DESPITE the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing security concerns, Pope Francis is determined to visit Iraq to pay homage to Christian and other minorities persecuted for their faith and to strengthen the commitment of the overwhelming majority of Iraqi Muslims to creating a future of peace and harmony. During his visit from March 5-8, Francis will visit churches that were destroyed ... Read More »
AN Iraqi priest says Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq next week is an act of bravery and also madness. “The country is burning, but he is still going,” Fr Naim Shoshandy told the respected Catholic newspaper CRUX. “It’s an act of bravery, for him to go to Iraq, the land of Abraham, as an apostle.” An act of bravery, Fr ... Read More »
POPE Francis has updated the Vatican’s legal code to grant reductions in sentences, changes to trials in absentia and streamlining the appeals process. The changes are outlined in Pope Francis’ motu proprio “Introducing modifications in the area of justice”, that was published yesterday. The changes come as Vatican officials have been under increased scrutiny over the way they handled finances ... Read More »
Pope Francis has used his message for Lent 2021 to called on Catholics to “experience Lent with Love” by extending the hand of charity to those affected by coronavirus. “To experience Lent with love means caring for those who suffer or feel abandoned and fearful because of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Francis wrote in the message published ahead of the liturgical season ... Read More »
FRENCH Daughter of Charity Sr Andre has been “cured” of COVID-19 and has recovered in time for her 117th birthday today, marking a World Day of the Sick like no other. She was diagnosed with COVID-19 in mid-January but was quickly declared asymptomatic. Asked if she was scared to have coronavirus, she said – “No, I wasn’t scared because I ... Read More »
POPE Francis has told 183 Holy See diplomats that their nations must emerge from the pandemic with a policy focus on equal access to COVID-19 vaccines, building a fairer market economy, addressing climate change and ensuring health care for citizens. He said there was a choice to be made – “to continue on the road we have followed until now, ... Read More »
THE liturgy is not a spectacle to be observed, but a prayerful event where Christians encounter Christ’s presence in their lives, Pope Francis said. Throughout the Catholic Church’s long history, people have been tempted to practice a private or “intimist Christianity” that failed to recognise the importance of the liturgy in spiritual life, the pope said on February 3 during ... Read More »
POPE Francis has announced the establishment of a World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly as a reminder of the important role they play as a link between generations. During his Sunday Angelus address on January 31, the Pope said the day would be celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of July to coincide with the feast of Sts ... Read More »
BRISBANE Deacon Ivan Ortiz says the feast of Word of God Sunday, instituted by Pope Francis in 2020 and set for February 7 in Australia, is a fantastic opportunity to elevate Scripture in our daily lives. But when it comes time to actually reading the Bible, many Catholics are stifled by the sheer size or archaic language sometimes found in ... Read More »
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