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(Vatican Radio) Two canonization ceremonies, including that of Mother Teresa of Kolkata and two foreing visits are among the highlights of the schedule of Pope Francis in the coming months. The Office for the Liturgical Celebration of the Surpreme Pointiff on Friday released the Pope’s June- 4 September schedule. On June 5, the Pope will declare as saints, Polish priest Fr. Stanislaus of Jesus-Mary and Swedish nun Sr. Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, and on Sept. 4 he will canonize Mother Teresa. Both ceremonies will be held in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square. The Pope has two foreign trips. He will visit Armenia, June 24-26, and Poland, July 27-31, for the 31 World Youth Day in Krakow. In June he has two Year of Mercy Jubilee celebrations - that of priests on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 3, and that of the sick and persons with disabilities on June 12. On June 29, the feast of Sts Peter and Pa...
Vatican City, May 12, 2016 / 10:18 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Thursday Pope Francis said he would be open to the idea of forming a commission to study the historical context of the female deaconate, as well as the possibility of women serving as deacons today.He spoke to some 800 members of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), who are meeting in Rome May 9-13 for their Plenary Assembly, which focuses largely on the role of women in the Church, and obstacles hindering it.According to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, during their May 12 audience with the Pope, Francis, in addition to other topics, spoke about the role of women, both consecrated and lay, which is “still weak both in decision-making processes in the Church” and in preaching.He briefly touched on the temptations of both feminism and clericalism, as well as the question of the presence of women in the permanent diaconate of the Church, saying it would be “useful to establish a c...
Vatican City, May 13, 2016 / 04:55 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Yesterday Pope Francis raised eyebrows around the world after declaring his openness to establishing a commission to study the female diaconate, but a careful look at his full response is less of a shocker, and points to nothing new.In fact, in addition to giving a brief summary of a deaconesses duties in the ancient Church, the Pope suggested that in modern times, nuns perhaps already fill the role.“(The question) touches the problem of the permanent diaconate. One could say that the 'permanent deaconesses' in the life of the Church are the sisters,” he said May 12, with a laugh."What were these deaconesses? Were they ordained or no?” he asked, and noted that the Council of Chalcedon in 451 spoke about the topic, but was “a bit obscure.” It is because of this obscurity the Pope said he wanted to form a commission to study the topic.Francis’ comments came in response to a questio...
IMAGE: CNS photo/Larry Burgess, University of DaytonBy Carol ZimmermannWASHINGTON(CNS) -- Dominic Sanfilippo, one of 12 students who graduated with a degree in human rights May 8 at the Universityof Dayton in Ohio, said he has grown accustomed to explaining his major to peopleover the years.He's often been asked: "Whatdo you plan to do with that?" Or he has picked up the unspoken questionfrom "the uncle who says, 'Oh that's nice'" when Sanfilippo says whathe's studying.He understands the reaction, pointingout: "Business majors do business and engineering majors doengineering." But even if there are not specific human rights jobsavailable, he said the degree equips graduates to navigate careers they choose wherethey can apply learned skills of critical thinking, compassion and advocacy.Sanfilippo, who spoke toCatholic News Service May 3, less than a week before graduation, said when hewas looking at colleges four years ago, Dayton's human rights program appealedto him. The new gradu...
IMAGE: CNS/L'Osservatore RomanoBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- An economic vision gearedsolely toward profit and material well-being has led to an economy of exclusionand inequality that has increased poverty andthe number of people discarded "as unproductive and useless,"Pope Francis said. The impact is clear even in the most developed countries where poverty and social decay "represent a seriousthreat to families, the shrinking middle class and in a particular way ouryoung people," the pope said May 13.The pope addressed businessleaders and experts in Catholicsocial teaching, who were attending an international conference on"business initiatives in the fight against poverty" sponsored by the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation.Establishedin 1993, the foundation seeks to promote the teaching of St. John Paul II's 1991 encyclical onsocial and economic justice.Recallinghis recent visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, the pope said the refugeecrisis was "especially ...
By Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis "did not say heintends to introduce a diaconal ordination for women," and he certainlydid not speak about the ordination of women priests, the Vatican spokesmansaid.Pope Francis met members of the International Union ofSuperiors General, the leadership group for superiors of women's orders, May 12and accepted a proposal that he establish a commission to study the role of NewTestament deaconesses and the possibility of women serving as deacons today.After some news outlets reported the pope was consideringordaining women deacons and comments were made about women deacons leading towomen priests, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi issued a clarification May 13.The spokesman insisted "it is wrong to reduce all theimportant things the pope said to the religious women to just thisquestion."Women and the diaconate "is a question that has beendiscussed much, including in the past, and that comes from the fact that in theearly church there wer...
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- The 17-year cicadas are coming again, millions of them, with their unnerving red eyes, orange wings and cacophonous mating song that can drown out the noise of passing jet planes....
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's new finance minister said Friday that he'll tackle pension reform and labor law reform, signaling potentially sensitive changes for a sputtering economy a day after President Dilma Rousseff was suspended....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Back when Donald Trump's love life was tabloid heaven, a Trump spokesman with intimate knowledge of the businessman's personal relationships offered juicy stories about a failing marriage, a new live-in paramour and three other girlfriends he was juggling at once....
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- The billionaire presidential candidate who prides himself on paying his own way and bashed his competition for relying on political donors now wants their money - and lots of it....
