The Promise of Eternal Friendship
by Fr.Richard Conrad O.P.21 March 2008Good FridayReadings:Isaiah 52:13-53:12Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. As many were astonished at him-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men-- so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and that which they have not heard they shall understand.Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up bef ...Read More
Loving to the End
by Fr.Austin Milner O.P.20 March 2008Holy ThursdayReadings:Exodus 12:1-8,11-14The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household; and if the household is too small for a lamb, then a man and his neighbor next to his house shall take according to the number of person ...Read More
U.K Catholic politicians win opt-out on embryo legislation
London, U.K, Mar.19, 2008 (vaticans.org) - In a rare move, Catholic politicians in Britain’s Labour government have been allowed to opt out of government legislation that goes against the faith. The decision was made after three Catholic members of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s cabinet made it known they opposed legislation that would allow the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos, and loosen restrictions on in-vitro fertilization treatments for single women and homosexual couples. The news was welcomed by England’s Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor. ...Read More
Vatican to open the first Catholic Church in Saudi Arabia
Rome, Italy, Mar.19, 2008 (vaticans.org) - The Vatican is in negotiations with Saudi Arabia to open the first Catholic Church in the country in modern times, the Telegraph reports.Archbishop Mounged El-Hachem, the papal envoy to Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates, said that talks had started a few weeks ago after King Abdullah’s November visit with Pope Benedict XVI.Archbishop El-Hachem said a church in Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of “reciprocity” between the two faiths.At present all Saudi citizens are required by law to be Muslim. The Mutawe ...Read More
Pope offers Mass for soul of Iraqi Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho
Vatican City, Mar 18, 2008 (vaticans.org) - On Monday morning the Holy Father presided at a Mass for the soul of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of the Chaldeans, who died in tragic circumstances following his kidnapping on February 29. The Pontiff described the archbishop as taking up his cross to follow Christ. The Pope spoke of his closeness to the members of the "beloved Church which suffers, believes and prays in Iraq" and expressed the hope that "in the faith they may find the strength not to lose heart in the difficult situation they are experiencing." The Holy Father also tied in today's Gospel rea ...Read More
Pope Benedict XVI cries: Enough violence, enough hatred in Iraq!
Vatican City, Mar.17, 2008 (vaticans.org).- At the end of the solemn celebration, Pope Benedict XVI expressed again his deep sorrow over the death of Archbishop of Mosul for Chaldeans, Monsignor Paulos Faraj Rahho, who tragically disappeared on February 29 and was found buried in a shallow grave outside of Mosul last week. The Pope said the Archbishop's life is "a beautiful witness of fidelity to Christ, the Church and its people" and that despite numerous threats, the Archbishop remained with them. Pope Benedict said these events prompted him to "raise a strong and heartfelt cry: enough with massacres, enough violence, enough hatred in Iraq! With strong words of encourag ...Read More
Pope Benedict XVI’s third encyclical to be titled “Love in Truth”
Vatican City, Mar 15, 2008 (vaticans.org).- third encyclical will discuss Catholic social teaching, touching on issues as varied as poverty, peace, wars, international cooperation, energy sources, and globalization.The encyclical will be titled “Caritas in Veritate,” “Love In Truth,” La Repubblica reports.“Caritas in Veritate” will be Pope Benedict ’s third encyclical. His first encyclical, “Deus Caritas Est,” examined the virtue of love while the second, “Spe Salvi,” focused upon the virtue of hope.The four-chapter encyclical will no longer be published on May 1 as previously planned, but will be delayed so that translations, especially the Chinese translation, may be completed. ...Read More
Founder of the Focolare Movement,Chiara Lubich has died
Rome, Italy, Mar.15,2008 (vaticans.org) – Chiara Lubich, founder of the Work of Mary, better known as the Focolare Movement, died at 2 am yesterday morning in here home in Rocca di Papa, close to Rome. She returned home yesterday evening, at her express wish, after a lengthy stay at Gemelli hospital.A press release issued by the Movement states that “in a serene and intensely moving atmosphere of prayer, at the age of 88 Chiara Lubich concluded her earthly journey”. “All day yesterday” – continues the release, – “hundreds of people - relatives, close collaborates and her spiritual children – passed through her room to bid her a final farewell, before gathering in the nearby chapel, and around the house in prayer. An uninterrupted and spontaneous procession. To ...Read More
Pope Benedict XVI asks youths to make room for Holy Spirit
Vatican City, Mar.14, 2008 (vaticans.org) - Yesterday afternoon in the Vatican Basilica Benedict XVI presided at a penitential liturgy with young people from Rome in preparation for the 23rd World Youth Day. The Day is due to be held in Sydney , Australia from 15 to 20 July on the theme: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses". "At the roots of being Christian", the Holy Father told the young people, "is an encounter with an event, with a Person. This opens a new horizon and, with it, a decisive sense of direction". In order "to favour this encounter you are preparing to open your hearts to God, confessing your sins and - by the action of the Holy Spirit and through the ministry of the Church - receiving forgiveness and peace. ...Read More
Kidnapped Archbishop of Mosul is dead
Mosul, Iraq, Mar.14,2008 (vaticans.org) - The Chaldean archbishop of Mosul is dead. Archbishop Faraj Rahho was kidnapped last February 29 after the Stations of the Cross. His kidnappers gave word of his death, indicating to the mediators where they could recover the body of the 67-year-old prelate. "It is a heavy Cross for our Church, ahead of Easter", Bishop Rabban of Arbil tells AsiaNews in response to the news. Leaders of the Chaldean Church, including Bishop Shlemon Warduni, brought the body to the hospital in Mosul to ascertain the causes, still unknown, of the archbishop's death. The funeral will be held today in the nearby city of Karamles. Archbishop Rahho will be buried near Fr Ragheed, his priest and secretary killed by a terrorist brigade on June 3, 2007, while leaving the church after celebrating Mass. The archbishop ...Read More
Pope at General Audience: True happiness lies in continuing to hope in God
Vatican City, Mar 12, 2008 (vaticans.org) - Pope Benedict greeted pilgrims in Paul VI Hall this morning as he held his weekly general audience. Continuing his catechesis on ancient Church figures, he spoke today about Boethius and Cassiodorus, two great Christian writers who lived in Italy during the years following the fall of the Roman Empire. Boethius, best known for his work “On the Consolation of Philosophy”, was born in Rome in 480, and entered public life as a senator at the age of 25. However, he continued his philosophical and religious studies alongside his public responsibilities, anxious to preserve the heritage of Greek and Roman learning for future generations. Unjustly imprisoned and later executed by King Theodoric for allegedly plotting to assassi ...Read More
Chinese youth will join Filipino youth to see the pope in Sydney.
Manila, Philippines, Mar.12,2008 (Vaticans.org) - A group of 20 young people from Hong Kong will join the Manila delegation to participate in the upcoming World Youth Day scheduled to take place in Sydney in July. The confirmation comes from the archbishop of the Philippine capital, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, who agreed to the request presented by Fr Nugent, the cultural liaison for the nunciature, who resides in the territory. According to Brother Rey Domingo, the program coordinator of the Ministry for Youth Affairs of the Manila archdiocese, "by accepting this request, Cardinal Rosales wanted to display the friendship that binds him to Fr Nugent. It is a rare opportunity for the young people of Hong Kong, who will be able to participate in the event and ...Read More
Number of Catholics worldwide is increasing
Vatican City, Mar.02, 2008 (vaticans.org) - The number of Catholics in the world is increasing, if not by much: they were 1.31 billion in 2006, an increase of 1.4% compared to the 1.15 billion in 2005. And there is a continuation of the trend that since 2000 has seen an increase in the number of priests, both diocesan and religious, who went from 406,411 in 2005 to 407,262 in 2006, an overall change of 0.21%. These are some of the figures contained in the Annuario Pontificio for 2008, presented this morning by the pope. Observing the presence of Catholics in relation to the number of the inhabitants of the various continents, it can be noted that Catholics make up 14% of the population of the population of the Americas, while the Americas have 49.8% of Catholics in the world. Catholics make up just a slightly smaller percentage of Europe's population, but its importance ...Read More
Pope Benedict XVI's third enclyclical coming soon
Vatican City, Feb.29,2008 (vaticans.org) - Pope Benedict will soon finish his encyclical on social issues, the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has confirmed.Catholic News Agency reports Cardinal Bertone said the Pope is working on a social encyclical, which he believes will have a "significant impact on the great social and economic problems in the contemporary world"."Pope Benedict will address issues particularly related to the third and the fourth world," Cardinal Bertone said ...Read More
We must not be discouraged, Pope Benedict advises religious orders
Vatican City, Feb 19, 2008 (vaticans.org) - Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to the members of the executive committee of the International Union of Superiors General, telling them that “when communities have chosen to return to the origins and live in a way more in keeping with the spirit of the founder,” they see positive signs of renewal.The religious superiors were gathered at the Vatican to discuss "some particularly relevant and important aspects of consecrated life." The Holy Father launched into some of the most pressing problems for religious communities. "We are all aware how, in modern globalized society, it is becoming ever more difficult to announce and bear witness to the Gospel", he said. "The process of secularization whi ...Read More
Home | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | Next