In 2008 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was invited to be one of the catechists at the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Below is the full text of the talk he gave during his catechesis session. The Lord proclaims: I am the Eucharist, gift of God for the live of the world. This theme of ...read more

Pope Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi message — to the city (of Rome) and to the world — today at noon, Rome time.  The traditional message and blessing is given at Christmas and Easter.  The underlying theme of his address was peace throughout the world. The Holy Father called on the faithful to ask ...read more

Preaching at the first Easter Vigil of his pontificate, Pope Francis urged us not to be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives. The Holy Father said that nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of the women at the tomb, but also in our own ...read more

From the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday; From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in ...read more

After presiding over the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis now heads to Rome’s Colosseum to pray the traditional Way of the Cross. This year, the meditations for the Stations of the Cross were prepared by Lebanese young people, at the request of Benedict XVI. Before his resignation, the Pope ...read more

In a solemn liturgy that began with Pope Francis prostrating himself before the Cross, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion was held today in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. Following tradition, the Good Friday homily was given by the Preacher to the Papal Household, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap. The Capuchin father’s message is titled, ...read more

On Holy Thursday, the Church reenacts two of Jesus’ most powerful examples of service: the washing of the feet of his disciples, and his Last Supper with the apostles. It’s also a day when, in many dioceses around the world — including the diocese of Rome — the sacramental oils of catechumens, of the infirm, ...read more

In one of the most moving liturgies of the year, the Church marks the start of Holy Week with Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. Published below is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily. 1. Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before ...read more

Pastoral Letter for the Year of Faith Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires October 2012 Dear Brothers and Sisters: Among the most striking experiences of the last decades is finding doors closed. Little by little increasing insecurity has made us bolt doors, employ means of vigilance, install security cameras and mistrust strangers who call at ...read more

We started looking at the papacy and some history as explained in the In Your Faith episode, Who is the Pope? and then last time we looked at why we have popes. Today, let’s continue with some interesting facts about the papacy. As soon as a pope dies, all cardinals under the age of 80 ...read more