The President of Israel, Shimon Peres, delivered remarks at the Invocation for Peace gathering in the Vatican on Sunday evening. Below, please find the full text, in English, of President Peres’ prepared remarks. Your Holiness Pope Francis, Your Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas, I have come from the Holy City of Jerusalem to thank you for ...read more

Pope Francis delivered remarks to the Presidents of Palestine and Israel, Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres, along with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and delegations representing Jews, Christians and Muslims, all of whom were gathered in the Vatican Pentecost Sunday evening to pray for peace in the Middle East and throughout the world. ...read more

Part two of a reflection for the Solemnity of Pentecost. The readings are Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 103; Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 and John 20: 19-23. Read part one here. My first experience with the Holy Spirit was when I was about 12 years old. A new associate pastor arrived at our parish in Panama that year. ...read more

Part one of a reflection for the Solemnity of Pentecost. The readings are Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 103; Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 and John 20: 19-23. Tomorrow we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit and in the readings we have two completely different versions of the same event. In the book of Acts, Luke describes the ...read more

Watch live Sunday June 8th at 12:00 pm ET / 9:00 am PT Before the ceremony The two Presidents will arrive at the Vatican within 15/20 minutes of each other (18.15- 18.30). They will be welcomed at the entrance of the St. Martha Residence by the Holy Father. The Holy Father will hold a short ...read more

Pray for peace in the Holy Land with Pope Francis By Oscar Andrés Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, SDB June 4 2014 Pope Francis has invited Israeli and Palestinian leaders to the Vatican to pray for peace in the Holy Land this Pentecost Sunday. On his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the Pope said,  “All of us ...read more

Here is some of what has been happening across the country this week:   In Vancouver, Archbishop Michael Miller wrote a letter calling the faithful of the west coast to take action against prostitution by offering women a way out. The letter comes months after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the nation’s laws ...read more

This morning in Vatican City, His Holiness Pope Francis held his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square. Arriving by pope mobile, the Holy Father spent over 20 minutes riding through the crowds greeting pilgrims and blessing children. He then ascended the steps of the basilica and opened the general audience. After the gospel was ...read more

  Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass with Ordinaries of the Holy Land Upper Room, Jerusalem, 26 May 2014 Dear Brothers, It is a great gift that the Lord has given us by bringing us together here in the Upper Room for the celebration of the Eucharist.  Here, where Jesus shared the Last Supper ...read more

Pope Francis met, on Sunday, with children from various refugee camps who use the services of the Phoenix Centre. The children shared with Pope Francis their hopes for the future and how they experience their living conditions. ...read more