 Pope Benedict: Overcoming illness with faith
St Peter’s Square was very much the picture postcard scene this Sunday as a blanket of snow covered the ground and monuments.
Pope Benedict as he greeted the estimated 10 thousand faithful gather was wrapped up warm in a white coat to guard against the chill in the air.
At weeks Angelus Pope Benedict took his inspiration from Sunday’s Gospel
“In the Gospel this Sunday, we learn of the healing that Jesus brought to many who were suffering from diseases of one kind or another. We commend to him all those known to us who are in need of healing and we ask him to take away our own hardness of heart, so that we may respond more generously to his love.”
The Holy Father went on to describe disease as “a sign of Evil in the world and in man”, and he added that, “healing shows that the Kingdom of God is near.” ...»
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 Lombardi Editorial: Credibility and transparency
Credibility and transparency
In these years of heated debate and strong criticism towards the Holy See and the Church, it is absolutely necessary to remain firm, and – drawing inspiration from the Pope’s following of the Gospel standards of truth and moral strength – to show a firm determination to continue to give a coherent witness to moral values. The matter is especially urgent in two fields that attract ...»
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Gregorian University to host conference on 'Healing and Renewal' from sex abuse
Representatives of 100 bishops’ conferences and 30 religious orders meet in Rome next week to launch a global initiative aimed at improving efforts to address the clerical sex abuse crisis.
The initiative is to be presented at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University during the course of a four day conference entitled ‘Towards Healing and Renewal’, supported by the Vatican Secretariat of ...»
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 Catholic bishops visit London Olympic site
With six-months to go before the Opening Ceremony of the XXX Olympiad, bishops from the three London dioceses have visited the Olympic Park to see how 504 acres of previously toxic wasteland in the East End of London has been transformed into a place of new life and immense beauty.
At the invitation of Mgr John Armitage, chair of the Catholic 2012 Committee and Catholic trustee on the board of Christian Olympic ...»
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Consistory: day of prayer and reflection
A communiqué from the Holy See’s Press Office today announced that Pope Benedict XVI has called for a day of reflection and prayer ahead of the upcoming Consistory for the creation of new Cardinals. To be held on February 17th, the day before the scheduled Consistory, the theme of the reflections is to be: "The proclamation of the Gospel today, between missio ad gentes
and the new evangelization” ...»
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 Why a temple for atheists?
The British media has recently been covering a story which focuses around philosopher and writer Alain de Botton’s alleged plans to build a one million and a half pound , 150 foot tower at the heart of London’s financial district to house a ' Temple for atheists '.
Plans which seem to have provoked the ire of some non-believers. As Alain de Botton writes in his blog this idea seems ...»
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Cardinal Bevilacqua dies at 88
Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop-emeritus of Philadelphia, died in his sleep Tuesday night at the age of 88 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood. Cardinal Bevilacqua was the leader of the 1.5 million-member Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1988 until his retirement in 2003.
Biography
Anthony Joseph Bevilacqua was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 17, 1923. He was one of 11 children born to Luigi and ...»
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 Solidarity and hope for South Sudan
Born in Ireland, Sister Patricia Murray is a Loreto Sister and the Executive Director of an organisation called Solidarity with South Sudan.
As news reports tell of continuing violence and dispute in Africa’s newest nation, Sister Patricia is adamant that its story of hope and peace-building find its rightful place in the news, and in the history of the country, which she says, has enormous potential ...»
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New 'Faith Card' promoted by Bishops of England and Wales
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference for England and Wales is launching a new program that will offer a ‘Faith Card’ to the faithful, as a reminder that all the baptised are invited to know and share their faith. One million cards will be made available to all twenty-four Catholic dioceses in England and Wales, including the Bishopric of the Forces and the Ordinariate.
The credit-card-size resource features ...»
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Pope Benedict’s prayer intentions for this month of February are that all people have full access to water and the resources necessary for survival. Water is the most precious natural resource on earth as without it no living thing can survive. But our planet’s water resources are not shared out equitably. Around a billion people, largely in developed nations, do not have access to clean ...» |
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The UN has warned that nearly 12 million people in the Sahel region of Africa face the spectre of famine within months unless the international community acts now. Drought, poor harvests and rising food prices have left five countries in West-Central Africa on the brink of a humanitarian crisis prompting all five governments to declare states of emergency. The worst affected nation is Niger where ...» |
As Vatican Radio's film critic Peter Malone observes, when Martin Scorsese fans heard he was to direct a children’s film and in 3D, they were perplexed. It just didn’t seem like the material for the director of "Taxi Driver", "Mean Streets" and "The Departed"…
But Oscar nominations speak for themselves, and Scorsese’s Paris adventure “Hugo” is leading the way ...» |
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Heavy snowfall grips Europe
 Huge falls of snow have caused chaos across Eastern Europe. More than a meter of snow fell on the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo Saturday trapping people in ...»
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Australian floods strand thousands
 Heavy rains are continuing in Australia, as military helicopters evacuated stranded residents from flooded towns. More than 11,000 people in Queensland ...»
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Fight against malaria continues
 A recent study published by the British medical journal the Lancet shows that more than a million people died from malaria in 2010, which is drastically ...»
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"Jesus of Nazareth" volume II |
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Pope in English - general audience |
In this week's edition of "There's more in the Gospel than meets the eye," Jill Bevilacqua and Seàn-Patrick Lovett bring us readings and reflections for the Fifth Sunday of the Year.
Listen:   ...» |
Our regular guest Joan Lewis takes a look back over the past week of papal activities and other events here in the Eternal City....
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On the afternoon of Wednesday 2nd of February , Feast of the Presentation of the Lord , Pope Benedict XVI will preside over vespers in Saint Peter's Basilica at 5.30 pm.
In an effort to prepare for this evening celebration , on this day which is ...» |
"In your Latin dictionary 'Februo ' means to purify, for the Romans it was the month to make penance and get ready for the New Year..now it's Candlemas but in the old days it was called the Feast of the Purification of Mary..."
A special focus on the Julian ...» |
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Scores of people were missing off Papua New Guinea today after a ferry carrying about 350 passengers sank, with many feared dead. Over 230 people were 
Over 100 bishops in the United States have issued individual statements opposing an order from the Obama administration directing many Catholic institutions 