(Vatican Radio) Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna met with Pope Francis on Wednesday on the sidelines of the General Audience in St Peter’s Square.The Minister has been in Italy to attend the G7 environment summit in Bologna and has participated in meetings at the Vatican to discuss the issues of migration and climate change.Before meeting with the Pope, Minister McKenna spoke to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti.Listen: Speaking about the commitment of the Church and the Pope’s leadership on the issue on climate change, Minister McKenna described it as “extraordinary”, adding, “it is really important because we have to be talking to as many people as we can about the challenges that we face… and I think that the Pope has a real opportunity to reach Catholics around the world and beyond to get them really to act and realize that every single thing you do has an impact on our planet…”Asked about the ...
(Vatican Radio) Canada’s Environment Minister Catherine McKenna met with Pope Francis on Wednesday on the sidelines of the General Audience in St Peter’s Square.
The Minister has been in Italy to attend the G7 environment summit in Bologna and has participated in meetings at the Vatican to discuss the issues of migration and climate change.
Before meeting with the Pope, Minister McKenna spoke to Vatican Radio’s Alessandro Gisotti.
Listen:
Speaking about the commitment of the Church and the Pope’s leadership on the issue on climate change, Minister McKenna described it as “extraordinary”, adding, “it is really important because we have to be talking to as many people as we can about the challenges that we face… and I think that the Pope has a real opportunity to reach Catholics around the world and beyond to get them really to act and realize that every single thing you do has an impact on our planet…”
Asked about the prospects for tackling climate change in the wake of the United States’ decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, the Minister said that in spite of that decision, she has been heartened to see not just other countries commitment to climate action but people around the world understanding that this is the one chance to act for a better future.
Stressing the close links between Canada and the Holy See, Minister McKenna said that she will bring back to Canada with her, “the opportunity for us to work very closely with the Vatican on issues that our very important to our government.”
Father Mike Depcik offer Mass at the Seton Shrine Basilica in Emmitsburg, Maryland, during a recent retreat at the shrine. / Credit: Courtesy of the Seton ShrineCNA Staff, May 7, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).One of the few Deaf Catholic priests in the United States is working to renew the Church's ministry to the Deaf in Maryland and beyond through signed Masses, retreats, and an upcoming Eucharistic congress for the Deaf. Father Michael Depcik, who last year became the chaplain for the Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, was born deaf and grew up in a Deaf Catholic family in Chicago. According to Depcik, being "culturally Deaf" (a culture signified by the uppercase Deaf) is vastly different than losing hearing later in life. The distinction is important, Depcik explained, because the Deaf community is its own culture, with its own language. "We're proud to be Deaf, and we identify as Deaf people, and we use American Sign Language as the primary language," Depcik ...
President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 2024. / Credit: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty ImagesCNA Staff, May 6, 2024 / 16:15 pm (CNA).Katie Ledecky, Olympic swimmer, devout Catholic, and winner of 10 Olympic medals, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Friday. "Thank you Mr. President for this honor, and thank you to everyone at the White House for an incredibly special day!" Ledecky wrote in a post on X.Since she began her Olympic career in 2012 as a 15-year-old in the London Olympics, Ledecky has earned seven Olympic gold medals and three silver medals. She also earned 26 world championship medals, 21 of which are gold, and she currently holds two world records in the 800- and 1,500-meter freestyle events. Ledecky finds herself among other iconic athletes including gymnast Simone Biles, golfer Tiger Woods, and baseball star Babe Ru...
Naples Archbishop Domenico Battaglia kisses the reliquary containing the blood of St. Januarius on May 4, 2024. / Credit: Chiesa di NapoliACI Prensa Staff, May 6, 2024 / 16:48 pm (CNA).The miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius, bishop, martyr, and patron saint of Naples, Italy, was repeated in St. Clare Basilica on May 4.The Archdiocese of Naples reported on its website that on May 4 at 6:38 p.m. local time, the miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius occurred once again. St. Januarius was martyred in the year 305, during the fierce persecution unleashed by the Roman emperor Diocletian.The miraculous liquefaction occurred during the Mass offered by the archbishop of Naples, Domenico Battaglia, with Abbot Vincenzo De Gregorio participating and the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, in attendance.When the miracle is repeated, a white cloth is waved to indicate to the people that the miraculous sign has taken place. On this occasion, De G...