John Paul II

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
- Church in the US, Pope/Trump, Vatican
- May 18, 2017
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.
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Canadians urged to use hands, hearts, heads to end abortion
- Catholic News Service, Global Church
- May 13, 2017
The theme of the 2017 March for Life in Canada was “Life We Stand on Guard for Thee,” the words drawn from the national anthem and intended to a tie into the 150th anniversary of Canada’s birth as a nation.
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Francis’s trip to Fatima will be short, but hardly irrelevant
- Pope in Fatima
- May 10, 2017
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.
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Before proclaiming martyrs, the waiting game is needed
- Commentary, Vatican
- May 6, 2017
Many of those killed in attacks targeting Christians were simply going about their daily affairs when the bomb went off, or the mob arrived. Some of them professed their faith, or at least did not deny it, before death, while others died without even knowing what was happening to them. Before the Church proclaims them all martyrs, the Church needs time to permit a fuller picture of the candidate to emerge. Waiving the mandatory five-year waiting period before opening a cause for canonization makes it harder to do that.
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