POPE Francis will celebrate the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper at a Rome prison and wash the feet of male and female inmates. The Vatican announced yesterday (March 11) that the Pope would visit the Rebibbia detention facility on the outskirts of the capital on April 2, then celebrate Mass in Our Father Church on the grounds of ... Read More »
IRAQI and Syrian refugees who have fled persecution in their homelands and the Palestinian Christians struggling to survive in the land of Jesus deserve the prayers and material support of Catholics around the globe, a Vatican official said. Catholics can “become promoters of dialogue through peace, prayer and sharing of burdens” with Middle East Christians, prefect of the Congregation for ... Read More »
ALLOWING priests to celebrate Mass in the language of the local congregation rather than in Latin allowed the faithful to understand and be encouraged by the Word of God, Pope Francis said. “You cannot turn back; we have to always go forward, always forward and who goes back is making a mistake,” he told parishioners after commemorating the 50th anniversary ... Read More »
LEGALISING euthanasia risks undermining people’s access to loving, holistic care as they face the natural end of their life, many experts at a Vatican conference said. As more parts of the world, like in Quebec last year, passed right-to-die legislation allowing the terminally ill to request lethal drugs, euthanasia was being treated as if it were a legitimate form of ... Read More »
THE Catholic Church firmly opposes the death penalty and urges all states to move toward its abolition, the Vatican’s permanent observer to United Nations agencies in Geneva said. “My delegation contends that bloodless means of defending the common good and upholding justice are possible and calls on states to adapt their penal system to demonstrate their adhesion to a more ... Read More »
SEEING the elderly only as a burden “is ugly. It’s a sin,” Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience. “We must reawaken our collective sense of gratitude, appreciation and hospitality, helping the elderly know they are a living part of their communities” and sources of wisdom for the younger generations, the 78-year-old pope said on Wednesday (March 4) at ... Read More »
SEVENTH SON: Starring Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Alicias Vikander. Directed by Sergei Bodrov. Rated M (Fantasy themes, violence and infrequent coarse language). 102 minutes By John McCarthy A THROWBACK to Saturday matinee serials and mid-20th-century action-adventure films, “Seventh Son” aims to captivate moviegoers with an accessible tale leavened by fantasy and anchored by imperfect heroes who battle the ... Read More »
BY listening to people’s suffering, joys and daily endeavours, Catholics bring the vision of the Second Vatican Council to the world, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, told an audience at The Catholic University of America. Such action demonstrates that the Church values the dignity of every person, especially the poor, and that it welcomes encounters with the world ... Read More »
WHEN the Bible says, “though your sins be like scarlet” God will make them “white as snow”, it exaggerates, just like God exaggerates in his willingness to forgive people, Pope Francis said. “The Lord forgives generously,” the Pope said on Tuesday (March 3) during his early-morning Mass. God never says, “‘I will forgive you just this much, then we’ll see ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
