A child dressed as a penitent takes part in a Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) procession in Guatemala City. (CNS photo/Jorge Dan Lopez, Reuters) ...read more

Children exit a church after receiving ashes during an Ash Wednesday Mass in Guatemala City. Catholics around the world began the penitential season of Lent with prayer, fasting and the mark of ashes. (CNS photo/Joe Penney, Reuters) ...read more

With Pope Francis’ changes to the Holy Thursday liturgy last week, I was reminded of a conversation I had with a young man during the Christmas holiday. He was visiting from Europe and was expressing concern about where Pope Francis seems to be taking the Church. He said that among his circle of friends and acquaintances ...read more

The Pope decrees that not only men may be chosen for the washing of the feet in the Liturgy of Holy Thursday. Please see below for the full text of the decree and for a commentary on the decree by Archbishop Arthur Roche, Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: ...read more

A Palestinian Christian prays in the Church of Nativity on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, West Bank. CNS photo/Debbie Hill ...read more

Fireworks light up the night sky near a giant Christmas tree along a bay walk in Palawan, Philippines, Dec. 1, 2011. The Philippines, a mainly Roman Catholic country, is known for its rich pageantry around the Advent and Christmas season. CNS photo/Romeo Ranoco, Reuters ...read more

Children touch the wings of a man dressed as an angel as he holds a sign reading “Christmas with Jesus is happiness” in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Dec. 13, 2011. Members of the Christian church Psalm 100 regularly dress as angels holding signs with religious messages for people to read. CNS photo/Jose Luis Gonzalez, Reuters ...read more

St. Mary’s Cathedral is illuminated by a 246-foot projected Lights of Christmas display Dec. 13, 2012 in Sydney. CNS photo/Tim Wimborne, Reuters ...read more

A foggy Christmas Eve at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. CNS photo/Daniel Soñé ...read more

Bishop Martin Igwemezie Uzoukwu of Minna, Nigeria, walks near the coffins of some of the victims of a 2012 Christmas bombing at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Nigeria, during a funeral for the victims. CNS photo/Afolabi Sotunde, Reuters ...read more