BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Three years ago, Aida Miranda found herself alone and pregnant in the Argentine capital. The young Paraguayan Catholic woman was so desperate that she began to consider abortion, which is illegal in Argentina. “I felt a heavy moral burden, how could this have happened to me, I had a religious formation,” Miranda, now 29, who once considered ... Read More »
THE bishops of southern Africa said corruption is rampant in the region and called on all Catholics to take a pledge not to pay or offer bribes. “If you experience corruption, report it,” the bishops of South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland urged in a pastoral letter, noting that “bribery, collusion and all other forms of corruption thrive in conditions of ... Read More »
AFTER Pope Francis entrusted two Vatican academies to study the problem of human trafficking, a group of women religious asked the Pope to raise greater awareness in the Church about the issue by establishing a worldwide day of prayer and fasting. “The Pope was very interested in our suggestion and asked us what date we would like the day to ... Read More »
At the end of the feast of All Saints, just before the sunset, Pope Francis celebrated an outdoor Mass at Rome’s Verano cemetery and urged Christians to hang on to hope as they reflect on the promise that earthly life ends with eternal life in heaven. In his homily at the Mass on November 1, Pope Francis set aside his ... Read More »
VATICAN: Surprising pilgrims at Blessed John Paul II’s tomb, Pope Francis made an early-morning visit to St Peter’s Basilica and celebrated Mass with the mostly Polish pilgrims. More than 100 priests and pilgrims were gathered on October 31 at the basilica’s Chapel of St Sebastian for a morning Mass near Blessed John Paul’s tomb. Pope Francis arrived unannounced to preside ... Read More »
Joyful prayers, songs and conversation could be heard along the street as the parish community of St Francis de Sales in Belle Harbour gathered to observe the first anniversary of Hurricane Sandy. Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celebrant of an evening Mass of remembrance and thanksgiving on October 26. As parishioners filled the pews, it was hard to ... Read More »
VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis will create his first cardinals during a consistory on February 22, the feast of the Chair of St Peter. The Pope also was expected to use the occasion “to have a meeting with the cardinals for consultations” immediately before the ceremony, as retired Pope Benedict XVI did in the run-up to his consistories, Holy See spokesman ... Read More »
VATICAN CITY: God never ceases to forgive, offering even the disobedient the chance for eternal life, Pope Francis said. “Even if our entire existence is surrounded by threats, nothing can ever separate us from the love that Christ himself gained for us,” he said in a homily in St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on November 4. “Only the sin of ... Read More »
THE president of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops’ Conference called the suicide bomb attack on September 22 at All Saints’ Church, Peshawar a “shameful act of cowardice”. He said all Christian educational institutions in the country would be closed September 23-25 in mourning and protest. Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karachi demanded the Pakistani government take immediate steps to apprehend those responsible ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
