Visit shows how far America has come since anti-Catholic climate of its early history

ldquo The Gospel of the marginalized is where our credibility is found and revealed rsquo Pope Francis told the new cardinals as he spelled out clearly the direction he wants the leadership of the Catholic Church to take in the world today He did so in an inspiring and highly significant homily d

Pope Francis created 20 new cardinals from 17 countries in St Peter rsquo s Basilica on Feb 14 in the presence of his predecessor Benedict XVI Being a cardinal is ldquo an honor rdquo but ldquo not a kind of accessory a decoration like an honorary title rdquo he told them As cardinals he

Cardinals from all continents expressed ldquo appreciation rdquo for the reforms already achieved or underway in the Roman Curia under Pope Francis particularly in the field of Vatican Finances but they recognized that there is still a long way to go before the reform can be completed They also

The establishment of two new congregations mdash the first for ldquo Laity-Family-Life rdquo the second for ldquo Charity-Justice-Peace rdquo that includes a new office for ecology mdash were among the proposals for reform of the Roman Curia that were presented to the College of Cardinals on F

Francis gives priority to situations of conflict, poverty or natural disaster

‘The accountability of bishops is a source of great concern” to the 17 members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, said Cardinal Seán O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., leader of the Archdiocese of Boston and the president of the body, at a Vatican press briefing on Feb. 7.Marie Co

ldquo The accountability of bishops is a source of great concern rdquo to the 17 members of the Commission for the Protection of Minors established by Pope Francis in March 2014 Cardinal Sean O rsquo Malley the president of this body told reporters at a Vatican press briefing February 7 ldquo

In a new and important initiative aimed at protecting minors from sexual abuse in the Catholic Church eliminating all such abuse and assisting the victims of past abuse Pope Francis has sent a letter to the Presidents of the Bishops Conferences and the Superiors of the Institutes of Consecrated Li

Pope Francis has decided that the public ceremony of investiture of metropolitan archbishops with the pallium will henceforth take place in the prelates’ home dioceses, not in the Vatican as has been the case under recent pontiffs.He believes that in this way the ceremony “will greatly f