Vatican

At midday today, the Holy Father appeared at the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square.

Before the Marian prayer, the Pope commented on Jesus' discourse in Jerusalem about the end of time. Jesus exhorted the apostles not to be deceived by false messiahs and not to be paralysed by fear but rather to live this moment of waiting in hope, as a time of witness and perseverance. Read more »

“Catechesis is a pillar for education in the faith and it needs good catechists!” Being a good catechist “begins with Christ” which means not being  “afraid to “go with Christ to the peripheries.”

These were Pope Francis’ words to participants of the International Conference on Catechesis (which kicked off yesterday in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican) held as part of the Year of Faith initiative.

1600 catechists, pastoral workers, professors and experts from various educational institutions are attending the Conference on the theme “Catechist: A Witness of Faith”. Read more »

In this highly competitive world where increasingly individualistic and materialistic tendencies adversely affect human relationships and often create divisions in families and society as a whole, we wish to share our thoughts on how Christians and Hindus can foster human relationships for the good of all humanity through friendship and solidarity.

Relationships are fundamental to human existence. Security and peace in the local, national and international communities are largely determined by the quality of our human interaction. Read more »

In a lengthy and wide-ranging interview with one of his Jesuit confreres, Pope Francis spoke with characteristic frankness about the perils of overemphasizing Catholic teaching on sexual and medical ethics; the reasons for his deliberate and consultative governing style; and his highest priority for the church today.

The pope's remarks appeared in an interview with Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro, editor of the Italian journal La Civilta Cattolica. Read more »

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Pietro Parolin, apostolic nuncio to Venezuela, as his new Secretary of State.

While accepting the resignation of Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who is 78, the Pope asked Cardinal Bertone to remain in his position until October 15 “with all the faculties proper to the office”, according to the Holy See Press Office.

During that time Archbishop Parolin will be able to move from Caracas to Rome. Read more »

A 44-year-old woman from Argentina said that, after writing a letter to Pope Francis telling him that she had been raped by a local police officer, the Pope called her personally to tell her, “You are not alone.”

“The Pope told me he receives thousands of letters each day but that what I wrote moved him and touched his heart,” the woman said in an interview with the National University of Cordoba’s Canal 10 TV station.

“When I heard the Pope’s voice, it was like feeling the hand of God,” she said. Read more »

As the official death toll rose from clashes Aug. 14 in Egypt and as the damage done to Christian churches was being assessed, Pope Francis invoked Mary, queen of peace, to bring calm to the country.

In light of the "painful news" coming from Egypt Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of Mary, Pope Francis said he was praying for "all the victims and their families, for the injured and those who are suffering." Read more »

The liturgical calendar includes four feasts of dedication: two universal dates, those of the Basilicas of Saint John Lateran and Saint Mary Major at Rome; a date proper to each diocese, that of the dedication of its cathedral and, in each city or village, the dedication of the parish church.

On those dates, the faithful recall the day those buildings were consecrated to God and dedicated to this or that Saint.

The choice of those four feasts of dedication is not the fruit of a logical construction, but is rich in meaning. Read more »

Pope Francis has named a new commission to investigate current accounting practices among all Vatican offices and bodies and to help devise new strategies for greater fiscal responsibility and transparency.

The new pontifical commission of business and legal experts will "offer technical support" and "develop strategic solutions" to help the Vatican simplify and better coordinate its scattered resources, budgets, properties and assets, and create "a more careful organization of the economic activities of all Vatican administrative offices." Read more »

Non-negotiable values, as they are called, are at the centre of all of Francis’ actions. Many have noticed this change of tone in recent Church history; some circles are happy about it, others are really not.

This does not mean Francis shies away from addressing controversial elements of Catholic bioethics when the subject comes up. He did so recently in a message to Catholics in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, on the occasion of the Day for life which will be celebrated on different dates between 28 July and 6 October. Read more »