News
Reflection and rediscovery in the Year of Faith
Father Adolfo Nicolas, the superior general of the Jesuits, has, in response to Pope Benedict's invitation to a Year of Faith, asked Jesuits worldwide this question: "What do I experience as challenges or obstacles to faith, and what sustains and deepens my faith?" That is worthy of consideration by all Catholics and I'd like to provide some impetus for that reflection.
Pope Francis: Without faith in Christ, church is just ‘pitiful NGO’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Without faith in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, the church is nothing more than a “pitiful NGO,” Pope Francis said in his first homily as pope. “When one does not confess Christ,” he said, “one confesses the worldliness of the devil.” The pope spoke at Mass March 14 in the Sistine […]
Pope Francis: Don’t give in to pessimism, courageously share Gospel
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Never give in to the devil's pessimism, discouragement and bitterness, Pope Francis said; Christians need to share the Gospel message with joy and courage because it will truly answer people's deepest needs. Young people also need the wisdom and knowledge of older people, whose insight is like "fine wine that gets better with age," he told the College of Cardinals March 15.
Philadelphia priest in Rome witnesses profound moment with 200,000 others
Call it serendipity. Call it the work of the Holy Spirit. Call it the luck of the Irish (the most likely of the three). Father John Kelly, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia just happens to be in Rome on sabbatical during this, the election and upcoming installation of Pope Francis. There he was […]
Archbishop Chaput recalls time he met the future Pope Francis
Archbishop Charles Chaput was just as surprised as almost everyone else by the March 13 election of Argentinean Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis, but nevertheless pleased. “Pope Francis, the former Cardinal Bergoglio, is a man from the new heartland of the global Church; a priest of extraordinary intellectual and cultural strengths,” the archbishop said in a statement yesterday.
Philadelphia Catholics reflect on roots, outlook of Pope Francis
The election of a pope is always a time of joy for Catholics. The election of Pope Francis is special. He is the first pope from the Americas, the first Hispanic pope, and in particular the first Argentinean pope. Locally, Argentineans are thrilled that one of their countrymen is now the Supreme Pontiff.
Pope Francis: Choosing a Jesuit as a reformer — on many levels
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The church has turned to religious orders for popes at various times over the centuries, often when in need of a reformer, and such may have been the cardinals' thinking again when they elected Pope Francis.
Girls can play CYO football with boys, archbishop directs
Come the fall, girls will be allowed to play full contact football with boys on Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) teams in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, the archdiocesan Communications Office announced March 14 in a statement.
After conclave, cardinals get caught up, get to know new pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While the cardinal electors were intensely praying and choosing the next pope, they were utterly unaware of the huge crowds waiting outside braving the rain and whether the smoke really worked, said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York. He said later at a dinner with Pope Francis, "We toasted him and then he toasted us and he said, 'May God forgive you'" for having elected him pope, which "brought the house down" with laughter.
Who is Pope Francis?
Vatican City, 13 March 2013 (Vatican Information Service) – Following is the official biography of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J. Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J., Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ordinary for Eastern-rite faithful in Argentina who lack an Ordinary of their own rite, was born on 17 December 1936 in Buenos Aires. He studied […]