Andrea Tornielli For Pope Francis, mercy is a personal encounter with God, writes Andrea Tornielli On March 13, 2015, as I listened to Francis’ homily for the penitential liturgy, at the end of which he was about to announce the Extraordinary Holy Year, I thought: it would be great to ask him some questions specifically…

Pope Francis wants Catholics to understand that the Church does not exist to condemn people, writes John L. Allen Jr In 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Americans ever since have pondered what might have been. Fifteen years later, the Catholic Church faced the same question about Pope John Paul I, the ‘Smiling…

Before he was elected Pontiff, Pope Francis had a reputation for not liking to do interviews. “Really, I don’t give interviews. But I don’t know why. I can’t, that’s just how it is. I find it a bit tiresome, but I’m grateful for your company,” he told the more than 70 journalists from all over…

The US Church continues to back sensible gun control policies, writes Paul Keenan It remains hard for the average European to grasp the passion of debate surrounding guns in America. Figures in the millions for purchased weapons and shooting victims in the multiple thousands prompt in the non-US mind a seemingly logical answer on the…

The Church teaches that the Eucharist is its heart and summit, writes Cathal Barry In an ancient prayer the Church acclaims the mystery of the Eucharist: “O sacred banquet in which Christ is received as food, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life…

Sometimes nothing is as helpful as a good metaphor. In his book The God Instinct, Tom Stella shares this story: A number of men who made their living as porters were hired one day to carry a huge load of supplies for a group on safari. Their loads were unusually heavy and the trek through…

It seems that Pope Francis wants to show the world that in within the modern Church, ‘mercy trumps rules’, writes Editor Michael Kelly All eyes are on Pope Francis to see what response he will make to the Synod of Bishops process that has been addressing controversial challenges facing the family. Since his election, Francis…

“If the Pope’s messages sounded bleak, it is because he cares at a deeply personal level about people who suffer”, writes Andrew O’Connell A perceptive article about Pope Francis appeared in the Economist magazine last week. It noted the downbeat tone of some of the Holy Father’s addresses during the lead-in to the festive season,…

Editor Michael Kelly reflects on ‘the idea of a community coming together to help one another and ease the burden’ in times of struggle More than a few commentators have described the recent levels of rainfall as biblical. And the suffering has been (and continues to be) immense. Homeowners have struggled heroically – and often…