Pope Benedict XVI embarks on his first of five Apostolic Voyages for 2010 this weekend. Before he heads to Portugal, Cyprus, Britain, and Spain, he starts it all off with Malta. The visit will celebrate the 1,950th anniversary of St. Paul’s shipwreck on the island that, according to tradition, occurred in the year 60 A.D., ...read more

As Pope Benedict XVI nears the fifth anniversary of election as the Successor of Peter, the Knights of Columbus are inviting the faithful to join in a novena for the Holy Father.  It begins April 11th, this Sunday (Divine Mercy Sunday), and ends April 19th, the anniversary of his election. Please find the novena prayer ...read more

As we’ve said many times, the Easter Triduum is the peak of the liturgical calendar.  The Triduum — and Holy Week — also provide some excellent homilies and messages to reflect upon.  You may want to check out the following: Pope Benedict’s Urbi et Orbi Message and Blessing: “The Church is the people of the ...read more

As we enter into a particularly focused period of prayer with the beginning of the Easter Triduum today, let us keep our Holy Father’s intentions in our prayers this month. Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for April is: That every tendency to fundamentalism and extremism may be countered by constant respect, by tolerance and by ...read more

The official newspaper of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the Catholic San Francisco, has published a letter by Cardinal William J. Levada responding to New York Times’ articles on clergy sexual abuse and Pope Benedict XVI.  The Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith defends the Holy Father and chastises the paper ...read more

As Pope Benedict XVI comes under vicious criticism by the media regarding claims of clergy sexual  abuse, the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent a letter to the Holy Father offering his prayers and support on behalf of the Bishops of Canada. Bishop Pierre Morissette writes: “We recognize with admiration and ...read more

[The following article was written by the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus Carl Anderson, and originally appeared in the Monday March 26th edition of Zenit.] Twenty-five years ago, Pope John Paul II inaugurated the celebration of World Youth Day — to be celebrated on Palm Sunday each year. He understood — as does ...read more

I met the Pope on Friday. The president of Guatemala was in Italy and, as per protocol, he also stopped by the Vatican to see Benedict XVI. Because I speak Spanish and Italian, I was included in the press pool that was allowed into the San Damaso Library for the visit. The pool of journalists ...read more

The last two weeks have been difficult ones for faithful Catholics as the clergy sexual abuse scandal has stained headlines and the Church worldwide. There is no denying that crimes of abuse are appalling and must be dealt with properly.  However, media outlets are now taking reports of abuse as an opportunity to abase our ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Palm Sunday with thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.  Palm Sunday is also the weekend that World Youth Day is celebrated at the diocesan level, and this year marked the 25th anniversary of the event established by Venerable John Paul II.  The anniversary was the focus on his ...read more