Just over a week ago, Pope Benedict returned to the Vatican from his three-day trip to Cyprus. This might be news to some of you. The papal visit was the most under-reported of 2010. Cynics might theorize that the media yawned because there was no apparent clergy sex abuse angle. Just as likely, the relative ...read more

Fifteen thousand priests, 350 bishops and 80 cardinals joined Pope Benedict today in celebrating the closing Mass of the Year for Priests. It’s the largest concelebration ever held at the Vatican. The Holy Father did not shy away from addressing the clerical sexual abuse scandal in his homily.  He brought it up early explaining that ...read more

Pope Benedict led priests in a consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The consecration occurred at the end of the concluding Mass for the Year for Priests, while the Holy Father knelt before an icon of our Blessed Mother. See the consecration below: CONSECRATION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY Immaculate ...read more

Today in his farewell address at Larnaca airport in Cyprus, the Holy Father made direct reference to the political unrest in Cyprus saying that his accommodations at the Apostolic Nunciature, which is located in the United Nations buffer zone, provided a vantage point from which he witnessed Cyprus’ pronounced division first-hand. “Having stayed these past ...read more

While most of us here in Toronto were still tucked in our beds, Pope Benedict XVI’s schedule for his second day in Cyprus had already kicked into high gear and thus the day for the S+L Cyprus crew began at 2:30 am ET. The Holy Father’s itinerary and the groups with whom he will be ...read more

This morning, Pope Benedict XVI landed on Cyprus, a Mediterranean island located south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon. Cyprus, the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, welcomed the Holy Father at 2pm local time. The country’s president, Orthodox clergy, politicians and select Roman Catholic faithful were among those present for the ...read more

At the Wednesday General Audience Pope Benedict sent a greeting to those gathered in New Orleans for the Catholic Media Convention.  What he said is a great reminder for call Catholic communicators: The theme of your meeting, “Spreading the Good News — Byte by Byte,” highlights the extraordinary potential of the new media to bring ...read more

Pope Benedict’s four day Apostolic Visit to Portugal has come to an end.  The trip was comprised of 13 major events, three open-air Masses and an estimated one million participants overall. The Holy Father set forth on his visit to promote the evangelization and missionary work that needs to be done on behalf of the ...read more

The city of Porto was the last stop on Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Voyage to Portugal. Porto is located in the north of Portugal and is the  country’s second largest metropolitan city  after Lisbon. The Holy Father arrived at the airport via helicopter this morning from Fatima where he was greeted by the Bishop of ...read more

At a meeting at Fatima’s “Casa Nossa Senhora do Carmo” today, Pope Benedict encouraged his brother bishops to be “first evangelizers.” This role calls on Bishops to: … understand the diverse social and cultural factors, to evaluate their spiritual deficiencies and to utilize effectively your pastoral resources; what is decisive, however, is the ability to ...read more