On Friday, June 24, Pope Francis arrived in Armenia for his 14th Apostolic Visit, the first one to Armenia. Below, find the official translation of Pope Francis’ speech in the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral: Address of His Holiness Pope Francis Visit to the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral Etchmiadzin, 24 June 2016 Venerable Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians, Dear ...read more

Today in Oslo, Norway the VI World Congress Against the Death Penalty opens, organized by the NGO “Ensemble contre la peine de mort” and the “World Coalition Against the Death Penalty,” which includes about 140 organizations from around the world. Pope Francis sent a video message for the occasion. The English transcription of the original ...read more

CNS photo/Art Babych Euthanasia comes to Canada  “There are two ways, the way to life and the way to death, and there is a great difference between them.” These wise words from an ancient Christian writer come to mind as we mark Parliament’s enactment of the law implementing the Supreme Court’s decision on euthanasia and assisted suicide, which ...read more

This blog post is part of a 6-part series on World Youth Day. Read them all: Deacon-structing WYD: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 Often, when I speak to young people, I’ll start by asking where they are from: Is there anyone here from Ottawa or Quebec? How about ...read more

  Here is a sample of what we’ve been reading about across this vast country of ours. In Vancouver, one of the Syrian families that arrived in Canada in February sits down to share their story and their experience of welcome on the west coast. In Winnipeg: Even though the pope’s encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ was ...read more

A historic gathering of orthodox leaders is scheduled to take place on the Greek island of Crete later this week. The Great and Holy Council, as it called in the Orthodox church, would be the first such meeting in over a thousand years. With days to go before the start of that that meeting various ...read more

Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Laudato Sì: Reflecting One Year Later In May 2006, former US Vice President Al Gore released the groundbreaking documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.” While climate change debate has continued ever since, while concrete solutions seem to drip slower than maple sap in March. The question remains: are we willing to deal with this ...read more

His Holiness Pope Francis today appointed the Reverend Father Robert Kasun, C.S.B., Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. At the time of his appointment, the Bishop-elect was Pastor of St. Alphonsus-St. Clare Parish in Edmonton. Father Kasun will join three others as Auxiliary Bishops of Toronto: the Most Reverend John A. Boissonneau, the Most ...read more

It’s “Laudato si’ Week”, an anniversary movement to celebrate and implement the landmark encyclical of Pope Francis on care for our common home. As the website indicates, this week is about reflection and action; it’s about bringing the rich teachings of the document to life in our communities.  Last week I heard a wonderful story ...read more

Subject Matters: “Promise and Challenge: Catholic Women Reflect on Feminism, Complementarity, and the Church” Mary Hasson, editor Sunday, June 19 at 8:30pmET / 5:30pm PT This Sunday’s all-new episode of Subject Matters features Mary Hasson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.  She’s the editor of this compilation of essays responding to Pope ...read more