Says Sin Has Not Succeeded in Erasing It VATICAN CITY, MAY 15, 2011 (Zenit.org).- People today have a hard time understanding the splendor of Michelangelo's depiction of the human body because we tend to see the body as "heavy matter," opposed to the spirit, according to Benedict XVI.
The Pope made this reflection in an address Friday to participants in a conference marking the 30th anniversary of the foundation of the John Paul II Institute...
16 May, 2011
10 May, 2011
Founder of Vocationists Is Beatified
Established Order to Foster Priestly Vocations By Carmen Elena Villa POZZUOLI, Italy, MAY 9, 2011 (Zenit.org).- "Make yourselves true saints, as all the rest is zero," Don Justino Maria Russolillo would say.
And in trying to help people become saints, he founded an order to foster priestly and religious vocations.
Don Russolillo was beatified Saturday in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints'...
Benedict XVI Warns Against "Liquid" Society
Proposes Culture of Life and Beauty VENICE, Italy, MAY 9, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is warning against the danger of the present "liquid" society, which embraces relativism and rejects stability in human relations.This was one of the points stressed by the Pope on Sunday afternoon in a meeting with the world of culture and the economy at the end of his visit to Venice.
Over the weekend, he also visited the city of Aquilea, the see...
09 May, 2011
Benedict XVI Warns of an Emptied Christianity
Says Emmaus Discouragement Is Present Also Today VENICE, Italy, MAY 8, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is bringing a message of the new evangelization to northeastern Italy, urging the region to remember that the faith is more than a cultural and social tradition.
The Pope visited Venice and Aquilea Saturday and today, giving four addresses and a homily in just a few hours.
This afternoon, some 300,000 people attended the Mass he celebrated,...
Pope: Don't Forget Bible Comes From God
Stresses "Inspiration" in Message to Commission VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Interpreting the Bible as a collection of mere human words causes the treasure contained in Scripture to be lost, Benedict XVI says.
The Pope affirmed this in a message dated Monday and sent to the president of the Pontifical Biblical Commission, Cardinal William Levada. The message was for the commission's plenary assembly, which for a third time...
Pope: Christians Believe in Someone, Not Something
Concert Honors Benedict XVI for 6th Anniversary VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The Christian faith is not based on believing in something, but in Someone, Benedict XVI says.
The Pope affirmed this Thursday in an address following a concert in honor of his 6th anniversary as the Successor of Peter. He was elected April 19 and installed April 24, 2005.
The concert was offered to the Pope by Italian President Giorgio Napolitano. The...
Liturgy Needs Tradition and Progress, Says Pope
Notes Fruits as Well as Errors in 50 Years of Reform VATICAN CITY, MAY 6, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The liturgy lives from a constant relationship between tradition and progress, according to Benedict XVI.
The Pope made this observation today when he addressed participants in the 9th International Congress on the Liturgy sponsored by the Pontifical Liturgical Institute of Rome's St. Anselm Pontifical Athenaeum.
The congress, titled "The...
07 May, 2011
LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO SEMINARIANS
Dear Seminarians, When in December 1944 I was drafted for military service, the company commander asked each of us what we planned to do in the future. I answered that I wanted to become a Catholic priest. The lieutenant replied: “Then you ought to look for something else. In the new Germany priests are no longer needed”. I knew that this “new Germany” was already coming to an end, and that, after the enormous devastation which...
05 May, 2011
We Must Learn How to Pray, Says Pope
Launches New Catechesis Series for Wednesday Audiences VATICAN CITY, MAY 4, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI today began a new series of catecheses for Wednesday general audiences, taking up the theme of prayer and introducing the topic by a look at prayer in ancient cultures. "Virtually always and everywhere, people have turned to God," he explained.
The Pope announced that he will be catechizing on the prayer "that Jesus taught us and that...
30 April, 2011
In the Sea
Dear brethren in christ,
Some people may ask, why this blog is not updated for several days? Yes, it is true that i was away from the interenet. Because i was in the sea, travelling Cebu to Manila. it took around 25 hours to travel. Not only that, after spending 25 hours on the big ship, we still had to travel around three to four hours. It was very tiresome trip.
You...
26 April, 2011
Pope Benedict answers questions about suffering, comatose persons, persecution
Historic Q&A
Vatican City (CNA/EWTN News) -- Making broadcasting history on Good Friday by becoming the first pontiff to be on a TV Q&A program, Pope Benedict XVI appeared in the Italian pre-recorded show "In His Image," responding to seven questions sent from around the world about suffering, coma, persecution of Christians, the resurrection and Mary.
The...
25 April, 2011
Some words about priesthood
And all men are ready to pass judgement on the priest as if he was not a being clothed with flesh, or one who inherited a human nature.
...
Christianity Is Based on Historical Event, Pope Affirms
Delivers Easter Greetings in 65 Languages VATICAN CITY, APRIL 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Speaking from the central balcony of the Basilica of St. Peter's, Benedict XVI once again affirmed today that Christianity is based on the historical event of the Resurrection.
In his Easter message, which he delivered before imparting his blessing "urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world), the Pope stated that "the resurrection...
24 April, 2011
Happy Easter to you
Dear beloved brothers and sisters
May the peace of the risen Lord be with you. I was so busy these days as in our place there were thousand of pilgrims come to participate the Holy Mass and Stations of the cross. I learned that people are more willing to search happiness by fulfilling their spiritual needs. It seems that many of them are aware of their needs, which can...
Pope: Satan Again Sifting the Disciples Like Wheat
Calls for Christian Unity at Mass of the Lord's Supper ROME, APRIL 21, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI said at this evening's Mass of the Lord's Supper that, as Christ told Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat," today "we are once more painfully aware that Satan has been permitted to sift the disciples before the whole world."
In the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of...
Faith in God Begins With Creation, Says Pope
Delivers Homily at Easter Vigil in St. Peter's VATICAN CITY, APRIL 23, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Faith in God and in the events of salvation history must necessarily begin with a belief in God's role as Creator, says Benedict XVI.
In his homily at the Easter Vigil, held tonight in St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope asked, "Is it really important to speak also of creation during the Easter Vigil? Could we not begin with the events in...
Cross Is Not Just for Believers, Says Preacher
Asks What Christians Can Offer Those Without Faith VATICAN CITY, APRIL 22, 2011 (Zenit.org).- The mystery of the redemption extends beyond our faith in it; the cross is not just for believers but for everyone, since Christ died for all.
These reflections were offered today by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Pontifical Household, in his homily during the celebration of the Passion of the Lord.
Benedict XVI celebrated...
19 April, 2011
You are Called
There is no
dishonor
in feeling
that you may
be called
to the
religious life
and find
you were
mistaken. The real shame
is having
been called
and
not having answer...
Help me to Know (Prayer for Vocation)
You gift me with all the good gifts that make me the person you created me to be. Help me to know and find your will and to trust that you will help me to understand the path you call me to journey in life. Where there is doubt give me courage. Give me a heart open to your quiet voice so I can hear your call to me. Help me to know your faithfulness...
18 April, 2011
"Whatever happened to St. Christopher? Is he still a saint?"
Before the 1969 reform of the Roman calendar, Christopher was listed as a martyr who died under Decius. Nothing else is known about him. There are several legends about him including the one in which he was crossing a river when a child asked to be carried across. When Christopher put the child on his shoulders he found the child...
17 April, 2011
Is there a Feast day for every day of the year?
Well, yes and no. The official Roman calendar of feast days for celebration by the Universal Church (in other words, all over the world) does not have a saint's feast day every day. The Church chooses saints to be celebrated worldwide very carefully -- they must have a strong message ...
16 April, 2011
Philippine priest in ancient battle with 'demons'
AFP/File – Philippine Catholic priest Father Jose Francisco Syquia, head of the Manila Archdiocese's Office … by Jason Gutierrez – Thu Apr 14, 4:03 am ET ...
