On Sunday, June 5, 2015, Pope Francis arrived in Ecuador for the start of his week long Apostolic Journey to South America. The full itinerary includes more than 24 thousand kilometers of travel over the course of the week, along with radical changes in altitude and temperature as well: in just seven days Pope Francis will ...read more

On July 5 Pope Francis embarks on his ninth voyage outside of Italy. It will also be the second time since his election that he sets foot on on South American soil. This visit will take him to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay, and have him delicately side step home country. The visit and each of ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For June 2015, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Politics – That political responsibility may be lived at all levels as a high form of charity. The Poor in Latin America – That, amid social inequalities, Latin American Christians may bear witness to love for ...read more

The idea that a pope, or any pastor, would call his flock to assess how their lives are impacting the earth, caused waves and turned heads last week. Barely a week later, the Vatican has released the working document, or “lineamenta” for the upcoming Synod on the Family. Scheduled for October 2015, the synod is ...read more

The Catholic world is still a buzz over the release of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si, more commonly known as his Encyclical on the environment. Not in a generation have the more obscure Papal activities such as Encyclicals and Synods been mainstream news. So in light of that, what is to come of these papal teachings ...read more

Laudato Si is so complete and so radical that it will take years for us to unpack it fully. There is a lot there, but one of the themes that has most moved me (and this was not surprising) is encapsulated by this statement from the introduction: “The violence present in our hearts, wounded by ...read more

In his newly released encyclical, Pope Francis warned that “people of all faiths must radically transform how we live or face ‘unprecedented destruction of ecosystem.'” CTV News in Edmonton reported on how the warning is playing out in the Alberta Oil Industry. See clip below. Video Courtesy of CTV Edmonton News. ...read more

While things in Rome have been causing a buzz, back home dioceses are heading into their summer schedule. Still, there’s plenty to talk and read about. Here’s a sample: In Ottawa, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, SJ, shares the life story of one of his conference who entered the Jesuits in 1944, just a boy from Winnipeg. ...read more

The pope’s ecology encyclical, Laudato Si, was finally, officially released this week. The label “ecology” does not fully capture the breadth and depth of what Pope Francis discusses in the document. He does outline the problems with our planet, but shows how climate issues cannot be disconnected from human issues like poverty, migration and quality ...read more

Prior to the release of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, experts reflect on the history and significance of the church’s role in promoting stewardship of creation. Videos courtesy of Catholic News Service. ...read more