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 […]