Catholic News Service recently interviewed 97 year old Archbishop Loris Capovilla. Archbishop Capovilla was prelate of the sanctuary of the Holy House of Loreto, Italy for many years. Before that however, he was the personal secretary to Pope John XXIII. He had a privileged vantage point for Vatican II, he saw the circumstances that lead ...read more

Earlier today, the Permanent Council for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion. Issued by the CCCB’s Permanent Council, the letter expresses concern about an “aggressive relativism” in Canada that seeks to relegate religion to the private sphere. More than that, the Permanent Council explains why ...read more

Why is the practice of religion such a universal phenomenon throughout the history of cultures? Do religions still have a role to play in the secularized countries of the 21st century? Are religions currently evolving in pluralistic societies? An exhibit at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, entitled God(s): a User’s Guide, provides the inspiration for ...read more

The month of May – the month the church dedicated to Mary – serves as a good excuse to get familiar with Marian devotions around the world, Marian artwork, and most importantly what we can learn about Christ and our faith by looking at Mary. Once again we turn to our friend Fr. Jim Phalan, ...read more

On the day the church celebrated vocations, the church beatified Giuseppe Toniolo. He is proof that not just those in religious orders are call to be saints. Toniolo was an economist from the Italian city of Treviso father of seven children. Born in Treviso in 1845 the now-blessed Giuseppe Toniolo became known for his work ...read more

An interfaith delegation of nearly 20 religious leaders from Ukraine were in Canada this week. The delegation included Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk (Patriarch of the Ukrainian Catholic Church), Mr. Jacob Dov Bleich (Chief Rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine), Patriarch Filaret Denysenko (Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyivan Patriarchate), as well as senior representatives of the Roman Catholic, ...read more

Working for Christian Unity is harder than it sounds. The core of all Christian’s faith is Christ. Many Christian denominations have some sort of celebration of Eucharist. Yet many of these Christian confessions who celebrate Eucharist understand that Eucharist differently than we do. This week the Methodist church and Catholic Church in the United States ...read more

Stories are powerful. They inspire us, imbue us with values, and foster a sense of continuity with the past. In fact, I always marvel at how Jesus used parables to reveal realities that could hardly be fathomed by those who heard them. I’ve heard it said that we become the stories we tell ourselves. I’ll ...read more

There was more to celebrate this past weekend than just the Resurrection of our Lord! As reported on Perspectives yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI has given his approval for Fr. Felix Varela to be given the status of “venerable,” following a unanimous recommendation from the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes. This means that Varela is now ...read more

Today marks the 7th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s death. This video, “Thank You John Paul II”, is a Salt + Light Television production that pays tribute to a man who touched the hearts of millions of people. We know that Blessed John Paul II will forever be remembered for his courageous bridge-building efforts ...read more