Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, are pictured in Venice in 1972. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.  (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)  To learn more about the contributions of these great ...read more

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass of Thanksgiving for the Equivalent Canonizationof Saints François de Laval and Marie de l’Incarnation Sunday, 12 October 2014 We have heard Isaiah’s prophecy: “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces…” (Is 25:8).  These words, full of hope in God, point us to the goal, ...read more

Pope Paul VI greets the crowd as he visits the Verano cemetery in Rome in 1973. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. (CNS photo/Giancarlo Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo) To learn more about the Church’s role in the modern world, watch ...read more

Tonight on Inside the Synod: Cardinal Sodano makes a special announcement about the Church’s response to the Middle East, a summary of the major themes developing at the Synod, and a special sit-down with Cardinal Pell, Prefect of the Secretariat for the Economy. ...read more

Pope Paul VI, right, greets Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople during the pontiff’s 1964 trip to the Holy Land. Pope Paul inaugurated many of the bilateral and multilateral ecumenical dialogues that continue today. (CNS file photo) Want to learn more about the Church’s work to promote Christian Unity? Check out episode 8 of The ...read more

President John F. Kennedy shakes hands with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican July 2, 1963. The White House called Kennedy’s meeting with Paul VI an “unofficial” visit, although the pope spoke to the president about race relations, space exploration, world peace and U.S. aid to developing nations. (CNS file photo) Curious about the role ...read more

Pope Paul VI is seen in an undated official portrait. Pope Francis will beatify Pope Paul Oct. 19 during the closing Mass of the extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family. The miracle needed for Pope Paul’s beatification involved the birth of a healthy baby to a mother in California after doctors had said both ...read more

Tonight during the premiere episode of Inside the Synod meet the international team of S+L producers who will host our  2014 coverage from inside the Synod on the Family.  This year, we’re pleased to bring you coverage in French, English and Chinese as we keep you up-to-date with the  latest developments. You can look forward ...read more

These days it’s easy to be discouraged reading the news about never-ending scandals popping up here and there, or about the shortcomings of various role models, or the interviews of well-known people criticizing one another, and so on. I’m sure that we all can think of examples and that we all recognize an overwhelming flow ...read more

Today we celebrate the feast of the Archangels — St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael. Take some time today to look up  Scripture references to the different Archangels and meditate on the work of these heavenly messengers. For St. Michael flip to Revelations 12 (there’s also references in Daniel 10 and 12), St. Gabriel of ...read more