Below is the text of Pope Francis’ weekly Wednesday audience, delivered on May 5, 2021. Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! We continue the catechesis on prayer and in this catechesis, I would like to reflect on contemplative prayer. The contemplative dimension of the human being—which is not yet contemplative prayer—is a bit like the Read more
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Pope Francis: In Jesus, there is no conflict between contemplation and action
Monday, May 10th, 2021Priest gave general absolution to Mexico City metro victims
Monday, May 10th, 2021Fr. Juan Ortiz has said he reached the scene of the accident on a metro overpass in Mexico shortly after it occurred Monday evening, giving general absolution to the victims. “I got as close as I could, at a safe distance, I prayed for the dead, for the injured, and gave general absolution,” he told Read more
LifeSiteNews removed from Facebook for violating COVID-19 misinformation policies
Monday, May 10th, 2021The ultraconservative website LifeSiteNews has been removed from Facebook, with the tech giant accusing the group of violating policies regarding COVID-19. LifeSiteNews, an often faith-themed website that Snopes.com describes as “a known purveyor of misleading information,” announced the Facebook ban on its own website May 4. “Facebook has just permanently banned LifeSiteNews’ Facebook page,” the Read more
Priests arrested after bishop-designate is shot
Monday, May 10th, 2021Three priests are among 12 people arrested for their possible involvement after the Italian-born bishop-designate of Rumbek, South Sudan, was shot and wounded on 26 April. Lay members of the local church community were also detained. Fr Christian Carlassare, a 43-year-old Comboni missionary, has forgiven his attackers, and said: “It is a very sad story, Read more
Catholic Church opens doors to Muslim diners during Ramadan
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
A Catholic church in Barcelona has offered up its open-air cloisters for Muslims to eat and pray together during Ramadan. With COVID-19 restrictions preventing Barcelona’s Islamic population from celebrating Ramadan at the usual indoor venues, Santa Anna church came to the rescue. Every evening between 50 and 60 Muslims, many of them homeless, stream into Read more
Church has ‘duty’ to counter vaccine deniers
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
An expert on the Vatican’s Covid-19 commission says religious working in health care and schools have a duty to educate and to counter vaccine deniers. Women religious and Catholic organisations who serve others every day are “our best hope for safe and fair distribution of vaccines. “They are also the best tool for convincing people Read more
Increased Church participation due to digital platforms say UK bishops
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
Livestreaming of Masses and digital platforms brought enormous congregations to Catholic churches say the bishops of England and Wales. “We have discovered with online streaming, live streaming of Masses, that we get enormous congregations sometimes,” says Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, the vice-president of the national bishops’ conference. McMahon says that as a result of Read more
Call for better music at Mass
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
Better music at Mass and carefully chosen songs would make attending Mass a more uplifting experience for churchgoers, reports a survey of nearly 2,000 Catholics. The May 4 survey reflected the views of those aged 21-39 and one of the questions the Truth Data Survey asked was: “What would you like to change at Mass?” Read more
Australian Catholics petition Vatican for removal of bishop over LGBTI stance
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
Catholics in an Australian diocese have submitted a formal appeal to the Vatican, calling for the removal of their bishop over his support of same-sex relationships. In their petition to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), the complainants from the Diocese of Parramatta, Australia. They also seek the removal of the diocese’s Read more
Risk of schism in Germany after Vatican’s same-sex blessing ‘no’
Thursday, May 6th, 2021
Italian Cardinal, Camillo Ruini acknowledges there is a risk of schism in Germany over same-sex unions, however, he is hoping and praying it will not eventuate. “I hope with all my heart that there will not be any schism, and I pray for this,” Ruini told the Il Foglio newspaper. His comments come in response Read more