Pope Francis delivered a brief message before reciting the Regina Caeli prayer on Easter Monday, April 10, 2023. / Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 10, 2023 / 05:50 am (CNA).Pope Francis encouraged Christians to not be held back by fear of judgment, but to share the good news of Christ s resurrection with others."At times we think the way to be close to God is by keeping him close to us; because then, if we reveal ourselves and start to talk about it, judgements, criticisms come," the pope said before the recitation of the Regina Caeli prayer on April 10."Perhaps," he added, "we do not know how to respond to certain questions or provocations, and so [we think] it is better not to talk about it, to close ourselves: no, this is not good.""Instead, the Lord comes while we proclaim him," he continued. "This is what the women teach us: we encounter Jesus by witnessing him. Let us put this in our hearts: Jesus is met by witnessing him."Pope Fra
Travis Ross, 32, was arrested April 6 by the Otoe County Sheriff s Office in connection with the vandalism at St. Paulinus Catholic Church in Syracuse, NE. / Otoe County Sheriff s OfficeBoston, Mass., Apr 10, 2023 / 13:45 pm (CNA).An arrest has been made in connection with the vandalism of St. Paulinus Catholic Church in Syracuse, Nebraska, that occurred on Palm Sunday weekend. Travis Ross, 32, was arrested April 6 by the Otoe County Sheriff s Office after video evidence and witnesses led authorities to name him a suspect. Father Ryan Salisbury, St. Paulinus pastor, told CNA April 3 that when he walked into the church on April 1, he discovered that the altar had been tipped over, a statue desecrated, and several other objects damaged. A Sacred Heart of Jesus statue was also broken beyond repair and candlesticks were damaged. as well as the altar stone. The damage amounted to $5,000, he said. The tabernacle and the Eucharist remained untouched."It happened i.
Pope Francis gives his homily at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on April 8, 2023. / Daniel Ibanez/CNAVatican City, Apr 8, 2023 / 13:40 pm (CNA).At the Vatican s Easter Vigil Mass, Pope Francis urged people to "roll away the stones of sin and fear" to experience the power of Christ s resurrection.In his Easter homily on April 8, the pope issued an invitation to "rediscover the grace of God s resurrection within you!""Today, brothers and sisters, the power of Easter summons you to roll away every stone of disappointment and mistrust. The Lord is an expert in rolling back the stones of sin and fear … return to Him," he said in St. Peter s Basilica."Look with confidence to the future," he said. "For Christ is risen and has changed the direction of history."The Easter Vigil liturgy began in darkness with lit candles to signify the light of Christ coming to dispel the darkness. Vatican MediaThe Easter Vigil, which takes
Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio leads the Archdiocese for the Military Services. / EWTN News In DepthWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 8, 2023 / 20:08 pm (CNA).A top U.S. military hospital ended its contract with a community of Franciscan friars just before Holy Week, putting a for-profit firm in charge of Catholic pastoral care, according to the Archdiocese of the Military Services.Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the head of the archdiocese, blasted the move by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, calling it "incomprehensible."The medical center ended its contract with the friars of Holy Name College in nearby Silver Spring, Maryland, on March 31, the archdiocese said Saturday. The friars have ministered at the medical center for nearly two decades, the archdiocese said.The archdiocese, which serves U.S. military personnel and veterans and their beneficiaries at military facilities around the world, said medical center awarded the contract for Cathol
Pope Francis at the Easter Vigil Mass in St. Peter's Basilica on April 8, 2023. / Vatican MediaVatican City, Apr 8, 2023 / 15:00 pm (CNA).Here is the full text of Pope Francis Easter Vigil homily, delivered on April 8 in St. Peter s Basilica.The night is drawing to a close and the first light of dawn is appearing upon the horizon as the women set out toward Jesus tomb. They make their way forward, bewildered and dismayed, their hearts overwhelmed with grief at the death that took away their Beloved. Yet upon arriving and seeing the empty tomb, they turn around and retrace their steps. They leave the tomb behind and run to the disciples to proclaim a change of course: Jesus is risen and awaits them in Galilee. In their lives, those women experienced Easter as a Pasch, a passage. They pass from walking sorrowfully towards the tomb to running back with joy to the disciples to tell them not only that the Lord is risen, but also that they are to set out immediately to reach a.