprehension. But we must! … ‘Oh, I am a great sinner!’ ‘All the better! Go to Jesus: He likes you to tell him these things!’ He ...

By Amedeo Lomonaco There are three key elements of the Lenten journey that begins each year with Ash Wednesday: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Fasting, in particular, should not be understood only in its formal dimension. It has real significance, as Pope Francis repeatedly reminds us, if one follows the example of the Good Samaritan. It has value if one adopts ...

Father Jacques Mourad, a Syrian Catholic monk who was kidnapped in Syria by Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists in 2015 and managed to escape after five months in captivity, was consecrated as the new Archbishop of Homs, Syria. At the March 3 Mass for the Episcopal Consecration, Bishop Flavien Rami Al-Kabalan, procurator of the Syrian Patriarchate of Antioch to the Holy ...

…Bishop Ezeokafor Mourns According to a nurse who was near him before he breathed his last, the late Pope Benedict XVI, mustering his last strength, had muttered in his death bed, ‘Lord, I Love You.’ That was around 3am on December 31, 2022. Fides reports that the pope emeritus spoke those last words in Italian in a barely audible whisper. ...

: ‘The Next Pope Can Reinstate Me’ to the Priesthood By Jonah McKeown and Shannon Mullen Pro-life activist Frank Pavone on Monday defiantly asserted that the Vatican’s decree removing him from the priesthood is not final, saying “the next pope can reinstate me.” “This idea that any of this is permanent in terms of dismissal from the priesthood is simply ...

By Sr Theresien Bartonova I belong to the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy of Saint Charles Borromeo. We are a very active congregation, but, at the same time, the contemplative aspect is fundamental for us. Our mission is to be close to those who suffer. Our first sisters cared for plague victims on the streets of Nancy in France, ...

By Josef Ishu In the wake of so much distrust, suspicion and rejection in Nigeria today, the Catholic priests in the country have canvassed for reorientation of the citizens. The clergymen, under the auspices of the Nigeria Catholic Diocesan Priests’ Association (NCDPA) made the call at the end of their 33rd Annual General Meeting held at St. Leo’s Catholic Church, ...

By Devin Watkins Pope Francis speaks with Members and employees of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, and urges media professionals to let their heart and Christian values shine through in their work. As the Dicastery for Communication held its plenary assembly, Pope Francis met with Members and employees of Dicastery’s various branches, which includes Vatican News. The Pope gave his ...

By Francesca Merlo Pope Francis meets with a group of entrepreneurs from Spain, and highlights the importance of transforming the global economy, so that everyone can benefit from it, especially the poor and marginalised. Addressing a group of entrepreneurs from Spain in the Vatican’s Consistory Hall, Pope Francis welcomed and greeted them, describing their presence as “a sign of hope”. ...

By Devin Watkins Pope Francis announces that the Assembly meetings of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality will take place in two sessions: in October 2023 and October 2024. The Synod of Bishops’ meetings in the Vatican—originally scheduled to be held in October 2023—will now also take place in October 2024, as part of the same Synod but held in ...

By Linda Bordoni October 12, 1962: John XXIII’s appeal to States to heed “anguished cry for peace” On 12 October 1962, day two of the Second Vatican Council and amid the unfolding Cuban Missile Crisis, Pope John XXIII addresses diplomats accredited to the Holy See, noting that Heads of State bear responsibility for the fate of nations and urging them ...

By Hannah Brockhaus On the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to leave behind criticism and anger and to live the faith with joy. “May the Church be overcome with joy. If she should fail to rejoice, she would deny her very self, for she would forget the love that begot her,” ...

By Hannah Brockhaus Pope Francis is featured in a documentary film on climate change and the environment that premiered at the Vatican on Tuesday. “The Letter,” which can be streamed for free on YouTube Originals starting Oct. 4, follows a climate activist, an indigenous leader, a climate refugee, and married marine biologists as they travel from their corners of the ...

By Jean Gonzalez The 7-year-old boy who sat with his family in the cafeteria of Hardee Junior High School was too shy to say his name. He smiled as he sipped the straw in his can of Coke Zero, but he didn’t eat much of the hot meal in front of him — a small piece of chicken, rice and ...

By Hannah Brockhaus Prayer is the first element of discernment, Pope Francis said in his general audience message on Wednesday. “To discern we need to be in an environment, in a state of prayer,” he said Sept. 28 in St. Peter’s Square. “We resume our catecheses on the theme of discernment,” the pope said, “because the theme of discernment is ...

By Zelda Caldwell On Tuesday night Benafsha and her husband, Mustafa, anxiously waited at Dulles International Airport for their son, 22-month-old Jasoor, to arrive from Afghanistan. Benafsha tugged at her long brown hair nervously, and Mustafa held his wife close to him as they watched for their son to walk through the airport security exit and into their arms. The ...

Turns 90, Marks 57th Priestly Anniversary By Mercy Hill and Zita Chidera Ezeno The oldest priest in Awka and Ekwulobia Dioceses, Very Rev. Fr. Prof. Johnson Ojiako, has turned 90, with his birthday celebration and 57th priestly anniversary taking place last Sunday. The ceremony started with a Holy Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, G.R.A., Awka. The celebrant who ...

…As Parish Celebrates Patron Feast By Chioma Ndife The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Awka, Most Rev Paulinus Ezeokafor, has confirmed over 170 deserving faithful in faith. Bishop Ezeokafor administered the Sacrament of Confirmation on the faithful on Sunday, August 21, at St. Michael’s Parish, Akwaeze, during the parish’s Patron Feast Day. Speaking at the visit, Bishop Ezeokafor ...