In today’s General Audience, Pope Francis returned to the Catechism on the Year of Faith begun by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during his pontificate. The Holy Father worked from a scripted text, but in keeping with his personal style deviated at times, seemingly in response to his observations of his listeners. Most prominent was his break-away greeting (more…)
Simply Holy. Sounds like a paradox, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not, at least not when we’re talking about my brand new monthly newsletter, slated to launch on April 8, 2013. Inspired by Vatican Council II’s universal call to holiness and the New Evangelization prescribed by the Synod of Bishops, Simply Holy aims at helping and (more…)
On Holy Thursday, Pope Francis – like all of his predecessors – will celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. But, unlike his predecessors, it will not be a public event and there will be no live broadcast. The Holy Father will celebrate Holy Thursday Mass in a penitentiary, not because of any criminal behavior on his part (more…)
When I first noticed the media hoopla over what chair the Pope sat on today, I thought Oh, please. Isn’t that too much? Let the poor man sit wherever he wants, for goodness sake! Now we’re just picking on any little things we can make a big deal out of. After some investigation, however, I’m eating my words, or rather, sitting quietly in my seat. The chair the Pope sat on is a big deal…
Instead of the throne chair traditionally used by popes, today Pope Francis sat on the same (more…)
How is wish I had been one of the 200,000 persons from 132 countries who attended Pope Francis’ Inaugural Mass in Rome today!! Perhaps you wish the same, and so, courtesy of Vatican Radio, I’ve posted the video of the Inaugural Mass – all four hours of it! Below that, courtesy of the Vatican website, is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily.
Of course, I simply can’t resist at least a few tidbits; From the Moynihan Letters, I learned that heads of both the Jesuit and Franciscan orders con-celebrated the Mass. If it (more…)
Well, for starters, he’s ruffling the feathers of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Gendarmeria (police), who ended up grumbling to the Italian press about it. What did our dear Pontiff do?
On Saturday, the Holy Father dismissed the papal car and escort (more…)
Today, Pope Francis gave the first Angelus message of his pontificate. The message itself is beautiful and meaningful, but the way in which he delivers it is simply (pun intended) remarkable. His warmth, his tone, his closeness to his listeners is something this scribe has not heard from a Pope before, at least no quite in the same manner. There is no (more…)