Watch Pope Francis and Russian Patriarch Kirill sign the Joint Declaration below: Joint Declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor 13:13). 1. ...read more

Children exit a church after receiving ashes during an Ash Wednesday Mass in Guatemala City. Catholics around the world began the penitential season of Lent with prayer, fasting and the mark of ashes. (CNS photo/Joe Penney, Reuters) ...read more

‘I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU LIFE AND DEATH’ Message for Lent 2016 by the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops My brothers and sisters in Christ, The readings of the liturgy for the opening days of Lent invite us to focus on some basic questions as we begin ...read more

It’s always a nice confirmation when the Pope says the same thing you’ve been trying to say. (Maybe he read my blog from last week?) Last Wednesday, Pope Francis’ General Audience Address was titled, God’s Justice is Mercy. You can listen to the Vatican Radio report here: In short, Pope Francis is eloquently making the ...read more

For the first time ever, the pope will meet with the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The announcement was made in a joint press release issued by the Holy See and the Patriarchate of Moscow. Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill will meet in Cuba on February 12. At the end of their two hour ...read more

Vatican City, 3 February 2016 (VIS) – Next week Pope Francis will begin his apostolic trip to Mexico. From 12 to 17 February he will visit Mexico City, Ecatepec, Tuxtla Gutierrez, San Cristobal de Las Casas, Morelia and Ciudad Juarez, and will pray before Our Lady of Guadalupe. For the occasion, the agency Notimex recorded ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For February 2016, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Care for Creation – That we may take good care of creation–a gift freely given–cultivating and protecting it for future generations.  Asia – That opportunities may increase for dialogue and encounter between the Christian faith ...read more

The Holy See maintains diplomatic relations with 180 states. Among those are countries that do not have diplomatic relations with each other. Iran is one of those cases. Both Canada and the US do not currently have formal diplomatic relations with Iran. The Holy See, however, has maintained diplomatic relations with all three of these ...read more

(Photo: CNS) Pope Francis says a lot of surprising and challenging things.  Often I read something he’s said or written and say to myself, “I can’t believe he said that.”  Still—as with anything else—we can become desensitized to his spontaneity and candour, and we risk glossing over some of his highly consequential statements. One recent statement ...read more

By Peter Schineller, S.J. The first Jesuit Pope! We have moved beyond the original surprise and shock. What does it mean? How is Pope Francis deeply Ignatian and deeply Jesuit? I see one key link between Francis and Ignatius, a link that Francis himself has pointed. It is found in a Latin phrase, not easily translated, ...read more