World News
Before mortal remains of St. Valentine, couples pledge unending love
TERNI, Italy (CNS) -- Holding hands as they processed into church, 101 couples approached the mortal remains of St. Valentine, invoking his protection and promising that their upcoming weddings would bind them to one another forever. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, presided over the Mass and told the couples that "in a world that no longer understands love and marriage and family," their promises are an affirmation that true love is forever and that marriage involves an openness to having children.
Maronite patriarch, on ecumenical visit to Syria, prays for peace
DAMASCUS, Syria (CNS) — Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch, visiting war-torn Syria for the enthronement of Greek Orthodox Patriarch John, prayed for peace in the country. Celebrating Mass on the feast of St. Maron Feb. 9 at the Maronite Cathedral of St. Anthony, Cardinal Bechara Rai said in his homily, “We pray each day for the […]
On Ash Wednesday, pope preaches on humility, Christian unity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Celebrating what was expected to be the last public liturgy of his pontificate two weeks before his resignation, Pope Benedict XVI preached on the virtues of humility and Christian unity and heard his highest-ranking aide pay tribute to his service to the church. Jesus “denounces religious hypocrisy, behavior that wants to […]
Sadness, celebration mark pope’s first public event since announcement
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Sadness and celebration marked Pope Benedict XVI’s first public appearance since announcing Feb. 11 that he was stepping down. Compared to his other public events, this time the chants and cheers had more punch; loud, long supportive applause erupted more often, and the singing had the air of adieu. Some 7,000 […]
Pope Benedict thanks faithful, asks them to pray for next pope
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — At his first public appearance since he announced that he would resign at the end of February, Pope Benedict XVI thanked the faithful for their love and prayers and asked them to pray for his successor. “I have felt, almost physically in these days — which haven’t been easy for me […]
Benedict will be prayerful presence in next papacy, spokesman says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Even though Pope Benedict XVI will spend his retirement near Rome and then inside Vatican City, he will not play any role in the upcoming election for a new pope, and he will not interfere with the responsibilities and decision-making activities of the new pontiff, the Vatican spokesman said.
Pope to live in Vatican monastery established by Blessed John Paul
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican monastery where Pope Benedict XVI intends to live began its life as the Vatican gardener’s house, but was established as a cloistered convent by Blessed John Paul II in 1994. When Pope Benedict, 85, announced Feb. 11 that his age and declining energies prompted his decision to resign effective […]
In hindsight, Pope Benedict’s resignation seems almost predictable
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As much as he astonished the world when he announced his resignation Feb. 11, Pope Benedict XVI’s decision seems almost predictable in hindsight. Given his previous statements on the subject and his recent signs of aging, one might say that people should have seen it coming. The real mystery now is […]
Pope Benedict’s pontificate marked by teaching, call to return to faith
Citing his age and diminishing energy, the 85-year-old pope announced Feb. 11 that he would be resigning effective Feb. 28 and would devote the rest of his life to prayer. As pastor of the universal church, he used virtually every medium at his disposal — books and Twitter, homilies and encyclicals — to catechize the […]
Pope Benedict’s resignation will set in motion period of transition
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While the surprise resignation of Pope Benedict XVI is a first for the church in centuries, it also leads to a complicated period of transition that ends in the election of a new pope. Regulated by ancient traditions and recent rules, the period between popes — known by the Latin term […]