Pope John Paul II places a prayer in a crevice of the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, March 26, 2000. Speaking to ecumenical leaders on the historic trip that included visits to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, the pontiff prayed that the Holy Land would be a homeland to all faiths and peoples. (CNS ...read more

Pope John Paul II waves to the throngs of people gathered for Mass in Poznan during his 1983 visit to Poland. Visiting seven cities, the pontiff defended Poland’s right to sovereignty and demanded political reforms. He offered support to Polish bishops who were defending human rights under martial law and urged fellow Poles to find ...read more

Archbishop Karol Wojtyla receives the cardinal’s red biretta from Pope Paul VI at the beginning of the consistory in the Sistine Chapel June 26, 1967. The future Pope John Paul II had a warm relationship with Pope Paul VI (Giovanni Battista Montini), who served as a priest in Warsaw in 1923. (CNS file photo)  ...read more

Pope John Paul II holds his crosier as he prays during Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in this undated photo. (CNS photo/Catholic Press Photo) ...read more

Pope John Paul II waves to young pilgrims during World Youth Day in Toronto July 25, 2002. (CNS photo/Arturo Mari)  ...read more

Brother Emile first heard of Taizé in 1974 in his small hometown in Northern Ontario where there was not much to interest young people in Christianity. Accepting an invitation to visit the little community tucked in Burgandy, France, he rediscovered the Christian faith that had been part of his childhood, but that he had abandoned ...read more

Here’s what’s happening across Canada this week: In Brampton, Ontario a Ukranian Catholic Church that was built with the help of parishioners, burned to the ground over the weekend. In Winnipeg, the director of the archdiocesan refugee sponsorship program says the Canadian government is abandoning Afghan refugees in an increasingly tense Russia. In Vancouver, Catholic ...read more

Pope John Paul II (center, in red boots) prays with a group of skiers before heading down a slope in this 1984 file photo. The pontiff, who enjoyed skiing in his native Poland before his election, was able to slip away to ski only a few times as he led the worldwide church. (CNS photo ...read more

This week we have details on Pope Francis’ Holy Week schedule and his Holy Week schedule. Venezuela has officially asked the Vatican for help in talks between government and opposition leaders, and we look at one holy site in Rome that is being restored for the first time since the 15th century. *** In a ...read more

Pope John Paul II kisses a rain-soaked tarmac as he arrives in Jakarta, Indonesia, on a pastoral trip in 1989. (CNS file photo)  ...read more