With his announcement February 11, Pope Benedict XVI becomes one of only four popes to resign. The last time a pope resigned from the Chair of Peter was 1415, in effort to end a major schism. The Code of Canon Laws allows for a pope to resign. The only conditions are that the decision be ...read more

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 When this story broke, I started receiving texts from all my friends, many of them far from church-minded, asking what this meant. I suppose in a world ...read more

For one last time before retirement, Benedict XVI is ushering the Church into Lent. Today the Holy Father will preside at mass to mark Ash Wednesday, during which he will bless and distribute ashes to the penitent faithful. Unlike past years, the liturgy will not be held at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, southeast of ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy includes many, many special moments. So we’ve decided to share some of our favourite moments in a series of blogs entitled, Snapshots of Pope Benedict. As we approach February 28th- the date of his official resignation- we remember and give thanks for Pope Benedict’s faithful service, leadership and tender humanity. We ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: The Church prepares for the last days of Pope Benedict’s pontificate and we bring you the reaction from one of the Cardinals at the consistory yesterday. ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI, 85, who has been considered a guardian of the faith, upholding the traditional teachings of the church leading the clergy in the defense of the faith, announced Feb 11 he is resigning as Bishops of Rome and Pope effective at the end of the month. Regarded as one of the sharpest theologians ...read more

Pope Benedict announced earlier today in Rome that he will resign as Supreme Pontiff and Bishop of Rome on February 28th, 2013. Benedict, the 265th pope in the history of the Church, is the sixth German to serve as Supreme Pontiff and the first German since the 11th century. He became pope in 2005 – ...read more

You see, the Catholic Church has extraordinary soap: the gospel, the sacraments, prayer. The gospel read and lived; the sacraments celebrated in the right way; prayer well used, would be a marvellous soap, capable of making us all saints. We are not all saints, because we have not used this soap enough. Let us try ...read more

A few weeks ago, during a homily, I suggested that we should take the opportunity of this Year of Faith to do what the Holy Father has proposed: That we learn about our Faith; that we live our Faith and that we share our Faith. Soon after, I thought, ‘why don’t we make this a ...read more

Catholic New Service reported yesterday on the opening of the Pontifical Council for Culture’s plenary meeting. Here is that  report. By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — When the head of the Pontifical Council for Culture said he wanted to listen to what today’s young people had to say, he wasn’t afraid ...read more