Pope Francis meets with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I at the Vatican, Oct. 4, 2021. / Credit: Vatican MediaWashington, D.C. Newsroom, May 17, 2024 / 18:04 pm (CNA).Pope Francis might be traveling to Turkey next year for the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, according to Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew in comments he made on Thursday.Although the Holy See has not confirmed any travel plans, the ecumenical patriarch told a group of reporters that a committee is being established to organize a visit, according to the Orthodox Times. The referenced council took place in the ancient city of Nicaea in 325 A.D. in the former Roman Empire, which is now the present-day city of Iznik in Turkey. "His Holiness Pope Francis wishes for us to jointly celebrate this important anniversary," Bartholomew said.The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council in the Church. It is accepted by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churc
An image of the Sacred Heart in the Church of the Jesu, in Rome. / Daniel Ibanez/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 16, 2023 / 02:00 am (CNA).The solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the Friday after the Corpus Christi octave, which in 2023 is on June 16.This year, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, alongside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is asking parishes across the country to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 16 at Mass or during a Holy Hour with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament as an act of reparation for the act of "blasphemy" scheduled to take place at Dodgers Stadium that night.But what is the meaning behind this feast day? Below are answers to some common questions.Why do Catholics venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus?"Devoting ourselves to the Sacred Heart is one of the easiest, fastest, and most pleasant ways to grow in holiness," Father Ambrose Dobrozsi, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, told CN
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, the newly elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, meets with reporters in Baltimore on Nov. 15, 2022. / Joe Bukuras/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 15, 2023 / 15:40 pm (CNA).During the first public session of their spring meeting in Orlando, Florida, the U.S. bishops discussed spreading the love of the Eucharist as part of their three-year Eucharistic Revival initiative, the Holy Father s emphasis on synodality, and the ways in which the two are connected as they heard updates on both efforts.Synodality and the EucharistThe morning opened with an address from apostolic nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre, who told the bishops assembled that "the synodal path is less about a program and more about a way of being Church." Pierre said synodality is not like GPS technology with turn-by-turn directions but more like a compass where "Jesus Christ and his kingdom are the true north,
Archbishop Georg Gänswein / Daniel Ibáñez/CNA.Rome Newsroom, Jun 15, 2023 / 04:31 am (CNA).The Vatican confirmed Thursday that Pope Francis has asked Archbishop Georg Gänswein to return to Germany as of July 1.The longtime private secretary of Pope Benedict XVI has been told to return to his home diocese of Freiburg in southwest Germany "for the time being," according to a brief statement June 15.The Vatican also said Gänswein s role as prefect of the Papal Household concluded on Feb. 28. It did not indicate that he had been given any new assignment.The news about the 66-year-old Gänswein was first reported by a German newspaper in early June.According to CNA Deutsch, CNA s German-language partner agency, the Welt newspaper reported that Pope Francis had informed Gänswein of his decision during a private audience on May 19. The future role of the late Benedict s secretary has been the subject of rumor and gossip across Rome and the Church in Germany for months. Previou
Scene from "Sound of Freedom" starring Jim Caviezel, out in theaters on July 4, 2023. / Photo courtesy of Angel StudiosDenver, Colo., Jun 15, 2023 / 11:26 am (CNA).Catholic audiences know actor Jim Caviezel for his iconic performances in movies such as "The Passion of the Christ" and "The Count of Monte Cristo." His latest film, "Sound of Freedom," which will be released by Angel Studios in theaters nationwide on July 4, is, in his view, among his best work.Caviezel plays Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard, who, after rescuing a young boy from traffickers, learns that the boy s sister is still captive. He quits his job and puts his life at risk as he embarks on a dangerous journey through the Colombian jungle to save the little girl. In 2013, Ballard and a number of former government operatives left their jobs to found Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.), which works around the world and in conjunction with law enforcement to rescue chi