Antiques Roadshow is one of my guilty television pleasures. I find it fascinating how people can have priceless objects just sitting around their homes for years that get passed down through the generations or that they pick up at the odd yard sale for $20.  (Sometimes I even venture down into my basement to see ...read more

A struggling global economy has contributed to a budget shortfall at the Vatican for the third year in a row. Catholic News Service’s Carol Glatz and John Thavis make sense of the dollars, in this week’s Vatican Report. To download Flash Player please click here ...read more

The Canadian Church will celebrate Canada day a little more than usual this year. It was announced this morning that the Archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, will be packing his bags for the Vatican. Pope Benedict has appointed Cardinal Ouellet as the new Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Commission ...read more

Although Cardinal William Joseph Levada’s March 8th address in Ottawa was titled “Why is the Catholic faith worth passing on?”, the focus of his question was, more pointedly, “Why is the Catholic faith worth passing on on university campuses?” Answered by no less than the prefect of the Vatican’s doctrinal office, the short version was ...read more

Okay, it’s a bit of a stretch — but as Catholics we believe the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit, correct?  And considering that the Holy Spirit is often personified as a dove and the popular social networking service Twitter uses a bird as part of their branding (the idea of a ‘twittering,’ or ...read more

[Signed at the Vatican on the feast of St. Joseph, March 19th, Pope Benedict’s letter to the Catholics of Ireland was released today, Saturday March 20th in Rome.  What follows is the official text of the document.  Visit the Vatican website for more resources.] PASTORAL LETTER OF THE HOLY FATHER POPE BENEDICT XVI TO THE ...read more

The Pope has written a Pastoral Letter to all the Catholics of Ireland, expressing his dismay at the sexual abuse of young people by Church representatives and the way this was addressed by local bishops and religious superiors. He asks that the Letter be read with attention and in its entirety. The Holy Father speaks ...read more

Just after being appointed the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was interviewed about his love of sport, specifically soccer. He made headlines when he said he hoped the Vatican could one day have it’s very own FIFA recognized soccer team. The media attention grew when it was discovered that the Vatican City State ...read more

Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed news from the Vatican this morning that Brother André Bessette, CSC, will be declared a saint on October 17th 2010. “Brother André’s life shows us the power of faith and the importance of concern for the sick and others in need.” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, “In ...read more

With the Winter Olympics underway in Vancouver, Catholic News Service takes a look at the Church and sports. John Thavis and Carol Glatz report. To download Flash Player please click here ...read more