VATICAN CITY - Mass is the highest form of prayer and not an appropriate moment for small talk, Pope Francis said. At church, Catholics should spend their time in silence before Mass, preparing "to meet with Jesus" instead of engaging…
VATICAN CITY - Vocations, formation in the seminaries and permanent training of the clergy were discussed on 13 November 2017 in the Bologna Hall of the Apostolic Palace, where Pope Francis presided over a meeting of the heads of the…
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has announced on Tuesday that it will have several initiatives to mark the first Day of the Poor here on 19 Nov 2017. Pope Francis has called for a day for the poor at the…
VATICAN CITY — Marriage and family life are blessings for individuals and for society, but both are filled with difficult choices that Catholic couples must be helped to face prayerfully and in the light of their consciences, Pope Francis said. Unfortunately,…
VATICAN CITY - Starting in 2018, the Vatican will 'cease to sell cigarettes to employees,' the Catholic Herald posted on its news portal on 9 Nov 2017. Concerned by the damage caused by smoking, Pope Francis has banned the sale…
VATICAN CITY - ‘The Declaration of Rome,’ the final document produced by participants at the World Congress hosted by the Pontifical Gregorian University on ‘Child Dignity in the Digital World’, issues an urgent call to action. One hundred and forty…
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has set up a new pontifical institute for the study of marriage and the family, replacing the organisation set up by his predecessor in 1981. In a Motu Proprio, published on 19 Sept 2017, the…
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis issued a Motu Proprio on 9 Sept 2017 entitled, Magnum principium which refers to the translation of liturgical texts. A Motu Proprio is a special document, or apostolic letter, issued by the Pope on his…
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has opened a free laundry for the homeless people of Rome, the Catholic World News reported 10 Apr 2017. Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, said that the initiative was “a concrete sign wanted by…
VATICAN CITY - Diocesan bishops must consult with the Vatican before establishing a diocesan religious order, Pope Francis ruled. The consultation "is to be understood as necessary for the validity of the erection of a diocesan institute of consecrated life,"…