St. Peter’s Square – October 7, 2012 HOMILY OF POPE BENEDICT XVI OPENING OF THE 13TH ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS ON THE NEW EVANGELIZATION Dear Brother Bishops, Dear brothers and sisters, With this solemn concelebration we open the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme The New Evangelization ...read more

UPDATED: Tonight’s new episode of Perspectives: The Weekly Edition is now streaming online above. There’s a food crisis in Africa right now, but odds are you probably don’t know about it. The Sahel region of West Africa is suffering the consequences of a drought that devastated farmers’ crops. Many communities have used up all their ...read more

Below you will find the homily that Archbishop Richard Smith, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, gave this morning during the Plenary Assembly’s morning mass. Like many of you I have succumbed to the temptation to use a mobile device for communications. Mine has a feature called “auto-correction”. When I am composing emails or ...read more

Photo: Archbishop Richard Smith, President of the CCCB (left) and Archbishop Paul-André Durocher, Vice-President of the CCCB (center) stand and applaud Beatitude Shevchuk at the conclusion of his address at the 2012 Plenary Assembly. On Tuesday morning at the Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Bishops, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Catholic ...read more

Salt + Light Television will be providing live daily coverage of the 2012 Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Plenary Assembly in Sainte-Adèle, Quebec from September 24-28. The Plenary Assembly brings together Catholic bishops from across Canada — some 80 in number — to review pastoral initiatives, receive annual reports as well as share their ...read more

From the Office of Readings for September 17, Memorial of St Robert Bellarmine, Bishop and Doctor Excerpt from St. Robert Bellarmine’s ‘On the Ascent of the Soul to God’ O Lord, good and forgiving and abounding in steadfast love, who would not serve you with all his heart, when he has begun at least to ...read more

Following a historic three-day visit to Lebanon, Pope Benedict is now on his way back to Rome. This was a very important trip for the 85-year old Pontiff. Despite increased tension and violence in the Middle East, he spent time meeting with government officials, signed the long-awaited Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente and met ...read more

One of the most significant moments of the Holy Father’s trip to Lebanon thus far has been the signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Eccleisa in Medio Oriente. He signed the message yesterday during his visit to the Melkite Catholic Basilica of St. Paul in Harissa. He then presented it to the people of Lebanon ...read more

Earlier today, Pope Benedict celebrated Mass and officially presented the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Medio Oriente at the City Centre Waterfront in Beirut. Published below are copies of his homily and Angelus, which followed the celebration of Mass. Dear Brothers and Sisters, “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Eph 1:3).  ...read more