Several years ago, Pope Francis instituted September 1 in the Catholic Church as the “World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.” Last year Pope Francis reminded Roman Catholics about the day by saying; “we will celebrate the Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, together with our Orthodox brothers and other churches. It will be an occasion to reinforce our common efforts to protect life, respecting the environment and nature.” When he established the annual celebration Pope Francis said, “Living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”

Among Pope Francis’ chief influences was St Francis of Assisi, as is evident in his encyclical entitled, Laudato si’, which takes its name from the well-known “Canticle of the Sun” written by St Francis…

To observe the Season of Creation and at the vigil of the Assisi Ecumenical Prayer for Creation entitled “Walking together to COP24” (31st August – 1St September 2018) the Conference of European Churches (CEC) and the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences of Europe (CCEE) are calling Christians and their communities to pray and care for creation…

As the plight of Venezuelans worsens, and neighboring countries crack down on those trying to flee, Catholic leaders in the region are calling for solidarity and aid.

“The massive emigration of millions of Venezuelans is a desperate cry of protest of an oppressed, enslaved people, doomed to die,” Archbishop Emeritus Ubaldo Santana of Maracaibo, Venezuela, said on Twitter August 26…

The Skoda cars used during Pope Francis’ trip to Ireland for the World Meeting of the Families are to be given to Irish charities, one aiding the homeless in Dublin and the other a search and rescue charity in Derry.

Two Skoda ‘Rapid’ cars were used to assist the Holy Father during his intensive two-day programme involving different locations in the Archdiocese of Dublin, and separately in the Archdiocese of Tuam…

A recent report in Belgium noted that legal euthanasia there has claimed the lives of three children in the past two years. The response in Belgium? A big yawn.

“The report of the control commision has provoked not one article in the press, and no comments at all,” said Willem Lemmens, Professor of Modern Philosophy and Ethics at the University of Antwerp…

“I have found so much faith in Ireland,” Pope Francis said at the end of his two-day visit to the land of Saints and Scholars. “The Irish have suffered so much from the scandals, but they know how to distinguish the truth from half-truths,” he said, reciting the words spoken to him by an unnamed Bishop a few hours earlier…

Respectful of tradition, the announcement came at the end of the closing Mass. The name of the venue for the next World Day of Families is a closely-guarded secret, known only by a handful of people, including the Pope, who has to approve the decision, and the Prefect of the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which has the responsibility of organizing the event…

Months of preparation went into creating the event considered one of the highlights of the World Meeting of Families 2018: the Festival of Families that was celebrated in Dublin’s Croke Park Stadium on Saturday evening together with some 70,000 people. Even the stage design reflected an ideal “circle of encounter” where families could sit close to Pope Francis while sharing their testimonies and enjoying the performances…