Father Karol Wojtyla is pictured next to bicycles during an outing in Poland in the early 1950s. His strong interest in outdoor activities continued through his years as Pope John Paul II, until the effects of age kept him away from strenuous pursuits.  Pope John Paul together with Pope John XXIII will be declared saints ...read more

For most North American Vatican-watchers, this week was supposed to be about the first meeting between Pope Francis and President Barack Obama. Once again, Pope Francis diverted people’s attention and forced a substitution of headlines. The Diocese of Rome hosted a Penitential Service on Friday evening, during which Pope Francis was scheduled to hear confessions ...read more

Pope John Paul II appears from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election Oct. 16, 1978. The pope, who died April 2, 2005, will be canonized at the Vatican April 27, 2014.(CNS file photo)  ...read more

Mourners hold banners that read “sainthood now” during the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 9, 2005. (CNS photo/Reuters) Everyone in the office knows that I love Pope John Paul II. In fact, I have a huge image of him on my desk which I proudly ...read more

My husband and I watch a lot of historical dramas and one of our favourite games to play is “Catch the Catholic” where we look for Catholics working in the background doing this or that while the main drama unfolds in the foreground. Recently, while watching the HBO series John Adams, the story of the ...read more

Statement released by the Holy See Press Office The Holy Father Francis has instituted the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which was announced on Dec. 5, 2013, and called to be a part of it: Dr. Catherine Bonnet (France) Mrs. Marie Collins (Ireland) Prof. the Baroness Sheila Hollins (United Kingdom) Card. Sean Patrick ...read more

  The Vatican, the Anglican Communion, the Al Azhar Mosque and the Walk Free Foundation have joined forces to eliminate slavery and human trafficking by the end of the decade. The four parties launched the Global Freedom Network this week at the Vatican. The network aims to get 162 governments commit to endorse it and ...read more

Get ready to be schooled. In Episode 3, The Ineffable Mystery of God, of Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series, we learn all about the nature of God, or put more precisely: how little we can know of God.  I realize that sounds contradictory, but as Fr. Barron presents the classical Christian arguments for the existence of ...read more

Our own Sebastian Gomes was interviewed by CBC Radio Windsor about the first year of Pope Francis’ pontificate, the reaction from the faithful, the changes the pope is making (and causing!) and what to expect in the next year. Listen to the full interview here. Sebastian is currently working on a documentary titled The Francis ...read more

St. Joseph   The ancient greyness shifted Suddenly and thinned Like mist upon the moors Before a wind. An old, old, prophet lifted A shining face and said: “He will be coming soon. The Son of God is dead; He died this afternoon.”   A murmurous excitement stirred All souls. They wondered if they dreamed— ...read more