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Pope Francis visits former ‘Bronx of Slovakia’ transformed by Mother Teresa’s nuns…
The center is simply decorated. On its white exterior wall is a stylized portrait of Pope Francis with the words “We do not forget to pray for you” in Italian and Slovakian. Inside, there are bare and well-kept rooms, with wooden furniture and photos of Mother Teresa everywhere. By the stairs leading up to a chapel, there is a crucifix with the inscription “I thirst” in Slovakian. A crucifix with the words ‘I thirst’ at the Bethlehem Center in Bratislava, Slovakia. Andrea Gagliarducci. Fr. Juraj Vittek, pastor of the nearby Holy Family church, said: “Not only do the nuns go under the bridge, in the most infamous and difficult places, to recover the homeless who need help. They also live in the most extreme poverty, without owning anything. And the homeless feel this testimony as credible.”...
Pope Francis travels to Budapest for International Eucharistic Congress: ‘Let’s Make Time for Adoration’…
‘Dear brothers and sisters, let us allow our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist to transform us, just as it transformed the great and courageous saints you venerate,’ Pope Francis said in his homily in Hungary on Sept. 12. Pope Francis encouraged Catholics at the International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest to spend more time in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to become more like Christ. “Dear brothers and sisters, let us allow our encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist to transform us, just as it transformed the great and courageous saints you venerate,” Pope Francis said in his homily in Hungary on Sept. 12. “We do well to spend time in adoration before the Eucharist in order to contemplate God’s weakness. Let’s make time for adoration,” the Pope said. Pope Francis is the first po...
September 11, 2001: 20 Years Later, the Nation Has Not Forgotten…
NEW YORK CITY — On Sept. 11, 2001, Father Conrad Osterhout of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal was living in St. Joseph Friary in Harlem on 142nd Street as head of the house. “The first alarm for us were the people in the street calling out to us,” he told the Register of that tragic day. The friars could see nothing directly, but soon they got confirmation from radio reports. And then a firefighter “rode up to our house on a bicycle, asked for a scapular, prayer and a blessing” as he raced to lend a hand to brother firefighters far downtown. Later that day, when Father Osterhout arrived at Ground Zero with other friars, a gate barring entry to the immediate site had already been put up. The acrid air was filled with smoke and dust, with the friars unmasked. “Standing under a lam...
International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest: ‘Faith in Europe has become a very small flame’…
In July, Pope Francis named Hollerich, the president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), as the relator general of the 2023 synod on synodality. Daniel Ibáñez/CNA. Following the nomination, seen as a mark of papal esteem, the cardinal will play a key role overseeing the gathering of the world’s bishops in Rome. In his homily at the Hungexpo Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center, the main congress venue, Hollerich reflected on the nature of faith. More in Europe “The faith we share opens the Church to the path of a synodality,” he said. “A person alone, a community, and sometimes a local Church, can lose its way on the path of faith.” “The synodal journey of the whole Church corrects our unfruitful paths, showing us the way that leads us out of th...
Colombo cardinal says Sri Lankan officials out to mislead Pope over probe into 2019 attacks…
The Sri Lankan prime minister is scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the meeting in the city of Bologna. During the Wednesday media briefing, Cardinal Ranjith said he already informed the Holy See about the update on the Easter Sunday bombing investigation, adding that the Vatican is expected to refer the issue to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Media reports earlier this week quoted Sri Lanka’s Cabinet spokesman, Plantation Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, saying that Rajapaksa and Peiris were scheduled to brief Pope Francis on the progress made in the investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks. “Yes, the government is of the view that we must make the Vatican aware of the full details of the massacre and the government’s action taken in the aftermath of th...
‘Today Mexico is dressed in mourning’: In world’s second-largest Catholic nation, Supreme Court votes to decriminalize abortion…
Mexico’s Supreme Court on Tuesday invalidated several articles that protected life from conception in the penal code of the state of Coahuila, opening the door to legal abortion. The ruling is expected to have wide-ranging effects throughout Mexico. The Sept. 7 ruling had the approval of the 10 ministers present at the session, out of the 11 who make up the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation. One of the strongest expressions of support for the legalization of abortion was given by the president of the Supreme Court, Arturo Zaldívar Lelo de Larrea, who classified it as “constitutional law” that “should not be criminally punishable.” Bishop Alfonso Gerardo Miranda Guardiola, auxiliary of Monterrey and general secretary of the Mexican bishops’ conference, charged that the court “intends a...
Vatican issues new guidelines for forthcoming ‘synod on synodality’…
Documents for the Church’s forthcoming synod on synodality were issued by the Vatican Tuesday morning by the permanent secretariat for the synod of bishops. The secretariat issued its preparatory document and handbook September 7 to assist local dioceses and Churches ahead of the first phase of the multi-year synodal process for the global Church. The logo for the universal Church’s two-year synodal process, which was released Sept. 7 during a press conference issuing documents and guidelines for the process. Share The synodal process, instituted by Pope Francis, aims to reorder the Church’s internal mechanisms for discussion and reflection, and to help shape a new way for the Church to understand and articulate both her internal self-understanding and mission of evangelization...
In Washington Post op-ed, San Francisco Archbishop Cordileone raises prospect of excommunication for abortion advocates…
In the op-ed, Archbishop Cordileone draws a parallel between the abortion politics of today and the institutional racial discrimination that existed in the United States in the mid-20th century. He specifically cited the example of Archbishop Joseph Rummel, an outspoken civil rights leader who led the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 1935 to 1964. “Rummel did not ‘stay in his lane.’ Unlike several other bishops throughout this country’s history, he did not prioritize keeping parishioners and the public happy above advancing racial justice,” Archbishop Cordileone wrote. “Instead, he began a long, patient campaign of moral suasion to change the opinions of pro-segregation White Catholics.” Archbishop Rummel’s campaign included admitting two Black students to New Orleans’ Notre Dame Semi...
Pope’s Sunday Angelus: ‘Find time for silence with the Gospel every day’…
Speaking from the window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, the pope told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square that spending time in silence with the Gospel is like “medicine” for one’s spiritual life. “Every day a little silence and listening, fewer useless words, and more of the Word of God,” Pope Francis recommended. He said that it is a good thing to turn to the Lord with prayer requests, but above all, it is important to listen to the Lord. “Jesus asks this of us. In the Gospel when they ask Him what is the first commandment, he answers: ‘Hear, O Israel.’ Then he adds … ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart … and your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:28-31). But first of all, he says, ‘Hear, O Israel,’” the pope explained. Pope Francis said t...
Contradicting Past Statements, Biden Says He Doesn’t Believe Life Begins at Conception…
At the 2012 vice presidential debate against Republican nominee Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., Biden stated plainly that he believed life began at conception. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, D, said on Friday, Sept. 3, that he does not believe life begins at conception – contradicting his previous statements on when life begins. Biden answered a reporter’s question on abortion on Friday, after addressing the August jobs numbers at the White House. “I respect those who believe life begins at the moment of conception,” Biden said. “I don’t agree, but I respect that. I’m not going to impose that on people.” “I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of Roe v Wade, number one…I respect them, those who believe life begins at the moment of conception and all, I respect that...
Anglican Bishop Leaves Church of England to Become Catholic, Lambeth Palace Announces…
“I trust you all to believe that I have made my decision as a way of saying yes to God’s present call and invitation, and not of saying no to what I have known and experienced in the Church of England, to which I owe such a deep debt.” The 60-year-old bishop has served as bishop of Ebbsfleet since 2013, a role in which he acted as a provincial episcopal visitor, or “flying bishop,” supporting Church of England congregations that do not recognize women priests and bishops. He was chaplain and ecumenical secretary to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, from 2005 to 2012. He has strong ties to Westminster Abbey, London’s royal church. He was a minor canon, chaplain, and sacrist from 1992 to 1998. From 2004 onwards, he has been a Priest Vicar of Westminster Abbey. A Sept. 3 press rel...
In ‘stunning’ pro-life victory, U.S. Supreme Court refuses to halt near-total ban on abortion in Texas…
By Lawrence Hurley and Andrew Chung WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to block a Texas ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, dealing a major blow to abortion rights by leaving in place a state law that prohibits the vast majority of abortions. The decision is a major milestone in the fight over abortion, as opponents have sought for decades to roll back access to the procedure. By a 5-4 vote, the justices denied an emergency request by abortion and women’s health providers for an injunction on enforcement of the ban, which took effect early on Wednesday, while litigation continues. One of the court’s six conservatives, Chief Justice John Roberts, joined its three liberals in dissent. “The court’s order is stunning,” liberal Ju...
