Pope Francis Presides at the Way of the Cross in the Colosseum

Pope Francis has presided over the evening Way of the Cross in Rome, joining thousands of people gathered in prayer.

Standing in the midst of a giant cross outlined with small torches, Francis said the Cross is a reminder of how much evil people are capable of and how much love Jesus had for a sinful humanity.

“It was a heavy cross like the night for those who are abandoned, heavy like the death of a loved one and heavy” because it took on all the pain of evil, he said.

Standing on a hillside overlooking the Colosseum, the pope told the thousands of people who gathered with him in prayer that Jesus shows “that evil will not have the last word”, and love, mercy and forgiveness will be victorious.

“From the Cross we see the monstrosity of mankind when it lets itself be guided by evil. But we also see the immensity of the mercy of God, who doesn’t treat us according to our sins, but according to his mercy.”

Do not forget those who are sick and abandoned with their own cross, but pray “they find the strength of in the trials of the cross, the hope of God’s resurrection and love”, he said before imparting his blessing. 

Read more at The Catholic Herald >>

Lucia Popp - "Pie Jesu" - Gabriel Fauré Requiem Op.48

The Sacred Triduum - Holy Thursday

Today we begin the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.  These days are the pinnacle of the liturgical year and commemorate the Paschal Mystery of Christ's salvific mission, which continues through His Church and through time.  Christ's passion, death and resurrection are the dividing point of all human history and the source of our hope in Christ.

Our posts at this solemn and holy time will, for the next few days, be focused on these sacred mysteries.  We wish you, dear friends in Christ, every grace and blessing.  May you, and all those you love, be filled with the hope and joy of our Lord's Resurrection.

Happy 87th Birthday, Dear Pope Benedict!

On this, Pope Benedict's 87th birthday, we remember that he had the daunting task of succeeding one of the most beloved, longest and greatest papacies since the day Christ established His Church on the rock of Saint Peter.  The brilliant scholar quietly took up his task and in a few, short years healed wounds in the Church that had festered for a half century, and wounds in the Body of Christ that had divided the people of God for a millennium.

On this kind and gentle shepherd's 85th birthday we wrote:

In these seven years, he has undertaken 23 international trips, including the first state visit by a Pope to England and Scotland (Pope John Paul II made a pastoral visit in 1982).  He has made 26 pastoral trips throughout Italy.  He has presided over 4 synods of bishops and 3 world youth days.  In 3 encyclicals and in all of his many books, homilies, letters and addresses he has spoken powerfully, clearly and from the heart, to the heart.

His contributions to building the unity of the Church and healing old divisions have been monumental and historic.  There has never been such friendship and collaboration with leaders of the Orthodox churches as there has been throughout this pontificate.  Through his apostolic constitution Anglicanorum coetibus he has provided a bridge through which thousands of Anglicans and other Protestants are entering the Church, while maintaining their own rich patrimony.  Through his Apostolic letter Summorum Pontificum he has restored the Roman Church's own patrimony, ending nearly a half century of division and conflict and restoring reverence and beauty to sacred liturgy.  And in the English-speaking world he has restored a faithful and reverent translation of the Roman Missal.  He has been tireless in seeking reconciliation with those alienated by false interpretations and reckless innovations following the Second Vatican Council.

Most importantly, his joyful, faithful and total submission to the service of Jesus Christ and His Church has inspired vibrant, new, evangelical growth throughout the universal Church, that has also spawned a boom in religious and priestly vocations.

Today we give thanks for all of this and so much more, and pray that Pope Benedict may continue for many more years in his prayerful service to the Holy Father and God's people, and in his holy example to us all.

We love you and thank you, dear Pope Benedict!

Patrick J. Buchanan: The End of Ideology?

By Patrick J. Buchanan

On our TV talk shows and op-ed pages, and in our think tanks here, there is rising alarm over events abroad. And President Obama is widely blamed for the perceived decline in worldwide respect for the United States.

Yet, still, one hears no clamor from Middle America for “Action This Day!” to alter the perception that America is in retreat.

If a single sentence could express the seeming indifference of the silent majority of Americans to what is going on abroad, it might be the simple question: “Why is this our problem?”

If a Russian or Ukrainian flag flies over Simferopol, why should that be of such concern to us that we send U.S. warships, guns or troops? If Japan and China fight over islets 10,000 miles away, islets that few Americans can find on a map, why should we get into it?

Pope Francis Names British Sociologist, Lady Archer, to Head the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences

Lady Margaret Archer

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has named a British sociologist to run a pontifical academy, marking the highest-ranking appointment of a woman in his papacy.

The Vatican announced Saturday that Margaret Scotford Archer will lead the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which produces research to help the church establish policy.

Francis has made giving women a greater-decision making role in the church a priority of his papacy.

Archer, 71, replaces another woman appointed by John Paul II, Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard University law professor and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See.

Archer is director of social ontology center at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale in Lausanne, Switzerland. She spent much of her career at the University of Warwick in Britain, and was named to the pontifical academy in 1994.

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge - "All Glory, Laud and Honor"