News

Pope at Santa Marta: Slain because they were Christian

18/02/2015

Pope Francis offered Mass Tuesday morning for the repose of the souls of the twenty-one Coptic Christians martyred for their faith in Christ. The Mass was attended by the Pope’s personal secretary, Abuna Yoannis Lahzi Gaid, who is Coptic Catholic.

As he prepared to begin Mass in the Santa Marta Chapel, the Pope invited the congregation to join him in prayer for ‘our brother Copts, whose throats were slit for the sole reason of being Christian, that the Lord welcome them as martyrs, for their families, for my brother Tawadros, who is suffering greatly’…

17/02/2015

Għada, l-Erbgħa 18 ta’ Frar 2015, il-Knisja tagħti bidu għar-Randan Imqaddes: erbgħin jum ta’ talb u penitenza bi tħejjija għaċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-Passjoni, il-Mewt u l-Qawmien mill-mewt ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Matul ir-Randan, il-Knisja tħeġġeġ lill-membri tagħha biex, fost affarjiet oħra, jaqraw il-Kelma ta’ Alla, jieħdu sehem fis-sagramenti, u jattendu l-Eżerċizzi Spiritwali. Bħala gwida dwar ċaħda personali u ta’ karità, il-Knisja tqiegħed quddiem l-Insara għadd ta’ opri tajba biex jagħżlu minn fosthom dawk li l-iktar jiswewlhom sagrifiċċju…

16/02/2015

Nhar il-Ħadd 15 ta’ Frar 2015, tliet seminaristi talbu lill-Knisja sabiex tilqagħhom uffiċjalment bħala kandidati għall-Ordni tad-Djakonat u tal-Presbiterat waqt konċelebrazzjoni li tmexxiet mill-Isqof Charles J. Scicluna, fil-Knisja Parrokkjali tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu, il-Gżira.

It-tliet seminaristi, li bħalissa jinsabu fil-ħames sena tal-formazzjoni fis-Seminarju tal-Arċisqof, huma Sinclair Bugeja mill-Parroċċa tal-Familja Mqaddsa, l-Iklin, Ryan Lee Pace mill-Parroċċa tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu, il-Gżira, u Mark Spiteri mill-Parroċċa ta’ San Filep, Ħaż-Żebbuġ…

16/02/2015

Pope Francis on Monday denounced the murder of 21 Coptic Christians by ISIL militants in Libya. The Islamist terrorist organization released a video of the killings on Sunday. Speaking in Spanish to an ecumenical delegation from the Church of Scotland, the Holy Father noted those killed only said “Jesus help me.”

“They were murdered just for the fact they were Christians,” Pope Francis said. “The blood of our Christian brothers is a witness that cries out,” said the Pope. “If they are Catholic, Orthodox, Copts, Lutherans, it is not important: They are Christians…

16/02/2015

Among the 20 new cardinals created by Pope Francis Saturday are men drawn from churches on the peripheries of the ecclesial and geographical world.

Just how far do the peripheries of the Church extend?
For an answer, you could go to Google maps or get out your world atlas. Or you could simply look at the countries from which the 20 new cardinals come, and see for yourself: from Mozambique to Mexico, from Thailand to Tonga…

14/02/2015

Church leaders have been arriving in Rome from around the world for a two day meeting of the College of Cardinals which precedes the public consistory taking place on today and tomorrow.

During the closed door meeting in the Synod Hall, which opened on Thursday morning, the Church leaders will be discussing proposed reforms of the Curia that the Group of 9 cardinals has been working on earlier this week…

13/02/2015

Nhar l-Erbgħa, 11 ta’ Frar 2015, l-Isqof Charles J. Scicluna, Amministratur Appostoliku, iċċelebra Quddiesa għall-morda fit-tifkira tal-ewwel dehra tal-Madonna f’Lourdes u fl-okkażjoni ta’ Jum il-Morda, fis-Santwarju ta’ Santa Tereża, Birkirkara.

L-Omelija tal-Isqof Charles J. Scicluna fil-Quddiesa ta’ Jum il-Morda
Santwarju Santa Tereża, Birkirkara
11 ta’ Frar 2015

Insellem lill-Aġent President ta’ Malta…

13/02/2015

A total of 165 cardinals participated in yesterday’s first session of the Extraordinary Consistory with the Holy Father. Twenty-five were unable to attend due to illness or other serious problems, according to a report from the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., following the morning meeting.

Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga explained that the meeting of the Council of Cardinals (the so-called “C9”) which came to an end on Wednesday afternoon, focused primarily but not exclusively on the reform of the Curia; other themes addressed were the regulation of the Synod, the work of the Commission for the Protection of Minors, and relations with the economic entities of the Holy See (COSEA and IOR)…

12/02/2015

On Sunday 15th February 2015, three seminarians will ask the Church to accept them officially as candidates for their Ordination to the Diaconate and the Presbiterate, during a concelebrated Mass presided over by Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, at the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Gzira, at 6:00pm.

The three seminarians, who are in their fifth year of formation at the Archbishop’s Seminary, are Sinclair Bugeja from the Parish of the Holy Family, Iklin, Ryan Lee Pace from the Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Gzira, and Mark Spiteri from the Parish of Saint Philip, Ħaz-Żebbuġ…

12/02/2015

Pope Francis has appealed for solidarity and aid for migrants who cross the Mediterranean Sea in search of refuge.

His call for increased attention and aid follows news of the death of over 300 migrants who have drowned or died of hypothermia in the latest deadly tragedy of the sea.

In his appeal at the end of the weekly General Audience, the Pope said he is “following with preoccupation news from Lampedusa where there have been more deaths amongst the migrants caused by cold during their journey across the Mediterranean”…