The fruits of a papal visit are often not noticeable until after the banners and altars have come down.  In Cuba it didn’t take long to see the gifts of the papal visit. Catholic News Service reported this week on the impact the Pope’s overnight stay in El Cobre. The preparations alone meant that infrastructure ...read more

By Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service HAVANA (CNS) — The Catholic Church that Pope Benedict XVI will visit March 26-28 is, to put it simply, more. Since Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1998, the church is more unified, more public, more likely to work with the government in accomplishing specific goals, more involved in ...read more

The Government of Canada is a step closer to making its Office of Religious Freedom a reality. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird held a roundtable discussion with religious leaders on Monday. The planned Office of Religious Freedom will be located in the Ottawa headquarters of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. There, Baird welcomed nearly 100 religious leaders, ...read more

While Pope Benedict frequently invites Catholics to pray for particular causes, he has made a unique, official appeal for the Church in China. Speaking at the General Audience last Wednesday, he said that “all Catholics throughout the world have a duty to pray for the Church in China: those members of the faithful have a ...read more

Members of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences have met in Rome to discuss recent sociological findings concerning religious freedom and the modern world. Catholic News Service’s Carol Glatz has the details. To download Flash Player please click here Pope Benedict also addressed the Academy during their meeting. He expressed his thanks to them for ...read more

Unofficially, it’s called the “state of the world” address. Officially, it’s Pope Benedict XVI’s annual talk to the diplomatic corps. And representatives from the 178 states that have diplomatic ties to the Holy See gathered this morning at the Vatican for the address. Religious freedom was the key issue that the Holy Father discussed. He ...read more