In a solemn liturgy that began with Pope Francis prostrating himself before the Cross, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion was held today in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. Following tradition, the Good Friday homily was given by the Preacher to the Papal Household, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap. The Capuchin father’s message is titled, ...read more

On Holy Thursday, the Church reenacts two of Jesus’ most powerful examples of service: the washing of the feet of his disciples, and his Last Supper with the apostles. It’s also a day when, in many dioceses around the world — including the diocese of Rome — the sacramental oils of catechumens, of the infirm, ...read more

In one of the most moving liturgies of the year, the Church marks the start of Holy Week with Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square. Published below is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily. 1. Jesus enters Jerusalem. The crowd of disciples accompanies him in festive mood, their garments are stretched out before ...read more

Source: New York Times By: RAVI SOMAIYA Pope Francis, apparently working down his to-do list since taking his new position, made a call to his local newspaper kiosk in Buenos Aires this week to cancel his daily delivery and send his greetings, according to a report from Catholic News Agency. Around 1:30 p.m. local time on ...read more

Historic Meeting of Two Popes at Castel Gandolfo Speaking exclusively to Vatican Radio, the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., reveals the details of this morning’s historic encounter between Pope Francis and Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, an encounter he has described as a moment of profound and elevated communion: “The ...read more

What does it mean to the universal church that we have an Argentinean pope? Deacon Pedro explores this question with two Argentineans: in the studio is Fr. Ervens Mengelle of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and via Skype from Buenos Aires is Valeria Vitale. Send us your comments: What do you think it means ...read more

Thanks to our friends at AMERICA Magazine, we received from the Jesuit Curia this account of the meeting between Pope Francis and Fr. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, which took place at the Casa Santa Marta on March 17, 2013. The account was written by Fr. Nicolás. VISIT WITH POPE FRANCIS ...read more

Pastoral Letter for the Year of Faith Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Buenos Aires October 2012 Dear Brothers and Sisters: Among the most striking experiences of the last decades is finding doors closed. Little by little increasing insecurity has made us bolt doors, employ means of vigilance, install security cameras and mistrust strangers who call at ...read more

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