Below is the Vatican-provided translation of Pope Francis’ discourse at the conclusion of the Synod of Bishops on the Family in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall this afternoon: Dear Beatitudes, Eminences and Excellencies, Dear Brothers and Sisters, I would like first of all to thank the Lord, who has guided our synodal process in these ...read more

Pope Francis’ Address at Commemorative Ceremony for the 50th Anniversary of the Synod of Bishops – FINAL TEXT October 17, 2015 Paul VI Audience Hall – Vatican City Your Beatitudes, Your Eminences, Your Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, As the Ordinary General Assembly is in full session, this commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the institution of ...read more

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7) Dear Young People, We have come to the last stretch of our pilgrimage to Krakow, the place where we will celebrate the 31st World Youth Day next year in the month of July. We are being guided on this long and challenging path by ...read more

Here is some of what has been making headlines across the country: In light of the numbers of Syrian refugees trying to find a safe home, the Archdiocese of Toronto has launched “Project Hope” to sponsor 100 refugee families. Meanwhile the Archdiocese of Vancouver shares some of their experiences sponsoring Iraqi and Syrian refugee families. ...read more

James W. Foley, the American journalist and war correspondent that was the first American beheaded by ISIS in August, 2014, once said: “Drop a pebble in the water: Just a splash, and it is gone; But there’s half-a-hundred ripples Circling on and on and on, Spreading, spreading from the center, Flowing on out to the ...read more

When my wife and I got married we received many gifts. A group of my mom’s friends gave us what we thought was a pious, if not most unusual gift: a crucifix. With it was a card that read, “every time you gaze on this cross, remember that this is how you must love each ...read more

Dr. Carolyn Woo, the CEO and President of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), was one of five presenters invited by the Vatican to speak at the June 18, 2015 press conference launching Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. Drawing on her 14 years as dean of the Mendoza School of Business at the University ...read more

To my Venerable Brothers Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Cardinal Kurt Koch,  President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity Sharing the concern of my beloved brother, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, for the future of creation (cf. Laudato Si’, 7-9), and at the suggestion ...read more

Last week’s Gospel was from John 6:63-68 (the end of the Bread of Life Discourse, which is why we looked at what marriage has to do with the Eucharist) and the second reading was from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. This passage from Ephesians 5:22-32 is always a cause for discontent. That is because no one ...read more

Rosemary Azu is hard to miss in a crowd. She has a natural presence that draws people to her. The fact that she is usually dressed in brightly coloured traditional Nigerian dresses also makes her stand out. That natural confidence in her own identity has helped her build her own successful mortgage and real estate ...read more