Vatican

• 

  Deacons find vocational inspiration in saintly papal witness

  Apr 29, 2014

  The April 27 canonizations of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII are a source of spiritual inspiration for young men on the path to priesthood.

  
• 

  Pilgrims fill Roman churches in vigils before canonizations

  Apr 28, 2014

  Parishes throughout the city of Rome were filled the evening of April 26 with pilgrims spending the night in prayer in anticipation of the next day’s canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII.

  
• 

  Do not be 'afraid of joy,' Pope encourages

  Apr 25, 2014

  Pope Francis rebuked Christians who are “afraid of joy” and “mournful,” encouraging them to remember that Jesus Christ accompanies them.

  
• 

  Spread Christ's joy as did St Jose de Anchieta, Pope urges

  Apr 25, 2014

  During a Thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of St. Jose de Anchieta, Pope Francis spoke Thursday on the theme of joy, saying that while it can be intimidating, it is a gift of God which ought to be spread.

  

• Coptic Catholic cleric named as Pope’s 2nd priest-secretary

  Apr 24, 2014

  Pope Francis has appointed a Coptic Catholic priest, Father Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, to work as his 2nd personal secretary, Andrea Tornielli of La Stamp reports.

  

• Pope washes the feet of women and non-Catholics

  Apr 24, 2014

  Non-Catholics and women were among the 12 disabled and elderly people whose feet Pope Francis washed and kissed when he celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

  

• JPII: a man indispensable to the fall of the Soviet Union

  Apr 24, 2014

  Bl. John Paul II’s key role in the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact can be attributed to his vision of the human being, informed by personalism and the Catholic faith.

  

• John XXIII and the beginning of the fall of the Iron Curtain

  Apr 24, 2014

  While Pope, Bl. John XXIII began a dialogue with the Soviet Union that led to the eventual fall of the Iron Curtain during the pontificate of his successor John Paul II, both of whom will be canonized April 27.

  

• Pope Francis: JPII to become WYD’s ‘Great Patron Saint’

  Apr 24, 2014

  Prior to the recitation of the Angelus at the conclusion of the Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis addressed the faithful and gave special greetings.

  

• Priests must anoint others with oil of gladness, Pope reflects

  Apr 24, 2014

  In his homily given during the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday, Pope Francis spoke on the joy of the priestly vocation, saying a cleric “is useless” unless his happiness is found in the grace of God.