News - 2015

The lapidation of Saint Stephen by Rembrant Harmenszoon van Rijn

Fr. Giussani on St. Stephen, 1944

ChurchLuigi Giussani

"The lesson of Christmas and St Stephen is a lesson of sacrifice, but what is the way we can be able to live it?" We publish Fr. Luigi Giussani's homily on the Feast of Saint Stephen, 1944.

Baby Jesus. Via Wikimedia commons

THE JOYFUL MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS

ChurchC. C. Pecknold

Article published in First Things about the joy of Christmas. "Christmas is beautiful, it is joyful [...] It speaks to everyone’s desire to be happy, and [...] that their happiness cannot be manufactured, it can only be given as a gift."

St. Francis Church, Aleppo, with the dome demolished by a missile.

MERCY IN ALEPPO, SYRIA

Current EventsIbrahim Alsabagh

"This is a time when the doors of the churches are wide open for everybody, not only for the faithful, but also for those who are seeking the Mystery." After being devastated by a bomb, the Church of St. Francis in Aleppo opens its doors to the needy.

People wait for Pope Francis in the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya.

The "Off Road" Pope Concerned Only About Humanity

ChurchPaolo Perego

Aura Miguel, a Vatican correspondent for Lisbon’s Rádio Renascença, accompanied Francis in his visit to Uganda, Kenya and the Central African Republic. In this interview she offers a reflection on what she experienced during those days.

Pope Francis visiting a refugee camp in Bangui. Traces

At the Heart of Africa

Current EventsAlessandra Stoppa

“Africa is a martyr. That is why I love it.” The Pope wanted at all costs to open the Holy Year in the Central African Republic. From there, he asked everyone to pass over to “the other shore.”

Fr. Julián Carrón

The Truth will Set you Free

Current Events

The following is the question and answer session following Fr. Carrón’s remarks at the University of Notre Dame, November 21, 2015.

Julián Carrón. Courtesy of the Meeting of Rimini

Interview: 10 Years at The Head of Communion and Liberation

Current EventsLuca Marcolivio

"If the faith is truly lived seriously, it is able to meet all the desire of fullness that a person desires when not finding another." We publish an interview with Julián Carrón in light of ten years as head of Communion and Liberation.

Ugandan Students. Traces

Whether I Laugh or Cry, I Want to be Here

SchoolAlessandra Stoppa

This article describes a bit of the three days spent visiting the CL community of Kampala, a small group of people who are like water boiling in a pot where, if it is not one person it is another who awakens and reawakens the person close by.

Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, Aleppo

October 25 in Aleppo

Current EventsIbrahim Alsabagh

Fr. Ibrahim sends a letter after the Cathedral of Aleppo was attacked by jihadists. "... We were in fact, protected under the mantle of our heavenly mother Mary."

Syrian and Iraqi refugees arrive in Greece. Photo by Ggia via Wikimedia Commons

POPE MAKES A PLEA ON BEHALF OF REFUGEES

ChurchAVSI USA

During his US trip, we heard Pope Francis give a powerful plea to our nation on behalf of refugees, urging us not to be taken aback by the great numbers but to always treat displaced people as human beings.

Pope Francis in the United States.

Caught off Guard

ChurchAndrea Tornielli

Commentary on the Pope’s visit in Cuba and the United States. From the intervention at the UN to the little school in Harlem. Days of weighty gestures and humble admonitions: the disarming power of the Gospel outlasted every challenge and category...

Students in the FilmAid program. Traces

Good News from Dabaab

SchoolDavide Perillo

The Dadaab refugee camp is the world’s largest, and at its center there is a black hole: the future. Even so, Maria Leitao works here to educate young people to be film directors. Here, where “human hope is non existent,” something is happening.

Father Junípero Serra

The Canonization of the Father of California

ChurchDamian Bacich

"Friar Junípero’s witness calls upon us to get involved, personally, in the mission to the whole continent." In light of the canonization of Father Junípero Serra, we publish an overview of his life, his call to mission and his canonization.

Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, 44 years, Franciscan of the Order of Friars Minor in Custody of the Holy Land. Traces

The Fragrance of Christ Amidst the Bombs

Current EventsIbrahim Alsabagh

Excerpts from the presentation by Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, pastor of Latin Rite Catholics in Aleppo, who told the story of life in the “line of fire.” Just 50 yards from terrorists...

CLU kids on pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help.

Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help

SchoolJulián Carrón

Fr. Julián Carrón shared a message with the CLU pilgrims as they departed for their journey to Our Lady of Good Help.

The Calling of Saint Matthew by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

The Caress of Mercy

ChurchPope Francis

"Only those who have been caressed by the tenderness of mercy truly know the Lord." We publish the address of the Holy Father Francis to the Movement of Communion and Liberation in Saint Peter’s Square on the tenth anniversary of Msgr. Giussani's passing.

Scenes from the life of Saint Francis, Sermon to the Birds by Giotto

Our Commmon Home

ChurchPaolo Martinelli

Recovering wonder at “the gift of creation”: the only way to recover our sense of personal responsibility. Amidst the pages of Laudato Si’, Fr. Paolo Martinelli, Capuchin and Auxiliary Bishop of Milan, finds a call to holiness.