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Pope Francis, the Synod, and Catholic teaching
If Francis doesn't soon make it clear that the synod can't abandon Catholic teaching, his pontificate could spin out of control. Cardinal Burke is right: the group responsible for reporting the synod...
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Synod of Bishops 2014 just the beginning
Now that the dust is beginning to settle on the tumultuous Synod of Bishops on the family, conclusions are up in the air as to what it all meant. Given the clear divisions that ran through the summit,...
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Pope Francis' final Synod speech: full text
Dear Eminences, Beatitudes, Excellencies, Brothers and Sisters, With a heart full of appreciation and gratitude I want to thank, along with you, the Lord who has accompanied and guided us in the past...
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Changing the Catholic Church is hard
(CNN) — As Catholic bishops in Rome began a major meeting on modern family life two weeks ago, Pope Francis encouraged them to speak candidly and "without timidness." He certainly got what he asked...
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The Catholic Church is changing
Can you be more Catholic than the Pope? The American arch-reactionary Pat Buchanan clearly thinks so. He has been lambasting Pope Francis for sowing "confusion among the faithful" by refusing to defend...
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The crisis that changed Pope Francis
He was not what she was expecting, in several ways. The man who would one day be Pope Francis had come to hold a service far from the grandeur of the great cathedral of Buenos Aires. He had travelled -...
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A father like Francis
I needed Pope Francis. And not only because I'm part of the Catholic Church and we were without a shepherd . . . I mean I needed him because I'm sinful, and broken, and I need a constant reminder of...
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Young religious people tarred with outdated social stigma
I've got a soft spot for the Pope. I don't know why; I'm about as religious as a satsuma. But given that Mum's an Anglican preacher, my Dad's an atheist, my brother a Catholic, and my Aunt and Uncle...
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Emeritus popes should return to college of cardinals
Hubert Wolf, Professor of Church History at the University of Münster, is calling for a clearer distinction between "pope" and "pope emeritus". According to Wolf, there are fears that "around Francis...
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Pope Francis: open resistance is 'a good sign'
Immediately after his election on 13 March 2013, Pope Francis told himself, "Jorge, do not change, continue being yourself, because to change at your age would be ridiculous." He revealed this...
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Things our bishops don't want to tell us
"Teach your children that it is not possible to be Christian outside the Church, and it is not possible to follow Christ outside the Church, as the Church is our mother, and lets us grow in the love of...
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Learning to be real with Pope Francis
It all depends on how you interpret Humanae Vitae. That's essential to understanding what Pope Francis "really meant" in his recent string of remarks on having children. In fact, it's a line that comes...
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The Pope is right - smacking your kids is sometimes OK
One good thing has come out of the fuss over the pope's comments about it being ok to smack your children (so long as their dignity is maintained); it has flushed out the former Irish president, Mary...
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What to expect in the pope's encyclical on ecology
Pope Francis has made no secret of his conviction that human-induced climate change, along with other forms of environmental degradation, represents a grave threat to humanity's future. At times he...
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A special Holy Year
The Extraordinary Jubilee promulgated by Francis will be the 65th in history. The first was announced by Sixtus V in 1585. The "special" Holy Year does not alter the recurrence of Ordinary Jubilees....
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The charitable activities of Pope Francis
It's 8.10 pm at the Vatican City and just a few meters away from Saint Anne's Gate (Porta Sant'Anna) is a grey Fiat Ducato van. Its boot is filled with canned food, milk, juices, crates of fruit and...
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Pope Francis and making climate change a moral issue
This summer, Pope Francis plans to release an encyclical letter in which he will address environmental issues, and very likely climate change. His statement will have a profound impact on the public...
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Pope Francis, the poor and liberation theology
VATICAN CITY — Six months after becoming the first Latin American pontiff, Pope Francis invited an octogenarian priest from Peru for a private chat at his Vatican residence. Not listed on the pope's...
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A look at popes and their encyclicals
It's not surprising that Pope Francis' upcoming encyclical on climate change has already generated a lot of attention in the media and elsewhere, given the stature of his office and his sky-high...
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Pope's message for day of prayer for refugees and migrants
The day of prayer for refugees and migrants is 21 June 2015 in New Zealand. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Jesus is "the evangelizer par excellence and the Gospel in person" (Evangelii Gaudium, 209). His...
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