When Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Aug. 30, first met with Pope John Paul in December 1989, less than a month after the Berlin Wall’s collapse, the two leaders “understood each other immediately.”
Saints
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Gritty cult director Ferrara gets religion in new film ‘Padre Pio,’ starring Shia LaBeouf
Abel Ferrara is directing the upcoming “Padre Pio,” starring Shia LaBeouf, about the stigmatic saint of 20th-century Italy. The film centers itself around the rise of fascism in Italy.
Posted inFaith, News
The little-known saint behind Pope Francis’ approach to the development of doctrine
The pope shares St. Vincent of Lérins’s view on how doctrine can develop and how there can be growth in the expression and awareness of the faith and in morals “while always remaining faithful to its roots.”
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s lesson for prayer: Don’t worry if God feels distant.
If you feel a longing for God, take heart. You are alert and ready to receive the bridegroom. If you were not, his absence would not burn.
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis entrusts 3 female saints with new relationships between the church and Indigenous peoples
Meeting Indigenous survivors of residential schools in Canada, Pope Francis entrusted them and the journey of truth, healing and reconciliation to three women: St. Anne, Mary and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.
Posted inFaith, Speeches
Pope Francis in Canada: The faith has always been passed down by mothers and grandmothers
Read the full text of Pope Francis’ homily at Lac Ste. Anne, a pilgrimage site in Alberta, Canada, long known as a place of healing among Indigenous Peoples.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
A little-known saint who knew the pain of addiction—but never lost his faith
We are all plagued by vices and failings from which we can never seem to break free. The story of St. Mark Ji Tianxiang shows the power of a sincere desire to change and confidence in God’s grace.
Posted inFaith, News
Could Julia Greeley be one of the church’s first Black American saints?
Julia Greeley, a paragon of humility and charity in the 19th and early 20th centuries, was born into slavery. Now she is poised to become one of the first African American saints.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
The Catholic Church needs L.G.B.T. saints
When L.G.B.T. people look at the communion of the saints, we should be able to see someone who looks like us.
Posted inOf Many Things, Politics & Society
An unlikely role model for a more human abortion debate
When it comes to abortion debates, we need fewer polemics and much more compassion, especially of the kind Venerable Nelson Baker put into action.