Below is the Holy Father’s homily from this morning at the Granaries in Floriana, Malta. The italicized text in brackets was translated from the original Maltese. APOSTOLIC VISIT OF HIS HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI TO MALTA Mass at the Floriana Granaries 18 April 2010 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ, [My dear sons and ...read more

This evening in Malta, a well-rested Pope Benedict XVI was greeted World Youth Day-style in Rabat, Malta by thousands of cheering faithful, the majority of whom were young people. “In our hearts we already know who you are: you are our Head Shepherd representing the Lord Jesus Christ in our midst”, said Archbishop Paul Cremona, ...read more

The Holy Father received the warmest of welcomes from Maltese dignitaries upon disembarking the Alitalia flight this evening in Malta. Despite concerns that the flight would not take place due to residual hovering ash clouds from Iceland’s volcano eruption this past Thursday, The Holy Father’s plane landed right on schedule with dozens of journalists, Vatican ...read more

Just in time for the fifth anniverary of his election as Pope, a special book has been released looking back at Pope Benedict’s first five years in the See of Peter. The book was released in Italian and German only – fitting, since it was put together by Msgr. Georg Gänswein, the Pope’s personal secretay ...read more

Jack Valero, a senior representative of Opus Dei, is defending the record of Pope Benedict in the pages of The Guardian. Valero addresses then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s handling of laicization cases, including his efforts to more strongly enforce abuse investigations by bringing them under the purview of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in ...read more

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