Pope Benedict arrived in Fatima by helicopter this afternoon where he was received by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima and other local Catholic authorities and dignitaries. He then proceeded to the Shrine of Fatima in his Popemobile. An estimated 40,000 pilgrims greeted the Pope upon his arrival. His first stop was to the Chapel of Apparitions, ...read more

We often hear it said in the spiritual life that to become childlike is to draw near to the kingdom of God. Last night, I had the privilege of attending a Children of Hope evening of Eucharistic Adoration and I feel like I understand why one must be like a child to sit at the ...read more

The Pope met with Portuguese  academics, artists and others involved in cultural work this morning at the Cultural Centre of Belem in Lisbon.  The Centre is the largest building with cultural facilities in Portugal. The Pope was given a brief musical performance and then greeted with a speech from Manoel de Oliveria, a renowned Portuguese ...read more

Pope Benedict celebrated the first Mass of his Apostolic Visit to Portugal this evening in Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paço. The beautiful and sacred celebration of Mass was set against the picturesque backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. The sun was just beginning its descent as the Mass progressed with over 100 boats lining the nearby coast. ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI began his four day journey to Portugal this morning.  He arrived in Lisbon at 11 am local time to a formal reception at the airport where he was greeted by a choir of  30 singing children from the music academy of St. Cecily. The children performed the official welcoming hymn written in ...read more

The faithful of Portugal will have a special guest when they celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Fatima this year. From Tuesday, May 11th to Friday, May 14th, Pope Benedict XVI will journey to Portugal. He’ll mark the 93rd anniversary of the apparitions of Fátima, the 68th anniversary of consecration of the world to ...read more

As Alessia Domanico reported on Perspectives on May 6th, the Swiss Guards are thirty stronger, having sworn in their new recruits. In an elaborate ceremony, the Swiss Guards corps officially installed their latest recruits. The ceremony takes place every year on the 6th of May, the anniversary of the Sack of Rome. On that day ...read more

When I moved to Ontario from Nova Scotia in 2007, Catholic schools were a totally new concept for me. Until setting up camp in Ontario, those plaid little numbers were relegated to movies and to Britney Spears music videos. The more I learn about the Ontario Catholic School Board, however, the more I realize that ...read more

The current economic crisis was caused by a series of failures, chief among them is a failure of ethics, according to the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences. The president of the Vatican’s Social Sciences Academy, Mary Ann Glendon, said during the course of the Academy’s plenary session members heard from those working in various sectors ...read more

On April 19, 2005 when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope, the popular consensus was that this would be a papacy of continuity; he would ensure that his predecessor’s line of leadership and teaching would be safeguarded. What most people didn’t take into consideration was that Cardinal Ratzinger is a very different personality than Cardinal ...read more