The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross celebrates two historical events: the discovery of the True Cross by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine, in 320 under the temple of Venus in Jerusalem, and the dedication in 335 of the basilica and shrine built on Calvary by Constantine, which mark the site of the Crucifixion.

The basilica, named the Martyrium, and the shrine, named the Calvarium, were destroyed by the Persians in 614…

The head of the Holy See press office, Greg Burke, held a briefing for journalists on Wednesday to report on this week’s meeting of the so-called ‘C9’ Council of Cardinals. The aim of this 21st session of the C9 was to reflect on the ongoing reforms of the Curia.

The meeting took place over three days, from Monday to Wednesday, with Pope Francis joining the group of his closest advisors for the Tuesday morning and afternoon sessions…

“First of all, we express our deep gratitude to God for the happy conclusion of this incident. We must then thank the Indian government, which put into place every effort for the release of Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, the Indian Salesian kidnapped over a year ago in Yemen. And we also need to thank Pope Francis’ personal commitment. Fr. Tom is free and is now on his way to the Vatican”, says to Agenzia Fides Bishop Thedore Mascarenhas, Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of India…

Politicians who call themselves pro-life must be pro-family and not enact policies that divide families and rob young people of a future, Pope Francis said.

Flying from Colombia back to Rome late on 10 September, Pope Francis was asked about US President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allowed some 800,000 young people brought to the United States illegally as children to stay in the country, working or going to school…

More than 20 years ago, Ann Pollak traveled to Calcutta, hoping to volunteer alongside Mother Teresa. The experience would spark a years-long process that would eventually lead her to adopt a severely handicapped child from one of the care centers run by the Missionaries of Charity. 

“It has not been easy, at all, but the blessings have far, far outweighed the sacrifices,” Pollak told CNA…

Returning to a consistent theme of his visit to Colombia, Pope Francis urged Colombians to “take the first step” in his homily at the Port of Cartagena on September 10, 2017.

It was his final Mass in Colombia, and he again made a plea for peace, noting that the first step is “to go out and meet others with Christ the Lord.”

The Holy Father cited the model of Saint Peter Claver, whose shrine he visited earlier the same day:

“Here, in the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver, where the progress and application of human rights in Colombia continue to be studied and monitored in a systematic way, the Word of God speaks to us of forgiveness, correction, community and prayer.”

The Pope went on to describe what he had experienced on the trip, especially “many testimonies from those who have reached out to people who had harmed them; terrible wounds that I could see in their own bodies; irreparable losses that still bring tears.”

“Yet they have reached out, have taken a first step on a different path to the one already travelled.”

Francis stressed the personal human role required for a change in Colombian suffering, noting that, “We can contribute greatly to this new step that Colombia wants to take.”  And he reminded the congregation: “Jesus tells us that this path of reintegration into the community begins with a dialogue of two persons…