I was, until I asked a friend of mine what she thought about lent and she said it was her favourite time in the liturgical calendar. I was taken aback when I saw how in love she was and how selfish I was being. Do you know what it takes to know and to experience ...read more

Pope Francis presided over Mass in St Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, to offer thanks to God together with the College of Cardinals, one day after bestowing the Red Hat on twenty new prelates from around the world. This is a very important homily which speaks not only to the specific occasion with the Cardinals, but ...read more

Below, please find the full English text of the Holy Father’s prepared remarks. Dear Brother Cardinals, The cardinalate is certainly an honour, but it is not honorific. This we already know from its name – “cardinal” – from the word “cardo”, a hinge. As such it is not a kind of accessory, a decoration, like ...read more

It’s always difficult to say something about a subject that has not affected you in a particularly personal way. Nevertheless, death is a subject that is before us these days as a community of faith and as a society as a whole, and therefore warrants some reflection. I’d like to comment on two recent events ...read more

For the first time in its 239-year history, a pope will address the United States Congress. The news broke at the end of last week that Pope Francis would address a joint sessions of America’s two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. This would make the pope only the third foreigner in ...read more

Photo: Three of the four participants on the closing panel of the 2015 De Mazenod Conference were Canadians.  From left to right: Fr. Thomas Rosica, Sebastian Gomes, Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller and Fr. Ronald Rolheiser discuss the Francis effect on the Catholic Church. (S+L: Feb. 1, 2015) This past weekend I had the privilege of addressing ...read more

During his Angelus Address on Sunday, Pope Francis announced that he would be making a one day trip to Bosnia-Herzegovina this coming June. It appears the Holy Father has an appetite for difficult cases, as the former Yugoslav republic is no walk in the park. Most will recall the Bosnian War that broke out following ...read more

The whole week between the Feast of the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord we heard readings from the First Letter of St. John and on the Saturday I heard something that I had never heard before: “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For February 2015, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Prisoners. That prisoners, especially the young, may be able to rebuild lives of dignity. Marriages. That married people who are separated may find welcome and support in the Christian community. Daily ...read more

When in October 2013 the Vatican announced the first ever two-stage Synod of Bishops, many in the Catholic Church were hopeful about the possibilities of an in-depth discussion and consultation. After all, a year in between the two Synods is a lot of time, right? Not necessarily. The Vatican didn’t publish the Lineamenta—a discussion guideline ...read more