Below you will find the English language translation of the Holy Father’s address in Italian, delivered this morning at the Colloquium on the complementarity of Man and Woman at the Vatican. Dear sisters and brothers, I warmly greet you. I thank Cardinal Muller for his words with which he introduced our meeting. I would like ...read more

Archbishop John Dew of New Zealand offers a reflection about his experience in the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. See below for full reflection: As I return from the Synod on Marriage and the Family I’m aware that the gathering, the discussion and the topics have caught the attention of the secular media ...read more

On October 4, 2014, Pope Francis presided over a prayer vigil leading up the the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. Below is the full text of his address: Dear families, good evening! The evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour in which one willingly returns home to the same meal, in ...read more

At the end of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family, Pope Francis addressed the Synod Fathers and everyone involved with the Synod. Below is the full text of the Holy Father’s remarks. Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with ...read more

The Synod Fathers released a short pastoral letter at the conclusion of the Extraordinary Synod of Bishop on the Family on Sunday, October 19, 2014. We, Synod Fathers, gathered in Rome together with Pope Francis in the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, greet all families of the different continents and in particular ...read more

The Salt + Light team in Rome spoke with Bishop Warnakulasurya V. Mendis of Chilaw, Sri Lanka. Bishop Mendis offers his thoughts on #synod14 and addresses the issue of remarried and divorced Catholics. ...read more

The S+L team in Rome spoke with Archbishop John Hung Shan-Chuan, SVD of Taipei. Archbishop Hung addresses the challenges the church in Taipei faces and comments on married life in Taiwan. ...read more

So far in part 1  and part 2, we looked at how natural law is usually defined and how some of these definitions cause confusion. I also offered a definition that has always worked well for me. It helps to repeat it: Natural law is the law that says that all things work best or ...read more

Below you will find the official text for Breda O’Brien’s personal testimony, as delivered on Day 3 of the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin. Good afternoon, everyone. When I was asked to speak at the Congress, I was both deeply honoured and deeply terrified. I have never missed a deadline for my Irish Times column, ...read more

A couple of years ago, New York’s Archbishop Timothy Dolan commented that there isn’t a crisis in priestly vocations, but a crisis in marriage. If we work to create stability in marriage and the family, then vocations will naturally flow from that. Families fostering vocations to the religious and priestly life is one of the ...read more