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Pope Francis tells 80,000 teens to ask Our Lady for courage to do God’s will

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Apr 19, 2022 / 05:30 am Pope Francis urged 80,000 teenagers gathered in St. Peter’s Square on Monday to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary to find the courage to say yes to God’s will. “May Our Lady, the mother who was almost your age …
Burger King in Spain apologizes, pulls offensive Holy Week ads

by Diego Lopez Marina Lima, Peru, Apr 18, 2022 / 14:59 pm The fast-food chain Burger King in Spain has withdrawn and apologized for an offensive ad campaign that sparked outrage among Catholics during Holy Week. “We apologize to all those who have felt offended by our campaign aimed at …
April 19: Blessed James Oldo

James Oldo experienced a radical conversion that led him to become a Franciscan tertiary, and later a priest. He was born in 1364 into a rich family in Lodi, Italy. He married at a young age, and he and his wife both led a very self-indulgent lifesyle. One day, a …
Full text of Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi blessing 2022

by Pope Francis Vatican City, Apr 17, 2022 / 04:45 am On Easter Sunday 2022, Pope Francis gave the traditional Urbi et Orbi benediction from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica. “Urbi et Orbi” means “To the City [of Rome] and to the World.” It is a special apostolic blessing given by …
Pope Francis laments ‘Easter of War’ in Urbi et Orbi blessing 2022

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Apr 17, 2022 / 04:30 am In his Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter 2022, Pope Francis lamented an “Easter of War” as he prayed for peace in Ukraine and around the world. “Today, [Jesus] alone has the right to speak to us of peace. Jesus alone, …
Pope Francis celebrates Mass in St. Peter’s Square for Easter 2022

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Apr 17, 2022 / 04:00 am Pope Francis on Sunday celebrated Easter Mass for around 50,000 people in St. Peter’s Square — the first Easter Mass with the public after two years of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. On a sunny and windy morning in Rome, Pope …
Finding faith at Harvard: These 5 Easter conversion stories will make your day

by Joe Bukuras, Shannon Mullen Cambridge, Massachusetts, Apr 16, 2022 / 09:03 am One convert’s journey to Catholicism began with an invitation to an ice-cream social. Another says he instantly believed in the Real Presence the moment someone explained what the round object was that everyone was staring at during eucharistic …
5 things to know about Benedict XVI on his 95th birthday

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Apr 16, 2022 / 01:00 am 1. Benedict XVI was born on Holy Saturday Benedict XVI was born on Holy Saturday, April 16, 1927, in Marktl am Inn, Bavaria. According to CNA’s count, this year is his fourth Holy Saturday birthday; the last time his …
Divine Mercy Novena begins on Good Friday

by CNA Staff Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 15, 2022 / 07:26 am Pope Francis has called God’s mercy “an abyss beyond our comprehension.” “God’s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones ( Ez 37:1-14),” the pope said in his very first …
Bishops sign letter warning that Germany’s ‘Synodal Path’ could lead to schism

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 12, 2022 / 06:00 am More than 70 bishops from around the world have released a “fraternal open letter” to Germany’s bishops warning that sweeping changes to Church teaching advocated by the ongoing process known as the “Synodal Path” may lead to schism. The letter expresses …