On the occasion of the Jubilee of priests and seminarians (June 1-3, 2016), Pope Francis will preach today three reflections during the retreat for priests and seminarians gathered in the Papal Basilicas in Rome. The theme of the retreat is “the Good Shepherd: the priest as a minister of mercy and compassion, close to his ...read more

On the occasion of the Jubilee of priests and seminarians (June 1-3, 2016), Pope Francis will preach today three reflections during the retreat for priests and seminarians gathered in the Papal Basilicas in Rome. The theme of the retreat is “the Good Shepherd: the priest as a minister of mercy and compassion, close to his ...read more

In 2007, almost 60 years after the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration recognizes Indigenous people’s basic human rights, as well as rights to self-determination, language, equality and land, among others. There were four votes against: Australia, New Zealand, the United States ...read more

Lisa Daniels lives with extreme, debilitating, chronic pain. She suffers greatly. Her suffering is irremediable. There is no cure. Many people who support the idea of medically assisted dying do so on the basis that some people, like Lisa, live with unbearable, intolerable pain. Can all pain be managed? How are we to respond to ...read more

Every Friday at 4:30pm ET tune in to a Perspectives Weekly in Italian, a new 25-minute show in which Italian producer Matteo Ciofi discusses themes and events in the Church featuring different guests every week. Topics discussed in the the Italian Perspectives Weekly series include the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis, major events in the Church ...read more

(CNS photo/Paul Haring) On Sunday, May 29, 2016, Pope Francis celebrated a Jubilee Mass for Deacons. Below you will find the full text of his homily: “A servant of Jesus Christ” (Gal 1:10). We have listened to these words that the Apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians, uses to describe himself. At the beginning of his ...read more

(CNS photo/Philippe Vaillancourt, Presence) An open letter from Cardinal Lacroix… On June 6th, the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision concerning “medical assistance in dying” will take effect with or without a federal law to control it. The adoption of bill C-14 or the Carter decision’s coming into effect will certainly give place to appeals within the court ...read more

Deacon Pedro is ordained by Bishop Vincent Nguyen on May 26, 2012. Last week we looked, very briefly, at the basics of the Sacrament of Ordination. One of the common challenges to the idea of Sacraments as “a visible sign of an invisible Grace, instituted by Christ” is the “instituted by Christ” part. With Ordination, ...read more

Subject Matters: “Experts in Humanity: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing” by Josephine Lombardi, PhD Sunday, May 29 at 8:30pmET / 5:30pm PT This Sunday’s all-new episode of Subject Matters features a wonderful book that brings together Catholic spirituality and contemporary biology and psychology.  Theologian Josephine Lombardi takes us on a spiritual journey towards being our ...read more

On Thursday, May 26, 2016, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi. Below, find the full text of his homily: « Do this in remembrance of me » (1 Cor 11 :24-25). Twice the Apostle Paul, writing to the community in Corinth, recalls this command of Jesus in his account of the ...read more