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“Pope Tawadros will celebrate at a specially constructed altar and not the main altar of the basilica,” Browne said, noting that the Anglican service also did not take place at the main altar. “The liturgy will be for the Coptic faithful in Italy, which again gives it a different character to one involving solely pilgrim clergy,” he added. Pope Tawadros II, who has led the Coptic Church since 2012, will visit Rome from May 9–14 and will appear beside Pope Francis at the general audience on Wednesday, May 10, where he will speak, according to a report by Aleteia. Browne underlined that “the context of his visit is very particular — the 50th anniversary of the first meeting of the heads of the Churches of Rome and Alexandria after a millennium and a half of estrangement.” The Coptic Ort...

The exterior of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome is seen in this file photo from the celebration of the feast of Corpus Christi June 4, 2015. (CNS photo) By Cindy Wooden ROME (CNS) — A “breakdown in communication” led to permission being given to a group of Anglican clergy to celebrate the Eucharist in Rome’s Basilica of St. John Lateran, said Auxiliary Bishop Guerino Di Tora of Rome, vicar for the basilica’s chapter. Anglican Bishop Jonathan Baker of Fulham, a suffragan bishop with responsibility for Anglo-Catholic parishes in the dioceses of London and Southwark that have requested not to be served by a woman priest or bishop, celebrated the liturgy April 18 as part of a conference in Rome for Anglo-Catholic clergy. A statement April 20 from the Lateran Chapter said Bishop Di Tor...

Pope Francis continues his series of catecheses on apostolic zeal and speaks of the Church’s many martyrs, praying especially for those working in Yemen, dominated by war for so many years. By Francesca Merlo Addressing the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square for his weekly General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on apostolic zeal, and turned to the figure of St Paul, describing him as “a true ‘champion’ of apostolic zeal”. Referring to the day’s reading, the Pope noted that, “today our gaze turns not to a single figure, but to the host of martyrs, men and women of every age, language and nation who gave their lives for Christ.” Martyrs, fruits of the Lord’s vineyard Speaking of martyrs, Pope Francis stressed that they should not be seen as ...

The government agency said that the two Americans and the wife of one of them belonged to the Assemblies of God Christian missionary organization. It was not revealed whether the wife was arrested or not.  The Americans were accused of secretly turning the school into a center for preaching the Christian religion. The Internal Security Agency noted that the organization to which the Americans belong plays an important role in “seducing Libyans in various ways” to deviate from the Islamic religion. In an official press release, the agency stated: “The Libyan people are proud to belong to their religion and consider it the solid foundation of their unifying national identity and regard any violation or abuse of it as a hostile act that threatens national security and seek[s] to sow disc...

Eucharistic pilgrimage expected to ‘restrict’ adoration in Chicago archdiocese Skip to content The Archdiocese of Chicago is expected to restrict the exposition of the Eucharist during a national Eucharistic pilgrimage that will traverse the Chicago region next year, ahead of the Eucharistic Congress scheduled for next July. Bishop Andrew Cozzens presents a plan for national Eucharistic pilgrimages, during a 2022 meeting of the U.S. bishops’ conference. Credit: JD Flynn/The Pillar The anticipated restriction comes amid differences of emphasis and approach among U.S. bishops over the Church’s Eucharistic revival process, now underway, and the $14 million Eucharistic Congress planned for 2024 — especially over the revival’s emphasis on adoration of the Eucharist.  While Card...

The drug will no longer be permitted to be distributed via mail, however. Instead, an in-person doctor visit to prescribe and dispense the drug is required. Additionally, mifepristone’s use will be limited to the first seven weeks of pregnancy, instead of 10, and a follow-up doctor’s visit to check for complications is required after a chemical abortion. On Thursday morning, the Biden administration announced it intends to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.  “The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the 5th Circuit’s decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA to deny in part our request for a stay pending appeal,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “We will be seeking emergency relief from the Supreme Court to defend the FDA’s scientific judgment and protect...

Diddi met with Orlandi’s older brother, Piero, and his lawyer on April 11. According to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, the meeting, requested by Orlandi, served as an occasion for Orlandi to “make his own statements and to offer any information in his possession to the file opened by the Vatican promoter of justice in January.” “In January of this year, I received from the pope the task of dealing with the case and … I decided to bring together all the information found in a single file, having immediately understood the relevance of the material I had available,” Diddi said. “In conjunction with this initiative, a parliamentary commission of inquiry was set up in Italy and therefore there will be fruitful collaboration between the two states.” Pope Francis appointed Diddi as the chief pr...

Following the Easter Sunday Mass, Pope Francis delivers his Easter message and blessing “To the City and the World”, underscoring the joyous hope that Christ’s resurrection brings and encouraging Christians to rediscover the joy of serving God, working for peace, and helping our brothers and sisters in a world marked by so much suffering. By Thaddeus Jones Pope Francis gave his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” Easter message on Sunday, appearing from the central loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica overlooking the Square below where he had just presided over the Easter morning Mass. The Mass and “Urbi et Urbi” (from the Latin: ‘To the city and the world’) message and blessing went out live on broadcasts around the world. Over one hundred th...

At the Vigil Mass in the Holy Night of Easter in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis says Christ’s resurrection invites us to experience the immense surprise and joy of the women who witnessed the empty tomb, adding that we are called to relive the grace of our first encounter with the Lord to grow in faith and hope. By Thaddeus Jones Pope Francis presided over the traditional Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter in a full Saint Peter’s Basilica on Saturday evening. The celebration started inside at the entrance of the Basilica with the evocative rite of the blessing of fire followed by the candlelight procession while Lumen Christi was sung and the Basilica lights came on in all their brilliance. The celebration included the baptism and confirmation of eight catechume...