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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday told participants at an international conference on vocations that faith cannot be reduced to a set of rules and regulations, but, instead, must be a way of life which inspires others to discover the joy of the Gospel message.The Pope’s words came as he met with a large group of cardinals, bishops, priests and religious attending a Rome conference entitled with the Latin words which describe Jesus’ calling of St. Matthew: ‘Miserando atque eligendo’ or ‘having mercy and choosing’ him.Philippa Hitchen reports: Pope Francis recalled that he chose those same words for his own bishop’s motto as a reminder of how clearly he felt the Lord calling in his own life as a young man. The question of vocations, he told participants, must never be reduced to mere pastoral planning or human calculations, but must rather be about learning to imitate the way Jesus lived, talked and showed God’s mercy to tho...
(Vatican Radio) A press release from the Holy See announced that beginning on October 22nd, the pontifical apartment in the papal summer residence of Castel Gandolfo will be opened to the public for the first time ever. Visits to the formerly private apartment are being run by the Vatican Museums and details of the opening and closing hours can be found by going to the official website of the Vatican Museums (www.museivaticani.va)At a special inauguration ceremony on Friday, the Director of the Vatican Museums, Antonio Paolucci, paid tribute to this “unexpected gift from the Pope” and spoke of the beauty of the setting with its views over Lake Albano and the densely wooded surrounding hills and of the sense of history that pervades the Apostolic Palace.Journalists and others attending the inauguration listened to a selection of popular Chinese music performed by a Chinese choir.The apartment on display to the public includes the Pope’s private library, his ...
(Vatican Radio) The Holy See’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic, has condemned the “gruesome” impact of the Syrian conflict and the dire humanitarian situation facing its people. In an address on Friday to the 25th Special Session of the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Syria and the recent situation in the city of Aleppo, Archbishop Jurkovic said the complexity of the Syrian conflict must not prevent the international community from urgently finding a diplomatic solution and he called again for an immediate ceasefire. Please find below the full text of Archbishop Ivan Jurkovic’s address: Mr. President,The Delegation of the Holy See expresses its gratitude to the Members States of the Council for requesting this special session to address the tragic and prolonged crisis in Syria. The gruesome facts of this conflict, well into its sixth year, that it has brutally ta...
Vatican City, Oct 21, 2016 / 06:17 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Friday the Vatican announced they will be sending a representative to Egypt to set plans for the official re-launching of dialogue between the Holy See and the Al-Azhar Mosque and adjunct University, marking a seismic step in Catholic-Muslim relations.In an Oct. 21 communique, the Vatican said the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, will be heading back to Cairo for an Oct. 23 meeting with a delegation from Al-Azhar.He will be accompanied by Msgr. Khaled Akasheh, head of the council’s Office for Islam; Bishop Emmanuel Ayad Bishop of Luxor, Egypt; Professor Joseph Maila, an expert in Islamic Studies and Fr. Jean Druel, O.P., Director of the Dominican Institute of Oriental Studies.According to the communique, the meeting in Cairo is to prepare for an encounter that will take place in Rome, “probably toward the end of April 2017, and which marks t...
IMAGE: Nancy WiechecBy Nancy WiechecGRANDTETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (CNS) -- Mary Morris was lured to the Chapel of theSacred Heart inside of the national park by a small wooden road sign."Ididn't know the chapel was here," the Hampshire, Illinois, resident toldCatholic News Service in August during a visit to Wyoming's popular nationalpark. "I just happened to see the sign and stopped in."Morrishad been camping in Yellowstone when she made the drive south to Grand TetonNational Park.Shewalked through the chapel door, made the sign of the cross, signed a guestbookand ducked into a pew to pray.Afterward, she said the beauty of chapel in the Tetons made her feel grateful."Ijust came in here to say a little prayer of thanksgiving for everything."Thechapel's all-log construction is in character with the mountain environment.Inside,shadows of swaying pine branches flitter behind the saturated hues of a singlestained-glass window. The space is warm and quiet."It'sa beautiful church, beauti...
By Cindy WoodenVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In its ministry to young people, andespecially in vocations promotion work, church workers must step out of thesacristy and take seriously the questions and concerns of the young, PopeFrancis said.Young people are searching for meaning, and the best responseis to go out to where they are, stop and listen to them and then call them tofollow Jesus, the pope said Oct. 21.Meeting participants at a vocations promotion conferencesponsored by the Congregation for Clergy, Pope Francis emphasized the need forchurch workers to be on the move and to echo the vocations call Jesus used withthe disciples, "Follow me.""Jesus' desire is to set people out on a journey,moving them from a lethal sedentary lifestyle and breaking through the illusionthat they can live happily while remaining comfortably seated amid theircertainties," Pope Francis said.The seeking and desire to explore that comes naturally tomost young people "is the treasure that the Lord puts in ou...
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Warner Bros. Records says it is about to unveil two projects by the late megastar Prince that include previously unreleased material....
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The Venezuelan opposition's campaign to oust President Nicolas Maduro has been thrown into disarray with elections officials' decision to suspend a recall drive against the socialist leader a week before it was to start....
JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- South Africa on Friday reversed its early support for the International Criminal Court and said it will withdraw from it, raising concerns of a possible African exodus that would undermine a human rights tribunal accused by some leaders of unfairly targeting the continent....
BEIRUT (AP) -- The Syrian government on Friday opened a new corridor for rebels and civilians who want to leave the besieged eastern neighborhoods of Aleppo, but the U.N. said planned medical evacuations haven't begun as planned because of a lack of security assurances from the warring sides....
