2015-09-30T12:41:00+00:00

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 30, 2015 / 06:41 am (CNA/EWTN News).- For Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, hearing the words of Pope Francis is like being taken back in time to when he first experienced his “original call” to serve the Church ... Read more

2015-09-30T09:01:00+00:00

Vatican City, Sep 30, 2015 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- As the first album ever to be recorded inside the Sistine Chapel is released, Archbishop Georg Ganswein said the sacred music featured is not something of the past, but continues to play a role in... Read more

2015-09-30T06:03:00+00:00

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 30, 2015 / 12:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Two committee heads of the U.S. bishops’ conference voiced support for Pope Francis’ statement rejecting the sexual abuse of minors and promising accountability for those guilty o... Read more

2015-09-29T22:17:00+00:00

Washington D.C., Sep 29, 2015 / 04:17 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Performing for Pope Francis at Saturday’s Festival of Families in Philadelphia was an answer to prayer for musician Marie Miller, but getting a personal thumbs-up from him surely helped confirm it. “Why did God want me to play when they could have picked somebody that was really popular like the other artists?” she recalled herself asking, in an interview with CNA. Miller was part of a star-studded entertainment lineup that included comedian Jim Gaffigan, rock band The Fray, and “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin. The answer was that she is a passionate young Catholic, like so many present in the audience at the Festival of Families. “And I’m just thinking there’s all these young American Catholics who want to be heroically faithful to the Lord. And we love the Eucharist and we love our mother Mary and we love the Church and we love the Pope. And it’s like we got to represent that demographic.” Miller is the third of ten children and hails from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. She plays guitar, mandolin, and piano, writes her own music – a blend of pop and folk – and has been singing since age 7. She’s been writing and performing full-time for five years now. “I read John Paul II’s ‘Letter to Artists’ where he talks about how beauty is a call to transcendence,” she explained in an earlier interview with CNA, “so for me that was the reason why I decided to do music full-time again, because I wanted to find my way of leading people to God.” One of her singles, “6’2”, was featured on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” in 2014. Another, “You’re Not Alone” from 2013, rose to #1 on the Billboard Christian Hot AC/CHR chart, with the video appearing on VH1 and CMT. Miller submitted her resumé to the World Meeting of Families expecting at best a modest slot to perform sometime during the week-long event. The promoter for Saturday’s Festival of Families – the keynote entertainment for the week with the Pope himself present – heard her song on SiriusXM radio, recalled her resumé, and invited her to perform for the Pope. “I was blown away. It really was a miracle.” She had prayed for a “confirmation” that she was meant to stay in the music industry, and considers this a “pretty good one.” The day of the festival, Miller was admittedly nervous about going onstage in front of thousands and playing for the Holy Father. Time was passing quickly in a “pretty hectic and crazy” day, she recalled. She was able to calm down in the last half hour before her performance, hanging out with her older brother and sister in the dressing room backstage and greeting Catholic celebrities such as actor Jim Caviezel and Jim Gaffigan. An aide for classical tenor Andrea Bocelli made her a cappuccino and she was able to pray and meditate before taking the stage. Her backstage neighbors might be famous, but Miller was “really impressed” by how they were able to “put celebrity aside” for the Pope, having reverence for his presence. Then it was time for her to take the stage. “I’m really klutzy, so it’s always ‘don’t trip’,” she chuckled about walking onstage. She faced the Pope to “soak in the fact that this person that I look up to so much and that feeds me so much wisdom and that I love so much and that represents the Church that I love so much is so close to me, and I just got to smile at him.” Two artists she often performs with accompanied her – guitarist Kenny Kohlhaas from Virginia and fiddler Stephen Rees of L’Angelus. She played her two hit songs “6’2” and “You’re Not Alone,” which is about accompanying a friend who is suffering. Originally she did not have the stage time to perform the latter song but she e-mailed the head of the festival and begged to play it. She insisted the song reflects closely on what the World Meeting of Families was about. “It’s about community and it’s about us being here for each other,” she said. To her surprise, the organizers gave her the green light. “That was really, really special and a song I really wanted Pope Francis to hear,” she said. Then her time was up and as she left the stage Pope Francis flashed her a thumbs-up sign – which she missed in the moment. “I think he liked it,” she said. “I was hoping that he liked the fiddle and the mandolin and the bluegrassy kind of thing … I think it was good.” She was able to attend the papal mass on Sunday and reflect on the Pope’s words on the family, which were especially moving given that many of her tight-knit, big Catholic family was present at the event. Her favorite line was from the Pope’s prepared remarks for the festival, that “God’s dream does not change; it remains intact and it invites us to work for a society which supports families.” Earlier in the Pope’s written remarks, the text read that “to want to form a family is to resolve to be a part of God’s dream, to choose to dream with him, to want to build with him, to join him in this saga of building a world where no one will feel alone, unwanted or homeless.” As a poet, singer and songwriter who “dreams” – as well as a member of a large Catholic family – that line “really just struck my heart,” she said. “I’ve been so blessed to have an incredible, incredible family,” she added. “Nine siblings and two parents that love each other so well. So I know from personal experience when the family is working together is that miracles can happen. And that is the best way for the Gospel to be spread is when families are loving each other.” The entire experience was a “great gift” and an answer to prayer, she said, and "will always be in a very special place in my memory." Read more

2015-09-29T22:08:00+00:00

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 29, 2015 / 04:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia hosted Pope Francis in his highly-anticipated first visit to the United States. As the dust settled after the departure of nearly 1 million participants in the final Mass for the World Meeting of Families, CNA had the chance to interview Archbishop Chaput, who offered his take on the historic papal trip, the challenges facing family in the U.S., and the upcoming Synod of Bishops in Rome.You have spent many months preparing to host the World Meeting of Families. What were your impressions of the event? Would you consider it a success? What was the highlight? Both the family congress and the papal visit were very successful – about 18,000 attendees at the congress and somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 for the final papal Mass. The numbers would have been even higher except for the intense security. The spirit of the whole city was strikingly positive. But obviously the Pope's personal presence was the highlight. Despite a very heavy schedule on this trip, he seemed to draw energy from the hundreds of thousands of people who greeted him. I was with him in the Popemobile, and he clearly gathered strength from the joy of the crowds.  What struck you most about Pope Francis’ visit? The enthusiasm of the whole community, from ordinary persons in the street to TV journalists, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. It was a magic week. People in Philadelphia were hungry for something to feel good about, something to give them an experience of joy and hope, and they got it. One other thing: Francis got to see the reality of American faith and life on this trip in a uniquely powerful way. In Washington he experienced our political center. In New York he encountered our greatest financial and international city. But in Philadelphia he saw the face of a great city built and sustained by ordinary Americans – the face of nearly a million everyday working people enthusiastically in love with him. I think he'll remember that.  What do you hope that the U.S. Church – and the country as a whole – will take away from the Pope’s words? Francis had important things to say about immigrants, human dignity, religious freedom and other specific issues. But his greatest skill is his ability to help people encounter the core elements of the Gospel in a simple, accessible way. He's a healer and a guide, not a polemicist. People are eager for that kind of voice.       Some media reports have debated Pope Francis’ words in terms of liberal or conservative. Is this a good approach to viewing the Pope? It's a big mistake. He doesn't fit easily into political categories. People bicker over his comments on climate change, but they miss the deeper implications of his remarks. Nature, including human nature, is a gift. We're stewards of the world we've inherited. Creation – from the oceans and forests to our own sexuality – is not just dead matter we “own” and can manipulate with technology. When Francis talks about man's abuse of the environment, he means not just the chemical waste we dump into the air but also the poison we pump into our bodies to suppress our natural fertility. His words are more subtle and more far-reaching than simple left/right divisions. That's easy to miss if we're too quick to draw partisan conclusions.  Pope Francis told the U.S. bishops that family “is the primary reason for my present visit.” What is the significance of the Pope making his first papal visit to the U.S. in the context of the family? Family has been a constant theme of his pontificate. It's the basic cell of society. Because of the global influence of the United States, problems here have an impact around the world. Given all the current issues in our country related to the nature of marriage, the breakdown of families and the purpose of human sexuality, the timing of the papal visit seems pretty logical.  What, in your opinion, is the state of the family in the United States? What are some of the greatest challenges that it faces? What are the greatest causes for hope? The biggest challenge is the hyper-individualism encouraged by our mass media and the dynamics of a consumer economy. Francis touched on this when he was in Philadelphia. Our country was built on individual rights and dignity. That premise works very well as long as individuals understand that they're part of a larger community and honor their obligations to other family members, neighbors and God. But the more radically we focus on ourselves, the more our links to other people break down. American culture tends to promote a distorted set of individual appetites and illusions. The family and religious faith inevitably suffer.  Entering now into the Synod of Bishops, is there any part of the Pope’s message at the World Meeting of Families that you think should carry over and set the stage for the coming weeks’ discussion on family in Rome? The human family is a natural reality that pre-exists politics and states. It's organic to creation. It needs to be strengthened, not re-engineered. It cannot be redefined by judges or lawmakers. I think that message will resonate throughout the synod.   Read more

2015-09-29T22:08:00+00:00

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 29, 2015 / 04:08 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia hosted Pope Francis in his highly-anticipated first visit to the United States. As the dust settled after the departure of nearly 1 million participants in the final Mass for the World Meeting of Families, CNA had the chance to interview Archbishop Chaput, who offered his take on the historic papal trip, the challenges facing family in the U.S., and the upcoming Synod of Bishops in Rome.You have spent many months preparing to host the World Meeting of Families. What were your impressions of the event? Would you consider it a success? What was the highlight? Both the family congress and the papal visit were very successful – about 18,000 attendees at the congress and somewhere between 800,000 and 900,000 for the final papal Mass. The numbers would have been even higher except for the intense security. The spirit of the whole city was strikingly positive. But obviously the Pope's personal presence was the highlight. Despite a very heavy schedule on this trip, he seemed to draw energy from the hundreds of thousands of people who greeted him. I was with him in the Popemobile, and he clearly gathered strength from the joy of the crowds.  What struck you most about Pope Francis’ visit? The enthusiasm of the whole community, from ordinary persons in the street to TV journalists, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. It was a magic week. People in Philadelphia were hungry for something to feel good about, something to give them an experience of joy and hope, and they got it. One other thing: Francis got to see the reality of American faith and life on this trip in a uniquely powerful way. In Washington he experienced our political center. In New York he encountered our greatest financial and international city. But in Philadelphia he saw the face of great city built and sustained by ordinary Americans – the face of nearly a million everyday working people enthusiastically in love with him. I think he'll remember that.  What do you hope that the U.S. Church – and the country as a whole – will take away from the Pope’s words? Francis had important things to say about immigrants, human dignity, religious freedom and other specific issues. But his greatest skill is his ability to help people encounter the core elements of the Gospel in a simple, accessible way. He's a healer and a guide, not a polemicist. People are eager for that kind of voice.       Some media reports have debated Pope Francis’ words in terms of liberal or conservative. Is this a good approach to viewing the Pope? It's a big mistake. He doesn't fit easily into political categories. People bicker over his comments on climate change, but they miss the deeper implications of his remarks. Nature, including human nature, is a gift. We're stewards of the world we've inherited. Creation – from the oceans and forests to our own sexuality – is not just dead matter we “own” and can manipulate with technology. When Francis talks about man's abuse of the environment, he means not just the chemical waste we dump into the air but also the poison we pump into our bodies to suppress our natural fertility. His words are more subtle and more far-reaching than simple left/right divisions. That's easy to miss if we're too quick to draw partisan conclusions.  Pope Francis told the U.S. bishops that family “is the primary reason for my present visit.” What is the significance of the Pope making his first papal visit to the U.S. in the context of the family? Family has been a constant theme of his pontificate. It's the basic cell of society. Because of the global influence of the United States, problems here have an impact around the world. Given all the current issues in our country related to the nature of marriage, the breakdown of families and the purpose of human sexuality, the timing of the papal visit seems pretty logical.  What, in your opinion, is the state of the family in the United States? What are some of the greatest challenges that it faces? What are the greatest causes for hope? The biggest challenge is the hyper-individualism encouraged by our mass media and the dynamics of a consumer economy. Francis touched on this when he was in Philadelphia. Our country was built on individual rights and dignity. That premise works very well as long as individuals understand that they're part of a larger community and honor their obligations to other family members, neighbors and God. But the more radically we focus on ourselves, the more our links to other people break down. American culture tends to promote a distorted set of individual appetites and illusions. The family and religious faith inevitably suffer.  Entering now into the Synod of Bishops, is there any part of the Pope’s message at the World Meeting of Families that you think should carry over and set the stage for the coming weeks’ discussion on family in Rome? The human family is a natural reality that pre-exists politics and states. It's organic to creation. It needs to be strengthened, not re-engineered. It cannot be redefined by judges or lawmakers. I think that message will resonate throughout the synod.   Read more

2015-09-29T20:34:00+00:00

Atlanta, Ga., Sep 29, 2015 / 02:34 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles has declined to commute the death sentence of a local woman scheduled to be executed tonight, despite a plea from Pope Francis to do so. In a Sept. 29 l... Read more

2015-09-29T13:31:00+00:00

Vatican City, Sep 29, 2015 / 07:31 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Announced Tuesday, this year’s theme for World Communications Day is inspired by the upcoming Jubilee of Mercy, and stresses that social communications should be centered on mercy, dialogue ... Read more

2015-09-29T12:02:00+00:00

Barcelona, Spain, Sep 29, 2015 / 06:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Catalan regional bishops conference last Tuesday issued a statement ahead of Sunday's regional election – widely seen as an informal referendum on independence – saying the Church will not propose specifics, but can agree with positions that have “moral legitimacy.” Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain centered on Barcelona, which in recent years has seen agitation for independence from Spain. The region's Sept. 27 elections bolstered the separatist movement, with the Junts pel Si Party (Together For Yes) winning 62 of the regional parliament's 135 seats. If it allies with the Popular Unity Party, which is also pro-independence, it will have a parliamentary majority. In their Sept. 22 statement anticipating the election, the Catalan bishops said they “confirm it is not the Church’s place to propose a specific option, but they do defend the moral legitimacy of all political options that are based on the dignity of persons and peoples and that perseveringly seek peace, solidarity and justice.” They also referred to an earlier statement, in which they had recognized “the considerable historic importance” this vote can have for the Catalan Parliament and so they consequently wanted to “contribute to the reflections of all the citizens of Catalonia, with the light that comes to us from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, aware that decisive questions on the institutional, political, and social level are in play.” “Within the democratic framework, we believe that our voice as well, presented  in a spirit of service, can enrich the current debate on the present and future of our country,” the bishops of Catalonia noted. They also recalled  their “love for the Catalonian homeland, which the Church has desired to serve from its beginnings, and our respect for the legitimate diversity of the options that will be voted on.” The Catalan prelates recognized that “new challenges and new aspirations that affect the specific form in which the people of Catalonia should articulate (their position) and how they wish to fraternally relate with the other peoples in Spain, in the European context” “have become clearer still with the passage of time and taken on greater intensity.” They added that “the duty of all citizens to actively participate in the elections as a way of exercising their own responsibility in the search for the common good,” especially “in a crucial moment such as we are going through, which can have long lasting consequences.” In this way they asked the citizens of Catalonia to express themselves through their vote, “keeping in mind the great values that society must be built upon, such as the respect for the rights of persons, families and institutions, as well as the honesty and transparency of the political process.” The Catalan bishops' statement came shortly after Cardinal  Antonio Cañizares Llovera of Valencia (capital of the Valencian Community) had requested prayers for the unity of Spain. Spain did not emerge as a unified country until the 16th century, consisting until then of regional kingdoms and language groups, whose legacy continues to impact Spanish national life and politics. Catalonia has its own languages, Catalan and Occitan, beside Spanish, and Catalan nationalism developed in the late 19th century. Following Sunday's elections, the Junts pel Si party leaders said he will push for independence. The Spanish prime minister has said he will not discuss Spanish unity, but is prepared to listen to the new Calatan parliament. Read more

2015-09-29T06:08:00+00:00

Philadelphia, Pa., Sep 29, 2015 / 12:08 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Holy See press officer explained on Sunday that that morning Pope Francis had met with the Walkers, a family from Argentina who travelled in a VW camper van to Philadelphia for the World ... Read more




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