This Advent, Deacon Pedro teams up with Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich to see how Judaism can help us prepare for the coming of the Messiah. In the first episode, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi Aaron explore the meaning of words in Judaism. ...read more

It seems that every year we have the same discussion around this time: what is the real meaning of Christmas? and let’s keep Christ in Christmas. There are even campaigns to boycott department stores that refuse to acknowledge the “reason for the season.” It’s so easy to jump onto that band wagon. To add to this, “Christmas” starts ...read more

The Vatican announced the themes for the next World Youth Days to culminate at the International World Youth Day in Panama in 2019. They are taken from the Gospel of Luke and are inspired by the three theological virtues of faith, charity and hope. A new website for Peter’s Pence was launched today, making it ...read more

Away from the limelight, Pope Francis spent one Friday a month, over the course of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, putting into practice the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Locations were never announced beforehand and so in the past year, he surprised the sick and the elderly, retired priests, women who have been abused, ...read more

Misericordia et misera FRANCIS TO ALL WHO READ THIS APOSTOLIC LETTER MERCY AND PEACE Misericordia et misera is a phrase used by Saint Augustine in recounting the story of Jesus’ meeting with the woman taken in adultery (cf. Jn 8:1-11). It would be difficult to imagine a more beautiful or apt way of expressing the mystery ...read more

At 10:00 this morning, the Solemnity of Christ the King, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis celebrated the closing Mass of the Holy Year of Mercy, with the new Cardinals, with the College of Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and Priests. At the beginning of Mass, the Holy Father led the Rite of closing of the Holy ...read more

In light of the Consistory this weekend, I was going to deacon-struct Cardinals, but seeing as Fr. Rosica wrote a wonderful Reflection on the Role of Cardinals in the Church on Tuesday, I figured I could do something a bit different. Yesterday, Pope Francis made 17 new Cardinals. Thirteen of them will be Cardinal-electors, eligible ...read more

This information is provided courtesy of the Holy See Press Office. List of Cardinals in alphabetical order. List of Cardinals in order of Age. List of Cardinals according to Nations and in order of Age. Graph: Distribution of Cardinal electors and non-electors. Graph: Distribution of Cardinals according to role. Composition of Cardinals according to geographical ...read more

The Gospel passage we have just heard (cf. Lk 6:27-36) is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain”. After choosing the Twelve, Jesus came down with his disciples to a great multitude of people who were waiting to hear him and to be healed. The call of the Apostles is linked to this ...read more

For the last year we have all been hearing of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Perhaps the most well-known are caring for the sick, visiting those in prison and instructing the ignorant. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of religious sisters and brothers dedicated their every day to these tasks. But there are ...read more