John Paul II Archives

Pope calls for an end to ‘collective and arbitrary’ expulsion of migrants
- Vatican
- August 21, 2017
In a message for the Vatican-sponsored “World Day of Migrants and Refugees,” set for Jan. 14, Pope Francis called the “lamentable situation” of migrants and refugees fleeing war, persecution, natural disasters and poverty a “sign of the times,” and called for nations to rise up to the challenge of “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees.”
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Rebuilt from the ashes: The story of an American basilica
- Catholic News Agency, Church in the US
- July 4, 2017
Today, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception plays a vital role not only as the only Catholic basilica in Virginia, but also as an important anchor of the neighborhood. The basilica operates a “robust” set of outreach ministries to local families, including rent assistance and food aid, serving thousands of people.
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Secretary of two popes sheds light on their daily lives
- Associated Press, Global Church
- June 15, 2017
A book of interviews with the Polish Reverend Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, “Secretary of Two Popes,” recounts the experience of being close to Pope John Paul II and Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. The book reveals that the now Saint John Paul mused about retiring as pope and Benedict’s love for playing the piano and stray cats.
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Francis and Trump: Latest in tumultuous Vatican-U.S. relationship

When Pope Francis meets Donald Trump, it will be the latest chapter in a story that goes back to George Washington. The Vatican and the United States have never seen eye to eye on everything, but they both understand the important role each has to play in international affairs.

Francis’s trip to Fatima will be short, but hardly irrelevant

His May 12-13 outing to Fatima is considered by many observers as the easiest of Francis’s foreign trips so far, with security concerns not being as high as they were when he visited an active war zone when he went to the Central African Republic, nor as politically charged as his two-day trip to Egypt last month. Nonetheless, it’s far from irrelevant.