Cardinals summoned to Rome as Pope Emeritus begins new life
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — After Pope Benedict XVI officially became pope emeritus, he ate dinner, watched the television news and strolled through the lake-view rooms of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said he spoke March 1 with …
Ignatian Volunteers put Gospel values into practice
By Patricia McGeever For The Catholic Telegraph As social service agencies and nonprofits struggle to meet the needs of a growing number of people, one national organization with a local footprint is looking for more volunteers to serve them. The Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) has 12 volunteers locally who incorporate …
Twitter account @Pontifex has tweets deleted, Benedict XVI’s coat of arms taken off Vatican website
By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph When the papacy of His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, ended at 8 p.m. Rome time Thursday, immediate changes took place in the digital realm. When the doors were closed at Castel Gandolfo, the 39 tweets sent out by Benedict XVI as @Pontifex were …
Sede Vacante: The seat is vacant
UPDATE: For more up to date information, visit Conclave Central. Effective Thursday at 2 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. in Rome, the papacy of Benedict XVI came to an end. With that, the Catholic Church entered a period of sede vacante. Sede vacante is Latin for “the seat being empty” …
Final Address: Pope says he’s going from humble servant to simple pilgrim
By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy () — Pope Benedict XVI, who began his papacy describing himself as a “humble servant in the Lord’s vineyard,” described his retirement as a time of being a “simple pilgrim, who begins the last stage of his pilgrimage on this earth.” …
Question of Faith: How can a twice divorced person be admitted to full communion?
Question of Faith is a Q&A column by Father Earl Fernandes A reader asks: “I would like to find out how I can get back to good graces in the church and receive Communion. I have been divorced twice. The first marriage was in the church and ended in divorce. …
Last day on the job: Pope Benedict pledges obedience to next pontiff
By Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY — The Clementine Hall is traditionally the place where cardinals bid farewell to popes at the end of a pontificate, but usually when the pope in question is lying in state before his funeral. But on Feb. 28, hours before resigning …
CMA campaign supports archdiocesan ministries
By Steve Trosley The Catholic Telegraph Making large numbers out of smaller numbers is Michael Vanderburgh’s vocation. The jovial director the archdiocesan Office of Stewardship has launched the 2013 Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) knowing there are fewer Catholics in the archdiocese and knowing he has a tougher goal for this …
Editor’s Note: People gaming system snags desperate immigrants
Fast food restaurants have nearly perfected the art of drive-through service. They can measure in seconds how long it takes from order to delivery window. The systems are set up to be most efficient when the restaurant is most busy. But every now and then there’s a glitch and the …
Archdiocese parishes take part in CRS 2013 rice bowl program
More than 130 parishes, schools, a university and a religious order in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati are participating in the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Rise Bowl program during Lent this year. The program, according to archdiocesan CRS Director Pam Long, previously known as Operation Rice Bowl, has been renamed CRS …