This trip to Cyprus has indeed been a full one with, no doubt, reams of fruit yet to come. One highlight of the the trip came to us only after the cameras stopped rolling yesterday. Catholic News Service’s Cindy Wooden writes about a moment involving the grand sheik of a Muslim spiritual movement from northern ...read more

This afternoon in Cyprus, Pope Benedict addressed the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Chrysostomos II, at the Archbishop’s residence in Nicosia. In his address, Pope Benedict called for “full and visible communion” between the Churches of the East and the West; a communion “to be lived in fidelity to the Gospel and the ...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

When we subject young people to “charity for credit” are we communicating something we shouldn’t? Namely, that charity to one’s neighbour can be neatly contained, scheduled and ticked off as just another item on a to-do list? Or is scheduled community service necessary to fashion the up-and-coming generation into a generous and compassionate one? Our ...read more

If you weren’t born Catholic would you have found your way to the Church? It’s hard to say. Ask most converts to the faith and they will tell you they didn’t see conversion in their immediate future. But, as we will hear tonight, the Holy Spirit sure does move in mysterious ways! This Friday on ...read more

We often hear it said in the spiritual life that to become childlike is to draw near to the kingdom of God. Last night, I had the privilege of attending a Children of Hope evening of Eucharistic Adoration and I feel like I understand why one must be like a child to sit at the ...read more

When I moved to Ontario from Nova Scotia in 2007, Catholic schools were a totally new concept for me. Until setting up camp in Ontario, those plaid little numbers were relegated to movies and to Britney Spears music videos. The more I learn about the Ontario Catholic School Board, however, the more I realize that ...read more

Over the weekend, Pope Benedict XVI addressed the participants of a national conference in Rome entitled “Digital Witnesses: Faces and Languages in the Cross-Media Age”. This is not the first time that the Holy Father has addressed the double-edged sword nature of the internet and social networking. The Holy Father urged his listeners to overcome ...read more