In less than a week Pope Francis has delivered several surprises: he called the Superior General of the Jesuits, nearly giving the receptionist a heart attack, made an impromptu visit to a nearby hospital to visit his friend Cardinal Mejia, who had a heart attack during the conclave, and decided to celebrate Mass at the ...read more

Following a historic conclave, Pope Francis was publicly installed as the 266th Bishop of Rome earlier today in St. Peter’s Square. Published below is an unofficial translation of the Holy Father’s homily. Note: S+L will rebroadcast the mass at 1:30 pm ET/10:30 am PT, 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT and 12:00 am ET/9:00 pm PT. ...read more

On March 19, the Catholic Church celebrates Pope Francis’ election to the papacy with a special Mass of Inauguration. Published below is a message from the Most Reverend Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. For broadcast times and more information about this historical Mass, visit our dedicated Habemus ...read more

Today Pope Francis celebrated mass at St. Anne Parish in Vatican City. In the following three clips we bring you the highlights of the event. Above find a clip of the brief but moving homily that he gave to parishioners. Below, find the speech where Cardinal Comastri thanked the Holy Father and praised him for ...read more

On Saturday, March 16, Pope Francis gathered thousands of journalists and media agencies from nearly 82 countries inside the Paul VI Audience Hall. In his address, the Holy Father spoke of how the role of mass media continues to grow and how it is indispensable for telling the stories of contemporary society. Published below is ...read more

Here’s a reflection I wrote on August 26, 2008 on the catechesis given by Cardinal Mario Bergoglio (now, Pope Francis) at the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Seems incredible that he is now the Pope! To read Cardinal Bergoglio’s Catechesis text, visit the Vatican website. This may come out sounding a bit complicated, ...read more

The Most Reverend Richard Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has sent an immediate letter of congratulations to Pope Francis on the day of his election as pastor of the Universal Church. Below find the full text of his letter: His Holiness Pope Francis Vatican City Most ...read more

Pope Francis: What does this mean for the Catholic Church in Canada and beyond? We have first reactions from Ottawa’s own Archbishop Terrence Prendergast — who, like Francis, is a Jesuit — plus Bishop William McGrattan and Dr. Moira McQueen. Don’t miss this edition of “Perspectives Conclave Special” with Kris Dmytrenko. ...read more

Near the end of last year I wrote about the attitude of openness and adaptation to the modern world which permeated the ecclesiology of John XXIII and Paul VI, and found concrete expression at Vatican II and in the creation of the permanent Synod of Bishops. (Read it here) From there we now jump forward ...read more

Sebastian Gomes attended the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization in Rome this past October as a correspondent for Salt + Light.  In this first of three articles, he discusses the change in mentality at Vatican II to one of openness and adaptation. During the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for the ...read more