Pope // Current

Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury Seek 'Closer Ties'

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope agreed to seek closer relations between... more

rodstradamus
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The Decade, in 7 Minutes

Newsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute... more

Manatee_man
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6 days ago
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Catholic Church gives D.C. ultimatum

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to... more

SleepDirt
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11 days ago
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Chocolate Moon - Pope Spoof

A parody on the Pope taken from our twenty minute comedy sketch show pilot 'Chocolate... more

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21 days ago
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Who own's You? The Devil's Son, POPE. and his daughter The QUEEN

wake up Sheeple, this is getting close to crunch time. we dont have much time left... more

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28 days ago
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Five ways churches can fill the pews

Nashville-based Christian youth ministry Rocketown has a unique way to attract youth... more

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Battles over pesky issues like women and gay clergy got you down? Go Catholic, says Pope!

At first glance, the surprising news on Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI has created a new structure to welcome some disenchanted Anglicans into the Roman Catholic fold — it was accompanied by a joint statement from his counterpart, the Archbishop of Canterbury — might look like a happy reunion. But the Vatican's establishment of new "Personal Ordinariates," in which Anglicans, including married priests, can practice Catholicism while maintaining much of their own identity and liturgy, reveals more about the growing internal rifts within each of the two churches than any sign of real hope for reuniting the fractured Christian communion.

For Anglican leaders, the Vatican announcement is the latest minefield to manage in their ongoing effort to avoid a full-fledged schism within their 80-million-strong church, which includes 2.2 million American Episcopalians. Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams is juggling the gripes of Anglicans of all philosophical stripes and ecclesiastical sensibilities, most notably as battles over women and gay clergy have undermined that prized "communion" within Anglicanism for more than two decades.

The incoming converts, however, may offer a false comfort to Catholics that Rome is winning the battle for Christian hearts and souls in the West. Indeed, in the bosom of Europe, where traditional Catholicism became an immense political force, the church is very much on the defensive. The Holy See's eagerness to find a home for the core of conservative-minded Anglicans follows the Pope's outreach earlier this year to the traditionalist breakaway movement founded by French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, which opposes the modern-minded reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

From Day One, countering Europe's supposed slide into a godless secularism has been high on Benedict's agenda. Recently, that defense of the church's values has been looking almost like a counteroffensive. On Oct. 17 in Spain, the traditionally Catholic right turned out perhaps as many as 1 million people in the streets of Madrid to oppose plans by the country's center-left government to loosen abortion laws (allowing 16-year-old females, for example, to terminate their pregnancies without parental consent). And on Tuesday, in a Vatican meeting with the new European Union envoy to the Holy See, Benedict chided those who deny the "Christian roots" of Europe. Said the Pope: "Europe will not truly be herself if she cannot keep the originality that made her great. When the church reminds Europe of its Christian roots, it is not looking for special status, [but] recalling the fact that the founding fathers of the European Union were inspired by Christianity."

Even Tuesday's news of the forthcoming arrival of like-minded Anglicans to reinforce the traditionalist ranks carries a built-in risk for the Catholic hierarchy. Church liberals will point to the married priests leading Catholic masses as living proof that it's finally time to toss out the celibacy requirement for the clergy.At first glance, the surprising news on Tuesday that Pope Benedict XVI has created a... more

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Vatican Lures Anglicans Back into Fold

Story Highlights * Vatican opens door to disillusioned Anglicans wanting to join... more

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A VIABLE SOLUTION TO WORLD HUNGER?

It takes Silverman a minute to get to the punchline, but it's worth the wait. Brilliant!

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1 month ago
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Pope Warns Africa to avoid the new forms of colonialism - materialism and nihilism

Opening a monthlong meeting in Rome that will be devoted to Africa, where the Roman... more

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1 month ago
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Pope Warns of 'New Colonialism' in Africa

Pope Benedict has warned that a form of colonialism continues to blight Africa.... more

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1 month ago
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Pope vs. Spider - CNN get creative

It can't be easy covering a speech by The Pope when you're a massive American TV... more

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1 month ago
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Pope Spider!

Not sure why I find a story about a spider on the pope so entertaining and funny, but... more

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1 month ago
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End times approach for Catholic church, world

End times approach for Catholic church according to Irish saint Malachy. The 12th... more

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3 months ago
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Kennedy's Letter To The Pope - Excerpts

As someone who is not a Christian, and not even particularly religious, I was still deeply moved by this interchange. You see, I have the utmost respect for people who are truly religious, but still manage to keep their faith a PRIVATE issue. Kennedy did something inexcusable in 1969, and as this confirms, he spent the rest of his life trying to make up for it, through actions that coincided with his faith...
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Shortly before he died from brain cancer, Sen. Ted Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI. President Obama delivered the letter to the pontiff during his visit to the Vatican in July. The following are excerpts from the letter as read by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick at Kennedy's private burial service Saturday in Arlington National Cemetery:

"Most Holy Father, I asked President Obama to personally hand-deliver this letter to you. As a man of deep faith himself, he understands how important my Catholic faith is to me, and I am so deeply grateful to him. I hope this letter finds you in good health.
"I pray that you have all of God's blessings as you lead our Church and inspire our world during these challenging times. I am writing with deep humility to ask that you pray for me as my own health declines. I was diagnosed with brain cancer more than a year ago, and although I continue treatment the disease is taking its toll on me. I am 77 years old, and preparing for the next passage of life.
"I have been blessed to be part of a wonderful family. Both of my parents, particularly my mother, kept our Catholic faith at the center of our lives. That gift of faith has sustained and nurtured, and provided solace to me in the darkest hours.
"I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. I want you to know Your Holiness that in my nearly 50 years of elective office, I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I have worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination, and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty, and fought to end war. Those are the issues that have motivated me and been the focus of my work as a United States Senator.
"I also want you to know that even though I am ill, I am committed to do everything I can to achieve access to health care for everyone in my country. This has been the political cause of my life. I believe in a conscience protection for Catholics in the health field, and I'll continue to advocate for it as my colleagues in the Senate and I work to develop an overall national health policy that guarantees health care for everyone.
"I have always tried to be a faithful Catholic Your Holiness. And though I have fallen short through human failings, I have never failed to believe and respect the fundamental teachings of my faith. I continue to pray for God's blessings on you and on our Church, and would be most thankful for your prayers for me."

Two weeks later, Kennedy received a response from the Vatican. McCarrick read the response in part, as follows:

"The Holy Father has read the letter which you entrusted to President Obama, who kindly presented it to him during their recent meeting. He was saddened to know of your illness, and asked me to assure you of his concern and his spiritual closeness. He is particularly grateful for your promise of prayers for him, for the needs of our universal church. His Holiness prays that in the days ahead, you may be sustained in faith and hope, and granted the precious grace of joyful surrender to the will of God, our merciful father. He invokes upon you the consolation and peace promised by the risen savior to all who share in his sufferings, and trust in his promise of eternal life. Commending you and the members of your family to the loving intervention of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Father cordially imparts his apostolic blessing as a pledge of wisdom, comfort, and strength in the Lord."As someone who is not a Christian, and not even particularly religious, I was still... more