The man who designed the European Union flag, Arsène Heitz, was inspired by scripture and the image of Mary on the Miraculous Medal. While he never hid the fact that the flag he designed is “Our Lady’s flag”, the European Union itself has offered different explanations for the evocative design. The flag, and the EU ...read more

If there is anything that we learn from reading Scripture is that God calls people. Consistently, every story in the bible, involves a call: Abraham, Moses, Noah, Gideon, Jonah, Samuel, Ruth, Esther, Mary, Paul. Everyone gets called. God may not ‘call’ us the way He called Moses or St. Paul, or the specific way that ...read more

The Vatican bank has repatriated twenty three million euros that were frozen for more than three years, by Italian authorities. The Institute for Works of Religion, commonly known as the Vatican bank, announced the repatriation of the money in a statement released November 18. The funds were unblocked in 2011 but was not repatriated because ...read more

Early on November 20, 2014, Pope Francis traveled to the headquarters of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome and delivered the following address to the Second International Conference on Nutrition. Full text below: Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased and honoured to speak here today, at this Second International Conference on ...read more

On November 23, 2014, the Feast of Christ the King, Pope Francis will canonize six blesseds and inscribe them in the roll call of Saints. These blesseds consist of two Indians and four Italians, including one layman and one bishop. The blesseds who are to be canonized on Sunday are: Kuriakose Elias Chavara: A priest and the ...read more

Below you find the full text of Archbishop Blase Cupich’s homily during the Installation Mass as Archbishop of Chicago: Bienvenido, Witam, Mabuhay, Dobro dosli, Welcome I am delighted and honoured to be your archbishop. So many of you in this cathedral today have come – from near and so very far – friends and family, ...read more

Below you will find Archbishop Blase Cupich’s homily in Holy Name Cathedral at Monday evening’s prayer service on the vigil of his installation as the Ninth Archbishop of Chicago: The Windy City’s ablaze with gratitude & hope Chicago welcomes Archbishop Blase Cupich at Prayer Vigil It is only polite to begin with an expression of ...read more

Today on Perspectives, Pope Francis announces he is coming to the United States, tells a gathering that marriage and the family are in crisis, his weekly Angelus, condemns abortion and other medical procedures that violate human dignity and a look ahead to his trips to Strasbourg and Turkey. ...read more

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