Just over a week ago, Pope Benedict returned to the Vatican from his three-day trip to Cyprus. This might be news to some of you. The papal visit was the most under-reported of 2010. Cynics might theorize that the media yawned because there was no apparent clergy sex abuse angle. Just as likely, the relative ...read more

Fifteen thousand priests, 350 bishops and 80 cardinals joined Pope Benedict today in celebrating the closing Mass of the Year for Priests. It’s the largest concelebration ever held at the Vatican. The Holy Father did not shy away from addressing the clerical sexual abuse scandal in his homily.  He brought it up early explaining that ...read more

Pope Benedict led priests in a consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consecration occurred at the end of the concluding Mass for the Year for Priests, while the Holy Father knelt before an icon of our Blessed Mother. See the consecration below: CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Immaculate ...read more

Only about 3% of the population of Cyprus is Catholic. But the small community received a big boost last weekend when Pope Benedict XVI became the first Pope to visit the Mediterranean island. This week in the Vatican Report, Catholic News Service’s Cindy Wooden and John Thavis highlight the Holy Father’s visit to Cyprus. To ...read more

How can we fail to be moved when we recall that the gift of our priestly ministry flows directly from this heart?  How can we forget that we priests were consecrated to serve, humbly yet authoritatively, the common priesthood of the faithful?  Ours is an mission which is indispensable for the Church and for the ...read more

Today in his farewell address at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, the Holy Father made direct reference to the political unrest in Cyprus saying that his accommodations at the Apostolic Nunciature, which is located in the United Nations buffer zone, provided a vantage point from which he witnessed Cyprus’ pronounced division first-hand. “Having stayed these past ...read more

While most of us here in Toronto were still tucked in our beds, Pope Benedict XVI’s schedule for his second day in Cyprus had already kicked into high gear and thus the day for the S+L Cyprus crew began at 2:30 am ET. The Holy Father’s itinerary and the groups with whom he will be ...read more

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI landed on Cyprus, a Mediterranean island located south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon. Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, welcomed the Holy Father at 2pm local time. The country’s president, Orthodox clergy, politicians and select Roman Catholic faithful were among those present for the ...read more

Today marks Day 1 of the Holy Father’s three-day visit to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. This being the first time a pope has ever set foot on Cyprus, Pope Benedict XVI’s visit is highly-anticipated, though not without substantial political and ecumenical implications. Cyprus has been a country divided for over 30 years following a ...read more

At the Wednesday General Audience Pope Benedict sent a greeting to those gathered in New Orleans for the Catholic Media Convention.  What he said is a great reminder for call Catholic communicators: The theme of your meeting, “Spreading the Good News — Byte by Byte,” highlights the extraordinary potential of the new media to bring ...read more