Holding tickets for Rome, Vatican pilgrims pivot from saint canonisation to papal funeral
RNS The morning before boarding a flight for Rome, Catholic radio show host and commentator Katie Prejean McGrady had a gaggle of suitcases lining the hallway of her home in Lake Charles, Louisiana, when she awoke Monday to the news of Pope Francis’ death. “My heart sank,” said Prejean McGrady, who hosts The Katie McGrady […]
Italian teen set to be first millennial saint was “ordinary child”, says mother
Assisi, Italy Reuters Carlo Acutis, a British-born Italian boy who built websites to spread his faith, will be proclaimed the Catholic Church’s first saint of the millennial generation this month, elevating him to the same level as Mother Teresa and Francis of Assisi. There is no doubt he was special, his mother Antonia Salzano Acutis […]
Saints of Past Ages: Who’s St Francis, whose love for the poor, creation, and peace inspires Pope Francis?
GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, of Associated Press, takes a look at the life of St Francis and why Pope Francis adopted his name…
Pope urges Italians to have more children, welcome migrants
Matera, Italy AP Pope Francis travelled to southern Italy on Sunday to close out an Italian church congress that coincided with Italy’s national election, and delivered a message that hit on key domestic campaign issues including immigration. Neither Francis nor his hosts referred to the vote during the open-air Mass, though Italy’s bishops conference had […]
Pope appeals to the young to save the planet, find peace
Assisi, Italy AP Pope Francis, visiting Assisi, the birthplace of his namesake saint who was close to nature, called on Saturday for “courage” in abandoning fossil fuels and lamented that older generations didn’t know how to protect the planet and secure peace. He told young people he was pinning his hopes on their efforts in […]
Inspired by Pope Francis, graffiti artist brings pop message to young people in Assisi
Vatican City RNS Pope Francis’ economic vision meets graffiti art in a new show by Roman artist Mauro Pallotta, or Maupal, who hopes his work will inspire the thousands of young adults gathering in Assisi this week as they imagine a new kind of global economy. The artist’s nine most influential works are on exhibit in […]
Pope offers hope to poor in visit to namesake’s Assisi home
Assisi, Italy AP Pope Francis travelled to the hilltop town of his namesake for the fifth time in his pontificate on Friday to honour the poorest and most marginal and urge that they be welcomed and cared for by the church. In one of his first outings in Italy since the coronavirus pandemic, Francis took […]
Carlo Acutis, Millennial candidate for Catholic sainthood, draws 41,000 to Assisi church
Vatican City RNS The Catholic Church’s most recent candidate for sainthood is also its most modern. Lying in a glass-sided casket in jeans and a track jacket, the body of Carlo Acutis, an internet enthusiast who died in 2006 of leukemia at the age of 15, was venerated by some 41,000 visitors during a 19-day-long […]
Pope in first post-lockdown outing goes to Assisi to sign text
Assisi, Italy AP Pope Francis travelled to the tomb of his nature-loving namesake and signed an encyclical Saturday laying out his vision of a post-COVID world built on solidarity, fraternity and care for the environment. In his first outing from Rome since late February, Francis celebrated Mass in the crypt of the Basilica of St […]
Pope set to make first trip since pandemic to saint’s town
Vatican City AP Pope Francis is next month set to make what would be his first visit outside Rome since Italy was put under lockdown in early March when it became the first country in Europe to feel the full brunt of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pope is to journey to Assisi, the birthplace in […]