By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis told members of the ordinary council of the Synod of Bishops that he was preparing to publish an encyclical on faith written “with four hands” — his own and those of Pope Benedict XVI.

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis ditched a 1,250-word prepared speech to students saying it would be “a tad boring” to read out loud and opted instead to just quickly hit the high points and spend the rest of the time answering people’s questions.

Staff Report On Sunday, June 2, Pope Francis will preside over an hour of eucharistic exposition in Rome at 5:00 p.m. Italian time. The pope has asked all Catholics to join him in prayer to celebrate the feast day of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the face of difficulty, it’s natural to hope just to get by, but being Christian means patiently enduring trials and overcoming oppression with love, Pope Francis said at a Mass that included special prayers for China. During the Mass …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The head of the Vatican office promoting new evangelization said that while he does not like the terms “Francis effect” or “Francis bump,” it is true that “Pope Francis has touched the hearts and minds of many people.” Archbishop Rino …

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke and U.S. pro-life leaders joined tens of thousands of demonstrators in Italy’s third annual March for Life May 12, which ended with a personal greeting from Pope Francis. According to organizers, some 30,000 marched …

By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis will meet slum-dwellers and powerful politicians, pay homage at a Marian shrine and celebrate with participants at World Youth Day when he visits Brazil in late July. The Argentine pope’s first international trip, which will take him …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For the first time in history, the Vatican is home to a pope and a retired pope. Pope Francis welcomed his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, to the Vatican May 2 outside the convent remodeled for the 86-year-old retired pontiff …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Going to confession isn’t like heading off to be tortured or punished, nor is it like going to the dry cleaners to get out a stain, Pope Francis said in a morning Mass homily. “It’s an encounter with Jesus” who …

By Steve Trosley The Catholic Telegraph  “A member of the Cardinal’s staff told me that attending one of his staff meetings was like watching a one-man think tank,” Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr said Wednesday evening after the Gardner Lecture in Moral Theology at the Athenaeum. Cardinal Francis E. George discussed — in …