In light of the Consistory this weekend, I was going to deacon-struct Cardinals, but seeing as Fr. Rosica wrote a wonderful Reflection on the Role of Cardinals in the Church on Tuesday, I figured I could do something a bit different. Yesterday, Pope Francis made 17 new Cardinals. Thirteen of them will be Cardinal-electors, eligible ...read more

This information is provided courtesy of the Holy See Press Office. List of Cardinals in alphabetical order. List of Cardinals in order of Age. List of Cardinals according to Nations and in order of Age. Graph: Distribution of Cardinal electors and non-electors. Graph: Distribution of Cardinals according to role. Composition of Cardinals according to geographical ...read more

The Gospel passage we have just heard (cf. Lk 6:27-36) is often referred to as the “Sermon on the Plain”. After choosing the Twelve, Jesus came down with his disciples to a great multitude of people who were waiting to hear him and to be healed. The call of the Apostles is linked to this ...read more

For the last year we have all been hearing of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy. Perhaps the most well-known are caring for the sick, visiting those in prison and instructing the ignorant. Around the world, hundreds of thousands of religious sisters and brothers dedicated their every day to these tasks. But there are ...read more

Last Tuesday Pope Francis sent a message to participants of the COP22 Climate Change meeting taking place in Marrakech, Morocco. In the text, the Holy Father recalled that the Paris Agreement has set out a clear path requiring the collaboration of all the international community, and he quoted extensively from his encyclical Laudato si’, exhorting the promotion ...read more

November 13, 2016 St. Peter’s Basilica For you… the sun of justice shall rise, with healing in its wings” (Mal 4:2). The words of the Prophet Malachi, which we heard in the first reading, shed light on today’s Jubilee. They come to us from the last page of the last Old Testament prophet. They are ...read more

This has probably been the most tiring and surprising US election in history. It’s been a bitter and divisive campaign and one that has divided even Catholics. But the election is over and we have to move on. How does it affect us as Catholics? Deacon Pedro sits with Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB and with ...read more

There are only ten days left before the conclusion of this Year of Mercy. On November 20th, the last Sunday of the liturgical year and the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King, Pope Francis will close the Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica. This Sunday, November 13, all the other Holy Doors across ...read more

Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Mass for the Jubilee of Prisoners in St Peter’s Basilica, telling those present, “by learning from past mistakes, you can open a new chapter of your lives.” Below, find the full text of his address: The message that God’s word wants to bring us today is surely that of hope. ...read more

Recently I had a conversation which brought up the following question: When we are voting at a political election, as Catholics, is there a guide or principles that we should follow? The person asking the question had been told that there is a list of ‘non-negotiable’ principles that Catholics should follow when voting. I may ...read more