Karl Barth taught us not to use religion to mask the stench of war. In the midst of the carnage of the first world war in Germany, the great Protestant theologian argued that Christianity involves more than inner morality and being a ‘good person’
(Vatican Radio) Before the recitation of the Marian Prayer on the second Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis referred to Sunday’s liturgy in which John the Baptist, preaches "a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins". The Holy Father pointed out that conversion is not just for atheists but also for those who already consider themselves Christians.
Speaking to biblical scholars and local church leaders from across England and Wales, Cardinal Nichols said: “Dei Verbum encourages all Christians to treasure the pages of Scripture, to learn from them, to pray with them, and to live according to their teaching.”
The pope appealed to all young people, calling on them to reflect on their vocation and "to not exclude the possibility of becoming a missionary" and to preach with their lives, not by proselytizing. "Those who are looking for something else are the ones that [proselytize]," he said. "Faith is preached first through witness then with words — but slowly."
People of all religions must be 'prophets of peace. Kenya, which has more than 13.8 million Catholics, is served by more than 5,300 religious women, close to 800 religious brothers, some 2,700 diocesan priests, just over 900 religious-order priests and four permanent deacons.
It is always important to me that, when I come to visit the Catholic faithful of a local Church, I have an occasion to meet the leaders of other Christian communities and religious traditions. It is my hope that our time together may be a sign of the Church’s esteem for the followers of all religions; may it strengthen the bonds of friendship which we already enjoy.
The Holy Father said he was looking forward to his stay, especially meeting the young people of Kenya and “encouraging their hopes and aspirations for the future”. The Pope proceeded to urge the entire Kenyan people to “work with integrity and transparency for the common good, and to foster a spirit of solidarity at every level of society”, asking them to hold particular concern for the poor, the young and to handle their natural and human resources responsibly.
"All men and women of goodwill are called to work for reconciliation and peace, forgiveness and healing," Pope Francis said at a function hosted by President Kenyatta in State House. "Ultimately, the struggle against these enemies of peace and prosperity must be carried on by men and women who fearlessly believe in, and bear honest witness to, the great spiritual and political values which inspired the birth of the nation," he added.
The educational alliance among families, schools and states is broken, causing a serious situation that leads to selecting to educate only "supermen" chosen solely based on intelligence or wealth, Pope Francis said.
We've heard very little from Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI since his retirement, but he's made a surprise return to public life. Benedict has written a letter to the atheist mathematician Piergiorgio Odifreddi, covering subjects from the sex abuse scandal to evolution – and extracts have been released by Italy's La Repubblica newspaper.
Big-hearted staff at a Stockton primary school will swap the classroom for the street when they take part in the fifth Big Tees Sleepout next month. Eleven of the team from St Bede’s RC Primary School will sleep rough for the night to raise funds to fight homelessness and poverty across Teesside.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila has called on the Philippine government to withdraw troops from tribal communities after thousands of indigenous people in the southern region of Mindanao fled their homes because of alleged atrocities committed by soldiers.
Human Trafficking is one of the gravest criminal challenges confronting the international community. The scale of the problem is such that now, according to some studies, it ranks as the second most profitable worldwide criminal enterprise after the illegal arms trade. The International Labour Organisation estimates that 2.4 million people are trafficked globally.
His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols addressed the Inter-faith Consultation Conference on mobilising faith communities in ending sexual violence in conflicts on 9 February 2015 at Lancaster House. Echoing the words of Pope Francis, the Cardinal said that "sexual violence as an instrument of warfare and conflict is a deep wound in the body of humanity", and "that it is as old as humanity is a cause for our lasting shame."
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy". The following is the full text of the Pope's message for the 31st World Youth Day, to be held in Krakow, Poland in July 2016.
Competing with Pope Francis was never going to be easy. So China's state media gave their leader a helping hand over the past week, all but ignoring the pope as President Xi Jinping made his own tour of the United States. By the time the pontiff flew out of Philadelphia on the evening of Sept. 27, China's national broadcaster CCTV had made no mention of his landmark six-day trip.
God gave the “most beautiful thing He had”, the world, to a family, to a man and a woman so that they would grow, multiply and make the land fruitful. Francis also remarked that He wanted His only Son to grow up within a family home, and emphasised that the family enjoys “divine citizenship”. While there are problems in every home, they can be overcome with love,..
