Church leaders condemned bomb explosions that killed at least 20 people and injured about 100 others inside a Catholic church in the southern Philippines Jan. 27. They called the attack a “heinous and evil” act of terrorism.
The primary goal of the Vatican’s February summit on clerical sexual abuse and child protection is to help bishops understand the urgency of the crisis, Pope Francis said.
Just before leaving the physical and human warmth of Panama Jan. 27, Pope Francis stopped to thank the thousands of official volunteers, young and old, gathered at the capital city’s Rommel Fernandez Stadium to tell them that they had just participated in an event similar to one that took place early in Christianity.
Pope Francis prayed that a peaceful solution may be found in Venezuela as uncertainty and political instability grip the country.
As World Youth Day 2019 came to a close in Panama, about 1,400 young adults representing about 20 dioceses throughout the United States gathered Jan. 26 at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., to join in the joy, prayer and fellowship of the global event.
Believe it or not, dear friends, you and I are also called to be “a walking sermon”. Or, as the Second Vatican Council put it, we are to be “traveling messengers of Christ.” Now, the Council’s words, “travelling messengers of Christ”, were not directed only to members of the clergy, or to our heroic missionaries in far-flung lands, but rather to you, as members of the laity, as baptized members of the Body of Christ.
While sharing a private lunch with pilgrims from around the world, Pope Francis expressed his solidarity with victims of sexual abuse by members of the clergy and emphasized the need for unity and prayer, a U.S. pilgrim said.
A church wounded by sin can paralyze, confuse and tire the hearts of Catholic clergy and laypeople, causing them to doubt their mission in the modern world, Pope Francis said.
The president of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend announced that in consultation with other school officials, he has decided to cover 19th-century murals in a prominent campus building that depict the life and exploration of Christopher Columbus.
Just like the Pharisees, many today shun Jesus’ merciful love toward sinners and prefer to use labels that stigmatize a person’s past, present and future, Pope Francis said.
Young men and women in the church can bring the joy of the Gospel to the world by showing that God’s love extends to all people and excludes no one, Pope Francis said.
We are at this magical age where we can play family board games with a fair amount of success.
