Defying the pandemic and the security risks, Pope Francis finally stepped onto Iraqi soil at Baghdad international airport at 12:45 p.m. on March 5, realizing a visit that he had desired from the beginning of his pontificate and that had evaded his predecessors.
One year into a global pandemic that has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and disrupted the routines and relationships of millions more, we would all do well to take a moment to take stock of where we are—mentally, physically, spiritually. Tracy G is here to help you do just that.
Pope Francis visited a Baghdad cathedral that is now a shrine to 48 Christian martyrs who died Oct. 31, 2010, when militants belonging to a group linked to al-Qaida laid siege to the church.
Cardinal Joseph Tobin, named today to the influential Congregation for Bishops, has been known as a “Pope Francis bishop”—one who generally follows the pope’s lead in prioritizing social justice issues and dialogue over culture war flashpoints.
“There’s no moral need to turn down a vaccine, including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is morally acceptable to use,” Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades, the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, said in a new video.
Refugees from the attacks on Christians in Iraq cannot help but feel bitter and forgotten, writes Luma Simms. Pope Francis’ upcoming visit is an opportunity to begin healing and seek religious harmony.
Pope Francis has named Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the office that advises the pope on the nomination of bishops around the world.
Pope Francis told Iraqis that he will be visiting their country in three different roles: as a “penitent pilgrim,” a “pilgrim of peace” and a “pilgrim of hope.”
Statements by some U.S. bishops on the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine for Covid-19 are proving to be a cautionary tale about confusing Catholics on what is morally permissible.
“They awaited St. John Paul II, who was not permitted to go. One cannot disappoint a people for the second time,” Pope Francis said ahead of his apostolic visit to Iraq, March 5 to March 8.