(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over the Passion Liturgy on Friday afternoon – Good Friday – the day on which the whole Church recalls the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.Not a Mass, for Good Friday is the one day in all the year on which nowhere in the Latin Church is the sacrifice offered, the liturgy of Good Friday unfolds in silence broken by readings from Sacred Scripture and punctuated by the singing of short tracts.Click below to hear our report As is Custom at the Passion liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Preacher of the Papal Household delivered the homily.The Preacher, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., spoke of God’s mercy as the Divine response to sinful man, offered freely and lovingly in keeping with Divine Justice – according to the Divine nature. “The love of God reached human beings at the farthest point to which they were driven in their flight from him, death itself,&rdquo...
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over the Passion Liturgy on Friday afternoon – Good Friday – the day on which the whole Church recalls the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Not a Mass, for Good Friday is the one day in all the year on which nowhere in the Latin Church is the sacrifice offered, the liturgy of Good Friday unfolds in silence broken by readings from Sacred Scripture and punctuated by the singing of short tracts.
Click below to hear our report
As is Custom at the Passion liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Preacher of the Papal Household delivered the homily.
The Preacher, Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., spoke of God’s mercy as the Divine response to sinful man, offered freely and lovingly in keeping with Divine Justice – according to the Divine nature. “The love of God reached human beings at the farthest point to which they were driven in their flight from him, death itself,” said Fr. Cantalamessa. “The death of Christ needed to demonstrate to everyone the supreme proof of God’s mercy toward sinners,” he continued.
The Preacher of the Papal Household explained that God’s mercy is not in tension with His justice, but is a manifestation of it. The opposite of mercy is vengeance – also mysteriously satisfied in God’s self-sacrifice on the Cross.
“Heavenly Father,” concluded Fr. Cantalamessa, “by the merits of your Son on the Cross who ‘became sin for us’, remove any desire for vengeance from the hearts of individuals, families, and nations, and make us fall in love with mercy: let the Holy Father’s intention in proclaiming this Year of Mercy be met with a concrete response in our lives, and let everyone experience the joy of being reconciled with you in the depth of the heart.”
Families, donors, and others gather with Bishop Erik Pohlmeier for the dedication of the "Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum" at the San Lorenzo Cemetery in St. Augustine, Florida, on April 23, 2024. / Credit: Fran Ruchalski/courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. AugustineCNA Staff, Apr 26, 2024 / 09:51 am (CNA).Families gathered with St. Augustine Bishop Erik Pohlmeier on a sunny Tuesday this week for the dedication of the "Precious Ones Baby Mausoleum" at the city's San Lorenzo Cemetery.Six years in the making, the 44,000-pound granite mausoleum is designed for babies lost at a young age through miscarriage, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or stillborn births. A brick walkway marked by a charcoal cross leads up to the brilliant white mausoleum, which is full of burial spaces that are ready to honor little ones. Miscarriages are common events, and women often suffer through them quietly, one 2018 study found. About 10% to 20% of known pregnancies end in miscarriage, usually be...
Kennedy opened up to veteran EWTN News anchorman Raymond Arroyo about his family's strong faith growing up, how his faith helped him overcome drug addiction and how it impacts him in his day-to-day life in the travails of U.S. presidential politics. / Credit: EWTN News "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" / ScreenshotWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 26, 2024 / 06:30 am (CNA).Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. discussed the importance of his Catholic faith in his daily life, his plan to reduce abortions without federal restrictions, and his opposition to biological males playing in women's sports during an exclusive interview on "The World Over with Raymond Arroyo" Thursday night.Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, is running a vigorous independent campaign to be the next president of the United States. He launched an independent bid for the White House last October after initially challeng...
Pope Francis prays during his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 24, 2024. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Apr 25, 2024 / 16:10 pm (CNA).Asked during a new interview if he has any message for Vladimir Putin, the Russian president who instigated the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis stated that "a negotiated peace is better than an endless war."CBS News broadcast some excerpts April 24 from a new interview conducted by journalist Norah O'Donnell with Pope Francis at St. Martha House, the pontiff's residence in the Vatican.During the exchange, the full version of which will be released on May 19, the Holy Father reflected on world conflicts and especially on the suffering of children during wars.O'Donnell asked the Holy Father if he had any message for Vladimir Putin regarding Ukraine, to which the pontiff replied: "Please, countries at war, all of them... Stop the war. Seek to negotiate. Seek peace. A negotiated peace is better than an e...
