ROME — Surrounded by survivors of innocent people killed by the Mafia, Pope Francis made an emotional appeal to Italian gangsters to give up their lives of crime and avoid eternal damnation. “Men and women of the Mafia, please change your lives, convert, stop doing evil,” the pope said at a prayer vigil March 21. […]
Manaolana | Lenten apps: It’s Friday. Drop the cheeseburger!
Social media, smartphones give young people a new look at Lent WASHINGTON — This is not your parents’ Lent. That’s pretty clear when smartphone alarms — sounding like police whistles — ring at mealtimes on Fridays along with text messages from the “meat police” offering reminders such as: “Hey, it’s Friday, drop the cheeseburger!” The […]
The Francis effect: Catholics love the pope, but for the lapsed, not enough to return to church
Pope Francis prays during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 26. (CNS photo/Tony Gentile, Reuters) WASHINGTON Pope Francis’ popularity began immediately after his March 13, 2013, election when he walked onto the balcony and humbly greeted the crowd in St. Peter’s Square. His appeal has been on a fast […]
The Francis style: A plain cassock, a simple apartment, a cheap car, phone calls are all gestures that teach
Pope Francis steps into his Ford Focus car as he leaves a meeting with Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano at the Quirinal presidential palace in Rome Nov. 14. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) VATICAN CITY From the moment Pope Francis, dressed simply in a white cassock, stepped out on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica for the […]
Notable & quotable: ‘Who am I to judge,” and other memorable sound bites from Pope Francis over the past year
VATICAN CITY In his formal documents, many speeches and unscripted morning homilies the past year, Pope Francis has given the church a bounty of memorable sound bites. Here’s a look at what could be the top 10 most quotable quotes. “Brothers and sisters, good evening. You all know that the duty of the conclave was […]
Top 10 things: His pet parrot, his job as a bouncer and other facts most people don’t know about Peter’s successor
Pope Francis holds a parrot handed to him by a pilgrim during his general audience in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Jan. 29. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters) VATICAN CITY When Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran walked onto the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, telling the crowds in Latin: “I announce to you a […]
Avanti!: The new refrain: Go forth. Evangelize. Serve the poor. Be audacious. Do not be afraid. Smile.
Pope Francis kisses a disabled man after spotting him in the crowd and having his popemobile stop as he rode through St. Peter’s Square March 19 ahead of his inaugural Mass at the Vatican. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) VATICAN CITY Pope Francis’ most frequent advice and exhortation to Catholics — from laypeople in parishes to bishops […]
Pope Francis, with Benedict present, creates new cardinals
VATICAN CITY — On a feast day commemorating the authority Jesus gave to St. Peter and his successors — the popes — Pope Francis created 19 new cardinals in the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI. To the great surprise of most people present, the retired pope entered St. Peter’s Basilica about 15 minutes before […]
Manaolana | Are sacred tattoos an improper exhibition or fitting expression of faith?
Stuart Randell poses in front of his Sacred Tattoos parlor in Fremantle, Western Australia, Sept. 3. Randell’s unusual service offers designs centered on religious themes. Randell, a Catholic who has been a tattooist for 20 years, says tattoos can also be part of the healing process in people’s lives. (CNS photo/Matthew Biddle, The Record) PERTH, […]
‘Look to the cross: violence is not answered with violence’
Pope Francis leads a vigil to pray for peace in Syria Sept. 7 in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. (CNS photo by Paul Haring) VATICAN CITY — Leading a crowd in prayer for peace in Syria, Pope Francis said that war is ultimately caused by selfishness, which can be overcome only though expressions […]