Article Archive
Please click below to view any of the articles in our archive.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis ended his three day Apostolic journey to Armenia, his 14th abroad with a visit to ‘Khor Virap’ monastery at the foot of Mount Ararat. A significant site linked to the conversion of this nation to Christianity.Veronica Scarisbrick reports: The red brick monastery of Khor Virap at the foot of Mount Ararat where tradition holds that Noah’s ark came to rest after the floods is one of Armenia’s most sacred sites. It’s here that the most memorable image of Pope Francis’s visit to Armenia played out.That of the Pope and the Patriarch standing out against the skyline in unison in the shadow of the snow-capped Mount, as together they release two white doves which flutter into the evening light before soaring up high. A striking gesture which holds within it a symbol of unity and peace.By contrast the name of the monastery provides a sinking feeling as it means 'deep dungeon'. And while dark and musty ...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis left the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Sunday afternoon at the conclusion of his three day pastoral visit to the Caucasian nation. The Alitalia plane carrying the Pope and his entourage back to Rome took off following a farewell ceremony on the airport runway with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, alongside Catholicos Karekin II, head of the Armenian Apostolic Church and leaders of the small Catholic community there.The Pope was due to arrive back in Rome shortly before 9pm local time at the conclusion of this 14th international papal journey.During the visit, the Pope signed a common declaration with Patriarch Karekin giving thanks for progress towards Christian unity, while also appealing for peace in the world. He visited the nation’s genocide memorial museum, took part in an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace, travelled to the northern city of Gyumri and to the monastery of Khor Virap, close to the border with Turkey, where the country’...
(Vatican Radio) The Director of the Vatican Press Office has strongly dismissed Turkish accusations that Pope Francis adopted a “Crusades” mentality when he used the word “genocide” to describe the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians a century ago. Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ was answering questions by journalists reporting on the papal journey in Armenia.Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni: The questions pertained to an angry statement late Saturday by Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli following the Pope’s use of the word “genocide” when referring to the Ottoman-era slaughter of Armenians.Turkey in fact rejects the term genocide, saying the 1.5 million deaths cited by historians is an inflated figure and that people died on both sides as the Ottoman Empire collapsed amid World War I. Nurettin Canikli called the Pope’s comments ``greatly unfortunate'' and said they bore the hallmarks of the ``mentali...
Yerevan, Armenia, Jun 26, 2016 / 05:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a joint declaration signed Sunday, Pope Francis and Catholicos Karekin II expressed their shared belief that, when the family is no longer seen as sacred, it falls into crisis.“The secularization of large sectors of society, its alienation from the spiritual and divine, leads inevitably to a desacralized and materialistic vision of man and the human family,” the June 26 declaration said. “In this respect we are concerned about the crisis of the family in many countries.”“The Armenian Apostolic Church and the Catholic Church share the same vision of the family, based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful love between man and woman.”The joint declaration was signed by the Pope and Catholicos Karekin II on Jun 26, the final day of Pope Francis' three day visit to Armenia. Addressed issues such as persecution and discrimination, while acknowledging the positive steps toward ...
By Cindy WoodenYEREVAN, Armenia (CNS) -- Applying the common faith theyprofessed publicly earlier in the day, Pope Francis and Armenian ApostolicCatholicos Karekin II urged common action on behalf of persecuted Christians,welcome for refugees and defense of the family.The pope and the Oriental Orthodox patriarch signed theirjoint declaration at the end of Pope Francis' June 24-26 visit to Armenia.Earlier in the day, at an Armenian Divine Liturgy, both hadspoken of their unity as believers in Christ and of their conviction thatChristians are called by God to assist the poor, the persecuted and the needy.While their joint declaration mentioned the progress made inthe official Catholic-Oriental Orthodox theological dialogue and their hopesfor its continuation, the heart of the text focused on common Christian actionto relieve suffering."We are witnessing an immense tragedy unfolding beforeour eyes," the two leaders said. "Countless innocent people" are"being killed, displaced or force...
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- Sgt. Ahmed Abdelaziz, with Iraq's special forces, has been almost continually deployed fighting the Islamic State group ever since the militants overran nearly a third of Iraq in the summer of 2014. Now he's on the front lines of Fallujah, a city declared "fully liberated" on Sunday by the commander leading the fight against IS. Abdelaziz has with him what he always brings into battle: a photo of his brother....
ROME (AP) -- Italy's second most sought-after fugitive, a convicted, ruthless 'ndrangheta crime syndicate boss, was captured Sunday as he slept in his bed in a hideout in the rugged Calabrian mountains, police and prosecutors said....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- It seemed like a surprising party of two....
NEW YORK (AP) -- Onlookers lined up early and police ramped up security Sunday to get ready for New York City's famous gay pride parade, a march that would be both a celebration of barriers breached and a remembrance of the lives lost in a shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida....
MAYBOLE, Scotland (AP) -- At the heart of the campaign that led Britain to vote to leave the European Union was a desire to regain independence lost amid a globalized world. It's the same kind of feeling that Donald Trump rode to become the presumptive Republican nominee in the U.S., where he campaigns to put "America first" and "make America great again."...
