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  • Pope Francis Condemns ‘Abominable Cruelty’ Of Brussels Attacks

    Pope Francis spoke out against the Brussels attacks Wednesday, urging the world to unite in condemning the brutal terrorist attack.

    According to Reuters, the 79-year-old pontiff said those responsible for the attacks were blinded by “cruel fundamentalism.”

    “I appeal to all those of good faith to join together in unanimous condemnation of this abominable cruelty which causes only death, terror and horror,” the pope said at his weekly general audience in front of St. Peter’s Basilica.

    ISIS has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s suicide bomb attacks on Brussels airport and a metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday that killed 34 people and injured at least 200 more.

    The pope said he hoped God would “convert the hearts of these people who have been blinded by cruel fundamentalism.”

    At the end of his weekly public audience, Pope Francis, who recently broke an Instagram record, led thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square in silent prayer for the victims.

    According to the Associated Press, Holy Week ceremonies over the next few days is drawing large crowds to the Vatican and Rome, Italy. On Friday night, Francis will preside over a Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum. On Sunday, he will lead Easter Mass in the square and give a blessing from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, an event which in the past has drawn crowds of over 100,000.

  • Pope Francis Busts A Record Previously held by David Beckham — A Million Instagram Followers In 12 Hours

    Pope Francis Busts A Record Previously held by David Beckham — A Million Instagram Followers In 12 Hours

    Pope Francis’ new Instagram account hit one million followers within 12 hours of being launched on Saturday, breaking a record previously held by David Beckham.

    The Pontiff’s account was launched with a photo of him — not a selfie — kneeling in prayer, asking followers to “pray for me” in 9 languages.

    Pope Francis also broke the record for getting one million followers in record time, beating out David Beckham who reached a million in 24 hours.

    The Pope’s Instagram handle is “Franciscus,” and while the account is separate from the official Vatican account, it will still be maintained by members of the Vatican. He also has a Twitter account maintained by others, according to CNN.

    The world was informed on Thursday that the Pope would join the ranks of millions of Instagram users. The news came a few weeks after Pope Francis met with Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom.

    A photo posted by Pope Francis (@franciscus) on

    During their February meeting, the two reportedly discussed “the power of images to unite people across different cultures and languages.”

    As of this writing Pope Francis‘ Instagram account has 1.5 million followers. His inaugural post has received 186,000 likes.

  • Ecatepec, Mexico Welcomes Pope Francis Amidst Drug Violence, Kidnappings, and Gang Activity

    Ecatepec, Mexico welcomed Pope Francis on Sunday. Hundreds of thousands of people–many of whom were on foot and clad in white–gathered in hopes of catching a glimpse of the pontiff.

    Pope Francis was bringing a message of hope and peace to those living in Ecatepec, Mexico and the surrounding areas, known for gangland-style executions, drug violence, and daily kidnappings.

    Ignacia Godinez is a homemaker in Ecatepec, Mexico. She said his arrival brings comfort.

    “He’s coming to Ecatepec because we need him here,” she said. Kidnappings, robberies, and drugs have all increased, and he brings comfort. His message will reach those who need it, so that people know we, the good people, outnumber the bad.”

    Pope Francis’ decision to celebrate the largest Mass during his Mexican visit in Ecatepec highlights his priorities. He is known for serving those on society’s margins.

    65-year-old Conchita Tellez spent 38 hours on a bus to get to Ecatepec, Mexico.

    “The pope comes to Mexico at a very ugly moment,” she said. “And he comes to pray for us and for all those who lost hope and have submerged the country in blood and violence.”

    It’s abundantly clear that the people of Ecatepec desperately need the promise of love and peace the pope is bringing. Hopefully at least some of those responsible for the violent acts besieging the region will hear him, too, and aspire to squelch some of these deadly actions.

  • Mark Wahlberg Couldn’t Get A Laugh Out Of The Pope

    Mark Wahlberg reportedly tried out a little comedy routine onstage at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia over the weekend, where Pope Francis held court, and while he got some laughs from the audience he wasn’t able to elicit one from the religious leader.

    After opera-singing teen Bobby Hill performed and left the stage, Wahlberg said, “That right there was truly the voice of an angel. But then he whispered in my ear that he loved the movie Ted, and I told him that was not appropriate for a boy of his age. Holy Father, please forgive me. I’ve always hoped that the good Lord has a sense of humor when it comes and pertains to many of the movies that I’ve made.”

    But according to E! News, Pope Francis either didn’t get the joke or didn’t find it all that funny.

    Wahlberg was on hand for the event to lend support to the Catholic Church, which he has been faithful to since he was a kid. The actor and musician told the Catholic Herald in 2010 that he is a deeply spiritual person and always makes time for prayer.

    “Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life. The first thing I do when I start my day is, I get down on my hands and knees and give thanks to God. Whenever I go outside of my house, the first thing I do is stop at the church. The kids will be mad with me. ‘Daddy! It takes too long!’ I’m saying: ‘It’s only 10 minutes and this is something I really need to do,” Mark said.

    Pope Francis also spoke at the event, talking about the importance of family and God’s role within the home.

    “You know what God likes most? To knock on the doors of families and to find the families who love each other, families who bring up their children to grow and help move forward to create, develop a society of truth, goodness and beauty,” Pope Francis said.

  • Kim Davis Switches Political Parties, Now A Republican–Receives Support from Pope Francis

    Kim Davis is no longer a Democrat. The Kentucky county clerk who refuses to issue marriage licensea for gay and/or lesbian couples has switched political parties and is now a Republican.

    “She has come to the conclusion that the Democratic Party has left her,” her lawyer, Mat Staver, said Saturday in a statement. “She has decided to switch her voter registration. However, the issue of religious freedom in this case is not a partisan issue. It is neither Republican nor Democrat. It is an inalienable right and what makes America the land of liberty.”

    Staver added that Kim Davis “has been a lifelong Democrat but has received no support from the Democratic Party or leaders.”

    Kim Davis’s political party switch was revealed on Friday when she was asked by a Reuters reporter if she had ever thought of switching parties.

    “I’ve already done that,” she answered.

    Davis added that members of her family had become Republicans, too.

    “They’re all changed,” she said. “My husband and I had talked about it for quite a while.”

    On Friday night, Kim Davis was honored at the 10th annual Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. The event–a gathering of social conservatives–was sponsored by the Family Research Council, the same group Josh Duggar worked for before resigning due to his sexual molestation scandal.

    Kim Davis received the “Cost of Discipleship” award. She addressed the group, saying, “I want to start by thanking my Lord and my Savior Jesus Christ, because without him none of this would have ever been possible. For he is my strength that carries me and it is his mercies that follow me every day. And it is his love that endures all things.”

    Kim Davis received support from Pope Francis during his visit to the United States in recent days. He says refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples is her right.

    Kim Davis was ordered to jail earlier in September for her refusal to issue marriage licenses bearing her name to same sex couples.

    How do you suppose most Republicans feel, knowing they now have Kim Davis on board?

    What are your feelings about Pope Francis’s support for the Kentucky county clerk?

  • Jackie Evancho to Sing for Pope Francis in Philadelphia

    Jackie Evancho, the 15-year-old classical crossover singer said to have the “voice of an angel” will use her God-given talent to perform for Pope Francis in Philadelphia on Saturday evening.

    “I never even dreamt of seeing the pope, so I think it’s going to be really cool,” Jackie Evancho said during an interview with a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, where she hails from.

    Pope Francis will be in the audience on Saturday. In addition to Jackie Evancho, other performers include actor Mark Wahlberg, comedian Jim Gaffigan, Sister Sledge, and Aretha Franklin.

    Evancho is Catholic, and she believes her abilities as a singer were given to her by God.

    “Since I was very little and people said I could sing [well], I’ve always thought, ‘thank God.’ Always thank God for that,” she says.

    “It’s like I’m telling stories to my friends when I’m singing to an audience,” Jackie Evancho explains.

    Jackie was discovered when she submitted a YouTube audition to America’s Got Talent back in 2010. She was just 10 years old at the time.

    Evancho just returned from Italy–where Pope Francis lives. Now she is in Philadelphia, preparing to sing for Pope Francis.

    He will no doubt agree that Jackie Evancho has the voice of an angel.

  • Lidia Bastianich Serves Pope Francis Humble Fare

    Lidia Bastianich, with the help of fellow restaurateur Angelo Vivolo, was tasked with a huge responsibility for the past few days.

    Best known for Lidia’s Italy and other PBS shows, as well as her Manhattan flagship restaurant Felidia, Lidia Bastianich was chosen to feed Pope Francis during his New York City visit.

    Quite the undertaking for anyone, but Lidia Bastianich seemed undaunted by the pope’s presence in the the five-story Upper East Side townhouse of the Vatican’s United Nations representative where she prepared his meals.

    Lidia Bastianich said of the special guest, “There’s an intimacy, a closeness, a warmth — he’s a guest who sleeps upstairs. It’s like having family visiting and you’re cooking.”

    While visit and visitor were exceedingly special, Lidia Bastianich took a cue from Pope Francis’ personality and lifestyle, opting to serve simple dishes.

    For example, during his first night in New York, Lidia Bastianich served the pontiff sliced heirloom tomatoes, steamed lobster and homemade burrata, which a fresh Italian cheese made from mozzarella cheese and cream.

    For lunch the next day, Lidia Bastianich cooked up risotto with summer truffles and aged grana Padano cheese. She also added bagna cauda, a garlic and anchovy dip for raw vegetables, after hearing that it was a favorite dish of his.

    For dinner on Friday Lidia Bastianich served homemade ravioli filled with shredded pears and pecorino cheese and for the main course, roasted striped bass with olive oil, parsley and lemon.

    For Lidia Bastianich, she’s not just serving the pope, she is honoring Catholicism and all it stands for in her eyes.

    She said, “In this food, for me, is everything I feel about Catholicism. … Let’s feed each other some sustenance, some love.”

    The pope is already off to Philidelphia to finish out his Apostolic Journey in the United States, but he surely enjoyed the food in New York.

    What a touching way to honor the pope’s visit. What do you think about Lidia Bastianich’s menu for Pope Francis?

    Do you find it as simple and humble as the pope himself?

  • Sandra Lee Receives Blessing from Pope Francis

    Sandra Lee, the Food Network star who recently underwent her second surgery for cancer, received a special blessing for her continued good health (she is now cancer free) from Pope Francis.

    The pope was blessing New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, when he offered up a blessing to his girlfriend Sandra Lee. He even said Andrew Cuomo’s father, the late Mario Cuomo, was a “great man.”

    “The pope gave Sandra a special blessing for her health and her recovery and Cuomo asked the pope to say a prayer for his ­father,” a source tells the New York Post.

    “The pope told him . . . that his father was a great man and he would keep him in his prayers.”

    Mario Cuomo died this past January. He argued back in 1984 that Catholic politicians could “oppose abortion while fighting laws that would restrict it.”

    Sandra Lee recently underwent a double mastectomy in her fight against breast cancer.

    “Sandra Lee and the governor were extremely grateful for his kindness,” an aide to Governor Cuomo told the New York Daily News.

    Pope Francis was making his way out of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City when he stopped to greet the governor and Sandra Lee, and to offer these blessings for them and the governor’s late father.

  • Andrea Bocelli To Perform For The Pope

    Andrea Bocelli and Juanes are scheduled to perform for Pope Francis on September 26th.

    The event will take place at the World Meeting of Families in Philidelphia where Andrea Bocelli will be a main performer.

    Andrea Bocelli and Juanes will be performing with the Philidelphia Orchestra.

    The Pope will be attending the World Meeting of Families during his first trip to the United States since the beginning of his papacy.

    Juanes said of the event, “Our most important mission in this voyage of life is learning how to love, and what better way to do it than through family.”

    He added, “I’m deeply honored to sing for Pope Francis.”

    The World Meeting of Families is meant to strengthen family bonds on a global scale.

    Executive director Donna Crilley Farrell said that she wanted to “bring together performers that represented the world.”

    Andrea Bocelli certainly fits that bill.

    Last year, Andrea Bocelli received a lifetime achievement honor at the 2014 Billboard Latin Music Awards. He is one of the best-selling singers in history.

    Andrea Bocelli has been incredibly prolific in his long career. He has made 14 studio albums, three greatest hits recordings, and nine complete operas.

    Una serata tra amici !

    A photo posted by Andrea Bocelli (@andreabocelliofficial) on

    Andrea Bocelli has sold over 80 million albums worldwide.

    This will be far from the first time that Andrea Bocelli has performed for someone of stature. In fact, he has already performed for two popes. He has also performed for four U.S. presidents, the British royal family, the Olympics and the World Cup.

    What an amazing career!

    What do you think of Andrea Bocelli’s upcoming performance for Pope Francis?

  • Andrea Bocelli, Juanes to Join Philadelphia Orchestra in Performance for Pope Francis

    Andrea Bocelli and Juanes will join the Philadelphia Orchestra in performing for Pope Francis during his visit to Philadelphia in September. The pope is traveling to the U.S. to attend the World Meeting of Families there on September 26th. This will mark the first time Pope Francis has visited the U.S. during his papacy.

    The World Meeting of Families is an event held every three years. Its aim is to strengthen family bonds globally. In choosing who would perform at the Festival, the notion was to “bring together performers that represented the world,” executive director Donna Crilley Farrell said.

    Andrea Bocelli, an Italian tenor, and Juanes, a Colombian pop singer, are no doubt both thrilled and honored to have been asked to sing.

    “Our most important mission in this voyage of life is learning how to love, and what better way to do it than through family,” Juanes said. “I’m deeply honored to sing for Pope Francis.”

    Juanes and Andrea Bocelli join a very small list of singers who have performed for popes in recent history. Gloria Stefan sang for Pope John Paul II in 1995, Argentina’s Diego Torres performed for the same pope in 2003, and Mexico’s Lucero also sang for Pope John II in 1997.

    Argentinian soap opera star Martina Sotessel sang for Pope Francis in Rome just last year.

    It is uncertain how Andrea Bocelli and Juanes were chosen, but it is definitely a huge honor to be asked to sing for a pope.

    Surely their performances for Pope Francis will be televised and/or recorded for all to see and hear.

  • Pope Francis Gets Castro to Go to Church

    Pope Francis Gets Castro to Go to Church

    Wouldn’t it be funny if the history of relations between the United States and Cuba were bookended in history by two Catholics? On the one end, there is the Cuban Missile Crisis standoff that featured President John F. Kennedy. On the other end, it could very well end up being the Numero Uno Catholic in the world: Pope Francis.

    Like it or not, relations between the United States and Cuba are thawing. And the man who runs that country is placing a lot of credit at the feet of a man who has impressed many here in America too.

    After meeting with the Pope at the Vatican ahead of an upcoming papal visit to Cuba, Cuban President Raul Castro said at a news conference that he and the pope have something in common. ” He is a Jesuit, and I, in some way, am too,” Castro said. “I always studied at Jesuit schools.”

    But Castro went further. One of the last vestiges of what Americans used to call “Godless Communism” shocked the world.

    “When the pope goes to Cuba in September, I promise to go to all his Masses, and with satisfaction,” Castro said. “I read all the speeches of the pope, his commentaries, and if the pope continues this way, I will go back to praying and go back to the church, and I’m not joking,” he said.

    In fact Castro showed Pope Francis’ influence is reaching pst him, all the way into the Communist Party in his country.

    “I am from the Cuban Communist Party, that doesn’t allow (religious) believers, but now we are allowing it, it’s an important step,” Castro said.

    Castro said he is “very impressed by [Pope Francis’] wisdom, his modesty, and all his virtues that we know he has.”

    Castro gave much credit for the recent improvement in U.S-Cuba relations to Pope Francis.

    “I thanked the pope for what he did,” he said.

  • Pope Francis’ Old iPad Sells for $30K at Auction

    An old iPad, once owned by Internet-lover Pope Francis, has fetched a sizable sum at a local charity auction.

    Reuters reports that the iPad was sold for $30,500 on Tuesday. All the proceeds will go to a school for the disadvantaged in Uruguay. The iPad is engraved with the words “His Holiness Francisco. Servizio Internet Vatican, March 2013” and comes with a certificate of authenticity from The Vatican.

    Apparently, Pope Francis turned the iPad over to a Uruguayan priest with the directive “do something good with it.” So the priest donated it to a local school, a couple hundred miles north of Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo.

    The iPad was eventually sold through a small, local auction house called Castells – but only after failed attempts to sell it through larger auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s.

    Pope Francis has embraced technology and the internet during his tenure as leader of the Catholic Church. He has called the internet a “gift from God” and urged us all to become “citizens of the digital world.”

    “In a world like this, media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which can in turn inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all. Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity. The walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another. We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue which help us grow in understanding and mutual respect. A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive. Media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances,” said Francis.

    Just not Facebook. Facebook is mean.

    Images via Castells, Wikimedia Commons

  • Pope Francis To Visit Sarajevo To Promote Peace

    Pope Francis said on Sunday that he is planning a one-day trip to Sarajevo on June 6th.

    Pope Francis made the announcement to tens of thousands of faithful that were gathered for his weekly Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square.

    He said that he wishes to “give rise to the development of good and contribute to the consolidation of brotherhood and peace.”

    That is, of course, more difficult to do than to say, but Pope Francis has made the cause of high importance in light of the rising persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

    Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the epicenter of the 1992-1995 Bosnian war that claimed over 100,000 lives.

    The war also caused mass anti-government riots and widespread unemployment, even up until last February when riots rocked the country again.

    Pope Francis‘ visit to Sarajevo follows visits to Jordan, the Palestinian territories, Albania and Turkey last year.

    He is visiting many countries where tensions are high between Muslims and Christians. Pope Francis is trying to strengthen relations with moderate Islam to protect Christians facing increasing persecution in the Middle East.

    This will be the first visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 18 years.

    Pope John Paul II visited the war-torn country back in 1997, even though there were many assassination threats awaiting him.

    He had a similar message to that of Pope Francis. He was trying to start dialogue between Bosniak Muslims, Catholic Croats, and Orthodox Serbs.

    Besides building bridges between different religious groups, Pope Francis will also address other issues strangling Bosnia and Herzegovina like high unemployment, corruption, and deep political polarization.

    What do you think about Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

    Do you think Pope Francis will make progress for religious peace?

  • Pope Francis Targeted by ISIS Terrorists?

    Pope Francis Targeted by ISIS Terrorists?

    Italy’s Il Tempo newspaper reported on Monday that Pope Francis is a target of the Islamic State militant group. According to the article, Israeli sources believe that Pope Francis is “in the crosshairs of the ISIS” as the “greatest exponent of the Christian religion” and is considered a “bearer of false truth”.

    However, the Vatican has released a statement to the Catholic News Agency that this is not true.

    “There is nothing serious to this. There is no particular concern in the Vatican. This news has no foundation,” a Vatican spokesman said.

    Il Tempo had warned that the number of jihadists in Italy is increasing due to an influx of unidentified immigrants.

    The tension among Christians in Italy is high due to statements such as those made by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of ISIS. Baghdadi encouraged all Muslims to return to the Middle East and join the movement.

    “Those who can immigrate to the Islamic State should immigrate, as immigration to the house of Islam is a duty,” he said. “Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims.”

    But Baghdadi concluded his statement with an ominous declaration that Christians in Italy are keeping an eye on.

    “This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills.”

    Christians around the world are watching developments in Mosul, the largest Christian city in Iraq, where ISIS militants are reported to be beheading Christians, including children.

    Pope Francis has spoken out about the need to stop ISIS, though he stops short of endorsing American airstrikes.

    “I can only say this: It is licit to stop the unjust aggressor. I underline the verb: stop. I do not say bomb, make war, I say stop by some means,” he said in a recent press conference. “It is there that this should be discussed. Is there an unjust aggressor? It would seem there is. How do we stop him?”

  • Pope Francis Ready to Let Priests Marry?

    The question was originally asked when Pope Francis was first installed as Pontiff: Might this be the man to lead the Church away from a celibate priesthood?

    Pope Francis certainly has tackled some issues that many Catholics have been eager to see addressed, including corruption in the Vatican Bank. And he has spoken about the touchy issue of priesthood celibacy before.

    Again recently, Pope Francis pointed out that there are married priests in the Ukrainian Greek Catholic and Coptic Catholic churches.

    “The door is always open,” he said about the issue, “but we are not talking about it now as the order of the day,”

    Some are finding hope in the fact that Pope Francis is addressing this as a “problem.”

    “The problem certainly exists, but it is not on a large scale,”Pope Francis has said. “It will need time, but the solutions are there and I will find them.”

    It’s not just the rank and file faithful who are keen to see this dealt with. Priests are conflicted about it, as well.

    “Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air,” says one priest. “This is a fascinating time in church history because of him. He’s out there in the sunshine, tackling big issues, dragging the church into the 21st century, on the cover of Time, speaking to the young. Most older priests I know are open to optional celibacy. Look, we accept converted, married Anglican priests. The Eastern Catholic priests can marry. Why not all priests?”

    Proponents of losing the celibacy rule are quick to point out that Saint Peter, considered the First Pope, was married. And many don’t realize that celibacy was optional for priests until the First Lateran Council of 1123.

    In his 2012 book, Pope Francis wrote, “For the moment, I’m in favor of maintaining celibacy, with its pros and cons, because there have been 10 centuries of good experiences rather than failures . … But it is a question of discipline, not faith, and it could change.”

    The pope also wrote about a how a girl captured his heart when he was studying to be a priest. “I could not pray for over a week,” he said, “because when I tried to do so the girl appeared in my head.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Nun Wins ‘Voice’ Contest in Italy

    One of the biggest goals of Pope Francis in his brief popedom thus far has been to get the Catholic Church closer to the average person, prompting church officials to “go out into the streets”. Francis’s message resonated with Sister Cristina Scuccia so much that she decided to do Pope Francis one better and take her talents to national television, where she was just crowned winner of Italy’s version of The Voice.

    Sister Scuccia won over audiences across the globe with her rendition of “Flashdance … What a Feeling.” At the end of the four-hour-long finale, Scuccia was named the victor over male rocker Giacomo Voli, capturing 62.3 percent of the vote.

    Scuccia first caught the attention of the judges on The Voice by singing Alicia Key’s “No One”, prompting Key’s to praise Scuccia’s performance via Twitter:

    It wasn’t long before the singing nun caught the attention of an entire globe, perhaps due to the cognitive dissonance of seeing one wear a full habit while belting out contemporary pop songs.

    Following the announcement of her victory, Sister Scuccia took her 15 minutes of fame to spread the word of Christ.

    “My presence here is not up to me, it’s thanks to the man upstairs… I’m not here to start a career but because I want to impart a message.”

    The message Scuccia wished to spread? The Lord’s Prayer.

    Perhaps not surprisingly at all, Sister Scuccia wasn’t always so religious. She admittedly turned away from religion during her teenage years, but found herself committing to Catholicism after auditioning for a role in a musical to play the founder of the Ursuline Order, Saint Angela Merici.

    While Scuccia has yet to take her final vows, she plans to keep her commitment to the church, stating that “I will continue to sing wherever the Lord wants.”

    For her victory, Sister Scuccia won a recording contract with Universal.

    Image via YouTube

  • Pope Francis Stresses Peace During Holy Land Visit

    Monday wrapped up the end of an arduous, three day trip to the Holy Land for Pope Francis, only the fourth such trip by a pope since the inception of the Catholic church some 2,000 years ago.

    Before embarking on his historic journey, Pope Francis and the Vatican insisted that the purpose of the journey was strictly religious, with the main goal being the meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Bartholomew of the Orthodox Church, a meeting marking the 50th anniversary of the first meeting between a Catholic pope and Orthodox patriarch since the Great Schism in 1054 CE. Pope Francis even hearkened back to the 1964 meeting and Pope Paul VI’s reputation as the “pilgrim Pope” in his latest tweet:

    While creating better ties between the Catholic and Orthodox churches was perhaps the stated purpose of the Pope’s visit to the Holy Land, the Argentinian-born leader of the Catholic Church was able to accomplish much more.

    The Pope’s visit could have started on rocky ground as he decided to fly directly into Bethlehem, a Palestinian city, instead of heading to Israel first. Pope Francis only complicated matters further by referring to the “state of Palestine”, giving credence to the UN upgrade of Palestine to non-member observer state status in 2012, and by also making an impromptu stop at the separation wall constructed by Israel along the West Bank, taking a moment to pray for an end to the violence which has surrounded the Holy Land for the past two centuries.

    While the first half of the Pope’s ventures were concentrated on paying homage to the plight of the Palestinian state, Francis spent the second half of his visit attending to the Israeli aspect of the equation.

    The day started with Pope Francis visiting the third holiest place in the Islamic world, the Dome of the Rock. From there, the Pope continued his visit of religious intersectionality by praying at the Western Wall, the holiest place for Jews to gather and pray. Holding to Jewish tradition of placing a note in the crack of the wall, Pope Francis left behind a Spanish version of the “Our Father” prayer.

    Francis’s next stop, while not the most religiously significant, was perhaps the most politically important gesture of his three-day trip. When Theodor Herzl went to Pope Pius X in 1904 to ask for assistance in the creation of the Israeli state, he was adamantly denied, with Pius even insisting that the remaining Jews convert to Christianity.

    To atone for such a political insult with long-lasting implications, Pope Francis spent much time at the Mount Herzl cemetery, becoming the first Pope to lay a wreath on Theodor Herzl’s grave. Pope Francis would also lay a wreath, composed of yellow and white flowers, in the Hall of Remembrance at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. While at the memorial, Pope Francis had a message for the world concerning the events of the Holocaust: “Never again, Lord, never again! Here we are, Lord, shamed by what man — created in your own image and likeness — was capable of doing.”

    And if the political implications of Pope Francis’s trip were not evident enough, he also invited both the President of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, to the Vatican for all three gentlemen to pray for peace. Both presidents eagerly accepted the invitation.

    In a time with ever-rising tensions and declining Christian and Catholic populations, the Pope’s visit could not have been more important. Perhaps Pope Francis’s calming nature and egalitarian principles will be the first to appeal to an area which has been plagued by power grabs for centuries.

    Image via YouTube

  • The Pope’s Not Joining Facebook, It’s Just Too Abusive

    The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God – Pope Francis, January 2014

    Well, maybe not Facebook.

    The Pope (the Pope’s Vatican social media team) does have a robust Twitter presence (over four million followers) and tweets nearly every day, but you’re going to have to settle for retweets and favorites. It doesn’t appear that you’ll be able to “like” the Pope’s status anytime soon.

    Quartz reports that Claudio Maria Celli, the archbishop in charge of the Pontifex social media strategy, says that Pope Francis will not be joining the 1.2 billion on Facebook because they worry about abusive comments–comments that they spend enough time dealing with over on the official Facebook page for the Vatican’s news service, news.va.

    Apparently the Vatican’s social media team thinks that it’s easy to ignore the rude and the profane on Twitter, but not so on Facebook. They’re right, of course. With Twitter, you have to explore a tweet further to see all the nasty replies. With Facebook, those replies are sitting right there for everyone to see (and like, if they agree).

    Plus, with Facebook’s recently adopted thread-like comment system where top comments can be “up-liked” and shown more prominently, there’s a good chance that enough people could agree that the Pope should fornicate with a donkey, and that’ll be what everyone sees under the Pope’s spiritual Facebook messages.

    They’re savvy over there at the Vatican, so you have to believe they’ve had the same line of thinking as the one above. Well, maybe without the donkey example.

    Apparently, all of this came to light thanks to a recent visit to the Vatican undertaken by reps from Facebook. They reportedly made their case that the world’s most-popular religious leader should operate a Facebook profile–a case that failed.

    If you want to know what it would be like if the Pope were on Facebook, just imagine this, times a million:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Christiano Ronaldo on TIME’s ‘Most Influential’ List

    FIFA soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo is featured this year in TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and joins other influentials like Pope Francis, Barack Obama and pop icon Beyoncé on this year’s list.

    There were only five other sports dignitaries noted on the magazine’s 2014 list. They were Brooklyn Nets star Jason Collins, Seattle Seahawks SuperBowl champion Richard Sherman, Tennis virtuoso Serena Williams and golf pro Lydia Ko.

    Brazilian soccer legend Pele heralded his fellow ‘futball’ star on the magazine page featuring the FIFA Ballon d’Or 2013 winner.

    “Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most influential athletes in sports today. I greatly respect his competitive mind-set on the field, and it’s no surprise that he is currently considered the best soccer player in the world. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusebio,” said Pele.

    “I had the opportunity to share his joy onstage at this year’s FIFA Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich. Cristiano never ceases to give his best for his national team. He reminds me a bit of my late friend and Portuguese soccer legend Eusébio. They have the same elegance and creativity,” said Pele.

    “Back when I played, I would have loved having a teammate like Cristiano to play with up front. I would like to encourage him to keep up the hard work and to continue to fuel the passion for the sport among today’s youth.”

    The Portuguese native is the only Real Madrid player in history to have scored more than 30 goals in four consecutive seasons and the fastest player to have reached 100 goals.

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  • Pope Francis Canonizes Two Pontiffs

    Pope Francis named two distinctive papal predecessors, John XXIII and John Paul II, as saints before a congregation of hundreds of thousands of witnesses in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Sunday, during an unprecedented service that was attended by Pope Benedict XVI. Historically, two former popes had never been canonized together, and a retired pope and a reigning pope had never celebrated Mass together in public.

    Popes John and John Paul were revered by Catholic traditionalists and progressives alike, and Francis’ inclusion of Benedict during Sunday’s proceedings was symbolic of a sense of unity in the Catholic Church the present day Vatican strives to espouse. After resigning his post last year, Pope Benedict declared he would remain “hidden from the world,” but Francis was able to convince him to participate in the public life of the church.

    During the canonization ceremony, Pope Francis paused and took a breath before reciting a Latin prayer, and then announced, “we declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enroll them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole church.” Applause erupted from the crowd of almost 800,000, which spanned St. Peter’s to the Tiber River.

    Kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers from over 90 countries attended Sunday’s ceremony, and roughly twenty Jewish leaders from the U.S., Israel, Italy, Argentina and Poland also arrived, indicative of an appreciation of the forwards made in Catholic-Jewish relations under John, John Paul, Benedict and Francis.

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  • John Paul Crucifix Falls in Ceremony, Crushing Man

    Three days before former pope John Paul II is to be canonized — declared a saint, in a spectacular ceremony — a horrific accident has taken the life of a pilgrim in Italy, 21-year-old Marco Gusmini. An enormous sculpture of Christ on the cross, weighing 1300 lbs., fell from 100 feet and crushed the man during a pre-canonization ceremony.

    The weather in the area of Cevo, in northern Italy where the crucifix was located was fine, not windy. The statue simply fell.

    The statue was apparently erected to commemorate a visit Pope John Paul II had made to the area years ago. The ceremony coming up this Sunday, officiated by current pope, Francis, and attended by Pope Emeritus, Benedict, is to “induct” John Paul II, as well as another pope, John XXIII, as saints.

    The image of a crumbled Christ, face down with the cross on top of him, would have been sure to elicit all kinds of chatter. But the fact that it killed a man is so much worse.

    And, of course, folks are coming unglued in several different ways about the entire thing. Some are pointing to it as a bad omen or sign.

    Some people who believe that the Catholic Church is abandoned by God since the Protestant Reformation see this as a signal from God that he wants no part of the Church’s pageantry. They are particularly struck by the fact that this happened “three days” before the canonization ceremony.

    Of course, gallows humor abounds.

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