Perhaps we should be used to the “element of surprise” in the pontificate of Pope Francis.  He was at it again last Friday, March 13 on the second anniversary of his election, when he unexpectedly announced a “Jubilee Year of Mercy” to take place in the Church and around the world from December 2015 to ...read more

Today is 70th anniversary of death of Blessed Marcel Callo who was one of the patron blesseds and saints of World Youth Day 2002. Marcel Callo was born on December 6, 1921, in Rennes, France, being one of nine children. He was a happy child, who was known to be a leader and a perfectionist. ...read more

Welcome to S+L’s Weekly News Round-Up. As the Director of Marketing and Communications here at S+L, many interesting Catholic news stories and articles come across my desk on a daily basis. Some of them we’ll cover on our different television programs and others I’d like to share with you on this blog. This blog column ...read more

Today on Perspectives, Pope Francis condemns attacks against Pakistani Christians, the Church marks an important milestone in Japan and a Catholic university rejects government funds in the name of faith. ...read more

The best estimates out there suggest that in the world today, there are approximately 2.1 billion people who in some way, shape or form profess themselves as Christian. Even in a world of seven billion that’s not exactly a fledging minority; in fact it is one of the single largest demographics on planet earth. Despite ...read more

So far in part 1, we looked at questions people have regarding fasting and abstinence, in part 2 we looked at suffering and in part 3 we looked at what Scripture has to tell us about why Jesus had to suffer.  I think when people think of Lent, that’s what they think about: fasting, abstinence ...read more

I told the Lord, ‘You take care of me. But if your will is that I die or that they do something to me, I ask you just one favor: that it doesn’t hurt because I am a big wimp when it comes to physical pain. Pope Francis when asked about people’s concerns for his ...read more

Here’s what Canadian Catholics have been reading about this week: The historical crime drama Murdoch Mysteries have become a prime-time TV hit in Canada and beyond. It turns out a character introduced in a recent episode was based on a real priest who taught at Winsdor’s Assumption University. In Winnipeg community groups want to transform ...read more

Two Years with Pope Francis March 13 marks the second anniversary of the day the College of Cardinals surprised the world by electing, as pope, a Jesuit from Argentina. Two years on, what effect has this Argentine pope had on the wider church? The 78-year-old pontiff came to his new job with an acute awareness ...read more

On Friday, March 13, 2015, during the penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father announced an extraordinary Jubilee dedicated to Divine Mercy. Below, please find Vatican Radio’s English translation of the Pope Francis’s homily, in which he made the announcement. This year as last, as we head into of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, ...read more