Perched on the side of a mountain in the central Italian province of Umbria is the historic town of Assisi, best known as the hometown of St. Francis, one of Christianity’s most revered saints. I’ve spoken to many visitors to Assisi over the past few years – especially since Cardinal Bergoglio was elected pope and ...read more

On Saturday, August 30, there will be three auxiliary bishops ordained in the Diocese of Hongkong. They are Mgr Michael Yeung Ming-cheung, vicar general of the diocese and a member of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum; Mgr Stephen Lee Bun Sang, vicar of Opus Dei for East Asia; and Fr. Joseph Ha Chi-shing, a former ...read more

During my research for the Church Alive series I came across this epic CNS file photo of Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. The photo’s caption reads, “Paul VI, who served in Poland during his early priesthood, held the future Pope John Paul II in high regard.” Not only do they both look like ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: Pope Francis warns against jealousy in Christian communities, hunger and panic spread in Western Africa as government officials try to stop the spread of Ebola, and S+L launches onto ROKU TV. ...read more

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.” Psalm 111:2 Do Monkeys Go to Heaven?  And by that I don’t mean you and me. Real monkeys, you know the ones that climb in trees or apparently pose for selfies (true story).  Well, that’s the question posed by ...read more

So far we’ve looked at what the Scriptures and tradition tell us about the “prince of darkness”. But is this whole “devil” thing something of the past? I remember watching the film The Exorcist and thinking that the whole scenario didn’t seem real to me. I don’t think demons sit around behind a tree waiting ...read more

Address by His Eminence Cardinal Andrea Yeum Soo-jung Mass for Peace and Reconciliation Myeong-dong Cathedral in Seoul August 18, 2014 Holy Father, I wanted to thank you very much for visiting our country split in two, north and south and for praying for his peace by celebrating the Eucharist. Today is the last day of ...read more

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass For Peace And Reconciliation Seoul, Myeong-dong Cathedral 18 August 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters, As my stay in Korea draws to a close, I thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon this beloved country, and in a special way, upon the Church in Korea.  Among ...read more

  Last week we looked at the figure of the devil and why the Church teaches that Lucifer was an archangel created by God, who rebelled. There are many names for the devil. You may have heard Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub and Diabolos. He is also referred to as Belial, Prince of Darkness, Prince of demons, ...read more

Expression of thanks to Pope Francis Bishop Peter Kang U-il Messa After Communion at concluding Mass of Asian Youth Day Sunday August 17, 2014 I thank His Holiness Pope Francis with all your heart, on behalf of the bishops of Asia for coming to stay close to young Asians. At the World Youth Days, the ...read more