Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation of Bishops, said in Toronto that Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, is a controversial document, but that it has not introduced any change to existing Catholic doctrine. The Canadian-born cardinal spoke during the closing address of the States Dinner at the 134th Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus. “Before concluding,” he said, digressing from his prepared remarks, “let me say a word about the papal document, Amoris Laetitia, that was born of the two recent Synods on the Family.” “In all honesty, I think that controversies around Amoris Laetitia are understandable, but, in all confidence, I believe they might even be fruitful in the end.” Titled Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love, the April 8 document is the conclusion of a two-year synod process at the Vatican that gathered hundreds of bishops from around the world to discuss both the beauty and challenges of family life today. Both of the synods sparked controversy amid speculation over whether there would be a change in the Church’s practice that the divorced-and-civilly remarried may not receive Communion. In accordance with the words of Jesus that “anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery,” the Church says that those living in adultery – or any other unrepentant grave sin – may not receive Communion. In his 1981 exhortation Familiaris consortio, St. John Paul II wrote, “The Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried.” In his new document, Francis stresses the importance of individual discernment over one-size-fits-all style rules. In chapter eight – a section that particularly sparked controversy – he suggested that in some cases, a person who is divorced-and-civilly-remarried may not be in a state of mortal sin, due to mitigating factors such as a lack of full knowledge and consent.

The 2016 United States elections are a time of tension and reflection for many Americans. For Catholic bishops, it's not so different. “It's always a joy to be a bishop, it’s always a challenge to be a bishop,” Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York told CNA. “I think in an election year, the challenges might outweigh the joys.” He said bishops have the same duties and concerns as other Americans. “We're American citizens, we’re responsible, we’re loyal, we’re thoughtful. We study the issues, we try our best to be engaged in the process,” he said. “We're also pastors, so we try to remind our people of those basic biblical values, those classical Catholic values that have guided us through the ages, particularly as articulated by John Paul II: the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of human life, solidarity. “Those are three things that we keep hammering away on. And we trust that our people under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit will make the right decision.” Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore also reflected on the state of the country. “It’s always a grace and a challenge to be a bishop, and it’s an especially bracing challenge during an election year,” he told CNA. In such a time, he said, bishops need “to teach, and teach clearly … that which is most important.” All the moral issues that face the U.S. are important and deserving of respect, he maintained. “There are some that are truly life or death,” he said, referring to issues of human dignity and its “obliteration.” For Archbishop Lori, bishops must provide guidance: “We certainly have to lay out the issues clearly and in their proper order.”

Pope Francis has lamented that children are being taught at school that gender can be a choice, adding that his predecessor, Benedict XVI has labeled current times "the epoch of sin against God the Creator." Francis weighed in with his view on gender and what he said was that of the emeritus pontiff while meeting privately last week with bishops from Poland during his pilgrimage there. The Vatican released a transcript Tuesday of those closed-door remarks. The pope said he wanted to conclude his remarks by reflecting on this: "We are living a moment of annihilation of man as image of God." Francis said: "Today, in schools they are teaching this to children -- to children! -- that everyone can choose their gender." Without specifying, he blamed this on textbooks supplied by "persons and institutions who donate money." The pope blamed what he called "ideological colonizing" backed by "very influential countries" which he didn't identify, adding "this is terrible." One such "colonization" he said -- "I'll say it clearly with its first and last name -- is gender." The "colonization" theme is one he has railed against before, including during an Asian pilgrimage in 2015. This time, though, he volunteered that he has discussed the gender issue with Benedict, who has lived at the Vatican since retiring in 2013. "Speaking with Pope Benedict, who is well, and has a clear mind, he was telling me: 'Holiness, this is the epoch of sin against God the Creator.' He's intelligent! God created man and woman, God created the world this way, this way, this way, and we are doing the opposite," Francis told the Polish bishops Wednesday shortly after his arrival in Krakow at the start of a five-day pilgrimage. Francis' ended by telling the Polish bishops he wanted them to reflect on this: "We must think about what Pope Benedict said -- 'It's the epoch of sin against God the Creator.'"

Although both major 2016 vice presidential nominees were raised Catholic and still profess to be Christians, their public policy records have drawn concern from some members of the faithful. The “free exercise” of religion “is not simply about what you do in Church on Sunday morning,” Deacon Keith Fournier of the Common Good Foundation told CNA. “It’s how you exercise that faith in every sector, whether it’s commerce, politics, participation – all of it.” Both major nominees for vice president are baptized Catholics. Virginia Senator Tim Kaine still identifies as a Catholic and was seen at Sunday Mass on July 24 after he was picked by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to be her running mate. Indiana Governor Mike Pence, meanwhile, was raised Catholic but identified in 1994 as a “born-again, evangelical Catholic.” He started attending an evangelical megachurch with his family in the 1990s. It is unclear which church Pence attends now. “I’m a pretty ordinary Christian,” freelance journalist Craig Fehrman reported him saying. Pence told the audience at the Republican National Convention that he was a “Christian, conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” Both Pence and Kaine have drawn controversy for their public policy positions. While Sen. Kaine has said he’s “personally opposed” to abortion, he has received a 100 percent rating in 2016 from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the nation’s largest abortion provider, and a perfect rating in 2015 from NARAL Pro-Choice America. More recently, it was reported that he privately told Hillary Clinton that he would support overturning the Hyde Amendment, a 40 year-old policy that prevents federal dollars from directly funding most abortions.

Mercy is not an abstract concept but a lifestyle that invites Christians to make an examination of conscience and ask themselves if they place the spiritual and material needs of others before their own, Pope Francis said. A Christian who chooses to be merciful experiences true life and has "eyes to see, ears to listen, and hands to comfort," the pope said June 30 during a Year of Mercy audience in St. Peter's Square. "That which makes mercy alive is its constant dynamism to go out searching for the needy and the needs of those who are in spiritual or material hardship," he said. By being indifferent to the plight of the poor and suffering, the pope said, Christians turn into "hypocrites" and move toward a "spiritual lethargy that numbs the mind and makes life barren." "People who go through life, who walk in life without being aware of the needs of others, without seeing the many spiritual and material needs are people who do not live," he said. "They are people who do not serve others. And remember this well: One who does not live to serve, serves nothing in life." Instead, he continued, those who have experienced the mercy of God in their own lives do not remain insensitive to the needs of others. Far from theoretical issues, the works of mercy are a "concrete witness" that compel Christians to "roll up their sleeves in order to ease suffering." Pope Francis also called on the faithful to remain vigilant and to focus on Christ present, especially in those suffering due to a globalized "culture of well-being." "Look at Jesus; look at Jesus in the hungry, in the prisoner, in the sick, in the naked, in the person who does not have a job to support his family. Look at Jesus in these brothers and sisters of ours. Look at Jesus in those who are alone, sad, in those who make a mistake and need advice, in those who need to embark on the path with him in silence so they may feel accompanied," he said. "These are the works that Jesus asks of us. To look at Jesus in them, in these people. Why? Because Jesus also looks at me, looks at you, in that way." Concluding his catechesis, Pope Francis recalled his visit to Armenia June 24-26, thanking the people of Armenia who, throughout their history, "have given witness to the Christian faith through martyrdom." While thanking Armenian Apostolic Catholics Karekin II for his hospitality, the pope stressed that in making the visit alongside the patriarch, he was reminding Catholics of the importance of strengthening bonds with other Christians as another way "of giving witness to the Gospel and being leaven for a more just and united society."

In his first public address in almost a year, retired Pope Benedict XVI expressed his sincere gratefulness to Pope Francis, saying that his goodness "from the first moment of your election, in every moment of my life here, touches me deeply." "More than the beauty found in the Vatican Gardens, your goodness is the place where I live; I feel protected," Pope Benedict said June 28. Pope Benedict also conveyed his hope that Pope Francis would continue to "lead us all on this path of divine mercy that shows the path of Jesus, to Jesus and to God." Pope Francis led a Vatican celebration for the 65th anniversary of Pope Benedict's priestly ordination. The two were joined by the heads of Vatican offices and congregations and several guests, including a delegation from the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Those gathered gave Pope Benedict a standing ovation as he made his way into the Clementine Hall and took his seat to the right of the pope's chair. A few minutes later, Pope Francis entered the hall and made a beeline for his predecessor, who respectfully removed his zucchetto before greeting him. Pope Francis has made no secret of his admiration for the retired pontiff, often comparing him to a "wise grandfather at home." During his return flight to Rome from Armenia June 26, Pope Francis praised Pope Benedict for "protecting me and having my back with his prayers." Recalling Pope Benedict's promise of obedience to his successor in the days leading up to the conclave, Pope Francis said he had heard that some people have been "sent away" by the retired pontiff after complaining "about this new pope." "If (the report) isn't true, it is well-founded, because this man is like that: a man of his word, a righteous man!" Pope Francis exclaimed. Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Pope Francis praised Pope Benedict's life of priestly service to the church and recalled his writings on Simon Peter's response to "Jesus' definitive call: 'Do you love me?'" "This is the hallmark dominating an entire life spent in priestly service and of the true theology that you have defined -- not by chance -- as 'the search for the beloved.' It is this that you have always given witness to and continue to give witness to today," he said. Even in retirement, he said, Pope Benedict continues to serve the church and "truly contributes with vigor and wisdom to its growth" from the "little 'Mater Ecclesiae' monastery in the Vatican." The monastery, Pope Francis continued, is the complete opposite of those "forgotten corners" society often assigns to those who have reached old age. Instead, like the Porziuncola where St. Francis spent his final days in prayer, the Mater Ecclesiae monastery "has become a 'Franciscan' place that emanates tranquility, peace, strength, faithfulness, maturity, faith, dedication and loyalty which does so much good for me and gives strength to me and to the whole church," Pope Francis said. Congratulating his predecessor, Pope Francis expressed his hope that Pope Benedict "would continue to feel the hand of the merciful God that sustains him" and that he may "experience and give witness to God's love." When Pope Francis finished speaking, Pope Benedict clasped his hands together and signaled his thanks to the pope. With a bit of effort, he rose to his feet and stretched out his arms to embrace Pope Francis. After short speeches by Cardinal Gerhard Muller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, the retired pontiff slowly stood up once again to express his gratitude. Despite his frailty, Pope Benedict vividly recalled his ordination 65 years ago, remembering a Greek word a priest ordained with him wrote on the remembrance card of his first Mass: "Eucharistomen" ("We give you thanks"). "I am convinced that this word, in its many dimensions, has already said everything that can be said in this moment," the retired pope said. The word "eucharistomen," he added, can bring everyone closer toward that "new dimension" of thanksgiving given by Christ, who transformed the cross, sufferings and the evils of the world "into grace and blessing." "We want to insert ourselves in this grace of the Lord and thus truly receive the newness of life and help in the transubstantiation of the world. May it be a world not of death but of life, a world in which love has overcome death," he said.

The superior general of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X said Pope Francis, rather than denouncing errors in Catholic doctrine, has "encouraged" them. "The Society of St. Pius X prays and does penance for the pope, that he might have the strength to proclaim Catholic faith and morals in their entirety," said a statement published June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, patron saints of the church of Rome. Bishop Bernard Fellay, superior general of the society, issued the statement after a meeting June 25-28 of the group's leaders. The society has been in talks with the Vatican in a search for a way to reintegrate it and its members fully into the life of the Catholic Church. Bishop Fellay met personally with Pope Francis in April, which seemed to signal that progress was being made. Talks with the group began under St. John Paul II and continued throughout the papacy of now-retired Pope Benedict XVI. St. John Paul had excommunicated Bishop Fellay and other leaders of the society in 1988 when they were ordained without papal permission. Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, founder of the society and the bishop who ordained them, also was excommunicated; he died in 1991. Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications in 2009. In the statement June 29, Bishop Fellay said that "in the great and painful confusion that currently reigns in the church, the proclamation of Catholic doctrine requires the denunciation of errors that have made their way into it and are unfortunately encouraged by a large number of pastors, including the pope himself." The statement did not specify the "errors" it was referring to or how the society believes Pope Francis is encouraging them. While the society "has a right" to full canonical recognition, he said, its primary aim is to teach the fullness of Catholic faith, "which shows the only route to follow in this age of darkness in which the cult of man replaces the worship of God, in society as in the church." "The 'restoration of all things in Christ' intended by St. Pius X, following St. Paul (cf. Eph. 1:10), cannot happen without the support of a pope who concretely favors the return to sacred tradition," the statement said. "While waiting for that blessed day, the Society of St. Pius X intends to redouble its efforts to establish and to spread, with the means that divine providence gives to it, the social reign of Our Lord Jesus Christ."

With his visit to World Youth Day only a few days away, Pope Francis asked young pilgrims to accompany his visit to Krakow, Poland, with prayers. Leaving for Poland July 27 "to meet up with these young men and women and celebrate with them and for them the Jubilee of Mercy, with the intercession of St. John Paul II, I ask you to accompany me with prayer," the pope said July 24 during his Angelus address. The pope thanked the volunteers, bishops, priests and men and women religious "who are working to welcome these young pilgrims." In a message for youths unable to make it to the event, he said, "A special word to the many youth of their same age who, unable to be present personally, will follow the event through the media: We are all united in prayer!" Prayer was the main theme of the pope's reflection prior to reciting the Angelus with thousands of visitors in St. Peter's Square. Recalling the day's Gospel reading, in which Jesus teaches his disciples the Lord's prayer, the pope said the word 'father' is the secret to Jesus' prayer. That word, the pope said, "is the key that he himself gives us so that we can also enter into this relationship of trusting dialogue with the father who has accompanied and sustained his life." Pope Francis explained that prayer is the primary "work tool in our hands" and that to insist on something with God is not meant to "convince him, but rather to strengthen our faith and our patience, that is, our capacity to fight beside God for the things that are truly important and necessary." "In prayer we are a pair: God and me, fighting together for what is important. Among these, there is one, the great important thing, which Jesus tells us today in the Gospel, but which we hardly ever consider, and it is the Holy Spirit: 'Grant to me the Holy Spirit!'" he said. In asking for the Holy Spirit, he concluded, Christians can live their lives with "wisdom, with love, doing the will of God," like Mary. "The Virgin Mary shows us this with her existence, wholly animated by the Spirit of God. She helps us to pray to the father united to Jesus, so as to live not in a worldly way, but in accordance with the Gospel, guided by the Holy Spirit," the pope said.

Tears and not words. Prayers and not greetings. During his trip to Poland for World Youth Day, Pope Francis will go to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp. He said he wants to go alone and say nothing. When Pope Francis speaks, he can delight fans and frustrate critics. He can wax poetic or be bluntly funny about human quirks. But in the face of great suffering and horror, his first and strongest inclinations are silence, a profoundly bowed head and hands clasped tightly in prayer. Pope Francis had asked that there be no speeches during his visit to Armenia's genocide memorial June 25. At times, even the prayer service there with the Armenian Apostolic patriarch seemed too wordy. An aide gently cupped his elbow when it was time to end the silent reflection and begin the service. The Vatican's schedule for the pope's visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau July 29 had him giving a speech at the international monument at Birkenau, just as St. John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI did. But on the flight back to Rome from Armenia, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told Pope Francis, "I heard that you want to live that moment more with silence than words." The pope responded by reminding reporters that in 2014 when he went to Redipuglia in northern Italy to mark the 100th anniversary of World War I, "I went in silence," walking alone among the graves. "Then there was the Mass and I preached at Mass, but that was something else." Speaking about his planned visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, "I would like to go to that place of horror without speeches, without crowds -- only the few people necessary," he said. "Alone, enter, pray. And may the Lord give me the grace to cry." Father Lombardi confirmed June 30 that the official program had been changed and the pope would not give a speech at the death camp. But it is not that Pope Francis has nothing to say about the horror of the Shoah, the importance of remembering it and the need to continue fighting anti-Semitism. "The past must be a lesson to us for the present and the future," he said during a visit to Rome's synagogue. "The Shoah teaches us that maximum vigilance is always needed in order to intervene quickly in defense of human dignity and peace."

Here is a question that I have been pondering recently. Are the journalists of today trained to insert their own opinion into each story they write? Has the idea of journalistic integrity gone the way of murder being acceptable to society? A reporter asked Pope Francis the following question, "In the days following the shooting in Orlando, many have said that the Christian community had something to do with this hate toward these people. What do you think?" The beginning of his response follows. "I will repeat what I said on my first trip. I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally. One can condemn, but not for theological reasons, but for reasons of political behavior...Certain manifestations are a bit too offensive for others, no? ... But these are things that have nothing to do with the problem. The problem is a person that has a condition, that has good will and who seeks God, who are we to judge? And we must accompany them well...this is what the catechism says, a clear catechism. Then there are traditions in some countries, in some cultures that have a different mentality on this problem. I think that the Church must not only ask forgiveness – like that “Marxist Cardinal” said (laughs) – must not only ask forgiveness to the gay person who is offended. But she must ask forgiveness to the poor too, to women who are exploited, to children who are exploited for labor. She must ask forgiveness for having blessed so many weapons. The Church must ask forgiveness for not behaving many times – when I say the Church, I mean Christians! The Church is holy, we are sinners!" Nothing has been redacted or rewritten. Now think about how this response has been presented. It appears we need to pray for truth from our journalists today. God give them wisdom and morals that allow them to do their job ethically.

Like Moses before the burning bush, those talking about the real-life situations of families must take off their sandals because they are standing on holy ground, Pope Francis said. The pastoral care of families requires "a climate of respect capable of helping us listen to what God is saying," the pope said June 16, opening the Diocese of Rome's annual pastoral conference. The families, catechists, priests and bishops participating in the two-day meeting were focusing this year on outreach to families in Rome in light of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family, "Amoris Laetitia" ("The Joy of Love"). In the question-and-answer session, he assured participants that his exhortation was thoroughly reviewed by Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna, a respected theologian. The document, he said, fully conforms to Catholic doctrine, but some people "want doctrine that is mathematically precise. That does not exist!" "Truth is found in neither strictness nor laxity," the pope said. "The Gospel teaches something different: welcome, accompany, discern, integrate." A priest must listen to each family, ask questions that help the person reflect and grow, but "not sticking his nose into every detail" of the couple's life, the pope said. "Morality is always an act of love, love for God and for one's neighbor, he said. "And it also is an act that leaves room for the conversion of the other." An attitude of superiority, he said, can even lead to "pastoral cruelty," for example when a priest refuses to baptize the baby of an unwed mother. In his formal presentation, Pope Francis said that as the diocesan gathering reflects on the family, participants must keep three things in mind: "the life of each person, the life of every family, must be treated with great respect and great care, especially when reflecting on these things; we must guard against setting up a pastoral plan of ghettos and for ghettos; we must give space to the elderly so they would begin to dream again." The biblical image of the burning bush, Pope Francis said, should be a reminder that "family" is not a theme or a theory, but a reality lived by real people with real joys and sorrows.

Following Saturday night's shooting at a nightclub in Orlando that killed 50 people, Catholic leaders from around the U.S. are offering prayers for the victims and their families. “Waking up to the unspeakable violence in Orlando reminds us of how precious human life is,” said Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, president of the U.S. Catholic bishops conference, in a statement. “Our prayers are with the victims, their families and all those affected by this terrible act.” In the early hours of June 12, a gunman identified as 29-year-old Omar Mateen exchanged fire with a police officer working at Pulse nightclub, which has a predominantly gay clientele. Mateen, who was from Florida and was of Afghan descent, took hostages for as much as three hours, and was shot to death by Swat officers. Though the mass violence is thought to be ideologically motivated, he was not known to have links to any terrorist groups. Another 53 persons were injured in the shooting. The death toll makes the Orlando shooting the worst in United States history. “We pray for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando this morning, their families & our first responders. May the Lord's Mercy be upon us,” Bishop John Noonan of Orlando tweeted June 12. Bishop Noonan was joined in mourning and prayer by Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, who tweeted: “Please join me in praying for the victims of violence, and their families and loved ones, in Orlando.” Bishop William Lori of Baltimore also voiced his grief over the shooting in a tweet sent from his archdiocese, asking as well for prayers for the victims. In his statement, Archbishop Kurtz wrote that the “merciful love of Christ calls us to solidarity with the suffering and to ever greater resolve in protecting the life and dignity of every person.”

Two minutes and thirty seconds is all it took for Sean Bryan to complete the Los Angeles qualifier round of American Ninja Warrior. The season eight premiere of the hit NBC/Esquire show – which follows competitors as they try to complete obstacles courses of increasing difficulty – featured the amateur flying through every obstacle. He even climbed the newly designed, 14.5-foot Warped Wall on his first try. Bryan claimed 4th place and ranked among the show’s veterans, but something else caught everyone’s attention. On Bryan’s bright, yellow shirt was written: ‘Papal Ninja’. “I thought, how could I be a bit more explicit about my faith,” Bryan told CNA, “because it is quite explicit in my life.” The 31-year-old is an active member of the Catholic Church. His story, and the mystery behind his chosen competition name, were highlighted on American Ninja Warrior this month. The show explained Bryan’s history as a gymnast for the University of California, Berkley. While studying physics, Bryan competed mostly on parallel bars and rings. His team earned fifth place in the NCAA championship. It then revealed how Bryan discerned the priesthood with the Salesians of Don Bosco in California. Though Bryan discerned out, the episode showed how he stayed with the Salesians to finish his Masters in Theology with a Salesian Studies Concentration at the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology. The episode followed Bryan, who has now earned the degree, as he continues to live with the Salesians and help them as an assistant to the director, and special projects manager. He even turned their garage into an American Ninja Warrior training facility. Bryan also owns his own freelance design and videography business and works as the project manager for the Lay Mission Project – an initiative by the Western Dominican province, Diocese of Sacramento, Catherine of Siena Institute, Institute of Salesian Studies, and Our Sunday Visitor – to form lay Catholics ‘for the sake of animating the mission of the Church to secular society.’

In a recent article in “America” magazine, Grant Kaplan, commenting on the challenge of the resurrection, makes this comment: “Unlike previous communities in which the bond among members forges itself through those it excludes and scapegoats, the gratuity of the resurrection allows for a community shaped by forgiven-forgivers.” What he is saying, among other things, is that mostly we form community through demonizing and exclusion, that is, we bond with each other more on the basis of what we are against and what we hate than on the basis of what we are for and hold precious. The cross and the resurrection, and the message of Jesus in general, invite us to a deeper maturity within which we are invited to form community with each other on the basis of love and inclusion rather than upon hatred and demonization. Read more.

In so many encyclicals and papal exhortations, the biblical sections, often near the beginning, are the best, and to me, the most helpful. If you want to know about the value and inviolability of human life, read the beginning and especially Chapter 2 of St. John Paul II’s “Evangelium Vitae” (The Gospel of Life). Or, if you want to understand the Catholic Church’s social teaching, focusing on human development driven by charity and truth, read Pope Benedict XVI’s introduction and first chapter in “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). Pope Francis wants to get a bit more practical than the style of encyclicals, so he writes “exhortations.” But again, the Catholic and papal vision of love in the family can best be found in Chapter 1 of “Amoris Laetitia” (The Joy of Love), just recently published. Read more.

Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, Adoration of the Magi, will soon be undergoing testing that could help digitally reconstruct the artist’s face and offer clues about his life and health. According to the U.K. outlet Sky News, researchers with California’s J Craig Venter Institute, the pioneer behind human  genome sequencing, will be searching for hairs and flakes of skin on Da Vinci’s paintings and notebooks. Genetic analysis will be performed, and DNA will be compared to Da Vinci’s known living relatives, and that taken from his parents’ graves. Scientists hope to determine the eye color, hair color, skin tone, and face shape of the Renaissance master. These details could add to the evidence in existence about his appearance. Health information could also be discovered.

Conscience is the faculty of human reason that makes practical judgments regarding what is morally right or wrong. In the search for truth, a person should always turn to a respected authority for enlightenment. Catholics are encouraged to turn to the teaching authority of the church, namely to what’s referred to as the magisterium. But those who act in a way that differs from the letter of the law cannot be presumed to be doing so in bad faith. The decision to do what is right or wrong always remains a personal one. Catholics are bound to follow their conscience. In the case of Catholics who have remarried without the benefit of an annulment, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith teaches that Catholics whose “nullity of marriage cannot be demonstrated” are not permitted to receive the Eucharist, unless special permission has been given them to live as “brother and sister.” Read more.

As he received the prestigious Charlemagne Prize, Pope Francis laid out his vision for a renewed European continent in what could easily be his own version of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. In the address Francis said “I dream of a new European humanism” – one based on fresh ideas and a revamped economy that promotes integration and respect for human dignity. Europe has become tired and “entrenched,” he said, and voiced hope that the continent’s leaders would be able to “draw inspiration from the past in order to confront with courage the complex multipolar framework of our own day.” He asked that European leaders “take up with determination the challenge of updating the idea of Europe” – a Europe capable of giving birth to “a new humanism” based on the core abilities to integrate, dialogue and generate new ideas and solutions to complex modern issues. “I dream of a Europe that is young, still capable of being a mother: a mother who has life because she respects life and offers hope for life. I dream of a Europe that cares for children, that offers fraternal help to the poor and those newcomers seeking acceptance because they have lost everything,” he said. He expressed his desire for a Europe “where being a migrant is not a crime but a summons to greater commitment on behalf of the dignity of every human being,” and where youth can “breathe the pure air of honesty” in a culture that is “undefiled by the insatiable needs of consumerism.” The Pope said he also longed for a culture in which “getting married and having children is a responsibility and a great joy, not a problem due to the lack of stable employment. I dream of a Europe of families, with truly effective policies concentrated on faces rather than numbers, on birth rates more than rates of consumption.” “I dream of a Europe that promotes and protects the rights of everyone, without neglecting its duties towards all,” he said, and voiced his hope for a Europe “of which it will not be said that its commitment to human rights was its last utopia.” Pope Francis received the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen inside the Vatican’s Sala Regia as an award for his for efforts toward the unification of Europe – an event which drew leaders from across Europe to discuss the state of the European Union.

Holy Apostle's Church in Pimlico, central London, recently hosted two performances of Sing It! - a musical about the Ten Commandments performed and stage crewed by more than 70 parish children. The primary purpose of doing the play was to give the children an equal opportunity to learn performing arts and religious education. The secondary motive was to fundraise for their twin parish in Turkana and to start a fund for future similar dual purpose activities for the children. The premise of Sing It! is simply this: the easiest way to remember the Ten Commandments is through song. They certainly proved their point! The performance was engaging in that unique way only children can commandeer. They danced, they sang and they acted with a purity of heart that was irresistible! The children were primary school students, and logistically divided into six teams and a stage team for easier management and rehearsing. The director, designer, marionette maker etc was the talented Gigi Ybarra, Parish Pastoral Council chair. She was supported by a huge team of mothers, dads and parishioners. They even had a special arts and crafts day in preparation for the event. With sewing machines whirling, scissors cutting and paints brushes busy the group made costumes, scenery and props. Children were trained to do lighting, sound effects and music by Ian Millar and Eileen Sheedy was the technical adviser. The clever usage of a projector screen, approximately 2.5m by 4m, gave each of the ten scenes a memorable visual backdrop.

A prominent Catholic philosopher and close friend of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI said Thursday that Pope Francis’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia is a “breach” with Catholic tradition and directly contradicts the teachings of Pope St. John Paul II in his exhortation Familiaris Consortio. "If the pope is not willing to make a correction, it is up to another pontificate to officially put things back into order." Professor Robert Spaemann told the Catholic News Agency’s German branch that changing the Church’s sacramental practice would be “a breach with its essential anthropological and theological teaching on human marriage and sexuality.” “It is clear to every thinking person who knows the texts that are important in this context that [with Amoris Laetitia] there is a breach” with the Church’s Tradition, Spaemann said. The professor’s remarks were translated by Dr. Maike Hickson in an article at OnePeterFive. In Familiaris Consortio, Pope St. John Paul II upheld the Church’s longstanding approach to the question of admitting to the Sacraments remarried divorcees, by writing:

…the Church reaffirms her practice, which is based upon Sacred Scripture, of not admitting to Eucharistic Communion divorced persons who have remarried. They are unable to be admitted thereto from the fact that their state and condition of life objectively contradict that union of love between Christ and the Church which is signified and effected by the Eucharist. Besides this, there is another special pastoral reason: if these people were admitted to the Eucharist, the faithful would be led into error and confusion regarding the Church's teaching about the indissolubility of marriage.

Footnote 351 of Amoris Laetitia seemingly contradicts the above passage by asserting that in certain cases, integrating back into the Church the divorced and remarried and others in “irregular” situations “can include the help of the sacraments.”  The footnote then mentions both Confession and the Eucharist. Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Maria Santissima in Astana, Kazakhstan criticized Amoris Laetitia for its lack of clarity on the subject.  “Analyzing some of the affirmations of AL with an honest understanding, as they are in their own context, one finds that there is a difficulty in interpreting them according to the traditional doctrine of the Church,” wrote Schneider. Spaemann also condemned the exhortation’s seeming embrace of “situation ethics” as opposed to universal norms and its call to not judge people’s actions that directly contradict the Church’s sexual ethics. “When it comes to sexual relations which are in objective contradiction to the Christian order of life, I would like to know from the pope after which time period and under which conditions such an objectively sinful behavior becomes a conduct which is pleasing to God,” said Spaemann.  By turning “chaos into principle” with “one stroke of a pen,” Pope Francis is leading the Church “into the direction of schism,” Spaemann said—and he warned that such a schism would not be “at the periphery, but in the middle of the Church.”  Spaemann also warned that Amoris Laetitia may be used to bully faithful priests.

What do a grilled cheese sandwich and the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe have in common? Both bore what appeared to be images of Mary. One was determined to be authentically miraculous, the other was not. Not to spoil any secrets, but it’s not Our Lady of the Grilled Cheese that converted Mexico and continues to draw millions of people on pilgrimage every year. But have you ever wondered just how the Church determines the bogus from the divinely appointed? In his new book, “Exploring the Miraculous,” Michael O’Neill gives readers a crash course of sorts in “Miracles 101” - including common questions about the importance of miracles, an explanation of the approval process, and descriptions of the various types of miracles found within the Catholic Church. “This is a very rare book in that it tries to cover the entire spectrum of miracles within the Catholic Church,” O’Neill told CNA. Catholics by definition are people who have to believe in at least two miracles, O’Neill said - that of Christ’s incarnation and his resurrection, two pillars on which the Catholic faith rests. For modern-day miracles, belief is never required of the faithful. The highest recognition that the Church gives to an alleged miracle is that it is “worthy of belief.” Investigations of reported miraculous events – which include extensive fact-finding, psychological examination and theological evaluation – may result in a rejection if the event is determined to be fraudulent or lacking in super natural character. Or the Church may take a middle road, declaring that there is nothing contrary to the faith in a supposed apparition, without making a determination on whether a supernatural character is present. But while official investigations can take years, the mere report of a miracle can bring Catholics from long distances, hoping to see some glimpse of the divine reaching into the human.

Sharing and celebrating the joy of faith with thousands of Catholic teenagers from around the globe was a rare moment that not many people are able to experience, a U.S. teen said. "It was a different atmosphere than what I'm used to, but it's good because it shows that the beauty of the Catholic Church is there," Emily Sullivan told Catholic News Service April 25. Emily, her brother Ryan and parents Matt and Susan, came from North Carolina to participate in the Year of Mercy celebration for young teens April 23-24 in Rome. Both siblings, who are preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, said that despite the language barrier, they were able to join in singing and praying during the April 23 youth rally at Rome's Olympic Stadium. "It was awesome; the energy was insane," Emily said. "The people knew all the lyrics and they were jamming out. So we came up with a couple of words that we could sing along. It was really cool to be in that atmosphere." To see so many Catholic teens in one place was "definitely encouraging," she added. For Ryan, attending the April 24 Mass in St. Peter's Square was the highlight of his pilgrimage. "It was great seeing the pope," and "meeting other people and seeing the city" was "all good," he told CNS. "We will make our confirmation in two weeks so it was definitely great to see the history of the church and (meet) other people who are Catholic because where we live, there's not as big of a following," Emily said. In his homily, Pope Francis told the more than 100,000 teens present that happiness "is not an 'app' that you can download on your phones" and that love leads to true freedom, which is a gift that comes from "being able to choose good." The pope's message, Emily said, encouraged people "to go back to the church at the end of the day, not your phone." Their mother Susan told CNS she hopes that attending the jubilee event will give her children a "fuller and richer experience" as they prepare to receive confirmation in two weeks. "It was really important for me and for them to have this experience," she said. "To be that close (to Pope Francis) as he was celebrating Mass was truly, I hope, a life-changing experience for them that reaffirms their faith."

April 23 marks the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, the playwright, poet, and actor widely considered to be the most influential literary figure in the English language. Yet, there's one mystery which continues to elude scholars to even this day: what exactly was Shakespeare's relationship with the Catholic Church? And, could he have been a secret Catholic, forced to conceal his true religious identity in an era of persecution? At the time of Shakespeare's writing, Britain was in a period of religious upheaval. Its people were still caught in the crossfires of the English Reformation that had begun decades earlier when Henry VIII declared himself head of the Church of England. Shakespeare, like many of his contemporaries, outwardly followed the State-imposed religion, since it was illegal at that time to practice as a Catholic in England. However, scholars say he nonetheless maintained strong sympathies with the Church of Rome. Shakespeare's writings “clearly points to somebody who was not just saturated in Catholicism, but occasionally argued for it,” said Clare Asquith, an independent scholar and author of a book on Shakespeare called “Shadowplay:The Hidden Beliefs and Coded Politics of William Shakespeare.” He “was definitely putting the Catholic point of view to an intellectual audience,” she said. An example of this relationship with Catholicism comes out in Shakespeare's Hamlet, a play which scholars say captures the sense of conflict experienced by the population as the country transitioned to the Church of England. “Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, dramatizes the position of all these people, torn apart like Hamlet, having to play a part like Hamlet, pretend they were irresponsible, perhaps mad, and yet, having to make a decision about what to do about this,” Asquith told CNA/EWTN News.
She said that this conflict is particularly represented through the ghost of Hamlet’s father in Act I. Pearce reiterates that more people at that time had Catholic sympathies than is commonly believed. “Although the anti-Catholic laws made it necessary for any writer, Shakespeare included, to be circumspect about the way that they discussed the religious controversies of the time,” he said, “it is clear that Shakespeare's plays show a great degree of sympathy with the Catholic perspective during this volatile time.”

Without a repentant heart, Christians can risk living out their faith superficially and fail to live out God's desire for "mercy, not sacrifice," Pope Francis said. Instead, Jesus' love for sinners shows that the church is not "a community of perfect people, but disciples on a path who follow the Lord because they recognize themselves as sinners and in need of his forgiveness," the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square April 13. Jesus' mission is "to search for each one of us, to heal our wounds and call us to follow him with love," he said. The pope reflected on the Gospel passage, which recounted Jesus calling Matthew to follow him despite the fact he was a tax collector and considered a sinner by the people. Jesus, he said, did not rebuke him for his past but dines with him and "opens up a new future." "There is no saint without a past and there is not sinner without a future. This is beautiful; this is what Jesus does," he said. However, like the scribes and Pharisees, there is also the temptation for Christians to fall into pride and arrogance and believe themselves better than others. For Christ, no sinner is excluded because "God's healing power knows no sickness that cannot be cured," the pope said. Jesus, he added, was not afraid of talking to sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes, thus revealing the true meaning behind the prophet Hosea's call for "mercy, not sacrifice." "Those Pharisees were very religious in practice, but were unable to share a table with tax collectors and sinners," he said. "While being faithful guardians of the law, they had no knowledge of God's heart." Pope Francis called on the faithful to "look with mercy" upon others while reminding them that "we are all disciples in need of experiencing and living the comforting words of Jesus." "We all need to be nourished by the mercy of God because our salvation comes from this source," the pope said.

The problem of sex-selective abortion is not limited to China and India, but is increasing in communities within Western countries, a new report by the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute says. “I think for a long time we’ve been denying that sex-selective abortion happens in the United States,” said Anna Higgins, J.D., associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute. However, she told CNA, “it does happen here.” Countries like China, with its miserable human rights record, are notorious for sex-selective abortions because of the country’s long-time forced one-child family policy, now a two-child policy. Human rights activists have termed the situation “gendercide” because so many families choose only to have a boy to carry on the family name. The practice has led to demographic disaster, with 33 million more men than women in the country, according to human rights activists. Yet sex-selective abortion happens not just in China and India, but within Western countries as well, Higgins argues. In certain immigrant communities in the U.S. – including some Indian-American, Korean-American, and Chinese-American communities – the ratio of baby boys to baby girls can actually be much higher than China’s. “Although not every country prohibits sex-selective abortion specifically, there is obviously a global awareness that prenatal sex-selection is unethical based on the sheer number of countries that prohibit preimplantation sex-selection techniques,” Higgins said of the numbers. “The United States is, in fact, lagging behind the rest of the world on this front.” Higgins, along with the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, is pushing for the House to pass the Prenatal Non-Discrimination Act which would prohibit sex-selective abortions, along with the solicitation of funds for these abortions or any “coercion” of woman to obtain an abortion on basis of sex, which happens in some communities, Higgins said.

What you say and how you live always go hand in hand, building up the church and the people of God, Pope Francis told new priests. "Therefore, may your doctrine be nourishment to the people of God, joy and supporting those faithful to Christ (be) the fragrance of your life, because the word and example go together," he said. "Word and example edify the house of God, which is the church," he said in his homily April 17, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Celebrating Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis ordained 11 new priests; nine were ordained for the Diocese of Rome and two of the new priests -- including one born in Baghdad -- belong to the Rogationist religious order. In his homily, the pope urged the men to read, reflect on and teach the word of God and to be a living example of what they preach. He asked that they imitate Jesus in their lives, including "carrying Christ's death" inside of them and walking with him in new life. "Without the cross you will never find the true Jesus. And a cross without Christ has no meaning." In administering the sacraments, especially the sacrament of penance, show mercy, he told them. "Please, in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord, and in the name of the church, I asked you to be merciful, very merciful." He reminded the men that they were called by Jesus to continue his mission as teacher, priest and shepherd, and to serve the church and the people of God. "Always have in front of your eyes the example of the Good Shepherd, who didn't come to be served, but to serve and to look for and save those who were lost," he said. Later in the day, the pope told those gathered in St. Peter's Square for the "Regina Coeli" prayer that the image of a shepherd with his flock "shows the close relationship that Jesus wants to establish with each one of us." "He is our guide, our teacher, our friend, our role model, but above all, he is our Savior," the pope said. Christ has saved humanity and "nothing and nobody will be able to wrench us from Jesus' hands because nothing and no one can overpower his love," he said. "Jesus' love is invincible." While the devil and his minions try all sorts of ways to tear this promise of eternal life away from people, "the evil one cannot do anything unless we open the doors of our soul to him, and follow his deceptive enticements," he said.

There are many things about Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta that could be called heroic – her tireless service to the world's most rejected and her courageous witness to millions of what it is to live the Gospel, just to name a couple. But the priest charged with overseeing her path to sainthood said that for him, one thing stands out above all the rest: her experience of spiritual darkness and what she described as feeling totally abandoned by God for the majority of her life. “The single most heroic thing is exactly her darkness. That pure living, that pure, naked faith,” Fr. Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator for Mother Teresa's canonization cause, told CNA in an interview. Fr. Kolodiejchuk is a priest of the Missionaries of Charity Fathers, founded by Mother Teresa in 1989. By undergoing the depth and duration of the desolation she experienced and doing everything that she did for others in spite of it, “that's really very heroic,” he said. Pope Francis recently approved the second and last miracle needed in order to declare Mother Teresa a saint, and has set the date of her canonization for Sept. 4, 2016 – the day before her feast day. Read more here.

Mother Angelica’s life must be viewed in reference to Jesus, the homilist at her funeral Mass said on Friday. “We cannot understand Mother Angelica without reference the One that she loved with the passion of a bride, Jesus, the Eternal Word Who became man and dwelt among us,” said Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe, MVFA, in his homily at the funeral Mass for Mother Angelica, foundress of EWTN and Abbess Emerita at Our Lady of the Angels monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. “Her legacy is a legacy of His work in her,” Fr. Joseph Mary added. An estimated 2,000 mourners attended Mother Angelica’s funeral Mass at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, 45 miles north of Birmingham. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said the Mass, joined by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, as well as Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville, Bishop Robert Baker of Birmingham, and his predecessor, Bishop David Foley, Mother’s long-time bishop. Archbishop Vigano read aloud a message from Pope Francis at the end of the Mass. “His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the death of Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, and extends heartfelt condolences to the Poor Clares of the Perpetual Adoration of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery, and to the EWTN community,” he said. Read more here.

The veto of a religious freedom bill means faith-based groups that support marriage as a union of a man and a woman won’t have needed protections, the state’s Catholic bishops said. “The Virginia Catholic Conference is deeply dismayed by the governor’s action,” the conference said March 30. “This veto risks the destruction of Virginia’s long tradition of upholding the religious freedom of faith communities which dates back to Thomas Jefferson.” The bill would have forbidden the state of Virginia from punishing religious groups that follow their sincerely held beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. The bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 59-38 and the Senate by 21-19. Virginia’s Catholic conference said the bill would ensure “that clergy and religious organizations are not penalized by the government.” The bill would also protect these individuals and organizations from civil liability. Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, vetoed the bill on live radio Wednesday. He claimed that signing the bill would be “making Virginia unwelcome to same-sex couples, while artificially engendering a sense of fear and persecution among our religious communities.” He also cited corporation leaders’ opposition to the bill, charging that it was “bad for business.” “They don't want headaches coming from the state,” he said. LGBT activist groups also opposed the bill. The Catholic conference said that the bill does not apply to businesses, but “simply affirms the right of religious organizations to follow their religious beliefs.” The conference charged that Gov. McAuliffe’s veto “marginalizes religious believers who hold to the timeless truth about marriage.” The legislation would have preserved “fair access to state resources” for clergy and religious organizations, including charities and schools, the conference said. “Marriage is the first institution, written in natural law and existing before any government or religion, and is between one man and one woman,” the conference added. “Recognizing and honoring this institution is not discrimination, but counting people’s faith against them most certainly is.” Sen. Charles W. Carrico Sr. (R-Grayson) sponsored the bill. He told the Washington Post he believes there will be lawsuits against churches. “I think you see a trend around the country right now to promote homosexual beliefs, and I think you see that trend happening on a wide-scale basis,” he said. Read more here.

In the parish hall of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Northwest Portland, nearly 140 people gather by candle light for dinner each week during Lent. The group is not your typical Bible study. It's not the week's readings or the latest papal encyclical being discussed. The discussion is foundational. Who is Jesus? Why does my relationship with him matter? These are just a couple of the questions asked during the 10-week course, called Quest. Quest is designed to draw people from all backgrounds. And it does. The gently lit room on the evening of February 3 was packed with people. Tables dressed with linens and candles spread across the entire floor. Not all of the attendees are parishioners of St. Patrick's. Not all of them are Catholic. But they were all there for an evening of dinner, song, discussion, and prayer. Quest was born as a place for seekers to learn about Catholic beliefs, to encounter God, and to sit with others who may be on a similar journey. "We want to provide an entry door for people to go back to church," said Father Lucas Laborde, St. Patrick's pastor. Bob Lowry, a parishioner here, has been involved with Quest since its inception at the parish over four years ago. Today, Lowry is the rector for Quest. He fills the roles of Master of Ceremonies and pastoral assistant for the program. Lowry says Quest allows Catholics to reconnect or to connect more deeply with the Church. "There's a hunger that brings people here," he said. The program has grown substantially since it originated. Lowry noted that more people would come to Quest if there was room. The crowd is limited to the parish hall's maximum capacity of 140 people. "The success is to some extent measured in numbers, but it's really not a numbers game. It's a question of 'Is it feeding people? Is it reaching people?' And it is," he said. Quest's success stems from its combination of the different elements of faith, says Father Laborde. These elements include reason, a non-threatening, social environment, an appealing and beautiful setting, and prayer. "We are trying to present the faith with conviction and power but also with a professional quality that makes it successful," says Father Laborde. Aixa Perez was originally pushed to go to Quest. "I didn't really want to go, but I went," she said. "It was an amazing experience. That person knew exactly what I needed: an encounter with God." This year, Perez sits as a discussion leader at a table of new Quest attendees. Perez said that Quest has been an opportunity for her to find a sense of community and meet new friends who are also seeking God. Its importance to her, however, lies in its outreach to those who are searching for answers. "Why am I here? I think that's a question that we all have," said Perez. "Quest doesn't tell you the answer, but it gives you the tools to figure it out." When asked why she keeps attending Quest, Perez responded, "I get to experience God's love again and again every time I come." How has this program helped the parish of St. Patrick's? As people seek to find similar Sunday communities that they have found in Quest, the parish has grown. But that is not its intent, says Father Laborde. "Our goal is not to grow our parish. Our goal is to evangelize and to be an evangelizing parish," he said. That evangelizing spirit has reached hundreds of people.

After months of anticipation, the date of Mother Teresa’s canonization has finally been announced. It falls on Sept. 4, which this year will also mark a special jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy. Though it's been rumored for months that Mother Teresa’s canonization will take place Sept. 4, the Vatican made the date official during a March 15 consistory of cardinals. Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu Aug. 26, 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. After joining the Sisters of Loretto at age 17, she was sent to Calcutta, where she later contracted tuberculosis, and was sent to rest in Darjeeling. On the way, she felt what she called “an order” from God to leave the convent and live among the poor. After she left her convent, Mother Teresa began working in the slums, teaching poor children, and treating the sick in their homes. A year later, some of her former students joined her, and together they took in men, women and children who were dying in the gutters along the streets. In 1950, the Missionaries of Charity were born as a congregation of the Diocese of Calcutta. In 1952, the government granted them a house from which to continue their mission of serving Calcutta's poor and forgotten. She died Sept. 5, 1997, and was beatified just six years later by St. John Paul II Oct. 19, 2003. In addition to Mother Teresa, the consistory also decided on the canonization dates of four other blesseds: Bl. Maria Elisabetta Hesselblad, Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio, Bl. Stanislaus of Jesus Mary and Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. The canonization of Bl. Jose Sanchez del Rio is also noteworthy. He will be made a saint Oct. 16, alongside Bl. Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero. Blessed José Luis Sánchez del Río was brutally tortured and killed when he was 14 years old during the 1924-1928 religious persecution by Mexican President Plutarco Elías Calles. José Luis had enlisted in the ranks of the Cristeros, under the command of General Prudencio Mendoza. He was martyred by the Federal Army Feb. 10, 1928. According to the story, the soldiers cut off the soles of his feet and forced him to walk barefoot to his grave. Moments before he was killed, the boy shouted, “Viva Cristo Rey!” or “Long live Christ the King!” His character was one of the main protagonists in the 2013 film “For Greater Glory.” Blessed Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, frequently referred to as the “gaucho priest,” will be Argentina's first saint. Born March 16, 1840, the priest suffered from leprosy throughout his life, and is known for his service to the sick and the dying. He died in 1914 and was beatified by Pope Francis Sept. 14, 2013.

Sister Anslem, Sister Reginette, Sister Judith, and Sister Marguerite were serving as caretakers at the Missionaries of Charity's convent and nursing home in Aden, Yemen. These sisters left their homes in India and Africa to serve the poor, elderly, and disabled in the war-torn country of Yemen. They worked together with volunteers at the convent's home care center, where they served around sixty to eighty patients of all religions. “They were serving all poor people irrespective of their religion. Their duty was to help the poor,” a representative from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia told CNA. But on March 4, the convent was attacked by two gunmen who killed Sr. Anslem, Sr. Judith, Sr. Marguerite, and Sr. Reginette, along with sixteen other victims, including volunteers from Ethiopia and Yemen. Each victim was found handcuffed and shot in the head. No residents of the nursing home were harmed. Pope Francis called the sisters “martyrs of today” who “gave their blood for the Church.” According to a statement from the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, Sr. Anslem was from Ranchi, India and would have turned 60 years old on May 8. Sr. Judith was from Kenya and had just turned 41 years old on Feb. 2. Sr. Marguerite was from Rwanda and would have been 44 years old on April 29. The youngest nun, Sr. Reginette, was from Rwanda and would've turned 33 on June 29. Since the attack, the Missionaries of Charity's nursing home has been relying on the aid of volunteers and government support to continue their care of the elderly, which has lasted for 24 years in Aden. “Now, the local government is taking care of the elderly with the help of some volunteers, university students and young people,” the representative said. The convent's superior, Sister Sally, was originally reported missing during the attack, but she has since been declared safe. “Sister Sally is safe and I think she will go to her regional superior's house that is in Jordan,” the representative added. However, Salesian priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil is still missing after his reported abduction. Fr. Uzhunnalil is an Indian priest who had been staying with the sisters and has not been found since the attack on March 4. No group has claimed responsibility for the onslaught against the Missionaries of Charity convent, but the country of Yemen is in the midst of a year-long civil war which has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people.

How did you get to this point in your life? Looking back at the trajectory of your life can help you to understand why God is putting you in certain situations or bringing certain people into your life. What are the life experiences you have had and what choices have you made that brought you to where you are today? Don't stop there. Take a look into the future. Where is God calling you to be? Do you like the type of work you are doing? Are you surrounding by people who are lifting you up or dragging you down? What are you doing in that situation to change it? Are you praying for people who are causing you strife? What is most important to you? How can you look at past mistakes and sins and learn from them? Take a look at Matthew 22:36-40 and 26:26-28. Pray on those sacred words and ask God to help you with this examin. The answers we seek are with God and all we need do is ask. I am praying that your Lenten journey brings you closer to God.

The Prodigal Son gospel reading always provokes a lot of reflection. We all know the story but different parts of it speak to us individually. The father in the story is the personification of what Pope Francis is asking us to do during the Year of Mercy. The father not only loves his two sons but he provides for them and (most importantly) forgives and welcomes them back into his heart even after they have hurt him. The father's mercy to both of his sons provides us with a solid model for building a life based on mercy to others. Now some folks really identify with the younger brother who takes his inheritance early and strikes out on his own. Ending up working in a pig sty is not the life he would have chosen and the metaphor is not lost on us. When we wallow in sin, our lives become like the wayward son, disgusting, depressing, and directionless. But God is there with outstretched arms to welcome us back to the fold. Not only that, but God will meet us right where we are. That is a comforting promise. Praying that your Lenten journey is bringing you closer to God our Father.

Rodney Stark's new book Bearing False Witness: Debunking Centuries of Anti-Catholic History comes out in May of this year and I am very excited to read it. Stark is a sociologist who focuses on religion and is co-director of the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Here is just one of the issues he addresses in the book. "Instead of the Dark Ages being understood as a millennium of ignorance and backwardness inspired by the Catholic Church’s power, Stark argues that the whole notion of the “Dark Ages” was an act of pride perpetuated by anti-religious intellectuals who were determined to claim that theirs was the era of “Enlightenment.” The blurb describing the upcoming book says, "In the end, readers will not only have a more accurate history of the Catholic Church, they will come to understand why it became unfairly maligned for so long. Bearing False Witness is a compelling and sobering account of how egotism and ideology often work together to give us a false truth." Logic fallacies have been used throughout the history of the world to draw people away from the truth. I am thankful for honest scholars like Dr. Stark and I recommend you put this on your wish list and purchase the book when it arrives in May.

So it's Friday and it's Lent and that means no meat today. But what does that mean? What are we really giving up by eating delicious seafood dishes instead of meat? I choose to focus on the act itself. What we are supposed to be trying to do is emulate Jesus and the suffering that he endured for us. We are reminded of his suffering by participating in another Friday Lenten tradition, the Way of the Cross. Jesus suffered at the hands of his captors repeatedly during his passion and he still suffers because of the things we continue to do on earth. The different now is that we have his saving grace, which he gives freely and without cost. So the act of refraining from eating meat (or anything else we decided to give up for Lent) is to help us remember the sacrifice Jesus made for us. What a loving gift. It reminds us that God is love and everything Jesus did for us was for love. It reminds us that Jesus asks us to love God above all and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Very simply stated but sometimes hard to accomplish. So maybe not eating meat on Friday is so that you can focus on praying for those you consider your enemy. Maybe the abstinence is for someone who continues to bully you. Maybe it is to remind us that God is sharpening us with these trials. Whatever you are thinking about during your Lenten journey, remember to ask God for guidance. Ask God to keep your focus on the promise of eternal life. The abstinence you practice on Fridays during Lent may lead you to change your lifestyle or give up a bad habit. Now isn't that worth eating seafood on Fridays during Lent?

Are you living for the now or for eternal happiness and joy? If you answered the former, it is time for a U-turn. If you answered the latter, keep on heading down that path. Our lives are supposed to be centered on joy in the Lord. Pursuing a life that revels in the world and its empty promises may bring you pleasure but the joy you are seeking is from our Father. When you are walking with the Spirit, people are attracted to you and what you have. It is the perfect opportunity to talk about Jesus and his promise of eternal life in Heaven. There are so many stories of the rich and powerful never finding fulfillment. How many film stars have veered into a life of calamity and ended up alone and sad. Once their god of choice (money, fame, notoriety, etc.) has abandoned them, they find themselves bound by what others think of them. On the other hand, look at the people who chose to do great things, not for themselves, but for others. Through them, Jesus worked to spread his message of love. People like Francis of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, Therese of Lisieux, Margaret Mary Alacoque, Elizabeth Ann Seton, among others. Many of them turned away from the riches that the world offered to a life of simplicity focused on building God's church on earth. So the next time you find yourself chasing after transitory things or getting impatient when things don't go your way, refocus your attention on Jesus and his abundant love. Pray for peace in your life and you will soon be bringing that peace to others. I pray that your Lenten journey is allowing you to improve your spiritual life.

Early reviews suggest a new biblical epic hitting theaters this week is picking up where "The Passion of the Christ" left off. "Risen" tells the story of Jesus' crucifixion through the eyes of Clavius, a Roman military officer who is on a mission to prove the resurrection did not happen. Actor Joseph Fiennes stars as Clavius. "A big attraction for me was the way his mind worked, but to get to his mind I found I had to take a physical route. I went to gladiator school in Rome. I stayed long enough to never want to go back," he told CBN News. "I spent the good part of a week working with a brilliant set of guys, and what I learned from a military standpoint was a way into the man was conditioned and the way that he thought," he said. Clavius is an ambitious Roman soldier who first tries to keep Christ's body from being stolen after his crucifixion. He then sets out on an angry journey to find the body after it disappears from the sealed and guarded tomb. He's a bit of a detective. Director Kevin Reynolds shot the film in Spain and Malta, where Fiennes had no contact with the actor who played Christ until their first scenes together. "We had a wonderful team of actors, and they were all very present and dedicated to the narrative. Like any great narrative in any great movie, it's about relationships," Fiennes shared. "I think your average good actor gets that and knows it and preps accordingly." "So, the disciples as a group of actors were incredibly bonded. They were a unit and a family. And I was very much polarized and outside of that, but when I got invited into the group, it was kind of like the arc of the film was the arc of my existence with them," he continued. "I wouldn't have contact with them until we had made those scenes where we had contact. So that became quite emotional that journey," he said. "I think a big component in the movie for me and what I connect to with Clavius is the sense of the second chance, even if it is in the subconscious, which hasn't quite bubbled to the surface or he has worked out, so I love that component." That second chance is exactly why Christ suffered, died and was "Risen." "Risen" opens in theaters February 19.

If you are planning a trip to Rome to see Pope Francis anytime soon, you should grab a copy of Joan Lewis's book A Holy Year in Rome. Joan gives you the inside scoop on all things Catholic. Listening to her on EWTN radio this morning, she shared that when the Pope comes and goes from Rome, he stops at a specific church and prays. Insider tips like that can make all the difference in a trip to Rome. Also wanted to clarify that some of the media distributed a story saying that Pope Francis said that bishops do not have to report allegations of child abuse. That is actually the complete opposite of what he said. Cardinal O'Malley, head of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which Pope Francis set up in 2014, said "Our obligations under civil law must certainly be followed, but even beyond these civil requirements, we all have a moral and ethical responsibility to report suspected abuse to the civil authorities who are charged with protecting our society. Every year at our November meeting, at a training session for new bishops, this obligation is reaffirmed," he said, adding: "And every other February the conference runs a second training program for new bishops, which also clearly and explicitly includes this obligation."

What are you looking for? Jesus asks Andrew and another disciple that very question (John 1:36). Now John had just explained that Jesus is the promised Lamb of God but all of this was very new to the disciples and even more so for the crowds beginning to gather anytime Jesus preached. He is still asking us this foundational question. Who are you looking for? Very often that who is replaced by a what in our society. What drug will make you feel better? What porn will satisfy you? What amount of money will provide you with all of the things you desire? What food, car, clothes, house, star or idol will bring you what you need? Well the easy answer is none of the above. It might be why so many of us are aimlessly searching. We search for a painless life, free of trouble, hurt, and obligation. As you work your way through the Lenten journey, spend some time thinking about the question that Jesus is asking. Who are you looking for? If it is Jesus, the path is also simple. Kneel and pray right where you are are. Spend some time in His presence. Share your worries, problems, and desires with Jesus. Remember that God will never be outdone in charity. Spend some time talking with Jesus about filling your heart with mercy and love. Look for the joy in life. Set aside time in your schedule to reflect and relax. Don't allow excuses to keep you from what you truly need. A relationship with God. If you do that, your need for created things will become indifferent. The importance of God in your life will replace it and with that will come peace. I pray that you continue to use the examination method of St. Ignatius as we look anxiously to Easter Sunday.

As we begin our Lenten journey towards the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ, it is a good time to be silent. The beauty of the Ash Wednesday Mass helps us to enjoy some quiet from our noisy days. Our church usually gives us a stripped down version of Mass with very little or no music. I love music and consider it prayer in another form but the simplicity of the Ash Wednesday Mass is enhanced, for me, by the quiet. Once you begin your Lenten journey, I encourage you to use St. Ignatius's Spiritual Exercises. There are others as well but I find the Jesuit experience to be the best for me. The exercises are meant to be spent in silence. St. Ignatius used the silence and solitude of recovering from injuries to open himself fully to the Lord. It was in this time, that Ignatius developed the exercises which are still being used today. But just reading about the exercises is not going to do that much for you. Take the time to do the self examens each say. Review the things that occurred throughout your day and discern what was helpful and what was not. Focusing on eternal life during this examen can really help. Something that appears to be catastrophic during our day is quickly cut down to size when we focus on the eternal. Once you have examined your day in the context of what God is trying to use you for, you should then open your Bible. Now we Christians are not a people merely of the book but of the word. And that word is a living, breathing word that is opened to us by the Holy Spirit. Taking into account the times that the people of the Bible lived in helps us to understand the stories more clearly. If the word is incarnate and living, we must hear it in our times and apply it to our world. So I pray that your Lenten journey bring you closer to our God. I will close with a traditional Celtic prayer. I weave a silence on my lips. I weave a silence into my mind. I weave a silence within my heart. I close my ears to distractions. I close my eyes to attentions. I close my heart to temptations. Calm me, O Lord, as you calmed the storm. Still me, O Lord, and keep me from harm. Let all the tumult within me cease. Enfold me, O Lord, in your peace.

Thousands of people waited hours outside a Rome church to glimpse the mortal remains of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold Mandic, two Capuchins popular as miracle workers and known particularly for the long hours they would spend hearing confessions. Pope Francis asked the Capuchins to bring the relics of St. Padre Pio and St. Leopold to Rome for the Year of Mercy, particularly the Feb. 10 celebration of Ash Wednesday and the commissioning of the official "missionaries of mercy." The hearse carrying Padre Pio's crystal coffin was about 90 minutes late getting to Rome's Basilica of St. Lawrence Feb. 3 because pockets and clusters of faithful repeatedly forced it to slow down as it drove from San Giovanni Rotondo, 235 miles to the southeast. Posters pasted up all over the center of Rome giving the detailed schedule for Masses, prayer services and other devotions feature a large photo of Padre Pio and a smaller photo of St. Leopold. In the celebrations, St. Leopold "is given the backseat, but that's been his life," said Capuchin Father Clayton Fernandes, secretary-general of the order. St. Leopold was a Croatian-born friar who ministered in Padua, Italy, and died in 1942. Father Fernandes said, "He was 4-feet-5-inches tall," and was known to prophesy and to levitate. While St. Leopold is well known in Croatia and around Padua, his fame pales in comparison to that of Padre Pio, who was born in 1887 and died in 1968. From 1918 to the very end of his life, Padre Pio bore the stigmata, wounds similar to those inflicted on Christ when he was crucified. "For 50 years, he bore the marks of Christ," Father Fernandes said, yet the marks disappeared as soon as he died. There were accusations that they were self-inflicted, but the Capuchin said doctors examined them when he was operated on for appendicitis and said they did not believe they were self-inflicted. "People realized that this was not just an ordinary guy; he had special gifts," Father Fernandes said. His primary gift was the ability "to read hearts, he could tell you what you were going through before you told him." He also was said to bilocate. "Padre Pio is special for all these reasons and more," Father Fernandes said. "Padre Pio has won the hearts of the people because he spoke to their reality, the reality of a family that struggles because of economic difficulties, because they have someone who is sick." "We need more Padre Pios today: priests, confessors, even laypeople who just take the time to listen to another and say, 'I'm interested in what you are going through. Maybe I can't do much, but remember, I think about you and pray for you.' This is precisely what Padre Pio did and continues to do," Father Fernandes said. At the same time, there are stories of Padre Pio yelling at people and being harsh with penitents. While Padre Pio was not always gentle, Father Fernandes said, he seemed to know what was needed to bring each individual to conversion. "He was tough," Father Fernandes said. People would flock to him, expecting him to work a miracle, "but they didn't want to change." "Conversion is a process that starts with me," he said. Padre Pio or any good confessor, spiritual guide or friend can help people on the path, but it takes a personal decision. "This is the secret to his success, you could say: He was able to look deep into people and say, 'Look, what you are asking for is not really what you need. You need something more' or 'you need something different,'" Father Fernandes said. He was like any good father, who knew that sometimes what a child asks for is not what the child really needs. The Capuchin also insists that Padre Pio "was not a one-man show." The other friars in his community and in his province supported his work and assisted him, especially in replying to the thousands of letters that would arrive each week. "They believed that he had a special gift from God, not that he was perfect." "There is one precise reason why Pope Francis wants Padre Pio and St. Leopold (at the Vatican for the jubilee)," he said: "It's because they are missionaries of mercy. And mercy as encountered in confession. These are two friars who spent the big part of their life in the confessional."

Making resolutions for the new year is a great tradition. We have done it for years and invariably about this time each year, the ads start that play on our emotions. "Have you already broken your new year's resolution," they ask. "You can't do it on your own," they nag. They are right about one thing. It is very tough to do things on our own. We need support and that is where our God comes in. He is always there waiting for us to ask for help and yet we seem to forget about Him until we are either trying to win the lottery or asking that our favorite sports team march to victory. I am pretty sure that God doesn't care about either of those things but He truly cares about us. In fact, God is always thinking about us. How comforting is that fact? So are you ready to be really bold in 2016? Take a chance and ask God to use you as his earthen vessel. See what He really wants you to do. As soon as you ask God to put you in the place where He most wants you to be, you will see a change in your life. You will be moved from focusing on yourself and placed in a position where you will be helping others. Now the great thing about that movement is it will also make your life better. Helping others is a great way to change your life. You begin to see the good in people. You begin to live out Jesus's command that we love others as we love ourselves. Being a good neighbor isn't easy but the rewards are so great. So back to our resolutions for 2016. Why not try something different and offer yourself to God fully?

You have hopefully seen the report that dozens of buses of March for Life participants were stranded on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, after a small accident caused a huge back up of traffic Friday evening. The massive dumping of snow then left many of the buses unable to carry on. LifeSite spoke with several of the groups that are stranded, and found that the marcher's spirits were high. One group of Catholic students from Omaha and Minneapolis-St. Paul suggested that all the pilgrims celebrate Mass. Without a proper altar available, they took things into their own hands and made an altar of snow. The Missionary Benedict Sisters from Norfolk, Nebraska posted that, "Word spread around, and on one bus, the priest had around 300 hosts, and offered to celebrate the mass. Well word traveled around fast and soon we had like 6 priests and 500 people there. God is good!!!" “We have now been stuck over 15 hours in the snow because of this so called #jonasblizzard but that isn't ruining our spirits!” said Iowans for LIFE Associate Director Mary Granzow in a Facebook post Saturday morning. “We are still on a pilgrimage for life including Mass outside in the snow, snowball fights, and making sure those driving by know that every life matters!” The Mass was said by Fr. Patrick Behm and a number of other priests.

"Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians are called to work together in order to be a visible sign that God's mercy excludes no one," said Pope Francis. The pope reflected on the theme of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which was taken from the first letter of St. Peter and was selected by an ecumenical group from Latvia. The Lutheran cathedral of Riga, Latvia, he noted, contains a 12th-century baptismal font that serves as a sign of the common baptism that unites Catholics, Protestant and Orthodox Christians. "St. Peter's first letter is addressed to the first generation of Christians to make them aware of the gift received through Baptism and the requirements it entails," the pope said. "We too, in this week of prayer, are invited to rediscover this and do this together, going beyond our divisions." The pope said that although divisions are often caused by selfishness, the common baptism shared by Christians is an experience of being "called from the merciless and alienating darkness" to an encounter with God who is "full of mercy." "To start once again from baptism means to rediscover the source of mercy, the source of hope for all, so that no one is excluded from God's mercy," he said. "No one is excluded from the mercy of God." The grace of God's mercy, he added, is stronger than what divides Christians and in the measure one receives that grace, one becomes "capable of preaching to all his merciful deeds," especially through a witness of Christian unity. "We Christians can announce to all the power of the Gospel by committing ourselves to share the corporal and spiritual works of mercy," he said. "This is a concrete witness of unity among us Christians: Protestants, Orthodox and Catholics." Pope Francis emphasized that the week of prayer serves as a reminder that Christians share a common mission in passing on to others the mercy they have received, especially with "the poor and the abandoned." "During this week of prayer, let us pray so that all of us, disciples of Christ, may find a way to work together to bring the mercy of the father to every part of the earth," the pope said.

Religious sisters should not be forced to choose between caring for the poor and obeying their conscience, the Little Sisters of the Poor told the Supreme Court in a recent legal brief, adding that this is what the government is demanding of them through the HHS mandate. “As Little Sisters of the Poor, we offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they are welcomed as Christ,” said Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, mother provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor. “We perform this loving ministry because of our faith,” she continued, adding that the Little Sisters “cannot possibly choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith, and we shouldn’t have to.” Sister Maguire’s comments came Jan. 4, as the Little Sisters filed their Supreme Court brief against the federal contraception mandate. The case will be heard this Supreme Court term as part of a bundle of cases against the administration’s contraceptive mandate. Representing the Little Sisters and several other plaintiffs in the case is the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which filed the brief before the court on Monday. At issue is a mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services requiring employers to offer health plans covering free contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions. The Obama administration established narrow religious exemptions for houses of worship and their affiliated groups, but many religiously-affiliated charities, non-profits, and businesses that morally objected to the mandate were required to abide by it. In response to widespread protest and lawsuits from hundreds of plaintiffs across the country, the administration later offered an “accommodation” to certain objecting religious non-profits, under which they could notify their insurer of their conscientious objection, and the insurer would then fund the coverage. Critics charged that the financial costs for the objectionable coverage would still be passed on to the employers, and the groups said they would still be forced to act against their religious beliefs by having to “facilitate access” to the services. Many religious non-profits – including charities, schools, and dioceses – took their cases against the mandate to court. The Little Sisters lost their case at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in July 2015 after the court ruled that the “accommodation” offered to the sisters did not substantially burden their sincerely-held religious beliefs. The sisters applied for and received an injunction from the mandate in August, and in November the Supreme Court agreed to hear their case along with the other plaintiffs. Pope Francis offered a gesture of support for the sisters when he made an unscheduled stop Sept. 23 at their Jeanne Jugan Residence for the low-income elderly in Washington, D.C. during his U.S. visit. The visit was meant as a “sign of support” for the sisters as the Supreme Court was considering taking their case, director of the Holy See Press Office Fr. Federico Lombardi later confirmed to the media. Ultimately, the brief claims that the government is violating federal law by speaking for the sisters in saying that the accommodation is compatible with their religious beliefs. The federal law in question, the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, provides that when a government action violates a person’s sincerely-held religious beliefs, the burden of proof is on the government to establish that the action furthers a compelling state interest and is the least-restrictive means of doing so. Furthermore, though the government may disagree with the person’s religious objections, it may not determine for that person that his conscientious objection is groundless, the brief says. The administration “wants petitioners to do precisely what their sincere religious beliefs forbid –and it is threatening them with draconian penalties unless they do so,” the document states. “The government’s refusal to acknowledge as much is nothing more than a forbidden attempt to secondguess petitioners’ sincere religious beliefs that the actions the government has demanded of them would constitute sin.” Additionally, the fact that the administration exempted some employers from the mandate for other reasons undermines their claim that contraception coverage is a compelling interest, since they are not requiring all employers to provide it, the brief claims.

The gift of mercy is a light that helps Christians reflect on the past year and radiates hope at the start of the new year, Pope Francis said. While retracing the events of 2015 may recall moments of both joy and sorrow, it also offers a moment to understand the presence of God who "renews and sustains with his help," Pope Francis said during an evening prayer service in St. Peter's Basilica on New Year's Eve. The prayer service included eucharistic adoration and Benediction, as well as the singing of the "Te Deum," a hymn of praise and thanksgiving to God, for the closing year. The "Te Deum," he said, is the church's way of giving thanks and recognizing the loving presence of God throughout history. "With this hymn, we look back at the history of salvation where, through God's mysterious plan, the various events of our life in this past year find" their place and meaning, the pope said. Although the past year may bring both happy and painful memories, he said, it also challenges Christians to ponder on whether world events occurred according to God's will or through people's plans, which are "often loaded with private interests, an unquenchable thirst for power and gratuitous violence." The pope said Christians must interpret the signs given by God to truly see his merciful love. Even though the year was marred by violence and the suffering of people fleeing for better living conditions, there were also gestures of goodness, love and solidarity, even if they are not covered by the news. "Good things," he said, "never make the news." "These signs of love cannot and should not be obscured by the strength of evil," the pope said. "Good always triumphs, even if in some moments it may seem weaker and hidden." Addressing those present as the bishop of Rome, the pope called on Romans to move beyond the present difficulties. The city has faced challenging moments as public services such as transportation and maintenance have deteriorated. In October, Ignazio Marino resigned as mayor following accusations that personal expenses were covered through city funds. Pope Francis encouraged the people of Rome, saying that the commitment of recuperating the fundamental values of service, honesty and solidarity, can "overcome the serious uncertainties that have dominated this year ... symptoms of a poor sense of dedication to the common good."