The enthusiasm, daring and hope of young people are necessary to the Catholic Church, Pope Francis says. Speaking to a gathering of 300 young representatives, Francis explained the Church needs youth to preach the Gospel energetically and respond to the questions men and women raise today. “We need to rediscover in the Lord the strength Read more
The Vatican admits an image of a letter it sent the media last week did not include the full copy. In the media release, only part of a five-paragraph letter from Emeritus Pope Benedict was visible. The bottom two lines of the first page and all but Benedict’s signature on the second page were obscured. Read more
A series of tweets from the Vatican express sorrow and prayers for Stephen Hawking who died last week. Hawking was an esteemed member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. St John Paul II named Hawking a member of the Academy in 1986. Its members are chosen on the basis of their academic credentials and professional Read more
In a new film by Wim Wenders, Pope Francis speaks directly to his audience. Wenders says “Pope Francis – A Man of His Word”, shows Francis speaking “directly about all his concerns and all the issues that matter to him” to viewers. Read more
A native-Spanish speaker who grew up with Italian-speaking relatives in Argentina, Pope Francis at five years has a striking way with words. Bringing a background in literary themes and devices with him to the papacy five years ago, the pope has shown himself to be a master of metaphor and allegory. His cross-cultural and eclectic Read more
Whenever Pope Francis visits prisons, during his whirlwind trips to the world’s peripheries or at a nearby jailhouse in Rome, he always tells inmates that he, too, could have ended up behind bars: “Why you and not me?” he asks. That humble empathy and the ease with which he walks in others’ shoes have won Read more
As he enters the sixth year of his pontificate, Pope Francis is in good health, good spirits and sustained by that inner peace that came to him during the conclave and has never left him, according to sources close to the 265th successor of Peter. Many commentators around the world have sought to produce a Read more
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has rejected ideas that there is no continuity between his pontificate and that of Pope Francis. There is an “inner continuity” between his pontificate and Francis’s, Benedict says in a letter published by Mgr Dario Edoardo Viganò, prefect of the Secretariat for Communication. The letter also says Francis is a “man Read more
A German cardinal known internationally for his ecumenical work died on Sunday. Cardinal Karl Lehmann, Archbishop Emeritus of Mainz, was a world leader in building bridges of understanding, reconciliation and dialogue. He played a leading role in advancing the Catholic Church’s ecumenical dialogue, especially with Lutherans and Evangelicals. German Bishops’ Conference chair, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Read more
The Pope’s popularity is dropping in the United States while conservative opposition to his papacy is rising, according to a Pew Research Centre survey. The January survey canvassed 1,503 Americans. Twenty percent of those surveyed are Catholic. The survey found a third of respondents think Pope Francis is “too liberal” while one-quarter considered him “too Read more