Remember Ukrainians in shelters, Pope says; thanks Poland for refugee help
Vatican City Reuters Pope Francis on Wednesday asked people around the world to remember Ukrainians in underground shelters seeking protection from bombardments and thanked Poland for taking in the bulk of refugees from the war. Francis spoke at his weekly general audience on Ash Wednesday, which he has declared a day of prayer and fasting […]
Pope makes personal appeal in remarkable Russia embassy trip
Vatican City AP Pope Francis went to the Russian Embassy on Friday to personally “express his concern about the war” in Ukraine, in an extraordinary, hands-on papal gesture that has no recent precedent. Francis later assured a top Ukrainian Greek Catholic leader he would do “everything I can” to help. Usually, popes receive ambassadors and […]
Ukraine appeals for UN help, Russia says can’t ignore ‘genocide’
United Nations Reuters Ukraine appealed to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday to stop Russia’s “aggressive plans,” while Russia said it could not ignore “the blatant genocide” of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine and disparaged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres and the United States have dismissed Moscow’s claims of genocide. United Nations Secretary General Antonio […]
Brazil churches spark controversy with LGBT+ support in Lent campaign
Sao Paolo, BrazilThomson Reuters Foundation A group of major Brazilian churches came under fire for supporting LGBT+ people for the first time in an annual Lent fundraising campaign that launched on Wednesday, in which they said homophobia leads to murder. Every year the Brazilian Bishops’ Conference (CNBB) kicks off a Fraternity Campaign on Ash Wednesday, […]
On Ash Wednesday, Pope Francis says Lent is an “exodus from slavery to freedom”
Vatican City RNS Pope Francis celebrated Ash Wednesday in St Peter’s Basilica, reminding faithful the Lenten period leading to Easter celebrations is a journey and “an exodus from slavery to freedom”. “Lent is a journey of return to God,” the Pope said during his homily on 17th February, to the socially distanced faithful attending the […]
Celebrating Ash Wednesday in a pandemic? There’s an app for that
RNS There are filters that blur “imperfections” in photos and filters that turn lawyers into cats on Zoom. Now there are filters to help Christians safely display the very visible Ash Wednesday mark on social media. PICTURE: Ahna Ziegler/Unsplash/Creative Commons Many Catholic and other liturgical churches observe Ash Wednesday by smudging ashes on congregants’ foreheads […]
No touching! US churches get ready for Ash Wednesday in a pandemic
RNS Ash Wednesday is one of the touchiest observances on the liturgical calendar – literally. Many churches mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent with the imposition of ashes. Clergy smear ashes, usually those left after burning palm fronds from the previous year’s Palm Sunday celebrations, onto congregants’ foreheads, often in the shape of […]
In the US, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches on selflessness at Baptist church
Alexandria, Virginia, US RNS Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry spent the evening of Ash Wednesday at a Baptist church, preaching a Lenten message focused on love and selflessness. “When love breaks out, we all get set free,” he said to an applauding crowd gathered at Harvest Assembly Baptist Church. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael […]
On Ash Wednesday, Pope says wealth is “dust in the wind”
Rome Reuters Pope Francis told Catholics on Wednesday that success, power and material possessions are fleeting and will disappear “like dust in the wind” as he marked the start of the penitential Christian season of Lent. Francis led a traditional procession between two churches on Rome’s Aventine Hill and later said Mass during which he had ashes […]
Essay: Four things to know about Ash Wednesday
In an article first published on The Conversation, WILLIAM JOHNSTON, associate professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton in the US, looks at some Ash Wednesday traditions…