BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
Pope Paul VI watches on television the first manned lunar landing July 21, 1969, at the Vatican Observatory in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. (CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo) (July 20, 2009)  U.S. astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin poses for a photo beside the U.S. flag July 20, 1969, during the first manned lunar landing. Pope Paul VI told ...read more
Pope Benedict XVI views a room in the house where Pope Paul VI was born in Concesio, Italy.  Paul VI, was born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini in 1897 and served as pontiff from 1963 to 1978. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) To learn more about the Pope’s of the Second Vatican Council, watch ...read more
Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, are pictured in Venice in 1972. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.  (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)  To learn more about the contributions of these great ...read more
Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass of Thanksgiving for the Equivalent Canonizationof Saints François de Laval and Marie de l’Incarnation Sunday, 12 October 2014 We have heard Isaiah’s prophecy: “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces…” (Is 25:8).  These words, full of hope in God, point us to the goal, ...read more
So far in part 1  and part 2, we looked at how natural law is usually defined and how some of these definitions cause confusion. I also offered a definition that has always worked well for me. It helps to repeat it: Natural law is the law that says that all things work best or ...read more
The first week of the Synod on the family has wrapped up in Rome. Participants have moved from general working sessions into small group sessions where they will go over the issues discussed “in aula” and work towards creating a unified document that can be presented to Pope Francis. While there has been unity among ...read more
Here’s a few things happening in the church across Canada: In Montreal, one family is fighting to stay in the country after their refugee claims were denied. The family’s parish has launched a campaign to raise public awareness about their case. The parish pastor calls the government’s reaction so far a “wall of indifference.” In ...read more
Pope Paul VI greets the crowd as he visits the Verano cemetery in Rome in 1973. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo) To learn more about the Church’s role in the modern world, watch ...read more
Today on Inside the Synod discussions got heated as the bishops reflected on difficult pastoral situations. Sebastian Gomes brings us the highlights. ...read more
Pope Paul VI is carried on the “sedia gestatoria,” a ceremonial throne, during a meeting of the Second Vatican Council in 1964. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. The miracle needed for Pope Paul’s beatification involved the birth of a ...read more