Margaret Thatcher a 'staunch family champion,' ambassador says

Apr 9, 2013 - 10:45 am .- After Pope Francis praised the Christian ethics of the late Baroness Margaret Thatcher, the British ambassador to the Holy See emphasized her strong defense of family values.

UK bishops mourn loss of Margaret Thatcher

Apr 8, 2013 - 03:15 pm .- The United Kingdom's Catholic bishops voiced grief and prayed for the soul of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who died on Monday following a stroke.

French couple claims police violence at marriage march

Apr 4, 2013 - 03:59 pm .- A couple in France is reporting acts of violence by police officers against participants in a recent march to defend marriage against redefinition by the French government.

Pope's hug embraced everyone with disabilities, dad says

Apr 4, 2013 - 04:02 am .- The father of a boy with special needs, whose iconic hug from Pope Francis has captured the world's attention, says that the Pope in that instant held “all people” with disabilities.

Pope Francis to offer hope by washing young inmates' feet

Mar 27, 2013 - 04:59 pm .- Pope Francis’ decision to wash the feet of 12 young people at a juvenile detention center on Holy Thursday is being described as a display of love for the young people and invitation to renewal.

Argentine press claims Pope Francis will visit country in December

Mar 26, 2013 - 04:02 pm .- Two of Argentina's leading newspapers reported today that Pope Francis will visit the country this year during the first half of December.

American seminarians experience rewards of Lent in Rome

Mar 25, 2013 - 04:41 pm .- Two American seminarians living and studying in Rome have found that their experience of Lent this year has been both challenging and rewarding.

UK pilgrims will carry life-sized cross to historic shrine

Mar 23, 2013 - 06:03 am .- About 250 pilgrims of all ages and backgrounds will spend Holy Week helping to carry a life-sized wooden cross to the historic English Shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham.

Rome's mayor 'touched' by Pope's simplicity

Mar 20, 2013 - 12:02 pm .- The mayor of Rome said that the simple humility of Pope Francis “really touched” his heart after the Mass that officially began the Petrine ministry.

Pope possesses wisdom and simplicity, Argentine cardinal says

Mar 18, 2013 - 04:02 pm .- The retired cardinal of Parana, Argentina, described his friend Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio – now Pope Francis – as an able pastor with the heart of a missionary.

Weigel thinks Pope Francis embodies Church's future

Mar 16, 2013 - 04:01 pm .- Catholic author and scholar George Weigel believes that Pope Francis embodies the type of Catholicism that is needed for the Church to thrive in the modern cultural context.

Jesuit doorman surprised by Pope's phone call

Mar 15, 2013 - 11:38 am .- He thought it was a joke. The young doorman at the Jesuit motherhouse in Rome never expected to receive a phone call from Pope Francis.

Jesuits, Franciscans joyfully embrace new Pope

Mar 15, 2013 - 02:03 am .- The Society of Jesus and Franciscans reacted with gratitude to the election of Pope Francis, who is both the first Jesuit Pope and the first pontiff named after the Franciscans' founder St. Francis of Assisi.

Benedictine monk: reverent liturgy helps us encounter Christ

Mar 13, 2013 - 04:05 am .- Celebrating the liturgy with reverence and beauty helps facilitate the encounter with Christ during the Mass, reflected a monk involved in organizing a conference on liturgy in Rome this summer.

Cardinal Ouellet urges forgiveness ahead of conclave

Mar 11, 2013 - 02:02 pm .- In a homily at his Roman parish on Sunday, Cardinal Marc Ouellet encouraged forgiveness and reconciliation, especially through the sacrament of confession.

Over 50,000 send messages of gratitude to Benedict XVI

Mar 11, 2013 - 12:08 pm .- A book containing more than 50,000 messages of gratitude to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has been delivered to the Apostolic Nuncio in Spain, who is expected to send it to the retired Pontiff.

Rome youth center to host perpetual adoration during conclave

Mar 8, 2013 - 12:26 pm .- A center for students and young people in Rome has announced that it will host 24-hour Eucharistic adoration to pray for the Church and the cardinals in the upcoming Papal conclave.

Catholic nurse executed by Nazis remembered in Rome

Mar 7, 2013 - 04:12 pm .- Blessed Maria Restituta, a Catholic nurse who was decapitated by the Nazis in March of 1943, was remembered for her courageous martyrdom during a recent Mass in Rome.

Art historian says Benedict's 'way of beauty' will continue to flower

Mar 6, 2013 - 04:04 am .- Pope Emeritus Benedict's emphasis on beauty as a means to encounter truth and grow in faith is one of the “greatest seeds” planted during his pontificate, says art historian Elizabeth Lev.

Spanish ambassador to Holy See voices support amid papal transition

Mar 4, 2013 - 12:22 pm .- Spain’s ambassador to the Holy See, Eduardo Gutierrez Saenz de Buruaga, said after meeting with the Spanish cardinals that they are “very hopeful” as they approach the upcoming conclave.