The pope creates and advisory panel Eight Cardinals from around the world have been asked by Pope Francis to advise him on reforms to the Roman Curia. The Vatican announced April 13 that Pope Francis had appointed eight cardinals to be part of an advisory panel to help him make changes to “Pastor Bonus,” ...read more

An inter-faith service was held at Boston’s Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Thursday. Below is the text of remarks by Cardinal Sean O’Malley. Religious and Political leaders took part in the service. My dear brothers, sisters and friends. On behalf of our Catholic community, I wish to welcome all of you here to the ...read more

It’s the most popular book in history, and yet it’s possibly the most misunderstood: the Bible. On this week’s Catholic Focus — featuring the new look for our flagship current affairs series — host Kris Dmytrenko speaks with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, who are bringing the Word of God to a new generation through ...read more

By The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton “Has Christ Been Divided?”  I did not come up with this question. The writers of the materials for the 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity did not come up with this question. And yet, they chose it for the theme of the 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian ...read more

The headlines proclaimed an epic showdown: Jesus versus the zombies. This wasn’t an imaginative retelling of a familiar story (an increasingly popular subgenre of historical fiction). Rather, this was a battle for cable TV ratings, pitting “The Bible” miniseries on the History channel against AMC’s zombie hit “The Walking Dead”. When their season finales aired ...read more

Eleven years ago, when I was Artistic Director for World Youth Day 2002, one of my responsibilities was the Papal Welcome Ceremony. Fr. Tom Rosica, CSB (who was Director of WYD) had suggested that we include a specific liturgical dance group comprised of people with different abilities, and so began my journey with the L’Arche ...read more

Michelangelo, arguably one of the greatest living artists of his time, is the quintessential Italian Renaissance artist. He was a sculptor, painter, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. But what about those lesser-known artists such as Bernardo Daddi or say, Pacino di Bonaguida? What were the ...read more

Over the past year as I have prepared for the 100th Anniversary of the Archdiocese of Edmonton I have encountered a number of documents of extreme historic importance, including the Papal Bull of 1912. The Bull is the official document created by the Vatican which announced the creation of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, the Diocese ...read more

This afternoon, Pope Francis celebrated mass at the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls in Rome. Published below is the unofficial translation of his homily. For repeat broadcast times of the full liturgy, visit S+L’s Easter page. Dear Brothers and Sisters! It is a joy for me to celebrate Mass with you in this Basilica. I ...read more

When Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte reached the retirement age of 75, few observers could have predicted his successor as Archbishop of Montreal. The Pope’s choice to lead Canada’s second largest diocese was Bishop Christian Lépine, announced just six months after his ordination as bishop. The community quickly embraced its new shepherd, who was born in Montreal ...read more