(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 25, 2016 features full coverage of the first two days of the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Armenia where he arrived on Friday to begin his 14th apostolic journey abroad. Armenia is a landlocked mountainous nation which borders with to the west Turkey, to the East Azerbaijan, to the north Georgia and to the South Iran. He was welcomed there by the President of the nation’s Republic Serzh Sargsyn and the Catholicos of All Armenia Karekin II.Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick: This visit of Pope Francis to the first country ever to adopt Christianity as a state religion sports a logo which highlights this historic factor along with the dates of the journey which are the 24th to the 26th of June. It’s a circular logo divided in half by two colours, yellow for the Vatican and purple for the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin,seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church where Po...
(Vatican Radio) Vatican Weekend for June 25, 2016 features full coverage of the first two days of the Apostolic visit of Pope Francis to Armenia where he arrived on Friday to begin his 14th apostolic journey abroad. Armenia is a landlocked mountainous nation which borders with to the west Turkey, to the East Azerbaijan, to the north Georgia and to the South Iran. He was welcomed there by the President of the nation’s Republic Serzh Sargsyn and the Catholicos of All Armenia Karekin II.
Listen to a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:
This visit of Pope Francis to the first country ever to adopt Christianity as a state religion sports a logo which highlights this historic factor along with the dates of the journey which are the 24th to the 26th of June. It’s a circular logo divided in half by two colours, yellow for the Vatican and purple for the Armenian city of Etchmiadzin,seat of the Armenian Apostolic Church where Pope Francis is staying as a guest of the Catholicos Karekin II.
Within the design one can spy the outlines of two significant places in Armenia, snow capped Mount Ararat with its biblical connotations and the Monastery of Kor Virap located on its slopes. A monastery Pope Francis will also visit on Sunday and where Gregory the Illuminator credited for the conversion of this nation to Christianity in 301, so at the beginning of the fourth century, was once held prisoner at the bottom of a well.
Pro-life supporters march in this year's March for Life in Ottawa, Canada, May 9, 2024. / Credit: Peter StocklandOttawa, Canada, May 10, 2024 / 16:00 pm (CNA).Thousands of pro-lifers packed onto Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, and spilled out onto Wellington Street on May 9 for the 27th annual National March for Life.The diverse crowd gathered on the Hill at noon with its members bearing both homemade and professionally crafted signs pledging them to stand fast for the unborn and vulnerable.The march's theme, "I Will Never Forget You" was taken from the prophet Isaiah's poignant question: "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast?"Participants in the Ottawa, Canada, March for Life on May 9, 2024, sing the national anthem. Credit: Peter StocklandThe rally and march were broadcast live by the U.S. cable network EWTN. (Editor's note: EWTN is the parent company of Catholic News Agency.)This year's speakers included pro-life speaker and author Abby Johnson, President of 40...
Virgin Mary by Sassoferrato. / Credit: Public domainACI Prensa Staff, May 10, 2024 / 16:45 pm (CNA).Along with other saints, every May 10 the Church honors St. John of Avila, the patron saint of the Spanish clergy. This renowned founder of schools and centers of formation and study recorded in one of his writings what he considered to be the best gift we can give to our heavenly mother, the Virgin Mary.St. John of Avila's recommendation appears today in a section of the website of the Spanish Bishops' Conference. In the text, St. John of Avila asks himself: "What shall I do for the virgin? God has given me many good things through her."The answer to the question, the saint says, is found in the Gospel account of the wedding feast at Cana. There, the Virgin pointed out to her Son that the wine had run out. When Jesus responds, "What concern is that to you and me? My hour is not yet come," it seems that nothing is going to happen. Nonetheless, the Mother of God immediately p...
Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois. / Credit: Diocese of Springfield in IllinoisWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 10, 2024 / 17:30 pm (CNA).Bishop Thomas Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, is accusing President Joe Biden of "making a mockery of our Catholic faith" after he made the sign of the cross while promoting abortion.Biden, who is the country's second Catholic president, made the sign of the cross at an abortion rally in Tampa, Florida, more than two weeks ago. In his speech, the president criticized Catholic Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing a bill that restricts abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The governor had previously helped enact legislation limiting abortion to 15 weeks of pregnancy.During the rally, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said that when DeSantis decided to run for president, "15 weeks wasn't good enough; we had to go to six weeks," at which point Biden made the sign of the cross in apparent ...