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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Respect for the dignity of every person and for his or her values is as much a part of the identity of a Catholic university as faith is, Pope Francis said."This is perhaps the most beautiful and greatest thing about your universities," the pope told university chancellors, rectors and other leaders of Catholic institutions belonging to the International Federation of Catholic Universities Jan. 19.Explaining that he had "a long speech to read, but my breathing is a bit labored," the pope made only brief remarks to members of the group before greeting each of them individually. "This cold won't go away," he complained.In an age when many universities have become businesses, Catholic universities "must take a stand," helping students discover their vocations to contribute to peace and the betterment of society, Pope Francis wrote in his prepared text, which was distributed to participants."A Catholic university must make choices, choices that reflect the Gospel,"...
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pornography and lust undermine and rob people from experiencing God's gift of love, Pope Francis said."Sexual pleasure, which is a gift from God, is undermined by pornography: satisfaction without relationship that can generate forms of addiction," the pope said Jan. 17 at his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall."We must defend love, love of the heart, mind and body, loving by giving oneself to another -- this is the beauty of a sexual relationship," he said.Continuing a series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope reflected on the vice or "demon" of lust, which is "a kind of 'voracity' with regard to another person, that is, the poisoned bond that human beings have with each other, especially in the sphere of sexuality.""Please note," the pope said, "in Christianity, there is no condemnation of the sexual instinct."The Song of Songs in the Bible, "is a wonderful poem of love between two lovers," he said, and the human experie...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- An emphasis on God's mercy has so dominated Pope Francis' pontificate that it should surprise no one that he said he hopes hell is empty.Yet, a firestorm erupted on social media after Pope Francis was asked in an Italian television interview how he imagines hell given his belief that God forgives everyone who asks."It's difficult to imagine it," the pope responded Jan. 14. "What I would say is not a dogma of faith, but my personal thought: I like to think hell is empty; I hope it is.""What about Hitler?" hundreds of people posted in reply on X, often adding other notoriously evil figures from history, their least favorite politicians or annoying neighbors."What about justice?" others asked. "What about the Bible?"Dozens accused the pope of "universalism," a belief, condemned by the church, that all souls go to heaven whether or not they repented of their sins.Others, like @Knyexor, tweeted: "The number of people angry about the pope just saying what amounts to ...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While a pope can resign, Pope Francis said it is not something he is thinking about or worrying about now."It is neither a thought, nor a worry, nor even a desire; it is a possibility, open to all popes. But for the moment it is not at the center of my thoughts, my worries, my feelings," he said in an interview on Italian television Jan. 14."As long as I feel I still have the capacity to serve, I will go on," the 87-year-old pope said. "When I can no longer do it, it will be time to think about it."Pope Francis made the comments in an interview, lasting more than 50 minutes, on the program "Che Tempo Che Fa" on Italy's Nove channel.He also said that "in August I have to make a trip to Polynesia" and that sometime after that, he hopes to go to Argentina for the first time since his election in 2013.Pope Francis was asked how he imagines hell if he really believes God forgives everyone who asks."It's difficult to imagine it," the pope said. "What I would say is n...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The nearly 400-year-old sculpted canopy towering over the main altar of St. Peter's Basilica will be surrounded by scaffolding for most of 2024 as it is washed, repaired and restored.Standing nearly 100 feet tall, the baldachin, designed by Baroque master Gian Lorenzo Bernini, has stood over the tomb of St. Peter since 1634. And for all that time it has gathered dust, cracks and rust despite regular cleanings.As a result, "we can't not intervene" to restore the structure, said Alberto Capitanucci, the head engineer of the Fabbrica di San Pietro -- the office responsible for upkeep of the basilica.Speaking at a news conference announcing the Vatican's restoration plans Jan. 11, Capitanucci said the procedure will follow that of the baldachin's last recorded restoration in 1758, only using an independent scaffolding structure that was not previously possible to build.The restoration process will begin after Feb. 12 and the scaffolding, which will allow for direct...
WASHINGTON - In observance of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Most Reverend Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has issued a statement: On Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we pause and reflect on Rev. King's indelible legacy, and his rallying cry in the pursuit of justice and peace. As Rev. King taught us, we must confront the evils of racism and prejudice with the love of Christ: 'Deeply etched in the fiber of our religious tradition is the conviction that men are made in the image of God . . . the heirs of a legacy of dignity and worth. . .. This call for a worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one's tribe, race, class, and nation is in reality a call for an all-embracing and unconditional love for all men.' Each of us can and must work for justice and peace, remembering Rev. King's call to action: 'Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you d...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A major leap forward in Christian unity began with an embrace, as Pope Francis recalled.St. Paul VI and Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I of Constantinople met, and embraced, in Jerusalem in January 1964 and the following year they lifted the mutual excommunications their churches had issued in 1054. St. Paul VI greets Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople during the pontiff's 1964 trip to the Holy Land. (CNS file photo)Pope Francis marked the anniversary during his Angelus address Jan. 6, telling a crowd in St. Peter's Square that the two leaders had broken down "a wall of incommunicability that had kept Catholics and Orthodox apart for centuries. Let us learn from the embrace of those two great men of the church on the path to Christian unity: praying together, walking together, working together."The praying, walking and working will be highlighted Jan. 18-25 as Christians around the world celebrate the Week of Prayer for Chri...
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- One of the most dangerous vices is gluttony, turning people who are meant to be custodians of creation into mere consumers and even exploiters and predators, Pope Francis said."The sin of those who succumb before a piece of cake, all things considered, does not cause great damage, but the voracity with which we have been plundering the goods of the planet for some centuries now is compromising the future of all," he said."We have grabbed everything, in order to become the masters of all things, while everything had been consigned to our custody, not to our exploitation," the pope said Jan. 10 at his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall.Continuing a new series of audience talks about vices and virtues, the pope reflected on the vice of gluttony, which the ancient church fathers referred to as a kind of "folly of the belly."Jesus taught that what is wrong is not food in and of itself, but one's relationship with it, Pope Francis said. Jesus is "th...
"Pope Francis strongly condemned the practice of surrogacy calling it 'a grave violation of the dignity of the woman and the child.' He emphasized that a child is a gift and as such can 'never (be) the basis of a commercial contract.' Surrogacy represents the commodification and instrumentalization of a woman's body, treating her as a 'carrier' rather than a human person. And just as troubling is the fact that the child is reduced to terms of buying and selling as an object of human trafficking."The commercialization of women and children in surrogacy is underlined by the belief that there is a right to have a child. The child becomes an object for the fulfillment of one's desires instead of a person to be cherished. In this way, the genuine right of the child to be conceived through the love of his or her parents is overlooked in favor of 'the right to have a child by any means necessary.' We must avoid this way of thinking and answer the call to respect human life, beginning with ...
