Church - 2014

Birth of Jesus. Creative Commons CC0

Why Does Jesus Come?

ChurchLuigi Giussani

Below is Msgr. Luigi Giussani’s 2004 message for Christmas. He reminds js that "...as divine grace, at the appointed time, the Son of God became a child in human history, he took upon himself the rules and the formulas of an existence."

Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

The Humility of the Flesh

ChurchLorenzo Albacete

Monsignor Albacete on Christmas season. Christ's becoming man opens a new horizon for existence since "...his glory no one can see unless healed by the humility of His flesh."

Pope Francis. Wikimedia Commons

Address of Pope Francis to the European Parliament

ChurchPope Francis

An address from Pope Francis to the European Parliment on Tuesday, November 2014. He speaks of unity, human dignity, being as a relationship, and the duty of Europe to protect her citizens.

Pope Benedict XVI. Wikimedia Commons

What We Learned From that Gesture

ChurchIgnacio Carbajosa Pérez

It was February 11, 2013, when Benedict XVI announced his resignation, a decision that left the world agape. Why was it so striking? What consequences did it have in the Church? One year later Pope Benedict’s decision continues to surprise us.

Pope Francis praying in Bethlehem, at the wall that divides Israel and Palestine.

A Crack in the Wall

ChurchAndrea Tornielli

With his surprise invitation to the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, Francis undermined every scheme, including politics. Thus, opening the path toward a peace that is “to be built day by day like an artisan.”

Dome of Saint Peter's Basilica. Wikimedia Commons

Four Men who Have Obeyed Another

ChurchAlessandro Banfi

The meeting at the Saint Peter Gardens in Rome was not a diplomatic one, yet it has the strength of a radical gesture, in which are found the Pope’s nature and our need.

St. Francis from His Window at St. Peter's Square. Flickr

Regina Coeli

ChurchPope Francis

Pope Francis' meditation prior to the recitation of the Regina Coeli in Saint Peter's Square on Monday 21, 2014.

'Saint Francis of Assisi by Artist Jusepe de Ribera via Wikimedia Commons

In His Footsteps

ChurchDavide Perillo

Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s pontificate asks “What is God showing us or asking us to change?" For Guzmán Carriquiry, Secretary of Latin America's Pontifical Commission, the Pope is a continual surprise. Here, we retrace and foresee the Pope's steps.

Pope Francis. Wikimedia Commons

The Fear of Forever

ChurchPope Francis

Address of Pope Francis to Engaged Couples Preparing for Marriage in St. Peter's Square Friday, February 14 2014.

A Street in Mosul, Iraq. Wikimedia Commons

I Remain in Mosul

ChurchLuca Fiore

We interviewed Amel Shamon Nona, The Chaldean archbishop of Mosul on the situation in his city and how the arrival of ISIS has affected his community.

Pope Benedict XVI [L] with Pope Francis [R]

Witnesses Who Made the Essential Visible

ChurchJulián Carrón

We must go back to the situation of the Church in the 1950s to understand the historic importance of the two Popes who are being canonized today. A Church that risked remaining closed in on itself...

Pope John Paul II. Wikimedia Commons

Saint and Father

ChurchAlessandro Banfi

"One of the lines of interpretation of the pontificate of John Paul II concerns the political and strategic consequences of his great pastoral mission." On John Paul II.

Pope Benedict XVI. Photo by Sergey Kozhukhov via Wikimedia Commons

What We Learned From That Gesture

ChurchIgnacio Carbajosa Pérez

“After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry.” A reflection on Pope Benedict XVI's resignation.

Pope Francis. Jeffrey Bruno/Aleteia via Flickr

A Test Case for Society

ChurchAlessandro Banfi

"The Pope starts from the spirit of the times, not to write a sociological analysis but 'something much more in the line of an evangelical discernment.'" A reflection on the extraordinary Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, proposed by Pope

Pope John Paul II. Photo by Rob Croes via Wikimedia Commons

A Love that Responds to the Cry of the Poor

ChurchLorenzo Albacete

"Do you think Pope Francis preaches a Gospel different from the thought of Karol Wojtyla?" Revisiting Pope John Paul II about his views on the social doctrine debate in the Church.