An estimated 80,000 people gathered in Bellahouston Park for Mass with Pope Benedict XVI today. In the lead up to Mass, the faithful were treated to a musical presentation . It was truly a festival of faith; the Sydney World Youth Day theme song was part of the repertoire, and Susan Boyle sang a moving ...

Pope Benedict XVI donned a specially designed Papal tartan over his shoulders as he traveled from Holyroodhouse Palace to the Archbishop of Edinburgh’s residence.  His route was part of a St. Ninian Day parade; the feast of the 5th century Bishop is celebrated today in Scotland. The tartan itself has great symbolism.  The white line ...

It’s a grey overcast day in London, nothing new there. Despite the fact that London is home to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II there is undeniably an air of anticipation in the city. Although the British media has been highlighting all the reasons the Holy Father should not be visiting the UK or why taxpayers ...

This morning at 5:30 am EST (10:30am local time), Pope Benedict XVI landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. This journey is history in the making; it is the first ever state-visit to the UK by a Pope. Shortly after the Holy Father’s arrival, we spoke to CNS’ Rome bureau chief, John Thavis who was aboard the flight ...

Who really is Cardinal John Henry Newman? Back when I was a student involved in the Newman Centre at Queen’s University, I confess that I knew nothing about the life and works of the centre’s namesake. Now, having spent the past few weeks researching him for Catholic Focus, I’ve learned that it’s not an easy ...

Welcome to the fourth of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André! In the past blogs, we went from Indiana to New Hampshire. Now we move to Oregon. I met Fr. Edwin Obermiller once I landed in Portland, Oregon, as part of the filming for the documentary on Br. André. Although I ...

Could there be a new group of Cardinals named this fall? In this week’s Catholic News Service Vatican Report, Carol Glatz and John Thavis weigh in on the possibility — and the potential candidates. To download Flash Player please click here ...

[singlepic id=81 w=150 h=149 float=right] We kick off a new season of S+L Radio with a new structure and new segments that we’ll reveal as we go. This week we introduce Lawrence Floucault, Assistant Manager of Programming for S+L TV. Our feature is a conversation with author Karen Zizzo about the 7 lessons she learned ...

It seems that every time you turn around there is a new religious community emerging in the Catholic Church. Often times these new communities are the ones that are “bursting at the seams” with vocations. Take the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, for example, who just welcomed 23 new postulants in their ...

The anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the U.S. tends to bring discussion about “the other” to the forefront and as a result brings out either the best or worst of people. This year is no different. New Yorkers, and Americans in general, are caught up in a debate over whether a mosque should ...