For the first time in its 239-year history, a pope will address the United States Congress. The news broke at the end of last week that Pope Francis would address a joint sessions of America’s two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. This would make the pope only the third foreigner in ...read more

Photo: Three of the four participants on the closing panel of the 2015 De Mazenod Conference were Canadians.  From left to right: Fr. Thomas Rosica, Sebastian Gomes, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller and Fr. Ronald Rolheiser discuss the Francis effect on the Catholic Church. (S+L: Feb. 1, 2015) This past weekend I had the privilege of addressing ...read more

During his Angelus Address on Sunday, Pope Francis announced that he would be making a one day trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina this coming June. It appears the Holy Father has an appetite for difficult cases, as the former Yugoslav republic is no walk in the park. Most will recall the Bosnian War that broke out following ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For February 2015, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Prisoners. That prisoners, especially the young, may be able to rebuild lives of dignity. Marriages. That married people who are separated may find welcome and support in the Christian community. Daily ...read more

When in October 2013 the Vatican announced the first ever two-stage Synod of Bishops, many in the Catholic Church were hopeful about the possibilities of an in-depth discussion and consultation. After all, a year in between the two Synods is a lot of time, right? Not necessarily. The Vatican didn’t publish the Lineamenta—a discussion guideline ...read more

Through a special partnership with the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission and ABC Television Network in the USA, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation is pleased to announce that their 2014 documentary “The Francis Effect” will begin airing on close to 250 ABC affiliates beginning on February 8, 2015.  A special 58-minute version of the original 75-minute production was ...read more

Please find below the full text of Pope Francis’ Lenten Message: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Lent is a time of renewal for the whole Church, for each communities and every believer. Above all it is a “time of grace” (2 Cor 6:2). God does not ask of us anything that he himself has not first ...read more

Welcome to S+L’s Weekly News Round-Up. As the Director of Marketing and Communications here at S+L, many interesting Catholic news stories and articles come across my desk on a daily basis. Some of them we’ll cover on our different television programs and others I’d like to share with you on this blog. This blog column ...read more

Over the weekend, Pope Francis addressed the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies. Speaking on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the Holy Father focused on the concept of dialogue, lauding the academy for their work in furthering Christian-Islamic relations. He told them “the most effective antidote against all forms of violence is education ...read more

Conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity January 25, 2015 At 5:30 this evening (Rome time) in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, Pope Francis presided at the celebration of Second Vespers for the Solemnity of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. This ceremony formally concludes the Week of Prayer ...read more