Homilies are “sacramentals” to be “prepared in prayer” and “with an apostolic spirit,” he said.
Long homilies are ‘a disaster,’ keep it under 10 minutes, pope says
To improve liturgy, involve the people, pope says
Speaking to diocesan liturgical directors Jan. 20, the pope said that beyond a “deep knowledge” of religious celebrations, experts on liturgy must have a strong pastoral sense to improve a community’s liturgical life.
‘Open your hearts to other cultures,’ pope tells young people
In a video message to the 400,000 participants registered for World Youth Day 2023, the pope encouraged young people not to “put up walls” that close them in but to “thirst for the horizon” that makes them grow.
Pope prays God will strengthen commitment to defending all human life
Pope Francis is “deeply grateful for the faithful witness shown publicly over the years by all who promote and defend the right to life of the most innocent and vulnerable members of our human family,”said Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Pope advances sainthood causes of six candidates, including a poet
The pope Jan. 19 signed decrees recognizing that each of the six candidates heroically lived the Christian virtues.
Experts: Mental health ministry a dire need across the U.S. Church
The National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that one in five U.S. adults experience mental illness each year, while 17% of youth (6-17 years) annually experience a mental health disorder.
Interreligious dialogue leads to care for planet, pope tells Buddhists
Welcoming a delegation of Cambodian Buddhists to the Vatican Jan. 19, the pope called for “dialogue at all levels” to seek solutions for repairing the broken relationship between humanity and nature.
Diocese issues pastoral guidance on gender dysphoria ‘that begins with love’
An “interior conflict” between biological sex and gender is “not sinful in itself” and reflects the state of human beings due to original sin, the document states, adding that people who live with this tension “should be treated with respect and charity.”