Releasing the calendar of Pope Francis’ liturgical celebrations for April and May, the Vatican confirmed he would keep the Year of Faith appointments set by his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI.
By Easter Monday, it would be the shot seen around the world. But a day earlier, Christiana Gondreau could not have imagined that a chance encounter she and her 8-year-old son, Dominic, had with Pope Francis in the middle of St. Peter’s Square following his first Easter Mass would touch the hearts of so many around the globe.
Thirteen state attorneys general asked the federal government to expand the religious exemption under the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate to private companies.
Metaphors are used extensively in the Bible and they pop up just as often in Pope Francis’ talks and teachings. Some of his most vivid allegories as pope included his urging the world’s priests to be “shepherds living with the smell of sheep” by bringing Christ to people far from the faith
Many people come to Sauk Centre to visit the birthplace of famed novelist Sinclair Lewis, but four local men would argue that the small community can offer something much more — the gift of the Divine Mercy.
Affirming his closeness to his “beloved Argentine people,” Pope Francis offered his prayers for the victims of recent flooding in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas, and he urged government offices and private citizens to help those most in need.
Father Biong Kuol’s parish is a sprawling collection of temporary huts made from sticks and sun-bleached plastic sheeting. A few skinny cows and goats wander about. But Father Biong Kuoi continues to work to give hope to the displaces families from 2011 attacks.
After a musically proficient and polyglot Pope Benedict XVI, it came as a surprise to many that Pope Francis doesn’t sing or chant at Mass or speak foreign languages in public.
Church reconstruction in Haiti is moving forward at a faster pace after months of discussions as Haitian and American church leaders gain confidence in the process they established to oversee the massive rebuilding effort.
“I am writing this letter because you give me hope. I know one day with people like you, us kids won’t be given sentences that will keep us in prison for the rest of our lives. I pray for you. Don’t forget us.” writes one detainee in a letter to the Pope.