Pope Francis did not attend a scheduled meeting with Rome priests Thursday morning due to a “slight indisposition,” a Vatican spokesman said. The pope’s other appointments took place as usual Thursday; he offered his morning Mass in the chapel of the Casa Santa Marta guesthouse and later met with members of the Global Catholic Climate Movement...

Prominent Iranian cleric and diplomat, Hadi Khosroshahi passed away today, one day after he was admitted to a hospital in Tehran for testing positive #Coronavirus. Khosroshahi was Iran’s ambassador to the #Vatican and later Iran’s top diplomat in #Egypt between 2001 and 2004

My eyes unexpectedly became a waterfall at a Saturday morning “feminine genius” breakfast. The night before, I had read on Twitter about the investigation that yielded credible testimonies that Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche movement of homes for men and women with developmental disabilities, had abused women under the guise of spiritual direction...

Lent is upon us! For Catholics, that means 40 days of self-reflection, prayer, and abstaining from meat on Fridays. Now before you get all depressed thinking of all the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches you'll be eating on Fridays, let me share some good news: There is a better way! That's right, you no longer have to suffer through greasy...

The latest edition of the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index was released last month, rating more than a thousand of the largest corporations in the U.S. for their “commitment to LGBTQ equality and inclusion.” In their press release, the HRC, which is the largest LGBTQ lobbying firm in the country and the self-appointed authority over corporate compliance to standards they created...

As day turns to night in Singapore's Changi Airport, a queue of people wait patiently for a picture with an old star. They leave their bags by a bench, turn their cameras on themselves, and pose for a photo. Some smile; some jump like starfish; one even dances. As they upload to Instagram, the old star watches on, unmoved...

A brief observation of the first two days in Lent reveals militaristic, even violent imagery in the battle against sin and the unruly passions of the flesh. The Collect (opening prayer) of Ash Wednesday provides an image of troops mustering for battle: Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service...

Something is stirring in England. It’s not much. A still, small voice of calm whispering in the dark. Prayers ascending like incense. A rekindled faith. No, it’s not much. Merely a mustard seed. It won’t be noticed by most people. It will go unheeded by the dead men milling around satanically in what remains of England’s once green and pleasant land...

When he was 13 years old, a mere boy was effectively the American ambassador to Russia, in Saint Petersburg. This was because the lad was fluent in French while his nominal superior, the ambassador himself, was not. The boy had already, at his father’s instruction, translated works of Plutarch from Greek and poems by Horace from Latin...

Year after year, debates about abortion continue to raise questions about ethics, politics, morality and science — as well as arguments about language and style in journalism. The latest, of course, focuses on the legal status of a baby that is born accidentally — perhaps during a botched abortion — as opposed to being delivered intentionally...

As these 40 Days begin again – and with them, the biggest crowds of the year converge in most places – a fruitful and Blessed Lent to one and all. While the Pope gave a practical guide to living the season well at this morning's weekly Audience, per immemorial custom, this Ash Wednesday's principal rite doesn't come until evening with the penitential procession on the Avventine Hill and Mass at the basilica of Santa Sabina...

Say “Christianity” and “Middle East” to people who’ve been paying attention to events in the region, the and next word that would automatically come to mind for most probably would be “extinction.” By now, the statistics on the collapse of the Christian population in the Middle East are wearily familiar. The situation is worse in the war-torn nations of Iraq and Syria...

Somehow, it is both shocking and no big surprise that the term “adulting” has worked its way into our cultural lexicon. We collectively commend someone when he dutifully takes on the responsibility assigned to his stage in life. “Yay for you, Gary! You’re paying off your college loans on time.” Yet, as creatures accustomed to so much comfort and ease we will often do whatever it takes to avoid facing difficult but necessary challenges of growth...

When opening a copy of the Jerusalem Bible, Fr. Alexander Jones writes, “The list of all those who have helped in the preparation of the Bible is too long to be given in its entirety. The principal collaborators in translation and literary revision were...” Fr. Jones then lists a relatively short list, mentioning “J.R.R. Tolkien” among the names...

Every Catholic just loves Ash Wednesday, just as every Catholic just loves Lent. Those were my thoughts as I slipped out of church, my brow smeared with that stark Catholic smudge. Passing the young priest in the vestibule where he stood greeting parishioners, I said ironically, “Happy Lent, Father.” He arrested me—and my sarcasm—with a fervent response...

Ash Wednesday is the day that Lent begins. The name comes from the fact that a particular rite is always celebrated on this Wednesday in which the faithful have ashes put on their foreheads. According to the Roman Missal: In the course of today’s Mass, ashes are blessed and distributed. These are made from the olive branches or branches of other trees that were blessed the previous year [on Palm/Passion Sunday]...

There is a great sense of urgency in the readings for Ash Wednesday. It is as if some great event is looming that could be awesome, but only if the warning is heeded. Consider this selection from the first reading (Joel 2:12-18): “Even now,” says the LORD, “Return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; Rend your hearts...

Over the years, in discussions with atheists and agnostics, I have been frequently accused of seeing everything in a way that supports my position that God exists. Since I want God to exist—the argument goes—I consistently dismiss any reason, logic, or scientific evidence that might contradict my belief. Initially, I took this personally...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg helped a 9-year-old boy come out as gay during a Denver rally Saturday night. Mr. Buttigieg, who is gay, read Zachary Ro’s question out loud and then invited the boy to join him on stage. “Would you help me tell the world I’m gay, too? I want to be brave like you,” the question read...

In a victory for the Trump administration, a U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld rules that bar taxpayer-funded family-planning clinics from referring women for abortions. The 7-4 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned decisions issued by judges in Washington, Oregon and California. The court had already allowed the administration's changes to start taking effect while the government appealed those rulings...