The Pope was admitted to hospital on Wednesday after having breathing difficulties. However, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni says after having routine tests Pope Francis is expected to be in hospital for several days. “Time has been allocated in the schedule to allow for the tests to continue for as long as necessary,” a Vatican source Read more
Not long ago, every U.S. cleric — bishop, priest and deacon — received a reprint of Cardinal Raymond Burke’s 2007 essay from Periodica de Re Canonica, the annual 700-page canon law journal of the Gregorian University in Rome. Burke documents the church’s history of legislating against giving Communion to persons “obstinately persevering in manifest grave Read more
The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation each year on March 25. The date was chosen from the very beginning for two reasons: it falls nine months before we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and it conforms to an ancient belief that God became incarnate during the spring equinox. However, our liturgical texts Read more
If Pope Francis continues to serve as bishop of Rome for another two years, he may have a notable opportunity to refashion the U.S. Catholic hierarchy. Dozens of bishops, several in historically significant archdioceses, will be required by canon law to submit resignation letters upon turning 75. At least 13 archdioceses and 21 dioceses could Read more
We should treat other people’s physical and social differences as a chance to love better, not as an inconvenience, Pope Francis said on Sunday. After leading the Angelus with the 25,000-strong crowd in St Peter’s Square, he reflected on the day’s Gospel, which recounts Jesus’s miraculous healing of the blind man. Pointing out the different Read more
On the last day of their meeting at the Vatican this month, the seven-member Synod of Bishops’ preparatory commission had an audience with Pope Francis. Bishop Daniel Flores, who has been coordinating the synod process for the United States bishops, said the meeting was “very encouraging”. Francis speaks “very beautifully about the Church and about Read more
Hunting season doesn’t normally begin in most places in the United States until the autumn. But some self-appointed US Catholic intelligentsia members apparently agreed that, this year, it would start on March 13th. That was the day we marked the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ election to the papacy. And while writers generally used the Read more
Liturgical elements – aesthetic and artistic features surrounding the liturgy must foster prayer and a sense of communion, says Pope Francis. In a written message, he says: “The space, light, acoustics, colours, images, symbols (and) liturgical furnishings constitute fundamental elements of that reality, that event, human and divine at the same time, which is precisely Read more
Pope Francis marks the 10th anniversary of his election on March 13 having outlasted the conservative opposition that failed to bring him down and which is now at a crossroads, seeking new direction following the deaths of two of its figureheads. The conservative-progressive divide has been a recurrent theme of the past 10 years, since Read more
Pope Francis has been upbeat and future-focused during his tenth anniversary this week. Instead of cataloguing and discussing his past decade’s wins and losses, Francis has been speaking of his hopes for the future. “It’s not for me to decide what I’ve achieved”, he told media when questioned. “The Lord will do the appraisal when Read more