Church in Spain begins major abuse investigation (Reuters)
On the return flight of the Pope’s recent apostolic journey to Cyprus and Greece, a reporter for the Madrid newspaper El País gave the Pope a 385-page dossier on 1,237 instances of the alleged sexual abuse of minors in Spain since 1942. Vatican spokesman Vatican Matteo Bruni confirmed that the Pope received the documentation and […]
Theme of Pope’s general audience: ‘St. Joseph, persecuted and courageous migrant’ (CWN)
In his December 29 general audience—the fifth in a series of Wednesday audiences on St. Joseph—Pope Francis reflected on St. Joseph as a persecuted and courageous migrant.
Compassion for All, Even the Unvaccinated
It’s fairly well-known that the word “compassion” comes from Latin (cum + pati) and means “to suffer with.” The word is thrown around frequently without considering the real meaning of it; other words abused like this in the modern Church include “mercy,” “dialogue,” and “unity.” Like with these other misused words, compassion often only applies […]
Christmas by Dickensian Decree
There are holy days of sobering solemnity when one is meant to reflect on the sadness of life, the weakness of human nature, the vast distance between who you are and who you ought to be: Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and Yom Kippur are such spiritually demanding occasions. But Christmas is supposed to be different. […]
Women of Valor and the Pro-life Cause
I first met Erika Bachiochi—then Erika Schubert—in July 1998, when she was my student in the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society in Cracow. She had graduated from Middlebury College two years before and was doing a master’s program in theology at Boston College, which she completed in 1999. Erika received her law degree […]
Catholic Church vandalized in northern India
MUMBAI, India – A Catholic church compound was vandalized in northern India on Dec. 26, resulting in the destruction of a statue of Jesus Christ. The incident happened at 19th century Holy Redeemer Church in Ambala, a city in the state of Haryana, which in near the national capital, Delhi. Christians only make up 0.2 […]
Pope Francis: Ask for St. Joseph’s courage to trust in God’s plan
Pope Francis gives his general audience address Dec. 29, 2021. / Daniel Ibanez/CNA Vatican City, Dec 29, 2021 / 03:35 am (CNA). St. Joseph, who protected his family from the persecution of King Herod, teaches us how to respond to our difficulties with courage and to trust in God’s plan, Pope Francis said on Wednesday. […]
How the Catholic Church’s Holy Jubilees Have Taken Shape Over the Centuries
Daniel Ibáñez Pope Francis closes the Holy Door at the end of the Jubilee Year of Mercy at St. Peter’s Basilica on Nov. 20, 2016. COMMENTARY: The idea of special “holy years” has become a key pastoral tool for popes in the last century
Women of Valor and the Pro-Life Cause
Katie Yoder People from across the U.S. gathered outside the Supreme Court Dec. 1 for the oral argument of the ‘Dobbs’ abortion case. One sign proclaims, ‘Women’s rights begin in the womb.’ COMMENTARY: By their lives, work and courage, these women falsify the claim that the pro-life cause is anti-woman.
Holy Witnesses: Why John Fisher and Thomas More Are Saints
Learn more about these English martyr-saints. BOOK PICK