What are we to make of this latest encyclical written by the four hands of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI?  Remember that encyclicals make up a very significant part of the magisterial teaching of the Church.  Not only are they written and promulgated by the pope, but they focus on and are particularly ...read more

A pilgrim prays during Mass at Our Lord of the Good End church in Salvador, Brazil. The church’s gates are covered with ribbons (seen in background), which are symbols of faith. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Ueslei Marcelino, Reuters ...read more

Blessed José de Anchieta José de Anchieta was born in 1534 on Tenerife in the Canary Islands.  José first went to study in Portugal when he was 14 years old at the Royal College of Arts in Coimbra. Intensely religious, he felt the vocation for priesthood and sought admission in 1551 to the Jesuit College ...read more

Young people carry the World Youth Day Cross during its arrival in Icarai beach in Niteroi, Brazil on May 19, 2013. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Ricardo Moraes, Reuters ...read more

By Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service Vatican City (CNS) – Pope Francis signed a decree clearing the way for the canonization of Blessed John Paul II and has decided also to ask the world’s cardinals to vote on the canonization of Blessed John XXIII, even in the absence of a miracle. After Pope Francis ...read more

The very light that guides our path Deacon Pedro Guevara Mann Producer, Salt and Light Catholic Television Network In Porta Fidei, Pope Benedict wrote: “Faith is a personal act – the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. But faith is not an isolated act. No one can ...read more

Pope Francis’ first encyclical is a beautiful invitation to believers and seekers alike.  While Lumen Fidei is officially addressed to bishops, priests, members of religious orders and “the lay faithful,” it is also a heartfelt attempt to speak to anyone still searching for God. There is probably little that will be deemed “newsworthy” in Lumen ...read more

The Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, on today’s publication and distribution of the encyclical letter of faith entitled “Lumen Fidei” – The Light of Faith, made the following statement: “It is with great joy that I welcome Pope Francis’ first encyclical. His reflections on faith are in continuity with all that the ...read more

Blessed Sister Dulce Maria Rita de Souza Pontes was born in 1914 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. From a young age she showed a profound spirit of charity. She entered the Congregation of the Sisters Missionaries of the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God at the age of eighteen taking the name Dulce after her ...read more

A child dressed as an angel walks alongside other women during an Easter Sunday procession in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. To find out more about this year’s World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil visit wydcentral.org CNS photo/Pilar Olivares, Reuters ...read more