Pope Benedict announced earlier today in Rome that he will resign as Supreme Pontiff and Bishop of Rome on February 28th, 2013. Benedict, the 265th pope in the history of the Church, is the sixth German to serve as Supreme Pontiff and the first German since the 11th century. He became pope in 2005 – ...read more

“Open your hearts to the dimensions of the world…” Although we are aware of the many problematic situations, which also affect the area of faith and membership of the Church, we renew our faith in the youth, to reaffirm that the Church sees their condition, their cultures, as an essential and unavoidable point of reference ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Benedict XVI. For February 2013, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Migrant Families. That migrant families, especially the mothers, may be supported and accompanied in their difficulties. Peace. That the peoples at war and in conflict may lead the way in ...read more

Do we really care about Christian unity? That was the challenging question posed by of one of my colleagues this morning, as he perceived a lack of interest in ecumenical issues in the Catholic community. His observation prompted a few questions of my own. Why might some Catholics feel that ecumenism isn’t a priority? And, ...read more

On Sunday, January 6 Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass for the Epiphany of Our Lord at St. Peter’s Basilica. During the Mass he also ordained four archbishops, including his own personal secretary, Monsignor Georg Ganswein. Below is the full text of his homily. Dear Brothers and Sisters, For the Church which believes and prays, the ...read more

The top Catholic stories of this past year also included the Pope’s meeting with Fidel Castro and the Synod on the New Evangelization. Deacon Pedro sits with S+L producers Kris Dmytrenko, Alicia Ambrosio and Sebastian Gomes to explore the highlights of the Church in 2012. What do you think were the highlights of 2012? Share ...read more

After Cardinal Marc Ouellet celebrated Mass for the opening of the Ecclesia in America congress, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at St. Peter’s Basilica to address congress participants. Below is the English portion of that address. The rest of the address was in Spanish, and the Holy Father spoke about the Exhortation that was released after ...read more

Solemnity of Christ the King – November 25, 2012 Homily of Pope Benedict XVI Your Eminences, Dear Brother Bishops and Priests, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today’s Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, is enriched by our reception into the College of Cardinals of six new members whom, following tradition, ...read more

The Vatican has released Pope Benedict XVI’s schedule for Advent and Christmas. He will preside over nine services between the beginning of Advent and the Epiphany. He will: — Lead an evening prayer service with Rome university students in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 1. — Pay homage to Mary on the feast of the Immaculate ...read more

Published below is a translation of the address that Pope Benedict gave yesterday inside the Paul VI Audience Hall. This week, he continued his series of catecheses on faith. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Last Wednesday we reflected on the desire for God that the human being carries within his very depths. Today I would like ...read more