US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has labelled Pope Francis’s questioning of his Christianity as “disgraceful”. Francis was asked in a press conference on a papal flight from Mexico for his reaction to Mr Trump’s proposal of a US-Mexico border wall, and what he might say to US Catholics supporting Mr Trump. Francis said that he Read more
Pope Francis has appealed for an international consensus to abolish the death penalty. Speaking at St Peter’s Square on Sunday, the Pope said “Thou shalt not kill applies to the guilty as well as the innocent”. The Pontiff said the commandment has “absolute value”. He asked politicians around the world to “make a courageous and Read more
Pope Francis has prayed at the US-Mexico border, blessing people gathered across the Rio Grande River in Texas. On Wednesday, the final day of his visit to Mexico, Francis went up a ramp overlooking the river and the border, to a makeshift memorial representing migrants killed in their attempts to reach the US. Shoes of Read more
“80% of what the Pope says is based on real-life experiences: when I listen to him I am often able to make the connection with situations that actually occurred. He is not a theorist, he’s hands-on. And he is able to learn from the faith of the holy people of God.” Fr. Guillermo Ortiz is Read more
Pope Francis showed a rare sign of anger after a crowd tugged on his arms and nearly pulled him over during his visit to Mexico. Francis was at a stadium in Morella on Tuesday when the incident occurred. He was greeting people at an open air Mass for youth. Video footage showed the Pope stopping Read more
US presidential hopeful Donald Trump has criticised Pope Francis for planning to visit the border between the US and Mexico this week. On a Fox Business Network show, last week, Mr Trump was asked what he made of Pope Francis being at the border, standing with migrants. “So I think that the Pope is a Read more
Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill have issued a deep and thorough call for reconciliation and unity amongst their two traditions. The two leaders met for 135 minutes in Cuba on February 12. It was the first meeting of this kind for nearly 1000 years. A joint statement was issued, in which Francis and Kirill Read more
Have you been doing anything special for the Jubilee Year of Mercy? Or do you have lots of good intentions but haven’t done anything yet, (except maybe walk through the Holy Door in your diocese?) Well, join the club. I did read Pope Francis’ “Face of Mercy” a few months ago though. And I noticed Read more
A new book will contain Pope Francis’s answers to challenging questions posed to him by children and young people. The book, to be published on March 1 by Loyola Press, is titled “Dear Pope Francis: The Pope Answers Letters from Children Around the World”. It will feature 30 letters and drawings from children aged 6-13 Read more
New Zealand was one the countries mentioned in a recent communiqué from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. The statement from the commission set up to advise Pope Francis on best practice in the fight against child sexual abuse came after its most recent meeting in Rome. In order to comply with one Read more